Imo wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth then rubbed his fingers on his jacket. ‘I’d taken all the equipment out to the car, and, as usual, none of the others had bothered to take one of the drum sets to the music room after the show, so I had to do that as well.’ He rolled his eyes slightly. ‘Mari was just getting ready to go when I came in. She’d finished her interview with Johannes.’ He shook his head. ‘We talked about the show for a minute. The song. She said she’d never heard anything so beautiful.’ The memory brought a smile to his face. ‘But you weren’t the only one who wondered why she’d split up with you,’ he continued. ‘I wanted to know, too. So I asked her.’

He paused before continuing. ‘To begin with, she didn’t want to say anything. I said she couldn’t hide from you forever. I asked if she wanted me to tell you anything – something that might help explain what had happened. And … it was like she gave up then and there. Like she couldn’t bear to keep it inside any longer. She sighed and seemed to … implode. Then she sat down. I did, too.’

Imo started talking faster now. ‘She told me what she’d discovered about Jimmy and her mum. That she’d found out she was your half-sister. The very thought of it made her sick, but she knew that she would never be able to keep the truth from you. It would come out somehow, she said, and she was tired of trying to hide, tired of keeping secrets. She had decided to tell you the next day.’

I looked down and knitted my fingers together.

‘I told Mari that she couldn’t do that. For Susanne’s sake – but also for everyone else’s. For her own parents’ sake too. And that’s when she told me that they already knew about it, that their marriage was probably over as a result. But even though they were unlikely to tell their neighbours and the rest of Fredheim, Mari wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from you. Not in the long run. So … I…’ Imo paused for a long time. And it’s as if the world paused with him.

‘I had to stop her.’

Imo paused again. I don’t know how long for.

‘I never intended for it to happen, Even. I just grabbed her as she got up to leave. She started to struggle with me, and before I knew what I was doing, I had my hands around her neck.’ He lowered his head. ‘And then … she just collapsed in my arms.’

He let out a heavy sigh. ‘I tried to resuscitate her, but of course, I couldn’t. And that’s when Johannes appeared in the doorway.’

I swallowed again.