The Dinosaur Feather

blinded. Everyone’s lying and I can’t see a bloody thing. I’m changing tack, don’t you get it? I’m starting where there’s some clarity. And
I
know when someone’s lying.’ He fixed his gaze on Henrik’s face and narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘I promise you, that I – of all people – I know when someone’s lying. And she isn’t. You’re not lying.’ This was addressed to Susanne Winther.
    ‘No,’ she said.
    Henrik didn’t say another word. When they took a break, he stormed out, and when they resumed the interview, he sent Lau Madsen in his place. Not a problem. Søren couldn’t care less if Henrik made a complaint about him. Sometimes you just had to trust people. This also applied to the police. And Søren.

     
    Søren escorted Susanne Winther outside.
    ‘Goodbye,’ she said, holding out her hand. It was firm and cold, just like a ripe, washed apple. Her eyes were shining.
    ‘Goodbye,’ Søren said. ‘I’ll call if there’s anything else.’
    ‘Please do.’ She turned around. Søren looked at her coat. A reflective disc, shaped like an apple, dangled at the knee-length hem. She waddled across the car park.
    Susanne had given him a name. Stella Marie Frederiksen. Stella Marie was the woman who had invited Susanne to the Red Mask. Søren had made a note of her name, and now he was sitting in his office staring at it, distracted by his clash with Henrik. He couldn’t work out what had prompted it. Henrik had a short fuse and had been grouchy, he thought, both yesterday and today – as though he felt guilty about something. About Anna? Or was Søren becoming paranoid? He clutched his head. Henrik was spot on. Søren preferred going it alone, or, as Henrik had put it, ego tripping. He couldn’t think of a more appropriate description of his life.
    He looked up Stella Marie Frederiksen’s address and discovered she lived in the Nørrebro area, in Elmegade. He found a landline as well as a mobile number. He called her landline.
    ‘Stella here.’ The telephone rang only once before she answered it. She sounded out of breath. Søren hung up. Then he got up and walked down the corridor. The door to Henrik’s office was open. Henrik sat behind his desk, hammering away at his keyboard. A red patch had spread from his cheek and all the way down his neck. Søren slipped inside and managed to observe him for a while before he suddenly looked up and glared at Søren.
    ‘No,’ he snapped.
    ‘No what?’ Søren asked.
    ‘Don’t you dare come in here telling me you promise to share all your little secrets with me from now on. I’ve had enough.’ Henrik banged his fist on the desk. ‘You and I are supposed to interview a suspect together, but do you know what I am? Window-dressing. Bloody window-dressing. You just do what the hell you like. You tackle one of your own team and dribble the ball across the pitch like a maniac, that’s what you’re doing.’ Henrik stabbed his finger at Søren. He was livid.
    ‘Your private life is one thing,’ Henrik went on. ‘And perhaps we’re not as close as I thought we were. When push comes to shove, it doesn’t seem to mean anything that we’ve known each other since we were twenty. Perhaps you’re right only to let me in on major developments. Perhaps that’s just the way you are. Hermetically sealed, though we all can see that you’re up shit creek.’
    ‘You’ve got secrets, too,’ Søren said with clenched teeth. Henrik looked surprised.
    ‘I’ve no secrets from you, Søren. But you’re right, it’s been a long time since I told you anything, and do you want to know why? To test you, to see if you would even notice, and do you know something? You’ve acted like it suited you just fine that I clammed up as well. And I’m cool with that. If you want us to work together like two fucking oysters, then we will. We were on the job yesterday. There was no way I could tell you that . . .’
    ‘What?’ Søren could feel his throat tighten.
    ‘That I’m having an affair, all right?’ he hissed. ‘It’s been going on for five weeks. It’s a shit thing. I don’t want to leaveJeanette, but I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay.’ Henrik threw a glance in the direction of the open door.
    ‘For five weeks?’
    ‘Yes. It’s a girl from my gym,’ he continued. ‘Her name’s Line. It just happened.’ Henrik looked out of the window. Søren closed his eyes for a moment.
    ‘Anyway, we were talking about you,’