When The Devil Holds The Candle by Karin Fossum

Author:Karin Fossum [Fossum, Karin]
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 2010-08-17T06:00:01+00:00

"You don't understand anything! You don't realise how serious this is. Two days. Just think what could happen in two days!"

"But he's not exactly a child," I objected.

"Oh yes, he is. He's my child!"

"I mean, he's probably off doing something. Something that he might not . . ." I stopped and shrugged my shoulders.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just thinking aloud. You don't usually worry about him."

"But this time he's disappeared!"

"Yes."

I put my hand on her arm. It was odd. Not once, in all the years that had passed, had I ever done that before. She looked at my hand in astonishment.

"If they come over here," she said, "the police, to talk to you. Will you promise me one thing?"

"Come over here?" There was a knot in my breast.

"Well, you know him, after all."

"No, no! I don't know him!" I felt the colour 228

leave my face. "He's never been at home when I've come to visit you. Once or twice, but no more than that."

"What are you saying?" She looked at me with dismay.

"I just mean that I've hardly ever set eyes on him, Runi."

"But you know perfectly well who he is! Don't talk like that!" She threw out her hands. "I'm just begging you to put in a good word for him. They're going to ask you what kind of a boy he is. I don't want them to think that he takes drugs or gets drunk, or anything like that. You just have to tell them the truth, that he's a good boy!"

I was starting to sweat under my arms. I'm

usually so dry and unflustered. "But I don't know much about what he does in his free time."

"Good Lord, Irma, just do this for me, will you?"

"I can't lie to the police." She looked so upset that I bit back my words.

"Lie to them? I'm not asking you to do that. You just have to tell them the truth. Andreas is a decent young man with a steady job. I don't want them to get the impression that he's mixed up in anything bad. Then they won't put any real effort into looking for him. They'll leave him to his own devices. If only he were a girl. Then it's a different story; so many other things could happen. That's 229

how they think. It's been hard enough, let me tell you, to get them to take this seriously!"

"I'm sorry, Runi. I didn't mean it. But I hope they don't come here. They won't come here if you don't give them my name. There must be others who know him better. You know I don't really know him."

"So you won't help me?"

She looked stunned. As if at any moment she

might fall off her chair.

"Yes, of course I will."

"I gave them your name a long time ago. They want to talk to everybody who knows him." I stood up and started tidying the counter, even though it didn't really need it. I moved the spice jars around and the potted plants.

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