The Library of Shadows (28 page)

'We can't just leave him like this,' said Henning firmly.

'If we move him, we'll become suspects,' Katherina pointed out.

'It's already a homicide case,' said Henning. 'If the police connect us to the case, we'll have a problem explaining things no matter what. I'm taking him to his library. It's where he belongs.' He stood on his toes and stretched his arms up to the ceiling, where he could just manage to reach the knots tied in the rope.

After untying Kortmann, he lifted him up and carried his body inside the house. Katherina stayed where she was. She had a feeling that they were committing a grave mistake, but at the same time she could understand why Henning refused to accept that his mentor for all these years should be left lying in the cold shaft of the lift. When Henning returned, he didn't say a word, just used his sleeve to carefully wipe off the door handle and the buttons in the lift.

It seemed to Katherina that their descent to ground level took forever. All she wanted was to get out of that place as quickly as possible. Ever since their arrival, she'd had a feeling they were being watched. As if the whole thing had been stage-managed and was waiting for them so that they could carry out their roles. Had it been planned that they and not the police should find Kortmann first? Could that be a warning from the Shadow Organization?

The sky outside was still grey; sporadic raindrops were hitting the ground with audible slaps. Even though it was only late afternoon, it was almost as dark as night, and they could hardly see the path in front of them. They hurried through the garden and back to the front of the house, where the car was parked.

Just as they were about to get into the vehicle, they heard the sound of a car engine heading up the driveway. Both of them froze and turned their faces towards the sound.

The next second they were blinded by the headlamps.

'Something's wrong,' said Jon the moment he saw Katherina's and Henning's expressions in the glow of the headlamps. Behind them Kortmann's villa was in darkness, except for a light in one window on the top floor.

'He must have thrown them out,' suggested Pau from the back seat. 'That would be just like him, the old tyrant.'

Jon had finally been convinced that Pau really meant what he said about being on their side, and so he'd been allowed to come along. It wasn't Jon's decision, after all, whether Pau should be accepted or not into the new alliance. But now Jon regretted bringing him.

Jon drove the car closer. Katherina finally seemed to recognize him and relief spread across her face. She came over to the car the minute it stopped and hugged Jon as soon as he got out. He noticed that she was shaking.

'What happened?' he asked.

'Kortmann is dead,' Henning announced from the other side of the car.

'Dead? How?'

'We found him hanged in the tower,' explained Henning, motioning with his head towards the house. 'It looked as if someone had ... helped him.'

Jon gently pushed Katherina away so he could study her face. Her eyes were shiny, and she was still shaking. With a nod she confirmed what Henning had said. Jon pulled her close again and wrapped his arms around her.

'Could it have been a break-in?' he asked over Katherina's shoulder. 'I mean, the gate was open, so anyone could have got in.'

Henning shook his head. 'It seems unlikely. As far as I could tell, nothing was missing.'

Jon noticed that Katherina gave a start when Pau got out of the car to join them.

'So much for your theory that he was part of the Shadow Organization, huh?' said Pau.

Henning was just as surprised to see Pau as Katherina was, and he turned to Jon with an indignant look on his face.

'What's he doing here?'

'It appears he has changed his mind,' replied Jon.

'I didn't feel like being Kortmann's errand boy,' Pau interjected. 'But I guess now I won't be.' He shook his head. 'Poor old guy.'

Henning looked intently at Pau but said no more than, 'We can't stay.'

Katherina was shivering. 'Take me away from here,' she said.

'Let's go back to Libri di Luca,' suggested Jon. 'Iversen and the others will be there soon.'

Henning nodded and cast one last look at Pau before he got into his car and drove away.

There were lights on in the windows of Libri di Luca when they got back. Katherina had regained her composure, although she hadn't said much on the drive from Hellerup. Pau hadn't spoken either, merely muttered to himself and sighed.

Henning had already arrived, and he'd obviously told Iversen what had happened, because the old bookseller looked shaken as he sat in the armchair behind the counter holding a glass of cognac. He looked up with distress as Katherina and Jon came into the shop; there was no trace of a reaction on his face when he saw Pau behind them. Clara was there too. She had been Iversen's driver when they were tailing Remer, and she now stood leaning against a bookcase with her arms crossed and a serious expression on her round face.

'I think I could use one of those myself,' said Henning, motioning towards Iversen's cognac. 'Anyone else want one?'

Katherina nodded while the others declined. Henning reached behind the counter and pulled out two glasses, filling each with a generous portion. Katherina accepted the drink gratefully, holding the glass in both hands as if the contents might warm up her fingers.

'You're sure it was Kortmann's chauffeur?' asked Clara after Henning had explained why they'd gone out to the villa in Hellerup.

'Absolutely sure,' replied Katherina in a hoarse voice. She took a sip of her cognac and grimaced as she swallowed the liquor.

Clara nodded solemnly.

'Then there's no longer any doubt,' she said. 'This Remer is somehow involved in what's been happening, and most likely there is some sort of larger organization behind it all. An organization that won't stop at committing murder to reach its goal.'

Everyone except Pau agreed by nodding or murmuring their assent.

'You're all crazy,' Pau declared, taking a step towards Iversen. 'Can't you see this is part of their plan? They're trying to divert attention from themselves. Who's the only person who actually saw Kortmann's chauffeur?' He pointed at Katherina without looking at her. 'A receiver. And who benefits from murdering Kortmann?' He pointed the other hand at Clara. 'The receivers. Can't you see it? They're manipulating us just like they've been doing all along.'

'You're forgetting that Kortmann never would have allowed a receiver inside his house,' Jon pointed out.

Pau raised his arms towards the ceiling. 'Not voluntarily, of course. They could have forced him to do it, caught him by surprise while he was reading and made him open the gate for them.'

'Would that be possible?' asked Jon.

'No,' said Clara firmly. 'We can't steer people by remote control like that; the most we can do is affect their emotions and their attitude towards whatever they're reading.'

Pau had let his arms drop. 'We only have your word for it that it's not possible. None of us knows what you can really do.'

'Rubbish,' said Iversen. 'You're grasping at straws now, Pau. Those of us who have been part of the Society for a long time know that it's true. As Clara said, we need to accept that the Shadow Organization is a reality, and the sooner we do that, the better we can fight back.'

Pau opened his mouth to object but was cut off by Iversen.

'Sit down, Pau. Take a moment to think about what has happened, and you'll come to the same conclusion.'

Sulking, Pau walked over to one of the bookcases and sat down on the floor.

'As I was about to say,' Clara began, casting a quick glance at Pau, 'we must be getting close since they're reacting so violently. It's no coincidence that just as the Society is being reunited, Kortmann ends up murdered. His role was done – they had no more use for him.' She sighed. 'We need to acknowledge that Kortmann was their man, in the sense that he was under the influence of his chauffeur, whom we have to assume is a receiver. So they've known all along what the transmitters were doing, and they were even able to get Kortmann to make decisions that fitted in with their plans.'

'Which first and foremost concerned keeping their own organization secret,' said Iversen. 'But when I think back, I'm sure that Kortmann has had that chauffeur for only seven or eight years. That's still a long time, but it doesn't explain Kortmann's involvement in the break-up twenty years ago.'

No one said anything for a while. Jon could sense a despondent mood. His own emotions were mixed. He too was shocked by the murder, but he and Kortmann had not really cared for each other. From that moment at the funeral when they met for the first time, Jon had felt a certain wariness on Kortmann's part, as if he were sizing up a competitor. In that sense, Jon could have better accepted the situation if Kortmann had proved to be their adversary. But now, when it looked as if he was innocent, things were murkier than ever. What was still worrisome, and what no one was saying out loud even though they were probably all thinking it, was that since the Shadow Organization had been able to get so close to the leader of the transmitters, it was impossible to know who else might be involved, either directly or indirectly. Wasn't it naive to think there were no spies among the receivers?

'So what's left that we need to work on?' asked Iversen, breaking the silence. 'What's the next step?'

Everyone in the shop glanced at each other.

'The school,' suggested Jon. 'The Demetrius School. It must mean something, since that was where Remer went to meet Kortmann's chauffeur.'

'There's something I forgot to tell you,' said Katherina. Everyone turned to look at her. 'When I was sitting alone in the car, while Henning was out surveying the neighbourhood, I tried to pick up if there was something going on inside – if anyone was reading, and if so, what they happened to be reading.' She took another sip of her cognac. 'I was able to pick up several reading classes, words mostly from easy-to-read books, but there was something else – a number of voices that were different, that stood out because the reading was more focused and had a bigger impact.'

'Do you mean ...' Clara didn't finish her sentence.

'I'm convinced it was a group of transmitters,' said Katherina.

'How many?' asked Iversen.

'Maybe four or five.'

'So is the Demetrius School the Shadow Organization's recruitment centre for Lectors?' said Clara. 'Have any of you heard of the place before?'

Jon shook his head. Katherina and Henning did the same.

'Demetrius?' said Iversen to himself, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling. 'Isn't that the name of a character in a Shakespeare play? From
A Midsummer Night's Dream,
as far as I recall. Demetrius drinks a love potion and falls in love with the wrong person.' He lowered his eyes. 'That doesn't exactly fit with our situation.'

'Under any circumstances, the school is our best lead,' said Jon. 'I'd like to propose that I go out there and take a closer look at the place. If the school is the centre for the Shadow Organization's activities, there must be something inside the building that will prove it.'

'You mean break in?' asked Iversen.

'If that's what it takes,' replied Jon.

'I'll go with you,' said Katherina.

Jon was about to object but was stopped by her expression. It was obvious she had made up her mind. Iversen, on the other hand, tried to persuade her not to go, supported by Clara, but Katherina firmly believed that a receiver needed to go along, for safety's sake.

When everything had been decided, Pau chimed in. 'If a receiver needs to go along, I want to join the party too.' He got up from his place on the floor. 'You need to have a sceptic present, someone who can keep your feet on the ground so you don't go off on some big conspiracy trip.'

'If that's what it'll take to convince you, it's okay by me.' Jon turned to look at Katherina.

Her resolve seemed to have vanished. Her eyes flickered and she hesitated for a moment before she nodded. 'But we're going to do this our way, Pau,' she insisted.

'Sure, sure,' said Pau cheerfully. 'Don't worry, I'll behave myself.'

They had agreed to meet at three a.m.

Jon and Katherina went together to their respective flats to pick up what they thought they might need. Afterwards they collected Pau at Trianglen before continuing on to the embassy area, which wasn't far away. None of them said anything in the car.

Jon parked the car about a hundred metres from the school and they all got out. The sky was free of clouds, and the multitudes of stars were very bright. Jon's dark jogging suit offered little protection from the night chill and he regretted not dressing more warmly, but it was the only dark clothing he owned aside from a suit.

He'd brought along a sports bag containing various tools from the workshop in the basement of Libri di Luca. He had no practical experience of burglary, so he'd brought a large assortment of tools. Pau was also dressed in dark clothing and he carried a crowbar in a plastic bag. Jon had the feeling that the young man was not altogether unfamiliar with this kind of activity. Katherina had put on a pair of jeans, trainers and a dark windbreaker. Her red hair was drawn back into a knot at the nape of her neck, and she had pulled a black cap down over her forehead.

They walked calmly along the pavement towards the school. The buildings in the neighbourhood were all in darkness. They were mostly large, grand villas, many of them now embassies for smaller countries. At this time of night, the area was completely deserted, almost ghostly, and the few parked cars were most likely overflow from nearby streets that were subject to a shortage of parking spaces.

The street lighting was sporadic, and in the shadows they walked all the way up to the front gate of the school.

Without hesitation Jon reached for the handle and pushed the wrought-iron gate open. He was surprised but also relieved to find it wasn't locked. Even though no one was around, it wouldn't have looked good if they had been forced to climb over the three-metre-high gate in the middle of the night. The three of them quickly entered the grounds and slipped into the shadow of the hedge to the left of the gate. As the last person in, Katherina pushed the gate closed. Then they all stood still for a moment to get their bearings.

To the right of the gate was a wall of a similar height that extended past the building and disappeared into the darkness. The hedge next to them continued along the pavement for the full width of the property. At the end they could just make out another wall, also three metres high, screening off the neighbouring building to the left of the school. In front of them lay the schoolyard, a stretch of asphalt painted with ball layouts and hopscotch grids, and behind that the redbrick school. In the middle of the building wide, granite steps led up to a sturdy front door. The door had a few tiny windows, all of which were covered by a solid-looking grating.

There were no lights on inside the building.

'Can you feel it?' whispered Pau. 'Can you feel the energy?'

Jon held his breath for a moment, trying to sense the force that Pau claimed was present.

'No, nothing,' he whispered back after a few seconds, wondering if Pau was making fun of them.

'Me neither,' said Katherina in a low voice.

'Hmm,' muttered Pau, disappointed. 'That way,' he whispered, pointing to the nearest corner of the building, where a passageway was visible running alongside the outer wall to the back.

They crept along the wall over to the passageway, which took them to the other side of the school. A strip of grass formed a small yard with shrubbery, and a few fruit trees lined the outer walls. The back of the building had two doors – one that opened onto an industrial kitchen, and a basement door at the bottom of a staircase four metres deep.

Jon motioned to the others that they should try the basement door, and Pau stepped forward at once to descend the stairs while Jon and Katherina remained standing at the top. They watched as he first peered into the windowpanes on the door and then tried the handle. When the door opened, he gave a start and glanced up in surprise at his companions. Then he broke into a big grin that gleamed an eerie white in the darkness.