The Last Fix [En liten gyllen ring no]

Thesilence hung between the walls.

BjørnGerhardsen cleared his throat after a long pause. He said, 'I ought to add thatshe turned up at the rehab centre a few days later and from that momentfollowed the full course until she was declared clean, had caught up on herschooling and was rehabilitated. From my knowledge of her over recent years shewas resourceful and excellent in all ways.'

'Haveyou had sexual intercourse with her since?'

'Never.'

'How

Gunnarstrandainterrupted Frølich by bursting another bubble and said: 'There's onething I was wondering regarding the car ride.'

Gerhardsenraised his head.

'Ivisualize a number of shifts of mood here,' Gunnarstranda said. 'You driveround in the red light area, you pick up a prostitute who takes your fancy andthen you have a shock when you recognize her. Following that there's a kind ofdiscussion between you… a discussion that has overtones of… shall we say…morality. At that moment you become a representative of what we might callNorwegian respectability. At least you play the role of a representative ofnormality, the model that your wife also represents when she meets herpatients Gunnarstranda formed inverted commas with his fingers.'… The normalworld… whether you like it or not. So you and your wife become the modelthat patients have to imitate!'

'Ofcourse,' Gerhardsen interrupted. 'But you don't need to moralize to me in thisway!'

'I'mnot moralizing,' Gunnarstranda stated. 'I was merely wondering what shifts ofmood there were in the car. I'm trying to imagine the signals that you senteach other during the conversation you had. In other words, you were lustful,you wanted a quickie and you went about this by driving up to someone youregard as an anonymous whore in Bankplass. You agree a price through the opencar window, she gets into your car, but you have a shock when you recognizeher. You then have a sort of morally indignant discussion with her which endsup with you buying yourself a pardon by letting her keep the money withoutrendering any services. But in the end you experience the sexual climax youwere in fact after as she, to your surprise, supplies a sexual service. Have Iunderstood you correctly?'

'They'reyour words. It's not my version,' Gerhardsen answered in an aloof tone.

'Butyou agree that it can be described in that way?'

'Icannot refute it.'

'Andtwo days afterwards she goes to your wife of her own accord and submits tolong-term treatment of a social and medical nature?'

'Yes.'

'Whatwas your experience of the relationship between you two in the car, from apsychological point of view?'

'Whatdo you mean now?'

'Well,what roles did you play? Were you the dominant male buying a quick blow-job offa down-and-out junkie in need of money for a fix?'

'I'venever thought about it like that.'

Gunnarstranda:'Are you sure? Which of you had the upper hand, in a psychological sense,during the car ride?'

Gerhardsen:'I've never thought about it like that, but I would guess that she did. I, formy part, was keen to get away.'

Asthe two policemen were silent, he continued. 'Or… maybe at the beginning… whenI didn't know her, she was expecting me to recognize her. She must haverecognized me when I stopped the car and rolled down the window. I assume shefelt she had…' He coughed. It was his turn to use his fingers to expressinverted commas: '… the upper hand psychologically, as you call it…because she had recognized me, I suppose. I can tell you with absoluteassurance that I felt pretty small when I realized who she was…'

'Butafterwards?'

'Idon't understand what you mean.'

'Youmust do. She humiliates you by revealing that she knows who you are and therebyexposes your misery. What has the psychological balance between you been like sincethen?'

Gerhardsenclosed his mouth and kept it closed.

Gunnarstrandabeamed a white teeth smile. 'It's not dangerous to tell the truth, Gerhardsen.You've been very good so far. It's very understandable, very normal to want totake revenge for the little humiliation in the car.'

Gerhardsen,stiff: 'I have never taken revenge for anything.'

'Fine,but you did take your revenge,' the policeman smiled. 'You have madeapproaches, haven't you? We know that you even tried it on during the party.'

'Ididn't try anything on during the party.'

'Ourwitnesses tell us something different!' Gunnarstranda snapped. 'Don't startlying to me. I know you made advances and suggestions to Katrine Bratterudduring the party!'

'Andso what if I did?'

'Sowhat?' Gunnarstranda's smile was white again. 'If it happened that night, itcould have happened before, couldn't it?'

'Butit didn't happen before.'

'Howcan we know that? How can we know that she didn't feel she was being sexuallyharassed by you the whole time?'

'Talkto her therapists.'

'Yourwife?'

'Yes,do that. I don't keep any secrets from her.'

'Doyou mean to say your wife knew you had bought sexual favours from one of herpatients?'

'Yes.'

'Excuseme,' said Gunnarstranda, exasperated, 'but you're the chairman of the VinterhagenRehabilitation Centre, aren't you?' He didn't wait for an answer, but ploughedon. 'Have you never had the concept of ethics on the agenda?'

BjørnGerhardsen, eyes closed: 'I have a vague feeling this conversation should notbe about Vinterhagen's ethical foundations.'

'No,let's return to the night in question,' Gunnarstranda said in a calmer frame ofmind. 'Quite a number of professionals would, however, frown on key drug-rehabstaff inviting addicts to royal piss-ups.' He raised his voice as Gerhardsentried to interrupt. 'But we can leave that for the time being. My problem isthat I have to imagine what happened the night the girl was murdered. I have tofind out exactly what happened that night.'

'Ofcourse,' Gerhardsen said with indulgence. 'That's why I am sacrificing myvaluable office time and trying to tell you what happened.'

'Didyou meet Katrine Bratterud in Oslo city centre after getting out of the taxi?'

'Katrine?In the city centre?'

'Answerthe question.'

'No,I didn't meet her.'

'Didyou see her?'

'No.'

'Letus imagine what you have said now is not true,' Gunnarstranda said gently.'Let's say you met her in Aker Brygge that night…'

'Icertainly did not!'

'Letme finish,' snapped Gunnarstranda. 'We know that you tried it on with her atthe party. We know you took a taxi to the City Hall square. We know youregarded her as another screw. That's your word. Let's imagine you followedher, repeated your advances, she resisted and you found some string to tieround her neck to make her more compliant…'

Thepoliceman's eyes flashed white at Gerhardsen who was cowering in his chair.

'You'rebarking up the wrong tree,' he said at last.

'Sotell me what happened!'

'Ihad a party at home. I was host to lots of nice people. I went to the centre todance and have a good time…'

'Notto look for another screw?'

'No.'

'Canyou prove what time you took the company's Daihatsu that night?'

Gerhardsenlowered his head to think. 'No, I don't believe I can. It's a normal garage ina basement you open with a key, and I have no idea if anyone saw me…'

'Canyou prove what time you left Smuget?'

'Idon't know. Someone must have seen me.'

'Therewas no one in your group who spoke to you before you left?'

'No.'

'Butthat's very strange, isn't it?'

'Youmight think that, but…'

'Butwhat?'

'Idon't think so.'

'Doyou know if any of the guests at the party that night had a score to settlewith Katrine?'

'Icannot imagine that.'

'Whatabout your wife?'

'Annabeth?What would she have against Katrine?'