Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller

Author:Derek B. Miller [Miller, Derek B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC000000
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Published: 2012-07-24T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Sigrid has received so many calls since the murder made the newspapers that she has donned a headset with a microphone in order to get some work done. The calls, she has decided, have nothing to do with her job.

In Norway, the police operate under the authority of the district offices of both the Prosecuting Authority and the National Police Directorate, allowing people like Sigrid to get slapped on both sides of her face at the same time.

This one, for example, comes from the chief of police for her district. She takes it with her eyes closed, as one does a colonoscopy.

‘How’s it going?’

‘Fine, thank you.’

‘Need help?’

‘No. It happened yesterday. I think we’re doing fine.’

‘Pretty political, all this.’

‘Yes, I suppose it is.’

‘You have a suspect, right? This Serbian?’

‘Kosovar. And we suspect him, but we don’t have any direct evidence of his involvement. So I can’t charge him. And, for the moment, I also can’t find him.’

‘Muslim, right?’

‘Probably, but I don’t think religion is relevant to the case. Nationality may be. I’m not sure yet — it’s too soon to establish motive.’

‘Do you have any other suspects?’

Sigrid opens her eyes and looks around. Then she shuts them again. Something about being blind feels appropriate to the conversation.

‘There is someone we’re listing as a “person of concern”.’

‘What is that?’

‘It’s a new category I made up.’

‘Can you do that?’

‘I think so.’

‘Who is it?’

‘His name is Sheldon Horowitz.’

‘Albanian?’

‘Jewish.’

There is a very long pause on the other end of the phone.

A Very. Long. Pause.

The chief whispers. ‘Jewish?’

‘Jewish,’ Sigrid says, not whispering.

‘An Israeli spy? Mossad?’

‘No. Not Israeli. Jewish. He’s American. He’s an old Marine who may be suffering from dementia. Or sadness. Or something. He’s in his eighties.’

‘The Israelis are hiring old American Marines?’

‘This has nothing to do with Israel, and no.’

‘You said this has nothing to do with religion, but then said his name is Jewish.’

‘Yes, his name is Jewish.’

‘But you said religion doesn’t matter. But nationality does. So I said Israel.’

‘He’s not Israeli. He’s American. An American Marine.’

‘But … Jewish?’

‘And … Jewish.’

‘Why do Jews have Jewish names?’

Sigrid stares at the burnt-out light bulb.

‘Is this a trick question, chief?’

‘No, what I mean is … Norwegians don’t have Lutheran names; we have Norwegian names. And the French don’t have Catholic names; they have French names. And the Catholics don’t have Catholic names either, and the Muslims don’t have Muslim names. As far as I know. Though I suppose Mohammed is a Muslim name. So why do the Jews have Jewish names?’

‘Mohammed is a first name. Not a last name.’

‘That’s a very good point.’

‘If I had to take a guess …’ Sigrid says, wondering why she should guess, when surely someone else knows the answer to this, ‘I’d say … because the Jews were a tribe at least a thousand years before Norwegians, French, or Catholics ever existed. Maybe things were more combined back then. Like … with the Vikings. So if there were still Vikings, and they lived in different countries, they’d have Viking names. I guess.

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