He shook her hand. “Of course. You’re a taxidermist too, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Just visiting?”
She looked up at him in surprise. “No. I live here.”
“I see. Have you lived here long?”
“Quite a long time, yes. Ever since…” She nodded at the family portrait above the fireplace.
“Ah yes,” said Bob. “The tragedy.”
“Yes. A cup of tea or coffee?” She smiled. She seemed like someone who smiled easily. And laughed. “It’ll only take a minute,” she said as he looked at his watch. “I like company, I admit it, it’s easy to get that way out here. You could always call Mike.”
“I’ll do that after the tea,” said Bob.
She gave a contented nod and wheeled over to the kitchen counter while Bob studied the portrait.
“Multiple sclerosis,” Emily called as she filled the kettle.
“What?”
“You’re wondering why Mike’s daughter and I are both in wheelchairs. Grandma also had MS.”
“I see. So it runs in the family?”
“To some degree, yes. Our family was unlucky.”
Bob looked at the faces in the portrait. He saw no trace of doubt in any of them. They believed the future was bright. That all of them would live long and happy lives.
“So you’re the one who stays at home and makeskjøttkakerin brown sauce?” He said it in broken Norwegian and Emily laughed again.
“Our mother taught us that, yes. What is it you want to see Mike about?”
Bob thought about what to say. “Just to pick up something he said I could borrow.”
“What’s that?”
“A rifle.”
“Ah. Well, he took that with him. Maybe he misunderstood and thought you were going to meet him at the store?”
“Maybe,” said Bob. He saw no trace of suspicion in her open face. Perhaps that was why he felt a pang of conscience. “Where does he keep it?”
“The rifle? In his room.”
“Mind if I take a look? I want to make sure he remembered the bullets.”
“Bullets?”
“He forgot last time.”
“Well, I don’t know, I’m never in his room, I live down here.” She pointed through the open door to a hall where Bob saw a staircase. “Second door on your left.”
“Thank you.”
Bob walked into the hall and took the stairs in four or five long strides.
