Forty Days Without Shadow: An Arctic Thriller by Olivier Truc

Author:Olivier Truc [Truc, Olivier]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Genre Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, French, Literary Fiction, Murder, Fiction, Cultural Heritage, Literary, Crime, Mystery & Detective, General, Action & Adventure, Literature & Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, International Mystery & Crime, Thrillers, Suspense, Crime Fiction
ISBN: 9781455547593
Google: yZShAQAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00DI7HJYM
Barnesnoble: B00DI7HJYM
Goodreads: 20980971
Publisher: Trapdoor
Published: 2012-08-22T18:30:00+00:00

10:05 a.m., Central Sápmi

It was extraordinarily quiet. Profound, almost deafening silence. André Racagnal could hardly remember the last time he had experienced such silence. Not for months. Maybe even years. The tiniest sound carried far across the landscape.

He watched from a distance as Aslak put on his skis. He could just hear them gliding and crunching on the frozen snow. He hadn’t expected Aslak to be an easy customer. Hadn’t expected him to say yes straightaway. On principle. Racagnal was a pragmatist. He always got his way in the end, because he was always ready to do what had to be done. He knew when to step back. He wasn’t burdened with pride. Not like so many others, people who gave up and had no clue what to do at the first sign of serious resistance. The geologist adjusted his field glasses. Men living like Aslak were easy to handle, really: every decision was a matter of life or death for them. There was nothing superfluous or trivial in the breeder’s existence. He wasn’t a victim of consumer society. Trapping people who were in debt wasn’t difficult, either, for example. The same rules applied—the tricks were just that little bit more subtle and technically advanced. With Aslak, he was working in the raw. Anything the Sami lost would have a direct impact on his survival out here. The survival of his herd, too. And his wife. Simple as that.

It hadn’t taken him long to come up with a plan. That was the advantage of a character like Aslak. His entire life was there in plain sight. No hidden bank accounts, no second home. His reindeer were grazing in the distance. Here were the camp, his wife, and his dogs. Racagnal was almost sure he had singled out the right one. It would come as a shock, but it would kick-start negotiations. The Frenchman didn’t want to miss this.

He trained his field glasses on Aslak. There was enough light now. It had been difficult earlier, in the dark, but he had found one of the dogs keeping watch. He had been discreet. He couldn’t afford to spread panic among the animals, or noise.

“Now,” said Racagnal to himself. Aslak had his back turned just at that moment, dammit. But the Sami stood frozen to the spot. He had just discovered his dog’s body. Or, rather, its head.

Racagnal decided to give it another thirty seconds. Time for the herder to absorb the shock and realize the immense loss represented by the dog’s killing. Time, too, to make the connection between the killing and Racagnal’s visit. Thirty seconds, but no longer. He mustn’t give Aslak time to recover and think about how to respond.

Now.

The geologist unhooked his radio and called Aslak. From where he hid, he could almost catch the crackling inside the tent. After a moment’s hesitation, the Sami went back inside. A few seconds later, he answered the call.

“Treat the dog as a warning,” said Racagnal straightaway. “I’m serious. We need your help.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.