The Chestnut Man

by Søren Sveistrup

need a recommendation for NC3.” Nylander judders to a halt. “NC3. The department for cyber crime—” “Yeah, I know what department it is. Why?” “Because I think the assignments at NC3 are interesting.” “As opposed to?” “As opposed to nothing. I’d just like to—” “You’ve basically only just started. NC3 doesn’t take people who apply on the off chance, so there’s no point trying.” “They’ve specifically asked me to apply.” Nylander tries to conceal his surprise, but he knows instantly she’s telling the truth. He looks at the slight woman standing before him. How old is she? Twenty-nine, thirty, thereabouts? An odd little thing, not much to look at. He clearly remembers underestimating her—before he knew better. In his staff assessment he recently split his detectives into an A and a B team, and Thulin, despite her age, was one of the first names he put onto the A team alongside seasoned investigators like Jansen and Ricks, whom the department was supposed to consolidate around.

He isn’t overfond of female investigators, and her general air of aloofness rubs him the wrong way, but she’s highly intelligent and has breezed through her cases at a pace that made more experienced detectives look like they were standing still. Thulin probably thinks the level of technology at the department is out of the Stone Age, and it’s because he shares her opinion that he knows how much he needs tech geeks like her. The department has to keep up with the times. Hence why he’s used a few of their conversations to remind her that she’s still wet behind the ears: he’s trying to make sure she doesn’t do a runner.