The Dinosaur Feather

what he’s saying.’
    Lily looked terribly disappointed.
    ‘However, I believe you speak dog language. I think your mum told me.’
    Lily turned to Anna, beamed, and looked back at Søren again.
    ‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘Bloppen says he’s only teasing me because he feels sad.’
    ‘What’s he sad about?’ Søren asked.
    Lily asked Bloppen very earnestly and listened carefully when he barked his answers.
    ‘He’s sad because someone’s teasing his mum. Teasing her a lot. And now she’s not happy any more.’
    Søren looked at Lily for a long time before he said: ‘Shall we agree that I’ll catch the people who have been teasing Bloppen’s mum, so Bloppen will be happy again and you can get some sleep?’
    Lily nodded.
    ‘Shake on it,’ he said, offering her his shovel-sized hand. Lily gave him her small pink hand. ‘I’ll tell Bloppen and you as soon as I’ve caught them, promise.’
    Lily nodded, satisfied. Then, somewhat at a loss, she turned to Anna who said, ‘Come on, darling. I’ll take you back to bed.’
    ‘No, I want him to do it,’ Lily said, pointing at Søren.
    ‘No, Lily.’
    ‘Yes,’ she said, pouting. ‘I want him!’
    Søren rose and sent Anna a placatory glance. Then he took Lily’s hand and off they went.
    Then something happened, which had never happened before. Lily let go of Søren’s hand, went back to Anna and kissed her. A small, dry kiss on the cheek.
    ‘You love me, Mum,’ she said.
    Ten minutes later Søren returned. Anna sat on the sofa, still dazed. Søren took the chair from the window, placed it with its back facing Anna, and sat down astride it.
    ‘Anna,’ he began. ‘Three and a half days have passed since Lars Helland was found dead, and all I know is how he died;apart from that I’ve got nothing. Today we found Johannes’s body and, again, I’ve got nothing.’
    ‘Do you think I did it?’ Anna breathed.
    Søren looked at her for a long time.
    ‘Right now I can’t eliminate anyone. But if you ask me, off the record, now that I’ve carried your shopping home and put your daughter to bed, I’m pretty sure you have nothing to do with Helland’s or Johannes’s death. But I have to get to the bottom of this and I need your help.’
    ‘How?’ Anna suddenly detected a flicker of growing interest.
    ‘Number one, stop being so hostile,’ he said. Anna looked down. ‘Do you think you can do that?’
    ‘Suppose so,’ she mumbled.
    ‘Number two, keep your eyes and ears open around the institute and report back to me. Your world is uncharted waters to me, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’m having problems navigating it. Everyone’s cooperating, answering the nice policeman’s questions, but I get nowhere. You can help me because you speak their language, you understand their rivalries, you can see through them – I hope. Or better than I can,’ he added. ‘Help me find Dr Tybjerg, for example. I think he’s hiding, but why? Help me understand Johannes. You were his friend. You must know what he was like. Are you sure he wasn’t gay? Was he seeing someone? Can you think of anything which might help the investigation? Did he ever mention anyone who might have reason to dislike him? Everything, Anna. I need help with everything!’
    Anna studied him as he spoke. ‘But what if I did it?’ she asked.
    ‘Then I’ll arrest you, take you down to the station, have you put before a judge and request that you be remanded in custody; you risk a lengthy custodial sentence. But I don’t think that you killed Helland or Johannes.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘Because you have too much to lose.’
    They sat for a while.
    ‘Mrs Snedker said Lily doesn’t have a father,’ Søren remarked.
    ‘None of your business.’
    Søren raised his hand as if to deflect a ball.
    ‘Be nice,’ he warned her.
    ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled.
    ‘Though you’re right, it’s none of my business. I’m just curious.’
    ‘Lily has a father. His name’s Thomas and he lives in Stockholm. He’s a doctor. He opted out.’ Anna shrugged and looked around the room. ‘Out of all of it. Lily, the responsibility, and a girlfriend who turned out to be unlovable. Who wants to be stuck with a worthless shit like me?’ she said harshly and glared at Søren. ‘He says he left me, not our child,’ she muttered. ‘That’s what he
says
. But we haven’t seen him for two years. Satisfied?’
    Søren nodded and got ready to leave.
    ‘I want you to come to the station tomorrow