A Small Indiscretion

by Denise Rudberg

  “Have you seen what she did to her office? Where did she find all that furniture?”

  “I assume it was specially ordered for her. I’d like to know how much money she’s making.”

  “Me, too. It’s horrible how Olle tiptoes around her, as if she’s better than the rest of us. It’s embarrassing. And did you hear Alexandra this morning? I looooove your new hairstyle! What’s up with that?”

  “You know Alexandra. She brownnoses those on the way up, and kicks the others downstairs. She’s the most spineless person in the entire department.”

  “I can hardly believe she’s ranked higher than Baranski. It’s probably because of where she comes from. She’s a long way from royalty, though. I think it’s reprehensible. And poor Linda. What is she going to do now?”

  “I talked to her yesterday. She still hadn’t heard anything about another temporary position.”

  “Well, I sure hope she gets one.”

  The voices subsided and Marianne heard Alexandra’s voice. “Have you two seen Marianne? I need her for something right away.”

  Marianne had to smile as she pressed down the door handle and walked out of the bathroom. Annelie Hedin and Sussi Kjell stared at her.

  Alexandra exclaimed, “Oh, there you are! I need you to check something for me.”

  “Absolutely. Just let me get a cup of coffee first.”

  Marianne walked past her female coworkers without a glance. She would have loved to look back to see their faces, but she restrained herself. She hurried toward the kitchen and was sitting at her desk when Alexandra came in with an armful of paperwork.

  “Something’s wrong with the math in this report. Could you check it for me again?” she asked.

  “I’ll do it right away,” Marianne said.

  Alexandra smiled widely. “You’re an angel.”

  Marianne studied the documents and frowned. Something was definitely off. She read through the reports again and went through the statistics, only to reach the same conclusion as Alexandra. Alexandra looked at Marianne in puzzlement when she returned to her office.

  “How strange. I wonder how those figures got in there. Annelie Hedin must have missed it. She did help me with the initial report.”

  “Maybe it’s not her fault. She may have received wrong information from the investigators.”

  Alexandra shook her head. “That’s hard for me to believe. I double-checked everything. Well, we’ll let it go this once. I am so grateful you’re here.”

  Marianne smiled as Alexandra slid the papers into her dark-brown portfolio and struggled into her red coat. “Let’s go out one evening for a glass of wine,” Alexandra said. “There’s got to be something fun about working here, right?”

  “I’d enjoy that. Just say when. I have the feeling your schedule is more booked than mine.”

  “I’ll check with my mom back home,” Alexandra said. “We won’t see each other tomorrow because I’m in court all day. Thanks again for all the treats this morning. It was nice of you.”

  She hurried off, and Marianne walked back to her office pondering the information in those reports. She wondered who had something to gain by manipulating the numbers. Would it influence a judgment or compromise Alexandra in some way? Marianne remembered Olle telling her that she already had some enemies. She clicked to make a copy of the document in question, saved it, and hid it in a folder behind another containing different information. It was best to be on the safe side here.

  Her e-mail pinged to announce that Gunnar’s message had arrived. Curious, she opened the documents to read about the six people involved. It was interesting reading. She called Torsten Ehn, who answered after two rings.

  “Ehn, here!”

  “Marianne Jidhoff. I have what you wanted.”

  “Wonderful. Can we meet at the same place we ate yesterday? Let’s say at four p.m.?”

  Marianne ran through her schedule in her mind. “That should work.”

  She had received a new pile of research concerning Olle’s investigation, and it demanded her attention. An hour later, she put it aside in order to warm her piece of grilled chicken in the microwave and return to eat in front of her computer.

  The information was well organized, making it easy for her to sift through, and she found items that were definitely pertinent to the investigation. She ate the chicken as slowly as she could, but it left her still feeling hungry. She needed a smoke. Grabbing her coat, she took the stairs down.

  Out on the street, she saw that the sun had disappeared behind some clouds. The temperature had sunk remarkably quickly since yesterday. She turned left on Polhemsgatan and looked up at the hill, which was part of Kronoberg Park.

  On a park bench near the top of the hill, Marianne spied the backs of two people, Lillemor Rootander and some man. They leaned closer and a moment later they were kissing. Marianne’s entire body shuddered. She couldn’t see how anyone would want to kiss that woman, although she knew she wasn’t exactly impartial. She lit a cigarette and slowly walked onto Bergsgatan. A few moments later, she passed the café where she’d soon meet Torsten Ehn and his partner.

  In front of the passport office, people were standing around, bored, some of them drinking coffee. The waiting time to get a passport was ever longer these days. Marianne realized that she probably needed a new one herself, although she hadn’t been abroad in over ten years.

  She turned into the tiny park and walked past the entrance to the Kronoberg Baths. She turned the corner again to Kungsholmsgatan and then crushed her cigarette stub, wrapping it in tissue to throw out later.

  When she walked back into the station, Olle was on his way out, looking extremely stressed. Though a taxi waited for him, he stopped to say, “I heard you had a chance to talk to Torsten. That’s great! I have to run, but can I ask you to stay behind and hold down the fort? I’m supposed to be on call for the rest of the day, but I have to meet some guys from the EU meeting.”

  Marianne agreed.

  “Thank you, Marianne. I’ll text reception my cell phone number. Let’s hope nothing serious happens. If it does, I’ll come right back.”

  Taking over Olle’s on-call duties wouldn’t be as dramatic as it sounded. Mostly Marianne would answer any press calls that came in regarding ongoing investigations. If nothing big was happening, the journalists never called after office hours.

  She got another cup of coffee and sat down in front of her computer, happy that her hunger pangs had subsided. She was just about to turn on the computer when she realized that something wasn’t right.

  Someone had been in her office.

  She looked around carefully. Nothing had shifted or been removed. As the computer warmed up, she could see that someone had accessed it—with her correct user name and password. That person had logged out just two minutes before her return. What the person didn’t know was that Marianne arranged the monitor at a certain angle whenever she turned her computer on or off. She never wanted it to be in direct sunlight, a habit she’d picked up at home. She’d heard it wasn’t good for the screen, and now the screen had been shifted so the sunlight hit it.

  She thought about calling Olle but changed her mind. Maybe it was nothing. Perhaps the IT guy came in to see if her machine was working. Until it happened again, she would just keep it to herself. She didn’t want to be thought of as a paranoid old woman.

  She wondered: Did this person find what he or she was looking for? Marianne thought it couldn’t have been easy, as she used a system for hiding documents within her file system. The question was, what was the person looking for in her system. What did he or she think was there?

  CHAPTER 57

  Shivering, they boarded the taxi boat and hurried toward the covered passenger cabin. They were both freezing after waiting half an hour for the boat. The tour of the Right Now property hadn’t revealed anything new. The place
was aesthetically pleasing, and Ushtanga Erik had told them—in as few words as possible—everything that took place in each room. Returning to the Right Now office, Ushtanga Erik handed them a thick folder containing a list of participants in various courses.

  “Handle these with discretion,” he said gravely. “I hope nothing appears in the press.”

  “We will. Thank you for your time.”

  Ushtanga Erik had smiled weakly, turning on his heel and not bothering to show them to the door. Back outside in the wind they noticed someone was studying them from behind the curtain, yet again.

  The taxi boat rocked more than it had on the way out. Torsten noticed Augustin beginning to turn green, but finally, the boat docked and they hurried to Augustin’s car. When Augustin started the car, he sighed deeply and steered out of the parking lot.

  Torsten smiled. “I know. Forgive my French, but that place is fucking weird.”

  Augustin shook his head. “I can’t put my finger on it. Everyone was very friendly on the surface. At least at first. But the moment I got there, I wanted to run away screaming. It felt like a mental hospital with a strict warden who makes sure nobody escapes.”

  “I agree. It would be hard to slip from his claws, especially if he wanted to hold on to you. Let’s see what Marianne Jidhoff found out about his previous life. By the way, I still have vacation days to use up, and I want to take Friday off. Can you hold down the fort in case something important comes up?”

  “Certainly,” Augustin responded.

  Once they passed Roslagen, Torsten noticed autumn’s effect on the city. He hoped it wouldn’t be too cold to stay overnight on the boat. Noah wasn’t the type to complain, but they’d better make sure they took enough warm clothes.

  CHAPTER 58

  Marianne made one more foray through the office. It was hard to let go of thoughts about her secret visitor. Who was it? Some people could be eliminated right away. Annelie Hedin, of course, was one of the most likely suspects. But it was doubtful she’d be so foolhardy. Mouthing off to the boss and being unfriendly to a new colleague weren’t in the same league as hacking into someone’s computer.

  Marianne walked through the hall, peeking into each office. Most people were in front of their computers or on the phone. Some looked up when she poked her head in, and others ignored her. Her stroll didn’t give her any leads, but it was good to stretch her legs. She walked back to her office and reviewed the last files of the day. With the information she’d found, she made a special file and printed two copies on her printer. It was more than she realized. She put everything in a plastic folder and carefully slid it into her purse. A quick bathroom visit, and she put on her coat and got ready to leave. She made sure her computer screen was turned away from the window. Perhaps she was just being silly.

  Annelie Hedin was by the coffee machine. “So, leaving already?”

  “Yes. Have a pleasant evening.”

  She held her head as high as she could without getting a pain in her neck, pressing the button for the elevator, and when she turned back around, Annelie Hedin was standing next to Karin and Sussi, gesturing while she talked. Marianne took a deep breath and pressed the button again. She took out her cell phone and wondered whether to call Olle. She wanted to make sure that he’d redirected his calls, and she decided that he surely must have done so. There was no reason to bother him. It was in his own interest for her to cover him.

  She walked the same route she had earlier and soon reached the little café at the corner of Bergsgatan and Pilgatan. Torsten Ehn was already sitting on one of the sofas, more sloppily dressed than yesterday. Next to him was a young man whose clothing was in elegant contrast. He wore a tailor-made suit and handmade shoes and looked like a picture cut straight from an Italian fashion magazine.

  Torsten got up and smiled. “Great you could get away. I thought it would be better if we met here. This is my new colleague, Augustin Madrid. Olle pinned him on me.”

  Marianne smiled at the stylish young man and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Augustin’s soft hand gave a firm handshake.

  She sat down and pulled out the plastic folder, which Torsten eyed curiously.

  “This is what I was able to find. Go ahead and look through it.”

  “You have to get a cinnamon bun. They’re freshly baked and wonderful. Augustin and I just polished off ours.”

  Marianne smiled and sat down between the two men as they intently studied the material in the folder. Augustin looked up.

  “This is highly informative. Isn’t it strange that Isa Turin didn’t mention any of this to us? They’ve been waging a custody battle for over two years. It’s gotten worse lately, and the fighting was getting dirty.”

  Torsten looked up and said, “She probably thought there was no reason to bring it up now that he’s dead. But she should have realized we’d be looking into everything. Didn’t she know there’d be official documents?”

  Marianne had to agree. “I know. It’s strange, especially because she has a law degree. Why didn’t she bring it up? Could she have simply forgotten to in her grief?”

  Torsten shrugged. “I don’t know. Could you forget something like that?”

  Torsten suddenly looked embarrassed.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t meaning to ask you that directly. It just came out. Forgive me for being clumsy.”

  Marianne smiled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t take it personally. I do think she might have had so many other emotions going on that she just didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”

  Augustin wrinkled his brow. “She didn’t seem that sad to me.”

  “She even sort of flirted with me,” Torsten said. “I think we should press her on this and the rest of it. What did you find out about our cult leaders?”

  “A number of interesting things. Look all the way toward the back.

  Torsten was flipping through the papers when his cell phone rang.

  “Ehn here!”

  He was silent with his cell phone to his ear for a long time, until he finally said, “I understand. We’ll be right there.”

  He turned to Marianne and Augustin. “That was Olle. They’ve found a young woman murdered near a jogging path in Djursholm. Olle wants us to head there right away.”

  Marianne’s cell phone rang.

  “Marianne Jidhoff speaking.”

  “Olle here. A woman has been found murdered in Djursholm. I want you to stay at the office. I’ll need your assistance. I’m going to wrap up this meeting and get over there right away. I really need you to stay.”

  “Of course. We’ve already agreed on it.”

  “I know, but I didn’t expect anything like this. I also want you to call Torsten Ehn and give him any assistance he needs.”

  Marianne had to cough before saying, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “And keep this under wraps. It’s the same deal as with the man on Narvavägen. We don’t want any leaks. Don’t talk to anyone beside Torsten and me. I promise to get back to the office as soon as I can.”

  They all stood up, and Marianne put her cell phone back in her purse. Torsten’s face was filled with emotion.

  “I imagine that was Olle. Augustin and I will head right to the crime scene. We’ll call you later. Damn it all, I hate it when a young woman is killed.”

  Marianne wanted to lay a hand on his arm to comfort him, but it wouldn’t be proper.

  The trio broke up. Marianne went back the way she’d come and called Lola as she walked. She would have to miss tonight’s gallery event. There would be other openings. With a deep sigh, she lit a cigarette and inhaled. It was going to be a long night.

  PART THREE

  CHAPTER 59

  Torsten turned toward Augustin.

  “Is it OK if we take your car? You might have to drive me home pretty late tonight.
”

  “That’s fine.”

  They didn’t say anything more. It took fifteen minutes to drive over the Barnhus Bridge, continue on Dalagatan to Odenplan and then onto Sveavägen, crossing both Norrtull and Roslagstull before reaching Norrtäljevägen. At Stocksund Bridge, Torsten said quietly, “It’s not going to be a pretty sight.”

  “I understand.”

  When Augustin’s GPS showed there was just a mile to their destination, Torsten’s stomach cramped. Many of his colleagues said they’d become hardened over the years. Torsten found just the opposite: it was more difficult with each passing year, especially where women and children were concerned, and this made him more determined to solve these cases.

  Olle had told Torsten over the phone that the young woman was found under a boat. The owners had brought it ashore the previous weekend and turned it upside down for storage. That’s when they made the macabre find.

  Without taking his eyes off the road, Augustin asked Torsten if anyone had informed her family.

  Torsten said, “A crisis team has been sent to their home. Thank God we won’t have to do that. The team has special training in talking to the bereaved. When I was at the Academy, we hardly touched on it, but I believe your generation learned more than we did.”

  They fell silent and Augustin slowed the car, parking on the side of the road behind a police vehicle. Torsten locked his hands together and stretched his shoulders. He needed to step out of the car but couldn’t yet bring himself to do it. To Augustin, he said, “Have you ever seen a dead body before?”

  “Yes. I was with my mother when she died. And I was one of the few people in my year at the Academy who chose to attend an autopsy.”

  “So you know what to expect.”

  Before he could change his mind, Torsten quickly climbed out onto the damp asphalt, while Augustin locked the car and pulled up the collar of his thin coat. They walked toward the white lamps where Brundin was standing in his overalls.