It was six o’clock and darkness already lay heavily across the capital when Munch and Mia drove to Hurumlandet Nurseries in the black Audi. Had it been up to Mia, they would have left much earlier, right after the briefing meeting.
Helene Eriksen had to inform everyone first, that was the reason for the delay. Break the tragic news to everyone who knew Camilla Green before the police came blundering in. It explained why it was just the two of them going there now – ‘so they don’t have hordes of us trampling around at the same time’, as he had put it. And this Mia did agree with. A group of teenagers with a troubled past – it was not unthinkable that some of them also had a tricky relationship with the police. Sending a fleet of police cars with flashing lights could do more harm than good when it came to getting the information they needed. But Mia was uneasy. She had a feeling that she had missed something. In the pictures. She could not put her finger on what it was.
Too impatient.
Maybe that was her problem. Munch was much steadier, much calmer; though he had acted oddly today, but that wasn’t so surprising given what she knew about the staff list.
She took a lozenge from a packet in her jacket pocket, and opened the window as Munch lit another cigarette and joined the E18. It had been dark since five o’clock, a dense, overpowering darkness, and Mia hated it. This time of the year. The cold. Being smothered by a black blanket; as if the world was not inhuman enough already, now they had to live without light for months. It came back to her again, the warmth from her dream about Sigrid in the field, but she pushed it away, shuddering at the thought that, less than twenty-four hours ago, she had opened and swallowed the contents of the first jar.
He had saved her again. A twist of fate. If Munch had not knocked on the door when he did, she would no longer be here. She had stuck two fingers down her throat and vomited the pills up again. Mia felt a little ashamed now. She had promised herself to try, and then she had given up so soon.
Mia leaned forwards to turn the heating up to max and mulled it over for a while, but there was no way out, no point in pretending that she did not know.
‘So, when were you going to tell me?’
‘Tell you what?’ Munch said.
‘Oh, come on, Holger. I saw the list, we all did. How exactly do you think this is going to play out?’
‘What?’ Munch said again, although she could tell from looking at him that he knew what she meant.
‘Rolf,’ Mia said. ‘Rolf is a teacher out there.’
Munch looked as if he was about to light yet another cigarette, but he stopped himself and continued to stare through the windscreen.
‘It means you shouldn’t be working on this case. You know that, don’t you? If Mikkelson finds out, he’ll take you off the investigation. Holger, what were you thinking? You’re personally involved, you’re compromised, and you don’t say a word to the rest of the team, and—’
‘OK, OK.’
He interrupted her with a wave of his hand and continued to stare out of the windscreen for a while before he said anything: ‘They’re getting married,’ he said, not looking at her.
‘Who?’
‘Marianne and Rolf.’
Mia shook her head. ‘What the hell does that have to do with anything?’
Munch fell silent again.
‘Oh, come on, Holger, you’re better than this.’ Mia sighed.
‘Than what?’
‘Do I have to spell it out?’
‘Do you have to spell what out?’
Munch looked truly irritated now. He pulled out and overtook an articulated lorry before returning to the inside lane, then he reached for the cigarettes on the dashboard and lit one.
‘Holger,’ Mia sighed. ‘I don’t have to be a therapist to know what you’re thinking, but this is absurd.’
‘What is?’ Munch said, although again he looked as if he knew perfectly well what she was about to say.
‘That if Rolf Lycke by some fluke turns out to be a suspect in this case, then Marianne will dump him, leaving the way open for you. I mean, seriously, Holger? Straight out of a Hollywood film with a bad script and a happy ending. This isn’t like you.’
She smiled tenderly at him now and was relieved when he eventually returned her smile.
‘Sometimes you can be a real pain, did you know that?’
‘Yes, yes, I know. But somebody had to tell you.’
Munch shook his head as if to confirm his own naivety.
‘He brought her a huge bunch of flowers,’ he said with a small sigh.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Mia said. ‘But then again, it’s been ten years.’
‘I know, Mia.’
‘So what do we do?’
‘About what?’
‘About the fact that he works there? That you should not really be working on the case?’
Munch pressed the accelerator and overtook another lorry before letting out another small sigh and saying, ‘We’ll eliminate him as quickly as possible.’
‘That should work.’ Mia nodded. ‘He obviously didn’t do it.’
‘Obviously.’
‘So let’s get that confirmed and cross him off the list.’
‘Exactly,’ Munch said.
‘That should do it, shouldn’t it?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Problem solved.’ Mia nodded again.
‘It wasn’t even a problem to begin with.’
‘Quite.’ Mia smiled.
‘Where the hell is Curry?’ Munch said as they reached Asker and found the exit to road 167.
He clearly wanted to change the topic, and Mia was happy to indulge him. She knew that he still carried a torch for Marianne, but that he would take it so badly, after ten years, had surprised her, and she felt for him.
‘No idea,’ Mia replied. ‘He’s not answering his phone.’
‘He’d better get himself back to work soon. He knows how pushed we are,’ Munch grunted over the steering wheel.
‘I know, but, like I said, I can’t get hold of him. I left a message with Sunniva yesterday, but she isn’t answering her phone either.’
‘We can’t afford to lose another one,’ Munch muttered grimly.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Haven’t you heard?’
‘Heard what?’
Munch looked at her.
‘Kim.’
‘What about Kim?’
‘He might be leaving us,’ Munch said with a sigh.
‘Oh?’ Mia was taken aback. ‘Why?’
‘He has requested a transfer to Hønefoss.’
‘Kim? Move to the countryside?’ Mia laughed. ‘Why on earth would he want to do that?’
‘I think he’s getting married,’ Munch grumbled. ‘Seems very fashionable these days.’
‘Getting married? Who to?’
‘Do you remember that teacher who lived out there? And the two brothers?’
‘Of course,’ Mia said. ‘The ones who found the little girl in the tree?’
Munch nodded.
‘Emilie Isaksen. She and Kim are an item, a couple, and I believe they hope to adopt the two boys.’
‘But that’s great.’ Mia smiled.
Munch laughed mirthlessly. ‘Yes, yes, I suppose so, for them, but not for us, is it? I can’t imagine how we’ll manage without Kim, and if that moron Curry can’t be bothered to turn up for work …’
‘You’ll find a skilled replacement. You’re good at that.’
‘He won’t be allowed to quit until this case is over. I’ve made that perfectly clear,’ Munch grunted.
‘So what do you think?’ Mia said, as the front beams caught the sign ahead of them.
Hurumlandet Nurseries. 500 m.
‘About this case?’ Munch said.
‘Yes.’ Mia nodded.
‘Just between us?’
‘Yes.’
‘I have a really bad feeling. I recognize something about it. Do you know what I mean?’
‘Darkness,’ Mia said quietly.
Munch nodded softly, turned off the main road and drove down a tree-lined avenue towards the glow from the greenhouses further ahead.