Munch quickly got up.
‘How is she?’
‘She’s fine,’ the doctor said. ‘And I mean that: I found no signs of anything wrong, she must just have been a little tired. Perhaps she got up too quickly from her bed – it could be so many things – but there’s really nothing to worry about. She’s quite all right.’
Munch breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Can I see her?’
‘I’ve given her something to make her sleep, so it’s best that she rests. Perhaps this afternoon.’
‘Thank you.’ Munch nodded, shaking the doctor’s hand.
‘And who else?’ the doctor said, now addressing Karen.
‘Torkel Binde,’ Karen said. ‘He has been complaining about his medication. His room is at the far end of this corridor. Let me show you the way.’
Karen smiled tenderly at Munch and followed the doctor down the corridor. Munch got up and went outside. He lit a cigarette and called Gabriel Mørk.
‘Yes?’
‘It’s Holger.’
‘Where are you?’
‘I’m at the care home, had to deal with a private matter. Where are we?’
‘I’ve found the movie on the laptop that Sarah Kiese brought in. It’s a little damaged, especially the sound, but I have a mate who can fix it. Is it all right if I contact him?’
‘Go ahead,’ Munch said.
‘I’ll call him at once,’ Gabriel said.
Munch ended the call and rang Mia. She didn’t answer her phone. He called her again, but there was still no reply. What is it with these stubborn girls? he thought, and sent her a text message as well.
Call me!
He then rang Ludvig, who did reply.
‘Yes?’
‘Munch here. Can you do me a favour?’
‘Sure.’
‘Please send someone to the flat in Frogner with some things for Miriam and Marion.’
‘Will do. What do they need?’
‘I’ll text you a list – and pick someone you trust, won’t you?’
‘Will do,’ Ludvig replied.
‘Yes, and would you…’
‘Yes?’
For a moment Munch forgot what he was going to say. He rubbed his eyes. He had to get some rest now; this was irresponsible.
‘What do we have on Malin Stoltz?’
‘Still missing, nothing to report. Nothing from Gardermoen Airport, ditto Oslo Central Station. Do you want to call it off?’
Munch remembered what Mia had said. That Stoltz wouldn’t try to escape. That she wanted to go home. A flat full of mirrors. He shuddered. He was loath to admit it, but this particular detail gave him the creeps.
‘Yes, we’ll call it off. Please, would you do it?’
‘OK,’ Ludvig said.
‘Did you circulate a description of the two men from the church?’
‘It’s already gone out,’ Ludvig said.
‘Good.’
Munch ended the call, threw aside his cigarette and was about to light a fresh one when Karen appeared on the steps.
‘Are you all right, Holger?’
The strawberry-blonde woman looked at him anxiously.
‘Hi, Karen. Yes, fine.’
‘I don’t think you look too good. I mean, don’t you think you should get some rest?’
She joined him in the car park. She stood very close to him. He could smell her perfume. He got a strange feeling he couldn’t quite identify until he realized what it was. She cared for him. She was looking after him. It had been a long time since someone had done that. Usually it was he, Holger Munch, who took care of everyone else.
‘Are you busy?’ Karen asked.
‘I’m always busy.’ Munch laughed, and coughed slightly.
‘You couldn’t spare just one hour?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Come on,’ Karen said, grabbing the sleeve of his duffel coat.
‘Where are we going?’
‘Hush,’ Karen said.
She pulled him up the steps, into the care home, down one of the corridors and into an empty room.
‘I haven’t got time for this,’ Munch said, but Karen placed her finger on her lips.
‘Do you see that bed over there?’
She pointed to a freshly made bed below the window. Munch nodded.
‘And that door over there?’
Munch nodded a second time.
‘Then I suggest that you take a shower. Afterwards, you lie down in that bed and get some sleep. I’ll wake you in one hour. No one will disturb you here.’
‘No, I…’
‘To be quite honest, you’re badly in need of both,’ Karen said, wrinkling her nose. ‘You’ll find towels in the bathroom,’ she added. ‘One hour, OK?’
The lovely carer gave him a hug and left the room with a wink.
A one-hour nap. What harm could it do? Good for his brain. Good for his body. Good for everyone.
Munch sent a quick text to Ludvig with instructions about what Miriam and Marion needed in the flat, passed on the shower and collapsed on the bed still fully dressed, and closed his eyes.
Chapter 66
Marion Munch woke up not knowing where she was. She normally woke up at home, but the last few days had been different and, recently, she had woken up in two strange places. A small flat. And then a big flat. Now she was in another new place.
‘Mum?’ she whispered tentatively, but there was no reply.
She sat up in her bed and looked around. The room was very nice. It was clearly a child’s bedroom; the other places had been just for grown-ups, no toys, nothing belonging to a child anywhere.
‘Mum?’ she called out again as she climbed out of bed and started to explore the room.
The walls were white, bright white, so white that she almost had to shield her eyes with her hand, and there were no windows in the room. Marion felt a little sorry for the girl who must live here: no windows – what a silly idea. From her bedroom window in Sagene, she could see all sorts of nice things. Cars and people, and so on. The girl who lived here couldn’t see anything at all. The strange thing was there was no door in this bedroom either.
There was a desk in one corner. With a lamp. And a pad of paper and some pens and crayons. Her mother had promised her a desk like it now that she was starting school, and that was soon, it was in Ö well, it was soon anyway. On one wall there were small posters with letters of the alphabet. One had an A and a picture of an apple. Another had a B and a picture of a banana. She could not remember the next letter… oh yes, C. She remembered it now and she recognized the drink on the picture, the one her mother disapproved of but which her Grandad let her have, Cola. She couldn’t read yet, but she recognized a few words. Cat. Ball. Car. Her mother had taught her a song about it, the ABC song; it was quite good and it taught you the letters. The alphabet. She knew it was called that. Her mother had always stressed the importance of learning to read, and she did want to, but then she wondered what her teacher would say if she started school already knowing how to read, because then the teacher would have nothing to teach her, and perhaps she might be bored? So she might as well wait, mightn’t she? She could swim. Not everybody could. And she could ride her bicycle almost without her stabilizers. She was the only one she knew who could do that. And she couldn’t be expected to learn everything at once, now could she?