Punishment aka What Is Mine

FIFTY-THREE

Karsten Åsli held his breath. Through the double-glazed windows he heard the Volvo changing down from second to first gear as the driver negotiated the final uphill bend before the gate.

Karsten Åsli had lived at Snaubu for just under a year. The small farm had cost him next to nothing, as it was still subject to a statutory duty to occupy, even though it was impossible to live off the small piece of arable land and few acres of woods. But the place was perfect for him. He had used the first few months to extend the cellar, which was really nothing more than a slightly upgraded renovation of the old potato cellar. As it lay below the house, under a steep slope, it wasn’t a problem to make the room big enough, and it lay behind the original cellar. He was proud of what he’d managed to do. When he bought the cement and concrete, wood and tools, pipes and wires, no one had asked what he was going to do with it all. The house was run-down. He renewed the panelling on a couple of exterior walls and started to build a wall for a garage, in case anyone should come. Snaubu stood on its own, about fifteen minutes from the nearest neighbors. Isolated and out of sight, just as he wanted. No one came to Snaubu.

Until now. The dark blue Volvo pulled into the yard and stopped. Karsten Åsli remained standing in the kitchen. He didn’t pull back; didn’t try to hide. He just stood still and watched the car door opening. A man got out. He seemed to be stiff. Uncomfortable. First he rubbed his face vigorously and then he tried to straighten his back. He made a face, as if he’d been driving all day. The license plate was from Oslo, which was only two hours away. The man looked around. Karsten Åsli stood still. When the stranger obviously noticed him at the window-he raised his hand in an awkward greeting-Karsten Åsli went out into the hall. He took a red sweater from one of the hooks and put it on. Then he opened the front door.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hello.”

The stranger came forward, holding out his hand. He was heavily built. Fat, thought Karsten Åsli. Tired and fat.

“Adam Stubo,” said the man.

“Karsten,” said Karsten Åsli, and thought about the cement that was left from making the walls for the cellar.

The tools. No one ever came to visit. Except this man.

“Great place,” said the stranger and looked around. “Fantastic view. Have you lived here long?”

“A while.”

“You forgot to register that you’d moved. It was hard to find you. Can I come in?”

There was nothing inside. Karsten Åsli mentally went from room to room. Nothing. No children’s clothes. No toys. No pictures or newspaper clippings. Neat. Proper. Clean.

“Fine.”

He went in first. He heard the stranger’s steps behind him, heavy, tired footsteps. The man was exhausted. Karsten was in shape and young.

“Wow,” exclaimed Stubo. “You certainly keep an orderly home!”

Karsten Åsli didn’t like the man’s eyes. They were looking everywhere. It was as if the man had a camera in his head and left nothing unturned. Not the sofa, not the TV, not the poster from the holiday in Greece with Ellen, before everything went wrong.

“What can I do for you?”

“I work for the police.”

Karsten Åsli shrugged his shoulders and sat down on a chair. The policeman continued to wander around the room, turning everything over with his eyes.

He wouldn’t find anything. There was nothing to find.

“And how can I help you? Would you like a cup of coffee or something?”

The man had his back to him. Maybe he was looking at the view. Maybe he was thinking.

“No, thank you. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”

Karsten Åsli was not wondering. He knew.

“Yes,” he said. “Why are you here?”

“It’s to do with these abductions.”

“Right?”

“Terrible case,” said the policeman, turning around suddenly.

His camera eyes locked onto Karsten.

“I agree,” he said, and nodded slowly. “Awful.”

He kept eye contact. Kept his breathing regular. Karsten knew what might happen. Had taken it into consideration. There was no danger. Not at all. And in any case, the policeman was older than he was. Old and out of shape.

“The investigation is very complex and we have to follow all the leads we get. That’s where you come into the picture.”

The policeman smiled too much. He grinned all the time.

“Two of the children’s parents knew you at some point.”

Two. Two!

Karsten Åsli shook his head vaguely.

“To be honest, I haven’t really been following the case,” he said. “Obviously you can’t avoid getting the general picture, but… who is it who knows me?”

“Turid Sande Oksøy.”

Turid would never tell. Never. Not even now. Karsten Åsli could tell from Stubo’s face; the policeman’s left eye wanted to wink, but he managed to stop it. This forced movement revealed a lie.

Again he shook his head.

“I’m fairly certain that I don’t know anyone by that name,” he said, and rubbed his temples, without taking his eyes from Stubo. “Or… hang on…”

He clicked the fingers on his right hand lightly.

“Yes, I heard about her on TV. Like I said, I haven’t really been following; it’s all a bit much, I think, but… yes. That was… the boy’s mother. The oldest boy. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t know her. Why would she say that?”

“Lena Baardsen.”

The policeman was still staring at him. His left eye was calm now, immobile.

“Lena Baardsen,” repeated Karsten Åsli, slowly. “Lena. I had a girlfriend once named Lena. Was her surname Baardsen? I can’t actually remember.”

He smiled at the policeman. Stubo wasn’t smiling anymore.

“It must be… about ten years ago. At least! I’ve known a couple of women named Lene with an E. A colleague of mine at Saga is named Lina. But that’s not really relevant.”

“No.”

The policeman finally sat down on the sofa. He immediately seemed smaller.

“What’s your line of work?” he asked casually, showing nearly no interest, as if they’d just met in a pub and were sipping pints of beer.

“I work at Saga. The timber factory in the village, just down the road.”

“I thought you were a youth worker.”

“Was. I’ve done a bit of everything. Lots of different jobs.”

“Training?”

“Lots.”

“What sort of thing?”

“The same. Bits here and there. Are you sure you don’t want some coffee?”

Stubo nodded and lifted a hand.

“Is it okay if I get myself a cup?”

“Of course.”

Karsten didn’t like leaving him alone in the living room. Even though there was nothing there, nothing other than completely normal living-room things, furniture, a couple of books and not much else, it was as if the man was contaminating the whole house. He was a stranger and he was unwelcome. The policeman had to go. Karsten gripped the edge of the counter. He was thirsty. His tongue stuck to the top of his mouth and the inside of his teeth. The water gushed out of the tap. He bent over and drank greedily. He had cement and tools in the cellar and would soon get rid of Emilie. He could not quench his thirst. The water was cold on his front teeth. He moaned slightly and drank more. More.

“Are you sick?”

The policeman had put his smile back on, a horrible slash across his face. Karsten hadn’t heard him coming. He straightened up slowly, very slowly; he was dizzy and held on to the counter.

“No, not at all. Just thirsty. Just been out jogging.”

“You keep in shape then.”

“Yes. Is there anything I can… Do you have any more questions?”

“You seem a bit tense, to tell you the truth.”

The policeman had crossed his arms. His eyes were a camera again, clicking around the room. The high cabinets. The coffee filter. The carving knife. Evidence against him.

“No, not really,” said Karsten Åsli. “I’m just a bit tired. I was out for an hour and a half.”

“Impressive. I ride, myself. Got my own horse. If I lived here…”

Stubo waved at the window.

“… I’d have more. Do you know May Berit?”

He turned as he spoke. The policeman’s profile was dark against the light from the living room. The left eye, the lie detector eye, was hidden. Karsten swallowed.

“May Berit who?” he asked and dried his mouth.

“Benonisen. Her name was Sæther before.”

“Can’t remember, I’m afraid.”

The thirst would not go away. His mouth felt like it was full of fungus; his mucus was sticky and swollen and got in the way of the words he wanted to say.

“You’ve got a very short memory,” said the man, without turning to face him. “You must have had a lot of girlfriends.”

“A few.”

One word at a time. A. Few. He could manage that.

“Do you have any children, Åsli?”

His tongue loosened. His pulse slowed. He could feel it, hear it; he heard his own heart beating at a steadily slower rate against his breastbone. His breathing was easier, thanks to his larynx opening, and he smiled broadly as he heard himself say:

“Yes.”

This man was no worse than the others. He was just as bad. He was one of them. Policeman Stubo stood there making himself look important while the child he was looking for was only fifteen yards away, maybe ten. The guy had no idea. He probably just went from place to place, from house to house, asking the same stupid questions, making himself look important, without knowing anything. What they called routine. In reality, it was just a way to pass time. There must be lots of people on the list that he no doubt had in his inner pocket; the man was constantly feeling his chest under the jacket, as if he was considering whether to show him something.

He was just like all the others.

Karsten could see men and women, young and old, in his features. His nose, straight and quite big, reminded him of an old teacher who had amused himself by locking Åsli in a closet with medical bowls and bags of peas until all the dust made him lose his breath and cry to get out. Stubo’s hair was brushed back, diagonally over his head, just like his old scout leader, the man who took away all Karsten’s badges because he thought the boy had cheated. He could see women, lots of women in Stubo’s mouth. Full lips, pink and plump. Girls. Women. Cunts. His eyes were blue like his grandmother’s.

“I’ve got a son,” said Karsten, and poured himself some coffee.

His hands were steady now; solid fists with hard skin. Karsten felt strong. He ran his finger down the carving knife handle; the actual blade was in a wooden block to protect the edge.

“He’s abroad at the moment, with his mother. On vacation.”

“Aha. Are you married?”

Karsten Åsli shrugged and lifted the cup to his mouth. The bitter taste did him good. The fungus disappeared. His tongue felt thin again. Sharp.

“No, no. We’re not even partners anymore. You know…”

He gave a short laugh.

Stubo’s cell phone rang.

The conversation didn’t last long. The policeman shut his phone with a snap.

“I have to go,” he said curtly.

Karsten followed him out. Evidence of a light shower clung to the grass; it would be cold again tonight. Might even fall below freezing; the breeze had an edge to it that meant it could freeze, at least up here on the hillside. Early summer scents teased his nose. Karsten breathed in deeply.

“I can’t really say it was nice to meet you,” he smiled, “but I hope you have a good trip back to town.”

Stubo opened the car door and then turned toward him.

“I’d like to talk to you again in town,” he said.

“In town? You mean Oslo?”

“Yes. As soon as possible.”

Karsten thought about it. He was still carrying his coffee cup. He looked into it, as if he was astonished there was nothing left. Then he raised his eyes and looked straight at Stubo and said:

“Can’t make it this week. Maybe at the start of next week. Can’t promise you anything. Have you got a card or something? Then I can call you.”

Stubo’s eyes did not leave his face. Karsten didn’t blink. A confused fly buzzed between them. A plane could be heard far above the clouds. The fly ascended to the skies.

“I’ll be in touch,” Stubo said finally. “You can be sure of that.”

The dark blue Volvo bumped out of the open gate and rolled slowly down the hill. Karsten Åsli watched until it reached the small woods where he knew the road forked. He couldn’t remember the last time the valley had looked so beautiful, so clean.

It was his. This was his place. Through a break in the clouds he could see the vapor trial from the plane heading north.

He went inside.

Adam Stubo stopped the car as soon as he thought he was out of sight. He gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. The feeling that the child was nearby had been so strong, so overwhelming, that it was only his twenty-five years’ experience that stopped him from ripping the place apart. There were no provisions that would allow that. He had nothing.

Nothing more than a feeling. There wasn’t a judge in Norway who would give him a search warrant on the basis of a hunch.

“Think,” he hissed to himself. “Think, for Christ’s sake.”

It took him less than eighty minutes to get back to Oslo. He stopped outside the block of apartments where Lena Baardsen lived. It was the evening of Monday, June 5, and it was already half past eight. He was scared that time was running out.