Ю Несбё - Macbeth

Lennox closed his eyes again. Duff saw a tear forced out. Pain from his wound, Duff assumed.

‘No,’ Lennox whispered in a fading voice.

Duff leaned forward. There was a nauseous, sweet smell coming from Lennox’s mouth, like the acetone breath of a diabetic, as he whispered, ‘ I’m Hecate’s informant.’

‘You?’ Duff tried to digest the information, tried to make it fit.

‘Yes. How do you think Hecate slipped through our fingers all these years, how he was always a step ahead?’

‘You’re a spy for both—’

‘—Hecate and Macbeth. Without Macbeth knowing. But that’s how I know Tourtell’s not in Hecate’s pocket. Or Macbeth’s. But it wasn’t me who warned Hecate, so there must be another informant as well. Someone close to Macbeth.’

‘Seyton?’

‘Maybe. Or perhaps not a man.’

‘A woman? Why do you think that?’

‘I don’t know. Something invisible, something that’s just there .’

Duff nodded slowly. Raised his eyes and looked into the darkness outside the window.

‘How does it feel?’

‘How does what feel?’

‘To say it out loud finally. That you’re a traitor. Is it a relief or does it weigh more heavily on you when the words make you realise it’s true, the damage is your fault?’

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘Because I was wondering about it myself,’ Duff said. The sky outside was dark, covered, giving no answer or sign. ‘How it would feel to tell my family everything.’

‘But you didn’t,’ Lennox said. ‘We don’t. Because we’d rather destroy ourselves than see the pain in their faces. But you didn’t have the chance to choose.’

‘Yes, I did. I chose. Every day. To be unfaithful.’

‘Will you help me, Duff?’

Duff was torn out of his thoughts. Blinked. He needed to sleep soon. ‘Help?’

‘A favour. The pillow. Put it over my face and hold it there. It’ll look as if I died of my wounds. And will you tell my children that their father, murderer and traitor that he was, repented?’

‘I...’

‘You’re the only person I know who might understand me, Duff. That you can love someone so much and still betray them. And when it’s too late, it’s too late. All you can do is... what is right, but it’s too late.’

‘Like saving the life of the mayor.’

‘But that isn’t enough, is it, Duff?’ Lennox’s dry laughter turned into a bout of coughing. ‘A last desperate act which, seen from the outside, is a sacrifice, but which deep down you hope will be rewarded with the forgiveness of your sins and the opening of heaven’s gates. But that’s too much, Duff. You don’t think you can ever make amends for everything, do you.’

‘No,’ Duff said. ‘No, I can’t make amends. But I can start by forgiving you.’

‘No!’ Lennox said.

‘Yes.’

‘No, you can’t! Don’t do that, don’t...’ His voice crumbled away. Duff looked at him. Small shiny tears rolled down his white cheeks.

Duff took a deep breath. ‘I’ll consider not forgiving you on one condition, Lennox.’

Lennox nodded.

‘That you agree to give a radio interview this evening in which you tell everything and clear Malcolm.’

Lennox raised a hand with difficulty and wiped his cheeks. Then he placed his tear-wet hand round Duff’s wrist. ‘Ring Priscilla and ask her to come here.’

Duff nodded, got up and freed his wrist. Looked down at Lennox for a last time. Wondering if he saw a man who had changed or was just taking the easiest way out.

‘Well?’ Tourtell said, getting up from a chair against the corridor wall when Duff came out.

‘He’s confirmed that Macbeth was trying to kill you and he’ll do the interview,’ Duff said. ‘But Hecate has an informant, an infiltrator close to Macbeth. It could be anyone at police HQ...’

‘Anyway,’ Tourtell boomed as they hurried down the corridor, ‘with Lennox’s statement Macbeth’s finished! I’ll ring Capitol and have a federal arrest warrant issued.’

A nurse came towards them. ‘Mr Mayor, sir?’

‘Yes?’

‘We’ve had a call from Agnes, your maid. She says Kasi still hasn’t come home.’

‘Thank you,’ Tourtell said. They continued walking. ‘You’ll see, he’s gone to some friends and is waiting until the coast is clear.’

‘Probably,’ Duff said. ‘Your maid...’

‘Yes?’

‘I’ve never had servants, but I assume that after a while they become part of the furniture. You speak freely and don’t think they’ll repeat stuff that shouldn’t go beyond your four walls, isn’t that right?’

‘Agnes? Yes. Yes, at least when I was sure I could trust her. But that took time.’

‘And yet you can never know for sure what another person thinks and feels, can you?’

‘Hm. You’re wondering if Macbeth has a personal secretary at HQ who might...’

‘Priscilla?’ Duff said. ‘Well, as you said, it takes time to trust someone.’

‘And?’

‘You said you played blackjack in a private room as Macbeth and Lady made plans to kill Hecate. But doesn’t it need a fourth person?’

‘Sorry?’

‘Blackjack. Don’t you need a croupier?’

‘Jack?’

‘Yes, Lady?’ Jack took his hand away. It had been casually placed on Billy’s arched back as the two of them stood over the guestbook and Jack had explained how new customers should be entered.

‘I have to talk to you about something, Jack. Let’s go upstairs.’

‘Of course. Will you hold the fort, Billy?’

‘I’ll do my best, Mr Bonus.’

Jack smiled and knew he held the newly employed boy’s eyes a moment too long. Then he dashed up the stairs after Lady.

‘What do you think of the new boy?’ she asked after he had caught her up.

‘Bit early to say, ma’am. A little young and inexperienced, but he doesn’t seem impossible.’

‘Good. We need two waiters for the restaurant. The two who came today were utterly hopeless. How are young people going to survive in this world if they can’t take things seriously and learn something? Do they think everything’s going to be served to them on a silver platter?’

‘True,’ Jack said and went into the suite, Lady holding the door open for him. Turning, he saw she had closed the door and collapsed in tears on a chair.

‘Lady, what’s the matter?’

‘Lily,’ she sobbed. ‘Lily. He said her name.’

‘Lily? As in the flower, ma’am?’

Lady hid her face in her hands, and sobs racked her body.

Jack was at a loss to know what to do. He went towards her but then stopped. ‘Would you like... to talk about it?’

‘No!’ she exclaimed. Took a tremulous breath. ‘No, I don’t want to talk about it. Dr Alsaker wanted to talk about it. He’s crazy, did you know that? He told me himself. But that doesn’t make him a bad psychiatrist, he says, more the opposite. I don’t need words, Jack, I’ve heard them all. My own and those of others, and they don’t soothe any more. I need medicine.’ She sniffed and wiped under her eyes carefully with the back of her hand. ‘Quite simply, medicine. Without it I can’t be the person I have to be.’

‘And who’s that?’

‘Lady, Jack.’ She looked at the mascara smeared on her hand. ‘The woman who lives and lets die. But Macbeth has stopped using medicine and so there’s nothing here. Imagine. He’s stronger than me. You wouldn’t have guessed that, would you? So you’ll have to go and buy some for me, Jack.’

‘Lady...’

‘Otherwise everything will collapse here. I hear a child crying all the time, Jack. I go into the gaming room and smile and talk.’ Tears started rolling again. ‘Talk loudly and laugh to drown out the sound of the crying child, but now I can’t do it any longer. He knew the name of my child. He said my final words to her.’