“But you killed a person, Anna. How can you live with that?”

“Oh, I’m not going to lie to you. It felt good.”

“But you can’t just go around killing people! Not even if they’re rapists and child molesters. I mean, don’t get me wrong: it’s outrageous what they did to you, inhuman! And the people that did that deserve to be punished to the fullest extent possible. But this isn’t how things are done. The idea is for them to be prosecuted, convicted, and punished—not murdered in cold blood in their sleep.”

Anna shook her head patronizingly. “But that doesn’t work. The system doesn’t work. Look at similar cases in Denmark. When have these kinds of men ever gotten what they deserved? Show me one rapist who has received an appropriate punishment.”

Heloise searched for a response but found none. Instead she said, “You’re going to end up going to jail yourself for what you did. You know that, right?”

“Maybe.” Anna shrugged. “Maybe not. There are cases in which women in abusive marriages murdered their husbands and got away with it, situations in which even the judge was able to see that it was the women’s only option. Maybe that will be the case for me too.”

“But that wasn’t your only option.”

“To get peace of mind, justice? Yes, it really was.”

“But your life wasn’t in danger.”

“I think most people will sympathize with me when they hear my story, when they understand my motives.”

“If you really believe that, then come with me,” Heloise said. “Let’s go to the police together. I can call my contact back home. He’s on your case. And you can tell him all about—”

“No.”

“You’re going to have to—”

“No.” Anna held her hand up to stop Heloise. “Like I said before: we’ll talk now, and then we’re not going to see each other again.”

“But I’d like to help you.”

“You already are.”

“What do you mean?”

“I started all of this my way. Now you can finish it your way.” She pointed to the folder but happened to bump her cup, knocking it over. Lukewarm tea spread across the tabletop, flowing to the edge and down over one of Anna’s trouser legs. She leapt up and tried to brush the liquid off her pants with a rapid motion.

She looked around for something to clean the mess up with.

“Do you want me to get something?” Heloise asked.

“No, I’ll just grab a cloth from the bar—one second.”

Anna rustled out through the beaded curtain, and Heloise reached for the folder as soon as she was out of view. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to just take a peek at the contents.