THEIR WALLETS, MOBILES, keys. They’d even been forced to hand over the bag Sonja had filled with Theodor’s favourite sweets to get through security at the Danish prison. What were they worried about? That they’d stuffed the sweets full of drugs and skeleton keys?
The moment they rolled off the ferry in Helsingør harbour, they’d been overcome with a sinking feeling. A feeling that everyone and everything was against them. The contemptuous looks the guards – who refused to understand Swedish – gave them when Fabian asked whether it was really necessary for them to be strip-searched. The increasingly loud bangs of gates closing behind them as they moved further into the building. The cold blue glare from the light overhead coupled with the echo of their shoes against the floor as they were led down one corridor after another.
That their son had spent a full twenty-four hours in here was almost impossible to take in. The fear he must have felt lying on the hard cot in his cell, which was probably no more than a third of the size of his room at home.
What was worse was the prosecutor’s unexpected decision to remand him in custody until the trial was over. A decision that had been delivered without any explanation beyond that they had reasons to keep him detained.
He’d been so certain. So sure he was right. That the truth was the only way forward and that nothing else mattered. Now, he didn’t know. Whether all of this was wrong. His fault. Whether he should have listened to Sonja’s initial protests, before she gave in and sided with him. Or to Theodor, who had been prepared to go so far as to take his own life just to get out of this. He had no idea. All he could do was hope for the best. Hope that everything would somehow come out right.
The visiting room they were taken to was sparsely furnished with a sofa and armchair in a speckled shade of light blue, a round table with four chairs and a bed with a plastic-covered mattress. The fluorescent lights did nothing to help the cheerless impression. No pictures on the wall. No mirror. Not even a rug on the ugly linoleum floor.
Six minutes past the agreed time, the door opened and Theodor entered, flanked on either side by a guard. His eyes were on the floor and his grey prison overalls were too small. Yet another thing to make them feel bad. But the handcuffs were the worst. Fabian knew the rules and using handcuffs on Theodor was a clear breach of them.
‘Why have you handcuffed him?’
One of the guards turned to the other and said in Danish. ‘Do you understand what he’s saying?’
The other guard shook his head.
Fabian switched to English. ‘The handcuffs. What are they for? He’s not a murderer.’
‘That’s yet to be determined.’
‘Honey, there’s no point.’ Sonja put her hand on his knee to keep him seated. ‘You’re only making it worse.’
‘Smart lady,’ the first guard said and undid the handcuffs.
‘And nice-looking, too,’ the other muttered under his breath.
Fabian both heard and understood every word, but since Sonja seemed not to, he took her advice and let the grinning guards leave the room.
Theodor sat down across from them and stared at the table. Fabian wanted to get up, to go over and hug him. Show him how much he loved him and give him all the warmth, energy and affection he could muster. But instead he just sat there, contributing to the silence.
‘Hi, Theodor,’ Sonja said at length. She leaned forward. ‘How are you doing?’ She waited for a response that didn’t come. ‘Theodor, it’s not that I don’t understand that you’re feeling awful and like this whole situation is incredibly unfair. I feel the same way. It hurts me that you’re locked up here with guards that handcuff you when you’re coming to see us. And it’s obviously so, so much worse for you. But please, talk to us. What was last night like? Did you get any sleep?’ She waited, but there was no reaction.
‘The way they’re treating you, us, this whole situation is just terrible,’ Fabian said. ‘But we’re going to get through it. I promise. I’m going to make sure you have the best lawyer there is and we’re going to do everything we can to get you home as soon as possible. Do you hear me? Whatever happens, we’re always here for you.’
‘And another thing,’ Sonja said. ‘When you get back and all of this is behind us, Dad and I have decided we’re going to buy a yacht like you and Matilda wanted.’ She turned to Fabian and smiled. ‘It’ll be fun, right?’
Fabian nodded and felt his energy returning. ‘What we’re trying to say is that you’re not alone.’ He got up and went over to Theodor. ‘Understand? We’re in this together.’ He bent down and hugged him. ‘You, me and Mum.’ But it felt wrong, all wrong. ‘And in just a few weeks, this will be behind us and we’ll be setting sail together.’ Theodor’s cold rigidity made him break off the hug out of sheer self-preservation.
Then there was finally a reaction. Theodor straightened up. ‘I think we’re done here,’ he said. ‘You’re just going to keep saying the same things over and over.’
‘What do you mean, done?’ Sonja said. ‘We only just got here, there’s more than forty minutes left. What? You want us to leave?’
Theodor nodded. ‘And I would appreciate it if you left me alone and didn’t come back.’ He stood up, turned away from them, walked over to the closed steel door and pressed a button.
‘But, Theodor, what are you saying?’ Fabian followed him. ‘We’ve come to see you, you can’t just leave?’
‘Leaving is one of the few things I can do, actually.’
The door opened and one of the guards entered.
‘We’re done,’ Theodor said.
The guard nodded and put the handcuffs back on. The only thing Fabian could do was put his arms around Sonja as Theodor was led out of the visiting room.