Chapter 23 - Friday. A Human Number.

Harry arrives early, constructs a precise pentagram transparency, and overlays it on an Oslo map, confirming a geometric pattern. He convenes Møller, Waaler, Beate, and Aune, momentarily fighting a panic spell before presenting the unifying code: five. He ties diamonds, severed fingers, fifth floors, five-day intervals, and five o’clock timing into a single ritual motif.

Projecting the pentagram, Harry shows the three completed murders align on star points spaced by 72 degrees along a circle centered in Oslo. Two remaining points identify probable future crime scenes. The team realizes the killer is signaling five murders and a schedule.

They debate Lisbeth Barli’s abduction method, concluding the killer likely waited in the stairwell and used threat rather than chloroform, and that victims are random products of place rather than targeted for sex. This explains the lack of sexual assault and the choice of the Ladies due to lower interruption risk.

Harry names the predicted sites: a former tuberculosis home turned student building near Ensjøveien in Kampen, and Villa Valle, the station master’s house by the rail lines, currently housing Olaug Sivertsen. Although these lack fifth floors, Aune advises this may not deter the killer if location is paramount.

With five days between killings, the next strike points to Saturday. Waaler drives an operational plan, contacting Sivert Falkeid of Special Forces. Harry and Beate head to Schweigaards gate to reach Olaug Sivertsen. Møller cautions against leaks, mindful of Special Forces sniffing near the investigation, as the team braces for imminent action.