registration number of the annoying BMW and types it in, then he presses enter. A new window opens. He reads:
As of 27.09.2009 the following liabilities were registered in respect of vehicle registration number BR 65607: Security for unpaid balance of the purchase of the motor vehicle. NOK 763,910.00. Click on the date for further information about liabilities.
Thorleif clicks on the date.
Submitted by 1134291 DNB Bank Car Financing
Loans Administration Department, PO Box 7125
5020 BERGEN
Relating to person/business:
Ravndal, Anthon
Bekkestuveien 13a
1357 Bekkestua
“Anthon Ravndal,” Thorleif says and looks up the man’s telephone number. “Good to know.”
20
“Your turn, Henning.”
He looks up and meets the sharp eyes of national news editor Heidi Kjus. Henning hasn’t noticed it until now, but Heidi has had a haircut. Short and modern, though he doesn’t really know why he thinks it looks modern—how would he know? And for once her makeup doesn’t look like war paint.
“Eh?”
“What about you? What’s in your notebook today? We have been through Iver, Rita, and Jørgen. You were paying attention, weren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“What have you got for us today?”
Henning looks down at the notebook he brought with him to the meeting mainly for show. The top sheet is blank. He considered writing down Tore Pulli’s name, but decided it wasn’t an obvious story. Not yet.
“Well, I’m not really sure,” he begins.
There is silence all around him. The eyes of everyone in the meeting room make the skin on his forehead tingle.
“There’s not much happening at the moment.”
“So nothing for us today, either, Henning?” Heidi Kjus asks.
“It’s very quiet out there. It has been an uneventful summer.”
Kjus looks at him over the rim of her glasses and pushes them further up her nose. He hasn’t noticed the glasses until now, either.
“I’m aware of it,” she says. “But then you have to go out and find the news. We can’t just sit here hoping for stories to dropinto our laps. We need to chase them. Talk to people. Our circulation has been lousy this summer.”
“It always is.”
“Yes, but—”
“I have an appointment later today,” he continues and takes a sip of his coffee. “I’m meeting a source.”
It’s the oldest reporter excuse in the book, but it usually works.
“Which story is this?”
“I can’t tell you anything at this stage.”
Heidi interrupts herself at the beginning of a sentence.
“What did you just say?”
“If I get what I’m hoping for from my source, it could turn into a story. But until then I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
“Just so,” Heidi says, offended, and shakes her head almost imperceptibly, but enough for everyone around the table to register it. She draws a long hard line under Henning’s name on her sheet. “Then you’re on cuttings duty until further notice.”
Henning’s jaw drops.
“Cuttings duty?”
“Yes. You know what cuttings duty is, don’t you?”
“Yes. Of course I do.”
“There’s no one from the cuttings team here today. Ill health, holiday, blah blah. Plus Egil is taking time off in lieu. I’ll send you NTB’s list shortly, Henning, and the list of today’s stories to everyone else.”
Henning sees that Iver is grinning from ear to ear.
“Quick, quick,” Heidi says, making get-out-of-here gestures with her hands. “I’m off to an editors’ meeting and half the day has gone already.”
Chairs are pushed back and they stand up. Henning is the last to leave. “Cuttings,” he mutters to himself. Lucky me. Another time he might have kicked up a fuss or spent aminute or two before the meeting inventing a story, a follow-up—anything—to give Heidi the impression he was busy. But cuttings duty is practically a no-brainer. He can spend the time between cutting and pasting stories doing further research on Tore Pulli and the people around him. Henning knows he has barely
As of 27.09.2009 the following liabilities were registered in respect of vehicle registration number BR 65607: Security for unpaid balance of the purchase of the motor vehicle. NOK 763,910.00. Click on the date for further information about liabilities.
Thorleif clicks on the date.
Submitted by 1134291 DNB Bank Car Financing
Loans Administration Department, PO Box 7125
5020 BERGEN
Relating to person/business:
Ravndal, Anthon
Bekkestuveien 13a
1357 Bekkestua
“Anthon Ravndal,” Thorleif says and looks up the man’s telephone number. “Good to know.”
20
“Your turn, Henning.”
He looks up and meets the sharp eyes of national news editor Heidi Kjus. Henning hasn’t noticed it until now, but Heidi has had a haircut. Short and modern, though he doesn’t really know why he thinks it looks modern—how would he know? And for once her makeup doesn’t look like war paint.
“Eh?”
“What about you? What’s in your notebook today? We have been through Iver, Rita, and Jørgen. You were paying attention, weren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“What have you got for us today?”
Henning looks down at the notebook he brought with him to the meeting mainly for show. The top sheet is blank. He considered writing down Tore Pulli’s name, but decided it wasn’t an obvious story. Not yet.
“Well, I’m not really sure,” he begins.
There is silence all around him. The eyes of everyone in the meeting room make the skin on his forehead tingle.
“There’s not much happening at the moment.”
“So nothing for us today, either, Henning?” Heidi Kjus asks.
“It’s very quiet out there. It has been an uneventful summer.”
Kjus looks at him over the rim of her glasses and pushes them further up her nose. He hasn’t noticed the glasses until now, either.
“I’m aware of it,” she says. “But then you have to go out and find the news. We can’t just sit here hoping for stories to dropinto our laps. We need to chase them. Talk to people. Our circulation has been lousy this summer.”
“It always is.”
“Yes, but—”
“I have an appointment later today,” he continues and takes a sip of his coffee. “I’m meeting a source.”
It’s the oldest reporter excuse in the book, but it usually works.
“Which story is this?”
“I can’t tell you anything at this stage.”
Heidi interrupts herself at the beginning of a sentence.
“What did you just say?”
“If I get what I’m hoping for from my source, it could turn into a story. But until then I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
“Just so,” Heidi says, offended, and shakes her head almost imperceptibly, but enough for everyone around the table to register it. She draws a long hard line under Henning’s name on her sheet. “Then you’re on cuttings duty until further notice.”
Henning’s jaw drops.
“Cuttings duty?”
“Yes. You know what cuttings duty is, don’t you?”
“Yes. Of course I do.”
“There’s no one from the cuttings team here today. Ill health, holiday, blah blah. Plus Egil is taking time off in lieu. I’ll send you NTB’s list shortly, Henning, and the list of today’s stories to everyone else.”
Henning sees that Iver is grinning from ear to ear.
“Quick, quick,” Heidi says, making get-out-of-here gestures with her hands. “I’m off to an editors’ meeting and half the day has gone already.”
Chairs are pushed back and they stand up. Henning is the last to leave. “Cuttings,” he mutters to himself. Lucky me. Another time he might have kicked up a fuss or spent aminute or two before the meeting inventing a story, a follow-up—anything—to give Heidi the impression he was busy. But cuttings duty is practically a no-brainer. He can spend the time between cutting and pasting stories doing further research on Tore Pulli and the people around him. Henning knows he has barely
Similar Books
