Oskar and his classmates suffer through a militant gym class taught by Mr. Ávila, a former war pilot from Spain who receives respect and fear from his students. Jonny and the others haven’t bullied Oskar since injuring him with the branch, but he knows his luck won’t last. He thinks about Eli and where she might be. Though usually unable to do gymnastics, Oskar finds the strength to perform well on the pommel horse, garnering Mr. Ávila’s respect. As Oskar heads to Mr. Ávila’s office, Jonny and the others suddenly throw a noose around him, but he takes the rope and throws it at them, then runs away. In Mr. Ávila’s office, he asks if he can join evening strength training sessions, to which Mr. Ávila agrees. When he goes to change, Oskar finds that Jonny and the others stole his pants. He must now walk home in his gym shorts.

Holmberg and Staffan watch a town drunk sleeping on a bench in the snow. The officers discuss Håkan’s mumbling, which they translate as “Eli.” Staffan explains that “Eli” means “God.”

After changing at home, Oskar buys a newspaper so that he can scrapbook articles about the killer’s capture.