Page 81 of Sixty Meters Under

Björn opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of footsteps stopped him. He closed his mouth, irritation settling on his features.

Whoever entered had to pass two empty beds to get to his, separated from the others by a white sheet barrier. Valeria had just enough time to straighten up and step aside.

“You’re finally awake!” Maya stopped at the bed and glanced at the nurse. She didn’t look thrilled to see Valeria near him even in her capacity as a nurse. She wrinkled her nose and went to the other side of the bed. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” Björn stirred in the bed, and sighed.

“I was so worried. I’m glad to see you’re okay.” Maya seated herself next to him in the small space on the bed.

Valeria looked at them, and said, “Excuse me,” and left the room. Björn followed her with his gaze until she disappeared from his view.

“When will you be released? I don’t like these nurses hanging around you.”

“They’re nurses, Maya. That’s their job.”

“It’s a perfect excuse. Isn’t it?” she added with a bitter smile.

Björn groaned. “Don’t be so paranoid.”

Maya frowned. “You ended up in here because of thatwhoreyou fucked. How am I ever supposed to be normal about any woman I find in your close vicinity?”

Björn furrowed his brows. “What? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your dear Scarlett. Who is now dead, and you couldn’t bearit,so you tried to drown yourself in alcohol… Or did I get that all wrong?”

Björn didn’t remember anything about Scarlett, but he didn’t have a good feeling about this new information. He struggled without success to remember the events that happened before he woke up in the medical room.

I’ve no idea what she’s going on about. I guess I’ll have to ask Lennart what happened. He’ll know for sure.

Chapter 23

Hugo entered the canteen and followed his usual routine. The room was almost empty at that hour; residents usually arrived later, around eight o’clock to get their ration. He passed between the rows of tables and reached the serving table. When he put his meal on the table, one of the residents addressed him.

“Is it finally known who is responsible for the murder?” The man bore his expectant eyes into Hugo.

“No,” Hugo replied calmly, locking eyes with the man. “It is not yet known, but the suspects are confined while the investigation is ongoing.”

“At least that,” another resident added. “But in such a limited space as this bunker, it should have already been resolved and the murderer punished.”

Hugo raised his eyebrows, turning to another grumpy-looking man. “We are working on it.”

The dark-haired man frowned. “I hope you are. It’s taking too damn long.”

“If everyone joined in the investigation, we would have already solved the case.”

That’s such nonsense.Hugo shook his head.It’s only been a few days. It’s obvious they have no idea how an investigation works.He wasn’t sure what their problem was and he decidednot to attach any great importance to it.It’s probably this place and their lack of freedom. Or simply boredom.

There was a brief silence and Hugo thought they had dropped the subject, but another question followed: “Who are the suspects?”

“That will be revealed in due time. I cannot tell you about the details. For now. It might prejudice the process.”

“Yeah.” The man frowned. “Right.”

The men obviously weren’t pleased that he wasn’t willing to reveal more, and Hugo was glad they stopped asking questions. He returned his focus to his plate but listened carefully to the surrounding sounds. It would be good to be alert.Even the smallest reason can trigger discontent; we should be careful.

?

The guard brought breakfast into the cell block and placed the trays in a small opening at the bars. Ryosuke looked at his portion but didn’t bother to get up. Although his stomach grumbled, he had no appetite.