Mikkel Birkegaard - The Library of Shadows

'Hasn't anyone ever given you away?' asked Jon. 'It seems to me very unlikely that something like this could be kept secret for what – a hundred years?'

'Oh, much longer than that,' exclaimed Birthe. 'We're talking about centuries. Our best guess is that the first Lectors were in charge of the libraries of antiquity long before the birth of Christ. Back then it was considered prestigious to be a librarian,' she added with a touch of bitterness in her voice. 'They were regarded as statesmen and scholars. People who had influence on the development of society, whose opinions carried weight, and who were consulted regarding all sorts of issues. As you probably realize, that would be a prime position for a Lector who knows how to make use of his powers.'

'But there are no instances when you've ever been exposed?'

Birthe shook her head. 'There is very little concrete evidence that points in our direction. During certain periods some suspicion was directed at scholars who could read and write, but that was probably rooted in envy and ignorance rather than any justifiable fear. If we look at more recent times, no one has ever even hinted at the existence of our powers.'

'Could that be the motive? Exposing the Society?' Jon suggested.

'A hell of a complicated way to go about it,' said Henning. 'I mean, why not just expose us outright? The chances are slim that anyone would ever figure out the connection between the actions that have been carried out up to this point. If the intention is to expose the Lectors, only a complete revelation would do it.'

Lee nodded eagerly. 'I agree with that. An exposй could only come from someone who's part of the group, and only by demonstrating the powers. So if that's the motive, we would have already read about it in the newspapers, seen it on the talk shows and gone to the premiere of the movie.'

'So what are you saying?' asked Jon.

Lee looked at Katherina for a moment. 'I think,' he began, casting a glance at Henning before he continued. 'Wethink that there's something bigger going on.Someone is up to something big, and this is just a preliminary manoeuvre meant to wear us out, confuse us or divert our attention – maybe all three. The question you should be asking now is who thissomeone might be, and for me it's obvious.' Again he looked at Katherina. 'Everything points to the receivers.' He waved his hands towards her, making the gesture seem both dismissive and apologetic. 'I'm not saying that you're involved. It could very well be that you've been kept out of it because of your relationship to Luca.'

'So what's our big plan?' asked Katherina. 'World domination, I suppose?'

Lee studied Katherina for a moment with a hint of satisfaction but then shifted his gaze to Jon.

'I have no idea what they're after, but at least I'm searching for the answer.'

'You're searching?'

Lee nodded. 'Every chance I get. The clues are out there, on the Internet, it's just a question of finding them and figuring out the connections. So far it hasn't produced any result, but it will. It's a little like the wreckage of a ship – something always pops up, even though the beach may have been empty the day before.'

'How long has this been going on?' asked Kortmann in surprise.

Lee shrugged. 'A couple of weeks, I suppose. I didn't think it was necessary to ask permission.'

'No, no, not at all. It would just be nice to know.'

'I didn't realize you wanted to start up this… investigation,' Lee added. 'And it didn't look like anyone else was thinking of doing anything. So since the Society didn't have any more pressing work for me to do, I permitted myself to show a little initiative.'

Kortmann nodded appreciatively. 'Good work, Lee. I suggest that you continue your searches.'

'That's certainly what I intend to do,' said Lee, his words barely audible.

'And keep us updated,' Kortmann emphasized, pointing to himself and to Jon.

'What about the rest of us?' asked Henning sharply.

'You'll be informed, of course, provided there's some definitive result. The most important thing is that we don't panic or start a lynch mob without having any proof to go on.'

'It sounds more like you don't trust us,' said Henning.

'So we're still under suspicion?' Pau interjected.

Kortmann gestured dismissively. 'As you've all said yourselves, there's no firm proof. All possibilities remain open, even the worst of them.' He glanced briefly at Katherina. 'The possibility that one of us is a traitor.' A murmur of discontented voices arose, so Kortmann had to raise his own voice to be heard. 'But I don't believe that. Even so, we're being forced to take every precaution. This isn't a matter of one person maligning someone else or swiping money from the till. People have been hurt – even murdered. Keep that in mind.'

Everyone stopped talking, and for several seconds it was completely silent in the room. Many avoided Jon's eyes when he looked in their direction.

'I think that we should end the meeting here,' said Kortmann calmly. 'The point was for everyone to introduce themselves and for all of us to understand the importance of this investigation. I hope that's been accomplished. Jon will have access to your names and addresses so he can contact you directly if necessary. That's up to him. As I said, I expect all of you to help as best you can.' He clapped his hands together. 'Thanks for coming.'

Everyone stood up amid the scraping of chairs and parting words offered right and left. When Jon said goodbye to Kortmann, the man took a brown envelope out of the side pocket of his wheelchair and handed it to him.

'Keep me posted,' said Kortmann, giving Jon a wink.

Jon nodded in agreement and headed outside with Katherina. Kortmann remained behind with Birthe.

In front of the entrance Pau, Lee and Henning were having a muted conversation, but as soon as Katherina and Jon came out, they broke up and went their separate ways. Pau came sauntering over to them.

'Would you like a lift?' asked Jon.

'No, thanks,' replied Pau. 'I'm on my bike. Besides, I wouldn't want to get in the way of the Dynamic Duo.' He laughed.

'New friends?' asked Katherina, nodding in the direction that Lee had headed.

Pau shrugged. 'I've always thought that Lee was cool. He's going to show me some of his Internet tricks some day.' Pau watched Lee go. 'I suppose he was a little miffed at what Kortmann said. The last time anyone talked to him like that, it was his old man. The Bibliophile Society has turned into a pensioners' club with reading aloud, bingo and all that crap. We've got to recruit some new blood soon – I agree with Lee about that.' He shifted his glance to Jon. 'What do you think, Jon?'

'Hard to say, since I'm not even a member.'

'There shouldn't be any problem about becoming a member since you're Luca's son. But maybe Kortmann won't let you in. Have you thought about why he won't activate you?'

'Not particularly.'

'The others think he's afraid you'll want to take his place.'

'I haven't exactly got the feeling that he's trying to get rid of me – on the contrary,' replied Jon in a neutral tone.

'Yeah, okay,' said Pau, sounding resigned. 'I've got to go. See you!'

They said goodbye and watched Pau cycle away into the darkness, riding an ancient men's bicycle with no lights.

'What do you think?' asked Jon.

'He's just a kid,' said Katherina.

'I meant about the meeting.'

She laughed but quickly turned serious. 'They're scared.'

For the first time in what seemed like ages Jon allowed himself to sleep eight hours straight. Even so, he could tell that he was still suffering from a lack of sleep, but he was alert enough to go through his morning routine without skipping the shaving.

In light of all the recent upheaval in his life, his usual activities and rituals had taken on a new purpose. It was as if he were putting on a different identity – lawyer by day, investigator of secret conspiracies by night. When the two worlds collided, he could see the absurdity, respectively, of going to work when he ought to be investigating his father's death, or of playing amateur detective when he was facing the breakthrough case of his career.