Free Satellite People by Hans Olav Lahlum Page B

expected to be thrown out at any moment. But over time I came to realize that this was no new
great love, but rather the final physical fancy of a vigorous yet ageing man. There was no indication that he had any plans for a third divorce. After all, if he were to get married for a fourth
time to an uneducated girl who could be his grandchild, it would make his life very difficult. It was bad enough when he left his former wife to marry me, and he had become more careful over the
years. Of course, I did not like her or her presence here in the slightest, but I gradually came to see her as less of a threat. And now it is over. She will no longer have a job to come to
tomorrow morning.’
    It was impossible for me not to tell her the truth – that Synnøve Jensen was in fact pregnant.
    This time the reaction was dramatic. Sandra Schelderup leapt out of her chair, hit the table with balled hands and shouted: ‘Impossible. It can’t be his child!’
    When I asked whether it had been medically proven that Magdalon Schelderup could no longer have children, she shook her head sheepishly, then suddenly blushed deeply.
    It struck me that I already appeared to be tainted by the ruthless atmosphere at Schelderup Hall. I realized that this was a great blow to Sandra Schelderup both as a woman and a wife, but could
not feel any real sympathy for her.
    ‘That too,’ she said, sitting down with a heavy sigh. ‘And unborn children have the same inheritance rights as other children, don’t they?’ she added, quickly.
    I confirmed this, but said that it could often be difficult to prove in such cases.
    ‘And obviously that will be true here – unless he has left behind some kind of written acknowledgement that he is the father?’
    I nodded.
    ‘So Magdalon’s will is even more important than ever – both for your investigation and for my life.’
    I agreed with her and repeated that it was my hope that we would be informed of the contents of the will within the next day or so. As if by unspoken arrangement, we both stood up at the same
time.
    Sandra Schelderup commented from the doorway that I had no doubt already heard unfavourable things about her from the others. She asked me to bear in mind that there are always two sides to a
story and that she had had her struggles too. She was a country girl who had had to work her way up from simple beginnings when she was young. It had not been easy to be married to Magdalon for
eighteen years, nor had it been easy to be accepted as his third wife.
    I found this to be entirely credible, but let the door close firmly behind her all the same before I made ready to leave.
    XIV
    The air felt clearer and sweeter when I finally managed to get away from Schelderup Hall and the irascible dogs. But the situation remained very unclear for all that. The next
question was whether my first phone call should be to Patricia or to the lawyers, Rønning, Rønning & Rønning.
    When I finally got home at around nine o’clock, I followed my instincts and called Patricia first. She answered the telephone on the second ring. To my great relief, her voice sounded
exactly as it had one a year ago. And she seemed to brighten up when she heard that it was me and that I was calling about a new murder investigation. For the next half hour, she listened without
saying a word while I outlined my initial impression of the case.
    ‘And your conclusion?’ I asked, optimistically.
    ‘That I still do not know who murdered Magdalon Schelderup. There are far too many alternatives and theories that may prove to be true. But I would be more than happy to help you find out.
We managed very well with seven potential murderers in the same building last year, so we will just have to see if we can extend our repertoire to include ten possible murderers in a mansion this
year.’
    I was very happy to hear Patricia sounding so optimistic and enthusiastic, and she hurried on.
    ‘There are several strange and