"And yesterday you were at your job, as usual? At the ice cream factory?"
He hesitated for a moment. "No, I was at home."
"You were home? Why?"
"I wasn't feeling too good."
"Do you often call in sick?"
"No, I don't often call in sick."
His voice was raised. For the first time they caught a glimpse of anger.
"Your grandmother can confirm all this, of course?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't go out at all during the day?"
"Just for a short while."
"Even though you were sick?"
"We have to eat! It's not easy for Grandmother to get to the shops. She can only manage to walk on her good days, and there aren't many of those. She has arthritis," he said.
"OK, I understand. Can you tell us a little about what was wrong with you?"
"Only if I have to."
"You don't have to right now, but you may have to later on."
"Well, OK. There are some nights when I can't sleep."
"Is that right? So then you stay home?"
"I can't tend to the machines if my mind's not sharp."
"That sounds reasonable. Why do you have these sleepless nights?"
"Oh, it's just some stuff from my childhood. Isn't that what people say?" He gave them a bitter smile; and suddenly there was something strangely adult about his young face.
"Approximately when did you go out?"
"Around 11 a.m., I guess."
"On foot?"
"On my motorcycle."
"Which store did you go to?"
"The Kiwi shop in town."
"So your bike started OK yesterday?"
"Actually, it always starts if I keep at it long enough."
"How long were you out?"
"Don't know. How could I know that someone would be demanding an explanation?"
Sejer nodded. Skarre was moving his pen like crazy to keep up.
"But approximately?
"Maybe an hour."
"And your grandmother can confirm that?"
"Probably not. She doesn't pay much attention."
"Do you have a licence to drive a car?"
"No."
"How long were you together, you and Annie?"
"A long time. A couple of years." He wiped his nose and kept on staring out at the courtyard.
"Do you think it was a good relationship?"
"We split up a few times."
"Was she the one who wanted to break up?"
"Yes."
"Did she say why?"
"Not really. But she wasn't always enthusiastic. Wanted to keep things on a friendship basis."
"And you didn't?"
He blushed and looked down at his hands.
"Was it a sexual relationship?"
He coloured even more and shifted his glance back to the courtyard.
"Not really."
"Not really?"
"Like I said. She wasn't very enthusiastic."
"But the two of you gave it a try? Is that right?"
"Yes, sort of. A couple of times."
"So it wasn't especially successful?"
Sejer sounded extremely kind as he asked the question.
"I don't know what you'd call successful."
His face was now so strained that it had lost all expression.
"Do you know whether she'd had sex with anyone else?"
"I have no idea, but it's hard for me to imagine that she did."
"So you and Annie were together for two years, meaning ever since she was 13. She broke up with you several times, she wasn't particularly interested in having sex with you – and yet you continued the relationship? You aren't exactly a child, Halvor. Are you really so patient?"
"I guess I am."
His voice was low and matter-of-fact, as if he were constantly wary of showing any emotion.
"Do you think you knew her well?"
"Better than a lot of people."
"Did she seem unhappy about anything?"
"Not exactly unhappy. More ... I don't know. Maybe more sad."
"Is that something different? Being sad?"
"Yes," he said, looking up. "When someone is unhappy, he still hopes for something better. But when he gives up, sadness takes over."
Sejer listened with surprise to this explanation.
"When I met Annie two years ago, she was different," he said suddenly. "Joking and laughing with everybody. The opposite of me," he added.
"And then she changed?"
"All of a sudden she grew so tall. And then she became quieter. Not as playful any more. I waited, thinking that it might pass, that she'd be her old self again. Now there's nothing left to wait for."
He clasped his hands and stared at the floor; then he made an effort and met Sejer's gaze. His eyes were as shiny as wet stones. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I didn't do anything to hurt Annie."
"We're not thinking anything. We're talking to everyone. You understand?"
"Yes."
"Did Annie drink or take drugs?"
Skarre shook his pen to get the ink down to the tip.
"Don't make me laugh! You're way off the mark."
"Well," Sejer said, "I didn't know her."
"I'm sorry, but it just sounded so ridiculous."
"What about you?"
"It would never occur to me."
Good heavens, Sejer thought. A sober, hardworking young man with a steady