Berg nodded.
“Arne would never leave his children and he won’t in this case and you shouldn’t try to get him to. Nothing good will come of it. But we’ve got to get going now and I’m in a hurry.”
Berg, who was familiar with the Countess’s great disdain for parking tickets, did not let herself be chased off immediately with these words. Instead she calmly finished her coffee. She had confirmed something that she really had known all along, and although her colleague had not exactly minced her words it was still a relief to hear. She dropped the subject and asked, “How did you know where I was? And why didn’t you call?”
“I did call. Four times, with no answer, so either your cell phone ringer is set too low or else you’ve turned it off, but Simon said you were most likely in here, reading women’s magazines.”
Color flooded back into Pauline Berg’s cheeks. “How can he know that?”
The Countess smiled. Without much empathy. “How can I know it?”
Then she added in a more conciliatory tone, “Simon’s network of contacts within the corps is extensive and you have chosen to hide in one of Denmark’s most frequently patrolled neighborhoods, so I think you’ve been spotted. Probably by a male colleague. They tend to notice you. Do you come here frequently?”
Berg grabbed the straw and ignored the question and said, “Yes, someone must have blabbed. So damn typical of men.”
The Countess nodded.
“Couldn’t agree more. But let’s get going. I’m going to tell you a cute little story on the way about how a mayor sent a psychologist to a psychologist.”
CHAPTER 33
Anni Staal was sitting at her desk at the Dagbladet and waiting patiently for her cub reporter to be ready. Anita Dahlgren leafed through her papers without rushing, well aware that this glacial pace irritated her boss.
The relationship between the two had gone from bad to worse in the past couple of days and it was now clear to both of them that they could not stand each other. Reluctantly, however, each had to grant the other a fairly high level of professional competence. Anni Staal had been in the limelight ever since Monday, when the murders in Bagsv?rd were discovered. Her subject matter took up a large part of the paper and there were many indications that this pattern would continue for a while. Despite the considerable stress, she was thoroughly enjoying the situation. Like a rat in a sewer, Dahlgren thought, who also grudgingly admitted to herself that she could learn a great deal from her appointed mentor. If she discounted the woman’s total cynicism and a disturbing lack of objectives other than advancing herself, her boss was a spectacular journalist.
For her part, Staal was not blind to the talents of her student. The girl was quick-witted, hardworking, intuitive, and above all she had some exceptionally creative approaches, all of which made her highly usable. That on a personal plane she appeared too soft to navigate the real world was less important. Staal had many co-workers with the opposite characteristics and she could live with the fact that the girl was churlish and unbearably didactic. Her shoulders were broad and she had encountered far worse.
The fact was that their work together was going very well.
Anita Dahlgren’s timing was perfect and Anni Staal’s words about getting her ass in gear stuck in her throat.
“You asked me for a report on the reaction from secondary schools around the country. Generally speaking, throughout the day there have been a multitude of examples of adult-education or secondary-school classes boycotting their regular instruction in favor of various studies that in one way or another relate to the sexual abuse of children. It’s hard give you a firm estimate, but my tentative conclusion is that about one-third or half of the secondary schools in the country have been affected. There are, however, large regional differences. The phenomenon is strongest in Copenhagen and the larger cities. These activities will most likely continue on Monday, and intensify. Probably creeping into the upper classes of the middle schools. That has already happened in individual instances.”
“What do they want to achieve? And who is behind all this?” Anita asked.
“Your last question is easy to answer. No one is behind it. It is spontaneous and spreads from one institution to the next, but there is no doubt that the abuse ad from yesterday set this whole thing off.”
Anita nodded.