The Dinosaur Feather

Chapter 17

When Søren arrived at the Natural History Museum, Anna had vanished. He had been driving to Copenhagen when she called and his blood had turned to ice.

“Help me,” she had said. He could hear her breathing heavily.“My friend Troels killed Johannes. He’s here. In the Whale Room at the museum. I’ve tied him to a bench. But I have to go now.” Then she had hung up. Søren called Bellahøj police station for backup and accelerated. A patrol car with two officers reached the museum at the same time as him. He told them what little he knew as they raced up the stairs. “The Whale Room?” he shouted to the young woman behind the counter. She pointed dutifully to the elevator. When they reached the fourth floor, they ran through the foyer and into a large room. A whale was mounted on the wall, several people had gathered and it was mayhem.

Søren pushed through the crowd. The man he had seen on the poster outside Magasin was sitting on a bench. He must be Troels. Søren was astonished. Troels was pulling and yanking his left arm, which was tied to the back of the bench. His wrist was bleeding, and he snorted like a wild animal.

“Sit still,” Søren ordered him. Troels refused.

“Sit! Still!” Søren thundered.

Troels turned his head and sent Søren a furious stare. His eyes were bloodshot. Then, with all the strength he could muster, he kicked Søren’s shin with his boot. Søren hobbled out of the way and let his colleagues take over.

“Now calm down,” one of them said. The other cut the cable ties and handcuffed Troels.

“What’s your name, apart from Troels?” Søren said, amicably, limping closer.

“Not fucking telling you, pig.” Troels scowled.

“Where is Anna?” Søren asked him instead. Troels’s eyes flashed.

“I’ll kill her when I see her.”

“Of course you will,” Søren said, humoring him. “It’s 3:22 p.m. and I’m arresting you and charging you with… assaulting a police officer.” Søren was aware that his colleagues were looking at him, but he ignored them. In a few hours, when he had more information, he would charge Troels with Johannes’s murder.

“You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something that you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence,” he added. The light in Troels’s eyes changed; he opened and closed his mouth, then he accepted the situation. “Take him to the station,” Søren ordered his colleagues. “I’ll follow shortly.”

Søren went through the museum, but Anna was nowhere to be found. He called her several times with only a minute’s interval, but she didn’t reply. Finally, he left a message telling her he wasn’t prepared to run around the museum looking for her and expected her to call him as soon as possible. He thanked her for making a citizen’s arrest and requested a proper explanation. As soon as possible, he emphasized.

At five thirty Søren still hadn’t heard from Anna. He sat in his office debating his options. He had spent two hours trying to get Troels to tell him his surname. Troels refused. In the end, Søren had telephoned Stella Marie Frederiksen. She was visiting friends, but agreed to take a taxi to the police station. She spent fifteen minutes there, looked at Troels through a one-way mirror and confirmed that it was him. No doubt about it. She also provided Søren with a guest list for the Red Mask on September 7. Troels’s full name would be on it. Søren scanned it but was none the wiser. There were two guests by the name of Troels. One called Vedsegaard, the other Nielsen. He scratched his head and looked at the clock.

Tick tock.

He ate a sandwich.

He wrote a report.

He stared out into the darkness, but couldn’t see past his own reflection.

When Anna finally returned his call, his nerves were twitching.

“Where are you?” he practically shouted when she said her name.

“At home now,” she said, calmly. Søren relaxed.

“It’s Vedsegaard,” Anna confirmed, glumly, in response to Søren’s question. “He was my best friend… when I was little. I promise to explain it all another time. I’m sorry for running off.”

Søren underlined the name Troels Vedsegaard.

“He confessed,” Anna said.

“I assumed so, since you arrested him.” Søren couldn’t help smiling. “You need to be at the station tomorrow morning at ten.” A pause followed.

“I have something else for you,” she said.

“Aha?”

“I know who infected Professor Helland with Taenia solium.”

Total silence now.

“Are you there?” Anna said.

“What did you say?”

“I know who infected Lars Helland.”

“Who?”

“His name is Asger Moritzen. He is Lars Helland and Hanne Moritzen’s son. His address is 12 Glasvej, northwest Copenhagen. Dr. Tybjerg revealed the link. He has been friends with Asger since they were undergraduates. Asger used to work at the university, but was laid off when his department was closed. Dr. Tybjerg told me Asger had no idea that Professor Helland was his father. Tybjerg discovered it by chance and was blackmailing Helland with the knowledge. When Asger finally found out, he became very odd and distant. Tybjerg said they’re not friends anymore.”

Søren tried to break all this information into bite-size pieces.

“Go on,” he said, brusquely.

“I spent almost two hours with Professor Moritzen today. That’s why I couldn’t wait for you and I didn’t answer my cell. I had to see her. Hanne is my friend, and she lied. She has a son! I was really angry when I got there, but she… she told me everything. She has known all weekend that Asger killed Helland. She wanted to go to the police, but… mothers and their children,” Anna suddenly burst out. “Mothers will do anything to protect their children.”

Søren was about to say something when she continued.

“I promised Hanne you’ll take good care of him when you pick him up. Asger’s mentally frail, but not dangerous, she assured me. I think he’s mostly scared.”

Søren swallowed.

“So you know where Dr. Tybjerg is?” he said.

“Yes,” Anna said. “I’ve known all the time. Sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Søren said, angrily.

“Dr. Tybjerg is on the verge of a breakdown, so I couldn’t run the risk. I want to have my dissertation defense next Monday. I have to get it over and done with. I have a three-year-old daughter. I have to become her mother again.”

“So where is he?” Søren said, appeased.

“I’ll tell you later.” Anna’s voice was calm. “Tomorrow. But I can’t be with you at ten. There’s something I have to do first. I’ll be there at one. And now I’ve got to go.”

“Anna, I demand to know where Dr. Tybjerg is!”

“Trust me.”

And she was gone.

Søren sat at his desk, staring at the telephone.

Søren went to visit Professor Moritzen.

“Come in,” she said, hoarsely, buzzing him in. She was wearing a soft gray outfit and was waiting for him in the doorway when he came up the stairs. Her hair was wet as though she had just had a shower.

They sat down in the living room. Like her vacation cottage, her apartment was carefully furnished, limited to bamboo and white, broken only by splashes of bright red and orange. Professor Moritzen perched on the edge of the sofa and waited for Søren to begin.

“I’m here because Anna Bella Nor called me an hour ago and told me—”

“I asked her to call you,” Professor Moritzen interrupted him.

“So you suspect your son, Asger Moritzen, infected Professor Helland with parasites?” he said.

She nodded.

“And the late Lars Helland was your son’s biological father?”

She nodded again.

“Why do you think your son infected his father with parasites?” Søren wondered if Professor Moritzen was mentally ill. Did she even have a son or was she making it all up?

“Asger told me last Thursday,” she said. “He was very scared, but he felt better after telling me. When will you be picking him up?” She looked beseechingly at Søren. “Asger is very delicate. You can’t just barge in on him. You need to go there, alone, and talk to him. You won’t just barge in, will you?” she repeated. “He has dangerous bugs and reptiles in there,” she added.

“In his apartment?” Søren frowned.

“Yes, he has tanks full of them,” she replied. “So, are you going to get him?”

“When did you last speak with him?”

“Perhaps you could just let me tell you the whole story,” she said.