The Sandman

64

Nathan is standing up, Carlos has both hands over his face, and Verner is fiddling with his mobile.

‘I don’t understand why Jurek Walter would talk to me,’ Saga repeats.

‘Obviously, we’re taking a chance,’ Joona says.

‘In the unit there are three separate secure rooms, with a shared dayroom containing a running machine and a television concealed behind reinforced glass,’ Verner explains. ‘Jurek Walter has been held in isolation for thirteen years, so I don’t know how much the dayroom has been used.’

Nathan Pollock pushes the plan of the secure unit over and points out Jurek’s room and the dayroom next to it.

‘If we’re really unlucky, the staff won’t allow the patients to see each other... we have no influence over that,’ Carlos admits.

‘I understand,’ Saga says calmly. ‘But I’m thinking more about the fact that I have no idea... not a fucking clue about how I might approach Jurek Walter.’

‘You could try asking to see a representative from the administrative court, and demand to have a fresh risk assessment,’ Carlos says.

‘Who do I say that to?’ she asks.

‘Senior Consultant Roland Brolin,’ Verner replies, putting a photograph in front of her.

‘Jurek himself is hemmed in by restrictions,’ Pollock says. ‘So he’ll be watching you closely, and will probably ask questions, seeing as your visits will be a sort of window on the world.’

‘What should I expect from him? What does he want?’ Saga says.

‘He wants to escape,’ Joona replies sternly.

‘Escape?’ Carlos repeats incredulously, tapping a pile of reports. ‘He hasn’t made a single attempt to escape in all the time he’s—’

‘He won’t try if he knows he won’t succeed,’ Joona says.

‘And you think he might say something in these circumstances that could lead you to the capsule?’ Saga asks, without even trying to hide her scepticism.

‘We now know that Jurek has an accomplice... which means that he has the capacity to trust other people,’ Joona says.

‘So he’s not paranoid,’ Pollock says.

Saga smiles. ‘That makes things a whole lot easier.’

‘None of us imagines that Jurek’s going to confess just like that,’ Joona says. ‘But if you can persuade him to talk, sooner or later he’ll say something that can get us closer to Felicia.’

‘You’ve spoken to him,’ Saga says to Joona.

‘Yes, he talked to me because he was hoping I’d change my testimony... but in all that time he didn’t go anywhere close to anything personal.’

‘So why would he with me?’

‘Because you’re exceptional,’ Joona replies, looking her straight in the eye.