American Express

American Express enters the investigation as a possible source of payment records. A restaurant customer whom Kurt Wallander is trying to identify may have paid with an American Express card; finding the charge slip could help establish who he was and connect him to the evening Sonja Hökberg and Eva Persson were there. The evidence remains tentative: the restaurant owner is unsure of the payment method, and no result from the inquiry is given here.

Possible Transaction Record

At István's restaurant, the owner recalls that an unfamiliar Asian-looking man sat at a table with a clear view of part of the room and stayed for at least an hour after the two women left. Asked how the man paid, the owner thinks it was by credit card, perhaps American Express, but cannot be certain. Kurt Wallander asks him to find the charge slip, treating it as a possible route from a remembered presence to an identifiable transaction.

Contact During the Investigation

Back at the station, Kurt Wallander calls the American Express office for the information he needs. The first attempt is interrupted by a security check: an employee named Anita asks to return his call. Because he had asked Irene to hold incoming calls, he initially forgets that he is waiting for the callback. He calls again, arranges the security callback, and is then able to make his request.

Evidentiary Role and Limits

The organization’s significance is procedural and specific. Its records might confirm or clarify a detail that the restaurant owner remembers only uncertainly, potentially giving investigators a way to identify the man. But the inquiry is not immediate: the employee tells Kurt Wallander that it will take some time, and promises only that they will do what they can. The available account does not confirm that the transaction was made with an American Express card or say what the records ultimately reveal.