Thea turns the page. She can picture David out there in the dark forest, a solitary, frightened little boy who somehow manages to pluck up his courage and go back to see what has become of his friend.
INTERVIEWER: So what did you see when you reached the stone circle, David?
DAVID NORDIN: She . . . Elita was lying on the sacrificial stone. Leo was bending over her. Her face was covered in blood.
INTERVIEWER: Go on.
DAVID NORDIN: Then he covered her face with his handkerchief.
INTERVIEWER: Did you see anything else?
DAVID NORDIN: No. I ran back to the others. To the bikes. Then we cycled to my house. Told my dad as soon as he got home.
INTERVIEWER: And you’re absolutely certain that it was Leo Rasmussen you saw?
DAVID NORDIN: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Was he dressed up?
DAVID NORDIN: What?
INTERVIEWER: You said the rider was dressed up as the Green Man. Did Leo still have the costume on?
DAVID NORDIN: Oh, yes. I think so. Although I did see his face. It was Leo.
INTERVIEWER: I ask you once again: are you absolutely certain? Even though it was dark, you saw him from a distance, and he might still have been wearing the costume?
UNKNOWN VOICE: David has answered the question. He’s already told you he’s sure.
INTERVIEWER: The last comment was made by David’s father, Bertil Nordin. I must ask you not to interrupt, Bertil. David, let me ask you one more time. Are you sure it was Leo Rasmussen you saw bending over Elita?
DAVID NORDIN: Y-yes I am.
The interview comes to an end. Thea slowly closes the file. Her heart is beating fast, and she is suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of tenderness towards David.
So he saw Elita. Saw her battered face, saw the man who murdered her. He was also forced to relive the experience when questioned by the police, and when he testified in court. It’s hardly surprising that he moved away from the area as soon as he could, that he stayed in Stockholm and came home to visit only when he couldn’t avoid it. But he’s here now, living only a kilometre or so from his childhood trauma. Partly for his own sake, partly for hers, so that they can both make a fresh start. Have a second chance.
She gets out of bed and goes into the hallway. David’s bedroom door is ajar.
‘Are you asleep?’ she whispers.
He doesn’t answer, but he moves slightly in bed. She lifts the covers and slides in beside him. Puts her arm around him and presses her body to his back.