“There were rumors that at the fall dance last year, Victor, who’s a senior, molested one of the freshman girls. I wasn’t at the dance myself, and neither was Malthe, but the story made its way through the hallways all the way up to the teachers’ lounge and the headmaster’s office. The girl never reported it. She refused to name him or even make a statement, and none of the other students had seen anything, so it never got any further.”

“Molested?”

Her hands flew up from her lap to her face, where she held them protectively over blushing cheeks.

“Yes, you know, sexually. I don’t know if there was anything to it, but Malthe insisted on getting to the bottom of it. He talked to both Victor and the girl to get to the truth.”

She paused.

Jeppe gave her space and waited until she seemed ready to continue.

“What did the school do about it?” he asked.

“That’s the point!” she said with a scornful laugh. “Not a darned thing. Oh, I mean they lifted a finger, and there was a little window dressing, but there was no will from the headmaster to look into the case, quite the contrary. Malthe received a direct order to stay out of it and leave the students alone. Victor is popular, student body president and active on the basketball team and the prom committee, from a prominent family. And of course these kinds of incidents are bad publicity.”

Jeppe leaned back on the bench and tried to get the information to add up. Rumors of an assault, Oscar’s disappearance, Malthe’s death.

“Did you ever talk to Malthe about Oscar, Victor’s little brother?”

“Malthe liked him a lot,” she said with a sad nod. “It really tells you something about how Malthe operated, that he never let his conflict with Victor spill over onto Victor’s little brother. Oscar is a good boy, but even so, Malthe could easily have chosen to keep him at arm’s length. Especially when you think of Iben.”

“Iben?”

“Iben Skytte.” Her eyes wandered. “She and Oscar are best friends, so it was a bit of a wasp’s nest to stick his hand into. But Malthe wasn’t scared.”

“I’m not following.” Jeppe shook his head, confused. “How is Iben related to all of this?”

“Well…” She hesitated. “She was the one, at the fall dance. The girl Victor allegedly molested was Iben Skytte.”