‘He wasn’t able to repay the money. He was recently divorced and had a new baby on the way with his new wife. A lot of changes, and the youngest son had contracted leukaemia. But I have a promissory note. A claim for the entire sum will be made if he commits another crime. Also, he knows that I’d have him fired from the Federation on the spot. And that it would be impossible to get another job. At least within finance, which is his field. One incorrect entry from that guy, and he’ll lose everything in his possession. He knows that, so I expect that the NCCSF actually have the most compliant, thorough and meticulous finance director in the world. From that point of view, I’ve done everyone a favour.’

‘This was before I became your lawyer?’

He nodded.

‘Just before,’ he said.

‘How many people knew about the cheating with invoices at that time?’

His head rocked from side to side.

‘Well, only a few. But what one person knows, nobody knows, what two people know, everybody knows. As they say.’

‘How many? Just a ball park figure.’

‘Three or four people anyway. His two immediate subordinates in the finance department, at the very least. They knew of the agreement I came to with him as well, unfortunately. I probably wasn’t very quiet when I had it all out with him. In fact, DG had picked up a whiff of something for a couple of days. I smoothed it over by praising Arnulf in public. It did the trick at that time, but to tell the truth, on a couple of occasions in subsequent years I’ve had questions about what happened. Such specific questions that several people must actually know the story by now. As I said, what one person knows, and all that. But what has all this to do with Hege?’

The dark stains on the concrete table were drying out. Selma’s hands felt progressively worse.

‘She’s not who it was intended to damage,’ she said. ‘It was you.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes.’

‘But …’

‘Someone’s out to punish you. To punish Morten Karlshaug, Arnulf Selhus and you.’

‘But … how can you … What would …’

‘I don’t have many answers at the moment. But I have a whole raft of questions. I want to ask one of them right now. And you have to answer. Honest and true.’

The hair had fallen over his forehead again. His lip was damp with perspiration. He nodded.

‘Did the three of you ever do anything serious to harm anyone in your youth? In your childhood? Something really serious? You, Arnulf and Morten?’

His mouth had dropped half-open. His lips were dark-red and moist.

‘No,’ he said sharply. ‘We did a lot of crazy things, but never anything serious. Never anything illegal.’

He did not blink. Not a flicker on his face. His eyes were fixed on hers, and she was the one who had to yield in the end.