Easy Money

JW

It had to be Jan Bruneus.

The teacher was dressed in a brown corduroy suit with leather patches at the elbows. He wore a green V-necked knit sweater under the jacket. Three days’ worth of stubble made it more difficult to appreciate his age, but he was probably around forty. He had thin-framed glasses, maybe made by Silhoutte. JW thought he looked like a nice guy.

He walked up to Jan.

Jan turned around, studied JW.

JW thought, Does he see the resemblance between me and Camilla?

Jan said, “How can I help you?”

“My name is Johan Westlund. We spoke on the phone a couple of days ago, as you might remember. I would like to speak to you about my sister, Camilla Westlund. If that’s okay.”

Bruneus sat down on the edge of the desk. Didn’t say anything. Just sighed.

Did he want to seem like he was ready for a heart-to-heart, or what?

The girls who’d been in the classroom left.

Jan got up and closed the door behind them. Sat back down on the edge of the desk.

JW remained standing. No comment.

“I really want to apologize for my behavior. Thinking about her made me upset. The whole disappearance is just so tragic. I didn’t mean to hang up on you like that.”

JW listened without saying anything in return.

“I remember Camilla very well. She was one of my favorite students. She was talented and interested. Good attendance. I gave her an A in every subject.”

JW thought, Teachers care about bullshit like attendance.

“What subjects did she have with you?”

“Language arts, English, and, if I’m remembering correctly, social studies. You know, around two hundred faces pass through my classes every year, but I remember Camilla. You look a lot alike.”

“People say that. Can you tell me more about what you remember about her? I know that she hung out some with a girl named Susanne Pettersson. Did she have other friends here?”

“Susanne Pettersson? I don’t remember her. But I honestly don’t think Camilla had a lot of friends, which was strange. I thought she was very extroverted and nice-seeming. She looked nice, too.”

Something was off. Susanne Pettersson’d said that she and Camilla used to cut class. Now Jan Bruneus was saying she’d had a good attendance record. And that she’d looked nice. Did teachers usually say stuff like that?

They talked for another two minutes or so. Jan spoke in generalities. “Komvux is an important social institution. High school doesn’t suit everyone. Here, they can get a second chance.”

JW wanted to get away from the classroom. Away from Jan Bruneus.

Jan shook his hand. “It’s a sad story. Send my regards to your parents. Tell them that Camilla would’ve gone far.”

Jan picked up a worn leather briefcase from the floor and disappeared out into the hall.

JW walked back to the reception desk. Took note of the hours. The administration offices were closed for the day. Typical, or what?

At home, he flipped through the phone book. City of Stockholm, Education Department. Called the number and asked to be connected to someone who could answer general questions about transcripts and official records. He was put through to the responsible administrator. They discussed JW’s questions for fifteen minutes. That was enough. JW got all the answers he needed.

He would definitely go back to the reception at Komvux. Dig deep in the school’s transcript archives. Something wasn’t right with Jan Bruneus’s story.