The Dinosaur Feather

aren’t true. They lay traps.’ Mrs Helland was panting now.
    ‘Erik Tybjerg was blackmailing him,’ she whispered, ‘and I’ve spent all evening thinking about what he might have had on him.’
    Anna waited for her to continue.
    ‘Lars was diagnosed with a brain tumour nine years ago. He had surgery and made a full recovery. There has been nothing since. Last August we held a barbecue for Nanna when she graduated from high school. Lars was tending to the grill when he suddenly collapsed. We were frightened, but he made light of it. He sat on the lawn for ten minutes to collect himself and was in great shape the rest of the evening. He flipped burgers, happy as Larry, and joined Nanna and herfriends in a croquet tournament.’ Mrs Helland looked at Anna. ‘Lars’s greatest fear was losing his intellect. Being slowly stripped of everything and ending up a vegetable. Shortly afterwards, he moved out of the bedroom and into his study and I wondered why. But not for very long. He didn’t want his snoring to disturb me, he said. And he was right, it had got worse, I must admit, so it suited me fine.’ Again the tears rolled down Mrs Helland’s cheeks in an asymmetrical pattern. ‘But this was the real reason.’ She gestured towards the plastic bags. ‘He didn’t want me to know that his illness had returned. That the tumour had started growing again.’ She looked into the distance. ‘I think Tybjerg knew about the tumour. He knew that Lars had been seriously ill. Perhaps he tried to use it against Lars? Tybjerg has always been envious because Lars had tenure and he didn’t. I’m convinced that Tybjerg was blackmailing him. What else could it be? Seven thousand kroner per month. That’s a lot of money. I’ve been trying to contact him today, but he’s not answering his phone or replying to e-mails. And do you know what really puzzles me?’
    Anna shook her head.
    ‘He didn’t attend the funeral. Isn’t that odd? Even Professor Freeman was there. But not Tybjerg. Anna, I think he killed Lars.’ Mrs Helland looked at Anna with burning eyes.
    ‘You need to tell all this to the police.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Why did you call me, Mrs Helland?’
    ‘When you were here last, I could tell from looking at you that you thought I had killed my husband. You looked at me with contempt writ large across your face. I couldn’t stand that.’
    ‘I don’t think you killed Lars,’ Anna said, gently.
    ‘I loved Lars,’ Mrs Helland said.
    Anna walked home from Herlev. It took her one and a half hours. The cable ties and screwdriver were back in her jacket pocket, the mission had been called off. The night was crystal clear and the wind had dropped right away. The cold was biting. She walked briskly, swinging her arms. For a moment, she was the only person alive, the only one who millions of stars had come out to see.
    There was a beeping sound from her back pocket. It was almost 1.30 a.m. It was probably Karen who had woken up and was worried about her. She fished out her mobile and stopped under a bus shelter.
    It was a text message from Johannes.
    Can we meet?
it read.
    Anna stared at the display in disbelief.

CHAPTER 14
     
    On the morning of Saturday 13 October, Clive went looking for a florist and when he found one, he meditated on the vagaries of life. Here he was, buying flowers for Helland’s funeral. He had skipped breakfast at the hotel and when he had got the flowers, he stopped for a coffee and a bagel. He thought about Kay. About what she might be doing. They had met through mutual friends. Kay hadn’t been the most striking woman present that night, but she had exuded something old-fashioned and meticulous, which appealed to Clive. They quickly became a couple and married on the anniversary of their first date. A common enough story, Clive thought, and there was nothing wrong with that. Franz and Tom had followed in quick succession and Kay stayed at home with the children while Clive went to work. So far their marriage had been undramatic. In fact, it reminded Clive very much of his parents’ marriage with one exception: Clive made an effort with Kay. He knew that she didn’t always understand his work, but he made a point of keeping her informed about major developments. They had always spoken politely to each other, both when they were alone and in front of the children. Clive knew he had behaved well. He had no interest atall in other women; he didn’t drink or gamble. Nor had he ever