The Fire Witness. Ларс Кеплер

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СКАЧАТЬ Joona stops behind the car and runs his hand through his tousled hair the other three have already turned to face him.

      ‘The girl’s escaped through her window,’ he says.

      ‘Escaped?’ Daniel says in astonishment. ‘Vicky’s escaped? Why would—’

      ‘There’s blood on the window frame, there’s blood in her bed, and—’

      ‘Surely that doesn’t necessarily mean—’

      ‘There’s a bloody hammer under her pillow,’ Joona concludes.

      ‘This doesn’t make sense,’ Gunnarsson says irritably. ‘It’s can’t be right, because the level of violence was so damn extreme.’

      Joona turns back to the counsellor, Daniel Grim. His face looks fragile and naked in the sunlight.

      ‘What do you say?’ Joona asks him.

      ‘What? About the idea that Vicky might … It’s insane,’ Daniel replies.

      ‘Why?’

      ‘Just now,’ the counsellor says, and smiles involuntarily, ‘just now you were convinced this was the work of a grown man – Vicky’s small, weighs less than fifty kilos, and her wrists are as thin as—’

      ‘Is she violent?’ Joona asks.

      ‘Vicky didn’t do this,’ Daniel replies calmly. ‘I’ve spent two months working with her, and I can tell you that she isn’t.’

      ‘Was she violent before she came here?’

      ‘I have to obey the oath of confidentiality,’ Daniel replies.

      ‘And surely you can see that your bloody oath of confidentiality is costing us time,’ Gunnarsson says.

      ‘What I can say is that I coach some residents to adopt alternatives to aggressive responses … so that they don’t react angrily when they feel disappointed or frightened, for instance,’ Daniel says mildly.

      ‘But not Vicky?’ Joona says.

      ‘No.’

      ‘So why isn’t she here?’ Sonja asks.

      ‘I can’t discuss individual residents.’

      ‘But you don’t consider her violent?’

      ‘She’s a sweet girl,’ he replies simply.

      ‘So what do you think happened? Why is there a bloody hammer under her pillow?’

      ‘I don’t know, it doesn’t make sense. Maybe she was helping someone? Hid the weapon?’

      ‘Which of the girls are violent?’ Gunnarsson asks angrily.

      ‘I can’t identify them individually – you must understand that.’

      ‘We do,’ Joona replies.

      Daniel looks at him gratefully and tries to breathe more calmly.

      ‘Try talking to them,’ Daniel says. ‘You’ll soon see which girls I mean.’

      ‘Thanks,’ Joona says, and starts to walk off.

      ‘Bear in mind that they’ve lost a friend,’ Daniel says quickly.

      Joona stops and walks back towards the counsellor.

      ‘Do you know which room Miranda was found in?’

      ‘No, but I assumed …’

      Daniel falls silent and shakes his head.

      ‘Because I’m having trouble thinking it’s her room,’ Joona says. ‘It’s almost bare, on the right, just past the toilets.’

      ‘The isolation room,’ Daniel replies.

      ‘Why would someone end up there?’ Joona asks.

      ‘Because …’ Daniel tails off and looks thoughtful.

      ‘What are you thinking?’

      ‘The door should have been locked,’ he says.

      ‘There’s a key in the lock.’

      ‘What key?’ Daniel asks, raising his voice. ‘Elisabet’s the only person who’s got a key to the isolation room.’

      ‘Who’s Elisabet?’ Gunnarsson asks.

      ‘My wife,’ Daniel replies. ‘She was on duty last night …’

      ‘So where is she now?’ Sonja asks.

      ‘What?’ Daniel says, looking at her in confusion.

      ‘Is she at home?’ she asks.

      Daniel looks surprised and uncertain.

      ‘I assumed Elisabet had gone with Nina in the ambulance,’ he says slowly.

      ‘No, Nina Molander went on her own,’ Sonja replies.

      ‘Of course Elisabet went with her to the hospital, she’d never let one of the—’

      ‘I was the first officer on the scene,’ Sonja interrupts.

      Exhaustion is making her voice sound brusque and hoarse.

      ‘There was no member of staff here,’ she goes on. ‘Just a load of frightened girls.’

      ‘But my wife was—’

      ‘Call her,’ Sonja says.

      ‘I’ve tried, her phone’s switched off,’ Daniel says quietly. ‘I thought … I assumed …’

      ‘God, this is a mess,’ Gunnarsson says.

      ‘My wife, Elisabet,’ Daniel goes on in a voice that’s getting increasingly unsteady. ‘She’s got a heart condition, it might, she might …’

      ‘Try to talk calmly,’ Joona says.

      ‘My wife has an enlarged heart and … she was working last night, she should be here … her phone is switched off and …’

       21

      Daniel looks at them desperately, fumbles with the zipper on his jacket, and repeats that his wife has a heart condition. The dog is barking and pulling so hard at its leash that it’s almost strangling itself. It coughs, then goes on barking.

      Joona goes over to the barking dog beneath the tree. He tries to calm СКАЧАТЬ