Lars Kepler - The Hypnotist

Anja Larsson places the digital tape recorder on the table between them, presses record, checks that the red light is showing, and then briefly states the time and date and lists those present in the room. Then she pauses, tilts her head to one side, and says in a bright, friendly voice, “OK, Simone, we’d like to hear what happened in your apartment the evening before last.”

Simone nods, looks at Erik, and lowers her eyes.

“I… I was at home- ” She stops.

“Were you alone?” asks Anja Larsson.

Simone shakes her head. “Sim Shulman was with me,” she says, her tone neutral.

Joona makes a note on his pad.

“Can you tell us how you think Josef and Evelyn Ek got into the apartment?” asks Anja Larsson.

“I don’t really know, because I was in the shower,” Simone says slowly, and for a moment her face flushes bright red. The colour disappears almost immediately but leaves a warm glow on her cheeks.

“I was in the shower and Sim shouted to me that there was someone at the door… No, wait, he shouted that my phone was ringing.”

Anja Larsson repeats. “You were in the shower and you heard Sim Shulman shout that your phone was ringing.”

“Yes,” Simone whispers. “I told him to answer it.”

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know.”

“But he did answer it?”

“I think so, I’m almost sure he did.”

“What time was that?” Joona suddenly asks.

Simone jumps as if she hadn’t noticed him up to now. “I don’t know,” she says apologetically, turning to face him.

He doesn’t smile, he simply insists. “Roughly.”

Simone shrugs her shoulders and says hesitantly, “Five.”

“Not four?” asks Joona.

“What do you mean?”

“I just want to know,” he replies.

“But you already know this,” Simone says to Anja.

“Five, then,” says Joona, writing down the time.

“What were you doing before you took a shower?” asks Anja. “It’s easier to remember times if you go through the whole day.”

Simone shakes her head. She looks very tired, almost listless. She isn’t looking at Erik. He is sitting quietly beside her, his heart pounding.

“I didn’t know,” he says suddenly, then stops. She glances at him. He tries again. “I didn’t know you and Shulman were- ”

She nods. “That’s how it was.”

He looks at her, at the woman police officer, and at Joona. “Sorry to interrupt,” he stammers.

Anja turns to Simone again, her tone indulgent. “Let’s go on. Sim Shulman shouted that your phone was ringing.”

“He went into the hall and…” Simone pauses, then corrects herself once again. “No, that’s not what happened. I heard Sim say, ‘There’s someone at the door, too,’ or something along those lines. I finished my shower, dried myself, and asked him who it was. But he didn’t answer. I opened the door carefully and saw- ”

“Why carefully?” asks Joona.

“What?”

“Why did you open the door carefully, and not just the way you would normally open it?”

“I don’t know. When he didn’t answer, I felt… there was something in the air, it felt threatening… I can’t explain it.”

“Had you heard anything?”

“I don’t think so.” Simone stares straight ahead.

Anja encourages her. “Go on.”

“I saw a girl through the gap in the door. There was a girl standing in the hallway, she was looking at me, she seemed scared, and she signalled to me to hide.” Simone frowns. “I went into the hall and there was Sim, lying on the floor… There was so much blood, and more coming all the time; his eyelids were trembling, and he was trying to move his hands…”

Simone’s voice thickens, and Erik realizes she is trying hard not to cry. He would like to comfort his wife, support her, take her hand or put his arm around her. But he doesn’t know if she would get annoyed or push him away if he tried.

“Shall we take a break?” Anja asks gently.

“I… I…” Simone breaks off and lifts the glass of water to her lips, her hands shaking violently. She swallows hard and rubs her hand over her eyes. “The front door was locked.” She goes on, her voice steadier now. “The girl said he had the key in the kitchen, so I sneaked into Benjamin’s room and turned on the computer.”

“Why did you do that?” asks Anja.

“I… the computer plays a little tune when it starts up. I wanted him to think I was in there. I wanted him to hear the computer and go in so I could get the key.”

“Him? Who are you talking about?”

“Josef.”

“Josef Ek?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know it was him?”

“I didn’t, at the time.”

“I understand,” says Anja. “Go on.”

“I turned on the computer and then hid in the bathroom until I heard them go into Benjamin’s room. Then I snuck into the kitchen and got the key. The girl kept trying to persuade Josef to look in different places, to delay him. I could hear them, but I think I bumped into something in the hall, because suddenly Josef came after me. The girl tried to stop him, she threw her arms around his legs and- ”

She swallows hard.

“I don’t know, he managed to shake her off. And then the girl pretended she’d been cut; she smeared herself with Sim’s blood and lay down and played dead.”

Simone goes quiet for a moment; it sounds as if she is having difficulty breathing.

Anja prompts her again. “Go on, Simone.”

Simone nods. “Josef saw her and went back, and when he bent down she stabbed him in the side with the knife.”

“Did you see who stabbed Sim Shulman?”

“It was Josef.”

“Did you see it happen?”

“No.”

The room is silent.

“Evelyn Ek saved my life,” Simone whispers.

“Is there anything you’d like to add?”

“No.”

“In that case, thank you for your cooperation. This interview is now concluded.” And Anja reaches out a sparkling finger to stop the re cording.

“Wait,” says Joona, holding up a hand. “Who called you?”

Simone looks at him in confusion. It’s as if she had forgotten about him already.

“On your mobile. Who was it who called?”

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “I don’t even know where my phone went.”

“No problem,” Joona says calmly. “We’ll find it.”

Anja Larsson waits for a moment, looks at them inquiringly, then switches off the tape recorder.

Without looking at anyone, Simone stands up and walks slowly out of the room. Erik nods briefly at Joona and then follows her.

“Wait,” he says.

She stops and turns around.

“Wait. I just want to…”

He pauses, sees her naked, vulnerable face, the pale, sandy freckles, the wide mouth, and the light green eyes. Without a word they hug each other, weary and sad.

“It’s all right,” he says. “It’s all right.”

He kisses her hair, her curly, strawberry-blonde hair.

“I don’t know anything any more,” she whispers.

“I can find out if they have a room where you can rest.”

She slowly pulls away from him and shakes her head. “I’m going to look for my phone,” she says earnestly. “I have to know who was calling when Shulman answered.”

Joona comes out of the interview room with his jacket draped over one shoulder.

“Is Simone’s phone here?” Erik asks.

Joona nods toward s Anja Larsson, who is heading for the lifts farther down the hall.

“Anja should know that,” he replies.

Erik is just about to hurry after her when Joona holds up his hand to stop him. He takes out his own phone and makes a call.

They see Anja stop and answer hers.

“One last thing, my treasure,” says Joona. She turns around with a sullen expression and waits as they walk toward her. “Have you got the list of items we sent to the lab?”