‘I don’t know how much you know about your father,’ she started. ‘But he was very well liked. Everyone loved him around town. Everyone.’ She lifted her chin with a sad smile. ‘Unfortunately Jimmy liked a lot of people, too. I mean, besides me. And I mean that in … well, in that way.’

Even’s jaw fell open.

Maybe, she thought, it was a bad thing to taint the memory of his father like this. But it was the truth. If Even didn’t get it from her, he would get it from someone else later. He certainly didn’t deserve that.

A part of her had always known that they somehow would end up here, back in the past. Back with all the ghosts and the demons of that horrible, horrible day.

‘You know I used to sing in a choir?’

‘Of course,’ Even said. ‘Imo was the conductor.’

‘That’s right.’

Susanne found herself thinking back with fondness. She really did love singing in that choir. Then the bad memories started flooding in again, and she had to take a deep breath before she was able to continue.

‘One day I found some sheet music in the backseat of the car. We sang songs in several voices, and Imo always gave us our own sheet with our name at the top. So we’d know who was going to sing what.’ Susanne looked at the tabletop. ‘Well…’ She stopped herself. It was as though the words had been buried deep inside her for so long that she was struggling to unearth them again.

She cleared her throat. ‘I found a sheet of music with someone else’s name on it. So … I realised that your dad had had someone else in the car besides me. Someone who sang in the choir.’ She sighed and tossed her head as if to shake something off. ‘I also found some … condoms,’ she said. ‘Or at least, wrappers. Under the seat.’ She shook her head once more.

‘Whose name was on the sheet of music?’ Even asked.

Susanne paused before raising her head, looking directly into Even’s eyes. ‘Julia Hoff,’ she finally said.

‘What?’

‘Oskar’s mother,’ she continued.

Once again Even’s jaw fell open. She didn’t want to tell him how she’d driven home to the Hoff ’s house that day. How she’d met Ole at the door and how she’d told him everything. Every suspicion. Every hard piece of evidence. How Ole hadn’t said anything until she’d asked if Julia was in. According to Ole, she wasn’t, though Susanne was one hundred percent sure that he was lying. That he was trying to protect Julia, afraid that Susanne might do something to her. Maybe even kill her. That cowardly bastard.