Hans Lahlum - Satellite People

Synnøve Jensen told me that she herself had grown up on a smallholding in Sørum and that she still lived in the small house that her parents had left to her. She had neither a driving licence nor a car, and took the bus to and from work every day. It was Magdalon Schelderup who had suggested that, during a very busy period at work, she should have her own bedroom here. She had accepted this, but always stayed at home at weekends and generally also during the week. Synnøve Jensen was single, had no brothers or sisters, and in fact had no close relatives at all following the death of her parents some years ago. After completing school and a secretarial course, she had for several years had various short-term office jobs. It was a great relief to her to have found a position that offered not only a regular and secure income, but also an employer and work that she liked.

She had thus far kept up her appearance as a conscientious secretary impressively well. But this crumbled rapidly as soon as I commented that her relationship to the deceased was perhaps somewhat closer than she intimated. She sat with her face in her hands for a short while. Then suddenly everything came out in a torrent.

‘I didn’t plan it! No matter what they say, it is not something I had planned when I started to work for him. I desperately needed a job and was shocked and overjoyed when he employed me. The idea that anyone in this house might have an interest in me other than as a secretary was ridiculous. I am not clever and I am not beautiful. And I never tried to seduce him in any way.’

I attempted a nod that was at once pacifying and encouraging. It all sounded plausible enough, given what I knew of Magdalon Schelderup so far.

‘But he was tempted all the same – and you did not deny him?’

She gave her head the tiniest shake and sighed deeply.

‘No, I admit it. It would not be easy for anyone to deny Magdalon Schelderup what he wanted – especially one of his employees who was dependent on the income. But to be honest, I am not sure that I would have stopped him otherwise. Magdalon could be harsh, but he was a fascinating and very charming man for all that. He was the first man who had ever really cared about how I was and thought that I deserved better.’

‘And he had the money to give you a better life.’

She nodded.

‘Absolutely, and that may have played a role. I have never had much. My father drank and my mother took out all her frustration on me. I was not going to bite the hand that fed me. So I put up no resistance when one day it slid round my waist.’

It was easy to feel sympathy for the plain Synnøve Jensen and her story, in the midst of all the rich people around the table. My feelings remained mixed, however. She clearly was not innocence itself, and she also had potential motives for murder. Maria Irene’s words were still ringing in my ears. Synnøve Jensen was apparently surprisingly vocal in bed considering how meek she was otherwise – even when her lover’s wife and daughter were there in the same house.

‘Now that he’s dead, your job is presumably in danger? Certainly if his wife knows about this?’

She nodded again.

‘Which I am sure she does. She is not stupid and he hardly bothered to hide it. I assume that I will be without a job tomorrow. But that is not my biggest problem right now.’

I looked at her, mystified. She didn’t say anything and for a moment again hid her face in her hands before she continued.

‘You see – I no longer have just myself to think about.’

It started to dawn on me what she meant. And the picture was clear as soon as she patted her tummy gently.

‘Magdalon has three children, but leaves behind four. Another one will be born just before Christmas,’ she said, very quietly.

All life and sound in the room seemed to stop for few seconds. Synnøve Jensen shed a few tears and then dried them with a whispered apology.

In the meantime, I thought about the consequences of this sensational news. It took perhaps half a minute before I asked whether he had known. She nodded in answer.

‘I had no idea what to do when I found out, and had thought of saying nothing for as long as possible. But Magdalon guessed himself – it was Sunday, exactly a week ago. He had come to know me very well and was good at noticing things. And I could not lie when he asked if I was expecting a baby. I was terrified that he would be furious. But not at all. ‘Ha!’ was all he said at first. Which was what he often said when he saw or understood something that pleased him. Then he asked if I was absolutely certain that he was the father of the child. I told him the truth, that there was no doubt whatsoever. For the past few months I had been working for him literally night and day. He was the only man who had shared my bed, not only in the past year but in all the years before that. This made him very happy and he was in an excellent mood. He laughed, hugged me and said that I need not worry – he would make sure that both I and the child had everything we needed.’

She stopped there, hesitant, until I prompted her to continue.

‘But then…’

She gave a bewildered shrug.

‘But then he said nothing more about it! I trusted what he had said, and did not want to nag. And strangely enough, he did not mention it all week. And now he is dead and I have no idea what is going to happen to me or our child!’

Synnøve Jensen looked mournful for a few seconds, with tears in her eyes, but then she continued.

‘Believe it or not, I did try to warn him that it might all result in a child. But he said there was no danger of that, that he could no longer have children with any woman. He seemed irritated when he said it, so I asked no questions. I was so afraid that he might get angry. But he seemed to be happy, even though making mistakes or incurring unexpected costs were not something he generally liked. So I chose to believe that he loved me and that he wanted to have our child. It is a thought that will comfort me tonight.’

I quickly interjected to ask if they had ever discussed the possibility of him divorcing his wife. Synnøve Jensen shook her head firmly, and assured me that this was never discussed. She admitted that she would not have protested if he had wanted to divorce his wife in order to marry her. But he had never mentioned the possibility, and she had never expected the matter to be raised. She had been prepared to be a single mother with no income and was more than happy with his promise to look after herself and the child. Now that he was gone, who knew what might happen, she concluded with a deep sigh and heart-rending sob. The child was his, but to prove it might be difficult. In the meantime, she was left with neither work nor income, a fatherless child in her womb and no more than five hundred kroner in the bank.

When asked if she knew what was in the deceased’s will, her reply was a firm no. It was only a few days since he found out about the unborn child so he would barely have had time to make any changes, she added with a sob. He had never mentioned anything to her about how he had divided his wealth amongst his three older children.

Synnøve Jensen claimed that she did not have a bad relationship with the children of her boss and lover. She had known the young Maria Irene since she was fourteen, and had an intuitive affection for her. It felt as though they understood one another’s difficulties. On the other hand, the secretary had thought at first that Mrs Sandra Schelderup was very demanding, then power-crazed, then jealous and, finally, downright hateful. It was not hard to see why the two older boys had such a difficult relationship with their stepmother.

Magdalon Schelderup’s sister had always been very correct in relation to the secretary, if more than a little distant and patronizing. It was not easy to understand the relationship between Magdalon and his sister. Magdalena was often in the house, but never talked much with her brother when she was here.