Red Wolf_ A Novel - Liza Marklund [36]
He raised a hand and stopped a young waiter and ordered a large glass of beer.
‘What do you think of the brochure?’ she said.
Thomas pulled up his briefcase and put a pile of papers on the table, the leaflet at the top.
‘It’s pretty much okay,’ he said, putting the briefcase back down. ‘There are a few things that are a bit woolly, though. We have to spell out exactly what politicians should do if they’re threatened, not to frighten them, just so they take it seriously and think about it. Maybe give a few statistics on how they usually behave, and some figures from the National Council for Crime Prevention.’
This was basically what Annika had said when she looked through the brochure just before he set out. Sophia Grenborg blinked, seeming quite impressed. He puffed out his chest.
‘That makes a lot of sense,’ she said. ‘Can I note that down?’
He gave a short nod, looking round for Cramne, then turned his attention to his beer.
‘Something else I was thinking,’ Sophia went on, as she wrote in her notebook. ‘What do you think of doing a more general survey? An opinion poll to find out what people think about violence to politicians?’
He looked at her, aware that he hadn’t been listening.
She put her pen and notebook in her bag.
‘I mean,’ she said, ‘what values do we apply to attempts to silence politicians? Shouldn’t we find out?’
Thomas frowned, hiding his enthusiasm.
‘You mean what people think about threats to politicians?’
‘Yes,’ she said, leaning forwards, ‘and at the same time see how we can change those opinions by an awareness campaign.’
He nodded slowly. ‘Maybe we could get some support in the press,’ he said. ‘Get a debate going, influence people’s opinions the old-fashioned way.’
‘Yes!’ she said with enthusiasm. ‘Get the PR department involved, speed up press releases.’
‘A series of articles about our new heroes,’ Thomas said, seeing the headline in his mind. ‘The local politician battling right-wing extremists and anarchists in his small town.’
‘But without exaggerating the threat and scaring off the people starting out in politics,’ Sophia said.
‘Are you the ones having the meeting about democracy?’ the young waiter said as he put the glass of beer down on Thomas’s papers.
Quick as a flash Thomas lifted the glass, but he was too slow to stop a ring of bubbles soaking into the proposal for clearer guidelines.
‘Cramne rang,’ the waiter continued. ‘He asked me to tell you he can’t make it tonight. That’ll be thirty-two kronor.’
He stood there expectantly, waiting to be paid for the beer.
Thomas felt himself getting angry for several reasons at once, bubbling over like the head on the beer that was dripping onto his hands and trousers.
‘What the fuck?’ he said. ‘What is this?’
Sophia Grenborg straightened up and leaned towards the waiter.
‘Did Cramne say why?’
The young man shrugged, shifting impatiently as he waited to be paid. ‘Just that he couldn’t make it, and that I should tell you. And he said you were welcome to go down and eat, and he’ll pay the bill next time he comes in.’
Thomas and Sophia looked at each other.
‘Cramne lives upstairs,’ the waiter said, pointing with his pen. ‘Fifth floor. He’s in here all the time. We have a table reserved in the restaurant, down the narrow staircase behind the toilets.’
Thomas took out exactly thirty-two kronor from his wallet, then put it and all his papers back in his briefcase.
‘I don’t have time for this,’ he said, getting ready to stand up.
The waiter disappeared.
‘We could go through what this sort of survey might look like,’ Sophia said. ‘Seeing as we’re already here. And see if we could simplify the advice about threats. That’s the most important thing, after all. That politicians feel more secure in their posts, and know how to deal with threats and violence.’
‘I cancelled my tennis for this,’ Thomas heard himself say, sounding like a disappointed child.
‘And I cancelled my salsa class. We could at least let the government pay for dinner to make up for it.’
He relaxed and smiled back at her.