The Seven Doors Read online

  University professor Nina is at a turning point. Her work seems increasingly irrelevant, her doctor husband is never home, relations with her difficult daughter are strained, and their beautiful house is scheduled for demolition.

  When her daughter decides to move into another house they own, things take a very dark turn. The young woman living there disappears, leaving her son behind, the day after Nina and her daughter pay her a visit.

  With few clues, the police enquiry soon grinds to a halt, but Nina has an inexplicable sense of guilt. Unable to rest, she begins her own investigation, but as she pulls on the threads of the case, it seems her discoveries may have very grave consequences for her and her family.

  Exquisitely dark and immensely powerful, The Seven Doors is a sophisticated and deeply disturbing psychological thriller from one of Norway’s most distinguished voices.

  The Seven Doors

  Agnes Ravatn

  Translated from the Norwegian by Rosie Hedger

  Contents

  Title Page

  Sunday 18th November

  Monday 19th November

  Tuesday 20th November

  Wednesday 21st November

  Saturday 24th November

  Sunday 25th November

  Monday 26th November

  Tuesday 27th November

  Saturday 1st December

  Monday 3rd December

  Tuesday 4th December

  Wednesday 5th December

  Thursday 6th December

  Saturday 8th December

  Monday 10th December

  Wednesday 12th December

  Friday 14th December

  Saturday 15th December

  Sunday 16th December

  Tuesday 18th December

  Wednesday 19th December

  Thursday 20th December

  Friday 21st December

  Saturday 22nd December

  Christmas Day

  Boxing Day

  Thursday 27th December

  Friday 28th December

  About the Author

  About the Translator

  Copyright

  Sunday 18th November

  Berg slinks along the walls, just as the two surveyors did the week before. Nina pours coffee into the pot and finds a bowl for the dark chocolate.

  Yes, Berg says eventually, her voice silky-smooth, then click-clacks her way over to join Nina. It’ll set them back a pretty penny, this place.

  She is wearing a tight-fitting black suit and a cream blouse. Even in high heels, Nina towers over her.

  I’d have preferred to keep the house, all the same, Nina replies, sounding more sombre than she expected to.

  I can understand that, Berg replies. How long have you lived here?

  It’s my childhood home, Nina says, placing another log on the fire. We moved back in when my daughter was born. That was thirty-five years ago now.

  So many memories… Berg says, head cocked to one side reassuringly, and Nina’s genuine sorrow at losing the house, the acute mournfulness with which it fills her, gives way to irritation at Berg’s apparent inability to complete a sentence.

  She glances at the clock.

  He’ll be here soon, she says, but Berg waves a dismissive hand, as if suggesting Nina should relax. Nina plucks a few withered leaves from the pot plants along the windowsill as she gazes outside.

  This is certainly an unusual case, the lawyer says, and Nina turns around.

  A member of the city council being called upon to demolish his own house, I mean.

  Mads was obviously prohibited from having any say in the case, Nina replies, but yes.

  They hear the front door open, and moments later he comes galloping up the stairs with Milja riding on his back. He comes to an abrupt halt when he catches sight of the lawyer.

  Oh, hello, he says, clearing his throat. He slides Milja down onto the floor and offers the lawyer an outstretched hand.

  Mads Glaser, he says. It’s very good of you to come out here on a Sunday.

  I’ve been to Gingerbread Land, Milja declares proudly. Her plump cheeks are bright red. Berg offers her an ingratiating smile.

  Yes, our granddaughter is spending the day with us, Nina says. But I’m sure a bit of television will keep her busy for a little while. She nods at Mads, who ushers Milja into the next room.

  Nina and Berg each pull out a chair at the dining table. Mads pulls off his woolly jumper and smooths his shirt before joining them. His grey-black hair curls by his ears.

  Berg extracts a thick wad of documents from her bag and perches a pair of spectacles at the end of her nose, spectacles that Nina suspects are just for show.

  Berg’s well-manicured mother-of-pearl nails leaf through various sheets of paper before she pauses to look up at them.

  A brief introduction to the legal aspects of compulsory acquisition, perhaps?

  Yes, please—Nina begins, but Mads interrupts her.

  No, he says, that won’t be necessary. As I explained on the phone, we’re prepared to accept a reasonable settlement.

  OK? Berg says, looking at Nina, who nods reluctantly.

  Berg begins outlining matters, moving rather rapidly as she walks Nina and Mads through their rights now that a final decision has been made about the proposed light-rail route, which is set to split their living room in two.

  Nina listens, her brow furrowed, trying to look like she is following what’s being said in spite of the onslaught of legal jargon that involves. She exchanges discreet glances with Mads, who rolls his eyes before getting up.

  Coffee? he says, cutting Berg off mid-flow. He picks up the coffee pot and pours her a cup, standing to her left, as if he were a waiter.

  We can also ask that the council covers any costs incurred by the move, Berg continues. We can even demand that they pay for things like new curtains, for instance, if the old ones won’t fit in the new house. It all depends just how far they’re willing to go.

  Not all that far, I should think, wouldn’t you say? Mads says, scratching his temple.

  Will we receive any help to find somewhere else? Nina asks, or will we simply receive a sum of money and have to find something by ourselves?

  Berg laughs initially, as if the question has been asked in jest, but quickly realises that Nina is being sincere.

  You’ll have to find something by yourselves, yes, she replies with a quiet cough. And I’d start looking now, if I were you.

  Good God, we’ll spend every weekend for the foreseeable future traipsing around viewings and worrying about who’s bidding what, Nina says to Mads, clearly less than delighted by the news.

  It’s a toss-up between Haukeland and Nygårdshøyden, then, Mads says. Rock, paper, scissors, come on, he says, raising a fist in Nina’s direction. Which of us will be rewarded with the shortest commute?

  You won’t be standing for re-election, then? Berg asks.

  He shrugs.

  I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but I’ve started to miss all those blocked sinuses. When it comes to actually making a difference in people’s lives, working in the ear, nose and throat department beats the local council, hands down.

  Oh dear, the lament of the long-suffering health-board representative, Nina says. But which of us has the most years left to work? I’ll only be attending viewings within a hundred-metre radius of the faculty of humanities.

  Well, it’s just a case of starting to look, even if the demolition itself is some way off. As you know, Berg adds, looking at Mads, I think we can secure a fair settlement if we make it clear that we’re willing to act quickly.

  Nina is hit with a wave of nausea when she hears the word ‘demolition’; she brings her napkin to her mouth and coughs quietly.

  And looking at this house, I might even go so far as to say that the challenge will be finding something of a sufficiently high standard, Berg says. If you’re hoping for something equal in terms of condition and style, that is.

  Hear, hear, Mads replies.

  That’s if you don’t take the most straightforward route and simply move into the house on Birkeveien, the lawyer says.

  Mads looks at Nina inquiringly, who in turn looks at Berg.

  You could avoid house-hunting entirely, then simply invest the money you receive, she says.

  Out of the question, Nina says firmly. A renovation project from, gosh, when were they built?

  The 1950s, at the latest, Mads says. No, that’s not an option we’re prepared to consider.

  Berg removes her spectacles. She brings the palms of her hands together with her fingertips touching as if she were some kind of criminal mastermind, resting her elbows on the table as she leans towards her clients.

  Very well. In that case, shall we devise a plan that ensures the best possible result? she asks, and Nina nods bravely.

  They stand at the living-room window and watch the black Audi, which Berg manoeuvres back and forth at a snail’s pace for at least a minute before finally managing to turn it around.

  It’s so surreal, the whole thing, Nina sighs as the car slips down the hill in the dusky light of early afternoon. She catches sight of her own reflection, her eyes two dark spheres, the rain trickling down.

  You’re not wrong there, he says, his hand stroking her dark, shoulder-length hair.

  Is it just me, or have you been wearing black more often than usual these days? he asks, carefully plucking a hair from her dress.

  This is my first major life crisis, she replies. I need to mark that somehow.

&nb
sp; He steps back and takes a seat at the piano stool. He places his fingers gently on the keys and begins to play Couperin’s ‘Les Barricades Mystérieuses’ at a slow tempo.

  Stop it! a voice shouts from the television room.

  Thirty-five years, Nina says. Don’t you feel even a little sentimental about it all?

  He smiles despondently.

  I’ve done all that I can do, he says, his eyes on the sheet music. It wasn’t to be.

  I know, she sighs.

  Now we just have to make the best of things. And secure a respectable settlement, at the very least.

  She stands in silence, gazing out at the allotment over the road. She’ll miss it in the springtime. She pulls out a chair and takes a seat.

  Birkeveien, she says suddenly, turning to face him. Who’s renting it at the moment?

  A young single mother, he replies without lifting his fingers from the keys. She’s been there for a few years now.

  Do you think we ought to sell that place too?

  What makes you say that? he asks.

  I don’t know, she says with a shrug. For simplicity’s sake.

  It might be a nice option for Ingeborg and the family in due course, he says.

  So my childhood home doesn’t matter but your aunt’s old place…

  He lifts his hands from the piano and rubs his palms against his trouser legs. Looks at her.

  I know, she says. I know. You did everything you could.

  Jo reckons renting the place out is a good idea.

  Oh, Jo, the housing-market expert, she replies sardonically.

  She walks over and sits down at the dining-room table, taking a few crackers and some cheese and fruit and placing them on a plate.

  Strange, she says. I don’t remember Aunt Lena’s funeral.

  Not that strange, really, given that you weren’t there.

  I wasn’t?

  She died when you went on that field trip to Copenhagen.

  Milja bounds into the room and clambers up onto her grandad’s lap. It’s Pippi Longstocking, Mads sings, and pretends to play an accordion as Milja slams the piano keys at random.

  What time did we say we’d drop off this little tyke? he asks.

  As Ingeborg makes her way downstairs, Milja is holding Mads’ hand and gazing, bewitched, at one of the prehistoric-looking crocodiles. The reptile stands behind the thick glass, stock still in the water, and returns Milja’s stare with a stiff, vacant expression.

  Mummy! Milja cries with delight, letting go of her grandad’s hand. Ingeborg crouches down and accepts her bounding embrace.

  Mummy, I saw a shark, Milja says with a grave expression, and Ingeborg raises her eyebrows appreciatively.

  Grandad will take you to see the monkeys, she says, standing up and sending her father a meaningful look. Grandma and I are just going to have a little chat in the café.

  Mads looks at Nina quizzically as she is ushered upstairs by their daughter, she shrugs in response with a puzzled look on her face.

  They take a seat at the table in the furthest corner of the half-empty café.

  Ingeborg drapes her grey wool coat over the back of her chair but keeps her scarf on. She’s wrapped it around her neck in some sort of intricate fashion.

  Nina pulls out her purse and stands up.

  What do you fancy?

  Golden milk, Ingeborg replies.

  Pardon me?

  Ingeborg looks at her mother with resignation.

  Soya milk with turmeric? she says.

  Ingeborg, it’s a hot-dog stand. You’ll be lucky to get a cup of tea.

  Ice water, then.

  Funny old things, daughters, Nina thinks to herself as she queues to pay. She glances discreetly over at Ingeborg, who is entirely absorbed by her mobile phone as penguins waddle around in the background.

  She ponders the Electra complex, the female version of the Oedipus complex proposed by Carl Jung, young daughters fantasising about killing their mothers in order to fully possess their fathers. Freud never acknowledged the Electra complex as a genuine phenomenon, but she’s thought about it on numerous occasions and wondered if Jung might have been on to something.

  So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Nina asks gently once she’s returned to the table.

  Ingeborg opens her mouth to reply, but her face falls and she breaks down before she manages to utter a word.

  Nina furrows her brow as her daughter struggles to compose herself and assume a normal expression once again.

  It’s only now that she notices the dark circles under her daughter’s eyes. Her hair has been scraped into a chaotic bun at the nape of her neck, and her shoulders are high and pointed, razor-sharp.

  We’ve got silverfish, she says eventually, her voice thick with emotion.

  Silverfish? Nina repeats, doing her best not to laugh. My God, I thought you were ill!

  Ingeborg stares at her mother in disbelief.

  We’ve been up all night, she says. Eirik is hysterical.

  But they’re not doing you any harm, are they?

  There are people at the house as I speak, Ingeborg says, resigned. We managed to find a company willing to come out at the weekend.

  Everyone gets bugs of some sort every once in a while.

  Silverfish! her daughter repeats shrilly.

  So that was why we had Milja today, Nina replies cheerfully. You were on the hunt for creepy-crawlies.

  We’ll have to sell up, Ingeborg whispers, furtively glancing around the room.

  Surely it’s the sort of thing you’d be obliged to inform any buyer about? Nina begins, but she is quickly hushed.

  We need something bigger anyway, Ingeborg says. She rests her head in her hands and massages her temples.

  The whole lot of us will be homeless before too long, Nina says.

  We’re a room short, Ingeborg says, glancing up at her mother.

  Is that right?

  Hint, hint, Ingeborg says.

  Hint, hint?

  Ingeborg sighs loudly.

  You might be a professor of literature, but you’re incapable of reading between the lines, it seems.

  Nina gazes at her daughter in disbelief before finally putting two and two together.

  Six weeks, Ingeborg says. I’m exhausted.

  But Ingeborg! Nina says, hugging her daughter across the table. That’s fantastic!

  Thanks, her daughter says feebly, looking up at her mother with tired eyes.

  We have to tell your father, Nina says, craning her neck to see if she can see him outside.

  I thought we might wait a bit, Ingeborg says. I wanted to see if you might be able to … talk him round a bit.

  About what, exactly?

  An advance on our inheritance, Ingeborg mouths, almost without uttering a sound.

  Listen, Nina says, patting her hand gently. Do you remember Aunt Lena?

  Monday 19th November

  Towards the end of the day she receives a message from Ingeborg. She’s clocking off at 3pm, she writes. Could they take a look at the house on Birkeveien before picking Milja up from nursery?

  She glances outside. It’s dry for once, the sun low in the sky. A stroll would do her good.

  She hasn’t been there for years, she can’t remember the house number. She calls Mads, but there’s no answer. She searches the street name in her email inbox and finds an email between Mads and their financial advisor she was copied into four years ago. Birkeveien 61.

  She pulls up a map on her phone and vaguely remembers visiting Aunt Lena many years ago now, an attractive Bergen lady with a walking frame who lived in a house filled with steep staircases.

  Ingeborg is waiting for her outside the hospital building, tall and slim. She waves cheerfully when she catches sight of her mum and walks over to meet her just as an air ambulance lands on the helipad behind her.

  How are you doing? Nina asks, but her daughter bats the question away, excited at the prospect of a terraced house in Landås.

  Nina had been surprised when Ingeborg chose to pursue medicine like her father; she hadn’t ever felt that her daughter belonged in a job that called for warmth and empathy. All the same, she was pleased that her daughter had chosen such a practical career. What is the point in all of this? she had often wondered as she had watched her own students graduate, only to drift around in ambiguous professions within the culture and education sectors for unforeseeable periods of time.