– That is what we always hope for. To get a final answer to what happened to Birgitte. The best thing would have been to get a verbatim confirmation from whoever killed her. Torger Tengs sits steadily in the witness box and explains in a low voice about what has characterized large parts of his adult life. Four or five meters to his right, Johny Vassbakk sits completely calm and stares at the referee’s table, as he has done so far throughout the case. – Birgitte was a great girl. She was honest, and wanted so much, says the father. – She was interested in music, and decided to play the church organ. I remember her taking the bus to Avaldsnes church to play, and then we picked her up in the evening. It was dark in the church, she sat there all alone with a small light next to her. I would have been afraid to sit alone in the dark church, but Birgitte was completely unaffected by it. She was a fearless girl, says Torger Tengs. Torger Tengs spoke warmly about his daughter when he testified in court today. This autumn, he will be at the courthouse in Stavanger. Once again, he hopes to get a final answer to everything that happened to his daughter. – Why do you want to explain yourself in court?, asks solicitor Erik Lea – To get our side across. For Karen’s part and for Birgitte’s part. – But it’s a clenched fist in the stomach to be here and experience this once again. It’s like turning back time again and again. Got the news of death at sea At the beginning of May 1995, Torger was on board the boat he was working on when he was asked to call home. It took a long time before he got in touch with anyone, but finally he got the news of his nephew’s death when he called his brother-in-law. This was the nephew who Victor was convicted and then acquitted of the murder. – I was alone in the wheelhouse when I learned that Birgitte had been killed. I became completely numb in my body. Fortunately, I had a colleague take care of the entry to Rotterdam. I went down into the cabin and lay there and just looked at the ceiling. Then it was arranged to return home the same day when I arrived ashore.
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