I search for his eyes in the room. He gives me a blank look back. My mind drifts for a moment. His wife died four or five months ago. I wonder how he’s dealing with it now. If he is dealing with it. He definitely looked a bit lost when he knocked on our door that day. Like he was still sad, but trying hard not to show it.

‘According to the records, Chief Inspector Mork wanted to know if anyone could confirm whether or not you were alone the night before. The night of the murders. Could you tell the court what you replied?’

I take a quick breath in. ‘I think I said that my brother might have been home. But his bedroom is on the second floor, and mine is in the basement, so I couldn’t really tell for sure.’

‘Your mother wasn’t at home with you that evening?’

‘No, she was at her boyfriend’s. She usually was.’

‘So on the whole, she wasn’t there to take care of you and your brother?’

‘Well, depends on how you look at it,’ I say.

‘Right now I’m asking you.’

I think about what to say for a second. ‘Like I said before, my uncle was the one who brought us up really, and if he wasn’t around, my brother and I knew how to take care of ourselves. Mum usually left some money on the kitchen sink for us to get groceries and stuff.’

‘You don’t find that strange?’

I shake my head and say no.

‘Why not?’

‘We were used to it. I suppose it stopped being strange a long time ago.’

‘OK. We’ll come back to that later. Would you say PCI Mork treated you as a suspect during that first interview?’

‘No, I don’t think so. He was very polite. Gave me time to think about my answers. If he already thought I was a suspect, he didn’t show it.’

‘He asked you about your relationship with Johannes Eklund, didn’t he?’

‘He did.’

‘And what did you reply?’

‘I said I knew him. That I liked him. He was a really good singer. We got on fine.’

‘You played together in the school band, is that correct?’

‘We did.’

‘But you didn’t play in the band on the night of the murders, did you?’

‘No I didn’t.’

‘Why was that?’

‘Mari had just broken up with me, and I was, well, depressed. I didn’t think I could do it.’

‘You didn’t think you could do it … you mean you didn’t think you could perform?’

‘Yes. That’s what I meant.’ My cheeks were getting warmer. ‘I didn’t think I could sit there on stage and play, and maybe see her in the audience. I knew she was going to be there.’

‘How did you know that?’