'He must have bought it sometime at sea.'

Hemberg shrugged.

'Of course.'

Wallander followed Hemberg down onto the street.

'Since you are the neighbour I thought perhaps you could take care of the key,' he said. 'When the others are done they will leave it with you. Make sure no one who is not supposed to enter goes in there until we are completely sure it is a suicide.'

Wallander went back into the building. In the stairwell he bumped into Linnea Almquist, who was on her way out with a bag of rubbish.

'What is all this commotion?' she asked irritably.

'Unfortunately there has been a death,' Wallander said politely. 'Hålén has passed away.'

She was clearly shaken by the news.

'He must have been very lonely,' she said slowly. 'I tried to get him to come in for a cup of coffee a few times. He excused himself with the fact that he didn't have time. But surely time was the only thing he had?'

'I hardly knew him,' Wallander said.

'Was it his heart?'

Wallander nodded.

'Yes,' he said. 'It was probably his heart.'

'We'll have to hope no noisy young people move in,' she said, and left.

Wallander returned to Hålén's apartment. It was easier now that the body had been removed. A technician was packing up his bag. The pool of blood had darkened on the linoleum floor. The Thorn was picking at his cuticles.

'Hemberg said that I should take the keys,' Wallander said.

The Thorn pointed to a key ring on the chest of drawers.

'I wonder who owns the building,' he said. 'I have a girlfriend who's looking for a place to live.'

'The walls are very thin,' Wallander said. 'Just so you know.'

'Haven't you heard about those new exotic waterbeds?' the Thorn asked. 'They don't creak.'

It was already a quarter past six when Wallander could finally lock the door to Hålén's apartment.