‘It was clever of him,’ Sandra said. ‘But don’t worry about it. Let me know as soon as the police get in touch with you and I’ll take care of everything.’

‘Thank you, Sandra.’

Norah lit a cigarette and offered one to Max who refused. Paul got up and opened the window.

‘Sorry,’ Norah said, ‘I should have asked.’

‘It’s okay,’ Paul said. ‘Just this once.’

‘A nasty stalker,’ Norah said, after a few drags. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Don’t you trust my judgment?’ Sandra asked.

‘Yes, I do,’ Norah said, and it was true.

‘So what’s wrong? What’s bugging you?’

Norah thought about it. Max topped up their glasses, as if she’d just dropped in for a drink and a chat.

‘Something’s not right,’ Norah said. ‘When I confronted Grimm with Valerie’s name, he reacted so strangely.’

‘Hang on,’ Sandra said. ‘You confronted Grimm?’

Norah bit her tongue. She’d deliberately left out that part of the story because she could imagine her friends’ reactions.

‘Jesus, Norah,’ Sandra said, and Norah heard her clap her hands to her face.

Max and Paul looked at Norah in horror.

‘Have I got this right,’ Max said. ‘You went up to this guy you think is a murderer—a man who probably has a great deal to lose—and confronted him straight-out?’

Norah was silent.

‘Sometimes I have my doubts about your intelligence,’ said Max.

‘Me too,’ Norah said with a shrug.

‘And me,’ Sandra said. ‘But that’s not the point right now. What did Grimm say?’

‘When I said Valerie’s name, he started off pretending he’d never heard of her. But then he said—and I quote—I didn’t do anything to your little friend.’

Max and Paul gaped at Norah. Norah couldn’t see Sandra’s expression, but guessed that she, too, was surprised.

‘Can you explain that to me?’ Norah said. ‘Why would he say that if he had no idea what I was talking about?’

For a while nobody spoke.

‘It doesn’t add up,’ Max said. ‘It makes no sense at all. It must be some kind of joke. Probably cooked up by whoever’s sending you the texts.’

‘But shockingly malicious and dangerous,’ said Paul. ‘A costly, elaborate, totally depraved kind of joke.’

‘Psycho terror,’ said Max.

‘Terror art,’ Paul added.

Norah drained her glass.

‘You don’t look convinced,’ Max said.

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Who’d go to such great lengths just to wear me down?’

‘No idea,’ Sandra cried. ‘You tell us!’

‘We do know one thing about the person who’s done all this,’ said Max.

‘Do we?’ Norah asked. ‘What?’

‘You know him,’ he replied.

Or her, Norah thought, nodding thoughtfully.

‘It started when I moved to Vienna,’ she said.

Nobody said anything.

‘I’ll send a text suggesting we meet up.’

‘No way!’ Sandra cried. ‘You’ll do nothing of the sort. It would be better if you went somewhere else for a few days.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it. How would we ever find out who I’m up against if I went away?’