Oskar didn’t say anything. It felt like I wasn’t talking to my friend. He was having doubts about me too. I could hear it in his voice.

‘So…’ I began. I didn’t know quite what to say. Or believe. ‘I didn’t kill them, Oskar,’ I said.

He still didn’t answer. ‘If you think I did, Oskar, just say it. Tell me straight.’

He hesitated.

‘Come on,’ I urged him. ‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’

‘You have to admit, Even, it does all seem a bit weird.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It feels bloody fucking weird that you don’t believe me when I say that I was in my room all last night.’

My forehead was burning. No just because of the tequila. I wanted to punch something again.

But I didn’t. Instead, I just said: ‘If you don’t believe me, Oskar, why don’t you just go ahead and fuck yourself.’

24

24

When I got back to the living room, Imo had topped up my glass. I grabbed it and downed it in one.

‘Whoa,’ Imo said. ‘Easy now.’

I banged the glass back down on the table and tried to get the flames in my chest to die down. It took a while.

‘More bad news?’ Imo asked.

‘You could say that,’ I said, and swallowed. I explained about Børre and Oskar. Imo listened attentively.

‘And you’re absolutely sure you didn’t go out last night?’

I sent him a hard look and said: ‘Jesus, Imo, how could I not be sure about that? Don’t you believe me either?’

‘Yes, yes, relax. Of course I believe you. I’m just thinking about what everyone else might believe. If you say no, you didn’t go out, and then later remember that you did, even if it was only to take out the trash or take that little dog of yours for a walk, then everyone will think you were lying about everything else as well.’

I took a deep breath.

GP.

My God.

I had been out last night. My heart started thumping in my chest. How the hell could I have forgotten about that?

I reached for the bottle and poured another shot, but I waited before downing it.

‘Did Børre Halvorsen say when he saw you in the window on the first floor?’ Imo asked. I shook my head and said no, before adding: ‘And it wasn’t me he saw.’

‘No, no,’ Imo said. ‘Of course not.’

We sat there for a time, taking the odd sip. Imo got his phone out again and remained quiet for a while. I got out my own and found a news article about the police press conference. They were looking for a person who ‘in all likelihood escaped through a window on the first floor sometime after 11 p.m. yesterday evening’.

My stomach started to swirl.