The Last Fix [En liten gyllen ring no]

'Thatnight? At the party?'

'Precisely.'

'Areyou sure about that?' the policeman snapped.

'Shetold me.'

'Whatdid she say? Her exact words.'

'Hetried it on. Mr Nice Guy. Those were the words she used. And that was allwe said about the matter.'

'Thatwas all she said. Mr Nice Guy?'

'Wehad talked about this business before, that she had, well… recognizedGerhardsen and so on. Both Annabeth and Bjørn are pretty pathetic,right, in their way, and when we talked about them… well, from then on wecalled him Mr Nice Guy. It was a bit like an internal code between two people.We joked about it because during the day he's the Vinterhagen chairman andduring the night he buys himself a chunk of potential patients. We dubbed himMr Nice Guy. Ironic, of course.'

Frølichstudied his notes. 'And when did she tell you this?'

'Afterthe party.'

Frølichstraightened up in his chair.

'Therewas something special about that night, you see. I drove up to collect her. Shecalled me.'

'Shecalled you? When?'

'Saturdaynight. Around twelve. I was sleeping in front of the TV. She woke me, called meon my mobile.'

Frølich,excited: 'And you drove there to collect her?'

'Yes

'Whatmake is your car?'

'Idon't have a car. It was my brother's. He's abroad at some seminar. In thePhilippines. I'm allowed to borrow his car when he's off on a trip. An Audi.She came to meet me in the road, wearing the same gear, right, provocative -her skirt was transparent with the street light behind her – her dream clothes.At that moment she saw herself as some chick in a promo video and she jumpedover the car door. She didn't open the door – it's a convertible, you see, andthen she tied her blouse around her hair, no, that was afterwards, but what I'mtrying to say is that she got off on the car trip, on the night, on-being in anopen car with me. Her hair was blowing into her face, right, round the bendsdown Holmenkollen, and she cast around for something to tie her hair with, butshe had nothing, so she took off her top, with just a black bra underneath, andthat gave her a kick, sitting there in her bra. That was the dream. Likefeelin' free. We drove down to Aker Brygge, to the McDonald's. It was heridea, and we ate there. She wanted a cheeseburger and stood there dressed asshe was. It was like the fulfilment of this dream. Like… like… Christ, someoneshould have strung up that word like. I am so sick and tired of sayingit. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she was a millimetre away from shooting up thatnight. She was high, really high, and when I asked, before we took off fromAker Brygge, what had happened like, or why she was so high, she ignored me,just for a second. I could see she didn't want to talk about it because shedidn't want to come down from the clouds she was on, if I can say that. Shelike saw me for a second and said: Mr Nice Guy. He tried it on… And Ijust stood looking at her.'

'Andthen?'

'Thenwe took the E6 – the old Mossevei – almost as far as Ingierstrand.'

'And?'

'Iparked there.'

'InIngierstrand?'

'No,I stopped there at first, but we weren't on our own. After a while another carparked in the large car park there, so we drove on to the Mosseveien crossingand turned right, out towards Lake Gjer, past Tyrigrava. We stopped in a carpark not far from the E18, facing the lake, very nice spot.'

'And?'

'Thenwe talked.'

'Whatabout?'

'Lifein general.'

'Notthe party?'

'Nota word.'

'Nothingabout her, about what had happened that day?'

'No,just about dreams.'

Andthen?'

'Thenwe had sex.'

'Ithought she was with a guy called Ole Eidesen.'

HenningKramer shrugged.

'Wereyou jealous of Eidesen?'

'Notin the slightest, more the other way around – he was jealous of me… perhaps.' ^v'Why should he have been?'

'Katrinewas more open with me, I suppose, and he suspected us of sleeping together nowand then.'

'Didyou?'

'Nowand then.'

Frølichchewed his biro and waited.

'Notthat often, only when she wanted it. The last time was a long time ago now,many weeks ago.'

'Didyou think of the relationship as love?'

'Ofcourse.'

'Letme be precise,' Frank said, sitting up erect. 'I'm asking you if you wanted aso-called official relationship with her, just the two of you.'

'Itwas just the two of us. She always came back to me. But I was the one whodidn't want her so close. In that way we were closet on a soul level.'

'On asoul level?'

'Yes.'

'Witha bit of body now and then?'

'Yes.'

'Butthat night who took the initiative? Who suggested intercourse?'

'Shedid.'

Frankwas silent.

'It'sincorrect to say suggested. It was in the air.

Youcould say that we like had sex from the moment she sat in the car. Making lovewas just a kind of conclusion – the final bit that was missing.'

'Didyou use contraceptives?'

'No.'

'Wheredid you make love?'

'Inthe car.'

'Thatnight you say she was wearing a black bra and a top?'

'Ablouse, black, and a skirt.'

'Wasshe wearing anything else?'

'Notas far as I know.'

'Nopanties?'

'Ididn't see her taking them off.'

'Soshe was walking around naked under her skirt?'

'No,she was wearing them. She pushed them to the side… if we have to be technical.'

'Soshe was dressed when you were having sex?'

'Yes,that is, she was wearing a skirt and I folded down her bra.'

'Andthe blouse?'

'Sheput that back on later.'

'When?'

Kramerfrowned as he deliberated. 'When I drove her home,' came the eventual answer.*- 'Was that long afterwards?'

'Maybean hour or two. We slept for a while, at least I did.'

'Howlong did you sleep?'

'Iwoke up at just after half past two. She had left the car. She woke me up asshe got back in.'

'Andyou're sure it was half past two?'

'02:37.1looked at the clock in the car.'

'Andshe'd been out?'

'Yes,I heard the car door slam and she was inside and I looked at the clock and sheteased me because I was asleep. She asked if I had a cigarette. I did and so weboth smoked a cigarette, and then she asked me to drive her to Ole's place.'

'Whatclothes was she wearing?'

'Thesame.'

'Jewellery?'

'Assumeso.'

'Whatdo you mean by that? Did she have any jewellery or not?'

Kramerdidn't speak for a few seconds, as though thinking. 'Katrine always worejewellery: gold rings… bracelets… rings with twisted snake patterns and bigstones, and chains round her neck.'

'Andwhat was she wearing that night?' 'Most of it, I assume. Rings. Yes, she alwayswore rings. That night, too.' Kramer shifted, ill at ease. The policemanwatched him in silence.

'Yes?'Kramer coughed, changing position.

Frølichstudied the man for a few more seconds. 'And you're sure she was wearingjewellery that night? Would you swear to it?' he asked.

'Ofcourse.' Kramer's eyelids moved slowly up and back down… up…

'Whenshe came back to the car, was she wearing jewellery?'

'Ireckon so. But I didn't check her over.'

'Soyou're not sure if she was wearing jewellery when she came back?'

'Ican't swear to it that she was.'

'Butdid you ask her what she had been doing outside?'

'No.'

'Whynot?'

'Itdidn't occur to me.'

'Itdidn't occur to you?'

'No.'Henning Kramer shrugged. 'She might have been for a pee or perhaps she had justbeen stretching her legs.'

'Didshe have anything else with her? A handbag?'

'Yes,she did. Not a handbag, but a small shoulder bag with a long strap that shewore across her back. I remember that well.'

Frølichnodded. 'When did you set off back home?'

'Itmust have been just before three or just after. I can't remember. I was shatteredso I wanted to get home as fast as possible.'