Human beings are creatures of habit. They have their fixed rituals which they repeat every day, every week, every year. Henning is one of those creatures. In the past, before Jonas, if he was at a cafe or bar, and if he used the toilet there more than once, he would inevitably find his way back to the same cubicle. He might even wait for it to be vacant if it wasn’t when he first arrived.
Veronica Nansen told him that Tore and his friends worked out every Sunday at one o’clock in the afternoon and that if one of them didn’t show up they needed a good reason. When Henning stops outside Fighting Fit in Kjolbergveien, the time is a little past 1.30. If I’m lucky, he thinks, that ritual is still being honoured.
The name of the gym is printed in red letters against a black background on a filthy glass door. The carpet inside is purple. Henning walks up to an imposing reception counter. Three tiny potted plants have been placed at random on the counter next to an index of workout cards and a till. A computer screen lights up the face of the short-haired woman who is staring at it. Two white cupboards in a corner behind her are stocked with protein drinks and dietary supplements.
Henning waits patiently for her attention. The receptionist he had initially classified as a woman isn’t particularly feminine. She has rings in both eyebrows, and she wears black make-up around her eyes and on her lips. The muscles in her biceps are defined in a masculine way. When she finally looks up at him she pushes her chest up and out. She is even wearing a T-shirt advertising a deodorant for men. He notices she has thin, encrusted scars running diagonally down her forearms. Whether they were made by an angry cat or something else Henning can’t determine without making it obvious that he is staring. The infected needle scars around the major veins in her elbow joint, however, are unmistakable.
Henning says hi and attempts a smile.
‘Hi,’ she replies.
‘My name is Henning Juul. I work for 123news.’
No response, only a dull stare.
‘I’m working on a story about gyms, I don’t mean gyms that belong to the big chains, but the independent ones that survive despite the fierce competition. I thought it was about time that someone wrote about you too.’
He flashes a smile as false as the Rolex watches on Karl Johansgate, but it will have to do.
‘And that’s why you are here? On a Sunday?’
Her voice is hoarse as if something is stuck in her throat.
‘Eh, yes. I’m writing a lot of other stories this week, and, as I happened to be in the neighbourhood, I thought that-’
Henning realises he is struggling to convince even himself so he shuts up. The woman says nothing. She just stares at him.
‘Is Kent Harry Hansen here?’
‘No.’
‘Oh no!’ he says, excessively positive. ‘So where is he?’
‘Some people have better things to do on a Sunday than work.’
‘Fair point,’ Henning says and smiles again.
The girl’s fixed mask remains intact.
‘I was wondering, is there anyone from admin here today?’
‘I’m the only one.’
‘And you are-’
‘I’m just the receptionist.’
Henning looks around.
‘How about Geir Gronningen? Is he here today?’
‘He doesn’t work here.’
‘No, but I’ve heard that he uses this gym.’
‘So what?’
‘I need a quote or two. Why people work out here and blah blah blah. It makes the article sound better.’
The girl behind the counter looks at him before she nods in the direction of a row of exercise bikes by the windows. A man in a white vest is pedalling at a sedate pace whilst looking at a screen on the wall.
‘That’s him?’
The girl nods. Almost imperceptibly.
‘Okay, thanks for your help.’
Henning attempts an ironic smile, but her attention is already elsewhere. He crosses the large room where white and black equipment in all shapes and sizes competes for floor space. Music blasts from the loudspeakers. The weights ring out. Grunting and bellowing alternate. The sound of testosterone, Henning thinks. No one here looks as if it bothers them that brute strength on its own is pointless if you can’t run 150 metres without getting out of breath. Many of the stomachs on display are bulging, but not from muscle.
‘Geir Gronningen?’
Henning puts his hand on the bike’s handlebars. A tall man with long thin hair turns to face him. He has a wispy beard around his lips and chin. And here was Henning thinking the age of grunge was long gone.
‘Hi,’ Henning goes on.
Gronningen’s only reply is to pedal more slowly. Henning gets on the vacant exercise bike next to him and discovers too late that his feet don’t reach the pedals, but he refrains from adjusting the seat. Instead he sits there, dangling his legs.
‘Do you mind if I have a chat with you while you warm up?’
Gronningen looks straight ahead. Henning fixes his eyes on him until he turns around. ‘My name is Henning Juul,’ he continues. ‘I’m a journalist with 123news. I’ve just been talking to Veronica Nansen.’
Gronningen turns his head slightly.
‘She told me that you’ve been trying to find out who-’
‘Are you out of your mind?’ Gronningen hisses and looks daggers at him before quickly glancing around. ‘You can’t just come in here and-’
‘Why not?’ Henning says as frown lines appear on his brow. ‘We’re just having a chat.’
‘You don’t understand,’ the big man says. ‘Get out before anyone sees you.’
‘You’re quite right,’ Henning says, feigning ignorance. ‘I don’t understand.’
Gronningen gives him a look of exasperation. Neither of them says anything for a while, but Henning refuses to release Gronningen’s eyes. Finally, Gronningen gives in. ‘Do you know where Jarlen, the restaurant, is?’
‘No, but I can find out.’
‘Wait there and I’ll have a chat with you later.’
‘Okay. When?’
Gronningen rolls his eyes before he faces Henning again. ‘When I’m done here. I can’t cut my workout short just because you turned up.’
‘So give me a time.’
Gronningen glances surreptitiously around again. Then, without looking at Henning, he says, ‘Give me a couple of hours.’
‘A couple of hours it is.’
Henning looks at the clock on the wall behind the reception counter, nods to Gronningen and climbs off the exercise bike. On his way to the exit he smiles at the girl behind the counter and gives her a thumbs-up before he walks outside and back into the heat.
Chapter 15
Thorleif Brenden wakes up with a start and looks around. There is light all around him. From an open window that overlooks the courtyard the sound of children shouting enters and exacerbates his headache.
He gets up and goes to the kitchen. Then he fills a glass with cold water and swallows the contents with rapid gulps. He groans with satisfaction. The next moment the door is flung open as if Kramer from Seinfeld himself is about to make an entrance. But it is only Julie with Elisabeth at her heels.
‘Hi, Daddy! I need the loo.’
‘Okay, sweetheart,’ he smiles and looks at Elisabeth. ‘Remember to close the door behind you.’
‘Okay,’ Julie replies.
‘And afterwards you must tell Daddy what you’ve just learned, promise?’ Elisabeth calls out after her daughter.
‘Yesss!’
Elisabeth smiles and looks at him tenderly. ‘Hi,’ she says in a soft and affectionate voice. ‘Did you have a good sleep?’
Thorleif shakes his head and refills his glass.
‘You certainly look as if you have.’
‘How can you tell?’ he asks her.
‘Your eyes are swollen. As if they’ve relaxed properly for once.’
‘It’s probably just an allergic reaction.’
‘Oh, you poor thing. You shouldn’t have joined us on that horse-and-cart ride. Have you taken your medication? Do you feel better for it?’