Mikkel Birkegaard - The Library of Shadows

They did as he asked while they both looked around, impressed. Pau gave a low whistle.

'Quite a place you've got here,' he said. 'It must have cost a fortune.'

Kortmann ignored him. Grabbing a handle on the side of his wheelchair, he lowered the height of his seat.

'What happened?' he asked, looking straight at Jon.

Jon told him about the attack on the bookshop and about Iversen's condition. During the entire account Kortmann kept his eyes fixed on Jon and not once, even when Pau interrupted with a snide remark, did his gaze waver. It was not a suspicious gaze, but a look filled with gravity, concern and attentiveness. When Jon was finished, Kortmann sat in his wheelchair without saying a word, his hands clasped in front of him.

'Did you see who did it?' he asked at last.

Jon shook his head. 'No.'

'But the receiver was there too?'

'Katherina? Yes, she was there the whole time. In fact, she put out most of the fire.'

Kortmann turned towards Pau. 'And what about you?'

'I didn't get there until later,' replied Pau. 'I do have a life besides books, after all.'

Kortmann looked down at his hands. 'It was only yesterday that I talked to Iversen,' he began. 'We talked about you, Jon. You can be an extremely crucial person for the Society, and considering the latest events, it's more important than ever that we make use of you.' He raised his head to look at Jon. His dark eyes gazed at him sorrowfully.

'Recently quite a few disturbing things have happened in our circles. Libri di Luca isn't the only antiquarian bookshop that has been subjected to an attack. Last month a bookshop in Valby burned down, and several of our contacts in the city's libraries have been harassed or fired without warning. And then, of course, there's the regrettable matter of your father's death.'

Jon gave a start and stared enquiringly at the man in the wheelchair.

'What does Luca's death have to do with the fire?'

'Your father's death was only the beginning.'

'Stop just a minute,' said Jon, holding up both hands. 'Luca died of heart failure.'

'Correct,' Kortmann agreed. 'But there was nothing wrong with his heart.'

Jon studied the man sitting across from him. The eyes behind the glasses didn't waver, and his face emanated both seriousness and patience.

'What exactly are you trying to tell me, Kortmann?'

'That your father, in all likelihood, was murdered.'

Jon felt his body grow heavy, and he had a sensation of sinking into the armchair, as if the air had been let out of the leather upholstery. He couldn't meet Kortmann's eye but let his gaze wander aimlessly while the words seeped into his consciousness.

After a pause Kortmann went on. 'I understood from Iversen that you've witnessed the abilities of a receiver during a demonstration at Libri di Luca. Is that right?'

Jon nodded absentmindedly.

'Perhaps you noticed that you didn't have total control over your own body. You were unable to steer the reading or your eyes or your breathing, and maybe you even sensed a change in your heartbeat. Just imagine those small effects increased by a factor of ten or a hundred. Your father didn't have a chance.'

Jon tried to recall what had happened in the basement during his reading ofFahrenheit 451. He remembered strong images and a definite impact on the story, but did he have control over his own body or was it being steered by Katherina?

'Naturally we can't prove anything,' said Kortmann with regret in his voice. 'It doesn't leave any traces of drugs or injuries or any sort of marks. The symptoms are an over-exerted heart, subsequently followed by heart failure.'

The feeling of helplessness Jon had experienced during the demonstration returned, and he remembered how his heart had noticeably beat faster. He recalled the heat he had felt on his hands, and the sweat that had appeared on his forehead. He'd been a passenger in his own body, unable to stop it, even if it had walked off a cliff. Jon could easily imagine how this power could be used for other things than conjuring up good reading experiences. But what sort of person would use this control over someone else to such an extent that it ended in death?

'Katherina is a receiver,' said Jon. 'Is that why she isn't allowed up here?'

'Indeed. No receiver has access to these rooms any more.'

'Any more?'

'Forgive me, I keep forgetting that you know nothing about the Bibliophile Society and its history, even though you're Luca's son.'

'Please, just tell me,' Jon insisted.

Kortmann nodded and cleared his throat before he went on.

'Until twenty years ago, the Bibliophile Society was a group that welcomed both transmitters and receivers. That was largely thanks to your father and grandfather – they held the two factions together as long as they could. But twenty years ago a series of events occurred, quite similar to what we're seeing today. Lectors were fired from their public positions for no reason, or they were subjected to harassment of one sort or another. This escalated to break-ins, fires and even murder, and there were clear signs that powers were being used offensively. The receivers accused us of being behind it, while we were convinced that they were causing these events. The powers that receivers possess are less obvious than ours, and we thought we had proof that receivers were involved in most of the attacks we suffered. Everything pointed in their direction. Even in cases where receivers were the target, we could explain them as deliberate smokescreens or revolts within their own ranks. But they denied everything. The accusations ended up splitting the Society in two. The mood was hateful, and at that time your father was out of the picture because of your mother's death. He'd always been an ambassador for both sides and without his diplomacy the Society became, as I said, divided up into transmitters and receivers.' Kortmann pressed the palms of his hands together. 'That's why receivers are not welcome here today.'

'What happened?' asked Jon. 'Did the attacks stop?'

'Instantly,' replied Kortmann. 'After the split, there were no further problems.'

'Until now,' Pau added.

Kortmann nodded.

Jon thought back to his father's funeral. Iversen had said that both transmitters and receivers were present – many of them, in fact. He hadn't sensed any discord or mistrust, but back then he'd had no idea what sort of people they were, or what their connection to Luca had been.

'Why Luca?'

'Your father always had one foot in each camp, and not everybody was happy about that. Some people, both transmitters and receivers, think that it's best to stick with one's own kind. In their eyes he might be regarded as a traitor.'

'And in yours?'

Kortmann hesitated for a moment, but if he felt accused, he didn't show it.

'Luca was my close friend. In addition, he was a talented leader and the very embodiment of goodness, but we didn't always agree. I lobbied for the division between transmitters and receivers back then, and that gave me the position as leader of the Society when your father stepped down. I would have much preferred that he stayed on, but your mother's death took a terrible toll on him, and he had no contact with the Society for several years afterwards. When he finally returned, the split had long since become a reality.'

'So he didn't become the leader again?'

'No, in accordance with his own wishes, Luca became an ordinary member of the Society,' replied Kortmann, and he hastened to add, 'But we always asked him for advice when it came to important decisions. He was, after all, one of the founders, and his word still carried great weight.'

'Was that what made him so dangerous that he had to die?'

'I have a hard time imagining that, but as for what he was doing with the receivers, I can't say.'