The Fire Witness

86

The room in the psychiatric ward is quiet. Elin can hear steps in the hallway. Daniel is blinking behind his glasses as if he is trying to take in what Elin has just said.

“I heard about her on the news… the car and the boy,” he whispers.

“I know,” she says, keeping her voice low. “But if she is still alive, where would she be hiding?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I want to know the people that she trusted.”

He studies her for a second and then says, “You don’t believe she’s dead, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” she says quietly.

“You don’t believe it because you don’t want to believe it,” he says. “Do you have any proof that she didn’t drown in the river?”

“Please don’t be afraid,” Elin says. “But we are fairly sure that she and the boy escaped from the car.”

“We?”

“A detective inspector and me.”

“I don’t understand. Why do they say she drowned, if she-”

“Most of the police involved in the case do think that they drowned, and they’ve stopped looking for her and for the boy.”

“But not you?”

“Maybe I’m the only person in the world who cares about Vicky right now just because she’s Vicky,” Elin says. She can’t manage to smile at him and she can’t keep her voice gentle any longer.

“And now you want my help to find her?”

“Maybe she will hurt the boy,” Elin says. “Maybe she will hurt other people.”

“Well, I don’t believe that,” Daniel says. For the first time, he looks at Elin with an open face. “In the beginning, I said I doubted that she’d killed Miranda. I still can’t believe that she would…” Daniel mumbles something.

“What did you just say?” Elin asks.

“What?”

“You just whispered something to yourself.”

“I don’t believe Vicky killed Elisabet.”

“You don’t?”

“I’ve worked with troubled girls for many years and I, well, it doesn’t fit.”

“But-”

“During my time as a therapist, I’ve met many girls who have dark souls, girls who could kill, who-”

“But not Vicky.”

“No, not Vicky.”

Elin smiles widely and feels her eyes filling with tears. She struggles to bring her emotions back under control.

“You’ve got to explain this to the police,” she says.

“I already did. They know that, in my opinion, Vicky is not violent. Of course, I could be wrong,” Daniel says, rubbing his eyes.

“Can you help me?”

“Did you say Vicky lived with you for six years?”

“No, I said she was six years old when she lived with me,” she replies.

“What would you like me to do?”

“I have to find her, Daniel. You spoke to her for hours. You must know about her friends, boyfriends, anyone.”

“Maybe… We talked about group dynamics for the most part and… I’m sorry, I’m having difficulty keeping my train of thought.”

“Please try.”

“I met her at least once a day… I don’t know for sure, perhaps twenty-five conversations. Vicky, she is… The danger with Vicky is that she drifts away in her thoughts. What I would be worrying about is that she might just leave the boy somewhere. In the middle of the road, perhaps.”

“Where would she be hiding? Did she have any family? I mean, anyone she particularly liked?”