Blue Blue Eyes: Crime Novel

by Helena Anderson

  Maria was crawling around the corpse with a little brush carefully trying to remove the sand from the body. Then she would start with the biological traces with the help of several cotton buds. The day would be insanely long for them both.

  When Daphne and Carlos arrived at the golf club there was a riot taking place by the sand bunker. An angry little man was walking around cursing and causing problems. He was shouting and asked all the curious people to get off the impeccable green. The technicians tried working while Sam did everything he could to stop all the golfers and the angry man getting too near.

  ”Hey, what’s going on?” Daphne stared at the chaos and then tried getting eye-contact with her colleague.

  ”Deal with that bloody man”, Sam wheezed determined. ”He is making us all crazy and I’ll soon stuff a couple of golf balls in his mouth if he doesn’t stop shouting.”

  Daphne turned around and saw a little angry man shaking his fists at all the bystanders. ”Come on, you’re in the way.” She took hold of the man’s arm and tried getting him away from the scene but he resisted, shouting and screaming. ”Calm down.” Daphne took a police grip of both his arms and he fell down on his knees.

  ”Ouch, what are you bloody doing?” The man was shouting trying to get out of the grip, which became tighter and hurt even more as soon as he moved.

  ”I can let you go if you’ll behave in a calm and decent manner, but otherwise I’ll cuff you. Handcuffs. It’s up to you.”

  ”What the hell. Just let me bloody go.”

  Daphne had neither the time nor the will to discuss this further. She placed her knee in his back and got out the hand-cuffs. The man was shouting so loudly all the way to the police car that it was impossible to talk to him. With a determined gesture she got him into the back-seat. She put on his safety-belt and made sure his arms were OK behind his back before starting up the engine so that the air-conditioner started up.

  ”If you don’t stop shouting I’ll put my socks in your gob.” She slammed the door and went back to her colleagues.

  Carlos was walking around the corpse unusually calmly as both Maria and Stavros’ shot pointed looks at him. The cigarette was dangling from his mouth while the sweat was pouring down his forehead. He made some loose attempts to talk, but Maria was not in the mood for games. Pretend as if he was invisible. He didn’t exist to her, not as a human and hardly as Chief of Police either. She wished his brother would get well so that Carlos could return home to Spain again.

  ”So what have we got here?” Daphne shook her head and crossed her arms on her chest.

  Maria eased off the mask but kept the hood on. ”Well, what is really going on? Yesterday it was the worst weapon hoard and today another murder has been discovered. The third body in less than a week. We’ll have to hire more staff if this continues. I’m dead tired after the night’s work.”

  ”I can really understand that, Maria. You never called?”

  ”We didn’t finish until this morning. Sorry. I haven’t even had time to put together a report yet. I promise to do my very best, just let me have a couple of hours’ sleep first. I’ll fax it to the station as soon as I’ve finished it.”

  ”Of course.” Daphne patted her back in understanding and then looked down at the body full of sand lying on its back. The corpse was not possible to identify since the skin on the naked body was more or less gone. ”What kind of sick bastard has done this?” Daphne didn’t even have the sense to feel sick. The whole scene was just looking too grotesque and unreal.

  ”Well, yes, who knows? I’ll leave that up to you.”

  ”What have you found so far?” Daphne felt inadequate since they still didn’t have a clue as to who the offender could be. Slowly she pulled her hair back with both hands and rubbed her eyes. It felt as though they were full of grit. She was exhausted.

  ”It’s too early to make any statements. I’ll come back to you when we’ve finished. It’s been such a disturbance around here, you can’t even imagine. We’ve hardly been able to work in peace. Poor Sam has had to fight with the screaming old man as well as all the curious people.”

  ”Can you tell me if it’s a man or a woman?”

  ”It’s a man. I don’t think he’s been here for long. Top 12 hours.”

  ”Thanks Maria.” Daphne walked over to Sam who briefed her about what he had seen when he arrived at the murder scene and of everything else that had happened before Daphne and Carlos had arrived. He gave her the notes too from the interview with the woman who had found the body.

  ”Come on Carlos”, Daphne shouted loudly. She didn’t really want him to join in the questioning but knew that she didn’t have a choice. The angry man seemed to have plenty of explanations to give. She then heard Maria shouting at Carlos and as she turned around she saw how Carlos was being severely reprimanded. The upset Chief left with his hands in front of his face as if he was defending himself while slowly backing out from the cordoned off area.

  ”Bloody unnecessary.” Sam gave Carlos an irritated look and sighed in exasperation.

  ”Ah, what the hell. I wasn’t thinking. Maria will survive. At least she can throw away the cigarette now that she knows it’s mine.” Carlos twisted his bushy moustache between his middle and index-fingers and looked completely unaffected. Sam couldn’t understand how his boss once again had contaminated a restricted area.

  ”Come on now Carlos, don’t just stand there. We have other things to do.” She turned around with irritation and looked back at the golf course. The second hole was beautifully situated on a hill with a view over the amazingly green valley. Imagine a golf course being so green and beautiful compared with the burned body next to it. Carlos ran to catch up with Daphne and it was probably the first time she’d seen her boss lumbering. When they approached the police car they heard the old man shouting and his face was dark red.

  ”Do you actually know who I am?”

  ”No, please tell me”, Daphne answered irritated and dried the sweat on her neck with one of her hands.

  ”I’m actually the chairman of this golf club. You have no right to leave me sitting here while everybody is destroying my golf course.”

  Finally Daphne got the point. ”Oh, so you are Olof Stenvall?”

  ”Ahm, that’s right”, he answered surprised.

  ”Good, another reason for you to follow us to the station. We have some questions we’d like you to answer, you see.”

  Olof started shouting and screaming again. His voice was piercing and it cut through to the bone marrow.

  ”Now you have to be quiet, got it? You are behaving like a little kid.”

  Carlos looked enquiringly at Daphne and before they sat down in the car Daphne briefed him about why Olof Stenvall was coming in for questioning.

  It was still far too hot outside and the old air-conditioning was working overtime inside the station. She was still tired after far too few hours of sleep. The bed in the new flat had been soft, though, and unusually comfortable and Nikki had slept heavily once she’d fallen asleep. For the past couple of hours she’d been back in the conference room, looking for leads in Sten Arvidsson’s computer. Without warning a bent old woman dragging a cleaning trolley came in and methodically started mopping the floor where Nikki was sitting.

  The smell of stale sweat immediately made Nikki leave and go to the kitchen and fill her tea- cup. Apart from the noise from the air-conditioner the station was completely quiet. Katerina was at her place, deeply involved with her tasks and the others were at the golf course. The Panther went out the kitchen door meowing before she had time to bend down and greet him good morning. When she once again sat down in the conference room she sent a good luck message to Gustav who had his last exam for the term today.

  Her thoughts went to her sons and Nikki’s heart was filled with longing and love. She knew that the guys were fine. It’s just her thinking the year
s had passed far too fast, they were already grown up. How did that happen? Brooding she stirred her tea-cup and looked for a long time at the bubbles forming before she had a sip. Then her eyes went to Karl Hofvenskold’s computer and she pulled the office chair closer to the desk and clicked at his mail. She noticed immediately that he had nice sub-folders and his mail was very organized compared to Sten’s.

  A folder with the name Cyprus caught her attention and her pulse increased slightly. So far Nikki hadn’t found anything special but she hoped for better luck now. With great interest she glanced through the mail in the folder and sent some to the old printer in the reception where Katerina was sitting. Nikki read through the documents and chose carefully the mail where the sender had asked Karl about a partnership. Whistling she left the conference room and went up to the reception where Katerina was sitting with the Panther on her lap. A sweet smell of perfume reached Nikki’s sensitive sense of smell and she started coughing.

  ”Sorry, I think I’m allergic to heavy perfumes.” She waved one arm as though trying to erase the unpleasant smell. ”But, are you eating again?”

  ”Ahm yes, but it’s just a vanilla and cardamom bun. Would you like to taste? I think I have a bun left over.” Katerina swirled her chair around and picked up the paper bag on top of the desk.

  ”No thanks, I’ll have one of those Raw-Bites instead. You should try that if your goal is to lose weight.”

  Katerina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then dried it on her long dress. ”But are they really tasty?” Her voice was sceptical and so was her expression.

  ”Try one next time. Daphne usually fills up the fridge with them. Just because they are called raw-food doesn’t mean they are disgusting. You’ll be surprised at how good they are.”

  She looked at Nikki as if she was an alien and had another bite of the bun. ”By the way, I have your print-outs here.” She licked her fingers before handing over the bunch.

  ”Thanks.” Nikki had a quick look at the paper on the top and read out the heading loud. ”Missing persons in Cyprus. This must be yours.”

  ”Oh, sorry, it must have come in between somehow. Daphne called earlier and wanted me to write an updated list of everyone reported missing on the island considering the victim in the sand pit.”

  ”How many are there?”

  ”Three. Want to have a look?”

  Nikki read the name over and over again. She couldn’t believe her eyes and it took some time for the brain to realize the significance. A strange sound came from her throat and her body went stiff. Katerina looked enquiringly at Nikki but before she could ask what actually was going on Nikki had already run away. Her heart was beating hard inside her chest and the worry was like a hard lump in her stomach.

  In panic she pulled out her mobile from the handbag, dialled Patrik’s mobile repeatedly and let signal after signal go through without any reply. In frustration she sent several messages while different scary scenarios were being played in front of her eyes. Is that my Patrik who has disappeared? No, it can’t be true. There must be somebody else with the same name. But how many are actually called Patrik Kroona here in Cyprus? Nikki bit her lip and wondered if she should call Linn.

  ”Damn it!” She shouted out loud, and upset paced up and down the worn-out floor with the mobile phone in her hand. I don’t care if Linn knows about me and Patrik, now it’s about her husband. Come on, Nikki, bloody call her. Her troubled conscience about her love relation with Patrik was flying through her mind. Nervously she dried the sweat on her hands on her red shorts and decided to swallow her pride and called her childhood friend.

  ”Hello”, Linn answered with a thin and mushy voice.

  ”Linn, it’s me, Nikki.”

  It went quiet on the phone and Nikki could hear Linn breathing.

  ”Is Patrik there or is it true that he’s disappeared?” She went straight to the point to save time instead of trying to find out in a more gentle way.

  ”He’s gone”, Linn was sobbing. ”He didn’t come back last Saturday. We had been fighting.”

  Nikki who knew very well where she was still had to ask the mandatory question. ”Where are you?”

  Nikki heard Linn blowing her nose while fighting not to cry.

  ”In a bloody hotel somewhere in Cyprus.”

  ”Listen to me very carefully. Pack all your things, both yours and Patrik’s and check out of the hotel. Write a note to your husband in case he shows up and leave it in the reception. Then take a taxi to the police station in Coral Bay.”

  ”What, why should I go there?”

  ”I’m here waiting for you. Please, Linn, do as I tell you.”

  ”I don’t get it, everything is upside down. What are you saying? Are you in Cyprus, Nikki?”

  ”Yes, sweetheart, I’m in Cyprus.”

  ”But what if Patrik comes back.”

  ”Then he’ll find out in the reception, right? Pack your stuff now and get into a taxi. I’ll keep my mobile on in case you need me, OK?”

  Monday June 10th

  ”It’s Monday June 10th and the time is 10.15. The interview with Olof Stenvall is being conducted by Daphne Fernàndez Rossi and Sam Dendias.” Daphne switched off the tape recorder and looked enquiringly at Olof Stenvall who by now had calmed down.

  ”How good is your English?”

  He looked surprised and shrugged. ”I’ve lived in the US for over 20 years so yes, you can do the interview in English.”

  Daphne sighed silently and looked at the man before asking the first question. He was a little over 1 metre 70, his belly a little round, dressed in shorts and a thin polo t-shirt. ”I’ll go straight to the point, how do you explain the letter you sent to Sten Arvidsson on May 29th?” Daphne pushed the letter over to Olof who stared at it with great surprise.

  ”What the he...How did you get this?”

  ”Answer.”

  Olof hesitated for a moment before beginning to speak:

  ”I haven’t done anything illegal, but just expelled that idiot from the golf course, that’s no crime.”He was nervously rubbing his hands against each-other and couldn’t stop staring at the hand written letter. Daphne looked at the white-haired man, who had an evil look in his eyes, for quite some time. The burrows in his forehead were deep and his silver coloured glasses were almost too big for his wrinkly face.

  ”How come Sten was expelled?”

  Olof spat out the words. ”He broke the rules of the club.

  ”Explain.”

  ”He didn’t dress according to the rules; he never fixed the fairway after hitting. He…”

  Daphne started laughing and looked with surprise at Olof.

  ”Come on, I want to know the real reason.”

  ”As mentioned, he broke my rules.”

  ”Your rules?”

  ”I’m the chairman of Mountain Hills and you do as I say. If you don’t like that you can choose another golf club. Simple or what?”

  Daphne looked at Olof without showing any emotion. She couldn’t stand his kind who thought they were above everybody else. She crossed her legs and tried looking disinterested. ”When did you see him last, that is Sten?”

  Olof thought for a long time before answering. ”About a week ago when we had our membership evening.”

  Daphne clasped her hands on top of the desk and leaned forward a bit.

  ”What happened then?”

  His eyes changed colour and Olof’s cheeks were red. ” The bastard attacked my wife and other women as well for that matter.”

  ”Explain attacking.” Her voice was calm and low contrary to that of Olof.

  ”He bloody touched her, coming up with shameful suggestions. He bloody shouldn’t have done that.” His white moustache vibrated and now Daphne noticed that he had a cleft-palate as well.

  ”And your wife, what did
she say about it?”

  ”Margareta was really upset and wanted to go home immediately. But of course we couldn’t do that since the chairman is expected to be the last one to leave the place.”

  ”Tell me, what happened that night?”

  Unexpectedly Olof clasped his hands and then for ten minutes told in detail what had taken place.

  ”You should probably be grateful that Sten didn’t press charges after that dinner. Do you often take to your fists?”

  ”Are you insinuating that I’m a fighter even though I was just defending my poor wife?”

  ”I just asked you a simple question”, Daphne said and drank some water.

  ”How well did you know Sten? Did you associate in private?”

  ”Never. He was just a member of the golf club”, Olof muttered sinking back on the chair and looked down at the table.

  ”How did he react to the letter?”

  ”I haven’t heard a word from him since then.”

  Daphne scratched her hair before continuing. ”What about Karl

  Hofvenskold and his wife Barbro. How well do you know them?”

  ”Why do you ask?” He licked his lips and sighed heavily. ”They are really decent members. But I would lie if I said I know them.”

  ”You were making an awful noise at the golf course today. Shouting and screaming. Refused to obey orders and didn’t listen at all to the police.”

  ”Do you want to know why?” Olof got started. ”I’ll tell you why- all those bloody vehicles driving up on the greens and fairway, they showed no consideration. And all the bloody curious people who…” He gasped for air and dried the sweat off his forehead. ”Do you understand how many years of careful maintenance are behind a pristine and organised golf course?”