But they just laughed at her, celebrated with warm champagne, and said that she should go back to Patrick with the couple of thousand he believed she owed him. And if she listened to him and played dumb when he told her what had happened at the club, no one was going to suspect her.
And as for Birna, she shouldn’t worry about her at all. She only got what she deserved. But Michelle couldn’t calm down, and it wasn’t only because of that. Only six days ago, she had almost been killed in a hit-and-run, and it was almost a miracle that she was still able to be up and about in spite of her pain and injuries. But had the other two taken this into account? No, they hadn’t. Now they had been living in the apartment together for three days and what had happened? Michelle had not done anything other than clean up after them. Was that okay when she was the one who had been in the hospital and still had occasional headaches? She didn’t think so.
There were clothes scattered all over the apartment. The lids had not been put back on the makeup. There was toothpaste on the mirror, hair in the sink, and smeared-out phone numbers for their sugar daddies on the bathroom tiles. They didn’t flush the toilet. They didn’t cook, leaving that job to Michelle, who also had to do the dishes afterward. All in all, they were nothing like the two girls she had thought they were. The cool girls she had met at the job center were just a couple of slobs on the home front, she thought.
Denise had even brought one of her sugar daddies home late one night, even though they had agreed that they would not do that, leaving Michelle unable to sleep because of the noise. That kind of thing gave her even more of a headache. In fact, she couldn’t deal with it at all.
And then yesterday! Despite their reassurances, it had ended very, very badly. And to make matters worse, it seemed like they didn’t give a damn. The pistol had just been thrown back in the haybox on the balcony. Hadn’t they considered that if Birna died, the pistol would be a murder weapon? If Jazmine could find it in the box, so could the police. Michelle couldn’t bear it.
She looked up at the TV screen and began shaking as she thought about the consequences. Those two good-for-nothings were sleeping in their rooms even though it was well past ten, while TV2 News talked about nothing other than the robbery and the woman who had been shot. There was no news about whether Birna was dead or alive. Didn’t they normally give that information?
There was money scattered everywhere because Jazmine and Denise had thrown it in the air, letting it rain down on them in their drunken state. The money was definitely a plus, but how was she going to explain to Patrick that she could suddenly pay him what she owed him? It was the end of the month, when she usually did not have any money left. And didn’t he know her well enough to sense when something was wrong? Yes, he did.
And when she thought about him, and how long they had been together, she couldn’t help crying again. Why had she even left him? And why hadn’t she just taken that job at the laundry when that was what he wanted?
The TV screen now showed a reporter in a grey parka in front of Victoria with a microphone in his hand. His lips were moving, and the camera was alternating between him and the club.
Michelle turned up the volume.
“The two women who were wearing scarves over their faces got away with more than one hundred and sixty-five thousand kroner. They have been recorded by various security cameras, and even though they seem to have known where they were and disguised their faces, an approximate description of their age and height has been established. Based on the women’s movements and dress, police experts believe them both to be ethnic Danes in their twenties with athletic builds, one being around one hundred and seventy centimeters tall and the second slightly taller. According to the club manager and security guard, they both have blue eyes.”
Michelle watched with bated breath as the news channel showed videos of Jazmine and Denise seen from all angles. Thankfully their faces weren’t visible, as the reporter had said, and the clothes they were wearing could have belonged to anyone, which comforted her a little.
“The police are now working on a more detailed description based on the eyewitness account of one of the bouncers, who was the only person to see them without their faces covered.” The reporter turned toward the other camera. “The suspects are believed to have escaped up toward Sydhavnsgade. Police are now attempting to trace their movements by making inquiries with taxi companies and going through various security camera recordings from S-train stations and elsewhere in the vicinity.”
He turned back toward the first camera. “The police have yet to make any connection between the robbery and the shooting in the alleyway behind the nightclub. But according to the manager of the club, who was held hostage by the women, the pistol used was a Parabellum, also known as a Luger—an iconic nine-millimeter handgun from the Second World War—which fits the caliber of the weapon used in the alleyway shooting.”
They showed a photo of the type of pistol, which Michelle recognized as the same as the one in the box on the balcony.
“The young female victim was known to the police. They have identified her as the twenty-two-year-old Birna Sigurdardottir, who has been arrested several times for violence and disturbing the peace. The police are therefore not ruling out that she may have been involved in the robbery and perhaps even the person behind the whole plan. The police are currently questioning two women who are believed to be members of a gang led by Birna Sigurdardottir, and who together with her have committed several violent attacks on other women in the Southwest district of Copenhagen where the robbery took place.”
Michelle shook her head. There were so many people looking for them. What would her mother and stepfather say if they knew that she had been involved? The thought sent a shiver down her spine. And how would everyone she knew react if they found out that she had been involved in all this?
“According to doctors at Copenhagen University Hospital, Birna Sigurdardottir remains in critical condition. Police have therefore been unable to question her and, if her condition does not improve, may find themselves unable to do so at a later date.” Michelle stared at the screen. If she died, it would be murder. And if she didn’t, Birna knew who they were. She would at least be able to identify Jazmine, and then the game would be up. If the police found Jazmine and came down hard on her, Michelle was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.
Whatever happened, things just couldn’t get any worse.
Michelle looked at her watch. The reporter would soon be wrapping up his report because it was just before eleven and time for the commercials. “Based on the perpetrators’ apparent knowledge of Victoria nightclub, the police assume that the robbery was an inside job. In that connection, several employees at the club have been taken in for questioning. We will return when there’s further news in the case.”