The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

of ethnic Chinese had simply been branded as communists and shipped out of Indonesia, and they had to disembark in China where they were treated as capitalists.
    When the smoke had cleared, not a single one of Indonesia’s 200 million inhabitants still professed communist ideas (to be on the safe side, it had been declared a crime). Mission was accomplished for Suharto, who now invited the USA and others in the West to share the nation’s riches. This in turn got the wheels of the economy turning, people fared better, and best of all Suharto himself soon became almost unbelievably rich. Not bad for a soldier who started his military career smuggling sugar.
     
    Amanda Einstein no longer thought it was fun being governor. As many as 80,000 Balinese had lost their lives to the Jakarta government’s efforts to make them think correctly.
    Amidst the mess, Herbert retired and Amanda was considering doing the same even though she wasn’t yet fifty. The family owned land and hotels after all, and that pile of dollars that had made the family’s prosperity possible had now been transformed into a lot more dollars. It would be just as well to retire, but what should she do instead?
    ‘What about becoming Indonesia’s ambassador in Paris?’ Suharto asked her straight off after first having introduced himself on the phone.
    Suharto had noticed Amanda Einstein’s work on Bali and her resolute decision to ban the local communists. Besides, he wanted a balance between the sexes when it came to top jobs in the embassies (the balance would be 24 — 1 if Amanda took the job).
    ‘Paris?’ Amanda Einstein answered. ‘Where’s that?’
     
    At first, Allan thought that the 1963 volcanic eruption was an act of providence telling him it was time to move on. But when the sun popped out again from behind the disappearing volcanic smoke, most things returned to what they had been like before (except, for some reason, there seemed to be a civil war in the streets). So Allan remained in his beach chair for a few more years.
    And it was thanks to Herbert that he did eventually pack up and move on. One day, Herbert announced that he and Amanda were going to move to Paris and if Allan wanted to come with them then his friend would arrange a false Indonesian passport instead of the false (and out-of-date) British one that Allan had last used. Besides, the ambassador-to-be would see to it that Allan had a job at the embassy, not so much so that Allan would have to work but because the French could be a bit difficult about whom they let into the country.
    Allan accepted the offer. He had had plenty of rest. Besides, Paris sounded like a calm and stable corner of the world,without the riots that had recently raged in Bali, even around Allan’s hotel.
    They would leave in two weeks. Amanda started her job at the embassy on 1st May.
    It was 1968. 

Chapter 21
    Thursday, 26th May 2005
    Per-Gunnar Gerdin was still sleeping when Chief Inspector Göran Aronsson turned in to Bellringer Farm and to his amazement discovered Allan Emmanuel Karlsson sitting in a hammock on the large wooden veranda.
    Benny, The Beauty and Buster were busy carrying water to Sonya’s new stable in the barn. Julius had let his beard grow and had been given the group’s permission to go with Bosse to Falköping to buy supplies. Allan had fallen asleep in the hammock and didn’t wake up until the chief inspector made his presence known.
    ‘Allan Karlsson, I presume?’ said Chief Inspector Aronsson.
    Allan opened his eyes and said that he presumed the same thing. But he, on the other hand, had no idea who was addressing him. Would the stranger be kind enough to shed some light on that?
    The chief inspector would. He said that his name was Aronsson and that he was a chief inspector in the police force, that he had been looking for Mr Karlsson for a while and that Mr Karlsson was under arrest on suspicion of having killed people. Mr Karlsson’s friends, Mr Jonsson and Mr Ljungberg and Mrs Björklund, were, for that matter, also under arrest. Perhaps Mr Karlsson could tell him where they were?
    Allan was in no hurry to answer. He said that he needed to collect his thoughts, he had only just woken up after all, and he hoped the chief inspector understood. You didn’t just talk about your friends without having thought things over carefully. Surely the chief inspector agreed?
    The chief inspector said that it was not up to him to give advice, but Mr Karlsson should