Bogman Read Free Page B

Part.Something cool and cerebral but full of beauty too.He stepped back into his flat. His phone rang. He picked it up and saw his daughter’s number on the screen.
    “Hi, Agnes. What’s up?”    
    “Hi Dad. I saw you on the news. Another Tollund Man, maybe? Hey, that would be exciting.”  
    “Well,” Tobias sat down again at the table. “It’s a bit early to say. It’s not like Tollund Man. It’s a mummified foot and a pile of bones. We’ve no idea how long they’ve been there. We’ve sent the lot to a forensic anthropologist.”
    “The fat guy who was interviewed?  
    “That’s the one.”
    “And you really have no idea how long the bones have been there?”
    “Not really.”
    “It might be the work of a serial killer.”
    Tobias laughed. “You’ve been watching too much television, Agnes.”
    “Well I hope the poor soul had some love in his or her life, whenever it was.”
    Tobias thought that was a good sentiment.
    “So what else have you been doing, Dad?”
    “Well, I’ve met granny Inge’s fiancé, Norbert Fisker.”
    “What’s he like? Aunty Margrethe thinks he’s after granny’s money.”
    “He doesn’t need it. He’s rich. He has a lot more money than granny Inge,” said Tobias. “He seems nice. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s sixty-five but he still goes to work every day. He has a waste disposal company.”
    “Landfill or incineration? How much recycling?”  
    “I’ve only just met the guy, Agnes.”  
    There was a pause.  
    “I’m going on a protest tomorrow, Dad. I thought you should know.”
    Tobias sat up. “What kind of protest? Where? What about.”
    “They’re building a wind farm on the west coast.”
    “So what’s the problem? You approve of alternative energy.”
    “They’re cutting down a forest to build it. There’s no sense in that.”
    Tobias thought there was probably a lot of economic sense in it, but he didn’t say so.  
    “Magnus says there are other sites. They don’t need to cut down the forest. I just wanted you to know in case the police got heavy,” said Agnes.
    “They won’t get heavy if you stay within the law.”  
    Tobias heard a derisive snort.  
    “The police get heavy whether or not we stay within the law,” said his daughter.
    “What exactly are you planning to do on this protest?” Tobias was immediately sorry he’d asked. If she were planning anything illegal he would have to warn the police in Esbjerg.  
    “Sometimes I wish you weren’t a policeman, Dad,” said Agnes.  
    “This has nothing to do with my being a policeman,” Tobias said sharply. “It has everything to do with being lucky enough to live in a democratic country under the rule of law. It’s the duty of every citizen, and that includes you, Agnes, and your boyfriend, to uphold the law. I have to warn you not to break it.” To his own ears, he sounded like a prig.
    After a few moments of silence Agnes said, “We’re not breaking any laws. Unless climbing tress is illegal.”
    Tobias groaned.  
    “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not going to fall out of a tree. I’m going to be holding a banner at the bottom of a tree. Magnus is going to be in the tree. In fact he’s there already. He’s spending tonight in a tree in case they try to sneak the loggers in early.”
    “I bet it’s cold and windy and you wish you were here.”
    “It’s cosy in my tent,” said Agnes. Tobias could hear the smile in her voice.
    “It’s not very cosy up a tree,” he said drily.  
    “Magnus won’t be up the tree all night.” Agnes chuckled. “Aksel’s here. He’ll take his turn. And there’ll be others tomorrow.” Her voice changed. “You don’t like Magnus, Dad. You don’t like that he’s an activist.”
    “I just wish he was a bit more active in looking for a job.”
    There was a pause. Tobias said in a more casual tone, “No lectures this week?”  
    “It’s half-term, Dad. Don’t you remember?”
    Tobias smacked himself