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She certainly sounds sure. But before I can even fully wrap my mind around this break in the case, someone raps loudly on the sliding door behind my back. I turn to see Smila, the red-head we interviewed last night, standing there in her oversized black parka. She’s holding onto the handles of two large suitcases and smiling at me.
“Open the door,” she calls out. “I brought you Tara’s stuff.”
I go let her in and she strides in past me, pulling both of the suitcases behind her. She wheels the one in her left hand forward. “This is all her things that I could find. I’m sorry for just barging in, but this address was on the card you gave me, and I wanted to get this over with. I’m leaving town tonight and I don’t know when I’ll be back again. If ever.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“No problem. Can I get a glass of water? Lugging these two suitcases here was damn hard work.”
I nod, go to the kitchenette and bring her bottled water from the fridge. She takes it, unscrews the top and drinks about half of it in a series of deep gulps. Her eyes keep darting to the witness as she does.
“Hey, do I know you from somewhere?” she asks her loudly then wipes her lips on her sleeve.
“No, I’ve never seen you before,” Anica says while shaking her head.
“I’ve seen you, down by the river, I’m sure,” Smila insists, then drinks the rest of the water. “Or pretty sure, anyway.”
“No, that’s not possible,” Anica says.
Smila shrugs and hands me the empty water bottle. “Either way, I’m out. I hope you get Tara’s killer soon.”
“We will,” I assure her.
She turns and strides away, pulling her large suitcase to the door where Sojer very nearly knocks her down as he rushes into the office. He only has eyes for Anica and barely notices though.
“Is this the witness?” he asks, pointing at Anica. “Have you shown her the pictures yet?”
“We need a proper line-up, Sojer,” Brina says, but he just tuts derisively and strides towards the witness, who is now on her feet, looking fearfully at the clock on the wall above the secretary’s desk and the door.
“What we need is a search warrant and the judge won’t issue one without more evidence,” Sojer says and pulls out a rolled up stack of color printouts.
“You say you were attacked by the river and got away, is that right?” Sojer asks the witness in a fierce voice that makes her shudder in fear. She swallows hard and nods.
“I want you to look at these photos and tell me if you recognize any of these men as the one who attacked you.” He unrolls the papers and tries in vain to straighten them out before handing them to Anica.
Her hands are shaking as she takes them. “I already told these others… OK… I guess… Let me see… but I have to go or I’ll miss my train…”
She starts looking at the photos, but is doing it fast. Sojer tuts again but doesn’t interrupt her. He’s put together something like a proper line-up, since the men in the photos are all similar in age and general facial features as the two doctors.
“This one,” she says and lays the photo of Lap on the table, then goes back to scanning the photos. “And this one…” She lays the photo of Kline on the desk beside the first photo.
“They’re older now, but not that much… I’d recognize them anywhere… I still have nightmares about them… and now I really have to go.”
She wiggles through the small space between me and Sojer and walks to the door, while Sojer looks at her with his mouth open and his eyes wide in surprise.
“Wait,” he says. “You mean both of them attacked you? Together?”
She pauses in putting on her large jacket and smiles at him. “Yes, both, together. And now I have to go.”
She practically runs out of the office then, and down the stairs.
Sojer still looks confused as he locks eyes on me, but then he smiles too.
“We have them,” he says in a more excited voice than I ever heard him use. “We have the bastards. I’m going to get those search warrants now.”
He rushes out of the office before I can say anything. Not that I know what to actually say. Especially as I spot Eva standing in the doorway, her face paler than the pure white walls of this office.
“Did you see the interview?” she asks me in a hoarse voice.
I shake my head and going by the sound of defeat and sadness in her voice, I don’t think I ever want to.
“I’m done with all this for tonight,” she says and walks back out of the office. “I need to go lie down.”
I’ve never heard her say anything even remotely similar while she was investigating a case.
So I don’t even think twice, just follow her to the elevator where she leans against my side while we wait for it to arrive.
I’ve tried to retire from this job before, but I’ve never been surer that I actually want to than I am right now.
This case will be the last for us, and that’ll be an easy decision to make this time.
