The Consorts of Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

doing here at this time of night?’ Boe pressed.
    I studied him. ‘The fact is I was here earlier in the day on business . Social services, if you’re curious. I just felt like – seeing how things were up here, during the evening.’
    Ellingsen expelled air through his nose and Boe sent me a suspicious glare. ‘Seeing how things were?’
    I opened my mouth to answer as a car turned into the narrow street. When the driver became aware of our presence he switched off full beam. For a second, time stood still. Then the two policemen began to walk towards the new arrival, a BMW of the sporty variety as far as I could see, as muscular as it was lowbrow and in an unbelievably indecorous colour, the closest relative to which was orange. Before they had closed in, the driver had opened the door and got out. He was slim, wore a short jacket and was only visible as a silhouette in the distance.
    I followed Ellingsen and Boe.
    ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’ asked the man with natural authority in his voice.
    ‘We should ask you the same,’ Boe said, showing his police ID.
    ‘My name is Langeland and I’m the family’s solicitor.’
    ‘Which family?’
    ‘Skarnes. Who did you think?’
    Ellingsen looked sheepish. ‘Well, we had to ask, didn’t we.’
    ‘Not necessarily.’
    The two policemen introduced themselves. Langeland looked at me. ‘And this is?’
    Ellingsen and Boe turned round in astonishment, as if they had never seen me before.
    ‘Veum,’ I said. ‘Social services.’
    ‘Are you responsible for looking after Jan?’
    ‘He’s in safe hands.’
    ‘That’s good to hear. Where?’
    ‘I don’t know if I can divulge that information.’
    ‘As I said to the policemen here … I’m the family’s solicitor. You can tell me everything.’
    ‘I’ve learnt that you should say as little as possible to solicitors.’
    Boe gave a crooked grin. ‘Perhaps you should take Veum with you for a ride in your car, Langeland. Make him an offer he cannot refuse.’
    ‘You’ve seen the film, too, have you?’ I said.
    ‘What is in fact the problem?’ Langeland said.
    ‘What’s what problem?’
    ‘What are you doing here?’
    ‘Perhaps I should ask you that question. Are you expecting to find your client in?’
    He sent me a chill look. ‘My client?’
    ‘Vibecke Skarnes. You’re the family ’s solicitor, didn’t you say?’
    ‘Yes, I am … Isn’t she in hospital?’
    ‘In which case wouldn’t it make more sense if you were visiting her there – rather than here?’
    Both policemen focused their attention on Langeland as if they shared my view of the matter.
    He glowered at us. ‘I came here to see what the situation was. I hadn’t received a report back on what had happened before this evening.’ With a sidelong glance at the policeman, he added, ‘I was working on a case in Kinsarvik, but I understand there is nothing else to be done here.’
    ‘Never say never,’ I said.
    ‘And that is supposed to mean?’
    I turned to Boe again. ‘I don’t know how much I’m allowed to disclose. To be on the safe side, I’ll leave an assessment of that to our friends here.’
    Boe took stock of Langeland. Then he said succinctly: ‘It turns out fru Skarnes has disappeared.’
    ‘What! Disappeared?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘From the hospital.’
    No one said a word. Boe just nodded in silence.
    For a moment, Langeland stood mesmerised. ‘Well, I never!’ He turned to me again. ‘Do you know anything about this?’
    ‘No more than has already been said.’
    An apparently dumbfounded solicitor was such a rare sight that I was distracted for a moment. Then he had himself under control again.
    ‘Well, I’ll have to go up there myself and find out what could have happened.’ He looked from me back to the policemen. ‘And you?’
    Boe gazed at him from under weary eyelids. ‘We’ve been assigned to surveillance duties outside the house. In case she turns up. Veum’s going home to bed.’
    I