In his younger days, when he had been a temporary
teacher, his aim had been different: No matter what they do, they will not disturb my equanimity! It was after being forced to admit that this credo was being shaken to the core day after day, hour after hour, that Suurna decided to set his sights on a career as a school administrator instead. To become a headmaster, in fact.
It had taken its toll: a few friends, some invitations, several years, but by the time he celebrated his fortieth birthday he had achieved his aim. He sat down at his desk and looked forward to a quarter of a century of undisturbed equanimity.
Should there be any matters that needed dealing with-
student demonstrations, budget deficits, or timetables that needed adjusting-there would always be a deputy head to whom the problems could be delegated. He would be too busy taking care of the red oak.
And then, after fifteen years of devoted polishing, this damned business had come about.
Days had passed. Evenings. Even nights, but there seemed to be no end to it. Just now a sniveling lawyer was sitting slumped on the visitor’s chair, reminding him uncannily of a starving vulture he had once seen while on summer vacation in the Serengeti.
The only person I would allow him to defend, Suurna thought, is my mother-in-law.
“You must understand, Mr. Rutter-”
“Ruger.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Ruger. You must understand that this has been a difficult time for us all, difficult and exhausting. One teacher is dead, another is in prison. The police are running around here every day. Surely you can see that our school has to be spared any further stress.”
“Of course. You don’t need to worry.”
“Perhaps it’s not necessary for me to point out that our pupils have been affected in most undesirable ways, Mr. Ruger.
They are young people, and easily thrust into a state of confusion. What we now need to do as a matter of urgency is pull ourselves together and move on. I bear the ultimate pedagogi-cal responsibility, and can’t just stand by and watch. .”
The door opened tentatively and a woman with mauve-
colored hair and mauve-colored spectacles put her head around it.
“Would you like me to serve coffee now, Mr. Suurna?”
Her voice was soft and meticulously articulated.
As if her words were made of bone china, Ruger thought.
It seemed clear that she was a former primary school teacher.
“Of course, Miss Bellevue. Bring it right in.”
Ruger was quick to make the most of his opportunity.
“Of course I understand your difficulties. I have a son who graduated from this school ten years ago.”
“Really? I didn’t think. .”
“Ruger, his name was. Edwin Ruger. Obviously, I can see that this must have been a particularly difficult time for you, but even so, Mr. Suurna, we must ensure that justice takes its course, don’t you agree?”
“Of course, Mr. Ruger. Surely you don’t think for a moment that I would want anything different?”
He glanced after Miss Bellevue, who was just leaving the room, and Ruger wondered if there really was an ounce of unrest in the man, or if he was just imagining it.
“Not for a moment, no. You merely want a degree of. .
discretion. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Precisely. But if you’ll allow me to say so, that hasn’t exactly been the strongest side of our police authorities. Or perhaps I should say, let’s hope they have stronger sides.”
He peered over his spectacles and tried to smile, as if to suggest they were singing from the same hymn sheet. Ruger blew his nose.
“However, you represent. .?” wondered Suurna, dropping three lumps of sugar into his plastic mug.
“I’m Mr. Mitter’s lawyer. You must surely agree that it’s in the best interests of the school for him to be found not guilty?”
Suurna gave a start.
“Naturally, without a shadow of doubt, but. .”
“But what?”
“Don’t get me wrong. . But what do you think yourself?”
“I’m the one who ought to be asking that question. Of you, that is.”
The headmaster stirred his coffee. Adjusted his tie. Looked out of the window and moved the pens in his desk caddy around.
“Mitter has always been a loyal member of the staff, a much admired teacher. He’s been at the school longer than I have myself. Very knowledgeable and. . independent. I have difficulty in believing. . Real difficulty.”
“And Eva Ringmar?”
The pens were slowly starting to return to their original positions.
“I don’t really have much of an idea about her, I’m afraid.
She’s only been with us for a short time, two years, or thereabouts. But of course, she was a very well- qualified teacher.
May I ask you something? What kind of a stand is Mitter making?”
“What do you mean?”
Suurna shuffled in his chair.
“Well, er, what kind of a stand is he making?”
“Not guilty.”
“I see. . Yes, of course. He’s not pleading without pre-meditation, nothing like that?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
Suurna nodded.
“And what you are looking for now is. .?”
“I’m looking for two or three witnesses.”
“Witnesses? But surely that’s impossible?”
“Character witnesses, Mr. Suurna, people who are willing to stand up in court and speak in support of Mitter. People who know him, as a person and as a colleague, who can give a positive picture of him. And a true one, of course.”
“I’m with you. The man behind the name?”
“Something like that. Perhaps a pupil as well. And preferably you yourself, Mr. Suurna.”
“Oh, I don’t really think. .”
“Or somebody you can suggest. If you give me four or five names, I can choose from among them.”
“Who would he prefer to have? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for him to say who he’d like to have?”
“Hmm, that’s the tricky thing. . ” Ruger took a sip of coffee. It was weak and had a faint taste of disinfectant. He gave thanks for his bad cold. “Mitter has, er, how should I put it? On principle he declines to speak in his own favor. It goes against the grain for him to. . proselytize. I must say that I can sym-pathize with him. Sigurdsen and Weiss seem to have been the members of staff closest to him, but I don’t know. .?”
“Weiss and Sigurdsen? Yes, that’s probably correct. Yes, I’ve nothing against them.”
“Even so, it might also be good to have somebody who wasn’t all that close to him. Good friends naturally only have good things to say about one another. Nobody expects anything different.”
“I understand.”
Ruger closed his eyes and forced down the rest of the coffee.
“To be precise, what I am asking you to provide is a colleague, one of his pupils, and, er, shall we say a representative of the school management-you yourself, or somebody you think would be suitable.”
“I’ll have a word with Eger, he’s our deputy head. I’ve no doubt he’ll be happy to oblige. As for the pupils, I have no idea. I must ask you to be extremely discreet. Perhaps you could get some help from Sigurdsen and Weiss, if you speak to them.”
“I’m most grateful.”
