by Samuel Bjork
‘Should we try the hatch again?’ Rakel said in a soft voice through the darkness; he could barely make her out, although she wasn’t sitting far away from him.
‘I don’t t’ want to come across as defeatist, but they had made several attempts, most recently a few hours ago. He had climbed up the ladder and pressed his shoulder against the wooden hatch, but it hadn’t budged; it had been locked from the outside, and having the lock pick was no use as the lock was on the other side.
Fortunately, they had food. And blankets. And a torch. They had decided to conserve the batteries because they hadn’t found any spares. They were in a safe room. Rakel had explained it all to him. She had been down here several times. This was where they normally locked up naughty children. The ones who refused to do as they were told. Normally, they didn’t have to sit there very long; it depended on their offence. As far as Tobias had gathered, there were lots of different punishments on this farm. Being banned from talking for one week was one of them. Hence the notes Rakel had written and stuck through the fence. She could talk – she had not lost her voice, which was what he had first assumed – then he wondered if she was being difficult on purpose, like Chief Bromden in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. No, Rakel could talk all right and, after someone had pushed him down into the safe room where she was being held, she had talked almost non-stop. Tobias liked hearing her voice. She was unlike any other girl he had ever met and nothing like the ones at school, who mostly giggled or said silly things. Rakel spoke properly, almost like an adult. And she knew where everything in the safe room was. There was food in the boxes and large canisters of water and petrol and clothes. Everything you would need, although they had yet to find more batteries – but they surely had to be there somewhere.
Tobias had been inside a safe room before; they had one at his school and it had formed part of a drill. The Territorial Army had sounded the alarm and everyone had to walk in single file and pretend that war had broken out. The safe room at his school contained nothing but old PE mats and hockey sticks, not like this one, which was fully equipped. He had been scared for the first few days, but the feeling was subsiding. After all, nothing bad had happened so far and they had been there for a long time. They will let you out again, Rakel had said, they let you out in the end; sometimes, it just takes time. He was more worried about his brother. Torben would be upset when he came home and found Tobias missing. He had written him a note – at least he had done that – and hidden it inside the mattress on his bed, the one with the zip which was their secret hiding place. ‘I’m going to spy on the Christian girls. I will be back soon’, he had written. He hoped it would reassure him a bit.
‘I don’t think God exists any more,’ Rakel said, fumbling for his hand.
Tobias had held a girl’s hand before, but this was different. Rakel liked holding his hand for a long time, and he liked holding hers. Her fingers were soft and warm and, when she sat close to him, he could also sense the heat from her body. It was almost cosy; he wouldn’t have minded the two of them sitting like this for a long time. That is, if they hadn’t been trapped underground.
‘I don’t believe in God either,’ Tobias said, and not for the first time.
They had discussed this at length. It seemed important to Rakel. Talking about God. Sometimes he felt that she spoke mostly to herself, but he tried to reply to the best of his ability.
‘If there really is a God, he would not let people do horrible, disgusting things, don’t you agree?’
Rakel moved a little closer and squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back. They would do this from time to time.
Everything will be fine. We’re together.
‘I agree,’ Tobias said, even though he was not that interested in whether or not God existed.
At school he had learned there were many different gods; across the world people believed in different things, but Religious Studies was not his favourite subject and he had never given it much thought before.
‘So who do you believe in if you stop believing in God?’ Rakel pondered.
‘Superman?’ Tobias said, mostly in jest; it was the kind of comment he might make when to cheer his brother up when he felt sad.
‘Who?’ Rakel said.
He kept forgetting that Rakel was very ignorant of the world.
‘A man who is very strong and can fly.’
‘People can’t fly, surely?’ Rakel said in disbelief.
‘No, he can’t fly, and he’s not a real person, he’s a character in a comic strip.’
‘We have comics about Jesus,’ Rakel said, and fell silent again.
Tobias realized that he felt a little sorry for her. Not that he had that many things himself; it was the others in his class who had everything. Computers and iPods and iPhones, always the latest gadget, but at least he had a television and comics and books. Rakel had none of these.
‘When do you think they’ll let us out? What’s the longest anyone has ever sat here?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Rakel said. ‘There was a girl called Sara, she was here for two weeks, I believe, but she wasn’t here when I arrived.’
‘What did she do?’
‘They said she tried to run away.’
‘Like you?’
‘Yes.’
The room was colder now. Perhaps it was evening outside, maybe that would account for it. Tobias took a corner of the blanket and draped it around his shoulder. Rakel moved even closer and put the blanket all around him. They sat quietly for a while, close to each other under the blanket, holding hands tightly. Rakel rested her head on his shoulder and, after a while, he could hear her breathing deepen. She was dozing now. Tobias sat very still so as not to wake her, and closed his eyes. Soon he, too, was asleep. Not soundly, like at home in his bed; just napping. He didn’t realize that he had been sound asleep until he heard a loud noise. He woke with a start and saw that the hatch above them was in the process of being opened.
At last, he thought, as the light from a torch shone down the ladder.
Tobias Iversen roused the girl with the fine freckles and got up from the floor.
Chapter 75
The rain had eased off when Mia pulled up outside Høvikveien Care Home. She could see the dark clouds drift towards the centre of Oslo as she got out of the car and went up the steps.
Karen was behind the reception desk when she arrived. The same place Malin Stoltz had been standing the time Mia had discovered Veronica Bache’s canasta certificate on the wall. What a dimwit she had been. She had not made the connection. She was no longer functioning fully, maybe that was why. Nor had she realized that Stoltz was coming after her. Munch, yes, but the wrong Munch. Edvard Munch, not Holger. That would explain why the bodies had been displayed at Isegran Fort. The planned statues of Munch’s Mothers. Mia Krüger had worked on the Hønefoss case. Was that the killer’s thinking: Mia was a woman. A police officer and a woman. She should have known better. She should have found the baby because she was a woman? Mia could no longer think straight. Her trip to the cemetery had drained her of her last strength. Her grandmother was dead. Her father was dead. Her mother was dead. Sigrid was dead. She was all alone. She looked forward to it all being over. There had been times at Hitra when she had started having doubts as to whether she had made the right choice. Killing herself. Leaving this world. What if she was wrong? But not any more. She was certain now. She had made the right choice. She should never have left the island. In her mind she saw the pills waiting for her on the table. She realized she was looking forward to it.
Come to me, Mia, come.
But first she must find Marion. Gather the last of her strength and find the smiling little girl, the apple of Holger Munch’s eye. Track down Malin Stoltz. She thought briefly about Munch, who had received a telephone call and then disappeared. She hoped that he was OK. Perhaps he might even have caught Malin by now. Found his granddaughter. Mia mustered a small smile. She didn’t want the world to see how bad she really fel
t.
‘Hi, Karen.’
‘Hi, Mia.’
‘Thanks for calling, it was good of you. I’m sorry if I sounded a bit off, it’s just we’re quite busy at work.’
‘Has something happened?’ Karen asked with an anxious expression on her face.
She cares about Holger, Mia thought. It was obvious now.
‘Oh no, just the usual pressure,’ Mia lied. ‘Did you find that key?’
‘Yes, I have it here,’ Karen said. ‘Let me just put on my jacket.’
‘Has the car been there for a long time?’
‘I don’t know,’ Karen said, ushering her out of the door and down the stairs to the underground car park. ‘I took the rubbish down this morning – it’s not really my job, you understand, but well, we all have to pitch in when we’re busy – and that’s when I spotted it; I don’t know how long it’s been here.’
‘Why didn’t she use it to drive herself home?’ Mia wondered out loud.
‘I’ve no idea,’ Karen said, leading the way into the car park.
Fly like the ladybird, Mia, never forget that.
Her grandmother’s words on her deathbed. Mia no longer felt like she could fly. Karen was about her age, a little older, perhaps, but she looked in much better shape. Younger. Softer. Not a single wrinkle. She didn’t carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. She worked in a care home. A world away from that of a worn-out investigator with thin skin. Mia was done in now. She could feel it physically. She had tried hanging on for so long. To be Mia Moonbeam. All alone in the world. Her visit to the cemetery had brought it home to her. She could stop fighting now. She steeled herself again and smiled at the kind woman. Munch and Karen. She hoped it would work out for them. They would be good together. He really deserved that.
‘Here it is,’ Karen said with a smile, indicating the white Citro‘n parked in a corner. ‘And here’s the key.’ She smiled again.
Mia unlocked the car and looked inside. At first glance, there was nothing to suggest that she was looking at a serial killer’s car. Everything looked normal. A cup from McDonald’s. A newspaper. Mia walked around the car and unlocked the boot. Nothing except what you would expect to find. A warning triangle. A pair of boots. Dammit, what had she expected? That Stoltz would have left some of the girls’ belongings there? She was much too clever for that. Cynical. Callous. Years of planning. She wouldn’t have left behind evidence in her car. She had even visited Sigrid’s grave. The very thought enraged Mia. She felt her mobile vibrate in her pocket. The photograph from Ludvig. So at least parts of her brain were working. She was pleased that she had been right. A support group for childless women. It felt good to know that she had contributed something. She took out the mobile and opened Ludvig’s message. A photograph. The support group in Hønefoss: ‘Christmas Get-together 2005’. There were six women in total. Smiling in front of a Christmas tree. She recognized her straight away. Malin Stoltz. Not with different-coloured eyes. Two blue eyes. Lenses. Mia enlarged the picture slightly. Malin Stoltz. How strange. She looked so normal. An ordinary woman who longed for a child but could not have one. Smiling, with her arm around the woman standing next to her. The woman standing next to her. Mia enlarged the photograph to get a better look at her.
But what the hell?
She spun around, but she was too late. The woman in the photograph. The woman behind her. She felt the needle penetrate her neck, the back of her head hitting the metal of the open boot.
‘Count backwards from ten.’ Karen smiled once more. ‘That’s what they usually say. Count backwards from ten, then you’ll be asleep. Isn’t that funny? Ten – nine – eight …’
Mia Krüger was gone before she heard ‘six’.
6
Chapter 76
Anette Goli did not like the mood in the incident room. Mikkelson had taken over the case; he wanted to be in charge, but he didn’t have enough insight into the case to inspire the team, to get things done. She was starting to feel frustrated. They needed to move on now, quickly, they didn’t have time to bring Mikkelson up to speed. And where on earth was Mia? She had only just spoken to her. And why had Munch turned off his mobile? Because he was on his way to meet the killer, possibly, but then why not leave his mobile phone on so that they could trace him? Because he didn’t want them to trace him? She debated this with herself and so missed what Kim had just said.
‘Do you have to do that now?’ Mikkelson said. ‘Don’t we have more important things to do?’
Kim sighed.
‘Yes, but it strikes me there might be a link.’
‘And what is the link?’ Mikkelson asked.
Anette Goli had to bite her tongue and remind herself that Mikkelson had yet to catch up with the rest of them.
‘Tobias Iversen is the boy who discovered Johanne’s body,’ Kim said. ‘And now he ‘s gone missing. I’ve just spoken to his teacher; no one has seen him for a week. And he left behind a note for his brother telling him he was going to visit some sect in a forest.’
‘It could be a coincidence,’ Mikkelson said.
Anette could no longer stay silent.
‘Or it might be important,’ she said loudly. ‘If we’re talking about a sect in the forest close to where Johanne was found, it’s definitely worth checking out. After all, there’s a church heavily mixed up in this. We don’t know how, but there is something suspect about them.’
Mikkelson looked at her, weighing up the situation.
‘OK,’ he said at length. ‘But don’t spend too much time on it, Kim. And keep your phone on in case we need you.’
‘OK.’ Kim nodded.
He saluted Mikkelson and left the room. He winked to Anette as he closed the door behind him. She smiled and winked back at him. She liked Kim Kolsø. In fact, she liked everyone in the team. Munch had his weaknesses, definitely, but he knew how to pick the right people. Never before had she worked with such a close-knit and motivated team. Not that they were very motivated right now. Mikkelson suited the managerial chair down at Grønland to a T, but he was not an natural investigator or a team leader. His social skills were poor. His antenna not sensitive enough. The normally inspired team looked like they would rather be anywhere but the incident room. No wonder. They had a million things to do, and the clock was ticking. No one had seen anything suspicious near the flat where Miriam and Marion had been staying. Marion was missing without a trace. Anette thought about Munch. Perhaps he was with Marion now. Alone and without back-up, in mortal danger, but at least he was with her. If that was where he was – surely he had to be? Anette couldn’t imagine anything else.
‘So where are we, as concerns Marion Munch?’ Mikkelson asked, just as Anette’s mobile rang.
Mikkelson looked daggers at her.
‘The duty officer at Grønland,’ Anette said. ‘I have to take it.’
She left the room.
‘Yes? Anette speaking.’
‘Hi, Hilde Myhr, listen, I have someone here who wants to talk to you.’
‘With me personally?’
‘No, just one of you. I have tried Munch and Mia, but there was no reply.’
No reply from Mia? Where could she be?
‘I’m really busy now. It had better be important.’
‘Oh, it’s important all right.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Malin Stoltz.
Anette nearly dropped her mobile.
‘What did you just say?’
‘I have Malin Stoltz here.’
Anette was so flustered that she completely forgot to say anything. She hung up and ran back into the incident room.
‘We have Stoltz,’ she called out.
‘What?’ Mikkelson said. ‘But how?’
‘She’s down at Grønland. Curry, you’re coming with me.’
‘Sure,’ Curry said, grabbing his jacket.
Chapter 77
Holger Munch sat up in bed. He had a pounding headache and his mouth felt parched. Dazed, he lo
oked around. The room was clinical. Institutional. The care home. He was still at Høvikveien Care Home.
What the hell?
He quickly got up, but had to sit down again. He felt that the room was spinning. The window. It was dark outside. Evening. He had slept the whole day. In a bed at Høvikveien Care Home, fully dressed. He rummaged around in his pockets, but he couldn’t find his mobile anywhere. What on earth was going on? Where was Karen? Wasn’t she supposed to wake him? He attempted to stand up once more, and this time he managed it. He stumbled to the door and tried opening it, but it wouldn’t budge. It was locked from the outside. He fumbled for the lock on the inside, but there was nothing there. Someone had locked him in. This was insane. Holger Munch could feel his panic rising when he realized what had happened.
Bollocks.
He banged his fists against the door, screaming frantically.
‘Hello?’
His banging became more desperate while he tried to clear his head.
‘Is anyone there?’
He rummaged through his pockets again. Searched his duffel coat and his trousers. Staggered back to the bed and started pulling off the bedlinen. There was no sign of his mobile anywhere.
The door behind him opened and a carer he had never met before popped round her head. She looked at him, startled.
‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’
‘Munch, Oslo Police, Violent Crimes Section,’ Munch said drowsily as he forced his way past her. ‘Have you seen Karen?’
‘Karen?’ the terrified carer said. ‘Her shift has finished. Why?’
