He retreated a step, and nearly fell backwards onto the bed.

‘I walked around for a little while, then I went home. It might have been around midnight. I don’t know. That make you happy, Sherlock?’

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed heavily. So Tobias had been out more than long enough to kill Mari and Johannes. And he had been at the school.

I stared at him for a second. ‘I don’t believe you, Tobias. Not for a second.’

He responded by looking at the floor again. And I thought: Is this the moment? Is this when he is going to confess?

‘I … I broke into a car.’

My mouth fell open. It was like someone had stuck a pin in me.

‘Jesus, Tobias.’ That was all I could say.

But when what he’d actually done finally sank it, I was angry again. ‘What the hell did you do that for?’

Tobias hesitated, then said: ‘There was … an iPad on the seat inside.’

My jaw dropped again. ‘An iPad?’ I didn’t know what to think or say. I looked around his room.

‘But you’ve already got an iPad…’

‘Yes, but…’ He looked away. Wrung his hands. ‘I needed the money.’

‘Money? For what?’

‘None of your business.’

‘Er, I think it is. It is now, anyway.’

He straightened up and pushed back his shoulders.

‘So, are you going to tell me?’ I pressed.

‘No.’

I wanted to punch him. Beat the truth out of him, but I managed to control myself.

‘So, you sold it? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘Who to?’

‘Does it really matter?’

I looked at him for a few seconds. So that was the lay of the land. My brother was a thief. He was a fucking thief.

I turned and walked towards the door.

‘You owe me a controller, for fuck’s sake!’ he shouted after me.

I just slammed the door and went down to my room and sat on the bed. Børre had seen my brother in one of the windows at the school. He must have been in there, looking for something to steal, I thought. The bloody fucking thief.

I was sure the rumours had spread further now – everyone would know it was Tobias at the school. I didn’t want to go online to see. All I could hope was that no one had told Mum yet, but I knew that was only a matter of time.

I put my headphones on and tried to listen to some music for a while, hoping it would block out the whirl of thoughts. But when I turned it off again, none of the songs I’d been listening to lingered in my head. Instead, it was Johannes’ voice, singing a song that felt all the more touching now that he was dead. I guessed they would be playing it at his funeral.

God, the funeral.