“I had actually intended to talk to you about that,” Anneli said. “As you can see, he took the ticket out of the dispenser on Friday at 10:41 a.m.”

“So he was here then,” Henrik said, “the same day he was murdered.”

“Yes.”

“That’s so strange, because Ola checked and there’s no record of him being here.”

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

PIM LAY PROPPED UP in the hospital bed with her arms crossed over her chest. Her wounds were clean and bandaged, but the pain in her toes had become worse, spreading up into her leg. The skin had turned dark in places.

She had contracted pneumonia in connection with the chill and had consequently been moved to a small room in the Isolation Ward, Ward 20 at Vrinnevi Hospital.

She had to lie in the room by herself with the irritating buzzing sounds of the machines around her. Her body was heavy, like she was being pushed down into the mattress.

She looked around the room, thinking of her little sister, Mai, and feeling panic wash over her because she was still here in this cold land. Slowly she folded back the blanket, heaving her legs out of the bed and coming to a seated position. She sat like that for a moment, catching her breath and trying to wiggle her toes.

She shivered as her bare feet touched the floor. She tried to stand but collapsed. Lying on her back on the floor, she stared at the ceiling for a moment before rolling onto her side, grimacing at the pain but rising to her knees. Supporting herself with the bed frame, she pulled herself up and stood for a moment on shaky legs.

She closed her eyes and collected herself. She listened for sounds outside the door but didn’t hear anything, no steps, no voices.

She took one step forward.

And one more.

She felt her strength come back and took two more, and then two more. She reached the door and opened it. The chair where the guard usually sat was empty and the hallway was deserted, not a nurse in sight.

So she began to run. She ran as fast as she could toward the glass doors. She was out of breath after only a few steps, but she continued running on her shaky legs.

A voice called out after her.

“Hey!”

Twenty more steps to the end of the hallway.

But where was the elevator?

Her naked feet drummed against the floor, her gown flapping against her skin.

Ten steps.

Out through the door.

No elevator!

Just a dead end.

Then she faltered, tried to catch herself with her hands against the wall but crumpled to the floor. She was about to try to stand again when she saw the guard coming toward her with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”