Suddenly she felt nauseous and gulped down her soft drink.
'You passed Hvitemoen on your bike?' the journalist said. 'About nine o'clock?'
'Yes,' Linda said. Karen noticed the change in her and recognised the seriousness of it because she knew Linda well.
'It's an awful thought. Perhaps it happened just afterwards.'
'But you didn't see anything? Along the road or in the vicinity?'
Linda thought about the red car. She shook her head decisively.
'Not a living soul,' she said.
'If you did think of something, you should call the police,' the journalist said.
She shrugged and became uncooperative. The two men got up and eased the straps of the camera equipment over their shoulders. Glanced sideways towards Einar at the counter. Karen leaned forward across the table.
'Imagine if that was them!' Her voice was trembling.
'But the people I saw were doing something else!' Linda objected.
'Yes, but perhaps they had sex first and then he killed her afterwards. That's quite common, isn't it?'
Linda now had something momentous to think about.
'I think you should call,' Karen said.
'I hardly saw anything!'
'But if you think about it? Perhaps you'll remember more after a while?'
'There was a car on the road.'
'There you are!' Karen exclaimed. 'They're interested in cars. Any type of car which was in the vicinity. They're mapping all movements in the area. What make of car was it?'
'A red one.'
'You don't remember anything else?'
'I was busy swerving to avoid it,' Linda said.
'But what did you see then? What did they look like?'
'I don't remember. A man and a woman.'
'But pale or dark, fat or thin. Things like that?'
'Dunno,' Linda said. They were silent for a moment. Einar was at work behind the bar.
'But how about the car? If you think about it. Old or new. Big or small?'
'Not very big. Paintwork was quite nice. Red anyway.'
'Is that all you can remember?'
'Yes. But if I saw one like it, I'd recognise it. I think.'
'I think you should call,' Karen said again. 'Talk to your mum, she'll help you.'
Linda pulled a face at the idea. 'Couldn't we ring together? What if I say something stupid? Do I have to give them my name?'
'Dunno. You won't say something stupid. They'll just note down what you say and compare it with other stuff they know. If more people have seen a red car, they'll start looking for a red car. Something like that.'
Linda was still stricken by doubt. Caught between the desire actually to have seen something and the fear of deluding herself. All the same, it was tempting. 'The police have a key witness in the Hvitemoen case. The witness spotted a car and we now have a partial description of two people seen in the area.'
What had they in fact looked like? She remembered something blue, dark blue perhaps, and something white. The man wore a white shirt. The woman was dressed in something dark. She wanted to go home and watch the news.
'I have to think about it,' she said.
Karen nodded. 'Before you call you need to write everything down so you know what you want to say. They'll probably ask you a lot of questions. Where you were coming from, where you were going, and what you saw. What time it was.'
'OK,' Linda said. 'I'll write it all down.'
They emptied their glasses and shouted 'See ya' to Einar. His expression told them he was miles away.
Gunder had let go of Marie's hand. He was sleeping soundly now, his chin resting on his chest. He was dreaming of Poona. Of her smile and the large white teeth. He dreamt of Marie as a little girl, considerably chubbier then. While he was sleeping, the door opened and two nurses rolled in a bed. Gunder woke up and blinked in confusion.
'I think you should lie down,' Ragnhild said, smiling. 'Look. Some sandwiches for you. And there's coffee, if you'd like some.'
He jerked upright in the chair. Looked at the bed and the food. The dark-haired, sullen nurse did not look at him. They checked the drip-counter and cleaned the tube. Lie down? He ran his hand over his forehead and felt the tiredness like a lead weight on his head. What if Karsten turned up while he was sleeping? He had a tendency to snore sometimes. He imagined his brother-in-law, pale with worry after the long journey from Hamburg. He imagined himself snoring on the bed or with his mouth full of sandwich. He looked away from the food. There was pate and ham with cucumber and a glass of milk. But some coffee, perhaps?
'I think you should lie down,' Ragnhild said again.
'No,' said Gunder appalled. 'I'll have to stay awake. In case anything happens.'
'It'll be a while before your brother-in-law gets here. We can wake you in an hour if you want us to. But you need some food at least.'
He stared at the newly made-up bed.
'You won't help your sister by wearing yourself out,' she said gently. The dark-haired nurse said nothing. She opened a window and closed the catch with a bang. Her movements were hard and determined. He considered the option of sleeping in the bed and being woken by this dark-haired witch.
'You do what you like,' Ragnhild said. 'But we're here to help.'
'Yes,' Gunder said.
They left. He looked at the food. It was wholemeal bread. He fetched the tray and balanced it on his lap. Ate quietly. The food became him and it surprised him. Afterwards he felt sleepy. He drank two cups of coffee at high speed and felt it scald his throat. It was good coffee. The respirator was working. Marie's hands were yellowish against the white sheet. He put the tray on a table by the window. Sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. Perhaps Poona had arrived. Perhaps she was at home at Blindveien waiting for him. He remembered that the door was unlocked. To leave the house without locking the door was so unlike him. He rubbed his eyes hard. Pushed off his shoes. Turned and saw the white duvet with the sharp folds. Just a short nap, he thought. His body was stiff and aching after the long time spent in the chair. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.
He awoke with a start. Karsten was standing watching him. Gunder leapt up from the bed so quickly that he felt dizzy and collapsed back on the bed.
'I didn't mean to alarm you.' His brother-in-law looked tired. 'I've been sitting here a while. They told me everything. You must be worn out.'
Gunder got up for the second time, this time gingerly.
'No. I was at home last night. But I slept in a chair. I must have dozed off,' he said, taken aback.
'You've been asleep a long time.' Karsten fumbled with his hands helplessly. 'You can go home now, Gunder. I'll sit here. I'll stay tonight.'
They looked at one another. Karsten seemed older than usual as he sat on the chair by the bed. 'I can't imagine how this is going to end,' he mumbled. 'What if her brain's been damaged? What's going to become of us?'
'They don't know anything about that yet,' Gunder said.
'But what if she stays like this forever?' He buried his face in his hands.
'They think she'll wake up,' Gunder said.
'They said so?'
'Yes.'
Karsten watched his wife's brother, but he did not say anything. His suitcase and a briefcase were against a wall.
'We were out sailing,' he said. 'I didn't take my mobile.'
