Therese’s lips continued to move, but Yngve couldn’t make out the words they formed. He lifted his gaze from Therese’s face; because that’s where he saw her, standing against the wall. Åse was looking at him with those shiny, bright eyes that always made him feel like the most important person in the whole world. He blinked a few times. Then she was gone.

5

5

‘Shall we check out the rest of the school?’ Therese asked.

‘Sorry?’

‘There are a few more classrooms we haven’t checked yet. On either side of the stage.’ She made a nodding motion with her head.

‘Oh,’ Yngve said. ‘Yes, of course.’

She looked at him for a few seconds. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked.

‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

They went down the corridor that led back from the right-hand side of the stage. The floor was covered in footprints and smudges of dirt. They walked past an empty can of Coca-Cola, a box of snus. Therese grabbed the handle of the first door they came to. Locked. Yngve tried the next one. Same. Therese tried the handle of the door at the end of the corridor.

It was open.

She looked at Yngve but didn’t open the door right away, as if afraid of what might be found on the other side. Yngve came up behind her, about to say ‘Let me enter first’, but Therese was already on her way inside.

She flicked on the light switch.

There was no one there, only four desks filled with office supplies, stationery, pens, coffee mugs. On a huge whiteboard were written the numbers 4/16, with a few keywords underneath: EDITORIAL; SCHOOL PLAY; EVEN TOLLEFSEN; CHRISTMAS PARTY; FEATURE STORY: PRINCIPAL BRAKSTAD.

‘This must be where they make the school newspaper,’ Therese said. ‘I wonder if one of these desks is Mari Lindgren’s.’

A tapping sound made Yngve look around. One of the windows was open; it was gently knocking against the window frame. Therese pointed her finger towards yet another dark spot on the wall in the corner.

More blood.

‘This must be where the killer left the building,’ she whispered and pointed through the window. ‘He probably wouldn’t dare leave through the main door downstairs.’

‘Yeah, too big a risk,’ Yngve said. ‘Too many possible witnesses. Plus there are surveillance cameras down there as well.’

He pulled his dry shirt sleeve from under his coat sleeve and used it to open the window fully. The wind and cold hit him in the face. Checking there were no marks, he carefully placed his hands on the windowsill then stuck his head out and looked upwards. He had to blink fast as the raindrops were hitting him hard. Right next to the window he noticed a drainpipe that reached all the way up to the gutter.