Studio Sex aka Studio 69 / Exposed

Patricia disappeared into her room, which was the living room, and put the suit back on the hanger. She looked around for a hook to hang it on and, when she didn't find one, hung it on a door. She quickly put on a pair of jeans and a camisole.

The journalist was in the kitchen when Patricia came out of her room.

'The cops should clear up after themselves. Would you like some tea?'

'I'd love some,' Annika said, and sank down onto a chair.

Patricia lit the gas stove, poured water into an aluminum saucepan, and started putting things back in the cupboards.

'Jossie's stars were lined up against her. Things weren't looking too rosy right now. Her sun sign had been dominated by Saturn for almost a year; she's been having a tough time.' Patricia broke off and blinked away the tears.

'Do you believe in that stuff?' Annika thought it was bullshit.

'I don't believe, I know,' Patricia said. 'We've got English Breakfast or Earl Grey.'

Annika chose the Breakfast tea.

'I brought the paper.' She put the first edition of Kvallspressen on the table.

Patricia didn't touch it. 'You can't use anything I tell you.'

'Okay.'

'You can't say that you've been here.'

'Fine.'

Patricia watched the journalist in silence. Annika looked young, not much older than herself. She dipped the tea bag in the mug a few times, twirled the string round the tea bag on the spoon, and squeezed out a few more drops of strong tea.

'So what are you doing here?'

'I want to understand,' Annika said calmly. 'I want to know who Josefin was, how she lived, her thoughts and feelings. You know all that. When I know, I can put the right questions to a lot of other people, without saying a word of what you tell me. You're protected by law when you speak to me. No person in authority is allowed even to ask who I've spoken to.'

Patricia gave it some thought while she drank her tea.

'What do you want to know?'

'I think you probably know that best. What was she like?'

Patricia sighed. 'She could be really childish sometimes. I could get really mad at her. She'd forget that we'd arranged to meet in town. There I'd stand waiting, looking like a fool. And then she wouldn't even be sorry. 'Oh, I forgot' was all she'd say.'

Patricia fell silent, then added, 'I miss her, though.'

'Where did she work?'

She had taken out a pen and pad. Patricia noticed and straightened her back. 'You won't write about this, will you?'

Annika smiled. 'My memory can be as bad as Josefin's. I'm just taking notes for my own sake.'

Patricia relaxed. 'A club called Studio 69. It's in Hantverkargatan.'

'Is it?' Annika said in surprise. 'That's where I live. Where on Hantverkargatan?'

'On the hill. Not that there's a big neon sign, or anything. It's pretty discreet, all you see is a small board in the shop window.'

Annika gave it some thought. 'But isn't that the name of the radio show, Studio 69?' she said hesitantly.

Patricia giggled.

'Yes. But Joachim, the guy who owns the club, realized that the radio station hadn't registered it. He thought it was funny to use the same name. And it's a really good name- you know what it's about. The whole thing might end up in court.'

'Joachim. Is that Josefin's boyfriend?'

Patricia's face turned serious. 'The stuff that I told you in the park, you mustn't ever tell anyone about it.'

'But you did tell the police, didn't you?'

Patricia's eyes grew wide. 'That's true,' she said, as if she had forgotten. 'I did.'

'Don't worry about having told them. It's very important that the police get to know about stuff like that.'

'But Joachim's really upset. He came here this morning and he was crying.'

Annika looked down at her notes and decided to drop the subject for the time being.

'So what did Jossie do at the club?'

'She waited on tables and danced.'

'Danced?'

'Onstage. Not naked, that's not allowed. Everything's strictly legal, Joachim's particular about that. She wore a G-string.'

Patricia saw that the journalist was mildly taken aback.

'So she was… a stripper?'

'I suppose you could say that.'

'And you, are you also a… dancer?'

Patricia gave a laugh. 'No. Joachim thinks my boobs are too small. I work at the bar, and then I'm trying to learn to be a croupier at the roulette table. I'm not doing very well, though. I can't count that fast.'

Her laughter died out and became a sob. Annika waited silently while Patricia collected herself.

'Were you friends at school, you and Josefin?'

Patricia blew her nose on a piece of paper towel and shook her head. 'No, not at all. We met at the Sports Club on Sankt Eriksgatan. We used to go to the same aerobics class and our lockers were next to each other. It was Josefin who started talking to me- she could talk to anyone. She'd just met Joachim and she was so in love. She could talk about him for hours, how good-looking he was, how much money he had…' Her voice trailed off as the memories came back.

'How did they meet?' Annika asked after a while.

Patricia shrugged. 'Joachim is from Taby, like her. I got to know Jossie the Christmas before last, a year and a half ago. Joachim had just opened the club and it was an immediate success. Jossie started working weekends and helped me get a job behind the bar. I've got a diploma in food presentation.'

The phone in the hall rang and Patricia jumped up to get it.

'Sure, that's fine,' she said into the receiver. 'In half an hour.'

When she returned to the kitchen, Annika had put her mug on the counter.

'The police will be here in a while,' Patricia said.

'I won't disturb you any longer,' Annika said. 'Thanks for seeing me.'

Annika walked out into the hall and put her sandals back on.

'How long will you stay on in the apartment?'

Patricia chewed on her lip. 'I don't know. The apartment is Josefin's. Her mom bought it so that Jossie wouldn't have to commute all the way to Taby Kyrkby when she's admitted to the College of Media and Communication.'

'Would they have taken her? Were her grades good enough?'

Patricia looked hard at Annika. 'Jossie's really smart. She's got top grades. Swedish is her best subject, she writes really, really well. You think she's stupid just because she's a stripper?'

Patricia could see, in spite of the dim lighting, that the journalist's face had turned red.

'I spoke to the deputy principal of her old school. He didn't think she had very good grades.' Annika was trying to cover herself.

'He probably just thinks blondes are dumb.'

'Did she have a lot of friends?'

'At school, you mean? Hardly any. Jossie spent most of her time doing homework.'

They shook hands and Annika opened the door. She stopped short in the doorway.

'How come you moved in here?'