‘What’s this Rebecca like?’

I glanced up at Eva Jensen. ‘I don’t know her … anymore. I haven’t seen her since 1965.’

‘But back then…’

‘She was a very normal girl who did what most girls used to do.’

‘And that is…?’

I shrugged and smiled awkwardly. Fell in love and moved on. Was there … and then wasn’t. ‘We were … pretty good friends, Jakob and I. In a way, she came between us. I’d almost forgotten them both when I met him on Friday, at a funeral.’

‘Who’d died?’

‘Jan Petter Olsen. Another classmate.’

‘Natural causes?’

‘Accident at work. He fell from some scaffolding. Is that natural enough? Surely you don’t think…?’

‘I don’t think anything at all, Veum. I collect facts. When I have enough, then I start thinking. Unless I already know.’

‘But you hadn’t actually forgotten them, had you?’ Eva Jensen interjected.

‘Who? Jakob and Rebecca?’ I could feel myself becoming embarrassed. ‘No, I hadn’t, of course. More like blocked them out of my mind, maybe.’147

Vadheim and Jensen looked at me with interest. I was uncomfortable. This was getting too personal for me.

After a pause Vadheim said gently: ‘So you didn’t like hearing Rebecca Aasen was having an affair with Johnny either?’

Rebecca Aasen? For me she was Rebecca Holmefjord and would be for the rest of my life. ‘No, I suppose I didn’t.’ I hastened to add: ‘But I didn’t—’

He raised both hands in defence. ‘No, no, Veum, I wasn’t trying to suggest … This is just background information. I’m trying to form a mental image of the people involved in this case.’

I nodded. ‘OK. What else?’

He looked down. ‘When you arrived at this Hot Spot did you meet anyone who might’ve had some connection with what happened to Solheim?’

‘I think so. But first of all … do you know about this itinerant nightclub?’

He smirked. ‘We’re aware of the phenomenon, if I can put it like that. Strictly speaking, though, it comes under a different department.’

‘Fraud?’

‘Among other things. Well, who did you meet?’

‘The idea was that Johnny would join us there. But he didn’t. Now we know why. One of the musicians he played with, someone called Stig Madsen, who runs the video shop, was supposed to meet him there.’

‘Had they arranged that?’

‘Stig was expecting to meet him there at any rate. And he was … quite agitated that Johnny hadn’t shown up.’

He nodded slowly. ‘Did he say why?’

‘No.’

‘Can you imagine why?’148

‘He seemed to be afraid Johnny had gone off with a young singer. A new local starlet who calls herself Bella. Her name’s Belinda Bruflåt. She appeared at Steinen as well; we met her on Friday, in her dressing room.’

‘Did you have the impression there was something going on between them?’

‘If you meet Belinda you’ll have the impression there’s something going on between you and her.’ I glanced at Eva Jensen.

Eva Jensen coughed, and Vadheim angled a look up at her. Then he continued: ‘In other words, yes. Presumably. And … she was also at this trendy Hot Spot?’