The Exception: A Novel Part 49

She remembers exactly what the yard looked like.

If, like Rasmus, youre on your way down the stairs and shoot out through the window, your body will take off to the right and become skewered on the fence posts, but if youre on your way up, the angle of the fall should be different. It should be possible to miss the wide steel railings and land on the tarmac, clear of the fence.

Iben takes a few more steps down. Denim Suit is getting closer. She turns around, facing up toward the landing. With her hands, she grasps the rails on both sides of the stairs and pushes off with her arms and legs for maximum speed. Her body flies upward and forward. Back on the landing, she doesnt turn the corner but puts one foot on the guardrail and throws herself at the old stained-gla.s.s panes. Protecting her face with her arms against the shards of many-colored gla.s.s, she falls less awkwardly than she did that night in Anne-Lises garden. She is on her feet at once, unaware of how badly she is cut. She runs along the wall to the entrance leading to the communal bicycle storage in the bas.e.m.e.nt. She hears no steps. The far end leads to the street behind Malenes house.

She keeps running. The air is much colder now. Normally, taking in lungfuls of icy air would hurt, but it doesnt. She is becoming conscious of the pain in her hands and feet.

At last, she reaches Gunnars street.

chapter 50.

She throws herself into his arms. Her nose is running and her wrist is bleeding, making large dark stains on his s.h.i.+rt.

Gunnar carries her inside. Iben, what on earth ?

He dries her face gently with his s.h.i.+rt and asks where the blood is coming from. She is crying so much, he cannot make sense of what shes trying to say.

He examines her hands and starts picking fragments of gla.s.s from her blouse.

Iben, listen. You need to get out of your blouse and take a bath so we can see where your wounds are I want to lie down.

Of course. You will. But first we need to find out where youre bleeding.

I want to lie down!

Yes, yes. Of course. He helps her to the sofa.

The light is too strong. She closes her eyes, but the brightness wont go away. It seems to make dancing patterns against her lids. She asks for a cus.h.i.+on to cover her eyes. With her face partly hidden, she tries to pull herself together.

We have to get hold of Malene and warn her. It is very important.

She tries to explain what happened but hears how garbled she sounds.

Iben, lets phone the police right now.

Iben doesnt reply.

Are you absolutely sure that no one saw you coming here?

I dont think so.

Yes, we definitely have to phone the police.

Wait. Just a little.

But Iben, its essential Just wait. Her whole body is shaking.

Gunnar gets up.

Dont go.

I was going to phone a doctor.

Ive only got a few cuts on my hands. Thats all. It looks worse than it is.

Sure, but Gunnar, please stay. Youre not to phone anyone.

She hears him sit down in a chair next her.

I need to get some paper towels and a bowl of water. I can clean your cuts while you lie here. Thats all right, isnt it?

Yes. Id like that.

Tell you what I wont phone anyone until tomorrow morning.

Good. Im just so When Iben takes the cus.h.i.+on away, the first thing she sees is that the room is full of books, just like her own. The apartment is large, with ample s.p.a.ce between the pieces of furniture. The effect is somehow unfinished, as if he had been allowed half of the family home after his divorce and let the years pa.s.s without buying anything new.

She looks at Gunnar. She wants him to hold her close again, like the moment she arrived. She tries to recall what his warm body felt like. She has found a safe place where Zigic wont find her and where she will be taken care of. She touches Gunnars thigh with her hand and relaxes. She suddenly burps. They both burst out laughing. She begins to feel well enough to feel self-conscious in front of him.

Slow footsteps. Somewhere. Iben cant quite make it out, but they could be coming from outside the door at the far end of the room.

She reacts without thinking. In an instant, the knife is in her hand. Her other hand, still flecked with drying blood, has grabbed a piece of orange stone that was on the coffee table. Before Gunnar can say a thing, Iben is standing, ready to fight.

Malene steps into the room, a damp towel wrapped around her head. Iben? What are you doing here?

Malene looks very sensual. Her hair and body are radiating warmth.

Oh, no! My G.o.d! Iben? Jesus, what have you done?

Iben blinks several times and shouts: What have you done?

But didnt I tell you? Gunnar and I are together.

Iben had no idea. No, whats going on with Zigic?

Zigic? What do you mean?

Have you stolen his address list? Are you blackmailing him?

No! No way! By now Malene looks terrified. She must think that Iben is out of her mind.

Still, Iben cant stop herself from almost screaming: You and your tricks! You almost had me killed!

What?

Who do you work for? Apart from the Center?

But Iben, I dont understand.

Malene is so believable as if she has done nothing wrong. Its too much. Gunnar tries to intervene and calm the two women down.

You keep out of this!

He reaches out to hold her, but Iben backs away quickly and raises her knife.

Watch out! Stay away from me!

Gunnar and Malene stare at her. Suddenly Iben comes to her senses. Oh, no, please. Gunnar, Im sorry, I didnt mean it. You know that Id never Everyone is frozen.

Its all so confusing.

Dont worry. I understand perfectly. Come and lie back down.

Im not at all like this I dont want you to think that I am Iben, believe me, we both understand. Well look after you.

Iben fights her suspicion that they are collaborating with Zigic. She must not be paranoid. She notices the bloodstains on the sofa. Gunnar wont be able to use it anymore. She mumbles, Im sorry, and lies down slowly, after putting Gunnars stone back in its place.

Iben begins to tell Gunnar and Malene the story, but more coherently this time. Several times she interrupts herself to ask Malene what kind of contact she has had with Zigic. Malene insists that she has had nothing to do with Zigic or his files. He must have mistaken her for someone else.

Gunnar goes to the kitchen to find something for Iben to eat. Iben starts cleaning her left arm, but Malene stops her.

Iben, let me do it. Just lie down.

How strange to be looked after by Malene. During the last six years it has always been the other way around.

For the first time Iben picks up the smell of s.e.x that hovers in the air as if Gunnar and Malene have been on a s.e.xual rampage for days, using every available surface. Iben feels so bitter. Everything is falling apart. The pain is starting to get to her.

Malene must have noticed. She produces two strong painkillers from her handbag. Iben lies still, waiting for the pills to take effect, and looks at Malenes hands. While she was being held captive by Zigic, those hands were caressing Gunnar.

Gunnar returns with a bottle of whiskey, a plate of sandwiches, and mugs of hot chocolate for all of them.

Iben repeats how Zigic captured her all over again.

This time Malene says they ought to phone the police.

But what if one of the men who chased me saw which street I ran to but not which door? Maybe theyre still waiting. When the police arrive, their problem will be solved.

So thats why you didnt want me to phone earlier!

Malene starts to mumble. Isnt it just a little But instead, she changes tack. I think I may know how all of this started. Remember the very first time I called Rasmus on my cell phone to tell him about the e-mail threats? He talked about the possibility of writing a spyware program. He kept working on the program whenever he had time. The idea was to forward it to the sender. It would then copy data from the senders computer. Anything like the address book and the calendar and afterward the data would be sent back to us, to help us trap the criminal. But I didnt know he had gotten that far with it.

But how would Zigic know who copied his files?

I suppose he couldnt unless he got his own spyware set up after Rasmuss death. I dont know. But lets say that he found my name from the subscriptions that I paid for online via Rasmuss computer. Then if he Googled me hed have found out that I work at the DCIG and might think that I had something to do with his computer being infected.

Its just so It means that if Rasmuss software did copy everything, there has to be a file somewhere in your computer that could wipe out Zigics entire organization bank accounts, supporters names, details of people he is using or blackmailing.

Malene goes and gets the laptop. She logs on as Rasmus, then experiments briefly with whatever other e-mail ident.i.ties he could use.

They watch her in silence, Iben on the sofa and Gunnar in an armchair. Gunnar is so close that Iben could reach out her arm and touch him.

Suddenly Malene calls out excitedly. Yes! Yes, look! Rasmus sent an e-mail with the program attached to [email protected] It has to be Ljiljana Peric the woman you interviewed about Zigic.

But why send it to her?

I dont know.

Iben has an idea. What if he wanted to see if it would work with the Serbian version of Windows? That would make sense, dont you think?

It would. And it mustve worked all right, because the following day he sent an e-mail to [email protected] And another one to That must be Zigics e-mail address. I wonder how he got hold of that?

What if the spyware program found it in Ljiljanas Contacts list? She and Zigic were cla.s.smates, after all. She probably knows him better than she likes to let on.

Malene talks while she clicks her way through Rasmuss mail. Look. The spyware has returned mail from both addresses. The header shows that Zigics mail goes via a Serbian server. The other mail was sent on from a Danish server.

A wave of nausea flows through Iben, the same sickness that made her sit down on the bin at the bus stop. The inside of her mouth feels as if its coated in thick mucus.

Malene speaks, half to herself. So, it obviously wasnt Zigic who sent the threatening e-mails. It was someone in this country. And the name must be in this file!

Gunnar and Iben lean forward, straining to see. Ibens forehead is covered in drops of sweat. She tries to speak enthusiastically, but her tongue doesnt seem to move. Imagine! Rasmus found out who it is.

Malenes voice is dry. So he did. And then he died.

It happens so suddenly. Something contracts inside Iben and her nose fills with the stench of creosote and rendered pork fat. She can smell evil now.

Iben jumps up from the sofa and manages a few paces toward the bathroom before throwing up everything she ate. She kneels, as if about to dive headfirst. The pool of fluid is brown, darker than the world of evil into which she almost disappeared earlier.

Gunnar and Malene come to help her, one on either side. Malenes hand supports her forehead.

Iben, youve had such a dreadful day. Its understandable, you just cant take anymore.

Ibens head is churning again with the same thoughts she had earlier: What if my memories were real? What if I sent the e-mails and Rasmus found out? I would have known that he could destroy my life. Everything.

Iben whispers, Im not very well.

We can see that. You mustnt worry.

She closes her eyes and tries to think. Her clammy forehead rests on Malenes hand.

What exactly do I remember about the day Rasmus was moving out? He was very serious and said he had to talk to me. He told me about the spyware and how he had designed it. I had expected him to ramble on about Malene and himself, but he started to lecture me about programming and he lost me. Afterward I helped him carry things to the van. What was the subject he approached so hesitantly? Why was it important to talk to me?

Iben, come with me. Lets get you back on the sofa.

Malene stinks like p.i.s.s.