The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

let his eyes get accustomed to the dark and listened. He had a sense that the whole room was
holding its breath. He spotted the garden chair under the door handle. Oleg. His eyes delved further.
He had decided to go upstairs again when his attention was caught by the dark stain on the brick
floor by the freezer. Water? He took a step closer. It must have come from under the freezer. He
forced his thoughts away from where they wanted to go and pulled at the lid. Locked. The key was
in, but Rakel didn’t usually lock the freezer. Images from Finnøy emerged in his brain, but he
hurried, twisted the key and lifted the lid.
Harry just caught the glint of metal from the murky depths before a burning pain in his face made
him throw himself backwards. A knife? He had fallen on his back between two dirty-laundry
baskets and a figure, speedy and nimble, was already out of the freezer and standing over him.
‘Police!’ Harry shouted and quickly raised his gun. ‘Don’t move!’
The figure stopped with one hand raised over his head. ‘H-Harry?’
‘Oleg?’
Harry lowered the revolver and saw what the boy was holding in his hand. A speed skate.
‘I I thought Mathias had come back,’ he whispered.
Harry got to his feet. ‘Where is Mathias?’
‘I don’t know. He said we would meet soon, so I assumed ’
‘Where did the skate come from?’ Harry tasted metallic blood in his mouth and his fingers found
the cut on his face, which was bleeding profusely.
‘It was in the freezer.’ Oleg gave a sly grin. ‘I was getting so much hassle for leaving the skates on
the steps, so I keep them under the peas where Mum won’t see them. We never eat peas, as you
know.’
He followed Harry who was already on his way up the stairs.
‘Luckily I’d had the blades sharpened, so I could cut the ties. The lock was impossible, but I
managed to stab a couple of holes in the plate at the bottom to get some air. And I smashed the bulb
so that the light wouldn’t come on when he opened the lid.’
‘And your body heat melted the ice that ran out of the hole,’ Harry said.
They emerged in the hall, and Harry pulled Oleg over to the front door, opened it and pointed.
‘See the neighbours’ light? Run over and stay there until I come and get you. OK?’
‘No!’ said Oleg firmly. ‘Mum –’
‘Shh! Now listen. The best thing you can do for your mum right now is to get away from here.’
‘I want to find her!’
Harry grabbed Oleg’s shoulders and squeezed until tears of pain formed in the boy’s eyes.