Elin’s green eyes flashed as she gave Lars a frustrated look. “Except that you refused to get involved until I came up with more facts. And I only got those today.”
Lars averted his gaze. Yeah, she was right. He probably wouldn’t have come if Elin had just asked nicely.
At that moment, a car with a loud siren pulled up outside the house. Lars and the others heard two car doors open. Then a voice shouted: “Police! Drop your weapons and come out of the house with your hands above your heads!”
The cavalry was here. They were saved.
15
Elin had stayed in the bedroom with the little girl. She could hear Lars and Maja explaining the situation to the police. One of the policemen appeared to be a former colleague of Lars’s and had recognized him immediately. That made things easier.
Elin could hear Lars speaking: “What we need right now, Tobbe, are two ambulances for my associate Elin and for the little girl that we rescued. They’re both sitting back there in the small room. Elin can’t walk, and the little girl was abused.”
“No problem. My fellow officer is taking care of it. Let’s go inside.”
From inside the bedroom, they could hear the sound of footsteps coming through the next room. Then a policeman poked his head in as Lars stood behind him. The look on the officer’s face was one of horror.
“Ugh, that doesn’t look good. Is it serious?”
Elin could imagine the scene: herself—filthy, covered with blood, her blouse torn apart—sitting next to a thoroughly frightened little girl who was wrapped in a sheet with a red stain at its lower end.
“It’s all right. I’ll survive. I’m more concerned about the girl. She’s bleeding very heavily and needs medical attention as soon as possible.”
“What did they do to her?”
Elin looked at the child, who appeared to not be following the conversation but just staring listlessly into space. If only Elin knew how to help her.
“They chained her to the wall by her neck and raped her multiple times. I had to listen to it all from in here, and there was nothing I could do. It was horrible.” Elin’s voice was trembling as she spoke.
“What pigs.”
“Did you get them?” asked Lars.
“Two of them—the ones in the BMW—tried to cut across the field and got stuck. The officers in the second police car have already arrested them, and they’re on their way to the station. The Volvo got away from us, but the dragnet has been started. We’ll get them. On another matter: do we know the girl’s name? Is she Ebba, the one who was missing?”
Elin shook her head. “No idea. She won’t talk. Maybe her clothes are still in the sitting room, if that helps at all.”
“I’ll take a look.” The policeman went back into the living room, and Elin could hear him rummaging around. She tried once more to speak to the child, but the girl didn’t respond to “Ebba,” either. She just kept staring into space.
Outside, another car with a siren arrived. There were footsteps, and there appeared to be several people.
“Where is she?” a woman asked. The girl raised her head and looked at the door. Lars stepped to the side to let through a young woman, followed by two policemen and a man in civilian clothing. The woman rushed to the bed and fell down on her knees.
“Ebba, my darling!” The girl said nothing, but only stretched out her arms toward the woman, who held her close. The woman was crying—the tears were streaming down her face.
The two policemen looked at each other, and one of them said: “That’s her. I’ll pass it on so they can break off the search.” The other officer nodded, and they left the room.
The man in civilian clothing had gone over to the woman and child on the bed and was stroking the little girl’s head. He, too, was crying. At last, he turned to Elin.
“I’m Anders, Ebba’s father. Are you the one who rescued her?”
“Well, yes, but not by myself. My colleague and my friend were also there—and, of course, the police.”
“No need for false modesty,” Lars broke in from his post by the door. “If Elin hadn’t pursued this thing and risked her own life, there would have been no rescue.”
The man looked at Elin and took her by the hand. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have Ebba back.” The woman was still holding Ebba, but she, too, looked at Elin and nodded in agreement. Elin didn’t know what to say. She smiled and squeezed Anders’s hand.
There was the sound of another siren, and Lars said, “The first ambulance is here.”
Elin turned to the man and said, “You go first. I’m not doing as badly. I’ll wait for the next one.”
“Thank you.” The man patted her on the shoulder, and he and his family left the room.
Lars sat down beside Elin. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
Elin nodded.
“Enjoy it—it doesn’t happen too often with this job. But your efforts here were also truly extraordinary.”
“You think I’ll lose my job?”
“Oh, right. If Tobias fires you over this, then he can give me the ax as well.” Lars grinned.
The second ambulance pulled up before the house. Now it was Elin’s turn: “Will you help me outside?”
“Absolutely. I’d be honored.” And Lars propped Elin on his arm as she hobbled off.
16
Today, they would meet for the third time at the Vete-Katten cafe. Helena had called Elin the day before and asked to have a talk. She had even offered to pay. This time, Elin was there first, and Helena had just sat down. Elin studied her. Helena was always elegantly dressed and meticulously made up, but her makeup couldn’t conceal the fact that she wasn’t doing well. You could see her bloodshot eyes with dark rings underneath, and smiling was an effort. Helena looked tired and sad.
“Thank you for coming,” she began. “These past few weeks have been awful for me. Markus is in custody awaiting trial, and he won’t speak to me anymore. The only one he’ll see is his lawyer. Our home has been searched by the police, and they’ve seized a number of things. I’ve been interrogated multiple times, but they won’t give me details. I only know that it has to do with pedophilia, and that’s really horrible. That was a genuine shock to me. I mean, I lived with Markus. I loved him. There was even a time when we spoke of marriage. And now this. I really hadn’t the slightest suspicion in that direction. My worst fear was another woman—as you know. Yes, the police wanted to know all about the assignment I gave you. One of them even commented that you helped to solve the case. Which surprised me, because nothing you told me could possibly give rise to suspicions of that sort. That’s why I wanted to meet with you, in the hope that you could tell me more. As I said to you, Elin, I will even pay you for this.” Helena gave Elin a pleading look.
Elin nodded. “Yes, I can tell you a lot. I’m just afraid ... no, I’m sure you won’t like it at all.”
Helena winced. “That bad?” She swallowed. “Regardless, Elin, please tell me everything. I want to know what happened and what Markus has done. Only then can I decide how to go on from here. And only then can I put my life in order again. Can you understand that?”
“Yes, I can. All right, I’ll tell you the whole story. But don’t say later that I didn’t warn you!”
“Promise.”
Elin told Helena about the man in the parka, about how he stalked Maja, and about the assault and threat in the park. Helena stared at her with incredulous eyes. Then Elin told her how she’d gone to the cabin one more time and watched how they had carried in the little girl and stripped her of her clothes. She made no attempt to sugarcoat her description of her risky mission and its consequences. And finally, she told Helena about the rescue by Lars and Maja and also of the police action.
“Incredible ...” Helena shook her head in disbelief. “That Markus and the others should do something so terrible. I can’t begin to imagine it. I’m sorry that it put you in such danger. Were your injuries very bad?”
“And the little girl?”
Elin looked at her. “The little girl was also rescued.”
“Yes, but ... did they harm her?”
Elin hesitated.
“It’s all right. You can tell me,” Helena insisted.
“At least two of them raped her.” Elin finally came out with it.
“Oh my God. That’s dreadful. Was ... was Markus one of them?”
“That I don’t know. I only heard it—I was in the next room. But he was a part of it in any case.” Elin would never forget those minutes. She still had nightmares about it all.
Helena had tears in her eyes and was visibly shaken. “How is the girl doing now?”
“Not well. The family is very grateful to me for the rescue, and I’ve stayed in contact with them. That’s why I have a pretty good idea of how Ebba is doing. Her physical injuries have healed, but there’s been enormous psychological damage. She’s still not talking, and she’s apathetic for the most part. Of course, she’s having psychiatric treatment, but the doctors can’t say how it will all turn out.”
“For God’s sake. The poor child. This is all much worse than I feared. I thought it might have to do with child pornography over the Internet, as though that’s not already bad enough. But to abduct a child and then rape her ...” Helena covered her face with her hands. Then she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her mascara in the process.
“Yes, there were pictures, too,” Elin added. “The men did an extensive photo shoot with the girl, and they filmed the whole thing. The plan was to flog the material over several specialized Internet platforms for lots of cash. The police found a whole slew of additional pictures and videos on the men’s computers. They also found ties to other groups, so hopefully the police will be able to bust a couple more.”
“I see.” Helena took out a tissue and blew her nose. She paused and then asked, “What would they have done with the girl afterwards? Let her go again?”
Elin shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”
Helena stared at her. “You mean they would have killed the child? Did they say that?”
“No, but the police found a child’s corpse buried in the woods behind the cabin. They haven’t yet identified the corpse, which has been there for several months.”
Helena froze. She looked at Elin in horror. “This is unbelievable. What monsters. And Markus is one of them. It just makes no sense to me. I never imagined he could ever be capable of any of it.”
Elin took a sip of her coffee. She decided she’d rather not tell Helena about the snuff video. Helena already had enough to digest.
“So have all four men been caught?”
“Yes. Two of them managed to escape in the other car at first, but the police found and arrested them several hours later. Now they’re all sitting in jail.”
The two women were silent for a while.
“Helena, can I also ask you something?”
“Yes, sure. What is it?”
“At our first talk, when we were sitting here in the cafe, I got the feeling that you weren’t telling me everything. Is there something you’ve held back?”
Helena raised her left eyebrow and looked out across the room. She appeared to be thinking. “No, not really. I don’t know what you mean.”
“I asked you about the sexual part of your relationship, and you evaded the question. All you said was that it was happening less often.”
“Oh, yes, you’re right.” Helena gulped. “What I didn’t tell you ... yes, well, recently, when we did have it ... for the most part, not much happened. Markus ... he had a hard time ... you know?”
Elin nodded. “He couldn’t get it up anymore?”
“Yes,” Helena whispered.
“Aha. Right, that fits. I guess he could only have a good time with little girls.” Elin noticed the expression on Helena’s face. “Sorry.”
“It’s OK. You’re right, unfortunately.”
They finished their coffee, and then Helena rose and gave Elin a goodbye hug. She looked utterly defeated. Elin watched as Helena left the cafe. Those four men had truly succeeded in ruining the lives of a lot of people. Elin thought of the little girls and their families, but Helena was also among them, even if she stood the best chance for a new beginning. Elin still wouldn’t want to trade places with her.
Elin rose and slowly walked to the exit. Her thigh was still hampering her—it mostly hurt when she had been sitting a while. But she could take her time: today, she had nothing special to do. She would have a cozy evening with Maja, who wouldn’t be home for several hours. Maja had forgiven her, though Elin had to faithfully promise to never take such a risk again—and definitely not on her own.
It was a quiet day on the underground, and Elin found a seat right away. The train rolled out of the station, bound for Kungsholmen. Elin looked out the window as it sped through the dark tunnel. She thought once more of Ebba. Next week, she would visit her again, and hopefully Ebba would have made more progress by then. Ebba responded positively to Elin in any case. Last time, a fleeting smile had even passed across her face when Elin arrived. Elin had feared that her presence might trigger dark thoughts in the little girl’s mind, but the doctors thought it would be good to have Elin come on a regular basis. Ebba would be living in constant fear, anyway, unable to let go of what happened. And as her savior, Elin represented the light at the end of the tunnel. So twice a week every week, she would go and visit Ebba. There wasn’t much Elin could do, but Ebba would let her take her in her arms, and Elin had also begun to read her children’s books.
Elin was sure she would never forget her first independent assignment. It hadn’t turned out at all the way she had imagined—yes, her work as a detective also had its shadow side. And she would still have to have a serious talk with Tobias, her boss. She was, after all, an official witness at the upcoming trial, where her role in the whole story would unfold in detail. It would be clear to Tobias that she had struck out on her own and accepted an assignment in direct competition to his business. But Lars had promised to stand by her and support her. So either Tobias would fire her, and she would simply continue building her own detective business, or things would change between her and Tobias. Either would be fine with her. The main thing for Elin was the chance to work as a detective. That was the right thing for her—in spite of what had happened. Yes, or maybe even more so after this job.
Statistics on forced sex with children:
A survey of nearly 6000 students at 171 Swedish high schools concluded that 29% of the girls had experienced some form of sexual abuse, with 9% even being subjected to forced sex with penetration. Among boys, the figures were lower: 9.6% and 3%.
http://www.allmannabarnhuset.se/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Det-gäller-1-av-5.pdf
Similar figures have been reported in other countries:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs150/en/
http://victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics
http://www.mikado-studie.de/index.php/sexueller-missbrauch.htm
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/child-sexual-abuse/sexual-abuse-facts-statistics/
Thanks to the reader
I am thrilled that you have chosen my book.
I am even more thrilled that you have read it to the end. I especially hope that you liked it. If so, I would like to ask you for a small favour: take a few moments of your time and rate my book on Amazon.
If you didn’t like something about the book, please tell me directly! Your feedback is extremely important to me – this way I get the chance to consider the preferences of my readers.
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www.christertholin.one
My heartfelt thanks
Christer Tholin
About the author
Th
e author is originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and has lived for many years with his family in Stockholm / Sweden, where he works as an independent management consultant.
He is a great fan of Swedish crime literature and had been planning for a long time to make his own contribution. That has already come to fruition with his first book, “VANISHED?” which is also the first book of the “Stockholm Sleuth Series” introducing Elin and Lars. “SECRETS?” is their second case and “MURDER” their third.
www.christertholin.one
On the following pages you can read a sample from „MURDER?“
MURDER?
Stockholm Sleuth Series, Book 3
By Christer Tholin
2019, Stockholm
Christina’s idyllic existence with her husband Patrik comes to an abrupt end when Patrik suddenly vanishes from their suburban home in Stockholm. Christina is precipitated into a hellishly desperate and anguished search for Patrik – which after six weeks turns up nary a trace of him.
At her wits end, she contacts local sleuths Lars and Elin, who, after a brief investigation, reach the conclusion that Patrik simply decided to abandon his cushy existence to embark on a new life –without Christina.
Lars and Elin ultimately trace Patrik’s movements to the wooded wilds of northern Sweden, but too late – he’s found dead. The police rule his death an accident, but Christina thinks otherwise – and so she asks Lars and Elin to do a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Patrik’s demise. Was his death really accidental, or was foul play involved? And was the mysterious Natalia somehow implicated?
Unfortunately, none of the countless leads that Lars and Elin follow up gets them any closer to solving the mystery of Patrik’s death. But then they get a startling break that results in Christina having to make a tricky and extremely consequential decision that plunges our three protagonists into a life or death struggle.
Secrets? Page 8
