It’s not until he is inside the cabin that it occurs to Thorleif that the property might be fitted with a burglar alarm. However, the power is switched off, and he can’t see any devices on the walls that indicate a connection to a security company.
It takes him a while to locate the circuit-breaker in a fuse box on an external wall. Fortunately, the water is already connected so he doesn’t need to search for a stopcock amongst the heather, bushes and stones that make up the rugged Ustaoset terrain.
On his way back inside he helps himself to a tin of lamb casserole which he heats up even though he isn’t hungry. The meat, potatoes and carrots turn out to be juicy and tasty, and gradually he feels his strength return, but his conscience continues to trouble him. He can’t bear the thought of what Elisabeth must be going through at home where she is probably pacing up and down the floor‚ absent-mindedly answering the children’s questions. That the man with the ponytail and his accomplices might be watching her at this very moment doesn’t improve Thorleif’s mood.
When he has finished eating, he notices that the light in the sky is starting to lose its intensity. The shop is probably shut now, but it doesn’t matter now that he has had a meal. He won’t need anything else until tomorrow so he spends some time making himself at home. The cabin is fitted with a composting toilet, and there are instructions on the bathroom wall which he reads before using it. Afterwards he showers in lukewarm water and dries himself with a towel he finds in one of the bathroom cupboards. Soon he starts to feel better.
There are plenty of books and other types of reading material in the cabin. He also finds a map of the area which might come in useful. In the tool shed he noticed both fishing equipment and several boxes of hooks. If I’m to stay here for a while, Thorleif thinks, perhaps I should try to catch a trout or two.
There is a television in the cabin, but he decides not to switch it on. The glare from a television screen could be easily seen from outside, even from afar. Initially he considers not switching on any lights at all in order not to alert the neighbours — should any have arrived during the evening — but it won’t be viable long term. I can’t just lock myself in, he thinks. I have to find out what is going on — if anything is, what the police are doing, what the media is saying. How will I be able to do that?
The hotel he passed on the main road will definitely have internet access, and, given the time of year, the guest computers are unlikely to be in great demand. But can he really run the risk of going there?
Thorleif thinks about the man who forced him to kill Pulli and asks himself if it’s true that he knows nothing about him. He must have said or done something which Thorleif can use to his advantage. They spent several hours together. There has to be something he can do without compromising his family or himself. Think, Thorleif, he says to himself. You have to think.
He inhales and realises at that moment how exhausted he is. He goes to one of the bedrooms and lies down, covering himself with the pale-blue duvet without putting on bed linen, and closes his eyes. Minutes later he is asleep.