Scarred by Thomas Enger Read Free Book Online Page B

says.
    ‘That’s probably wise,’ Hatlem says and nods. ‘I also think we should issue a press release as soon as possible—’
    ‘No,’ Trine interrupts her and clenches her fists so hard her knuckles go white.
    ‘No to what?’
    ‘We’re not going to issue a press release. If I have to refute these allegations, then they’ve already won. I’m being accused of something I haven’t done, and I can’t respond without knowing the source. Nor has the matter been reported to the police.’
    ‘Not yet.’
    ‘What are you saying?’ says Trine, glowering at her political adviser.
    ‘I’m just saying that could happen before we know it. There’ll certainly be a public demand for it.’
    Trine snorts.
    ‘This is bullshit,’ she shouts. ‘I’ve no idea where it’s coming from. But I can promise you, I’m going to find out.’
    Harald Ullevik clears his throat.
    ‘Let’s take this one step at a time,’ he says, calmly. ‘This incident is supposed to have taken place at last year’s party conference in Kristiansand. Everyone who has ever attended a party conference knows that things go on there, all sorts of things.’
    ‘Are you saying that—’
    ‘No, no, Trine, I’m not saying anything, but I know what people will think. That’s why I’m asking you: what do you remember from that day?’
    Trine exhales hard through her mouth while she thinks back. She has been to so many party conferences that they all blur together.
    ‘Not very much. But I know what I didn’t do.’
    Silence falls around the table. Her Permanent Secretary sips her coffee while she glances furtively at Henriksen across the table. She has doubts , Trine thinks. That woman doesn’t believe me .
    ‘Okay, I have a suggestion,’ Katarina Hatlem says. ‘Even though this story is very much about you, we won’t involve you at this stage. We’ll deal with each press request in turn and repeat the same message: that you refuse to respond to anonymous allegations, you’re not going to waste your time on this, and blah blah blah. If that doesn’t take the sting out of what’s coming towards you, we’ll select one or two journalists we know are sympathetic towards us and give them a little more.’
    ‘There is nothing more,’ Trine insists. ‘ I didn’t do it.’
    ‘No, no, but we can say something about your work in recent years specifically to crack down on sexual assaults and domestic violence. We can probably produce some statistics to prove our commitment to these particular issues.’
    Trine nods, so far so good.
    ‘If the allegations remain vague, I don’t think it’ll do us any harm to take the moral high ground,’ Hatlem continues.
    ‘ VG refers to a “young, male politician”,’ Truls Ove Henriksen says. ‘Could the alleged victim have been someone from the Party’s youth branch?’
    Trine shrugs her shoulders.
    ‘I assume most people would think so, yes. But I’ve no idea how VG got its story. I’ve been married to Pål Fredrik for four years and I’ve never been unfaithful to him. I haven’t even been tempted.’
    Henriksen makes no reply. His shiny head is now sprinkled with beads of sweat.
    ‘But at some point you may have to provide an explanation,’ Ullevik says.
    ‘We won’t say anything about that now,’ Hatlem maintains. ‘We don’t want to create expectations that Trine will make a statement.’
    ‘No, no, of course not,’ Ullevik says. ‘I’m just saying that you need to review your movements that day very carefully. Who did you sit next to during dinner? Who did you speak to? When did you go to bed? Can anyone give you an alibi – things like that. The more details you can provide about what you actually did on 9 October last year, the better. And if you do say something, you must be absolutely sure that it’s true. If you make even one little mistake, the press will question everything else you’ve said and done.’
    Trine makes no reply, she just closes her eyes and disappears