Cold Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page A

bag which I had left on the sofa after establishing that it was empty. He strode over, opened it and drew the same conclusion. When he turned back to me, his eyes were small and menacing. ‘Tell me … It wasn’t you who emptied this, was it?’
    ‘Emptied what? It was empty when I came.’
    ‘Sure?’
    I looked at Rolf. His eyes were alert and sly. ‘Would you mind removing the knife?’The nature of his gaze changed. A flash of humour appeared, and he recited:
‘He who fain the blood of another must early go forth; the wolf that lies idle shall win little lamb meat, or the slumbering man success.’
    ‘Eh?’
    ‘Did that go over your head, Veum?’ Kjell said. ‘Rolf is well read, you know.’
    ‘At any rate, I am not looking for lamb meat.’
    ‘No? What for then?’ He held the blue bag in the air. ‘What do you know about this, Veum?’
    ‘What is there to know?’ When he didn’t answer I added: ‘Nothing.’
    ‘What do you know about Maggi?’
    ‘Listen to me … She’s been missing since Friday. The family is worried.’
    ‘The family doesn’t give a flying fuck!’
    ‘A woman friend then!’
    ‘Ah, I see! Now we’re getting closer. One of the other girls?’
    I shrugged. ‘Anyway, it’s my job to find her.’
    He fixed me with a stern look. ‘But we’re worried too, Veum. She hasn’t paid her rent, let me put it like that.’
    ‘And how often does she pay? Every day or once a week?’
    ‘We have a fixed agreement, and she hasn’t kept her part of the bargain since …’
    ‘Friday?’
    ‘Something like that.’
    ‘Is subletting allowed in this housing co-op?’
    He snorted. ‘Now let me give you a piece of good advice, Veum.’
    ‘I can’t afford it.’
    ‘Eh?’
    ‘I already know what you’re going to say.’
    ‘And that is?’
    ‘Witless man lies awake all night, thinking hither and thither,’
Rolf interrupted.
    ‘That’ll do,’ Kjell said. ‘He doesn’t understand anyway. Press the knife into his neck a little harder so that he understands the seriousness of what I’m about to say.’
    Rolf followed orders. He pressed the blade in and up so that I had to climb onto my toes to avoid being cut. ‘Stop!’ I groaned.
    ‘Listen carefully, Veum. You can go back to whoever gave you this assignment and say you’re calling off the whole thing.You couldn’t find Maggi anywhere, her flat was empty and she’s bound to get in touch when she returns from … wherever it is she’s staying.’
    ‘And where’s that supposed to be? A holiday? You are aware, are you, that a punter scared her a couple of days ago?’
    Again his eyes narrowed. ‘A punter? How do you know?’
    I didn’t answer.
    ‘How do you know, I said! Rolf …’ He motioned to Rolf to press harder. I could feel my skin was on the point of giving.
    ‘You saw my card. I’m a private investigator. This is how I work.’
    ‘You’ve been sniffing round the area?’
    ‘I heard that Maggi had been frightened by a punter, so frightened that she refused a trick with him. If there weren’t two of them, that is. Another woman took her job and was beaten black and blue.’
    ‘Another woman? Who?’
    ‘I wasn’t given a name.’ I saw no reason to give it to him.
    ‘And when was this supposed to have happened?’
    ‘On Friday.’
    ‘Friday.’ He looked at Rolf, who relaxed the pressure on the knife a little. ‘Have you heard about this?’
    ‘No.
Witless man who strays …
’
    ‘That’ll do, I said!’
    ‘In other words … If we could start by finding out who the guys were …’
    ‘You, Veum, won’t be finding out anything at all. If people hear that there’s a private dick snooping around the district, the place’ll be as deserted as the far side of the moon.’
    ‘People?’
    ‘You’ve been warned. If you set foot here again …’
    ‘At the moment I walk around Nordnes at least a couple of times a week.’
    ‘If you try to contact any of the girls …’
    ‘Ah, you’ve got more