Black Seconds

by Karin Fossum

  "To begin with, there's this weird story of yours," Willy said. "Though your secret's safe with me, that goes without saying. And then there's the fact that I fixed your car for free."

  "But now you want to be paid, is that what you're saying?" Tomme said acidly. Christ, he wished he had not come with Willy. He reached for his glass and drank fiercely. He was angry. It felt good; everything was easier when you were angry. Anger sped things up, made the blood run faster.

  "Now, now, don't be crude," Willy said. "I'm not talking about money."

  "I didn't think for a moment that you were," Tomme said.

  "Just a small favor in return," Willy said. "A little job. It'll only take a few minutes."

  Tomme waited for him to continue.

  "When we go ashore," Willy said, "we'll swap bags."

  Tomme jumped in his chair and his eyes widened with fear. "No way," he said, clutching his glass.

  Again Willy smiled his vicious smile and leaned across the table. "Please, let me finish," he said.

  "I'm going back to the cabin," Tomme said. "I don't want to hear another word about it. And don't you go thinking that telling my weird story to anyone will get you very far."

  "Won't it?"

  "Think about it, for Christ's sake. I don't even understand a single word of it myself. So why would the police?"

  "Perhaps they're smarter than you?" Willy suggested.

  "I don't think so. You're blackmailing me," Tomme accused him.

  Willy looked at him and pretended to be hurt. "Aren't we as bad as each other? I've got something on you. You've got something on me. I wouldn't call that blackmail. I would call it a standoff. It'll only take you a few minutes. All I want you to do is carry the gear through customs for me."

  "Do you take me for an idiot? You're drunk," Tomme declared. "Let's go to bed. It's late, and they're shutting the bar soon anyway. I've had enough of this."

  "Still got some beer left," Willy slurred. "I just thought you might want to help me out. Given that I helped you."

  "You're asking a lot, I think," Tomme said bitterly.

  "As were you. If you think about it. If you really think about it," Willy said, pronouncing each word with exaggerated clarity.

  Tomme kept staring out of the window, hoping to see the sea. No use. It was almost impossible to believe that the sea was on the other side, right on the other side. Inside it was bright and cozy. Inside there was music and good times to be had. Now and again bursts of laughter rang out and the clinking of glasses could be heard. It was like a different sort of sea, waves of warm bodies, music, rhythm, and all of it lit up so strangely that it reminded him of the undulating surface of the ocean. He suddenly felt worn out. So tired and fed up with it all.

  "Take your beer outside and let's get a bit of fresh air," Willy said.

  Tomme yawned. "It's the middle of the night."

  "I want to see the gale," Willy said. He drank three huge gulps so the glasses would not spill when he carried them. They left the bar and climbed up the stairs. The wind got hold of them the moment they opened the door to the stormy deck.

  "For fuck's sake," Tomme said. "We'll get soaked."

  "Fantastic," Willy screamed with elation. He stood with his arms stretched out to the sides and the icy wind hitting him straight in his face. It was totally exhilarating. "The perfect storm!" he yelled.

  Tomme crouched as he felt the wind grab hold of him. He held on to the railings and moved cautiously toward the stern of the ship.

  Willy followed him on unsteady legs. "Fresh air!" he hollered. "Christ, this should sober me up," he muttered into his glass.

  Tomme felt the salty spray stick to his face. He bent over the railings. Far below he could see the black swell with the foaming white peaks. Suddenly he hated Willy. His story would haunt him forever as long as he knew Willy. It would rear its ugly head whenever Willy wanted something from him. Whenever he wanted him to walk through customs with a bag full of drugs. He shuddered and stared down at the waves. Willy came over to the railings. Climbed up on to them and gazed down at the black water. He was taller than Tomme, but skinny as a rake. His hair was soaked through.

  "Just what exactly did you buy?" Tomme said eventually.

  "Eh?" Willy screamed. The roar of the sea drowned out all other sounds. The sharp rain pricked their faces.

  "What's in your bag?"

  "Well, it's not exactly sweets," Willy giggled. He drank from his glass again. Suddenly it slipped out of his hand and disappeared into the waves. Amazed, he followed it with his eyes.

  "Perhaps I hit a fish," he mumbled optimistically. "Right in the middle of its fishy head."

  "Tell me, for God's sake!"

  Willy turned and faced him. "What a way to carry on, man. I asked you to do me a favor and you said no. That's fine, you've made your point. But I wasn't being serious; I just wanted to test your loyalty. You didn't pass," he declared.

  It was said in jest, but Tomme knew him better than that. There was a bitter ring to the drawling voice. Suddenly he felt uneasy.

  "I'll speak to a garage," Tomme said, "and get a quote for the work. Then I'll pay you back when I get some money."

  Personally he felt this was an honorable attempt at reestablishing the equilibrium between them. Willy didn't reply. He was hanging over the railings. His eyes were distant, as if the rush from the beer and the roar of the sea had carried him far away. Tomme suddenly imagined the skinny body toppling over and disappearing into the waves. Imagined Willy sinking and taking his story with him. And that he himself would take it with him to his own grave when the time came. And that no one else knew. Only Willy. He was so drunk and reeling. So unprepared. Not a soul could see them up here.

  Tomme was horrified by his own fantasies. He pulled back from the railings and sat down on a crate. His clothes were wet. It was raining harder. He remembered that he had no other trousers apart from these damp ones he was wearing now. Only a dry sweater in his bag.

  He heard Willy starting to hiccup over by the railings. He hiccupped loudly four or five times, then turned around and looked at Tomme. In the darkness and the rain their faces were lit up like dim lanterns and a silence grew between them that neither of them wanted to break. Tomme studied his friend's face and saw it as a moon-colored oval; the eyes and the mouth appeared as blurred shadows. It seemed to float in the air, detached from the rest of Willy's body. Every time a gust of wind came, his hair was forced over his face, dividing the oval into two halves. White fingers appeared and glowed in the darkness, only to disappear as if spirited away by a magician.

  "What are you looking at me like that for?" Willy said.

  ***

  Seven hours later Tomme woke up in agony from a severe headache. He could barely move his head. He stayed in his berth for several minutes without opening his eyes. His mind was in turmoil. Had it all been a dream? Something evil, something utterly incredible surfaced as snippets of light and sound. He did not know whether it was still night or early morning. If they were in the middle of the fjord or nearly in port. There was no porthole in the cabin. He could raise his left arm and look at his watch if he wanted to. However, that seemed to him to require too much effort. The steady hum from the diesel engines was still there. Its pleasant vibrations spread to his body and he felt a strong reluctance to get up and lose this sensation. He could not hear any voices or footsteps. Finally he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Tried to swallow. His mouth was dry. Perhaps we're in port, he thought. Perhaps all the other passengers have disembarked. There's only you left, Tomme Rix, all alone in a berth in a cabin at the bottom of the ship. At the very bottom. He could stay on and travel back to Copenhagen. And later return to Oslo. He could sail across the sea for ever and ever. Lock himself in the cabin. Bolt the door. He did not want to get up, did not want to leave the ship, did not even want to be conscious. But he was unable to go back to sleep. There were voices in the distance after all. They brought him out of his trance. He sat u
p drowsily and planted his feet on the floor. He had slept in his clothes. His jeans were still wet from his time on deck. He staggered over to the small sink. Splashed cold water on his face without looking in the mirror. Dried himself with the towel. The towel was stiff, he thought; it scratched his skin.

  He grabbed his Adidas bag and went out. Walked through the endless narrow corridors. There was no one around. Then he reached the foyer and was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of tired people, by smells and the murmur of voices. He placed himself right in the middle of them. Tried to lose himself in the crowd. He stared at the floor. It was carpeted. He traced the pattern with his eyes and began a new one as soon as he reached the end of it. Circle, circle, square and straight line. Bow, square and straight line. The crowd started to move toward the exit. He allowed himself to be pulled along, no will of his own. Walked through customs, where no one even glanced at him, and up toward the city. At Egertorg he stopped for a minute. He stared at the entrance to the subway; saw the white sign with the blue T. Tried to create an image in his mind that he could share with others later. Wasn't that Willy just disappearing down the steps? The bony shoulders he knew so well. The dark blue jacket? He saw it quite clearly. So clearly that later he would be able to retrieve it, should it become necessary. Something inside him started ticking. It made him feel like he was going to explode. The ticking would continue for a while until finally everything would blow up. He continued onward to Universitetsplassen. There he joined the line for the bus.

  CHAPTER 19

  The newspapers carried a photo of Ida's nightie. Two people came forward immediately and were eliminated. The nighties they had bought were the wrong sizes. However, the elderly woman who had visited the shop on the third of September and bought the size fourteen years did not contact them.

  "Let's try an artist's impression," Sejer said.

  A drawing was produced in accordance with instructions from the sales assistant at Olav G. Hanssen and published in the papers. The drawing showed an elderly woman with large ears and protruding round eyes. Her face was elongated and marked, and if it expressed anything at all it was skepticism. Her mouth was straight and narrow, her hair thick and full. Next to the woman's face was once again the photo of the nightie. Now all of Norway knew how Ida was dressed when she was found by the roadside out at Lysejordet.

  The chances of someone calling in with clues to the woman's identity were high. The readers loved artists' impressions and the illustrator was gifted.

  The third caller caught Sejer's attention instantly.

  "I know a lady very much like her. She turned seventy-three last spring and she doesn't have a grandchild or any other relative who would wear a nightie that's a size fourteen years," the voice said confidently. It sounded like it belonged to an elderly woman. She introduced herself as Margot Janson.

  "Now she's a generous size forty-four," she carried on. "I've known her for twenty years. She does my washing. I've broken my hip, you see, and God only knows what I would have done without her. She comes here every single week and she's thorough, trust me. She lives at Giske, in one of the apartments out there. Her husband died many years ago."

  Sejer was taking notes as she spoke.

  "Of course it's unthinkable that she would have anything to do with Ida going missing, and I've no idea why her picture is in the newspaper. She's the most decent person I know. But it does look very much like Elsa. Elsa Marie Mork."

  Sejer made a note of her name and address.

  "She helps out with all sorts of things, she is even a member of the Women's Institute. A capable lady, trust me, and very hardworking, too. On top of that she has enough on her plate in her private life. Not that I can tell you anything about that; I don't want to gossip," said Margot Janson.

  Sejer was now seriously interested. He thanked her and hung up. Perhaps the nightie had been bought by Elsa Marie Mork. And if she officially had no one to buy it for, then that in itself was suspicious. He found it hard to believe that the killer would turn out to be a woman in her seventies, but she could be covering for someone. Margot Janson had said that Elsa Marie Mork's husband was dead. What other person would make an elderly woman run such risks? The answer was obvious. A brother. Or a son.

  The drive to Giske took fifteen minutes. Four two-story buildings were neatly positioned on a sunny slope. Not high enough to treat the residents to a pleasant view of the river; however, they were shielded from the wind by the ridge that lay behind them. A cozy and comfortable location. There were no sandboxes or tricycles to be seen. These apartments were inhabited by elderly people who no longer wanted to live within earshot of kids playing. He read the names over the doorbells, found hers, and pressed the button. Women in their seventies could be hard of hearing, or the ultraefficient Elsa might be busy vacuuming. Whatever the reason, she was taking her time. Perhaps she was checking him out from behind the curtain first. Or she was simply not in. Sejer stood on the steps, waiting. Finally he could hear her footsteps coming from the inside. A sharp clicking as if she was walking across a wooden floor. The last thing he had done before leaving his car was to take another look at the artist's impression. It was burned onto his retina. The stern face with the narrow lips. Suddenly she was standing right in front of him. Her body was already pulling away; she was trying to shut the door again as she did when faced with people wanting to sell her things.

  Konrad Sejer bowed deeply. The bow was his trademark; an old-fashioned gesture, rarely used by people these days and then revived only for special occasions. It made an impression on Elsa Mork, so she remained standing in front of him. She had strong views on manners.

  "Konrad Sejer," he said politely. "Police."

  She blinked in fright. Her face took on a gawping expression and her eyes strayed toward the gray plastic shopping bag he was holding in his hand.

  "I've got a few questions," Sejer said, looking at the elderly woman with interest. She was wearing pants and a sweater. Her clothes were typical for an elderly person, someone for whom comfort takes priority. They were permanent press, colorfast, and plain. The pants had an elastic waist and stitched creases. It would be unfair to describe Elsa Mork as vain. There was not a hint of jewelry or anything like that. Her face was scrubbed and not a hair was out of place. He could see why Margot Janson had called. This woman looked exactly like the artist's impression. At last she opened the door completely and let him into the hallway. It had a parquet floor, just as he had imagined, and Elsa Mork was wearing clogs. He noticed the smell. It struck him that her apartment had a distinctive smell, that you could actually smell that the whole building was inhabited by old people. However, he could not pinpoint exactly why he thought that. Perhaps it was more the absence of smells. There was something very reserved about her, but that did not necessarily mean anything. She was a woman living on her own, and she had just let a strange man measuring 1.96 meters into her home. She looked as if she was already regretting it.

  She showed him the way to the kitchen, which was painted green. She nodded toward the table, and Sejer sat down on the edge of a chair. Then he placed the shopping bag on the table. A gray shopping bag with no printing or logo. He took out the nightie and laid it on the tabletop. All the time he was watching her. Her face was closed.

  "This nightie is important," he explained. "And I need to speak to the person who bought it."

  She sat rigidly on her chair while he spoke.

  "We have reason to believe that you went to a shop and bought a nightie like this. On the third of September. From Olav G. Hanssen in High Street. Is that correct?"

  Her mouth tightened. "No. Surely you can see it's too small for me," she said, giving him a look that suggested his eyesight needed examining.

  "The papers carried a photo of this a few days ago," Sejer went on. "We asked people to contact us if they had seen or bought a nightie like this. Two people called us. However, the shop sold three in total," he said. "And I'm here because the sales assistant in Olav G. H
anssen gave a very detailed description of the woman who bought the third one. And it so happens that you fit that description."

  Elsa Mork was silent. Her nails dug into her palms as she rested her hands on the Formica table. She had become mute.

  "Have you seen today's paper?" he asked kindly. He even smiled. He wanted to say, Don't worry. I don't blame you for Ida's death.

  "Yes," she said slowly. "I read the papers."

  "And the artist's impression?" He smiled patiently.

  "What artist's impression?" she said defiantly. She no longer dared to look at him.

  "An artist's impression of a woman. She looks like you, doesn't she?"

  Elsa shook her head blankly. "She doesn't look like me at all," she said firmly.

  "So you've seen it?" he went on.

  "I flick through the pages," she said.

  Sejer listened for the sound of birds chirping in the apartment. He heard nothing. Perhaps a blanket had been laid over the cage; he believed that made birds stop singing, because it made them think it was nighttime.

  "The Ida Joner case. Are you familiar with it?"

  She thought about this for a few seconds before answering him with the same firmness. "As I said, I read the papers. But things like that I just skim over. I think all those details are so gruesome. So I don't read about crime. Or sports or war reports either. That doesn't leave very much," she added sarcastically. "Just the television pages."

  "Do you own a bird?" he asked curiously.

  She was startled. "No," she said quickly. "Never owned a bird. Why would I want one of those?"

  "Many people have caged birds," he said. "I'm asking because it's relevant to the case."

  "I see," she said. She sat at the table looking tense, staring fixedly out of the window. "No, I don't keep birds. Please, help yourself, take a good look around. Why would I want to keep birds," she went on. "It's too much mess. Seeds and feathers all over the place. I can do without that, thank you very much."