The Dinosaur Feather

Helland’s department?’ Søren asked.
    ‘Yes, I know them all, of course. Though I don’t know the man Anna shares a study with very well. I’ve said hello to him a couple of times, when I popped in to see Anna.’
    ‘But you and Anna Bella Nor are friends.’
    ‘In a way, yes . . . She attended one of my summer courses, and we got on really well.’
    Søren saw a hint of warmth touch Professor Moritzen’s eyes.
    ‘I always wanted to have a daughter,’ she said and almost looked shy. ‘Anna reminds me a little of myself when I was younger.’ She smiled a wry smile before she continued. ‘I also know Professor Ewald and Professor Jørgensen from the faculty. The three of us have been working there a lifetime.’
    She got up and lit the fire in the fireplace. Søren had run out of questions. He got up to leave and she saw him out. It had started to snow. Large fluffy snowflakes descended in columns towards the ground, which was already white.
    ‘Snow at this time of the year,’ Professor Moritzen commented, and shivered.
    ‘Yes, it’s a very odd autumn,’ Søren said, and shook her hand.
    ‘I’ll be driving back to Copenhagen early tomorrow morning,’ she said. ‘If there is anything else, I’ll be in my office.’
    Søren nodded.
    As he drove towards Copenhagen, he suddenly missed Vibe. Uncomplicated, gentle Vibe, who always held her blonde head high and looked on the bright side of life. The Faculty of Natural Science could do with a few people like her.

CHAPTER 7
     
    Tuesday night Anna lay awake and it wasn’t until four o’clock the following morning that she fell in to a deep, dreamless sleep. She woke up at 8.30 a.m. and called Cecilie. Everything was fine. Lily was happy and hadn’t missed her mum at all. Anna took a bath and ate a bowl of muesli.
    ‘
She hasn’t missed you at all
,’ she sneered as she put on her army jacket and boots. She would pick up Lily at 4.10 p.m. and she would be with her daughter tonight. At last.
    It was past ten when Anna entered the Department of Cell Biology and Comparative Zoology. In the corridor she met Professor Ewald who was carrying four flasks. They had last seen each other at the police station where Professor Ewald had been in floods of tears and yesterday neither Professor Ewald nor Professor Jørgensen had come to work.
    ‘Ah, there you are,’ she said, looking straight at Anna. ‘Could you give me a hand, please?’
    ‘What are you doing?’ Anna asked, baffled.
    ‘Making coffee. We’re holding a memorial gathering for Lars in the senior common room in half an hour. Just the department and people who knew him through work.’
    Anna blinked and took the flask Professor Ewald handed her.
    ‘Don’t you normally hold memorial services after the funeral?’
    ‘Yes,’ Professor Ewald said. ‘But Professor Ravn wants it done this way. Helland has only been dead for two days, but rumours are already spreading like wildfire all over the university. Ravn intends to use the service to try to quash them. Lars will be buried on Saturday, and you’re welcome to attend, if you feel like it.’ Professor Ewald’s gaze lingered briefly on Anna.
    ‘So what are the rumours saying?’ Anna followed Professor Ewald into the kitchenette, where the older woman slammed the flasks on to the kitchen table and spoke in a shrill voice.
    ‘Rumour has it that Professor Helland was murdered and that the police think the killer is someone who knew him very well and might even have worked with him. And do you know something else?’ she snorted. ‘I find those rumours odious.
If
he was murdered, well, then it’s either me, Professor Jørgensen, Johannes or you who are the prime suspects. And that doesn’t bear thinking about.’
    ‘Or any one of the five hundred employees at the faculty who wanted Helland dead. Metaphorically speaking, of course,’ Anna added quickly.
    Professor Ewald started to cry.
    ‘I can’t get the image of him out of my head,’ she sobbed and hid her head in her hands. ‘By God, I hated that man, but he didn’t deserve that.’
    Something occurred to Anna.
    ‘Professor Ewald?’ she said.
    Professor Ewald had sat down on a chair and was cleaning her glasses.
    ‘Do you think Dr Tybjerg will succeed Professor Helland?’
    Professor Ewald momentarily looked lost.
    ‘Tybjerg from the Natural History Museum?’
    ‘Yes, Helland’s colleague. My external supervisor.’
    ‘No, I can’t imagine that,’ she said without