Reckoning Point, стр. 15
“Gabi had just had her first quarterly check up, I would be expecting to see her again, but now …” Bram spreads his hands, holds them palm up and shrugs his shoulders.
Erik nods, says nothing and Bram slowly drops his hands, feeling a little like the shoe is now on the other foot, that this young man is interrogating him. That the tables have turned.
“It’s getting hot out there now, I would be most obliged for a drink of water before I go on my way.” It is Erik who breaks the silence first.
Bram puts his hands in his lap, hidden from view so the Inspectuer doesn’t see his clenched fists. After a moment, he remembers to rearrange his face into a welcoming smile and he stands up. “Inspectuer, you must forgive me. I’m not used to having refined company here. Of course I’ll get you water. Or perhaps your thirst could be quenched by something a little stronger?”
“Water will be fine, thank you.”
Bram goes to the waiting area, selects a glass and fills it from the tap, all the time trying not to mutter about the cop and his bad attitude. What is it with people coming here with their filthy personalities? What is that he – Bram – does for people to treat him this way, when all he does, as an upstanding citizen and doctor of this town, is help? Twenty years ago this young just-out-of-school cop wouldn’t have dared speak to Bram with an attitude. Twenty years ago, the cop would have known exactly who the doctor was, how revered he was, how important …
And as Bram stands and seethes quietly, a thought strikes him. It felt as though the young cop was interrogating him as a criminal rather than a character witness, and what’s he doing now, in Bram’s office? Is he looking around, prying into Bram’s files and notes? Slopping the water over the side of the glass in his haste Bram moves as speedily as his age will allow and bursts through the door into his office.
The Inspectuer is in his chair, his hands on the arms.
Bram looks at him, looks at his pose. He was in the process of getting up, Bram is sure of that as he passes him the glass.
Or – and a chill runs through Bram as the thought strikes him – rather than about to get up, the Inspectuer could be just sitting back down again.
14
ELIAN
SCHEVENINGEN
4.7.17 Daytime
Elian had been in a hurry to get back to her own building and write down Lev’s new address before it slipped from her mind like so many other things did these days. And as she had jogged over the tram tracks she remembered Brigitta and had slowed down to a walk. She shouldn’t have run off like that, chasing Lev all over town when Brigitta had made an effort to be so friendly. But Lev was the reason that Elian was here in the first place. The whole point of this trip across the North Sea was to locate him and make him pay for his part in the Chernobyl fiasco.
She had decided that she would go straight to Brigitta’s home and so, compromising, she had written Lev’s address on a receipt in her purse. Of course, when she had reached the apartment thoughts of Brigitta had vanished and she had gone straight home, only remembering her new friend the next day as she flicked through her notebook and Brigitta’s name pounced out at her. Now she stands outside Brigitta’s door, a day late, and feeling awful.
After knocking on Brigitta’s door without answer, Elian is about to give up when she hears a scratching sound from inside and then, the door is opened slowly to reveal Brigitta’s tearstained face. Elian blanches at her appearance, is the girl so upset at being jilted by Elian that she’s been crying about it?
“Are you okay?” Elian leans against the door. “I’m so sorry I left you, something … came up,” she finishes lamely.
“Come in. I just had some bad news.” Brigitta retreats into the flat and Elian hesitantly follows, relieved that it wasn’t her own actions that caused upset to her neighbour.
“I can go, if you want to be alone.” Elian stands awkwardly in the small lounge, noting now that there is another girl in there.
“This is Amber,” Brigitta gestures towards the blonde, pale girl sitting on the sagging couch.
Amber flicks red-rimmed eyes at Elian and nods at her. “Did you know Gabi?”
Elian looks at Brigitta who has paused on the threshold to the kitchenette. “Elian’s not working, she’s just moved here.”
“Who’s Gabi?” asks Elian, directing her question to Brigitta as Amber dissolves into tears.
“She was our friend. She died yesterday.” Brigitta shuffles to the sink. “Do you want a drink?”
Elian looks from one girl to the other. This meeting was supposed to be about Brigitta helping her, Elian, and listening to her troubles, but now it seems like she has her own problems, and Elian, though currently friendless and lonely, still has enough social niceties left to know when to back off.
“No, you’ve got enough on your plate,” she says, smiling to ensure Brigitta won’t think she’s offended. “I’ll get back to my place.”
Brigitta shrugs and comes back to stand in front of Amber. Elian backs towards the door and turns around. “If you need anything, just let me know. If there’s anything I can do.”
She thinks she sees gratitude in Brigitta’s eyes as she leaves, but she’s not sure. And as she lets herself into her own apartment she feels suddenly very lonely indeed. She hadn’t realised just how much she had been looking forward to spending time with another girl near to her own age. She ponders upon Brigitta’s choice of words to Amber; that Elian is