The Redbreast(98)

could feel her eyes on him, measuring him up. All

sorts of thoughts scurried through his brain. She

had small laughter lines next to her eyes. Mosken’s

chalet was not far from where they had found the

empty cartridges from the Märklin rifle. According

to Dagbladet, 40 per cent of women living in

towns were unfaithful. He should ask Even Juul’s

wife if she remembered three Norwegian soldiers

in the Norge regiment being wounded or killed by

a hand-grenade thrown from a plane, and he should

have gone for it at the New Year menswear sales

Dressman advertised on TV3. But did he like what

he did?

‘Some days I do,’ he said.

‘What do you like about it?’

‘I don’t know. Does that sound stupid?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I’m not saying that because I haven’t thought

about why I’m a policeman. I have. And I don’t

know. Perhaps I just enjoy catching naughty boys

and girls.’

‘So what do you do when you’re not catching

naughty boys and girls?’ she asked.

‘Watch The Robinson Expedition.’

She laughed again. And Harry knew he was

prepared to say the silliest things if there was a

chance he could make her laugh like that. He

pulled himself together and talked relatively

seriously about his current situation, but since he

took care not to mention the unpleasant aspects of

his life, there wasn’t a great deal to tell. When she

still seemed interested he went on to talk about his

father and Sis. Why did he always end up talking

about Sis when someone asked him to talk about

himself ?

‘Sounds like a nice girl,’ she said. ‘The nicest,’

Harry said. ‘And the bravest. Never afraid of new

things. A test pilot of life.’

Harry told her about the time Sis had put in a

spontaneous offer for a flat in Jacob Aalls gate –

because the wallpaper in the picture she had seen

on the property page in Aftenposten reminded her

of her childhood room in Oppsal – and had been

told the asking price was two million kroner, a

record square-metre price for Oslo that summer.

Rakel Fauke laughed so much she spilled tequila

on Harry’s suit jacket.

‘The best thing about her is that after a crash

landing she picks herself up, brushes herself down

and is immediately ready for the next kamikaze

mission.’

She dried the lapels of his jacket with a

handkerchief. ‘And you, Harry, what do you do

when you crash land?’

‘Me? Well. I probably lie still for a second. And

then I get up because there’s no other option, is

there?’

‘Good point.’

He looked up smartly to see if she was making

fun of him. Amusement was dancing in her eyes.

She radiated strength, but he doubted that she had

had much experience of crash landings.

‘Your turn to tell something about yourself.’

Rakel had no sister to fall back on, she was an

only child. So she talked about her work instead.

‘But we rarely catch anyone,’ she said. ‘Most

cases are settled amicably with a telephone call or

at a cocktail party at an embassy.’

Harry smiled sardonically.

‘And how was the matter of the Secret Service

agent I shot smoothed over?’ he asked. ‘Telephone

call or cocktail party?’

She studied him pensively while putting her hand

in the glass to fish out a lump of ice. She held it up,

between two fingers. A drop of melted water ran

slowly down her wrist, under a thin gold chain

towards the elbow.

‘Dance, Harry?’

‘As far as I remember, I’ve just spent at least ten

minutes explaining how much I hate dancing.’

She angled her head again.

‘I mean – would you dance with me?’

‘To this music?’

An almost inert pan pipe version of ‘Let it Be’

oozed like thick syrup out of the speakers.

‘You’ll survive. Look on it as a warm-up for the

great Linda test.’ She placed a hand lightly on his

shoulder. ‘Are we flirting now?’ Harry asked.

‘What did you say, Inspector?’

‘Sorry, but I’m so bad at reading hidden signals

that I asked if we were flirting.’

‘Highly improbable.’

He placed his hand around her waist and took a

tentative dance step.

‘It feels like losing my virginity, this does,’ he

said. ‘But it’s probably inevitable – sooner or later

every Norwegian male has to go through something

like this.’

‘What are you talking about?’ she laughed.

‘Dancing with a colleague at an office party.’

‘I’m not forcing you.’

He smiled. It could have been anywhere, they