The back courtyard was quite large – that much Katherina could see even in the dark. As she followed Ole she eyed the few windows that had lights on in the surrounding flats. She wondered how people could get up and go off to work as if nothing had happened. Didn't they realize what was going on in their own neighbourhood? Didn't they know what was at stake?
Ole staggered onward until they reached a dark doorway that opened onto the street. Katherina's rescuer cursed when he couldn't find the door handle. He was moving much too slowly for Katherina, so she gently pushed him aside and opened the door herself.
Unlike the courtyard, the street was brightly lit, and she pressed her back against the wall as soon as she stepped out. Ole practically fell over her, and for a moment he stood in the middle of the pavement, swaying ominously.
'So where's the cab?' whispered Katherina as loudly as she dared.
'It's supposed to be right here,' replied Ole, staggering around until he had to stop so as not to fall. 'Nordre Frihavnsgade. Right here.'
A black car sped past them and Katherina instinctively pressed her body closer to the wall.
'Over here!' shouted Ole, taking a step towards the kerb as he waved his arms overhead. 'We're over here!' A cab pulled up and stopped in front of them.
Katherina quickly stepped away from the doorway and grabbed Ole before he fell. The cab driver opened the window and stuck out his head.
'You are needing help?' he asked in broken Danish.
'Could you just open the door?' said Katherina as she manoeuvred her rescuer towards the back of the vehicle.
The driver got out and opened the door in one fluid motion. Katherina shoved Ole inside, and he collapsed onto the back seat, muttering gratefully. Then she dashed around to the other side and got in next to the driver.
'That is lucky, you are with him,' said the man as he started driving. 'We do not take his kind at this time.'
Katherina didn't have the strength to protest. She merely told him the address of Clara's terraced house in Valby.
The sun had come up by the time Katherina awoke. Thin strips of sunlight were coming through the white slats of the blinds. Still wearing her jeans and T-shirt, she was lying underneath a cream-coloured blanket on a sofa with big, soft cushions with a floral pattern.
The sunroom was where Clara spent most of her time five months of the year, using the rest of the house mostly for sleeping and for storing food. She did her cooking outdoors on a grill or over a small campfire. The walls of the sunroom were covered with white-painted panelling, and flowerpots hung from every beam on the ceiling. All the windowsills were filled with plants too.
Katherina had been here many times before, but she'd never spent the night. She couldn't even remember falling asleep.
When she'd climbed out of the taxi, it was still night, and Clara's house was in darkness. In the meantime, Ole had come to and insisted on continuing on to his own place. Katherina didn't have the energy either to object or to thank him, and the cab drove off, leaving her alone on the pavement.
As she walked up the garden path, she repeated her wish that Clara would be there. She didn't know what she would do if nobody was home. After ringing the bell several times, Clara finally opened the door, and Katherina threw herself sobbing into the arms of the astonished woman.
For several minutes all Katherina could do was cry. She was led over to the sofa in the sunroom, still clinging to Clara. After recovering enough to be able to speak, Katherina asked for a glass of water, which Clara brought at once. She drank most of the water and then began describing the night's events.
Clara listened attentively. All sign of fatigue was gone from her face and she patted Katherina on the shoulder to keep her telling the story. When Pau's betrayal was revealed to her, Clara swore loudly. She had to get up to pace back and forth in order to contain her fury.
'That little…' she snarled. 'There's always been something fishy about him.' She brought her temper under control when she noticed from Katherina's face that there was more bad news. She sat down on the sofa again. 'Sorry. Go on.'
It was difficult for Katherina to describe what had happened during the test, and she broke down again when she got to the part about leaving Jon behind in the basement.
Clara brought Katherina some more water and tried to reassure her.
'There was nothing you could do,' she said, putting her arm round Katherina. 'If you had stayed, they would have been able to use you against him. Now they don't have anything to use as a bargaining chip.'
Katherina sniffled. 'But what if they kill him?'
'They won't,' said Clara firmly. 'They need him for something; I have a strong feeling about that. Something that only he can help them with.'
Whether it was Clara's soothing words or the exhaustion after the events of the night that made Katherina fall asleep, she had no idea. But she didn't remember anything else.
She could hear voices coming from inside the house. One of them belonged to Clara.
'Was it really necessary to sedate her?' said the other voice, which Katherina immediately recognized as Iversen's.
'She was really at her wits' end,' replied Clara. 'You should have seen her. She needed to get some rest, but she was too upset to fall asleep on her own. Sometimes the body needs to rest before the mind can calm down.'
'If you say so,' Iversen said, not sounding convinced.
Katherina heard footsteps approaching.
'How long will she be out?' asked Iversen.
'I'm awake,' said Katherina, turning towards the door.
Clara pushed past Iversen and hurried over to the sofa. 'Are you feeling all right?'
Katherina nodded. 'What time is it?'
Iversen sat down in an armchair across from her. The chair was covered with a multi-coloured crocheted blanket.
'It's ten in the morning,' he said, casting a glance at Clara. 'You've been asleep for nearly thirty hours.'
'Thirty hours!' cried Katherina, jumping up from the sofa. 'How could you…' She stopped as everything went black before her eyes and she had to sink back down on the sofa.
'It was for your own good,' Clara assured Katherina, taking her hands. 'You needed to rest.'
Katherina pulled her hands away.
'But what about Jon?' she said. 'We have to find Jon.'
'We're working on that,' Iversen reassured her. 'All of Remer's residences are under surveillance. As soon as he shows up-'
'Has he disappeared?' said Katherina.
Iversen nodded and looked down at his hands, which he had clasped in front of him.
'But what about the school?' said Katherina. 'We have to go back to the school.'
'The school burned down, Katherina,' said Clara and then hurried to add, 'But there weren't any victims. The building burned to the ground only a few hours after you escaped.'
'The fire department thinks it was due to faulty electrical wiring,' Iversen interjected. 'They realized quickly that it was a lost cause, so they concentrated on keeping the fire contained to the school.'
'They're in the process of erasing their tracks,' said Katherina. She looked at Iversen and Clara. They both nodded.
'There's been another fire,' said Iversen. 'Kortmann's villa went up in flames the same night. Kortmann's body was found in the ashes of the library. They think the cause of the fire was a smouldering cigarette.'
Katherina thought back to her last visit to the villa in Hellerup. Henning had carried Kortmann's body into the library, where he had now been cremated, as if on a funeral pyre.
'But he was hanged,' she protested. 'Surely they must be able to see that. The marks on his neck, no smoke in his lungs.'
'Nothing has come out about the circumstances surrounding his death,' said Clara. 'I wouldn't be at all surprised if Remer has contacts inside the police force and is able to influence the investigation.'