The Fire Witness

18

Joona leans back calmly in the chair. His dark jacket has fallen open. His muscular body is relaxed, but his eyes are as gray as ice as he watches the girls walk in.

Almira enters first, followed by Lu Chu, who sashays in with an exaggerated swing of her hips and makes the V sign with her fingers. The two girls on the sofa laugh and boo.

“You lesbian loser,” Indie yells.

“Let’s go take a shower together,” says Lu Chu.

Daniel Grim comes in behind the girls, pleading with Gunnarsson to listen to him.

“I just want you to take it easy with these girls,” he says. He lowers his voice. “Just your presence scares them.”

“Don’t worry,” Gunnarsson says.

“But I do worry.”

“What?”

“I am actually very worried about them,” he says.

“Well,” Gunnarsson says sighing, “then, sorry, but I can’t help you out here. You’re going to have to keep out of my hair and let me do my job.”

“I must explain to you that… that for these girls police officers don’t exactly mean safety and security.”

Joona notices that Daniel’s T-shirt is inside out.

“Yes, they do,” Caroline jokes.

“Well, that’s nice to hear.” Daniel turns to her with a smile and then looks back at Gunnarsson. “But, seriously, for these girls, the police usually show up in their lives only when things are very bad.”

Joona understands that Daniel knows he’s being a pain but is determined to make his point. “I was just talking to the coordinator outside about finding-”

“One thing at a time,” Gunnarsson brushes him off.

“It’s really important because-”

“Cunt,” Indie says to Lu Chu.

“Go piss yourself,” Lu Chu says.

“-because it would be harmful for the girls to stay here tonight.”

“Can we put them in a hotel?” asks Gunnarsson.

“You should have been the one that got killed!” Almira screams and throws a glass at Indie.

The glass breaks against the wall and shards scatter across the floor. Daniel rushes toward them. Almira ducks away, but not before Indie manages to land a few good blows on her back. Daniel separates them.

“Stop all this! Pull yourselves together, damn it!” he yells.

“Almira is a fucking cunt.”

“Calm down, Indie,” Daniel says. He grabs her hand, waits a second, and then in a soft voice says, “We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” Indie says, slightly calmer.

“You’re a good girl. You really are,” Daniel says, smiling.

Indie nods and begins to pick up the glass pieces from the floor. Almira helps her.

“I’ll get the vacuum cleaner,” Daniel says and walks out, closing the door behind him. It swings open again and he bangs it shut so hard that a Carl Larsson picture on the wall rattles.

“Did Miranda have any enemies?” says Gunnarsson to no one in particular.

“No,” Almira says and giggles.

Indie casts a sidelong look at Joona.

“Listen up!” Gunnarsson says loudly. “Just answer the questions without all this fuss and noise. That can’t be too hard, can it?”

“Depends on the question,” Caroline says.

“I’m going to scream no matter what,” says Lu Chu.

“Truth or dare,” Indie says and points at Joona.

“Truth,” replies Joona. Gunnarsson swings toward him.

“I’m the one in charge of this investigation!” he protests.

Joona ignores him.

“Tell me what this means,” Joona says to the girls, and he puts his hands over his face.

“That? I don’t know,” Indie says. “It’s a game Miranda and Vicky played.”

“I can’t take this!” Caroline shrieks. “You’re not the one who saw Miranda, Indie. She looked just like that and there was blood all over, there was so much blood all over the whole room!”

Caroline’s voice breaks and she starts to cry. The hospital psychologist crouches beside her and in a low, calm voice tries to soothe the girl.

“Which one of you is Vicky?” asks Joona, getting up from the armchair.

“She’s the newest one.”

“But where the fuck is she?” demands Lu Chu.

“Which room is hers?” asks Joona.

“I bet she’s snuck off to the guy she likes to fuck,” Tuula says.

“We like to collect Stesolid and sleep like-”

“Who are you talking about now?” asks Gunnarsson loudly.

“Vicky Bennet,” Caroline says. “I haven’t seen her all-”

“Where the fuck is she?”

“Vicky’s name has too many letters,” Lu Chu says.

“Turn off that television!” Gunnarsson roars. “I want everyone to calm down!”

“Don’t yell!” Tuula yells as she turns the volume up even higher.

Joona bends low and looks Caroline in the eyes. He is serious and calm.

“Which one is Vicky’s room?”

“The one farthest down the hall.”