Rites of Spring by Anders Motte (life books to read .txt) 📗

taking something else, something that will stop her mind from racing, just for a few hours.

She closes and locks the cabinet before the impulse becomes too hard to resist.

The hum of conversation from the corridor is louder now.

‘Stay here, sweetheart,’ she says to Emee. She hangs the BACK SOON sign on the door.

*

The hall is so full that people are standing along the walls. The double doors to the corridor are open, as are the windows. Thea stays in the background, craning her neck to see over those standing in the doorway.

Three men are sitting on the podium. One of them is Philippe. Behind them, on a white screen, a PowerPoint slide says: Nordic Vanadium. A mining company for the 2020s.

Thea stays for a while, listening to the presentation. The image on the screen changes, showing electric cars, forests, rivers, cheerful workers in hi-vis jackets and yellow hard hats. Key words are superimposed on the pictures: responsibility, humility, resource extraction, environmental awareness, switch to green technology.

It’s just a longer variation of what Philippe has already told her. They’re test drilling to see if the find is worth an investment in large-scale mining.

As Thea expected, the audience’s attitude is extremely negative, and the longer the presentation goes on, the more often it’s interrupted by angry comments.

Philippe’s two Swedish colleagues repeatedly stress that the project will bring job opportunities and generate tax revenue. They emphasise the same argument as Philippe: they will extract natural resources with minimum impact on the environment, they will restore the landscape when they’ve finished. The villagers, however, are not convinced.

‘You’re just coming here to plunder our resources,’ says a familiar voice from the front row. ‘You’ll take what you want, ruin our land and our waterways, then you’ll leave. We’ve seen it before.’

This elicits a long round of applause.

The men on the podium try to respond to Ingrid, but are drowned out by booing and more angry remarks. They do their best, but after a few minutes they thank the audience and end the meeting.

As soon as they step down, all three of them are surrounded by a group of irate villagers. They patiently answer questions for a few minutes, then begin to move towards the exit.

Philippe spots Thea, and his serious expression gives way to a smile.

‘Docteur Lind, how nice to see you here. Did we manage to convert you to our cause?’

Thea smiles and shakes her head. People push past behind Philippe, giving them both dirty looks.

‘How’s your hand?’

‘Better, thank you. When do you think the stitches can come out?’

‘Call in early next week – there’s no rush.’

‘Will do. Au revoir, docteur!’

He waves goodbye with his bandaged hand and disappears through the door with his colleagues.

Someone grabs Thea’s arm. It’s her mother-in-law.

‘Do you know him?’

‘He’s one of my patients.’

‘He’s a thief. The whole company is a collection of villains.’ Ingrid is white-faced; Thea has never seen her so agitated. ‘They want to destroy the whole area, fill it with huge, dusty open-cast mines. Trucks and excavators working day and night. He’s got no business here.’

‘I’m well aware of what he does, but I can’t refuse anyone medical treatment.’

Ingrid doesn’t look happy with her answer, but someone calls her name and she walks away without saying goodbye.

*

On the way back to the surgery, Thea stops and looks out of one of the front windows. The car park is full, and there are lots of people chatting in small groups. There are many familiar faces: Per and Erik Nyberg, Dr Andersson, Little Stefan, Tanya and her husband.

Thea turns away and almost bumps into Jan-Olof. He gives her a brief nod, then slides past, heading for the door.

Emee jumps up at her when she gets back to the surgery. The dog is pleased to see her, yet at the same time she seems anxious, as if she didn’t appreciate being left alone.

Thea gathers up her things, puts Emee on the lead and locks up for the day. The car park is quieter now. She settles Emee in the boot; only when she gets into the driver’s seat does she see something tucked under the windscreen wiper.

A third Green Man figure, maybe twenty centimetres high. Unlike the others, someone has ripped off all the leaves, so that the thorns are clearly visible.

69

She drives home as fast as she can, constantly checking the rear-view mirror. Arne must have put the Green Man on her windscreen. The reason is crystal clear: she has found out his secret. If she had any doubts, they’ve been swept away. Arne was at the stone circle when Elita was killed. Maybe he was the one who killed her. In which case how far is he prepared to go to keep Thea quiet?

She has to talk to David, has to do something – but there is no sign of David’s car by the castle or the coach house.

She lets Emee out of the car, drags her towards the house. The dog resists, plants all four paws firmly in the gravel. She’s had enough of being locked up and kept on the lead.

‘Inside!’ Thea snaps. She notices too late that Emee has managed to wriggle out of her collar. Emee turns and races off in the direction of the bridge.

‘Shit!’ Thea tries the whistle, but to no avail. She runs into the house. Her suitcase is still standing by the wardrobe, and for a second she toys with the idea of disappearing. Leaving Tornaby, the spring sacrifice and her father far, far behind her.

But Margaux would never forgive her if anything happened to Emee.

She changes into her old wellingtons and sets off. As soon as she reaches the forest she turns left, aiming for the deer enclosure. She keeps calling Emee’s name and blowing the whistle. She tries not to think about the dead deer or the fact that Emee is a predator.

After about five minutes she hears rustling in the undergrowth, and to her relief Emee appears. The dog seems tired; her head is