She closed the door to the dairy cabinet and found the place where they kept the eggs. She put four boxes in her basket. Her basket was blue, she could see that, if she closed the eye, which was brown. If she closed the eye that was blue, the basket turned brown. It wasn’t true, but everything was possible if you just pretended. Four times twelve eggs equals forty-eight. She tried but failed to remember what else was on her list. Yes, bread. She went to the bread counter and chose a wholemeal loaf. There was still a sour smell in the shop, she had to pinch her nose. Carrying the basket with the eggs with one hand was difficult. The boy behind the till also smelled sour. He, too, had slept badly, that must be the explanation. She had money in her bank account. It said ‘approved’ on the terminal. The shop really was starting to reek now. She just about managed to put the eggs in her carrier bag and run outside into the fresh air before the whole shop rotted behind her. She sat on some steps for a moment until the air felt fresh again, then she picked up the bag with her right hand and started walking home.
Chapter 56
Munch had just parked a short distance from the apartment block with a view of the entrance when Mia’s phone rang.
‘Yes?’
‘It’s Curry.’
‘Is she at home?’
‘No, there’s no reply. We’re waiting for you, can you see us?’
Mia glanced down the road and spotted the black Audi.
‘Yes.’
‘What do we do?’
Mia looked at Munch.
‘Do we go in?’
Munch shook his head.
‘We must remember that this woman might be innocent. All that we know is that she used to know Roger Bakken and that she might have had access to Veronica Bache’s mobile. I’m not putting my neck on the line for as little to go on as this.’
‘No, we’ll wait a little longer,’ Mia said on the phone. ‘Do we have units in all streets?’
‘Yes.’
‘Send in Kim,’ Munch said quietly.
‘Send in Kim,’ Mia said on the phone. ‘See if one of the neighbours will let him in.’
‘OK,’ Curry said.
Soon afterwards, the back door of another Audi opened and they saw Kim head for the entrance. He rang a couple of the bells before the door was opened and he disappeared inside.
‘He’s in,’ Curry said.
‘Yes, we saw,’ Mia said.
They had done this many times before. Both during training and in real life. One or two men would go inside; the rest waited outside, in cars or on foot. There was a knock on Mia’s window. She opened it. Kyrre slipped a small bag inside and disappeared again. Mia opened the bag and handed the second set of earphones to Munch.
‘We’re up and running,’ Mia said, ending the phone call. ‘Kim, can you hear me?’
‘Yes.’
‘What’s on the inside?’
‘Door to the basement. Lift. Stairwell.’
‘Take the stairs to the second floor,’ Munch said.
‘OK.’
They waited until Kim reported back.
‘I’m here.’
‘Is it the right door?’
‘The sign says ìM. Stoltzî,’ Kim confirmed.
‘Ring the doorbell.’
They waited a few more seconds.
‘There’s no reply. Do I go in?’
Mia and Munch looked at each other.
‘Yes,’ Munch said.
Mia was reminded of Anette’s warning. Perhaps Munch was too close. Was he capable of making the right call?
‘I’m in,’ Kim said.
‘What have you got?’
There was silence for a moment.
‘Oh, my God,’ Kim then said.
‘What is it?’ Munch said, louder this time.
‘This is just… You have to see this for yourselves.’
‘What is it?!’
Munch was shouting now, but Kim did not reply.
Chapter 57
Malin Stoltz suddenly became aware again and discovered she had a plastic carrier bag in her hand. She must have been to the shops. She didn’t even remember going outside. She looked around. She was outdoors. The last thing she remembered was a strange dream. An angel had come for her. She would not have to be here much longer, it was just as she had planned; but after that she did not remember very much. She opened the bag and peered inside it. Four boxes of eggs and a loaf of bread. Good Lord.
It was not the first time this had happened, but it scared her just as much all the same. Once, she had woken up on a tram. Another time, she had been on her way to Tøyenbadet Swimming Pool. She took a deep breath and sat down on a bench. Perhaps she ought to go see her doctor again. She hated going to the doctor’s, but perhaps it was about time. The blackouts had become more frequent, especially on the days she did not go to work; as long as she was at work she could manage, but at home was another matter. Where she had to be herself. That was the tricky part. She was pleased that it would soon be all over. Not long to go now. Soon she could rest. Soon she would no longer have to be Malin Stoltz. Or Maiken Storvik. Or Marit Stoltenberg. She tried focusing on the walk home, but images kept cropping up in her head. She tried concentrating on her carrier bag instead. She touched the plastic. That was tangible, wasn’t it? It was here? Yes, it felt real. She looked down at herself. Matching shoes. Very good. Trousers. Excellent. T-shirt and a thin jumper over it. She had done well. She had not gone outside naked. She had got herself dressed. She was a little cold, that was all, but at least she was dressed. She patted herself to warm up and tried once again to conjure up images of how to get from the bench and back to her flat. She looked at the shopping again. It said Rema Supermarket. She had been to Rema. To get home from Rema she had to walk past the pizzeria. She looked around and saw a neon sign on the corner. Pizzeria Milano. She knew the way from there. Well, kind of. She rose quickly from the bench and crossed the street. She was cold now. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible. She did not want to catch a cold. If she had a cold, she could not go to work; they were strict about that. The old people were frail. They could not have germs at the care home. She reached the pizzeria and paused while she scouted for the next landmark. The one-way street. Walk in the opposite direction of oncoming traffic. Down the street with the red sign with the white bar. She saw the sign and aimed for it, but then she stopped.
Something was wrong. Something was not right. The neighbourhood seemed different. Different to how it usually was in the morning. There were no people in the parks. There were no people sitting in their cars, looking around. Slowly, it dawned on her. Very slowly. Then she realized it.
She dropped the Rema bag on the tarmac, spun around and started running down the street in the opposite direction.
Chapter 58
Sarah Kiese was standing outside a brick building in Mariboesgate, waiting for a woman called Anette. She had tried calling for several days, but the line had always been busy.
You have reached Oslo Police Incident Line. All our operators are busy taking calls. Please hold.
Eventually, after trying for three days, she had got through. The last time, she had been on hold for more than forty minutes, but she had not given up, she had waited patiently, and finally her call had been answered. She had expected the voice on the phone to be pleasant, but it was not. The woman had sounded irritated. Abrupt, like, What do you want? Sarah Kiese was starting to think that she was doing the wrong thing. That the woman assumed she was calling because of the reward, but she wasn’t. She didn’t care about the money. One million kroner for anyone who can provide information that leads to a conviction in this case. She had read about the reward in the newspaper and that was when it had started to dawn on her.