Dreamless by Jorgen Brekke Page A

concentrate was not something a policeman could live with. But in a surprisingly short time he’d become expert at covering up these sorts of gaps.
    “Yes, although we may need to come back to a few things later on,” he said, even though he had no idea what they’d been talking about. Then he took a chance and selected a topic, speaking directly to Elise Edvardsen.
    “How would you describe your daughter?” he asked her.
    She didn’t reply immediately. She looked from Singsaker to her husband. For a moment, Singsaker was afraid that he’d blundered and asked about something they’d already discussed. But then she opened her mouth and said, “Well, what can we say about her?” She was staring at a spot just above her husband’s head.
    “She’s a very talented young lady,” said Mr. Edvardsen.
    “Oh, shut up, Ivar!” The rebuke didn’t seem to surprise him as much as might have been expected. “For God’s sake! Julie has disappeared. These officers aren’t here to listen to us talk about how beautifully she sings or how many goals she’s stopped in handball games.”
    “I realize that, Elise,” said her husband with restrained indignation.
    Gran stepped in and got the conversation back on track. “So, if you’re being perfectly honest, how would you describe her?”
    “To be perfectly honest, she’s a teenager with a capital T. And I’m not handling it very well.”
    “I understand. A lot of door slamming?” said Gran.
    “What I can’t handle is how irrational she is. I know I should be more patient with her.” She glanced at her husband, who smiled wanly.
    “Does she have a boyfriend?” asked Gran.
    “No,” said Ivar firmly. But his wife was quick to correct him.
    “We can’t be sure that it’s not still going on.”
    Singsaker took over. “So she did have a boyfriend?”
    “His name is Fredrik. They’ve broken up and gotten back together about ten times. We never know whether they’re on or off.”
    “And was it Julie or Fredrik who broke it off each time?” asked Singsaker.
    “Who do you think? Don’t misunderstand me. I love my daughter very much. And if anything has happened to her, I don’t know—” Here Elise broke off and took a few deep breaths before going on. “But Julie isn’t easy to deal with. She’s moody. Sometimes I feel sorry for Fredrik, the poor boy, even though I can’t say I like him much. He’s too timid for a girl like Julie.”
    “Have you told Julie what you think of her boyfriend?”
    “No, we don’t talk much. In the past few weeks we’ve done nothing but argue about stupid things.”
    “Like what?”
    “Just nonsense. Clothes, mostly. Julie put on some weight, so she went out and bought a lot of new clothes with the money she had been saving to buy a moped.”
    “Did you argue last night?” asked Singsaker.
    “I guess I was a little harsh. And she was in a bad mood when she left the house. But you don’t think that’s why, do you? Did she run away from home to punish us? That wouldn’t be like her. She’s impulsive, but she doesn’t stay mad for long.”
    “Is she usually the one who takes the dog out for a walk?” Gran interjected.
    “Yes. She loves that dog. Every day she sits and sings to the dog as she pets him. He’s her dog, and she’s the one who walks him.”
    Singsaker got up to stretch his legs. The invigorated feeling he’d had after the morning swim was now gone.
    “We’ll need the full name, address, and phone number of this Fredrik,” he said.
    “Alm. Fredrik Alm,” said Ivar as he too stood up. “I don’t think we have his phone number, and they’re not in the same class at school, but he lives on Veimester Krohgs Gate. You can probably look up his exact address.”
    “Thanks. What about girlfriends? Does she have any good friends?” asked Gran as she glanced at Singsaker, who had started walking around the room.
    “Yes, there are a group of girls she hangs out with. But Julie’s not the type to