Chapter 34 - Sunday Night. The Ultimatum.

Rakel wakes in the night, thinks Harry has come home, and plays at pretending to sleep, but grows uneasy when no one appears. She checks the house, locks the front door, confirms Oleg is asleep, and spends the rest of the night restless and frightened by indistinct noises and nightmares.

Meanwhile, Harry drives Sven Sivertsen through Oslo to a student high-rise. He handcuffs Sivertsen’s right wrist to his own left to prevent escape and ushers him into the lift, trying to avoid being seen. Harry, uneasy with lifts, tries to keep control as they ascend.

Inside the stalled lift, Sivertsen produces Harry’s chisel found in the car and forces a tense standoff. Sivertsen admits long-running smuggling of weapons and diamonds via “Prince,” whom he identifies as Inspector Tom Waaler, and claims he can prove it. He denies any murders and argues the police won’t revisit the case now that they’ve been praised.

Sivertsen delivers an ultimatum: he will exchange his evidence against Waaler if Harry finds the real murderer before Waaler finds them. He reveals he is about to become a father and refuses to accept a long prison term. Harry feigns belief, takes back the chisel, and the lift continues upward.