Smoke Screen
Page 29
Eighteen minutes turned into ten. Then five. He checked himself over in the mirror one last time. The red marks had calmed down a bit. Good. He lifted his shoulders high and breathed as much air into his lungs as he possibly could.
Right.
Now, he was ready to meet his daughter again.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thomas: So Jørn.
Jørn: Yes, Thomas?
Thomas: It’s us again.
Jørn: So I’ve been told.
Thomas: So it is written, in fact.
Jørn: Hm?
Thomas: We have written another book.
Jørn: Oh yes. Yes we have.
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: Which one is this again?
Thomas: Smoke Screen.
Jørn: Ah, yes. The one with the little girl.
Thomas: Yes. We have to give our thanks.
Jørn: We do.
(beat)
(sigh)
(beat)
Thomas: How’s your dog?
Jørn: Theodor is fine, thanks for asking.
Thomas: Was he instrumental in you finding your wits and your words this time around as well?
Jørn: No.
Thomas: Really?
Jørn: Yes. Truth be told, he never really was.
Thomas: Oh.
(beat)
Jørn: You should know me by now, Thomas. I make up stuff for a living.
Thomas: Right. That’s what you do.
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: He’s still a very nice dog.
Thomas: Are you sure?
Jørn: Yes. I’m telling the truth now.
Thomas: Glad we got that cleared up.
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: So, how did we end up writing this book, then?
Thomas: I don’t remember.
Jørn: Me neither.
(beat)
(sigh)
(beat)
(sigh)
(sigh)
Thomas: Maybe if you took your dog for a walk—
Jørn: I remember now.
Thomas: Good. Tell me.
Jørn: You wrote one word.
Thomas: Yes?
Jørn: Then I wrote one word.
Thomas: Yes.
(beat)
Jørn: I’m kidding.
Thomas: I hope so.
Jørn: I really don’t remember.
Thomas: Me neither.
(beat)
(sigh)
Thomas: You know, we’re supposed to be quite smart people.
Jørn: I know.
Thomas: Quite brilliant minds, coming up with plots and stuff.
Jørn: I know.
Thomas: And here we are, heads empty.
Jørn: I know.
Thomas: People will wonder how on earth we even manage to write one book, let alone fifty, like you have.
Jørn: Fifty-seven.
Thomas: You’re kidding me.
Jørn: I don’t think I am.
Thomas: You don’t think … never mind.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: Can’t we just say the same thing as last time?
Thomas: We kept on talking about your dog the last time.
Jørn: Yes, but … the others. The others we mentioned.
Thomas: You mean, like, our families and stuff?
Jørn: Yes!
Thomas: They deserve to be mentioned again, for sure.
Jørn: So let’s do that, then.
Thomas: Yes.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: I would like to thank my family.
Thomas: I think we’ve covered that, Jørn.
Jørn: No, but I mean: my wife, Beate. My kids, Sondre and Marte. They deserve to be mentioned, because … you know.
Thomas: I’m sure they’ll be happy to read that.
Jørn: What about you?
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: Thomas?
Thomas: Oh. Yes. Sorry. I’m going to be somewhat original here.
Jørn: Oh. How so?
Thomas: I’m going to thank my parents.
Jørn: Is that original?
Thomas: Maybe it isn’t. I don’t know. But they put me here on this earth. And for that I’m eternally grateful.
Jørn: That is sweet.
Thomas: Well, yes. It’s also true. I owe them everything. Plus, my kids are teenagers now.
Jørn: What do you mean?
Thomas: What I mean is that they should be thanking me, not the other way around. They didn’t help me write this book. In fact…
Jørn: But they’re sweet, right?
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: Thomas?
Thomas: Oh. Yes. Sorry. Yes they are. Of course they are. I love them to bits.
Jørn: Good. Theodor and … Henny, right?
Thomas: Yes.
Jørn: Same as my dog.
Thomas: I know, Jørn.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: You know there are medications you can take for your dog allergy?
Thomas: I know, Jørn.
Jørn: Just saying.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: Our publisher!
Thomas: Yes, Jørn?
Jørn: We need to thank her.
Thomas: Yes we do. Karen Sullivan.
Jørn: She’s wonderful, isn’t she?
Thomas: She really is.
Jørn: A true writer’s advocate. And a brilliant editor.
Thomas: All of the above. For sure.
Jørn: And she has some great people around her.
Thomas: Indeed she does. West Camel, for instance.
Jørn: West is the best.
Thomas: I’m sure he’s never heard that one before.
Jørn: But he takes care of our book.
Thomas: He does. And we get to blame him afterwards for all the mistakes he didn’t find or correct.
(beat)
Jørn: There are mistakes in our book?
Thomas: Of course not.
Jørn: So…
Thomas: I’m kidding, Jørn. West really is the best.
(beat)
(sigh)
(a dog is barking)
Thomas: We should thank Cole as well.
Jørn: Cole?
Thomas: Cole Sullivan, Karen’s son.
Jørn: Ah yes. The one we’re getting all the emails from?
Thomas: The very one. He’s doing a heck of a job marketing our books.
Jørn: He is.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: We have to thank Megan, too.
Thomas: Megan?
Jørn: Megan Turney, our translator.
Thomas: Ah yes. Thank you, Megan. You did a marvellous job. You were quick and efficient about it, too.
(beat)
(sigh)
Thomas: Oh, I know one more we need to thank.
Jørn: You have a hamster I don’t know about?
Thomas: No, I’m allergic to them, too.
Jørn: So who, then?
Thomas: It’s not really one, it’s … (clears throat) a lot of people.
Jørn: Hm?
Thomas: The readers, Jørn.
Jørn: Oh. Yes.
Thomas: Quite a few of them read and loved the first one we did together.
Jørn: Yes.
Thomas: Even without the help of your dog.
Jørn: Imagine that.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: So we’re done, then?
Thomas: I think so.
(beat)
(beat)
Jørn: How old are your kids again?
Thomas: I don’t even want to know.
(beat)
(sigh)
Jørn: I’m going to take my dog for a walk.
Thomas: I’m not even sure you have a dog now.
Jørn: I do,
Thomas. Theodor is his name.
Thomas: So you keep telling me.
(beat)
(sigh)
Thomas: We’re going to have some fun, writing our next books together.
Jørn: We are.
Thomas: Enjoy the walk. Bring your notebook.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are both internationally bestselling Norwegian authors. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 bestselling William Wisting series. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense.
Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the internationally acclaimed Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark is his dark, gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer.
Death Deserved, the first book in the Blix and Ramm series, was Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller.
Follow them on Twitter @LierHorst and @EngerThomas and their websites: jlhorst.com and thomasenger.com.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Megan Turney is originally from the West Midlands. Having spent several years working between the UK and the Hardanger region of Norway, she is now based in Edinburgh, working as a commercial and literary translator and editor. She was the recipient of the National Centre for Writing’s 2019 Emerging Translator Mentorship in Norwegian and is a published science-fiction critic. She holds an MA(Hons) in Scandinavian Studies and English Literature from the University of Edinburgh, as well as an MA in Translation and Interpreting Studies from the University of Manchester. Follow Megan on Twitter @meganeturney and her website: www.meganeturney.com.
Copyright
Orenda Books
16 Carson Road
West Dulwich
London SE21 8HU
www.orendabooks.co.uk
First published in the United Kingdom by Orenda Books, 2021 First published in Norwegian as Røykteppe by Capitana Forlag, 2019 Copyright © Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger, 2019 English translation copyright © Megan Turney 2021
Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger have asserted their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–1–913193–56–0
eISBN 978–1–913193–57–7
This book has been translated with financial support from NORLA