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Chapter no 35

Anxious People

Witness Interview Date: December 3o Name of witness: Roger

5ACC: Are you okayแนข

ROGER: What sort of question is thatแนข

5ACC: Your nose looks like itโ€™s been bleeding.

ROGER: Yes, well, it does that sometimes, the quack says itโ€™s โ€œstress.โ€ Never mind that, just ask your questions.

5ACC: Okay, then. You went to the apartment viewing with your wife, Anna-Lenaแนข

ROGER: How do you know thatแนข

5ACC: Itโ€™s in my notes.

ROGER: Why have you got notes about my wifeแนข

5ACC: Weโ€™re interviewing all the witnesses. ROGER: You shouldnโ€™t have notes about my wife. 5ACC: 5ust stay calm now.

ROGER: Iโ€™m perfectly freaking calm.

5ACC: In my experience, thatโ€™s what people who are anything but calm say.

ROGER: Iโ€™m not going to answer any questions about my wife!

5ACC: No, okay, ๏ฌne. Can you answer some questions about the perpetrator, thenแนข

ROGER: How can I answer that until youโ€™ve asked themแนข

5ACC: To start with: Where do you think heโ€™s hidingแนข

ROGER: Whoแนข

5ACC: Who do you thinkแนข ROGER: The bank robberแนข 5ACC: No, Waldo.

ROGER: Whoโ€™s thatแนข

5ACC: You donโ€™t know who Waldo isแนข Itโ€™s the title of an old kidsโ€™ book,

Whereโ€™s Waldo?. Forget it, I was being sarcastic.

ROGER: I have no reason to read kidsโ€™ books.

5ACC: Iโ€™m sorry. Can you tell me where you think the perpetrator is hidingแนข

ROGER: How should I knowแนข

5ACC: I hope youโ€™ll forgive me pressing you for an answer, but we have reason to believe that the perpetrator is still in the apartment. I thought perhaps you might be able to help, because your wife says you do exhaustive research before each viewing. And that you check all the measurements on the plans.

ROGER: You canโ€™t trust real estate agents. Some of them couldnโ€™t even measure a ruler using another ruler.

5ACC: Thatโ€™s exactly what I mean. Did you discover anything special about this particular apartmentแนข

ROGER: Yes. The real estate agent is an idiot.

5ACC: Whyแนข

ROGER: There were three feet missing from the measurements, between the walls.

5ACC: Reallyแนข Between which wallsแนข Can you show me on the planแนข

ROGER: There. You can hear it if you knock. The gap.

5ACC: Why would it be thereแนข

ROGER: Probably because this apartment and the one next door used to be one single larger apartment once upon a time, when people around here had more money and apartments were cheaper. Now

the whole housing marketโ€™s being manipulated to screw ordinary people. Itโ€™s the real estate agentsโ€™ fault. And the banksโ€™. And people from Stockholm. Driving the prices up and everything. What the hell are you rolling your eyes forแนข

5ACC: Sorry. I donโ€™t want to get involved. But havenโ€™t you and your wife bought and sold a number of apartments as speculative investments in recent yearsแนข Surely that must push prices up as wellแนข

ROGER: So now thereโ€™s something wrong with making a bit of money, tooแนข

5ACC: I didnโ€™t say that.

ROGER: Iโ€™m a good negotiator, and that isnโ€™t a crime, you know!

5ACC: No, no, of course not.

ROGER: At least I thought I was a good negotiator.

5ACC: I donโ€™t follow youแนข

ROGER: I used to be an engineer. Before I retired. Does it say that in your notesแนข

5ACC: Whatแนข No.

ROGER: So thatโ€™s not relevant, thenแนข A whole life spent doing a job, and it isnโ€™t relevant enough to be included in your notesแนข Do you know what my colleagues did in those last yearsแนข

5ACC: No.

ROGER: They were faking it. 5ust like her.

5ACC: Your wifeแนข ROGER: No, Waldo. 5ACC: Whatแนข

ROGER: You think people in your generation are the only ones who can be sarcastic, boyแนข

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