Death Sentence (37 page)

I think she smiles often.

This manuscript, consisting of 396 loose A4 sheets, was found at the crime scene near the body and has been impounded with the investigation as evidential material, item #09234.07.

The events described in the script, the murders of Mona Weis, Verner Nielsen and Linda Hvilbjerg, match the dates for the discoveries of the bodies. It has not yet been possible to contact Merethe Andersen, also known as Little Marie, a prostitute from Vesterbro.

The final torture, as described in the script, is generally accurate as far as the state of the deceased is concerned. However, there are minor discrepancies that should be taken into account. The whisky was Johnnie Walker Red Label, the body contained traces of Ibuprofen (see the Forensic Examiner’s Report No. 6357) and evidence from the crime scene suggests that the severing of the fingers could have taken place later than described in the script.

We await the outcome of further investigations to determine how this affects the sequence of events.

A pair of black gloves (#09234.22) was discovered not far from the crime scene and they match the description
in
the script. DNA material from two people has been extracted from them, one identified as belonging to the deceased, the other cannot be identified until further analysis has been carried out.

Detective Sergeant Kim Vendelev

Mikkel Birkegaard lives in Copenhagen. His first novel,
The Library of Shadows
, was first published in his native Denmark where it was a national bestseller, and has now gone on to be published in twenty languages.

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DEATH SENTENCE
A BLACK SWAN BOOK: 9780552776806
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781409011231

Originally published in Denmark in 2009 as
Over mit lig
by C&K Forlag ApS

First publication in Great Britain
Black Swan edition published 2011

Copyright © Mikkel Birkegaard 2009

English translation copyright © Charlotte Barslund 2011

Mikkel Birkegaard has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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