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“Who says you’re a coward?”
    “I do. I know I am; you don’t need to humor me. Because I don’t deserve it.”
    “All right then,” Sejer said, wanting to move on. “Tommy. Had he ever gone out of the house on his own before? Out into the garden?”
    “Yes, a couple of times. When he got to the steps, he’d crawl. I’ve told Carmen to keep all the doors shut, because he’s so quick. But it was a warm day and the doors were wide open.”
    “Can you tell me what Carmen was doing when Tommy disappeared? Do you know?”
    He thought about it, running his tattooed hand through his hair.
    “I don’t know. She was doing the housework, I guess. Or making supper. She enjoys it, just puttering around doing things. She likes making food; she’s very domestic.”
    “And where do you work, Nicolai?”
    “I work with Pappa Zita in the center of town. At Zita Quick, the fast-food place on Torggata.”
    “And do you like working for your father-in-law?”
    “Yes, he’s really nice. But he had a major heart attack a couple of years ago, so he has to take things easy now. Carmen and I help him as much as we can. We don’t earn very much, but we get by on what we’ve got. Carmen’s still on maternity leave, but she’ll start working again, once Tommy—”
    He stopped abruptly, remembering everything. Frank got up from where he had been sleeping and went over to him. He stood licking Nicolai’s hand with his warm tongue.
    “Do you like dogs?” Sejer asked to distract him.
    He nodded and stroked Frank’s wrinkly head. “Yes, Carmen does too. But we didn’t get one because of Tommy. I mean, we’d thought of waiting until he was three or four. I realize now it’s stupid to put things off. Suddenly life is over,” he said, “and it’s too late. The house will be so empty now. We’re used to hearing him laugh and cry; I don’t know how we’ll manage!” He burst into tears. Sitting helplessly in his chair, he tried to dry his eyes.
    “You’ll be offered support from a psychologist,” Sejer assured him. “Do you think you’ll take it?”
    “No, I don’t believe in talking. I just want to be left alone,” he said. “Will we be able to go home soon? I don’t understand all these questions, and they’re upsetting me.”
    “Yes, you’ll be able to go home soon. We’ll contact you again once we’ve got the results from the autopsy.”
    Nicolai shook his head despondently. “But there’s nothing to find,” he said. “Can we not be spared that?”
    “I’m sorry,” Sejer said firmly, “but the circumstances make it necessary. And even if you don’t understand why we need to do an autopsy, I can assure you that it’s in Tommy’s interests. We have procedures that need to be followed; can you trust me on this one?”
    “I just think it’s so awful,” he mumbled. “I can’t bear the thought of it, opening up his little body and emptying out the contents.”
    “You won’t be able to tell afterward, I promise you that,” Sejer said. “Rest assured that you will be able to see him for a last time without being upset. Talk to the funeral directors about it. They can help you with things like that.”
    Nicolai sat in silence for a long time, lifting his gaze to look out of the window, while Sejer thought about Carmen. What would her motive have been, if she had in fact thrown Tommy in the pond on purpose? That she couldn’t take any more? That he wasn’t a wanted child, as she claimed he was? That he tied her down? That having a child who was different felt like a burden—an overwhelming, lifelong, all-encompassing, and exhausting obligation that was simply too much? And so today, of all days, on Wednesday, August 10, she had done what she could to get rid of him once and for all? Simply because he was different. Could that really be true? Or was it none of the above. Just a tragic accident of the kind they saw too many of, where no one was to blame?
    It was six o’clock in the evening