Harry Hole Oslo Sequence 10 - Police

wanted but did what she had to do to achieve it. It had been a long and at times hard road, but the reward was worth every single step.
    She looked at the man opposite her. The reflected light from his face hit her retina, was converted into visual signals and fed her fusiform gyrus with the data.
    Behind her she heard Gabriel Byrne’s reassuring voice; she thought it said: ‘Don’t panic now.’
    By which time her brain had recognised the face before her.
    Harry could feel the orgasm coming. His own. The sweet, sweet pain, the muscles in his back and abdomen tensing. He closed the door on what he could see and opened his eyes. Looked down at Rakel, who was staring up at him with glassy eyes. The blood vessel on her forehead bulged. A jerk went through her body and face every time he thrust. She seemed to be trying to say something. And he became aware that this was not the suffering, offended look she generally wore before she came, this was something else, a terror in her eyes he could only once remember having seen before, also here in this room. He became aware she had both hands around his wrist, trying to drag his hand off her neck.
    He waited. Not knowing why, but he wouldn’t slacken his grip. Felt the resistance in her body, saw her eyes bulge. Then he let go.
    Heard the hiss as she inhaled air.
    ‘Harry . . .’ Her voice was hoarse, unrecognisable. ‘What were you doing?’
    He looked down at her. He had no answer.
    ‘You . . .’ She coughed. ‘You mustn’t hold on so long!’
    ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I got a bit carried away.’
    Then he felt it come. Not the orgasm, but something similar. A pain in his chest that rose into his throat and spread to behind his eyes.
    He slumped down beside her. Buried his face in the pillow. Felt the tears come. Rolled to the side, away from her, took deep breaths, fought them. What the hell was going on with him?
    ‘Harry?’
    He didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
    ‘Is something wrong, Harry?’
    He shook his head. ‘Just tired,’ he said into the pillow.
    He felt her hand on his neck, caressing him gently, then it lay over his chest and she snuggled up to his back.
    And he thought what he had always known at some point he was going to think: how could he ask someone he loved so much to share her life with someone like him?
    Katrine lay with her mouth open, listening to the furious communication on the walkie-talkie. Behind her Mikael Bellman was cursing. It wasn’t a remote control the man on the step had in his hand.
    ‘It’s a payment terminal,’ a breathless voice rasped.
    ‘And what’s in his bag?’
    ‘Pizza.’
    ‘Repeat?’
    ‘Looks like the guy’s a bloody delivery boy. Says he works for Pizzaexpressen. Got an order for this address three-quarters of an hour ago.’
    ‘OK, we’ll check that out.’
    Mikael Bellman leaned forward and took the walkie-talkie.
    ‘Bellman here. He’s sent this guy out to clear the mines. Which means he’s in the area and can see what’s happening. Have we got any dogs?’
    Pause. Crackling noise.
    ‘U05 here. No dogs. We can have them here in fifteen.’
    Bellman cursed again under his breath, then pressed the talk button. ‘Get them here. And the helicopter with floodlights and thermal imaging. Confirm.’
    ‘Received. Request helicopter. But I don’t think it has thermal imaging.’
    Bellman closed his eyes and whispered ‘idiot’ before answering: ‘It does, it’s fitted, so if he’s in the forest we’ll find him. Use the whole team to spread a net north and west of the forest. If he makes a run for it, it’ll be that way. What’s your mobile number, U05?’
    Bellman let go of the talk button and signalled to Katrine, who was holding the phone ready. Keyed in the numbers as U05 said them. Passed the phone to Bellman.
    ‘U05? Falkeid? Listen, we’re losing this one, and we haven’t got enough officers to do an effective search of the forest, so let’s try a long shot. As he clearly suspected we were here, he may also have access to our frequencies. It’s true we don’t have thermal imaging, but if he now believes we do and we’re spreading a net to the north and west, then . . .’ Bellman listened. ‘Exactly. Position your men on the east side. But keep a couple back in case he still comes to the house to check it out.’
    Bellman broke the connection and handed the phone over.
    ‘What do you think?’ Katrine asked. The screen went off and it was as though the light from the white,