The Last Fix [En liten gyllen ring no]

'Wheredid you take her?'

'Notso far. She wanted to get out at the roundabout over the E6 – the one byHvervenbukta where you turn off for Holmlia.'

'That'sless than a kilometre from where she was found murdered,' the policeman said.

Kramernodded.

Frølichcleared his throat. 'I have to ask you once again,' he said slowly. 'Are youpositive you dropped her at this place?'

Kramercleared his throat. 'Yes,' he answered.

Frølichscrutinized him again. 'Why did you drop her there of all places?'

'Shewanted to walk to Ole's place. Ole lives in Holmlia. Not sure what the addressis. But she wanted to go to Ole's and walk the last bit on her own. She saidshe didn't want him to see me, if he was waiting for her.'

'Whynot?'

'Hewould have made a scene, I suppose.'

'Andthen?'

'Idrove off.' Kramer paused. All of a sudden he seemed overcome by emotion. Frølichtried to imagine how he would have behaved in a situation like this. Regardlessof whether the young man was telling the truth or not, it was clear that thisconversation was a strain. It had started off quite light, with philosophicalbabble about the dead girl's attitude to life. Even the conversation about theirlove-making had gone smoothly. One thing was certain, though. It wasn't smoothany more. Kramer seemed very moved; his lips were quivering. 'She waved.' Hefell silent again; his lips were still quivering. Frølich studied hisface and said: 'Did you notice any other cars when you dropped her? Was thereanyone following you?'

Kramerconsidered the questions, then shook his head slowly. 'I may have met the oddtaxi down on the motorway. No, I don't know. It all seemed very quiet, but whenI set out I'm sure I met a number of cars.'

'Butyou can't remember anything else about them?'

'No,I just drove, listened to music and drove.'

'Andyou didn't see her again?'

'No.'

'Didshe stand waving to you as you drove off?'

'Shewasn't standing. She was walking and she waved.' Kramer's lips quivered again.'And I didn't see her again,' he concluded.

'Tellme the exact spot where you dropped her.'

Kramercleared his throat and closed his eyes. 'We passed the car park byHvervenbukta, the one on the left hand side as you're driving into town.'

'AlongLjansbrukveien?'

'Yes,I suppose that's what it's called… We went on, towards the roundabout and thebridge over the E6, and then she said: I'll jump out here. And then…' Kramercleared his throat again.'… then I drove around the roundabout and across thebridge over the E6…'

'Yes…'Frølich said patiently.

'Istopped at the end of the bridge where I would turn left to get down on to themotorway. She got out there.' Kramer went quiet.

'Goon,' Frølich said.

'Well,I joined the motorway and didn't see her again.'

'Yousaid she started walking up…'

'Yes.''When you last saw her she was walking up the Ljabru road towards Holmlia?'

'Yes.'

'Butthen she would have had to go through a long tunnel, wouldn't she?'

Kramerlooked up. He weighed the possibility and gave a slow nod.

'Yes,she must have done.'

Frankshifted his sitting position. 'It's quite a long way to Holmlia from there. Shemust have gone through the long tunnel and then up Holmliaveien. Now I don'tremember whether there's a pavement in the tunnel, but it sounds veryimpractical to be dropped off before the tunnel…'

'Idon't know the area,' Henning Kramer interrupted.

'Butnevertheless,' Frølich said. 'It's two to three kilometres from theroundabout up to Holmlia. Why didn't you drive her all the way?'

'Sheasked to be dropped at the roundabout.'

Frølichsat observing him for a while.

Kramerstared back and coughed. 'Perhaps she went through the woods,' he suggested.'Perhaps she took a short cut.'

'ButI thought you said she started walking up the Ljabru road?' 'Yes, I did, butthere must be a short cut through the woods.'

'It'spossible, but did you see her walking through the woods?'

'No,all I know is she insisted on being dropped at the roundabout.'

Frølichdesisted with that line of enquiry and checked his notes. 'A car followed youto Ingierstrand, is that right?'

'No.'

'Ithought you said you couldn't be on your own in the car park.'

'Thatwas just a car parked there. A couple out for a drive, like us, I would guess.'

'Sothere were two people in the car?'

'No.No idea. I didn't see if there were two or five people in the car. I didn'tlook.'

'Didyou see what kind of car it was?'

'Don'tremember. Ordinary car, saloon, Japanese or Ford or Opel, just a bog-standardcar.'

'Colour?'

Kramershrugged. 'No idea, dark, it was night – not much light.'

'Thecar didn't follow you from Ingierstrand?'

'Don'tthink so. We were alone in the car park anyway.'

Frølichran this through his mind again. 'When you drove back from the place where youhad intercourse, what did you talk about?'

'Nothing.'

'Nothingat all?'

'No.'

'Youdidn't even discuss where she was going to go or what she would say to herboyfriend if he asked?'

'No.'

Frølichgave a slow nod, regretful that he had done this interview on his own. He letout a deep sigh.

'What'sthe matter?' Kramer asked innocently.

'I'mafraid your status has changed. You were a witness, but now you're a suspect.'

HenningKramer said nothing.

'Didyou hear what I said?' Frølich asked.

'Katrinewas the only person I have loved…'

^That'snot how it works,' Frølich said, wearied. 'Katrine was found murderedand in a condition that suggests the murder was sexually motivated. In nine outof ten such cases the murder is committed with the intention of concealinganother crime, in other words, rape. And now you claim that you had consensualsex a few hours before she was found murdered.'

'Wedid.' 'Well, that's possible, but the public prosecutor, the judge or the jurymay not see that in the same way.'

'Butwhat should I do?'

'Atany event you will have to sign a statement and give a DNA sample. And thenyou'll have to think about all the exact timings. They have to be as precise aspossible because we will have to cross-check your statement with those of otherwitnesses. So if you can remember anybody or cars with passengers or anythingthat would corroborate what you have said to me, then things would look a bitbrighter.'

Kramerstared darkly into the distance.

'Wheredid you go after dropping her off?'

'Home.'

'Where'sthat?'

'InHolmen, Stasjonsveien.'

'Isthat your brother's place?'

'No,I live there with my mother.'

'Isit your mother's or your place?'

'Mymother's.'

Frølichnodded and made a note. 'Was there anything Katrine said that night, anythingat all, that made you uneasy or that you wondered about or you didn'tunderstand…'

Kramersat with his eyes closed. He was sweating.

Onceagain Frølich rued not having a partner with him.

'Therewas one thing…' Kramer began.

'Yes?'

'Shehad a secret.'

'Uh-uh.'

'I'mtrying to think. There was something about the electricity in the air when wemet that night

'Whenyou picked her up?'

'Iasked her if she had won at bingo because she seemed so high and, like, happy,but she hadn't. She said something wonderful had happened.'

'Somethingwonderful?'

'Yes,and so I asked what it was, but she just shook her head and said she would tellme later.'

'Later?'

Kramernodded.

'Wasit your impression it was connected with the party?'

Kramershook his head.

'Haveyou any theories as to what she might have meant?'

'Notan inkling.'

Frølichheld out his hand peremptorily.

'Eh?'

'Thecar keys,' Frølich said in a gentle tone. 'You may not remember a lot ofwitnesses, but you do have one – the most important one for us in such cases.And that's the car.'

Chapter Eleven