‘Because she was afraid she might run into me, was that it?’

‘Yeah,’ Ida said. ‘Something like that. Or her parents. I don’t know.’

‘What was going on with her parents?’

‘I don’t know. She didn’t want to talk about it. Cecilie even texted me to ask if I knew where Mari was.’

‘Did you tell her?’

‘Of course I did. I had to. I told her about the broken phone, too, so Cecilie wouldn’t worry about not getting a reply.’

Ida’s phone vibrated. She checked to see what it was, but didn’t respond to the notification.

‘Were you at the show that night?’ I asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Did you speak to Mari afterwards?’

‘No, I knew she was going to interview Johannes, so me and Elise, we just left.’

‘You … didn’t notice anything suspicious on your way out?’

She shook her head. ‘The police asked me that as well, and I’ve tried to think. But nothing happened – nothing was different. Everyone was happy. It was a fun show.’

I moved a little in my chair. ‘It must have been one of the last people left then,’ I said. ‘Unless someone forgot something and went back inside.’

‘Possibly,’ Ida said.

I thought about something Yngve Mork had said in the press conference – about the killer leaving through one of the upstairs windows.

‘Who would have stayed behind, other than the guys who were part of the show?’ I said – to myself more than Ida.

‘The janitor, maybe.’

I looked at her. ‘Tic-Tac?’

She nodded. ‘He was there that night. I saw him. And he’s got keys to everything.’

I thought about that. And remembered that I’d seen something in his eyes the morning I’d arrived at the school and seen Ida collapsing to the floor. I’d thought it was shock, but could it have been something else? Fear? Remorse? Nervousness?

Tic-Tac was the kind of guy I could imagine eyeing up the girls at school. Had he seen Mari that evening, spoken to her and then … tried it on in some way?

There was no way of knowing.

‘How well do you know Mari’s parents?’ I asked.

‘Well, you know,’ Ida said, ‘I was there all the time. Cecilie’s like my second mother.’

‘I think I might go to see them,’ I said. ‘Want to join me?’

40

40

Ida, for some reason, had to change her clothes yet again. When she finally joined me she said that she really didn’t want to go, but she knew she’d have to see Mari’s parents at some point, so why not get it over with?

I was dreading it, too. I wondered how Frode and Cecilie would feel about seeing me again. If they could even face talking to me. I was glad I had Ida coming along with me.