Читать книгу The Fire Witness - Ларс Кеплер - Страница 12

Someone’s left a big red apple on the table. It looks really lovely, all shiny. She decides to eat it and then pretend not to know anything about it. Ignore the questions and nagging, just sit there looking grumpy.

She reaches towards it, but when she’s got it in her hand she realises that it’s completely rotten.

Her fingers sink into the cold, wet flesh.

Nina Molander wakes up the moment she snatches her hand back. It’s the middle of the night. She’s lying in bed. The only sound is the dog barking out in the yard. Her new medication often wakes her at night, and she has to get up to pee. Her calves and feet have swollen up, but she needs the pills, otherwise her thoughts turn very dark and she stops caring about anything and just lies there with her eyes shut.

She feels she needs something bright, something to look forward to. Not just death, not just thinking about death.

Nina folds the covers back, sets her feet down on the warm wooden floor, and gets out of bed. She’s fifteen years old, and has straight blonde hair. She’s got a stocky build, with broad hips and big breasts. Her white flannel nightdress is stretched tight across her stomach.

The children’s home is quiet, and the corridor is lit up by the green sign for the emergency exit.

She can hear strange whispering behind one door, and Nina wonders if the other girls are having a party without bothering to ask if she’d like to join in.

I don’t want to anyway, she thinks.

There’s the smell of a burned-out fire in the air. The dog starts barking again. The floor in the corridor is colder. She doesn’t bother trying to be quiet. She feels like slamming the toilet door several times. She couldn’t care less about Almira getting angry and throwing things at her.

The old tiles creak gently. Nina carries on towards the toilets, but stops when she feels something wet under her right foot. A dark puddle is seeping out from under the door to the isolation room where Miranda is sleeping. At first Nina just stands still, unsure of what to do, but then she notices that the key is in the lock.

Very odd.

She reaches out for the shiny handle, opens the door, goes inside and switches the light on.

There’s blood everywhere – dripping, shining, oozing.

Miranda is lying on the bed.

Nina takes a few steps back, doesn’t even notice that’s she’s wet herself. She reaches out to the wall for support as she sees the bloody shoeprints on the floor, and thinks she’s going to faint.

She turns around and rushes out into the corridor, opens the door of the next room, turns the light on and goes over and shakes Caroline’s shoulder.

‘Miranda’s hurt,’ she whispers. ‘I think she’s been hurt.’

‘What are you doing in my room?’ Caroline asks, sitting up in bed. ‘What the hell’s the time?’

‘There’s blood on the floor!’ Nina shouts.

‘Just calm down.’