Her whole body trembled as she drove onto the parking lot and searched for a space as close as possible to the entrance. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself by panting as she lugged her bag.

She had spent the entire journey to the hospital desperately trying to think of something to say if anybody asked her what she was carrying, but she still hadn’t come up with anything. She parked the Fiat and reviewed her appearance in the rearview mirror. Her cheeks were flushed. She tidied her hair a little; it was damp around her neck. “It’ll be OK,” she whispered to her reflection. “You can do this.”

She got out, hung her handbag over her shoulder, and lifted the shopping bag out of the trunk, placing a blanket over the contents. Then she locked the car and walked toward the entrance. After just a few steps, she swapped hands. The bag was far too heavy; she should have listened to Werner. She did her utmost not to let it show and walked on, greeting acquaintances who also had to start at seven o’clock this morning. Suddenly, a figure appeared beside her, extending his hand toward the bag.

“Let me carry it—I can’t bear to watch you.”

She looked up in shock. The man taking the bag from her hands was Lex.

4

4

Ralf pulled over in the McDonald’s parking lot and walked inside. In the restroom, he splashed water on his face and blew his nose before studying himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, and the skin around his nose, eyelids, and lips was red and slightly swollen. He could only hope that he looked like he had a cold—and not as if he had spent the last half hour sobbing like a baby.

After ordering some breakfast from the counter, he found a quiet corner to sit in and looked around the restaurant. He had never been here so early in the morning before. The atmosphere was different. Men in suits were sitting on the benches, staring at their laptops, and a few retired folks were drinking coffee at round tables by the window. Almost nobody spoke. He hardly recognized his usual haunt.

Ralf poured three packets of sugar into his coffee, stirred it, and took a bite of his muffin. Then he grabbed his cell phone. Twenty messages from six different people. He scooted to the edge of his seat when he saw that eight of them were from Naomi. The first had been sent just after five in the morning.

5:02

There’s a car in front of the house. Is that you?

5:09

It looks like a BMW. Dark-red or brown.

Ralf gnawed the inside of his cheek anxiously. Mikey?

She had sent the third message soon after that:

5:11

There’s somebody inside it smoking. I don’t dare wake my parents up. What if it’s Brian?

5:30