“Yeah, we both were. I couldn’t chance it and sneak out since I had promised Oscar we would pretend he was at my place.”

“So you covered for him?” Jeppe looked up from his notepad. “Where was he going?”

“He didn’t say. It wasn’t any of my business, either. Oscar and I have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

“And you’re sure your dad didn’t go anywhere that night?”

“Positive! I was in my room, and he was in the living room in front of his computer. He was still up when I went to bed at about one thirty in the morning.”

Jeppe drew a line through Kasper’s name in his notebook.

“Do you know if Oscar told Malthe Sæther about the scam?”

“Why would he do that?” she asked, looking confused. “We talked about going to the police, but why would we talk to our teacher about it? What would be the point of that?”

Jeppe didn’t have an answer. Iben didn’t seem like the type who needed a grown-up’s help to get things done.

“Is it true,” she asked, “that Lis got hit by a train at Nørreport Station? Everyone says she jumped in front of it.”

“No one really knows exactly what happened. But, yes, she was hit by a train on Tuesday afternoon.”

“Fuck!” Iben put her hands over her face. When she removed them again, her eyes were glossy and red around the edges. “Lis is my favorite teacher. She’s tough. A real old-school feminist who has never compromised her ideals. You know, not like all those people who go soft when they get older. Fuck.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” she said, shaking her head.

Jeppe hesitated.

“Iben, I have to ask you about something else, something… unpleasant.”

Iben raised her eyebrows.

“An unknown component in an investigation can throw a wrench into our ability to solve the crime. But if it’s not relevant to the case, I promise you that what you tell me will stay with me.” Jeppe could see that she knew what he was going to ask. “Victor. What happened?”

She blinked uneasily and bit her lip.

“Vic and I were together at the party. In one of the bathroom stalls. One of the other seniors filmed us. He was going to send it to the whole school so everyone could see how good I was at…”

Jeppe looked down.

“Victor made him stop before he managed to spread the video too widely.” Iben wiped her cheek quickly with her index finger. “That’s it. But the video is still out there. It’ll be around forever.”