Twenty-Six
Wednesday 7th October
Tore put Oliver on loudspeaker so we could all hear what he had to say.
‘I won’t sugar-coat it,’ he said, clear as a bell. ‘The land registry has Bjorn and Nina Bakken listed as sole owners of Firefly Forest and legally it is theirs to sell.’ Jonas screeched his chair back and stomped over to the window. ‘We are therefore looking at three possible scenarios as far as the law is concerned. Option one, you find the covenant to prove the arrangement currently in place is legally binding in perpetuity. In that scenario any sale or changes to the agreement would need to be signed by both parties. If there is no proof of covenant then option two could be that you reach a financial arrangement with the Bakkens direct and draw up something legally binding between you. Option three – they sign with Mark Pearson’s investors, whoever they are, and you become sitting tenants and subject to whatever terms Bjorn and Nina agree as part of that deal.’
‘FUCK!’ Jonas shouted.
‘Calm down,’ Henrik said. ‘We just need to find that damn agreement.’
‘I’ve looked everywhere!’ Tore said, exasperated.
‘Have any of you ever seen it?’ I asked. ‘Do you know what you’re looking for?’
The three of them shook their heads.
‘Pappaalways said it was a promise etched in stone, and I’d never need to worry about it,’ Tore said. ‘What an idiot not to havesomethingthat proves this place is ours. We have just as much right to claim the land as the Bakkens do.’
Oliver cleared his throat, and we all looked down at the phone. We’d forgotten he was there.
‘I’ll leave it with you,’ he said, cheerfully. ‘If you find anything send it through.’
‘Bye, Oliver, thank you so much!’ I trilled, trying to keep the vibe up while the others stared despondently into space.
‘Ha det!’ And he was gone.
‘We need to look again,’ Henrik said. ‘We have to believe it’s here somewhere.’
‘Pappawould know if it was here,’ Jonas snapped. ‘Face it, Henrik, we’re fucked.’
‘I can help too, if you need another pair of eyes.’
‘Thank you, Sara, you are very kind to offer,’ Tore said gratefully. ‘Why don’t you and Henrik check the attic? We are searching for a needle in a haystack, but if there are two of you up there, it will be easier. Jonas – you and I will go throughBesta’schest again. My tired old eyes may have missed it. And I’ll check the office and the safe and some of the other places your mother used to put our important things.’
‘Great idea,’ I said. ‘Could it be with your passports or your banking information?’
Jonas cocked his ear up at that. ‘Do not tell her where we keep our banking stuff. What exactly are you trying to pull here, Sara?’
‘Nothing! I just feel so responsible and I’m trying to help you think through where it might be.’
‘Jonas!’ Henrik glared at his little brother. ‘That’s enough.’
‘What? For all we know, she’s in on it too. Mark is her husband after all. They could be a pair of con artists working together.’
The idea that the Nilsens might suspect me as a thief broke my heart. I could see where Jonas was coming from, though, and his anger was totally justified. If it was happening to my parents, I’d be just as furious and suspicious. All I could do was stand there and hope I could somehow magic up a solution. Would Mark listen to me if I appealed to his good nature? Could I blackmail him with a sex tape? (There was no sex tape.) And if there was he’d have no issue with me releasing it to my seventy-eight followers on Instagram. Strutting around like a peacock with nothing to hide.
‘Jonas, relax,’ Tore said. ‘Sara isn’t the enemy here.’
‘Come on,’ Henrik said, leading the way upstairs. In another reality, I’d be following him into the bedroom, and I got a burst of butterflies just thinking about it as I skipped up the stairs. The attic was weirdly clean and virtually empty, a carpeted space with six big boxes stacked neatly on top of each other. Maybe it was me who should be worried – whose attic looked like this?
‘This is very… tidy,’ I said, opening the first box and eyeing the piles of paper. ‘Where are all the spider’s webs? And piles of crap?’
‘Pappalikes to keep things organised. Even more so sinceMammadied.’
‘Do you think it’s in here somewhere?’
Henrik shrugged. ‘There’s as good a chance as any. We’ve got to at least try, right?’
