Death in Oslo (47 page)

The boy nodded and dried his tears.

Abdallah took his son by the hand. As he was about to shut the door behind them, his eyes fell on the big map of America. The odd coloured pinhead could still be seen, stuck in at an angle, in a webbed pattern with no system or structure.

He stood there, wondering about dates. 2010, he thought to himself. By then I’ll be strong enough to try again. By 2010.

‘What did you say, Father?’

‘Nothing. Come, let’s go.’

He had already decided.

I have taken liberties with several public figures in this book, putting words into their mouths. I have made every effort to do this with the utmost respect, and hope that I have succeeded.

I have also taken liberties in relation to a specific building in Oslo, Thon Hotel Opera, which is called Hotel Opera in my book. I needed to use the hotel’s location in order to tell the story, and have been true to reality with regard to the building’s exterior and location. Inside, however, the hotel in this book is entirely the product of my own imagination. The same is true of the hotel employees who feature in the book.

Anne Holt
Larvik, June 2006