The Bell

A fire had broken out in a building belonging to the Free Church congregation in Viserum. The actual sanctuary was spared, but an adjacent community hall was completely destroyed. This was the seventh fire at a religious site in Småland in recent times.

It had started with the Swedish Alliance Mission church in Värnamo on August 7th, and like the others that followed, it was confirmed to be arson. Murder by fire, the headlines screamed in bold type—which was also the accurate legal classification of the crime. The fires were now being investigated by Superintendent Peter Krantz and Inspector Pierre Valfridsson, both of whom had been sent from the Växjö police and were in charge of the overall case.

Krantz stood staring at a charred plank he held in his hand, cursing quietly to himself over having to investigate something he already believed he knew the answer to.

— That fucking idiot. We should’ve killed him back then, he said, looking meaningfully at his colleague, who gave a small nod.

— I know, I know, Valfridsson muttered sourly. But come on, we’ve got nothing, not a damn thing, and you know that...

He didn’t get further before Krantz snapped:

— Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know! Fuck, we should have killed the bastard. Goddamn it, he finished, moving away from the burned-out building. Krantz kicked at a few boards and threw the one he was holding over his head—nearly hitting one of the techs who was crouched down, digging through a trash bin by the side of the house. He strode out onto the cordoned-off street, shaking his head angrily while muttering about all the things he should have done.