Contents
Chapter 14 - Monday. Barbara.
Overview
Barbara Svendsen, a receptionist at Halle, Thune & Wetterlid, reflects on wasted time and stalled ambitions while working late. A polished, authoritative visitor arrives and sends Barbara to fetch water. In the ladies’ room, she senses someone behind her, heightening dread. The scene implies an imminent attack linked to the ongoing murders.
Summary
Barbara Svendsen muses on time and the detours of her life—failed modeling, pills, and abandoned studies—before settling into a slow-paced receptionist job at Halle, Thune & Wetterlid. She values the predictability and the sensation that time crawls at the office.
Amid a hectic week following a rival firm’s bankruptcy, partner Wetterlid asks Barbara to stay late, leering as usual. A courier passes, and Barbara notes how everyone “flaunts” what they have, observing her environment with detached calm.
A short, plump, well-dressed man with a faint foreign accent arrives, exuding authority. He requests water before a meeting, reinforcing Barbara’s sense that he is an important client. She heads to the ladies’ room to fill a cup, briefly experiencing a strange acceleration of time.
In the bathroom, as the water finally turns cold, Barbara becomes uneasy. She senses a draft and hears a sound, then sees movement reflected beside her face in the water’s surface. The visitor is suddenly behind her, apologetic yet intrusive, and dread thickens as time seems to stretch, implying imminent danger.
Who Appears
- Barbara SvendsenReceptionist reflecting on her stalled life; stays late, fetches water, senses an intruder and growing danger.
- Well-dressed visitorShort, plump, authoritative man with a faint foreign accent; asks for water and appears in the ladies’ room.
- WetterlidLaw firm partner; pressures Barbara to work late and leers while discussing client meetings.