Free The White Lioness by Henning Mankell

later, the crane started pulling once more.
    Wallander kept looking from the slowly emerging car to Svedberg, and back again.
    And then Svedberg nodded. "It's a Toyota Corolla. No doubt about it."
    Wallander aimed a searchlight. Now they could see the car was dark blue.
    The car rose slowly from the pond. The crane stopped. Svedberg looked at Wallander. They walked over and looked in, one at each side. The car was empty. Wallander opened the boot. Nothing.
    "The car's empty," he told Bjork.
    "She could still be in the water," Svedberg said.
    Wallander nodded. The pond was about 100 metres in circumference, but the aerial had been visible, so it couldn't be very deep.
    "We need divers," he said. "Now. Right away."
    "A diver wouldn't be able to see anything, it's too dark," Bjork said. "We'd better wait till the morning."
    "They only need to wade along the bottom," Wallander said. "Dragging grappling irons between them. I don't want to wait till tomorrow."
    Bjork gave in. He went over to one of the police cars and made a call. Meanwhile Svedberg had opened the driver's door and poked around with a torch. He carefully detached the car telephone.
    "The last number called is usually registered," he said. "She might have made some other call, as well as the one to the answering machine at the office."
    "Good," Wallander said. "Good thinking, Svedberg."
    While they were waiting for the divers, they made a preliminary search of the car. Wallander found a sodden paper bag on the back seat, with soggy pastries.
    Everything fits so far, he thought. But then what happened? On the road? Who did you meet, Louise Akerblom? Somebody you'd arranged to see? Or somebody else? Somebody who wanted to meet you, without your knowing about it?
    "No handbag," Svedberg said. "No briefcase. Nothing in the glove compartment apart from the log book and insurance documents. And a New Testament."
    "Look for a handwritten map," Wallander said.
    Svedberg did not find one.
    Wallander walked slowly round the car. It was undamaged. It had not been involved in an accident.
    They sat in one of the patrol cars, drinking coffee from a thermos. It had stopped raining, and there was barely a cloud in the sky.
    "Is she in the pond?" Svedberg wondered.
    "I don't know," Wallander said. "Could be."
    Two young men arrived in one of the fire brigade's emergency vehicles. Wallander and Svedberg greeted them - they had met before.
    "What are we looking for?" one of the divers said.
    "Maybe a body," Wallander said. "Maybe a briefcase, or a handbag. Perhaps something else we don't know about."
    The divers made their preparations, then waded out into the black, stagnant water, holding a line with grappling irons between them.
    The policemen watched in silence.
    Martinsson showed up just as the divers had completed their first drag. "It's the right car, I see," Martinsson said.
    "And she could be in the pond," Wallander said.
    The divers were conscientious. One of them would stop occasionally and pull at the grappling iron. A collection of objects was starting to build up on the bank. A broken sleigh, parts of a threshing attachment, rotten tree branches, a rubber boot.
    It was past midnight and still no sign of Louise Akerblom.
    "There's nothing more in there," one of the divers said. "We can try again tomorrow, if you think it would be worth it."
    "No point," Wallander said. "She's not there."
    They exchanged a few brief pleasantries, then drove home.
    Wallander had a beer and a couple of crusty rolls when he got back. He was so exhausted, he couldn't think straight. He didn't bother to get undressed, just lay on the bed with a blanket over him.
    By 7.30 on Wednesday morning, April 29, Wallander was back at the police station.
    A thought had struck him while he was in the car. He looked up Pastor Tureson's telephone number. Tureson himself answered. Wallander apologised for calling so early, then asked if they could meet some time that day.
    "Is it about anything in