The Redbreast

77

Harry's Old Office. 11 May 2000.

It took Harry twenty minutes to move back into his old office. Everything he needed found space in a bag from the 7-Eleven. The first thing he did was to cut out a picture of Bernt Brandhaug from Dagbladet. Then he pinned it on to the notice-board, beside the archive pictures of Ellen, Sverre Olsen and Hallgrim Dale. Four clues. He had sent Halvorsen up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to make enquiries and see if he could find out who the woman at the Continental was. Four people. Four lives. Four stories. He sat down in the wrecked chair and studied them, but they just stared past him, vacantly.

He rang Sis. She really wanted to keep Helge, at least for a while. They had become such good friends, she said. Harry said that was fine as long as she remembered to feed him.

'It's a her,' Sis said.

'Oh, yes. How do you know that?'

'Henrik and I checked.'

He was going to ask how they had checked, but decided he preferred not to know.

'Have you talked to Dad?'

She had. She asked Harry if he was going to meet the girl again. "Which girl?'

'The one you said you'd been for a walk with, I suppose. The one with a little boy.'

'Oh, her. No, I don't think so.' "Very stupid.'

'Stupid? You've never met her, Sis.'

'I think it's stupid because you're in love with her.'

Now and then Sis was capable of saying things Harry had no idea how to answer. They agreed to go to the cinema one day. Harry wondered if that meant Henrik would be joining them. Sis said it did. That was the way it was when you had a partner.

They rang off and Harry sat deep in thought. He and Rakel had never met in the corridors yet, but he knew where her office was. He made up his mind and got up-he had to talk to her now, he couldn't wait any longer.

Linda flashed him a smile as he came in the door to POT.

'Back already, handsome?'

'I was just going to nip in to see Rakel.'

'Just, was it, Harry? I saw you two at the office party, you know.'

To his irritation, Harry could feel her mischievous smile making his ears burn and could hear that his attempt at a dry laugh didn't quite come off.

'But you can save yourself the walk, Harry. Rakel is at home today. Off sick. One moment, Harry…' She picked up the telephone. 'POT. Can I help you?'

Harry was on his way out of the door when Linda called after him. 'It's for you. Do you want to take it here?' She passed him the telephone.

'Is that Harry Hole?' It was a woman's voice. She sounded out of breath. Or terrified. 'That's me.'

'This is Signe Juul. You have to help me, Inspector Hole. He's going to kill me.'

Harry could hear barking in the background. 'Who's going to kill you, fru Juul?'

'He's on his way here now. I know it's him. He… he…'

'Try to stay calm, fru Juul. What are you talking about?'

'He's distorted his voice, but this time I recognised it. He knew that I had stroked Olaf Lindvig's hair at the field hospital. That was when I knew. My God, what shall I do?'

'Are you alone?'

'Yes,' she said. 'I'm alone. I'm totally, totally alone. Do you understand?'

The barking in the background had become frenzied now. 'Can't you run over to your neighbour's and wait for us there, fru Juul? Who -'

'He'll find me! He finds me everywhere.'

She was hysterical. Harry placed his hand over the receiver and asked Linda to call the central switchboard to tell them to send the closest patrol car available to fru Juul in Irisveien in Berg. Then he talked to Signe Juul and hoped she wouldn't notice his own agitation.

'If you don't go out, then at least lock every door, fru Juul. Who -'

'You don't understand,' she said. 'He… he…' Beep. The engaged signal. The line was broken.

'Fuck! Sorry, Linda. Tell them the car is urgent. And they have to be careful. There may be an armed intruder.'

Harry rang directory enquiries, got Juul's number and dialled it. Still engaged. Harry threw the phone over to Linda.

'If Meirik asks after me, tell him I'm on my way to Even Juul's house.'