relieved I am. I’ve been so unhappy. I might leave this world at peace with myself after all; that means more than I can ever say. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. It’s so important to be able to say your good-byes.”
Louise squeezed Jane’s hand and nodded. She wasn’t sure she could help her old friend. All she knew was that Jane’s son had been staying in the forest, and right now she had no idea where he was.
She felt the butcher’s eyes on her back all the way out to the hall, and when she turned to say good-bye he was right behind her. She lowered her hand when she saw the expression on his face.
“I can’t believe you’d stoop so low, putting René behind bars,” he said, his voice low. “He helped you, and that asshole got what was coming to him.”
“René killed him,” she snapped. “Shot him. It was completely unnecessary.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
“So what did you hear?”
The butcher retreated a step and looked on her with scorn. “I heard he saved you from that asshole fucking your brains out.”
“He told you that?”
“You hear so much,” he said offhandedly, but then continued. “It’s hard for him to tell what happened, sitting in jail. But I have a visitor’s permit. I’m going in to see him tomorrow.”
Louise was enraged. She could imagine them sitting together and talking about her. Only moments ago she had almost changed her mind about Lars Frandsen, but now she remembered very clearly why she had hated him and his gang.
10
L ouise felt dizzy when she walked out of the house. Eik stood smoking a cigarette, enjoying the view of the forest. She asked him to unlock the car, and just as she was about to get in, Charlie jumped up right behind the front seat. He looked at her and cocked his ears forward, as if in anticipation.
“You’ll just have to wait to get out and run,” she snapped. She was still enraged. She’d let the man provoke her. She shouldn’t have reacted when he mentioned René.
“Damn it,” she said under her breath. She vowed that from now on she would be better prepared.
Eik walked over to her. “What are you mumbling about?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You were good in there. I’m sorry; it threw me off to see it was Jane lying in bed. We knew each other.”
Eik put his arm around her. “I figured it was something like that.” He kissed her hair.
* * *
Images from the past kept popping up now, after seeing Jane. Happy images. Despite her anger, Louise could suddenly recall what it was like being an eighth-grader in love.
She had been crazy about Klaus. She’d stood by the outdoor handball court in every kind of weather to watch him play. She’d hung out in the gym’s clubhouse, just to see him walk out of the locker room.
It all seemed so ridiculous now, but back then it had been a matter of life or death. Teenage love had been a force she couldn’t control, no matter how hard she tried. She could still remember her heart jumping when he looked at her and smiled.
They started going together after a party in the gym. Maybe she’d been drunker than she thought when she walked over to him. And it had felt like the most natural thing in the world when Klaus put his arm around her and whispered in her ear, “Finally.”
* * *
Eik backed out of the courtyard and drove down the bumpy gravel road, out to the highway. “You want to go out to eat tonight? Jonas is welcome to come along, of course. We could go to Tea; they make the best Peking duck in town.”
She smiled and said that Jonas was going to a movie with a friend and would be staying all night with him afterward.
Eik grinned. “It’s not like I have anything against it being just the two of us.” He leaned toward her. “We can have coffee at your place afterward.”
She touched his cheek, felt the stubble grazing against the palm of her hand.
“There’s something I have to do first,” she said. She told him to turn right
Louise squeezed Jane’s hand and nodded. She wasn’t sure she could help her old friend. All she knew was that Jane’s son had been staying in the forest, and right now she had no idea where he was.
She felt the butcher’s eyes on her back all the way out to the hall, and when she turned to say good-bye he was right behind her. She lowered her hand when she saw the expression on his face.
“I can’t believe you’d stoop so low, putting René behind bars,” he said, his voice low. “He helped you, and that asshole got what was coming to him.”
“René killed him,” she snapped. “Shot him. It was completely unnecessary.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
“So what did you hear?”
The butcher retreated a step and looked on her with scorn. “I heard he saved you from that asshole fucking your brains out.”
“He told you that?”
“You hear so much,” he said offhandedly, but then continued. “It’s hard for him to tell what happened, sitting in jail. But I have a visitor’s permit. I’m going in to see him tomorrow.”
Louise was enraged. She could imagine them sitting together and talking about her. Only moments ago she had almost changed her mind about Lars Frandsen, but now she remembered very clearly why she had hated him and his gang.
10
L ouise felt dizzy when she walked out of the house. Eik stood smoking a cigarette, enjoying the view of the forest. She asked him to unlock the car, and just as she was about to get in, Charlie jumped up right behind the front seat. He looked at her and cocked his ears forward, as if in anticipation.
“You’ll just have to wait to get out and run,” she snapped. She was still enraged. She’d let the man provoke her. She shouldn’t have reacted when he mentioned René.
“Damn it,” she said under her breath. She vowed that from now on she would be better prepared.
Eik walked over to her. “What are you mumbling about?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You were good in there. I’m sorry; it threw me off to see it was Jane lying in bed. We knew each other.”
Eik put his arm around her. “I figured it was something like that.” He kissed her hair.
* * *
Images from the past kept popping up now, after seeing Jane. Happy images. Despite her anger, Louise could suddenly recall what it was like being an eighth-grader in love.
She had been crazy about Klaus. She’d stood by the outdoor handball court in every kind of weather to watch him play. She’d hung out in the gym’s clubhouse, just to see him walk out of the locker room.
It all seemed so ridiculous now, but back then it had been a matter of life or death. Teenage love had been a force she couldn’t control, no matter how hard she tried. She could still remember her heart jumping when he looked at her and smiled.
They started going together after a party in the gym. Maybe she’d been drunker than she thought when she walked over to him. And it had felt like the most natural thing in the world when Klaus put his arm around her and whispered in her ear, “Finally.”
* * *
Eik backed out of the courtyard and drove down the bumpy gravel road, out to the highway. “You want to go out to eat tonight? Jonas is welcome to come along, of course. We could go to Tea; they make the best Peking duck in town.”
She smiled and said that Jonas was going to a movie with a friend and would be staying all night with him afterward.
Eik grinned. “It’s not like I have anything against it being just the two of us.” He leaned toward her. “We can have coffee at your place afterward.”
She touched his cheek, felt the stubble grazing against the palm of her hand.
“There’s something I have to do first,” she said. She told him to turn right
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