‘The police?’
‘Yes, it’s over now, Varg. It’s all over …’
I tried to focus on her. But she seemed to float slowly up and away. It was becoming harder to see her. The pain inside me was growing. It filled the whole of my body now. I felt something hot and wet against my cheek. At first I thought it was blood. Later I realised it was tears. But they were hers, not mine.
‘How’s Jan Egil?’ I mumbled, but she didn’t answer.
Now I could hear the sirens, a long way off. But they had nothing to do with me. I was beginning to sink, slowly, calmly, as if I was lying and floating on an upward airstream. I was being lowered into a vast, dark void. I rolled over and lay face down. The pain was receding, and everything felt nice and cosy. Far below I saw the circular light, glittering silver water, which I was on my way towards in the first, and only, perfect swallow dive of my life.
About the Author
GUNNAR STAALESEN was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the early age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence. In 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. They are immensely popular and have been translated into twelve languages including French, German, Dutch, Italian and Russian. Gunnar Staalesen has twice won Norway’s top crime prize, the Golden Pistol.
DON BARTLETT lives with his family in a village in Norfolk. He translates from Scandinavian literature and has recently translated, or co-translated, novels by Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Lars Saabye Christensen, K.O. Dahl, Roy Jacobsen and Jo Nesbø.
Copyright
First published in 2009
by Arcadia Books Books, 15-16 Nassau Street, London, W1W 7AB
All rights reserved
Originally published by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS, Oslo as Dødens drabanter Copyright Gunnar Staalesen © 2006
Translation from Norwegian © Don Bartlett, 2009
The right of Gunnar Staalesen to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–1–90812–927–7