There was nothing we could do at the moment, other than wait.

The only thing I knew with one hundred percent certainty was that nothing would ever be the same again.

62

62

Yngve summoned everyone in the task force to a quick meeting in the town’s arts centre. It took some time for everyone to get there, as they’d been scattered around Fredheim and local areas, looking for Tobias.

Yngve quickly brought them up to speed on the latest developments in the case.

‘Wow,’ Therese Kyrkjebø said.

‘Wow?’ Yngve raised his eyebrows. She looked pale, as if she was about to vomit.

‘It’s just that it’s a huge surprise. If Tobias was already suicidal, why wait until Imo found him before trying anything? Why wait until they were headed back to Fredheim?’

‘Two theories,’ said Davidsen. He’d placed himself at the other end of the conference table from where Yngve was standing. ‘One: Tobias had gone to Solstad to escape his dull Fredheim life. He despised the thought of going back so intensely that he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. The means to do so were in his hands or his pocket or whatever.’

‘Tobias did spend a lot of time by himself,’ Yngve said. ‘And a few people are saying that he’s a bit socially inept, but that’s not unusual in a teenager. Doesn’t necessarily mean they hate their lives to the extent that they want to end it.’

‘I agree with you on that,’ Davidsen said. ‘That was only my first theory. My second theory…’ He waited a moment, to make sure he had everybody’s attention. ‘My second theory is that he knew he had questions to answer when he got back here. Why he was at the school play that night? What kind of relationship did he have with Mari? If it was Tobias who killed her and the other kids, a suicide could easily solve that problem. He wouldn’t have to answer to anyone. He wouldn’t have to go to prison. Wouldn’t have to bear being labelled a killer for the rest of his life.’

Davidsen’s second theory seemed to resonate better with the task force. The thought had occurred Yngve too.

‘But it doesn’t quite add up,’ he said. ‘In his chats with Mari, Tobias’s tone was normal. Friendly. Nothing there to indicate he felt any anger towards her.’

‘So what was he doing with her keys?’ asked Vibeke Hanstveit.

‘I don’t know,’ Yngve said.

None of them spoke for a few moments.

‘How is he?’ Therese asked.

‘I don’t know yet,’ Yngve said.

Weedon, the tech analyst, entered the room. ‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said. ‘I was in the middle of something.’

He found a seat, and from the expression on his face Yngve could tell that Weedon had something he wanted to share. Yngve nodded to him.