‘It wasn’t…?’

‘Yes, it was. Johnny delivered the message at a choice moment.’

I nodded.

‘Not that I have any reason to get on my high horse, but … Johnny, of all people.’

I leaned forward. ‘But…’

‘Then last year I had this strange feeling that something was brewing again.’

‘Between her and Johnny?’

His eyes narrowed. ‘No, with someone else.’

‘Who?’

‘I’ve never had it confirmed. She didn’t move out this time. It was just a feeling I had that something was going on. That something was about to happen. And then finally, last autumn…’ He opened his palms. ‘Gone again.’

‘With this other…?’

‘I have no definite suspicions, Varg. And at least she’s not at his place. That much I do know.’

‘But where is she then?’

‘That’s what I wanted to ask Johnny. If he … But I can’t believe that. I’d already got the message. She didn’t need to send it twice.’

I poured more coffee for us and said: ‘Well, would you like me to…?’

‘Yes,’ he said, with a sudden eagerness. ‘You, with your background, 68you could make some discreet enquiries, have a chat with Johnny, no direct questions, but … You can be sure that if she’s with him, he’ll be only too happy to tell you – before you ask probably.’

‘He didn’t say anything yesterday.’

‘No, but that might be because of … Bella Bruflåt.’

I nodded. ‘If she’s not with him, have you any other ideas where she might be?’

He hesitated. ‘She had these friends. Girls from her study days.’

‘Do these friends have names?’

He looked at me wearily. ‘It’s not important. I can give you some of them later if you can just … If you can just reassure me that she’s definitely not with Johnny.’

‘Would that be the worst?’

‘That would be the worst.’

‘A fate worse than death?’

He nodded. Then he unfolded the flier we’d had pressed into our hands as we left the nightclub. ‘Perhaps we should go here tonight?’

I looked at the flier. ‘What sort of a place is it?’

‘The Hot Spot. A unique experience, Varg. A … what shall we call it? … a mobile night club? It moves at regular intervals from one condemned building to another, at virtually no cost, sells booze at half the price of the official nightclubs, has a light show plus a sound show and one attraction better than the next. In short, somewhere even old nags can have a good time before they keel over and snuff it.’

‘Sounds fantastic.’

‘And they never open before midnight. In other words, you have enough time.’69

‘Where does Johnny live?’

‘No idea, to be honest.’

‘Don’t make me laugh. You can’t tell me you suspect your wife of jumping into bed with him again and you haven’t gone through the phone book to ring him and, if nothing else, at least listen to his lecherous voice.’

He blushed. ‘No, actually, I haven’t. You’ll have to find out yourself.’