The Owl Always Hunts At Night

by Samuel Bjork

  Grønlie looked down at his notes again.

  ‘… the sixth of August, they reported that someone had broken into an exhibition entitled “Native and Non-native Animals”, and this was the odd bit, that was why I noticed it. They have a cabinet displaying every kind of Norwegian owl, and the items in it were the only items to be taken. I mean, it could be nothing, but it’s worth checking out, isn’t it?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Munch nodded. ‘Well done, Ludvig. Do we have a contact person up there?’

  Grønlie looked at his notes again. ‘The break-in was reported by Tor Olsen, senior curator, according to the file. I mean, Camilla was found on a bed of owl feathers. Someone stole a whole collection of Norwegian owls.’

  ‘We need to look into that. At once.’ Munch nodded again, gravely. ‘Excellent work, Ludvig. Mia, please would you go up there?’

  Mia Krüger looked up as if she had been interrupted from thinking about something.

  ‘The owl feathers? The break-in at the Natural History Museum? Would you deal with that, please?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she said with a light cough, looking as if she did not quite know what he was talking about.

  ‘OK,’ Munch said.

  Gabriel realized that it was his turn now.

  ‘This hacker who found the film. Your old friend, Skunk, have you made any progress?’

  They looked at him, all of them.

  ‘I’ve tried, I have nothing yet, but I’m still trying, I …’

  ‘OK, good,’ Munch said. ‘Carry on with that and see what you can find. We really need to talk to him. We need to know where he found it.’

  ‘OK.’ Gabriel nodded, surprised and relieved at having been let off so easily.

  Munch looked back at Mia. ‘Please could you and I have a chat in my office?’

  ‘What?’ Mia said, still not quite present.

  ‘In my office? Do you have five minutes?’

  Mia looked up and stared at him. ‘Of course.’ She coughed again.

  ‘OK, fine,’ Munch said to the rest of the team. ‘If anyone discovers anything else, bring it to my attention at once. I suggest a briefing at the end of today. We’ll decide the time later.’

  There was nodding from the team, and Mia Krüger quietly got up from her chair and slowly followed Munch into his office.

  Chapter 41

  Munch closed the door after Mia, and sat down behind his desk. She slumped on the small sofa. Munch looked back at her while he wondered what to say. Mia was staring at him with a somewhat vague expression he could not interpret, as if she was not all there.

  ‘So, what’s up?’ she said at length.

  ‘Well, that was what I was going to ask you.’

  ‘What?’ Mia woke up a little at that.

  Munch weighed up his words. It had been on his mind for days now. First down at Justisen, then at yesterday’s briefing, and now during the morning meeting. Mikkelson had suspended her. Asked her to see a therapist in order to be declared fit for duty. To see if she was ready for this. Munch had disagreed strongly – it was typical Mikkelson – but in the last few days Munch had started to think that Mikkelson might have been right after all. Perhaps she really was not ready. It was only six months since he had found her alone on that island off the coast of Trøndelag.

  And though she had never said anything to him, he had worked it out. She hadn’t been there on holiday. She had gone there to escape. To kill herself. He had persuaded her to come back to Oslo with him. And now he had done it again. Brought her back to work. Perhaps he had made the wrong decision. Maybe she needed time off. She might not be ready for this.

  ‘How are you doing, Mia? Are you well? Is everything OK?’

  Mia Krüger awoke from her hibernation and fixed her eyes on him. An irritated, alert gaze this time: the Mia he knew so well.

  ‘Tell me you’re kidding?’

  She knew where he was going with this, and she definitely didn’t appreciate it.

  ‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ Munch said, holding up his hands. ‘I just want you to be well, that’s all. You’re my responsibility, aren’t you?’

  He tried a disarming smile, but she did not fall for it. She continued to study him with suspicious eyes.

  ‘Has Mikkelson been after you?’

  ‘What? No, no.’

  ‘Have I done something wrong? Embarrassed the department again? Do we look bad in the papers, because we haven’t solved this yet? I mean, how long is it since we found her? Six days? Christ, we’ve made huge progress, we have lots of leads …’

  She leaned forward on the sofa, frustrated.

  ‘No, no. Mikkelson hasn’t said anything. No one is unhappy.’

  ‘I should bloody well think they’re not,’ Mia fumed. ‘Bloody Mikkelson.’

  ‘This has nothing to do with Mikkelson.’

  ‘So what’s the problem?’ Mia said, throwing up her hands.

  ‘I’m the problem,’ Munch ventured cautiously.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I’m worried about you.’ He tried another smile.

  ‘Worried? Jesus, Munch? Worried about what?’

  ‘Not about the quality of your work, obviously. Christ, Mia, we can’t manage without you. I’m just thinking about … Well, what about your health?’

  ‘My health?’ Mia said, calming a little at this. ‘I’m fine – don’t I look it?’

  Munch did not speak his mind. Because she looked like crap.

  ‘Of course. Honestly, can’t a friend be allowed a little …?’

  ‘Meddling?’ Mia smiled mischievously, returning to her old self now.

  ‘Ha-ha,’ Munch said. ‘Concern. “Concern” was the word I was looking for.’

  Mia smiled faintly and found a lozenge in her jacket pocket. Placed it on her tongue and looked at him with slightly friendlier eyes.

  ‘For God’s sake, Munch, you’re not my mum.’

  Though she seemed pleased that he had asked all the same. That he cared.

  ‘I’ve been a bit tired recently, I don’t mind admitting that.’ She sighed. ‘Haven’t slept all that well. Got some stuff in my head to deal with, but nothing I can’t handle, OK? I’ve been through worse.’

  ‘So you don’t need a day or two off?’

  ‘You’re giving me time off?’ Mia chuckled. ‘Get a grip, Holger, or I might start to think that you’re going soft. Perhaps you’re right. Maybe you are getting on a bit? Taking me off halfway through the case?’

  Mia clearly found this genuinely funny. She chuckled to herself, shaking her head. Munch wasn’t convinced.

  ‘So everything is all right?’

  ‘Of course everything is all right, Holger. Jesus, do you have these conversations with all your staff, or is it just me?’ She winked and got up. ‘Thank you for your interest, but I’m fine.’

  ‘Good.’ Munch nodded. ‘Where do you intend to start?’

  ‘I’ll let you know what I find at the Natural History Museum,’ Mia said.

  ‘Fine,’ Munch smiled. There was a knock on the door and Ludvig Grønlie popped his head round.

  ‘I found something,’ the older investigator said. ‘Am I disturbing you?’

  He looked at Munch, then at Mia, then back at Munch again.

  ‘Oh no, come in. What have you got?’

  Ludvig Grønlie smiled and placed a piece of paper on the desk in front of Munch.

  ‘Another missing-persons case,’ Grønlie said.

  ‘I see?’

  ‘From Hurumlandet Nurseries.’ Munch studied the piece of paper and furrowed his brow.

  ‘What is it?’ Mia said.

  ‘Nine years ago,’ Grønlie said. ‘A boy was reported missing.’

  ‘From the Nurseries?’

  ‘Yes. Mats Henriksen. Went for a walk in the woods, never came back.’

  ‘Please can I see?’ Mia asked, taking the paper from Holger.

  ‘And he was never found?’ Munch asked gravely, looking
up at Grønlie.

  ‘No. According to the file, the police searched for him, but not for very long.’

  ‘Why not?’ Mia was curious now.

  ‘The boy was believed to be suicidal,’ Grønlie went on. ‘The case was shelved.’

  ‘But no body?’ Munch said.

  ‘Nope. He was never found,’ Ludvig said. ‘Do you think there might be a connection?’

  ‘Definitely worth checking out. Good job, Ludvig. Run his name through the system and see what it turns up.’

  ‘OK,’ Grønlie nodded, and left the office.

  ‘This is really interesting,’ Mia said, without taking her eyes off the paper in front of her.

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘I don’t know yet.’

  ‘You know I’m only—’ Munch began, but he was interrupted by the look Mia gave him.

  ‘What? Wanting to look after me?’ she said sarcastically.

  ‘Yes.’

  Mia got up from the sofa and headed for the door. ‘I can take care of myself, Holger.’

  ‘I know that. I was only trying to …’

  He could not think how to finish his sentence, so he just stayed behind the desk with an attempt at a smile on his lips as she gave him back the piece of paper and left the office.

  Chapter 42

  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fried bacon woke Miriam Munch. She continued to lie with her head on the pillow, still half asleep, before she opened her eyes and realized that she was at home.

  What day was it? Friday? Shit, what time was it? Marion needed taking to school – but then she remembered: Marion was with Grannie. Grannie would be taking her. Miriam had been out. Out with Ziggy. It had grown late. She had had too many beers. She could not quite remember how many, and the end of the evening was a bit of a blur, but at least she was home. She had made it home.

  Phew.

  She had not given in to temptation. It had been strong, the urge to throw caution to the wind, go back to his flat, slip under his duvet and stay there for ever, but she had held it together, thank God. Controlled herself. She remembered thinking at the bottom of one of her beers: I have to talk to Johannes first, before I do anything else, before this goes too far. We have to talk. I have to tell him, I owe him that. She stretched out her arms and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Quarter past eleven. She had been asleep a long time. She raised her head from the pillow but had to lie back down again. Way too many beers. Her temples were pounding. Had they finished off with a couple of tequilas? Probably.

  A lovely evening. A fantastic evening, in truth. Miriam Munch had not felt this great for ages. Had she ever felt like this? So happy. So light, somehow? She could not remember. Quarter past eleven? And could she smell breakfast being cooked in the kitchen?

  She crawled out of bed, went to shower and enjoyed the hot water cascading over her face and her body. Her hangovers tended to pass quickly, no matter how much she drank. Not like some of her friends, who would be bedridden for a whole day. A hot shower and something to eat and she would be right as rain. Miriam bowed her head and turned up the temperature. The shower spray massaged her neck and she felt better already. How they had envied her resilience back then, her friends. When they used to party four days out of seven, when they practically lived in bars and restaurants. A long time ago. Old Miriam. Not new Miriam. Now she was yummy-mummy Miriam with underfloor heating in the bathroom, an upmarket-gym membership and downlighters in the hallway. Miriam found a towel; right now, she was grateful for the underfloor heating. It was only October, but it felt as if it were winter already. She was cold all the time, almost to the bone; she had already started yearning for spring. She towel-dried her hair in front of the mirror, and despaired at herself, but she could see that she was smiling. She had done that a great deal recently, caught herself smiling.

  Freshly brewed coffee? At quarter past eleven?

  Miriam wrapped the towel around her hair, put on a bathrobe and left the bathroom. She jumped when she discovered a smiling Johannes in the kitchen, busy making breakfast. But who else had she been expecting? He had set the table. Juice, fresh bread, cheeses – he had even found the white tablecloth.

  ‘Hello, darling,’ he said, giving her a peck on the cheek before returning to the cooker. ‘Would you like your eggs boiled or fried?’

  Miriam continued to stand in her bathrobe in the middle of the floor, not knowing what to say. Why was he not at work?

  ‘Fried, I think?’ Miriam said, sensing it had come out as a question.

  ‘You sit down, and I’ll bring you some coffee. Would you like some coffee?’

  ‘Er, yes.’ Miriam nodded, still mystified, but she sat down.

  Had she missed something? Forgotten something? Was it her birthday? Their anniversary? Why was he not at the hospital?

  ‘Would you like milk?’

  ‘Milk?’

  ‘In your coffee?’

  ‘Er, no,’ Miriam said, still clueless as to what was going on.

  Johannes smiled as he crossed the floor and put a cup of coffee in front of her on the table, gave her another kiss on the cheek and went back to the cooker.

  ‘Late night, was it?’

  ‘Fairly,’ Miriam said cautiously, raising the cup to her lips. ‘Why?’

  ‘No reason. I was just wondering,’ Johannes said, bending over the frying pan. ‘I spoke to Marianne yesterday, and she said Marion was with her, that you had gone out with a girlfriend. Did you have a good time?’

  ‘Julie.’ Miriam nodded slowly, feeling a pang of guilt.

  ‘Oh, yes, Julie from the old days? How is she?’

  ‘All right,’ Miriam said over the rim of the cup. ‘You know what she’s like. Boy trouble. Needed cheering up.’

  ‘She’s lucky to have you.’ Johannes smiled, carried the frying pan across to the table and slid the eggs on to her plate.

  ‘Yes,’ Miriam said, totally confused.

  She could not remember the last time they had had breakfast together.

  ‘Is your mobile working?’ Johannes said, sitting down.

  ‘It’s playing up,’ Miriam mumbled. ‘I get some messages, but not all, and I’ve got some missed calls as well; no idea why. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Because I tried calling you, but you didn’t pick up.’

  ‘I didn’t know,’ Miriam said, feeling really guilty now.

  Her headache, which the shower had managed to soothe away, started to come back.

  ‘Perhaps there’s a problem with your contract.’ Johannes smiled again, pouring juice into her glass. ‘Or you need an upgrade or something. I’m sure it’s easily fixed.’

  He sliced some cheese and put it on a bread roll in front of him.

  Miriam had a sudden flashback to last night. Ziggy. His handsome eyes across the table. She had made up her mind. She wanted to live an honest life. She had to tell Johannes. But her courage was failing her now, seeing his trusting face across the table. Was it their anniversary after all, an anniversary she did not remember? But they had met in the summer. They had agreed that they were an item, posted it on Facebook like two teenagers, in a relationship, on 8 August – that was their anniversary, wasn’t it? It had to be something else.

  ‘Oh, I almost forgot,’ Johannes got up.

  He stood with his hands behind his back, like he used to do in the old days when he had bought her a present. Would you like the left or the right hand?

  ‘Is it my birthday?’ Miriam smiled.

  ‘No, but I can still buy you a present, can’t I?’

  ‘You got me a present?’

  ‘Yes.’ Johannes nodded. ‘Would you like the left or the right hand?’

  ‘Left,’ Miriam said.

  ‘Here you go,’ Johannes said, putting a box on the table in front of her.

  ‘Why aren’t you at work?’

  ‘Aren’t you going to open it?’

  ‘Yes, of course, I was just wondering. Why aren’t you at
the hospital?’

  ‘I have good news,’ Johannes said, sitting down again.

  ‘Go on then, tell me.’

  ‘Open your present first.’ Johannes laughed.

  Miriam slowly unwrapped the gift, desperately trying not to give in to her guilty conscience. She opened the box inside the wrapping paper.

  ‘Wow,’ she smiled, still somewhat confused. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘A fitness watch. It tells you how far you have run. Your pulse rate. For when you work out.’

  ‘Great. That’s … brilliant.’

  ‘It’s something you wanted, isn’t it?’

  ‘Absolutely. Thank you, Johannes, that’s really nice of you.’

  It sounded strange, the voice coming from her mouth. As if it were not hers but someone else’s. When did their relationship turn into this? Johannes and her? Had it always been like this? Had she never been herself?

  That voice was so different to the one that had spoken last night.

  So you’re in?

  Of course I’m in.

  Are you sure?

  God, what do you think? I want to rescue innocent animals from the lab.

  That’s wonderful. We’re meeting tomorrow night. Will you be there?

  Of course I’ll be there.

  ‘So why aren’t you at work?’ Miriam cleared her throat, trying to hide behind the rim of her coffee cup.

  ‘Like I said, I have good news.’

  ‘That’s great.’

  ‘I’ve been chosen to go to Sydney. The medical conference, you know?’ Johannes beamed with pride. His eyes were practically shining.

  ‘Wow, that’s … amazing.’

  ‘Yes, isn’t it? Sunde’s name had been put forward, but, well, I don’t wish to speak ill of a colleague, but they picked me instead. You know what this means, don’t you?’ Johannes’s eyes were still shining.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘That I’m likely to make consultant in a few years. You didn’t see that coming, did you?’

  ‘No,’ Miriam said. ‘Or I mean, yes … Congratulations, Johannes.’

  She was at a total loss for words.

  ‘Thank you. But I had to ask you first – I can’t just disappear like that! Leave you to look after Marion and everything, that wouldn’t be fair.’