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Contents ( 56)
  1. Fallen Angels
  2. FALLEN ANGELS
  3. CONTENTS
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  55. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
  56. COPYRIGHT

‘You told Ruth everything, didn’t you?’

She nodded.

‘And when she read in the paper about Jan Petter Olsen, she visited you and tried to stop you.’

She nodded again.

‘But by then it was already too late?’

She didn’t nod anymore, just stared into the distance.

‘Shall we go down and tell them what really happened?’

She got up and nodded, once again. Then she went to the chair where her puffer jacket was, bent down and picked it up.

Brevik followed what she did. ‘Don’t forget you’re free now, Sissel. The Lord will hold His hand over you. Wherever you go He will always be with you.’

She zipped up her jacket, tied her green scarf tightly around her neck and waited passively for further instructions.

Brevik looked at me. ‘That’s true for you too, Veum.’

‘What’s true for me?’

‘If you ever need a light in the darkness, then … come to me.’

I gently shook my head. ‘I don’t think…’

He came close to me, with his back to Sissel, and said in a low voice, as though he didn’t want her to hear: ‘You’re standing with your back to me as well, Veum.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I have a vision in my mind. Of Jesus returning.’

‘Really?’

‘Everyone expects Him to come from the east, in the light of dawn. They will turn their faces in that direction, to Mount Ulriken, in expectation. But He’ll come from the west, where no one can see Him. I see him arriving in cloud, in the sky above 388Askøy while everyone’s standing with their backs to Him … like a thief in the night. As it is written in the scriptures.’

‘I’d better go home and check the burglar alarm then.’

‘You do that, Veum. Now. Tomorrow it may be too late.’

I nodded to him, as a kind of acknowledgement. Then I took a step to the side, fixed my gaze on Sissel, passed her my hand and said: ‘Let’s go, shall we?’

She nodded automatically.

She led the way out of the vestry.

Brevik opened his palms and said: ‘I’ll be here for you, with two empty hands.’

‘And I’m going, with mine much too full.’

389

50

When I finally returned to my office, I opened a bottle of Gammel Reserve aquavit I had been thinking of saving for Christmas Eve, and it wasn’t the last I opened that winter. It was a long winter. As a social worker I had observed a lot of tragic destinies, but never one as shocking as this. It really hurt me to contemplate it, and in a very personal way, because of my long relationship with Jakob. There was only one way to escape: on the inside of a bottle.

They found the knife in her room. But the murder of Johnny Solheim was the only one they could pin on her. The others would forever remain in obscurity. She confessed to no more than sending the letters containing the angel stickers.