The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

Østensøvann.’ Støp stood by the window, drank from his glass and gazed thoughtfully across the
fjord. ‘True it’s only a lake, but it’s still a view.’
‘Mm. We were wondering about your connection with Idar Vetlesen.’
Støp spun round theatrically, as nimble in his movements as a twenty-year-old. ‘Connection? That’s
a damned strong word. He was my doctor. And we happened to curl together. That is, we curled.
What Idar did can at best be described as pushing a stone and cleaning the ice.’ He waved his hand
dismissively. ‘Yeah, yeah, I know, he’s dead, but that’s how it was.’
Harry put the glass of cider on the table untouched. ‘What did you talk about?’
‘By and large about my body.’
‘Uh-huh?’
‘He was my doctor for Christ’s sake.’
‘And you wanted to change bits of your body?’
Arve Støp laughed heartily. ‘I’ve never felt a need for any of that. Of course I know that Idar
performed these ridiculous plastic surgery operations, liposuction and all that, but I recommend
prevention rather than repair. I play sport, Inspector. Don’t you like the cider?’
‘It contains alcohol,’ Harry said.
‘Really?’ Støp said, contemplating his glass. ‘That I can’t imagine.’
‘So which parts of the body did you discuss?’
‘The elbow. I have tennis elbow and it bothers me when we curl. He prescribed the use of
painkillers before training, the idiot. Because it also suppresses inflammation. And therefore I
strained my muscles every time. Well, I suppose I don’t need to issue any medical warnings since
we’re talking about a dead doctor here, but you shouldn’t take pills for pain. Pain is a good thing;
we would never survive without it. We should be grateful for pain.’
‘Should we?’
Støp tapped his index finger on a windowpane so thick that it didn’t let in a single sound from the
town. ‘If you ask me, it’s not the same as a view of fresh water. Or is it, Hole?’
‘I haven’t got a view.’
‘Haven’t you? You should have. A view gives perspective.’
‘Speaking of perspectives, Telenor gave us a list of Vetlesen’s recent telephone calls. What did you
talk about the day before he died?’
Støp fixed an inquisitive eye on Harry while leaning back and finishing off the cider. Then he took
a deep, contented breath. ‘I had almost forgotten we spoke, but I would suppose it was about
elbows.’