The Hanging Girl

43

“Thanks! Thanks, Simon, it was nice of you to let me know. But no, I’ve got no idea why the police want to talk to Atu or why it’s so important that they’re calling for witnesses on TV. Are you completely sure it was him you saw in the photo?” She held a hand against her chest but could hardly breathe.

“Yes, Pirjo. The policeman who also came here to the garden center put it right up to the camera. In fact, I recognized Atu and the VW Kombi.”

The car. Oh God, that too!

“He gave quite a good description of Atu. Has he still got that light stain on his front tooth?”

“No, he had that removed years ago.”

“Anyway, now you’re warned. I hope it’s nothing serious. I can assure you they won’t get anything out of me. I owe you that.”

“Thanks, Simon.”

She slowly put the receiver back. So, they were on their tail, but how far had they come? Could they be here any minute, knocking on the door?

Pirjo told herself to get a grip, she had nothing to fear. How much could the cops really have?

She went over it in her mind. What could they prove? After all, there was nothing to prove, and that was it. Maybe they knew that the girl had had an affair with Frank, but so what? That wasn’t illegal. They’d stayed at Ølene for a couple of months, and then they’d left. There was no connection there.

Pirjo looked over at Atu’s door. Should she tell him, or was it better not to? If she wanted them to be in this together, now was probably the time.

She shook her head. Why confront him with it? Why disturb his peace now that everything was working out so well? They’d never talked about it, so why now? If he was able to manage his own business, Pirjo could manage hers, too.

The child growing inside her was what mattered most. The child that would be born to greatness and adoration. Nothing must stand in its way, neither the police nor Shirley. Once the police arrived, things might soon be said that would raise suspicion.

She looked out of the window. Right now, the area was quiet, the hour of meditation still under way. But in ten minutes, everyone would gather in the assembly hall to receive Atu’s weekly briefing. She’d speak to the assembly about Malena, Valentina, and Shirley. She’d give them the same explanation about Malena as she’d given Valentina, and she’d make them all express how pleased they were that she was safe and well. After that, she’d bring them greetings from Valentina, telling them that she was in Copenhagen Airport, and that the day after, she’d be pulling the strings in their office in Barcelona. She’d say that the office had suddenly been unstaffed, and that they’d decided to give her the opportunity if she was willing to leave straightaway.

She’d tell them that there would be many tasks like that in the future as the teachings of nature absorption gained currency. She’d tell them that Atu’s tenets were being translated into Italian as she spoke, and that they’d probably be opening an office in Assisi or Ancona, because that was close to Croatia, which was one of their potential target countries.

* * *

The assembled disciples were smiling, and the atmosphere was good.

With the sun shining outside, Pirjo stuck out her pregnant belly while she spoke to the disciples. Tomatoes had been harvested in the greenhouse, and Atu’s lesson had been absolutely wonderful. The impetus for his teachings to reach the rest of the world was everyone’s success, confirming that their life choice had been timely and right.

Pirjo smiled at Atu, who was listening silently on his podium. They hadn’t discussed Valentina’s task, the Italian translation, or the location of a possible new recruiting office by the Adriatic Sea, but that wasn’t necessary. Pirjo was the entrepreneur, and he was the spirit hovering above it all. He seemed pleased with what he’d just heard.

“We’ve been given an opportunity to bring peace to the world with our teachings,” he often said. “All religions will merge into one, and humanity will concentrate on working for one another, at one with nature and its whims and blessings.”

The sooner she sent disciples out into the world, the more consolidated Atu’s position would become, and that would also benefit her and the child, which was kicking a bit too eagerly inside her as she was speaking.

“I also bring greetings from Shirley,” she said quietly, seeking a few faces of people she’d seen in Shirley’s company.

“Shirley left us yesterday when I made it clear that unfortunately we can’t accept her as a permanent member of our family.”

There was a stir among the listeners. Maybe they were more puzzled than was good. Maybe they wanted to ask questions, but she wouldn’t give them the chance.

“Shirley is a wonderful, warm, and unique person, and we’ll miss her a lot. Yesterday, I asked her a series of questions, and presented her with a number of possible future tasks that would allow us to make up our minds about her future here. To my great surprise, it became clear during the interview that Shirley had a very specific plan. She’d developed an intense desire to take over functions that some of you are in charge of, believing herself to be more capable of performing them. During the interview, she turned out very surprisingly to be an exponent for ambition and selfishness, which doesn’t harmonize with our ethos here. So I gave her the opportunity to go through a period of purification, which she rejected while also becoming increasingly angry. Maybe some of you heard her shouting in my office about it. At one point, I was about to call for help because she got so carried away that she threatened to hit me, but I managed to calm her down, convincing her to immediately pack her belongings and go home. I paid back part of her course fee; otherwise I don’t think the situation would have been resolved so easily.”

She looked out over the assembly, who all seemed appropriately shocked.

“I really wanted her to say good-bye to those of you she meditated with in a nice and orderly fashion, and in the spirit of the Nature Absorption Academy, but she was far too uncompromising and just wanted to leave. She didn’t even want a ride to the mainland, that’s how angry she was. Well, apparently that’s how she felt.”

“We should appreciate Pirjo’s dedication,” sounded a voice from behind her. It was Atu, now standing. “And we should appreciate her courage.”

He stepped over to her, and put his hand on her waist. “We have a lot to thank you for, Pirjo,” he said, and turned to face the group. “If anyone has any questions about Shirley’s choice and new path, let’s hear them.”

But nobody said anything.

* * *

For some time, Pirjo stood in front of the new timber circle, watching the men working, with all her senses alert. The distance from here down to the house where Shirley was locked up for the second day was several hundred meters. She told herself again that it was remote enough. In order for any sound to escape through the walls of the house and reach the timber circle, Shirley would need at least a foghorn. And as long as these men stayed near their work site, there’d never be any risk. But one of them had just left in the direction of the house to relieve himself, and if he did it, others might do it, too.

In other words, a silly coincidence could end up resulting in a keen ear hearing a desperate voice screaming for help, and she couldn’t allow that. According to her estimate, it would be at least four to five days before Shirley was so fatigued that the shouts would no longer have any considerable effect. And at least twenty days before she died. That was a long time. Far too long, she knew that now.

She clapped her hands, and the workmen’s flexed muscles relaxed. They all looked at her.

“I have a new project for you, which means that you’ll have to suspend work on this for a week. We’re going over to the other side of the center, because it’s my plan that we should all have bikes, so we can send people out to do missionary work on the island. There’ll be great advantages to creating a closer connection with the local inhabitants, and I’ve already ordered the bikes. The materials will be delivered early in the morning, and then we’ll start building bike sheds.” She looked at them questioningly. “What do you say? Does that sound okay?”

She sent them a big smile, which helped.

With one hand on her stomach, she walked slowly through the long grass toward the house where Shirley would die. She’d considered speeding up the process by poisoning her. She’d also considered the possibility of knocking her unconscious, and then slitting her wrists. But then what if the body was found by some freak accident before she managed to get rid of it? Or what if Shirley had left incriminating messages somewhere in the house where Pirjo would overlook them? There was always a risk, and that was her main concern.

Shirley’s weight was another worry. Even if she starved to death, she’d definitely still be a large woman, and Pirjo would have to drag the body a considerable distance to hide it properly. How would she manage in her state, and when could she do it so that no one would notice?

The plan was that Shirley would never be found alive, and that Pirjo couldn’t be connected with her death. That was why her initial thought had been to wait until Shirley starved to death, and then kick the door in and put the key in Shirley’s hand, so it would look like she’d committed suicide by not eating and drinking.

The only problem was that it took such a long time. That was why she went down to the house again. Not to kill Shirley, but to turn off the water.

As far as she remembered, there was a water main behind the house, and if she turned that off, it would have two positive long-term effects. First, it would mean a quicker death for Shirley. Second, it would give Pirjo better odds if she opted for plan B.

Without water, Shirley wouldn’t be able to put out or douse the fire if the house was suddenly burning, and maybe that was the best way to end things. A few drops of surgical spirit and a match when everyone else was away from the center. Only a question of timing.

Neither the police nor people at the academy would find any leads pointing to her.

All to protect what they had built.