The Sandman

122

It’s only five to eight in the morning, but all the members of the Athena group are in place in the attic flat. Nathan Pollock has washed the mugs and left them upside down on a chequered blue tea-towel.

After the dayroom doors were locked yesterday they sat there analysing the wealth of material until seven o’clock in the evening. They listened to the conversation between Jurek Walter and Saga Bauer, structuring and evaluating the information.

‘I’m worried that Saga’s being too personal,’ Corinne says, smiling as Nathan hands her a cup of coffee. ‘Obviously it’s a tightrope, because without volunteering something of herself she can’t build up any trust...’

‘She’s in control of the situation,’ Pollock says, opening his black notebook.

‘Let’s hope so,’ Joona mutters.

‘Saga’s brilliant,’ Johan Jönson says. ‘She’s getting him to talk.’

‘But we still don’t know anything about Jurek Walter,’ Pollock says, tapping the table with a pen. ‘Apart from the fact that his real name is different...’

‘And that he wants to escape,’ Corinne says, raising her eyebrows.

‘Yes,’ Joona says.

‘But what’s he got in mind? What does he want five sleeping pills for? Who’s he going to drug?’ Corinne asks with a frown.

‘He can’t drug the staff... because they’re not allowed to take anything from him,’ Pollock says.

‘Let’s allow Saga to carry on the way she is,’ Corinne says after a brief pause.

‘I don’t like it,’ Joona says.

He stands up and goes over to the window. It has started snowing again.

‘Breakfast’s the most important meal of the day,’ Johan Jönson says, taking out a Dime bar.

‘Before we move on,’ Joona says, turning to face the room, ‘I’d like to hear the recording one more time... the bit where Saga says she might not want to leave the hospital.’

‘We’ve only listened to it thirty-five times so far,’ Corinne sighs.

‘I know, but I’ve got a feeling we’re missing something,’ he explains, in a voice made sharp by conviction. ‘We haven’t talked about it, but what’s actually going on? To begin with, Jurek sounds the same as usual when he says there are better places than the secure unit... but when Saga replies that there are probably worse places, she manages to get him off balance.’

‘Maybe,’ Corinne says, looking down.

‘No maybe about it,’ Joona insists. ‘I’ve spent hours talking to Jurek, and I can hear that his voice changes, it becomes reflective, but only for a few moments, when he’s describing the place with the red clay...’

‘And the high-voltage electricity wires and big diggers,’ Pollock says.

‘I know there’s something there,’ Joona says. ‘Not just the fact that Jurek seems to surprise himself when he starts talking about a genuine fragment of memory...’

‘But it doesn’t go anywhere,’ Corinne interrupts.

‘I want to listen to the recording again,’ Joona says, turning towards Johan Jönson.