Death Deserved by Thomas Enger

Author:Thomas Enger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orenda Books
Published: 2020-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

50

Blix didn’t know when he fell asleep, but it was some time after three o’clock. Kovic had called in a couple of hours earlier. She had taken Emma’s fingerprints and took the drawing away with her. The looks she had given, to Emma and Blix in turn, had been bewildered and incredulous, which was why he decided to invite her to the Kaffebrenneriet café in Grønlandsleiret at 9.00 the next morning. It was only a stone’s throw from police headquarters, but there were seldom any employees in there at that time, and he would be able to explain everything to her, undisturbed.

Kovic was punctual.

‘What’s actually going on?’ she asked, sitting down on a stool on the other side of the high table where Blix was seated. ‘Have you been taken off the case, or what?’

He waited for a moment, unsure how to express himself.

‘You’ll have heard about the Teisen tragedy at police college?’ he said, even though he knew the answer.

‘They’ve recreated the situation on a shooting simulator,’ Kovic replied. ‘All the students have to go through it. Most fire a shot. It’s justified according to the weapon regulations. The subject under discussion is whether it was right to enter the house.’

Blix nodded and took a swig of his coffee. Rotated the cup in his hands.

‘Emma Ramm is the little girl who was there,’ he said. ‘She was called something else then. She took her grandparents’ name afterwards.’

Kovic’s mouth dropped open, but she didn’t say anything.

‘I shot and killed her father,’ Blix said to be certain that Kovic had understood. ‘Fosse believes that the Teisen tragedy and my emotional attachment to Emma makes me unsuitable to go on working on this case,’ he said. ‘We’ve agreed I should take a few days leave.’

Kovic ruminated for a few seconds.

‘So Fosse thinks you’re the leak?’

Blix couldn’t bring himself to confirm this. But he was pleased she’d immediately drawn the right conclusion.

‘But we need you,’ she protested.

‘I don’t disagree with you there,’ Blix said, lifting his cup to his mouth. ‘But the decision’s been taken.’

They sat in silence for some time, watching life pass by on the pavement outside.

‘Have you found Dahlmann?’ he asked, putting down his cup.

Kovic shook her head. ‘The technicians are busy checking the drawing for possible fingerprints. DNA. Handwriting analysis.’

‘What does Fosse say?’ Blix asked, sensing his anger from the previous day’s meeting in his boss’s office flaring up again. ‘Is he taking it seriously?’

Kovic raised her coffee cup and swallowed a mouthful.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘We’re preparing ourselves for something to happen at three o’clock.’

Blix glanced at the time. Fewer than six hours left.

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