He Who Fears The Wolf

really going to think that you're a mute or something. Or maybe you're a foreigner? You look like a foreigner. A Tartar, for instance. Or a Gypsy. Or maybe they're the same thing. Answer me, damn it!'

Errki veered to the left because a huge aspen lay across the path in front of him. He got tangled up in the thickets and undergrowth and used his thin arms to push aside branches and foliage. The man behind him struggled even harder, with the bag in one hand and the gun in the other. They rejoined the path, and saw light up ahead.

'Since you're playing so hard to get, one of us is going to have to be a little more generous.'

He heard the robber stop.

'My name is Morgan.'

Errki listened. He said Morgan with sharp consonants, as if the name was something he had been wanting for a long time. But it wasn't his real name, that much was clear. Nestor snickered, a sound like someone solemnly pouring an expensive bottle of wine. You could say what you liked about Nestor, but he had style. Errki continued blithely on and heard the other man who wanted so badly to be called Morgan shouting after him.

'We're taking a break. What's the rush?'

Errki kept walking.

'You'd better stop now, or I'll goddamn shoot!'

Keep going. He won't shoot.

Errki turned around. Morgan looked at his face, which made him think of a dry piece of granite. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't shaking now, he had an utterly lifeless expression and he stared at him, unblinking. A great uneasiness spread through the robber. A mute and stone-like devil of a man, who walked like a machine. Who the hell was he?

'Stop over there by the hillock. We need to rest for a while.'

Do as he says. Sickness, death and misery. Nestor whispered through thin lips. Errki obeyed. He headed for a grey mound, 20 or 30 metres away.

Morgan was exhausted. He didn't have the total control that he thought the gun would give him. He couldn't resist spitting out a spiteful remark.

'I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'll be damned if you don't walk just like an old lady!'

Errki stopped short. A thought rose up in his mind. Don't irritate the alligator until you've crossed the river.

CHAPTER 7

Sejer stared at Gurvin, thunderstruck.

'Say that again?'

'You heard me right the first time.'

'You're saying that the hostage is the same person as the escaped patient from the psychiatric hospital, the man who's wanted in connection with the murder of Halldis Horn?'

Gurvin threw out his hands. 'I'm positive. That robber is in for an almighty surprise.'

Sejer had to look out of the window to make sure the view was the same as it always was. What kind of situation did they have on their hands? He turned back to Gurvin.

'But is he dangerous?'

'We don't know.'

'When did he escape?'

'The day before yesterday, sometime in the night. Out of a window.'

Sejer started up the video again, stopping the tape when he had the hostage in focus.

'I thought it was a girl,' he muttered.

'I know,' Gurvin said. 'It's something about the way he holds his head and the way he walks. And his long hair.'

'Has he been sick for some time?'

'For as long as I can remember.'

'Schizophrenia?'

'I believe so.'

Sejer got up and took a few steps, digesting the information. 'Well then, the robber really is in for a surprise. So now we've got two wanted men, one of them seriously disturbed and perhaps a murderer, the other a bank robber with a loaded weapon. Quite a pair! Maybe they'll join forces.'

'Nobody joins up with Errki.'

Sejer gave him a long, hard look. 'The psychiatric hospital? Have you talked to his doctor?'

'Only a nurse, who confirmed that he had escaped. I'll get hold of the doctor later.'

'And this child who found Halldis, who saw Errki at the scene – is he trustworthy?'

'At best, once in a while. He lives at Guttebakken, the boys' home. But as far as this situation goes, I believe him. I have to admit that I had my doubts when he came to see me. He seemed a bit manic, in a way. But his story checked out. And as far as Errki is concerned, there's no doubt that the boy knows who he is.'

'What was Errki doing at the bank so early in the morning? Cashing his social security cheque?'

'I have no idea. You can bet the robber asked him the same question, and he probably didn't get a sensible answer. I'd really like to know what those two are up to right now. It defies imagination,' Gurvin said.

'If they're still together, that is. Maybe the robber let Johrma go out of sheer fright.'

'It wouldn't surprise me.'

'And Errki isn't going to show up to file a complaint if he's been let go. How on earth are we going to handle this?'

Sejer opened a folder on his desk and read aloud, 'A brand-new white Renault Megane was reported stolen from Frydenlund late last night. The robber had a similar car, so it might be the one. Maybe they've changed cars by now. Maybe he let Johrma go. Let's hope so.'

Skarre and Gurvin said nothing. A robber could be many things, but he was rarely outright dangerous, although they had no way of being sure of it in this case.

'Would we even be able to question Johrma?'

Gurvin thought, and said, 'I assume we could, with a doctor present. But we might not get answers to our questions. Or at least not answers that we could understand. And if he did commit the murder, it's not at all likely that he would be convicted.'

'I suppose you're right.' Sejer rubbed his eyes hard and then opened them again. 'Was he committed?'

'Yes.'

'That means he posed a threat?'

'I don't know all the details. It could be that he was mostly a danger to himself.'

'Suicide attempts?'

'I don't know about that. You'll have to talk to his doctor. He's been at the hospital for several months, so they must know something about him by now. Although I doubt that anyone is capable of truly understanding him. He seems like a chronic case to me. He was different even as a child.'

'Are his parents still alive?'

'His father and a sister. They live in the United States.'

'Did he have his own place?'

'A council flat. We've been to check. I contacted one of the neighbours, who promised to call if he shows up there, but so far no word.'

'Is he a Finn?'

'His father is. Errki was born and raised in Valtimo. They came to Norway when Errki was four.'

'Ever been involved with drugs?'

'Not as far as I know.'

'Physically strong?'