‘And questions are good,’ Yngve said enthusiastically. ‘So we can chew over this thing properly. And we musn’t rule out that Børre Halvorsen’s murder might not be related to the other two at all. He’s been known to graffiti a lot of houses and buildings in the area over the last few years. He’s definitely pissed a lot of people off.’

‘It’s still a hell of a thing to do,’ Vibeke Hanstveit said. ‘Beat a sixteen-year old to death over some spray paint.’

‘I don’t disagree with you on that,’ Yngve said. ‘Which means that we need to find motives for all the murders. And because Mari was killed first, I think it might be a good idea to focus on her first. At least until we hit a dead end. Um, no pun intended.’

He knew that Åse would be frowning, but he quickly put her out of his mind.

‘If we can find the motive for her murder, I believe the other bits and pieces will fall neatly into place. So let’s talk about Mari.’

Yngve quickly brought the task force up to speed on the steps Mari had taken to find out more about the car accident that had ended Jimmy Tollefsen’s life. Yngve added that he’d taken another good look at the report he wrote after the accident, but hadn’t found anything irregular.

‘There was nothing wrong with the car, and he didn’t have any alcohol in his blood. Everything suggests that Susanne Tollefsen’s story checks out: Jimmy had a turn of some kind. He passed out. That’s why they skidded off the road.’

‘But we only have her word for it, right?’ The question came from Therese Kyrkjebø.

‘Yes,’ Yngve said.

‘So maybe we should bring her in again,’ one of the other detectives argued – a man with caramel-coloured hair and a big belly.

Yngve thought of the interviews he had conducted with Susanne ten years before. It had taken days for her to answer even the simplest of questions, as she was being treated for a fractured collarbone and some other minor injuries.

‘Was she at the school show that night?’ the same detective asked.

Vibeke Hanstveit produced a sheet of paper with a lot of names on it. ‘Doesn’t look like it,’ she said, as she scanned it. ‘She hasn’t come in for questioning.’

‘If she was, and she hasn’t come forward, I say we get her in here right away,’ Therese said.

‘I’ve been meaning to have a sit-down with her anyway,’ Yngve said. ‘No one knows her son better than she does.’

‘You think Even still might have something to do with all this?’ Vibeke Hanstveit asked.