Kortmann shook his head. 'It would have left marks.'
'Okay,' said Jon after no one else spoke for a couple of seconds. 'Luca's death indicates that it was the work of a receiver, but it could still be the result of natural heart failure, or possibly poisoning. None of the other attacks points exclusively to a receiver, so I don't want to rule anything out yet.' He scanned the faces of the people sitting around the table. Most of them had a more or less resigned look; only Line displayed something other than dismay. Her eyes shone with fear.
'Maybe we should discuss what the motive might be,' suggested Jon.
After another few seconds of silence Henning cleared his throat. He shut his eyes tight for a moment before he spoke.
'That's what doesn't make any sense,' he said, clasping his hands on the table in front of him. 'No Lector, either a transmitter or a receiver, has anything to gain from all this. It's simply too risky. The connection between these events may not be obvious to so-called normal people, but if the attacks continue, we're going to be exposed, and none of us wants that.'
'Why not?' asked Jon. 'Why all the secrecy? Couldn't your powers be of use to everyone if they became known?'
'Let me answer that by asking you a question,' said Henning. 'How do you feel about the fact that there are people like us who can influence your decisions and opinions without you having any control over it?'
'Well, everything's rather new to me,' Jon began. 'I haven't really thought through all the consequences, but I have to admit that it does make me uneasy.'
Lee broke in by leaning forward and jabbing his index finger at the table.
'That's exactly the reason,' he said earnestly. 'That's the normal reaction. Maybe in the beginning people would be fascinated. We'd become exhibits in a freak show – wearing brilliantly coloured robes, we'd "mind-read" what the people in the audience were reading, or we'd make people do silly things by reading to them, like in one of those phoney hypnotist shows. But after a while people would start to worry; they'd be afraid of being manipulated, and maybe they'd even refuse to read anything unless they were sure they were alone, or at least among friends.'
Jon saw how Henning and the married couple exchanged glances, and Thor smiled indulgently. But Lee didn't notice, or at least refused to be deterred and went on with his explanation.
'Anyone with powers would become an outcast, as if he were a leper, because people would be constantly on guard around him. The growing paranoia would end up forcing the Lectors to be registered, maybe even wear a special symbol so that people on the street could recognize them and take precautionary measures. Before long, society might come to the conclusion that the easiest and safest thing would be to lock us up, put us somewhere far away from other people, and maybe even prevent us from having any access to books and texts.' Lee stopped his tirade for a moment to allow Jon to catch up.
'Soon new Lectors would try to hide their powers,' Lee went on with a shrug. 'Just like we do now, actually, and regular manhunts would be carried out to find those who weren't registered or those who had managed to escape from the prisons. A great deal of energy would be expended to detect the existence of powers, even in infants, and "bloodhounds", either electronic or in the form of trained traitors, would track us down like hunted animals. Underground movements would be created by those of us who had managed to get away, and before long the groups would be forced to defend themselves using violent means. Wars would break out-'
'All right, thank you,' said Kortmann. 'I think we get the point, Lee.'
Lee blushed. 'I guess I got a bit carried away,' he said apologetically. 'But it was just to illustrate that none of us has anything to gain by becoming known. Neither transmitters nor receivers.' He leaned back in his chair.
'Even though Lee's version may seem a trifle exaggerated, he's right,' said Kortmann. 'We're different, and as such we can expect to be treated differently, and not in an especially good way, if what we're capable of doing ever gets out.'
'Hasn't anyone ever given you away?' asked Jon. 'It seems to me very unlikely that something like this could be kept secret for what – a hundred years?'
'Oh, much longer than that,' exclaimed Birthe. 'We're talking about centuries. Our best guess is that the first Lectors were in charge of the libraries of antiquity long before the birth of Christ. Back then it was considered prestigious to be a librarian,' she added with a touch of bitterness in her voice. 'They were regarded as statesmen and scholars. People who had influence on the development of society, whose opinions carried weight, and who were consulted regarding all sorts of issues. As you probably realize, that would be a prime position for a Lector who knows how to make use of his powers.'
'But there are no instances when you've ever been exposed?'
Birthe shook her head. 'There is very little concrete evidence that points in our direction. During certain periods some suspicion was directed at scholars who could read and write, but that was probably rooted in envy and ignorance rather than any justifiable fear. If we look at more recent times, no one has ever even hinted at the existence of our powers.'
'Could that be the motive? Exposing the Society?' Jon suggested.
'A hell of a complicated way to go about it,' said Henning. 'I mean, why not just expose us outright? The chances are slim that anyone would ever figure out the connection between the actions that have been carried out up to this point. If the intention is to expose the Lectors, only a complete revelation would do it.'
Lee nodded eagerly. 'I agree with that. An exposй could only come from someone who's part of the group, and only by demonstrating the powers. So if that's the motive, we would have already read about it in the newspapers, seen it on the talk shows and gone to the premiere of the movie.'
'So what are you saying?' asked Jon.
Lee looked at Katherina for a moment. 'I think,' he began, casting a glance at Henning before he continued. 'Wethink that there's something bigger going on.Someone is up to something big, and this is just a preliminary manoeuvre meant to wear us out, confuse us or divert our attention – maybe all three. The question you should be asking now is who thissomeone might be, and for me it's obvious.' Again he looked at Katherina. 'Everything points to the receivers.' He waved his hands towards her, making the gesture seem both dismissive and apologetic. 'I'm not saying that you're involved. It could very well be that you've been kept out of it because of your relationship to Luca.'
'So what's our big plan?' asked Katherina. 'World domination, I suppose?'
Lee studied Katherina for a moment with a hint of satisfaction but then shifted his gaze to Jon.
'I have no idea what they're after, but at least I'm searching for the answer.'
'You're searching?'
Lee nodded. 'Every chance I get. The clues are out there, on the Internet, it's just a question of finding them and figuring out the connections. So far it hasn't produced any result, but it will. It's a little like the wreckage of a ship – something always pops up, even though the beach may have been empty the day before.'
'How long has this been going on?' asked Kortmann in surprise.
Lee shrugged. 'A couple of weeks, I suppose. I didn't think it was necessary to ask permission.'
'No, no, not at all. It would just be nice to know.'
'I didn't realize you wanted to start up this… investigation,' Lee added. 'And it didn't look like anyone else was thinking of doing anything. So since the Society didn't have any more pressing work for me to do, I permitted myself to show a little initiative.'
Kortmann nodded appreciatively. 'Good work, Lee. I suggest that you continue your searches.'
'That's certainly what I intend to do,' said Lee, his words barely audible.
'And keep us updated,' Kortmann emphasized, pointing to himself and to Jon.