Summer Island Page 6

  ‘Jens, please. We’re not having a coffee party,’ Alma said.

  Ninni sat down next to Jens and looked at Alma. ‘Why do you think Jack is an imposter?’

  ‘Isn’t it obvious? How else can he claim to be the owner of Agnar’s farm?’ Alma said.

  Everyone stared blankly at her. She shook her head, exasperated at their thickness. ‘He somehow got wind of Agnar’s death and thinks he can make a fortune selling the land before anyone discovers he’s a criminal. He’s stealing a dead man’s property.’

  ‘That sounds highly improbable. For one, it would take an enormous amount of planning,’ Britt said.

  ‘Not if he’s in cahoots with Haldorsen,’ Alma said with a grim smile. ‘Haldorsen probably has done all the planning and then hired this man to play a role. Perhaps he’s an actor of sorts. It’s possible.’

  They all exchanged looks. Ninni secured a piece of the lemon cake. She cleared her throat. ‘Do you really think Erik Haldorsen would produce a false heir, just to get his way? Wouldn’t it be easier for him and his partners to wait until the farm went to state hands and then buy the land?’

  Alma shook her finger. ‘I don’t think so. I think they want Agnar’s land as soon as possible. This man can sell it whenever he wants. There’s no waiting time, no bureaucracy and no competition.’

  Jens leaned forward. ‘I talked to him when he came in to do his shopping the other day. He seems nice. I don’t think he’s a fraud.’

  Alma made a sound and everyone looked at her. ‘And you didn’t ask him anything useful, did you, Jens?’

  ‘No, because I’m not the bloody Gestapo, am I?’ Jens replied with a wide grin.

  Olav cleared his throat. ‘Actually, I’ve just been to see him.’

  Everybody stared at him. Alma nodded; obviously she already knew. Olav looked uneasy.

  ‘How did you know he would be there?’ Ninni suddenly realised Jack had stayed at Agnar’s farm for two nights. That was too close for comfort.

  ‘Jens told me. Jack was in the shop, they talked, and he told him where he was staying. And I thought Jack should know about the grass. Being the new owner and all.’

  Sigrid put a hand on his arm. ‘We thought it was best to inform him since we can’t be sure of what he knows or not.’

  ‘Well, what did he say?’ Tobben said.

  ‘He said the arrangement we had with Agnar still stands, and that he has no idea what to do with the farm. And that he’s only been here for a few days, so it’s too soon to say anything,’ Olav said.

  ‘That sounds reasonable,’ Jens said.

  Alma sent him a dirty look. ‘But it’s not really proof of anything. How do we even know who he is? How is he related to Agnar? How can he take over the farm without any of us knowing who he is? And how did the lawyers find him?’

  ‘Why don’t you ask him?’ Ninni said.

  ‘Yes, that’s what I think too,’ Olav said. ‘Someone should just ask him. He seems like a nice bloke.’

  ‘Good. Then you can talk to him tomorrow,’ Alma said, looking at Ninni.

  Ninni had no intention of being Alma’s errand girl. She’d be mortified. ‘Not on your life, Alma. If you want to know something about Jack, please ask him yourself. I’m sure he’ll answer you.’

  Alma sighed. ‘I’m too angry,’ she admitted.

  ‘If I go, I’m not going to ask him all the questions you want to ask him, you know that.’ Ninni smiled at her. ‘And you’re the mayor. It would make a lot more sense if you go.’

  ‘Right. Then I will. Since you all seem to think that’s the best solution, I’ll go and see him after work.’

  She seemed satisfied with the decision, as everybody knew she would be. Ninni scratched her nose. ‘Have you called the lawyers?’

  ‘No, not yet. I’ve just learned of his preposterous claim. I haven’t had the time, to be honest.’

  Tobben looked surprised. ‘Perhaps we should talk to the police on the mainland. They could check him out for us. You know, if it’s a scam.’

  Britt waved her phone in the air. ‘Wait, I found him online. He really is a chef. He used to work at this fancy French restaurant in London, but has just quit.’

  She scrolled the screen. ‘Wow, they almost have a Michelin star. That’s amazing. That means he’s an excellent chef.’

  ‘Why would he leave a job like that?’ Ninni wasn’t the only one wondering.

  ‘Not sure. The owner of the restaurant only says that they had “creative differences”, whatever that means.’ Britt held up her phone again and Ninni leaned forward to look at the screen. There was Jack standing next to a stunning woman. They had their arms around each other, laughing at the camera.

  ‘She’s the owner?’

  ‘Says here, her father owns the restaurant but she has taken over as head chef and manager. She must be a good cook too. Although she looks like she hasn’t eaten in years,’ Britt said.

  Ninni took an instant dislike to the woman, but stopped herself. It wasn’t her business who Jack had his arm around, was it? If skinny stick women were his type, then that was his problem, wasn’t it?

  Tobben looked too. ‘She looks like she’s preserved in plastic,’ he said, making everyone laugh again.

  Alma looked at them. ‘Listen, our island is under threat, we have to protect it from greedy developers like Haldorsen before it’s too late. And if this man is not his puppet, he might soon be. It’s obvious that a man like that will want to sell the farm to the highest bidder, and we know that’s not going to be any of us. So what do we do?’

  Ninni nibbled on the cake, finding comfort in the tangy taste of the lemon. It was soft and sweet and with just the extra lemony twist from the glaze. Damned if she was going home without an extra piece.

  Britt put up her hand. ‘But if this guy sells the farm, would that really be so bad?’

  The silence that fell was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Ninni swallowed the last piece of the cake and held her breath.

  ‘They will tear down Agnar’s farm buildings, build a huge marina for sailing boats and yachts, and whatnot. Turn the island into a playground for people who will look down upon us and the island, and treat us like dimwits. It will be a disaster for us,’ Alma said, clearly not expecting to be contradicted.

  Britt wasn’t that easily deterred. ‘Yes, but I mean, it might bring more tourists and holiday people here, and we can sell our goods. Perhaps even open a place to sell them from. Would that really be so bad? We could bring mainlanders out here, and perhaps more of us could make a decent living out here.’

  Ninni liked that idea. ‘A bistro or something like that would be nice. Britt’s beer is amazing, we all know that. You could extend your shop, Alma. You could sell more of the local produce and baked goods.’

  Alma was fuming. ‘We all know that Haldorsen will destroy everything. Think of all the rubbish a marina brings with it. We will lose arable land and God knows what else. What if the tourists don’t come? And, if they do, Haldorsen and his people will keep the profits from any endeavours they come up with. He will make sure of that. If there is to be a restaurant or an artisan shop, you can bet neither of us will be involved. No, we have too much to lose.’

  Britt looked like she wanted to say something else, but restrained herself.

  Alma spoke again. ‘We need to know more about this man. I will go and talk to him myself and if anyone else could also check him out, that would be much appreciated. The more we know about him, the better it is. All agreed?’

  The others nodded, and Alma looked relieved.

  ‘Good, and since that’s settled we have to decide what to do after we have the information. It’s imperative that we stick together now. This could change our island for ever.’

  Ninni leaned towards Jens. ‘It sounds terribly dramatic,’ she whispered.

  Jens nodded, a smile lighting up his face. ‘Oh, it is.’

  Tobben seemed to think the same thing. ‘Do we have to get out the
torches and pitchforks, Alma?’

  Everybody laughed and Alma couldn’t help smiling herself. She waved her hand. ‘Fine, I get the point. We’re not going to throw him off the island, unless he really is an imposter. Then we can discuss it again. Agreed?’

  Ninni snagged another piece of the cake. ‘Alma, this is so good. I think you have outdone yourself with this one.’

  ‘That’s not mine, it’s Britt’s, Alma said.

  Britt waved a hand. ‘It’s just an experiment.’

  ‘Then it’s the best experiment since the light bulb,’ Tobben said, tucking in.

  Ninni noticed Tobben looking at Britt, and Britt giving him a radiant smile. Perhaps other things had happened while she was on the mainland.

  Britt came over and sat next to her after the discussion turned to summer plans. ‘Did you meet this man?’

  ‘Yes, he hit me with his car in Bergen. He actually came the wrong way around the roundabout.’

  ‘Really? I did that once. In Sheffield. I was so scared, I just stopped in the middle of the road and closed my eyes.’

  ‘You’re joking, right?’

  Britt shook her head. ‘I wish. Every other car stopped and honked, then people came out of their cars and yelled at me. Finally someone realised I wasn’t British. Changed the whole atmosphere. They couldn’t have been nicer.’

  ‘So a happy ending, then. Not so much for this idiot.’

  Britt smiled. ‘At least I didn’t hit anyone.’

  ‘At least we don’t have cars here. That makes us all safer.’

  ‘Yes, but what’s he like? Have you talked to him since he arrived here?’

  ‘Just once, on 17th of May when he bought some food from me,’ Ninni said.

  ‘It said online that if he had stayed at the restaurant he would have been one of the youngest chefs to get a Michelin star. It makes me wonder why he would leave a restaurant when he must have worked so hard to achieve that.’

  Ninni noticed several of the others listening in on the conversation. ‘I don’t know. He didn’t tell me he was a chef. Perhaps that’s something you can ask him.’

  Britt nodded. ‘I certainly will. I don’t like Haldorsen any more than the next person, but it would be nice to have a few more business opportunities on the island.’

  Alma clapped her hands and they all fell silent. ‘Okay, people. We have a plan. We’ll meet here again over the weekend.’

  Ninni secured herself an extra slice of cake, happy she didn’t have to talk to Jack again. She was pretty sure she could avoid him altogether if she put her mind to it.

  Chapter 6

  The estate agent arrived a few days later, dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and sandals. He also had a backpack.

  He greeted Jack as if they had been at school together. ‘I’m Mats. Can I call you Jack? It’s been a long time since anyone used the equivalent of mister in this country, I’m afraid. We’re not that formal.’

  Jack nodded. ‘Right, I see. I’ll get to it then. Can you tell me what this property will be worth on the market? Is there even a market for farms like this? Not speaking Norwegian, I couldn’t find anything useful online.’

  Mats pulled out a folder and handed it to him. ‘I can tell you right away that these properties might take a while to sell, I’m afraid, so if you’re looking for a quick sale you might be disappointed.’

  Jack sighed. ‘That’s not what I was hoping for. I’d like to return to London as soon as I possibly can.’

  Mats smiled. ‘Of course. I fully understand that, and I can promise you that we will do our best. Do you have the paperwork for the property?’

  ‘In the kitchen. Follow me.’

  He noticed that Mats paid attention to everything he saw when they went inside.

  ‘If you want to take a tour of the house, please do. Tea or coffee?’

  ‘Coffee, thank you. I’ll be right back.’

  Leaving his backpack on a chair, Mats disappeared upstairs and Jack filled the kettle. I need a toaster, he thought. Better put that on the list too, as soon as he found something to write a list on.

  The tour of the house didn’t take long. Mats was soon back in the kitchen. ‘The paperwork?’

  Jack pointed at the table. ‘It’s all yours.’

  Mats skimmed through everything while he hummed. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘This looks fine. There’s a lot of valuables here. You can sell things like the livestock, the boat and the boathouse, which is good, people are always interested in those. Unfortunately, it looks like the fields can only be sold together with the house and the barn. There’s also the produce that can be sold as it matures. If you need money more quickly, I mean.’

  He looked up to see Jack’s horrified face. ‘What? Did I say something wrong?’

  ‘You said livestock. What does that mean?’ Jack was hoping for a few chickens or perhaps he meant the fish in the sea. He also remembered that he had never gone inside the barn, and got a horrible image in his mind of a pile of dead farm animals.

  ‘It’s a nice flock of sheep. They’re grazing on the islet,’ Mats said.

  ‘I don’t think I understood one word in that whole sentence,’ Jack said.

  Mats looked shocked. ‘You didn’t know?’

  ‘Do I look like I know?’ Jack sank down on one of the chairs. ‘Nobody said anything about sheep. It wasn’t in any of the paperwork they sent me, or the paperwork I had to sign at the lawyer’s office. And I would have remembered anyone mentioning sheep.’

  Mats pointed at the papers in front of him. ‘It says so right here on the inventory list. About twenty animals, probably more now that lambing season is over. Nobody told you?’

  ‘The lawyer never said a word. He handed me all the papers Agnar had prepared, and apparently he didn’t check to see if everything had been translated. I’m in a bit of shock here. Did you also say islet? That’s not Norwegian for barn, is it?’

  No, of course not; it’s a small island not far from here.’

  ‘So, there are no animals in the barn?’ Jack wasn’t about to be responsible for dead animals.

  Mats grinned. ‘There could be mice, but they are not on the list. And you don’t have to worry, I think. The sheep stay outdoors all year. I’m assuming they get checked on once in a while, although it doesn’t say here how often or by whom. I sure hope they have been attended to by someone. The lawyers have definitely not done their job on this one. You should tell them that.’

  Jack remembered Jens’ talk about grass, and Olav mentioning the same. Why on earth hadn’t they said anything? They must have assumed he knew.

  ‘This is ridiculous. I have to see the animals for myself. How can I get out there?’

  ‘By boat, of course.’

  Mats said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Jack chose not to tell him he hadn’t handled a boat in his life. It was probably something everybody here knew. Ninni certainly did. The only boat he had ever been in was a Thames riverboat.

  ‘Right. Just tell me one thing. Are the sheep safe where they are?’

  ‘Oh, absolutely. Like I said, they live there all year round. Mostly they graze on fresh grass and heather, and whatever else sheep eat. But they should be checked on regularly. I’m assuming the former owner did so.’

  That didn’t really comfort him. ‘Yeah, well, Agnar’s been dead since January. It took the lawyers some time to find me.’

  Mats looked uncomfortable. ‘Then perhaps you should call the lawyers and ask them about the sheep. They knew about them, of course, otherwise they wouldn’t have been on the list.’

  ‘I’ve never even had a cat,’ Jack said, overwhelmed by the thought.

  ‘I suspect a flock of sheep are a lot easier to deal with than a flock of cats,’ Mats said, smiling now.

  Jack smiled slightly. ‘I wouldn’t really know.’

  Mats handed him a paper. ‘If you choose to sell through us, please fill out this form and email it to me. Or just pop by the office in town. We’re
in Haraldsgaten, close by Hotel Saga. Easy to find. Our expenses are clearly marked on the form. You won’t get any nasty surprises from us, I promise.’

  Jack took the form. To his relief it was in English. ‘Thank you. Is there anything I should do to make it more interesting for potential buyers?’

  ‘Tidy up, get rid of personal effects, old furniture that’s not very interesting, all those old magazines and stuff by the walls, and make the place look roomy and light.’

  Jack looked around. ‘Do I have to paint the place?’

  ‘Only if we’re desperate. People who buy places like this are either farmers themselves, and would be more interested in the farmland, or they will be property developers and if that’s the case they will most likely want to build something else. The value is in the land, Jack,’ Mats said.

  It was hardly a manor house, Jack thought. ‘Okay.’

  ‘Also, I’m sure there will be lots of paperwork concerning the business of the farm somewhere. Bank papers, tax forms, those sort of things. If you could gather it up and send it to me, that will give us a much clearer picture of the farm’s value. And you should make a proper inventory list, get that one translated, perhaps, and then let us know as soon as possible.’ Mats put everything else in the backpack.

  ‘Do I have to do all that before you can give me an indication of the value?’ It sounded like an impossible task.

  ‘At least before we show the house to anyone. I’ll need your signature on the authorisation form before we talk about all the other things, like registers and so on.’

  Mats stood up and handed him the folder. ‘It was really nice meeting you, and I hope we’ll speak again soon. Any questions, feel free to call me any time. My card is in there.’

  Jack left the folder on the table and followed him outside.

  Mats looked around the yard and smiled. ‘This is a really nice place, Jack. Are you sure you want to sell?’

  ‘More sure now that I have sheep,’ he replied.

  He watched the agent make his way through the gate and shook his head. Sheep. He needed to see this for himself.

  On one of the hooks by the door there was a key labelled “båthus”. Close enough. Let’s see what we have, he thought.