by Karin Nordin
‘It’s fine,’ Kjeld said.
Esme cast an incredulous glance his way.
‘Really, it is. It doesn’t have to change anything. And my insurance is covering for a temporary rental car.’ Kjeld glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘It should be ready to pick up in an hour.’
‘Are you fucking insane?’ Rhodin placed his palms on his desk, leaning towards them. ‘Someone placed a bomb under your car, Kjeld. You’re lucky we’re not scraping pieces of you off your neighbours’ windows right now.’
‘I’m not hurt. Barely even a scratch.’
‘Your eye says otherwise.’
‘That was—’ Kjeld shook off the rest of that comment. The last thing he needed was to tell his boss he’d just gotten into a brawl with one of the city’s most well-respected oncologists. That wouldn’t exactly stand in his favour. ‘I’m good to continue working the case.’
Rhodin snorted in disbelief. ‘The fuck you are. First of all, we don’t even know who put that bomb on your car. It might not even be related to either of these cases. Secondly, you being at risk puts the entire team at risk.’
‘You can’t suspend me again.’ Kjeld turned to Esme. ‘Tell him I’m fine.’
Esme’s brows knitted at the centre of her forehead. ‘You could have died, Kjeld.’
‘But I didn’t!’ Kjeld understood that there was protocol to follow, but he couldn’t help but feel personally attacked. At the very least he’d expected Esme to take his side.
‘Esme, talk some sense into your partner.’
‘I think you might be in shock,’ Esme said.
‘I was checked out by paramedics on the scene. They said there was nothing wrong with me. No concussion. No signs of external or internal injury. I was far enough away from the blast. Can’t say the same for my neighbour’s Peugeot, but it needed a new paint job anyway.’
Rhodin hung his head over his desk. When he looked up again his skin appeared sallow, almost jaundiced in tint. The dark bags under his eyes were more prominent than they’d been over the last few days. ‘I’m not going to suspend you because I know your record can’t handle that. I am, however, going to put in a request for leave.’
‘I don’t need a holiday, chief. I need to solve this case. A case. Any case. Don’t send me home.’
‘You have plenty of days leave left to spare. If anyone asks I’m going to say that in light of your daughter’s recent injury you’ve decided to take some time off to spend with your family. Which, all things considered, is something you probably should have done on your own.’
‘This is absurd.’
‘No. Someone blowing up your car outside your apartment is absurd. A serial murderer going after victims from your old cases is absurd. Taking time off to rest, recuperate from everything that happened last year, and get your shit together is not absurd.’
‘Chief—’
‘No. I’m done. This is final.’ Rhodin turned a weary gaze to Esme. ‘The Nicolescu case is yours if you can handle it. If you can’t, I’m passing it off to Olsen. He’s already asked for it.’
Esme bit her lip. She knew that if she allowed Olsen to take on the case, Kjeld would never forgive her. ‘We can handle it.’
Kjeld shot her a disappointed stare.
‘I’m sorry, Kjeld,’ she said, her shoulders drooping. ‘I agree with the chief. You need to step away from the job until we figure this out.’
Chapter 46
Kjeld stormed out of Rhodin’s office and made straight for his desk. He could feel his temper flaring, burying beneath it the delayed shock of what had happened. Esme was right, he could have died. But that’s not what angered him. Nor was he angry at the chief. He knew Rhodin’s hands were tied. And he wasn’t angry with Esme, either, although he was a little annoyed. But he recognised the hypocrisy of being irritated with Esme for not supporting him when he’d been less than helpful to her when she’d been placed in charge of the Karlsson case.
In truth he was just angry and he had been for months. Up until recently, however, he had a focus for his anger. Nils, his father, his sister, Bengt. There was always someone he could pinpoint as the reason why his life was going off the rails. But there wasn’t anyone left to blame but himself. Alice was right. If he wanted things to improve in his life then he needed to be the one to initiate changes. He couldn’t expect the universe to wave a wand and magically put everything in his favour. People who found happiness in their lives worked hard for it. Kjeld clearly hadn’t worked hard enough.
He was cleaning out some of the personal items from his desk when he caught a glimpse of one of the station’s front desk liaisons standing beside a woman near the doorway; straw-thin blonde hair, anxious complexion, and a visitor’s badge on her sweater. She glanced tentatively from side to side. When her gaze met Kjeld’s, she frowned as though guilty of not knowing where to go.
Danna Karlsson.
Kjeld looked back to Rhodin’s office, but Esme was still inside speaking with him. He might have been off the case, but he was still on duty until he left the building. So he quickly crossed the room to meet Danna at the entrance. He nodded to the liaison, who returned to her duties. ‘Danna, what are you doing here? I told your father that if I had any new information I would deliver it in person.’
Danna sniffed, her nose red from coming inside from the cold. ‘I know, but there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.’
She hesitated before staring at the dark bruise that had begun to form around his eye. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine. Would you like a tea or coffee?’
She shook her head.
Kjeld led her to an empty office at the far side of the room, away from the commotion of officers and detectives going about their daily routines. Once she was inside he closed the door to give them privacy.
Danna sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Kjeld sat in the other beside her.
‘Is everything all right?’ Kjeld asked. ‘How’s your dad holding up?’
‘He’s struggling, but I think he’s going to be okay. It’s difficult. I know my parents never had favourites, but Louisa always got so much attention because of what happened to her. I don’t mean to speak ill of her or anyone. That’s not how I feel. But sometimes I don’t know how to speak to my father. It’s like he saved all of his love for Louisa. It makes me feel a little estranged.’
‘It’s not easy being the one left behind. I know a bit about being estranged from my father as well,’ Kjeld offered. ‘Give him some time.’
She nodded and took a centred breath, but when she exhaled it sounded heavy and exhausted. She fiddled with a loose thread on the thumb of her glove.
‘You wanted to talk to me about something?’
‘About Louisa. I remembered something that I should have mentioned earlier. But when I thought of it I just shrugged it off as nothing.’
‘Before we go any further I need to be honest with you. I’ve been taken off your sister’s case.’
Danna’s expression turned grief-stricken. ‘What? Why? That’s … no. We want you to be on the case. Dad says you’re the only one he trusts to find the person who did this.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. And I haven’t given up on catching the person. But there’s some behind-the-scenes bureaucratic nonsense and, well, the department doesn’t want me in the limelight on this one.’
‘Because of the Kattegat Killer?’
This time it was Kjeld’s turn to look surprised.
‘Dad has kept up on your career. He’s a little … Obsessed isn’t the right word. But after everything I think he sees you as one of the family.’
Kjeld looked away. That made him feel worse about not keeping in touch.
‘Do you trust the person they’ve put in charge of Louisa’s case?’ Danna asked hesitantly.
‘Absolutely. She’s the best I know. Better than me in fact.’
Danna nodded. ‘If it’s all right with you I’d still like to tell yo
u personally.’
‘Of course,’ Kjeld said. ‘What do you remember?’
‘A few weeks before Louisa’s death I took the kids to the library. Louisa was in a really good mood. Too good. I hadn’t seen her so excited in years. I almost didn’t believe it.’ Danna smoothed out the thread on her glove, pushing it back into the fabric so as not to distract her. ‘At first I thought she must have met somebody because she had a glow about her. The kind you get when you’re interested in someone. You know what I mean?’
‘Yes, I know. Go on.’
‘So, I asked her what she was so happy about and she told me that she’d found a group of people who might be able to help her. I didn’t know what that meant at first. I thought maybe she’d found a new therapy group or something. I admit I was a little distracted because I had the kids with me and they were a little crazy.’
‘Did Louisa say anything about this group?’
‘No, not really. She said that they had weekly meetings and she’d been to one of them. She said it was people just like her. People who’d experienced trauma and tragedy. She said that for the first time since her kidnapping she’d finally found people who understood her. Who knew what it felt like to be the only one.’ Danna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I should have questioned it more. I should have pushed her to tell me, but the kids were screaming and she just seemed so happy. I didn’t want to turn it into a downer. That happened sometimes. Whenever we questioned her about her moods, she’d think we were judging her. I always tried to be careful with the things I said when she was around.’
There was a pause and Danna leaned forward in the chair. ‘I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe I’m just looking for something to help since I feel so helpless.’
Kjeld thought about her words for a moment before snatching a piece of blank paper from the desk and drawing the rising sun between two open palms symbol that he’d found on the flyer posted outside the library. ‘Have you ever seen this symbol?’
Danna frowned. ‘Yes, actually. Louisa would doodle that sometimes when she came over. She would babysit for me and she and the kids would draw pictures. I saw her draw that a few times. What does it mean?’
‘Have you ever heard of Second Life Wellness Respite?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘It’s a kind of rehabilitation commune for people trying to move on from tragedy or trauma. This is their symbol.’
‘What are you saying? That Louisa might have been involved with them?’ She paused. ‘Could they be behind her death?’
‘I don’t know, but I promise you I’ll do my best to find out.’
‘Detective?’
‘Hm?’
‘Does it make me a bad person if I feel like Louisa is in a better place?’
Kjeld gave her a pointed stare that slowly relaxed into one of sombre acceptance. ‘No, Danna. That doesn’t make you a bad person. That just makes you an honest one.’
Chapter 47
Esme twirled the dry-erase pen between her fingers while she listened to Kjeld reveal the information he’d learned during his conversation with Danna Karlsson. Esme was frustrated and the explosion of Kjeld’s car had her rethinking the potential motives behind these murders. Was Louisa’s killer targeting him? Was it unrelated? Normally an attack like that would come with a clear message, but not even Kjeld was certain who was behind it. And that worried her. There could have been any number of reasons why someone might want to hurt Kjeld or send him a warning. The least of which was persistently on the news awaiting trial.
She pushed aside her thoughts on the threat to Kjeld’s life and tried to focus on this new thread Danna had provided them. If she was correct, then they might finally have a direct link between both Louisa and Second Life and Louisa and Jonny. But with Second Life under investigation for international drug trafficking crimes, it would be a precarious line to investigate. Especially if they were wrong. Then not only would they be wasting time on their own case, but they might also impede the work of the officers in the organised crime department. And while she agreed that Björk didn’t seem trustworthy, they’d need more if they wanted to push him to reveal something new.
‘I just don’t think it’s enough to go on, Kjeld.’
‘What do you mean it’s not enough to go on?’ Kjeld held out his hand and began counting on his fingers the points in favour of his lead. ‘First, we can place Jonny in the area of the library on surveillance camera. Second, Linnea Thorsen admits to seeing Louisa speaking with a young man matching Jonny’s description. Third, Jonny was posting flyers for Second Life—’
‘Allegedly posting flyers for Second Life,’ Esme interrupted. ‘Forensic analysis wasn’t able to retrieve fingerprints from the paper. It had been too weathered by the rain.’
‘Didn’t you receive confirmation from his mother that he was living at the commune?’
Esme sighed. ‘Yes and no. His mother was vague on the details. Apparently, he had a lot of difficulties this past year. He was in and out of a lot of rehabilitation facilities. Nothing seemed to stick. Eventually he stopped coming home. She thought he was purposefully trying to be difficult to reach. But she blamed that on herself for not trying to get him help sooner.’
And what good would returning to the commune do without more substantial evidence? Björk could easily lie to them about Jonny.
Kjeld gave a thoughtful look. ‘That sounds a little similar to something Danna said. According to her, Louisa told her she’d found a new group that was going to be more successful in helping her overcome the trauma of her experience with Gjur Hägglund. Second Life is known for appealing to people who have lived through difficult tragedies. It’s right there on their website for anyone to see. Also, Danna claims Louisa was doodling the Second Life symbol around their house. What more do we need?’
Esme set the pen down in the whiteboard tray. ‘I’m not arguing with you that the evidence suggesting that Louisa might have attended one of the Second Life meetings is strong. It is. But even if that’s true, we have no evidence suggesting that Second Life was involved in the murders. It could simply be a coincidence. And if we go barging into Second Life asking questions about a second homicide and we’re wrong then we’ve just messed up two investigations instead of one.’
Kjeld huffed and placed his hands on his hips, turning his attention to the whiteboard and the list of potential victims the team had collected from old case files. There weren’t many, but there were more than Esme had anticipated. It would take time to go through each of them individually. And if the killer continued at the rate they were going, time was something they didn’t have enough of. They’d have to pick the most likely targets. Then cross their fingers and hope intuition and sheer luck were on their side.
‘And not that I want to split hairs,’ Esme continued, ‘but you’re not on Louisa and Jonny’s case. Hell, you’re not on any of the cases. So, unless you have a connection between Second Life and Andrea Nicolescu there’s no way the chief is going to approve any of us going there again.’
‘I talked to a guy who says that Andrea used to be involved in the Sandu cartel. That’s the same group organised crime thinks Second Life is involved with. If Andrea was still working for Sandu, then there could be some evidence at Second Life that she’d been there. Someone may have seen her.’
‘Who’s this guy you talked to?’
‘Vidar Rask.’
‘Rask?’ Esme almost laughed in disbelief. ‘You know that guy isn’t trustworthy. He’ll say whatever he thinks you want to hear just to get you off his back.’
‘He’s been helpful in the past.’
‘But not without consequences. And anyway, just saying Andrea might have been involved with a cartel that might be working with Second Life isn’t enough. The chief would never go for it.’
‘You could convince him.’
Esme found herself in a difficult position. Normally she trusted Kjeld’s hunches, but this was her first tim
e in charge of an investigation and she didn’t want to disappoint. ‘I don’t know, Kjeld.’
Kjeld propped himself on the edge of Sixten’s desk. ‘Our investigation should take priority over whatever nonsense Kenneth Olsen suspects is going on with Second Life. Drugs? I mean, come on. We’ve had three homicides in a matter of weeks.’
‘I know, but you heard the chief. Without more direct evidence, we don’t have purview there. And as much as we’re all sick of hearing it—’
‘—we still haven’t gained the city’s trust after the Aubuchon case.’ Kjeld heaved a frustrated sigh.
Esme watched him carefully. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and it looked as though he hadn’t shaved his neck in almost a week. She knew the team was tired – hell, they’d all been working extra hours – but Kjeld looked more than tired. He looked haggard. And it was clear that more was weighing on him than just the case. And she suspected the bruise that had formed over his left eye had something to do with it.
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ she said. ‘Just promise me you won’t go to Second Life on your own making accusations.’
‘Not unless I have a good reason.’
‘I mean it, Kjeld.’
‘I know.’
She sat beside him on the edge of the desk. Her feet didn’t reach the floor, but it brought their shoulders closer together and made Esme feel a bit taller. A bit more on his level. She thought again about how she shouldn’t be comparing herself to Kjeld. She was just as competent an investigator as he was. She was more than capable of handling both cases. And it wasn’t as though she was working alone. She still had the team backing her up. Maybe she was being too hard on herself.
‘If there’s anything you ever want to talk about. Anything outside of work. You can talk to me about it. You know I won’t judge you.’
Kjeld canted a sidelong glance at her. Was that suspicion in his eyes?
‘And if there’s anything I can do to help I—’
‘I’m fine, Esme. You don’t have to worry about me.’