Karen’s heart sinks.

‘You called home from Lysvik? From your mobile?’

William Tryste looks genuinely nonplussed.

‘Yes . . .’ he says slowly, then the penny suddenly seems to drop. ‘Oh, right, of course, I guess you can check things like that.’

Chapter 24

24

Aylin Ramnes opens the lid of her round concealer palette. The bottom is already showing in the green section and she’s almost out of the skin-coloured one. Maybe she should buy a separate jar of each colour, but having all of them in the same kit is so convenient. Especially when she has bruises at different stages of healing. I have to remember to buy a new one before I run out completely, she reminds herself, adjusting the angle of the mirror and leaning forward.

The thumbprints on her neck are almost gone now, but the bruise on her cheek is proving stubborn. Instead of fading, it seems to have drifted south, creating the illusion that her right cheekbone is higher than her left. She contemplates the concealer wheel, pondering which shade to use while doing her best to ignore the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. One of the light pink ones on the blue, probably, and the green one to hide the red crack in her lip. Or is it the other way around?’

Focus. You know how to do this.

A sudden weariness makes her arms feel heavy, as though she won’t be able to lift them. For a moment she considers not bothering since she’s not seeing Karen anyway. She puts the round palette down on the edge of the sink and stares blankly into the mirror’s magnifying glass, at a blurred kaleidoscope of different shades of beige, blue and yellow.

Was it really yesterday I talked to Karen? she marvels. It feels like a dream now. Or at least like it was weeks ago. I remember how happy she sounded when she heard it was me. Surprised at first, but then . . . yes, happy.

Her throat feels tight when she swallows and she wonders dully whether it’s because she’s about to start crying or if it’s the pressure from Bo’s thumbs against her larynx still making itself known.

Why on earth had she called? So pointless. So risky. She had known it when she started going through her contact list looking for Karen’s number: if I do this, there’s no way back.