Inspector Gjerstad, the head of the investigation, who sits opposite him in the meeting room. He is flicking through the printout of the interview. Sergeant Sandland sits at the end. She leans forward and rests her elbow on the table. Her hands are folded.
Two other officers, Fredrik Stang and Emil Hagen, are present, in addition to Assistant Commissioner Nøkleby. She is officially in charge of the investigation, but she always works closely with Gjerstad. Everyone’s eyes turns to Gjerstad, expecting him to say something. As always, when he is thinking, he strokes his mustache with his thumb and index finger.
“There’s no doubt he has a problem explaining his situation,” Gjerstad says in a deep, growling bass. “All the same . . .”
Gjerstad puts down the printout. He takes off his glasses, places them on the table, and rubs his face. Then he fixes his eyes on Brogeland.
“You should have carried on with the interview when he finally said he didn’t do it.”
“But . . .”
“I know why you stopped at that point. You wanted to give him something to think about. But the way I read it, he was just starting to open up. He might have told us a lot more if you had been prepared to give him a bit more time.”
“We don’t know that,” Brogeland replies.
“Were you in a hurry?”
“In a hurry?”
Brogeland’s face feels warm. Gjerstad looks at him.
“When you next interview him, give him a bit more time.”
Brogeland squirms in his chair. He wants to defend himself, but not in front of the team; he doesn’t want to risk further humiliation.
Gjerstad looks up to the right, as if he is staring at something on the wall.
“There’s circumstantial evidence which implicates Marhoni and it’s tempting to treat this as an honor killing. If his girlfriend was unfaithful, he might have killed her to restore his honor.”
Sandland clears her throat.
“There is actually very little which suggests it might be an honor killing,” she says. Gjerstad turns to her.
“In a few countries, infidelity means a death sentence. In Sudan, for example, in 2007 . . .”
“Marhoni’s from Pakistan.”
“I know, but they stone people to death in Pakistan, too. And as far as the honor killing theory goes, several elements are missing,” Sandland continues. Gjerstad looks at her, indicates that she should go on. Nøkleby nudges her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and leans closer to the table. Her dark fringe falls over her eyes, but not to the extent that it irritates her.
“Honor killings are often carried out after the shame has become public knowledge,” Sandland begins. “As far as we’ve been able to establish, all anyone knew about Hagerup and Marhoni was that they were an item. Second, honor killings are often planned. The decision is usually made by the family. As far as I know, Marhoni has no family in Norway, apart from his brother, who lives with him. And last but not least: you own up to what you’ve done. Marhoni denies that he did it.”
Gjerstad digests the short lecture and nods with approval.
“What do we know about stoning?” Emil Hagen asks.
Hagen is a short man who has recently graduated from the Police Academy. Brogeland recognizes the type: bursting with enthusiasm, keen to be busy, and nurturing a vision of making a difference to society one villain at a time. You just keep thinking that, Brogeland muses. You’ll be brought down to earth soon enough, just like the rest of us. Emil has blond hair and looks like an adult version of the eponymous Astrid Lindgren character. He even has a big gap between his front teeth.
“Only Iran officially uses the method today,” Sandland explains. “However, it’s also used in other countries, as a form of vigilantism. It’s mainly adultery, indecency, and blasphemy which are punishable by stoning. In 2007, Jafar Kiani was stoned to death in Iran. It was the first time since 2002 that Iran officially admitted to using
Two other officers, Fredrik Stang and Emil Hagen, are present, in addition to Assistant Commissioner Nøkleby. She is officially in charge of the investigation, but she always works closely with Gjerstad. Everyone’s eyes turns to Gjerstad, expecting him to say something. As always, when he is thinking, he strokes his mustache with his thumb and index finger.
“There’s no doubt he has a problem explaining his situation,” Gjerstad says in a deep, growling bass. “All the same . . .”
Gjerstad puts down the printout. He takes off his glasses, places them on the table, and rubs his face. Then he fixes his eyes on Brogeland.
“You should have carried on with the interview when he finally said he didn’t do it.”
“But . . .”
“I know why you stopped at that point. You wanted to give him something to think about. But the way I read it, he was just starting to open up. He might have told us a lot more if you had been prepared to give him a bit more time.”
“We don’t know that,” Brogeland replies.
“Were you in a hurry?”
“In a hurry?”
Brogeland’s face feels warm. Gjerstad looks at him.
“When you next interview him, give him a bit more time.”
Brogeland squirms in his chair. He wants to defend himself, but not in front of the team; he doesn’t want to risk further humiliation.
Gjerstad looks up to the right, as if he is staring at something on the wall.
“There’s circumstantial evidence which implicates Marhoni and it’s tempting to treat this as an honor killing. If his girlfriend was unfaithful, he might have killed her to restore his honor.”
Sandland clears her throat.
“There is actually very little which suggests it might be an honor killing,” she says. Gjerstad turns to her.
“In a few countries, infidelity means a death sentence. In Sudan, for example, in 2007 . . .”
“Marhoni’s from Pakistan.”
“I know, but they stone people to death in Pakistan, too. And as far as the honor killing theory goes, several elements are missing,” Sandland continues. Gjerstad looks at her, indicates that she should go on. Nøkleby nudges her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and leans closer to the table. Her dark fringe falls over her eyes, but not to the extent that it irritates her.
“Honor killings are often carried out after the shame has become public knowledge,” Sandland begins. “As far as we’ve been able to establish, all anyone knew about Hagerup and Marhoni was that they were an item. Second, honor killings are often planned. The decision is usually made by the family. As far as I know, Marhoni has no family in Norway, apart from his brother, who lives with him. And last but not least: you own up to what you’ve done. Marhoni denies that he did it.”
Gjerstad digests the short lecture and nods with approval.
“What do we know about stoning?” Emil Hagen asks.
Hagen is a short man who has recently graduated from the Police Academy. Brogeland recognizes the type: bursting with enthusiasm, keen to be busy, and nurturing a vision of making a difference to society one villain at a time. You just keep thinking that, Brogeland muses. You’ll be brought down to earth soon enough, just like the rest of us. Emil has blond hair and looks like an adult version of the eponymous Astrid Lindgren character. He even has a big gap between his front teeth.
“Only Iran officially uses the method today,” Sandland explains. “However, it’s also used in other countries, as a form of vigilantism. It’s mainly adultery, indecency, and blasphemy which are punishable by stoning. In 2007, Jafar Kiani was stoned to death in Iran. It was the first time since 2002 that Iran officially admitted to using
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