Brein placed his hands on his knees. He had large hands with yellow fingernails.
'I read about it in the papers,' he said. 'About the two boys.'
He tried to get comfortable in the chair and did so with exaggerated effort.
'They were in all the papers. Huseby was invaded by journalists for weeks. I don't see how it concerns me, what all this fuss is about. This is the second time you've come knocking on my door. And I've told you all I'm going to tell you,' he added.
'Did you go to Linde Forest on the fourth of September?' Sejer asked him.
'I have been known to drive up there,' he said. 'People up there would recognise me because I used to live on Linde Farm when I was a boy. We rented the brewer's cottage.'
'Did you see two people?' Sejer asked. 'A couple in their thirties, right by the barrier?'
'Are you deaf?' Brein yelled. 'I wasn't there on the fourth of September. My hip was playing up.'
Skarre took a step forward. 'You were seen,' he said firmly.
Brein tightened his grip on the wheels. 'Your witnesses are mistaken,' he said.
'Please let us in,' Sejer persisted. 'Let's have a talk. You're very important to us because if you were up there, you might have seen something that can help us.'
'I saw nothing.'
'They noticed that you walk with difficulty,' Skarre said. 'Because you do, don't you?'
Brein shrugged.
'I'm not the only man with a limp around here,' he retorted.
'Of course not,' Skarre said. 'But we have good reason to believe that it was you. It's to do with your appearance. What was your business up there, can you tell me something about that?'
Brein fished a packet of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. The men followed his movements as he stuck a cigarette in his mouth. He found a disposable lighter and inhaled greedily.
'Well, what might a man be doing in a forest,' Brein speculated. 'Berry-picking, perhaps?'
Sejer made no reply. The fact that Brein had lit a cigarette might mean that he was prepared to continue talking to them, so they stayed where they were.
'No, honestly, I don't go to the forest very much,' Brein said casually. The cigarette glowed against his pale face.
Obviously he's a suspect, Sejer thought, he confirms all our prejudices. All the same, he might be innocent. We must proceed with caution.
'If you happen to think of anything later,' Sejer said, 'something you need to tell us, we would really like you to get in touch.'
'You don't say,' said Brein.
Sejer considered the disturbing fact that they had no grounds for interviewing him. He had been spotted in the relevant area, but he had no previous convictions and there was nothing that linked him to the crime. I've only got one card left to play, he thought, and I've got to play it now.
'However, there's an easy way,' he started, 'to put an end to this. But it requires your co-operation.'
'It would be a relief to get this over with,' Brein said.
He was angry now. Angry that they harassed him when his life was already filled with anguish and misery.
'It so happens,' Sejer went on, 'that we have obtained some evidence. And with your help we can eliminate you.'
'What are you talking about?' Brein asked suspiciously.
'You volunteer to give us a saliva sample.'
A deathly silence followed. Brein's eyes narrowed.
'I refuse to be treated like a criminal,' he exploded.
'A DNA test would also prove your innocence,' Skarre argued.
'I haven't killed those boys,' Brein raged, 'and that's God's honest truth. I've got nothing else to say to you!'
He flicked the cigarette away and reversed the wheelchair back down the hallway. He struggled considerably to shut the door, but after several clumsy attempts he finally managed to slam it.
Sejer and Skarre looked at each other. They were both grinning broadly.
'What do you think the court will say?' Sejer said.
'They might throw it out,' Skarre suggested.
'They might,' Sejer said, 'but we're not doing anything illegal.'
'No.'
'And evidence gathered in this way would be admissible in court. Wouldn't it?'
'And no one can claim that we lied to Brein. Or entrapped him.'
'No, they can't.'
'We've just had an incredible stroke of luck. And what if we get a match?'
'Then it becomes his defence counsel's problem,' Skarre said. 'Let's risk it.'
'Let's risk it,' Sejer agreed.
He squatted down and looked closely at the cigarette Brein had tossed aside.
'Do you have an evidence bag?'
CHAPTER 38
Sejer looked at the photographs of Edwin and Jonas August.
'Have you considered that it would take three Jonases to make one Edwin? Jonas weighed twenty-eight kilos. Edwin weighs nearly ninety.'
Skarre studied the boys. One tiny and skinny, the other huge and obese. 'Just as well the public can't see us now,' he said, 'sitting here, making fun of the boys. Where are you going with this?'
'I'm not making fun of them. It's a fact.'
'But is it relevant? That they are extremes?'
'I don't think it means anything in particular. They were walking along the road when he drove by. They both got into his car, which might mean that they knew him. However, I doubt that they would know Brein and that's why I hesitate. And I'm not buying the wheelchair story.'
'Surely people don't have a wheelchair in their home unless they need it?' Skarre protested. He felt restless. He started pacing the floor. 'What if Brein does a runner while we sit here twiddling our thumbs.'
'We're not twiddling our thumbs,' Sejer said, 'and I can't imagine that he is going anywhere with that bad hip of his. You need to calm down. You're pinning everything on him. Don't do it: you could end up terribly disappointed.'
Skarre walked to the door. 'Come on,' he said. 'We're going out. We can walk and talk, I need some fresh air. It's got to be him, it's got to be Brein. I can't bear another dead end, not after all this time.'
They went out into the city. A little more snow had fallen, a fine powdery layer. The sight of the snow made them feel ill at ease. They thought of Edwin Asalid and images of a frozen body started taking shape in their minds.
'So you think Brein's our man?' Sejer said. 'Does he confirm all our prejudices?'
'He's on benefits,' Skarre said. 'He's a loner. He has little money, dresses badly, finds it hard to interact with adults. Rather scruffy, a bit of a loser. Yes, of course he fits the profile. But there might be another side to him, which so far we've failed to see. Something noble, even, what do I know?'
'Something noble? Why noble?'
'I don't know. I just don't want to be prejudiced, though I think it's probably too late for that. You saw him too, you must have formed an impression?'
'We're all prejudiced,' Sejer said. 'It's a vital part of our survival instinct. What did you think when we were standing outside Brein's front door? Your gut reaction. Be honest.'
'I thought that it might be him. That he might have killed Edwin and Jonas August. What did you think?'
