“There’s no need. I—” She stopped in the middle of the hall. Her eyes were drawn toward the basement door. Could she hear something rustling down there? Anxiously, she tried the handle. The door was still locked. Her relief immediately gave way to the horrible image of the robber lying in the freezer at the bottom of the stairs. She could remember exactly how they had left him there—dressed in his black sweatpants and hoodie, his head turned to one side, his arms folded over his chest, and his knees raised. They had put a plastic bag containing the two guns and his balaclava in the gap between his shoulder and his head.

“Helen?”

She stumbled into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Her legs were trembling. “OK,” she said with simulated cheerfulness. “What’s on your mind?”

“I was going to ask you the very same question. I spoke to Anouk this evening about that staff trip to Rome. She said you were acting very strangely today. More than one person on the team noticed it.”

“You and Anouk talk about me?”

“It just came up in conversation, Helen; come on.”

Helen pursed her lips. At times, the hospital felt like one big incestuous village. A walled stronghold whose inhabitants were constantly watching one another, and where nothing remained hidden for long. That had never been a problem before; in fact, she had always found it amusing—reassuring, even. But then, she had never had anything to hide before.

“That reminded me of our conversation yesterday, and I thought I’d just give you a call. I hardly recognize you.”

She searched for the right words, biting her lip.

“Is it something to do with Sara?” he continued. “Have you had more problems on that front?”

“No, no. Things are going great with Sara. Thank goodness.”

“Are you sure? She’s pulled the wool over your eyes before.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I stopped checking up on her a few weeks ago. She hasn’t told any more lies, not about anything important, anyway. And it looks like she’s stopped hanging out with that boy as well.”

“That’s wonderful. Things like that can really eat away at you. I used to lie awake at night worrying about Sanne, and I can imagine the feeling is even worse when it’s your own child.”

“How are things with her?” asked Helen, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction.