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Authors: Karin Fossum
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on the radio and television, and in all the newspapers she will just be "the unidentified victim."
***
As he went back down the pathway between the plastic strips he glanced at the three officers walking up and down the meadow. They looked like children playing follow-the-leader. Each time Skarre stopped and knelt down so did the others. He could see Skarre's transparent plastic bag and that there was already something in it. Then he made for the police car. The woman who had found the body was waiting for him. He greeted her, got into the car, and drove a hundred yards or so farther down the road and then stopped. The people standing by the road stared at them. He opened the window so that fresh air could circulate in the car.
"Tell me how it was," he said calmly.
The firm voice helped her. She nodded and put a hand over her mouth. The fear of the words she had to find and say out loud shone from her eyes.
"Do you want me to start right from the beginning?" she said.
"Yes, please," he said steadily.
"I came here to pick mushrooms. There are many brittlegills around Gunwald's house. He doesn't mind me picking them. He can't be bothered himself—he's often ill," she explained. "I had a basket on my arm. I came just after 9:00 in the evening." She paused for a moment, then she said, "I came from that side." She pointed toward the road. "I turned off the road and walked along the edge of the woods. Everything was quiet. Then I noticed something dark in the grass some distance out in the meadow. It worried me a little. But I went on and began picking mushrooms. Gunwald's dog barked, as it always does when it hears someone. I thought of this dark thing, whatever it was. It made me feel uncomfortable and when I moved I kept my back to it. It's strange, when you think about it. As if I knew everything all at once, but refused to believe it. I found many brittlegills—by the way, where's my basket?" She gave Sejer a perplexed look before pulling herself together and carrying on. "Not that I care about the mushrooms. That wasn't what I meant. I was just thinking of the basket—"
"We'll find the basket," he said.
"I found quite a few chanterelles, too. Saw that there were plenty of blueberries. I thought that I would come and pick those another day. I was there for half an hour. When I was ready to leave, for some reason I didn't want to walk past the dark thing in the grass. So I kept to the edge..."
"Yes?" he said.
"But I couldn't help looking at it anyway. It looked like a big bag of trash, one of those black liner bags. I wanted to go on, but stopped again. It looked as if some of the trash was spilling out. Or, it crossed my mind, perhaps it was a large dead animal. I took a few steps back. I don't know how far away I was when I noticed her long plait. Then I saw her hair band. It was then that
I knew what it was." She stopped talking and shook her head incredulously. Sejer did not want to interrupt her.
"A hair band. And then I ran," she said. "Straight to Gunwald's house. Banged on his door. Screamed that we had to phone. That there was a body in the meadow. Gunwald got so frightened. He's not young anymore. So I waited on his sofa. He's sitting there still, all on his own. It isn't far from his house. Surely she must have screamed?"
"He only heard faint cries."
"I suppose his TV was on," she said, fearful herself.
"Perhaps. Where is your house?"
"Closer to the middle of Elvestad."
He nodded and handed her his cell phone.
"Perhaps there's someone you'd like to call?"
"No."
"You need to come down to the station. It could take a while. But we'll give you a lift home."
"I've got plenty of time."
He looked at her and cleared his throat carefully.
"Have you looked under your shoes?"
She gave him a baffled look, unsure of what he meant. Bent down and slipped them off; they were light summer shoes with a white rubber sole. "There's blood on them," she said fearfully. "I don't understand. I was so far
***
As he went back down the pathway between the plastic strips he glanced at the three officers walking up and down the meadow. They looked like children playing follow-the-leader. Each time Skarre stopped and knelt down so did the others. He could see Skarre's transparent plastic bag and that there was already something in it. Then he made for the police car. The woman who had found the body was waiting for him. He greeted her, got into the car, and drove a hundred yards or so farther down the road and then stopped. The people standing by the road stared at them. He opened the window so that fresh air could circulate in the car.
"Tell me how it was," he said calmly.
The firm voice helped her. She nodded and put a hand over her mouth. The fear of the words she had to find and say out loud shone from her eyes.
"Do you want me to start right from the beginning?" she said.
"Yes, please," he said steadily.
"I came here to pick mushrooms. There are many brittlegills around Gunwald's house. He doesn't mind me picking them. He can't be bothered himself—he's often ill," she explained. "I had a basket on my arm. I came just after 9:00 in the evening." She paused for a moment, then she said, "I came from that side." She pointed toward the road. "I turned off the road and walked along the edge of the woods. Everything was quiet. Then I noticed something dark in the grass some distance out in the meadow. It worried me a little. But I went on and began picking mushrooms. Gunwald's dog barked, as it always does when it hears someone. I thought of this dark thing, whatever it was. It made me feel uncomfortable and when I moved I kept my back to it. It's strange, when you think about it. As if I knew everything all at once, but refused to believe it. I found many brittlegills—by the way, where's my basket?" She gave Sejer a perplexed look before pulling herself together and carrying on. "Not that I care about the mushrooms. That wasn't what I meant. I was just thinking of the basket—"
"We'll find the basket," he said.
"I found quite a few chanterelles, too. Saw that there were plenty of blueberries. I thought that I would come and pick those another day. I was there for half an hour. When I was ready to leave, for some reason I didn't want to walk past the dark thing in the grass. So I kept to the edge..."
"Yes?" he said.
"But I couldn't help looking at it anyway. It looked like a big bag of trash, one of those black liner bags. I wanted to go on, but stopped again. It looked as if some of the trash was spilling out. Or, it crossed my mind, perhaps it was a large dead animal. I took a few steps back. I don't know how far away I was when I noticed her long plait. Then I saw her hair band. It was then that
I knew what it was." She stopped talking and shook her head incredulously. Sejer did not want to interrupt her.
"A hair band. And then I ran," she said. "Straight to Gunwald's house. Banged on his door. Screamed that we had to phone. That there was a body in the meadow. Gunwald got so frightened. He's not young anymore. So I waited on his sofa. He's sitting there still, all on his own. It isn't far from his house. Surely she must have screamed?"
"He only heard faint cries."
"I suppose his TV was on," she said, fearful herself.
"Perhaps. Where is your house?"
"Closer to the middle of Elvestad."
He nodded and handed her his cell phone.
"Perhaps there's someone you'd like to call?"
"No."
"You need to come down to the station. It could take a while. But we'll give you a lift home."
"I've got plenty of time."
He looked at her and cleared his throat carefully.
"Have you looked under your shoes?"
She gave him a baffled look, unsure of what he meant. Bent down and slipped them off; they were light summer shoes with a white rubber sole. "There's blood on them," she said fearfully. "I don't understand. I was so far
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