Mikkel Birkegaard - The Library of Shadows

'MichelFoucaultGьnterGrassWordsAndThingsLullabyThomasPynchonMason &DixonRichardFordSusanSontagFinnCollinTheAnatomyOfHatredTheLastValkyrieSonOfTheWindArturoPйrez ReverteMarcelProustSnowFalling…'

The flow of titles and author names that Jon was reading drowned out the reception of the individuals who were on their way to the farm.

'Stop it,' Katherin commanded.

Jon glanced at her in surprise, but his expression quickly changed to remorse. He fixed his eyes on the floor.

Katherina closed her eyes and again focused on receiving, but she couldn't pick up anything more. What did that mean? Had they stopped, or were they in between two signs? Even though it was convenient to receive from a distance, it was also frustrating not to be able to see what was really happening.

She jumped up from the sofa and ran through the rooms to the door. There she fumbled with the three bolts that were preventing her from exiting. When she finally flung the door open, the other two were right behind her.

Outside all three of them ran towards the track. Jon was faster than the others, so he went on ahead until he reached the first turn. There he came to an abrupt halt. When Katherina and Tom caught up to him they saw a grey Land Rover backing down the track away from them. The shadows of the trees made it impossible to see who or how many people were in the vehicle. Katherina was about to run after it when Jon stopped her.

'They picked somebody up,' he explained. 'A guy came out of the trees on the left. There might have been more.'

Katherina peered through the tree trunks but the dense firs prevented her from seeing more than a couple of metres into the woods. The car had disappeared from sight but they could still hear the engine. It was driving away at a great speed.

'Did you get the number?' asked Katherina.

Jon shook his head. 'TX or something like that.'

'I'll get my shotgun,' said Tom and ran back to the house before the others could react.

'What did the man look like?' asked Katherina. 'Did you recognize him?'

'No,' replied Jon. 'He was short and thin, wearing hunting gear, with a hat and all the rest.'

'And a rifle?'

'Maybe. But I didn't see it.'

Jon took several steps forward, peering into the woods. They stood there for a couple of minutes and listened without hearing anything but the wind in the treetops.

'I'm sorry I ruined things,' he said without taking his eyes off the trees. 'I'm still not used to the idea that reading can be so revealing. All my life I've thought that reading silently was a private matter, a sort of personal space I could enter and be in all alone. But in reality I've been broadcasting like a radio station.'

'A radio station with an imperceptibly small number of listeners,' Katherina pointed out. 'Most people can spend an entire lifetime reading and never run into a receiver.'

'They do conceal themselves well,' said Jon with a smile. He nodded towards the farm. 'Yes, I know, Tom is a special case.' His smile vanished, and he gave her a searching glance. 'Very special. The question is, can we trust him?'

'Do we have any choice?'

'I've heard so many incredible things during the past week that this almost makes sense.' Jon once again fixed his eyes on the trees. 'At least it explains a lot of what has happened, to Luca in particular. I sure could have used that information a little earlier.'

Katherina noticed that his hands were clenched and his knuckles were white.

'The most unbelievable thing for me is that Luca never said anything,' she said. 'Not even to Iversen.'

Jon raised his hand to signal her to be quiet. In among the trees they could hear branches snapping and the sound of footsteps in the underbrush. Jon took a few more steps along the track and Katherina followed. Now they could make out a figure heading straight for them, and they could hear panting from the exertion required to push aside the intertwined branches.

Out of the shadows stepped Tom, red in the face and gasping for air. Under his arm he carried a shotgun adorned with twigs that had been torn off as he made his way through the woods.

'Nothing,' he told them after catching his breath. 'If anyone was here, he's gone now.' He handed the gun to Jon so he could brush the twigs and leaves out of his hair and beard.

Neither Katherina nor Jon had much desire to return to the dark farmhouse. Tom fell behind as they strolled up to the yard where the cars were parked. It was cold, but Katherina enjoyed the fresh air after the stuffy atmosphere inside the house.

'Who do you think it was?' asked Jon after they reached the yard and Tom had caught up.

'If it was the Shadow Organization, that's the closest I've ever been to them,' said Tom, reaching for his shotgun. Jon returned the gun to its owner, who carefully wiped off the dirt and dust from the barrel and butt.

'Did anyone follow you here?' asked Tom without taking his eyes off what he was doing.

Jon shook his head. 'I didn't notice anyone.'

'Seems a little odd that they'd show up on the very same day that you turn up here,' said Tom, casting a sidelong glance at both of them. 'Who knew where you were going?'

'Iversen and Pau,' replied Katherina.

'And my computer guy,' added Jon.

'Do you trust them?'

Katherina and Jon both nodded.

Tom scanned the buildings around them and gave a little sigh. 'I'd like you to leave now,' he said calmly.

Katherina and Jon exchanged glances.

'Shouldn't we stay for a little while, in case they come back?' asked Jon.

'No thanks,' said Tom, taking a step back. 'I can take care of myself. I've been doing that for twenty years. Please just leave me alone.'

As he stood there facing them with his shotgun under his arm, Katherina couldn't help feeling that his words were more than just a polite request. Even though his voice was controlled, Tom's body seemed tense, and his eyes kept shifting from one of them to the other.

'Let's go,' Katherina said softly, before Jon could object. 'Thanks for everything, Tom. You've given us some important information today, and we'll do our best to make good use of it. Of course, we hope to see you again. If the Shadow Organization really does exist and it's launching some sort of offensive, we'll need everyone's help.'

Tom nodded, though he had a slightly dubious look in his eyes. He watched them carefully as they got into the car. As they drove away, Katherina studied him in the mirror. Nшrreskov stood in the farmyard and watched them for a moment, then he turned round and quickly walked towards the main building.

'A little paranoid, don't you think?' said Jon after they'd come out on the other side of the woods.

'All those years alone in this place would make me a bit odd, too,' said Katherina, hurrying to add: 'Even odder, I mean.'

They drove back to Copenhagen in silence. Katherina sensed that Jon would prefer to think through the new information on his own, and she spent the time looking for cars that might be following them. But they reached Copenhagen without seeing any Land Rovers or other suspicious vehicles, and their mood lifted significantly when they drove in among the tall buildings of the town centre.

Jon turned off the engine in front of Libri di Luca, but he made no move to get out of the car.

'I think I need some time to think about all this,' he said, giving her an apologetic look.

'Of course,' said Katherina. 'Take your time. Let me know if there's anything I can do.' Through the shop windows she could see Pau walking around inside. 'What do we tell the others?' she asked, nodding towards Pau, who had taken up position in the window with his hands on his hips and his eyes fixed on them.

'I've been thinking about the same thing,' said Jon. 'All my father's secrecy certainly didn't do him any good – on the contrary. So maybe we should just lay our cards on the table and tell them everything.' He shrugged. 'Maybe that would make someone give himself away, if there really is a mole in the Bibliophile Society.'