‘I’ll be thirty next year.’ Actually, she was twenty-eight, but in this job it paid to come across as older than you were.
‘I haven’t met you before, Hulda.’
‘No. Does that make any difference?’
He shrugged.
‘Not really. I suspect you’re here for the same reason as all your colleagues. Am I right?’
‘What did they want?’
‘To fish for the name of my accomplice.’
‘I gather they didn’t have much luck in getting that information.’
‘Are you going to ask me the same thing?’
‘No, I’m not.’
That gave Einar pause. A hint of curiosity entered his dull eyes.
‘I want to knowwhyyou did it,’ Hulda asked in a level voice.
‘Would that make any difference?’
‘It could make all the difference.’
‘It’s too late to undo what’s done, and, as you can see, I’m at the end of my tether. I can’t cope with being locked up inside for another minute; I can’t sit here, day in, day out, brooding over my mistakes, over the man who died.’
‘Did you shoot him?’
‘Do I need to call my lawyer?’
‘Einar, your situation can hardly get any worse, but, on the other hand, you might gain some peace of mind by telling the truth.’
This time he burst out laughing, completely wrongfooting Hulda.
‘Of course you want to know the same as all the rest. Well played, though, trying to fool me like that.’
‘Did you need the money? Or did you do it for kicks? It must have been one or the other.’
‘Couldn’t it have been a mixture of both? What’s life worth without a bit of variety?’
‘You can experience variety in your life without killing someone.’
Hulda studied the prisoner. Despite his haggard appearance, his brain was still sharp. Oddly enough, she found herself liking him and felt instinctively that he must have been the victim of circumstance. She even felt the stirrings of sympathy for him, though she knew that was against the rules. As a representative of the law, it was her duty to stay impartial.
‘Of course. Look, I didn’t wake up one morning and decide, today, I’m going to shoot someone. But I think you already understand that. And, you know…’ He broke off for a moment. ‘Do you know what, Hulda? I think you’re convinced I’ve reached the end of the road, that I’m dying, and you’re hoping for a death-bed confession. Well, I’m going to have to disappoint you there. I’m not saying another word about it: the case is closed and I abandoned all hope long ago. But I reckon I’ve got a bit of time left. I haven’t been feeling too well recently, but not every day’s the same. I’m in no hurry to leave this world. There’s no urgency.’
It was plain that Einar had no intention of saying anything, and perhaps he did have a bit of time left. His will to live might yet prove stronger than his body. Meanwhile, Hulda was finding it increasingly hard to handle her claustrophobia, although, unlike Einar, she had the power to decide when she wanted to leave. The mere thought of a prison cell and being deprived of her liberty filled her with panic and she was grateful that she had always managed to stay on the right side of the law.
‘All right, that’ll do for now, Einar,’ she said, but saw at once from his expression that he didn’t want her to leave.That he craved company. In spite of this, he didn’t say anything or betray any other signs of weakness.
‘I may look in on you again. Please let me know if you ever have anything you want to share with me.’
‘I find it unlikely,’ he said. ‘But I’ve enjoyed talking to you.’
‘Likewise,’ she said. She walked out of the interview room, trying not to run, and emerged into the sunlight.
