by Samuel Bjork
But Liv-Hege saw no reason to do anything at all. She had a big smile on her face and was heading for a place where all was well. Just exactly how it happened, Live-Hege couldn’t remember, but suddenly a female police officer was inside the campervan.
‘Mia Krüger, Violent Crimes Section. We’re looking for this girl. Have you seen her?’
‘Ah, that’s Pia.’ Liv-Hege smiled when she saw the picture.
‘Shut your mouth,’ Markus yelled at her.
‘But it is Pia, isn’t it, Markus? Can’t you see?’
‘I said shut your mouth,’ Markus Skog screamed again.
‘Markus?’ the policewoman suddenly said. ‘Markus Skog?’
‘What’s going on, Mia?’
It was the male police officer outside.
‘Mia Krüger, now who would have thought it?’ Markus grinned. ‘It’s been a long time.’
The police officer called Mia looked as if she had seen a ghost.
‘How’s your sister?’ Markus laughed. The two last lines had kicked in now; his mouth was one big, gaping hole of teeth and laughter.
‘Oh no, that’s right, she kicked the bucket, yeah? Yes, she did, couldn’t handle the pressure, ha-ha. I’ve seen it happen so many times, good girls from nice families. Can’t take the heat, they’ve had it too easy.’
Liv-Hege hadn’t seen the police officer pull out a gun, but it was there now, in the small, dirty campervan. Liv-Hege herself had mentally left the campervan. She was sitting on a mountaintop, watching from a distance. It was nice and warm. The wind was blowing briskly through her hair.
In the room far away, the one she had left, Markus had picked up a syringe on the table. He was frothing around the mouth now. He waved the syringe at the police officer and laughed maniacally.
‘Want to try it, Mia? Eh, are you sure you don’t want a taste? Your sister couldn’t get enough of it. Spineless cunt, poor little Sigrid, ha-ha.’
From the lovely mountaintop where she was sitting, Liv-Hege had a clear view of what happened next. It was almost like being in the cinema. Markus hawked up a gob and spat at the policewoman while at the same time trying to stab her with the syringe. The policewoman jumped back and a bang sounded. The mountaintop turned into a volcano now; there was rumbling underneath her. The policewoman fired her weapon twice. Markus Skog was flung back across the room and lay bleeding on the floor.
Liv-Hege Nylund woke up two weeks later and found herself suffering serious withdrawal symptoms in a room she didn’t recognize. Karen was sitting next to her, and for a whole week she never left her side. They had strapped Liv-Hege to the bed and she had never experienced anything so horrendous. She was in hell. It was as if every cell in her body was wide awake and screaming in hell. A billion hangovers at the same time; she howled as if the devil himself had taken residence in her; she lay strapped to the bed in the white room until the drug had left her system. All the time with Karen by her side. Her sister had watched her, fed her, held her hand, calmed her down. She had been gone, but now she was back.
Finally, she was allowed out of bed. She could to go to the lavatory on her own, eat her own food at the table. Karen never left her alone. Then she was allowed out into the garden. To sit on the grass. Gaze at the sun. Look at the trees. Karen was smiling now; she hadn’t seen Karen smile during the whole of her detox, but now her sister was happy.
What Karen Nylund didn’t know was that Liv-Hege had no intention of staying alive. She had lost everything. Her two loves. Markus Skog and heroin. What could this world offer her? Nothing.
One week later, the first time she was allowed out for a walk on her own, she climbed a spruce in the forest as high as she could, tied a rope around her neck.
And jumped into freedom.
Chapter 81
‘I’m so sorry,’ Mia said.
‘Oh, it’s fine. You killed her. And now you’re going to die. It all fits together rather neatly, don’t you think?’
Karen smiled and patted Mia’s hand. She went back to the kitchen and returned with a slice of chocolate cake.
‘Would you like some cake, Mia?’
Mia shook her head.
‘But you have to eat something. It’s really good, I promise. It’s my mother’s recipe.’
Mia glanced sideways at the screen on the table. Marion Munch was lying immobile on the bed in the basement room. Mia saw her stir. Thank God. The little girl was merely asleep. Karen Nylund smiled and ran two fingers across the screen.
‘I look forward to getting her ready. It’s important that children are clean, don’t you think?’
Karen smiled at her. Mia started to feel scared. She had been relatively calm so far, but her terror was taking control of her now. She felt she was in the presence of evil. She had never seen eyes like that before. It was as if the woman in front of her was fully aware of what she was saying and doing and yet was completely devoid of empathy and normal, human emotions.
‘Do you want to know what happens next? Shall we play that game?’ Karen smiled and got up.
‘Can’t we play another game?’ Mia said.
She had to play for time now. For her own sake, but mostly for Marion’s. Her body was aching. She thought about Munch. How he would react if Marion was killed. She couldn’t bear to think of it. It was too unreal.
‘So what do you want to play, then?’ Karen smiled again.
‘Anything,’ Mia said, attempting a smile as well. ‘Perhaps we could talk about Margrete?’
Karen grew more serious now. She frowned and folded her arms across her chest. Mia Krüger tried desperately to read what was going on inside her mind, how this woman was thinking, to find a weakness, but it was impossible to penetrate.
‘Margrete is fine,’ Karen chirped, smiling again now. ‘She goes to school in heaven and has four classmates; soon, she will have five and a teacher.’
‘Classmates?’ Mia said, baffled.
‘Oh yes, they’re about to start school. Haven’t you worked that out?’
Finally, the pieces came together in Mia’s head. ‘I’m travelling alone.’ The satchels. The schoolbooks. The skipping rope. Karen Nylund had some twisted notion of creating a class in heaven where she would be the teacher. That had to be the logic inside the mind of this psychopath. Mia felt a pang of guilt. Why hadn’t she worked this out sooner? If she had, then Marion might not be lying prisoner in a small room in the basement in this house of horrors in the country.
‘She also has a dog,’ Karen continued. ‘A lovely little Alsatian puppy. She loves playing with the puppy. Look how happy she is, Mia, look.’
Karen pointed towards the ceiling and remained standing with a sheepish grin on her face.
‘Mummy is coming soon, Margrete. Not long now.’
Karen winked and blew a kiss towards the sky.
‘Why ten dresses and only five girls?’ Mia tried.
‘What?’ Karen said.
‘You ordered ten dresses, but you’ve only taken five girls?’
‘No girl should have just the one dress, don’t you think? Did you have just the one dress, Mia? Back home in Åsgårdstrand? When you played with little Sigrid?’
Mia bit her lip when she heard Sigrid’s name. She felt the rage tear at her body again, but she managed not to lose her temper.
‘So you’ll stop at five?’ She smiled.
‘Yes.’ Karen nodded pensively as if she was considering whether she should have added more. ‘Best really, small class sizes, so everyone gets a chance to be seen and heard. It’s important, don’t you think, that everyone is seen and heard? Perhaps I should have gone for ten – what do you think? Is five enough?’
‘Oh, absolutely.’ Mia nodded. ‘You’ve done well. I think you’ve done very well.’
‘Do you really?’ Karen frowned.
‘Oh yes, definitely,’ Mia continued. ‘It’s a good idea and a fine plan. Margrete couldn’t go to school alone. I mean, seriously?’
‘Exactly,’ Karen
said, sitting down at the table again. ‘It was the least I could do, really.’
‘It was well thought out,’ Mia continued. ‘And incredibly well executed. I mean, we were clueless. You tricked us properly, you’re seriously clever.’
‘Yes, I am, aren’t I?’ Karen smiled and clapped her hands.
‘You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.’ Mia nodded.
‘I’ve been planning it for such looong time,’ Karen said. ‘Every detail. But in the end it turned out to be so easy, and that’s the worst bit – it was so easy, so easy, you were barking up the wrong tree; it has been a really fun game, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, really fun.’ Mia smiled.
‘And now it’s nearly over. That will be nice.’ Karen sighed. ‘All that needs to happen is that we all die, then we’ll be done.’
‘Yes, that will be good.’ Mia smiled while her thoughts raced around inside her head. ‘Did you say now, Karen? Right now? Who is going to die now?’
‘You first,’ Karen said. ‘Then Marion. No, wait. I haven’t made up my mind yet.’
‘Oh?’ Mia said. ‘I thought you said you had a plan. That’s unlike you.’
‘I know.’ Karen chuckled. ‘But I can’t decide everything, some things depend a little on chance.’
‘Do they? Please tell?’
‘I had a guy who helped me,’ Karen said, sitting down again. ‘Men are idiots, but you know that, don’t you?’
‘Complete idiots.’ Mia smiled.
‘Yes, they are, aren’t they, quite incredibly dense. But this one, he really took the biscuit. He was stupid, very stupid, do you know what I mean?’ Karen laughed.
‘And who was he?’
‘Oh, just some guy, what was his name again, oh yes, William, that was it. He was married, but he fancied me – they do, you know, men are disgusting. He helped rebuild the room. I didn’t want the old room. I wanted a new one.’
‘Because Margrete had lived there?’
‘Yes, it wasn’t nice any more.’
‘I understand.’
‘So he helped rebuild it, and then I thought of something funny.’
‘What?’
Karen could barely contain herself now. She snorted and giggled like a little schoolgirl.
‘We made a film,’ she tittered.
‘A film?’
‘Yes, with his mobile. I laughed so hard afterwards.’
The Kiese film. It was a hoax.
Mia tried to keep a straight face.
‘What kind of film was it?’
‘He pretended to be really terrified.’ Karen laughed. ‘And he gave the wrong coordinates about his location. You know, GPS, the kind of thing they have in cars?’
‘Yes?’
‘He gave the wrong coordinates. Isn’t that funny?’
‘Hilarious,’ Mia said, not quite managing to smile any more. ‘And what coordinates did you give?’ she cleared her throat.
‘Well, that’s the best bit,’ Karen giggled. ‘The coordinates for a house further down the road. Isn’t that brilliant? You did get the film, didn’t you?’
Karen moved very close to her. The unstable woman stroked her face with a cold hand.
‘Don’t think for a moment that you’re pulling the wool over my eyes, Mia. Acting as if we’re friends? Do you think I’m stupid, Mia?’
Mia felt the cold fingers on her eyes and lips.
‘You did get the film, didn’t you? From his wife?’
Mia nodded feebly.
‘I’m not stupid. You know that, Mia. You won’t outwit me. Telling me what you think I want to hear. Why did it take so long for that movie to reach you? To be honest, I thought you would have got it a long time ago.’
Mia felt sick. Karen ran her icy fingers across her face as if she were a blind person trying to imagine what she looked like.
‘What happened, Mia?’
Mia was really struggling to stay calm. She was sorely tempted to bite the sick woman’s finger, but she refrained.
‘The wife couldn’t be bothered to hand in the film. She only showed up a couple of days ago,’ Mia said calmly.
‘Aha.’ Karen smiled. ‘She didn’t like him very much, did she?’
Mia made no reply.
‘I can see her point.’ The strawberry-blonde woman laughed. ‘He was so thick. But you have it now?’
Mia nodded tentatively.
‘Good. Then all we need to do is wait for it to go bang.’
Karen smiled and sat down at the table again.
‘So the house isn’t far from where we are?’ Mia said.
‘Yes, isn’t it brilliant? We’ll hear it go bang and perhaps we get to see something as well? If we have time.’
Karen got up and disappeared from view. Mia could feel the chill from the evil woman behind her. She glanced at the monitor again. She had a shock when she realized that Marion was about to wake up.
No, no, Marion, lie still.
‘Not you, by the way,’ a voice whispered in her ear. ‘You won’t hear it go bang.’
Karen stroked her cheek.
‘You’re going to die now. Won’t that be nice?’
Mia made a last, desperate attempt to free herself, but she was stuck. She couldn’t control herself any more. She felt the rage boil inside her and it was unstoppable. Her body felt as if it was about to explode.
‘You crazy bitch!’
‘Now, now, now, language, Mia,’ Karen warned her.
Mia felt the tape over her mouth again. The taste of adhesive on her tongue. Breathing became difficult. Panic. Don’t panic. Breathe calmly through your nose. Don’t wake up, Marion, don’t let her see you. Lie still. This is a trap, Holger. Don’t send anyone into the house. She’s going to take everybody with her. Don’t let anyone enter. Holger. Don’t go in. Don’t send in Kim or Curry or Ludvig or Gabriel or Anette, don’t send anyone in. We can’t afford to lose anyone, Holger.
Mia felt a prick in her right hand. She looked down and saw that Karen had inserted an intravenous needle. Mia could hear the strawberry-blonde psychopath fumble with something behind her; she hung a bag on a stand and Mia felt something seep into her. It stung; it made her veins cold and numb.
‘There we are,’ Karen said, sitting down at the table again. ‘It’s a shame that we couldn’t play any longer, but it’s best that you die now. I would like a little time alone with Marion. We need some time together before we go, just her and me. We can’t have you around then.’
She giggled.
‘Won’t it be funny when they find out that you died just a few houses away? If they survive, that is. Those who survive. Who do you think will live, Mia? Munch? Kim? That Larsen guy who thinks he’s so tough? Won’t that be fun to know?’
Mia mumbled behind the tape. The strawberry-blonde psychopath was not entirely lucid; she didn’t realize that Mia couldn’t reply. Karen drummed her fingers on the table. Made small clucking sounds with her tongue. Scratched her face. Got up. Disappeared outside of Mia’s field of vision. Returned with a double-barrelled shotgun. Broke the weapon open, checked there were cartridges in both barrels. Snapped it shut and laid it on the table next to her.
‘The one we never mention liked hunting,’ she said, scratching her face again. ‘We had that in common. We both liked killing. Watching something die is funny, isn’t it, Mia? It’s fun when they stop breathing? When they finally depart?’
Karen got up and went out into the hallway. Mia could hear a door open and close. A small gust of fresh air slipped into the room. Then it disappeared. Karen returned.
‘I’m not going to shoot you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t think the girls will like having a teacher without a face, do you? No, it’s just in case anyone should come in. You can never be too careful, isn’t that right, Mia?’
Mia felt the back of her hand sting again. Something almost metallic was entering her bloodstream. She began having problems seeing clearly. She tried focusing on the screen.
Marion was no longer there. Marion was gone. Had Karen been down there? What had she done to the little girl?
Karen shook her head faintly and smiled to herself.
‘I like watching people fall. That idiot who made the movie, he fell really well. For a moment, I thought he might be able to fly. Just like Roger Bakken. Roger even had wings. It was wonderful to watch. Did you feel like that, Mia? When you killed?’
Mia disappeared for a moment, went away, almost leaving the disgusting room for good. She jerked as she came round again. Karen had packed a suitcase.
‘And I was so sure that you knew,’ Karen said again. ‘That you knew why.’
Mia could see Sigrid now. In her white dress. Running slow motion through the field.
Come to me, Mia, come.
‘Markus Skog,’ Karen said. ‘She wasn’t very bright, my sister, she wasn’t, but she was kind. It wasn’t her fault. He wasn’t a good person. But what can you do? Men, eh? Not worth the hassle, are they? She killed herself after you shot him. Not with an overdose, no, she hanged herself. An overdose would have been better, don’t you think, Mia? Like Sigrid? I bet she felt good when she died? She didn’t have to jump from a tree with a rope around her neck.’
Karen glanced at the door, scratched her face briefly again.
‘Well, that’s love for you. What would I know?’
Mia could no longer keep her eyes open. She had lost sensation in her arms or legs.
Karen got up from the table, came over to her and caressed her cheek.
‘Have a nice trip, Mia Moonbeam.’
Across the field, Sigrid came running towards Mia. She stopped in front of her with a teasing look. She waved to her sister.
Come to me, Mia, come!
I’m coming, Sigrid. Wait.
I’ll be Sleeping Beauty and you’ll be Snow White?
Yes, Sigrid, I’d like that.
Come to me, Mia, come!
I’m coming, Sigrid. I’m coming now!
Mia let go.
And she followed her sister’s billowing white dress across a field of golden wheat.
Chapter 82
‘Delta 1, come in.’
Munch released the transmit button on the walkie-talkie and waited for a reply.