Chapter 40
“We don’t use these very often,” Gerd said as she unlocked the cabinet. “Mostly for drug testing, those rare times we find someone who seems high. It’s faster to take the sample out here than to drive people in. Oftentimes it keeps things from escalating as much too.”
In the bag: disinfectant, test tubes, needle kit, Band-Aids, labels, the obligatory form to fill out. Everything you needed.
Siri stood behind her, hesitant. “But we don’t have a warrant.”
“That’s a good point.”
Gerd looked around and her eyes lit on the bulletin board, full of old fliers and reminders.
New emergency number: 112! Lock the door when you leave!
Updated routines for processing suspected sexual offenses.
A pun someone had clipped from a newspaper: It’s hard to explain things to kleptomaniacs. They take everything, literally.
“Here.” She pulled down the routines for processing sexual offenses and folded the paper in thirds. “This will do. Now we have a piece of paper to wave around. Do you want to collect the sample? I’ve noticed you’re good with your hands. Nimble fingers.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Siri didn’t say more. What was about to happen didn’t sit right with her. Not only was it against protocol, this kid was only eighteen.
They drove through the dark and up to Skavboke, where they parked on the road. Siri turned and saw a shadow in the darkness, crossing one of the fields.
It looked like Sander, but she wasn’t sure and didn’t mention it to Gerd.
The house was dark and quiet. Linda Persson’s car was in the driveway. The light was on in Killian’s cabin, dangling there lonely but warm.
“Hey,” Gerd said, the collection kit in her hand. “I don’t think he’s alone.”
They caught a glimpse of a dark mane of hair inside. Someone pulled on a shirt. Gerd raised a curious eyebrow and approached, knocked gently on the door. When it swung open, he stood there looking sheepish, with no shirt and jeans that hung from his hips.
“Good evening, Killian. We need to talk to you.”
Behind him, Felicia Grenberg, wearing only a sweatshirt and panties, was trying to find something.
“Hello there,” Gerd said cheerfully.
Felicia stopped mid-motion and smiled self-consciously. “I was just about to go.”
“We can wait,” said Gerd. “No rush.”
They stepped into the cabin. The heavy scent of bodies struck them. There could be no doubt about what had been going on in here. There was still a blanket on the floor, rumpled and warm.
On the floor, aside from the blanket, a rug had appeared since Siri’s last visit. It was a rough black tongue stretching across the pale wooden boards.
Felicia found her white jeans but lost her balance as she put them on. Killian reached out to keep her from falling over. The two teenagers exchanged glances, and Killian couldn’t help but laugh.
Once Felicia left, Killian seemed unsure of what to do. He had put on a T-shirt.
“Hardly anyone knows,” were the first words to come out of his mouth. “We want to keep it a secret. For as long as we can. We both feel that way.” Killian noticed the sample-collection kit in Siri’s hand. “Is that why you’re here, though?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Gerd, as though this errand were a burden on her. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this, but it really couldn’t wait. We need a blood sample from you.”
“Why?”
She looked at the spartan furnishings and sat down in a chair after testing it for stability.
“You could use some cushions,” Gerd said. “How’s that nose of yours?”
Killian blinked. “Fine.”
The wound had started to heal.
“Here’s the thing,” Gerd said, with the ease that comes from a lot of experience in the field.
“We’re here because you have a cut on your nose.
It’s the kind of cut we often see after car accidents.
The driver hits the steering wheel. In the car where we found Mikael, we also found blood on the wheel.
That’s why we need a sample from you, so we can rule you out as the driver, rule out your blood.
I’ve got a piece of paper here somewhere…
” she said, starting to pat her pockets, “that proves two things: we have the right to take a blood sample, and you’re not the only person whose blood we’re taking.
Where the hell did I—Here.” She held up the folded page of new protocols.
“As soon as we’re done with that, we’ll leave. Is that okay?”
Gerd put the paper back in her pocket. Siri didn’t say anything. She thought of Felicia and Killian, of Madeleine and Sten. The heart is a fickle thing. This would change everything.
Wouldn’t it?
Killian sat down on one of the chairs and offered his arm, just as if he were visiting the school nurse. Gerd opened the bag and took out the disinfectant, wetted a cotton ball, and carefully rubbed down the inside of Killian’s elbow.
Siri watched him.
“Is it going to be your blood, Killian, that we found on the steering wheel?”
He shook his head. “It has to be from someone else.”
“Here’s a little poke,” Gerd said.
Killian didn’t react. He watched the tube fill with thick, dark blood.
“Someone else,” Siri repeated. “Are you sure of that? You could help us out, here. Your blood could have ended up there anyway. I understand not wanting to tell the police the whole story—you didn’t tell us about you and Felicia, for instance.
That’s no big deal. We’re all human, even us cops, we realize maybe you don’t want to…
Well, anyway, we believe you know more than you’re letting on.
And if you tell us what you actually know, it might help us catch the person who killed your friend. ”
Killian didn’t say anything for a long time. His gaze was oddly vacant. Another cotton ball.
“Hold that.” Gerd took out a Band-Aid and stuck it on. “All done.”
When Killian finally spoke, he said:
“The reason we didn’t tell anyone, about me and Felicia, I mean, it’s because of Sander. He likes Felicia. But you must have known that already.”
“No,” Siri said. “No, we weren’t aware of that.”
“He’s going to move away after graduation. So we thought we would just wait until then. I don’t want to hurt him or anything. Felicia doesn’t either.”
“That’s six months away. Do you really think you can keep this a secret for that long?”
Killian smiled wanly. “It’s already been months.”