The Dinosaur Feather

him blankly.
    ‘Anna, did you kill him?’ Søren said gravely.
    ‘Yes, of course I did. Heaven forbid that I should have a single friend left in the world,’ she said, sounding forlorn.
    ‘Is that a no?’ he asked.
    ‘Yes. That’s a no.’ The tears started falling and she wiped them away with an irritated movement.
    ‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘Who did it?’
    Søren shook his head as though he was deliberating what he could or couldn’t tell her, but in the end he seemed to reach a decision. Even sitting here, off duty, in the living room of a potential suspect was compromising, Anna thought, so he might as well go the whole hog.
    ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘He was killed in his flat. That much I do know. He’s been dead about twenty-four hours, and . . .’
    Anna’s eyes widened.
    ‘That can’t be right,’ she exclaimed, triumphantly, as if it meant Johannes couldn’t be dead after all. ‘I got a text message from him this morning.’ She fetched her bag. ‘See for yourself,’ she said, tossing her mobile to Søren with the text message open. He studied the message for a long time and scrolled down, she noticed, probably to check the date and time the message had been received.
    ‘What does it mean?’ Anna asked.
    Søren said nothing, nor did he look at her. Instead he stared into space and seemed to be pondering something. When he finally became aware of her, his eyes were sombre.
    ‘The text message is from Johannes’s killer.’
    Anna was mystified.
    ‘We haven’t been able to locate Johannes’s mobile,’ Søren continued. ‘It’s likely that the killer took it and, to buy himself time, he probably replied to your message and any others, so no one would get suspicious.’ He looked at Anna.
    ‘Johannes was killed by repeated blows to the back of his head. It was messy, blood everywhere,’ he went on, observing her closely. He noticed when she moved her foot and when she cleared her throat, his face contracted imperceptibly. It was eerie and suddenly Anna felt scared.
    ‘This is completely illegal, isn’t it?’ she demanded. ‘Aren’t you being totally unprofessional? Waiting for me in the supermarket, pretending to be shopping when really you were following me? That’s harassment.’
    Søren got up and sat down on the sofa next to Anna.
    ‘Hey,’ she growled and tried to get up, but Søren grabbed hold of her and pulled her back down.
    He held her by the shoulders and hissed, ‘I’ve had enough of you, Anna Bella.’ His grip was vice-like. ‘I’ve had enough of you refusing to cooperate. I’ve been a police officer for many years and I’ve never had a case as impenetrable as this, and the last thing I need is a stubborn suspect who, for reasons utterly beyond my comprehension, acts as if the police in general and me in particular were put on this earth to annoy her. I can see it’s not easy for you, Anna. I really can. A young child, a demanding dissertation and now, two sudden deaths. I can understand that you’re scared and angry and beside yourself. But I don’t understand why you’re angry with me. I’m your only friend in this whole crappy business.’ He let go of her.
    Anna yelled, ‘You’ve bruised me. Are you out of your mind? You can’t manhandle me, you unprofessional shit.’
    Søren got up and went to the window.
    ‘Then make a formal complaint, Anna. Go to the station tomorrow and do it. You’ve been uncooperative and you’re technically still a suspect. Did you kill Professor Helland? Is that what you do when you get angry? Do you get so mad that you kill? And what about Johannes? Did you get angry with him, too? Did he tell you a few home truths and you went berserk? Was that what happened? And what about Lily? Judging by your behaviour, I ought to have her taken into care. You’re mentally unstable, anyone can see that, and it might be better for your daughter to grow up away from you. So, go ahead, Anna Bella. You file that complaint.’ Søren looked calmly at her while he spoke, and when he had finished, he turned again to the window.
    Anna’s heart was racing and she gasped for breath. Søren had said terrible things, he suspected her, he had found her Achilles’ heel, but to hell with it. She couldn’t imagine life without Lily. Søren stared into the darkness. Anna noticed that his right hand was shaking.
    ‘I’ll help,’ she croaked. ‘I promise to help you.’
    Søren turned around slowly and looked at her for a