The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

events, always racing through doors a little too late and being met by the audience’s laughter.
Harry cracked. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ he yelled and slung the mobile phone at the windscreen. It slid
off the dashboard and down to the floor. The officer driving exchanged glances with the other
officer in the mirror.
‘Turn off the siren,’ Harry said.
It went quiet.
And Harry’s attention was caught by a sound coming from the floor.
He picked up the phone.
‘Hello!’ he shouted. ‘Hello. Are you at home, Rakel?’
‘Of course I am, you’re ringing the landline.’ It was her voice. A gentle, calm laugh. ‘Is something
the matter?’
‘Is Oleg at home, too?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘He’s sitting here in the kitchen eating. We’re waiting for Mathias. What’s up,
Harry?’
‘Listen to me carefully now, Rakel. Do you hear me?’
‘You’re frightening me, Harry. What is it?’
‘Put the safety chain on the door.’
‘Why? It’s locked and –’
‘Put the safety chain on, Rakel!’ Harry yelled.
‘OK, OK!’
He heard her say something to Oleg, then a chair scraped and he heard running feet. When the voice
was back it was trembling.
‘Now tell me what’s going on, Harry.’
‘I will. First though you have to promise me you won’t let Mathias into the house under any
circumstances.’
‘Mathias? Are you drunk, Harry? You have no right –’
‘Mathias is dangerous, Rakel. I’m sitting here in a police car with two other officers on our way up
to you now. I’ll explain the rest later. Now I want you to look out of the window. Can you see
anything?’
He heard her hesitate. But he said nothing further, just waited. For he knew with a sudden certainty
that she trusted him, that she believed him, that she always had done. They were approaching the