The Son

by Jo Nesbø

only two of three toothbrushes in the Iversen family shows a family relationship to the foetus, then the son in the house can’t be the father. Then all three members of the family would be related to the foetus.

‘Dear friends and family,’ she said. ‘I wanted to add that Anders was right. We just can’t wait until summer . .

We don’t punish people because they are evil, but because they make bad choices, choices that are bad for the herd. Morality isn’t heaven-sent or eternal, just a set of rules that benefit the herd.

‘I know a thing or two about addicts,’ Simon said. ‘The list of things that makes us quit isn’t long. Either we’ve found Jesus, a girl, our own children or the man with the scythe.

You were the only baby who didn’t cry. You just looked up calmly and smiled at the new, slightly nervous vicar as if you were christening him and not the other way round.

‘Lobster, caviar, champagne. Ferraris with missing spare parts, ex-models demanding divorce settlements. The loneliness on the yacht, the heat of the Seychelles. We do a lot of things we don’t really want to, yes?

But it’s necessary to keep up the motivation. Not mine, but the motivation of the people who work for me. They need to see these symbols of success – of what I have achieved, of what they can achieve, if they do their job, yes?’

He looked at the display on the mobile as the flat, robotic voice started chanting: ‘Your own . . . personal . . .’