“I’m Martin Petzold. We met at your summerhouse. I loaned you money at the supermarket. Please let me out!”
“You? Why did you kidnap me?”
He—kidnap her? Martin was speechless.
“I’ve been looking for you for five days. You vanished without a trace. I had nothing to do with your kidnapping.”
Liv thought it over. The German man had been nice. She couldn’t really imagine him kidnapping her. But then why would he take such a risk now?
“I saw a pickup truck driving off. That had to have been your kidnapper. You can’t leave me at his mercy after I got you out of here. We both need to get away from this place.”
That made the difference. Liv unlocked the door and took a step backward just in case. Martin looked her over. She was pale, her hair was totally unkempt, and her T-shirt was dirty. But it was Liv, with the same blue eyes and freckles.
“It’s good to see you,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
Liv looked at Martin, relieved. He really had come to help her. She gave him a quick hug and mumbled: “Thanks! Sorry I hit you.”
“It’s OK. You couldn’t have known who was coming in.”
They headed up the stairs as Liv told him, “I found all my things. The only thing missing is my car key.”
“We’ll take my car,” he answered. “I parked it down the road.”
As the two of them exited the house and set off, they could hear the sound of a car making a rapid approach.
“Damn, someone’s coming. Quick—into the woods!”
Martin motioned to Liv, and they ran behind the house and dove among the trees. There was a narrow path there.
Martin tried to muffle his voice: “We’ll stay under cover until we get to my car. Follow me!”
They followed the path into the woods for a while and then turned right through the trees. The ground was muddy and almost impassable, which meant that the going would be slow. “Let’s try to not make any noise.”
Liv nodded. They made their way slowly around the house. By now, the car had arrived: it was the black pickup truck.
“Shit!” Martin was cursing.
Liv gripped his shirtsleeve. “Shouldn’t we try to escape through the woods instead?”
“Do you know your way around here?”
“No.” Liv looked about. “How far is it to my summerhouse?”
“Liv, we’re in Dalarna, right near to your husband’s summerhouse.”
“What?” Liv’s eyes widened, and she held her hands to her mouth in disbelief.
Martin looked at her. “To my car?”
She nodded, and they continued moving cautiously through the woods. They could hear the driver getting out and going up to the house. It would not be much longer before he noticed that Liv’s things were missing. Then he would go down to the basement, and …
They made slow headway as they neared Martin’s car. As Martin looked back, it seemed to him that they were out of danger and could now come out from under cover. Once on the road, they were able to walk faster. Martin’s shoulder ached with every step, but now it was simply a matter of clenching his teeth. Just as he was unlocking his car, he heard a sound from the direction of the house. The man had come out the front door and was bellowing something Martin couldn’t understand. Liv looked at him in horror, and they climbed into the car as fast as they could. Martin started the engine, but it still took some time to turn the car around because there wasn’t much room and he had to back up twice. Finally, he managed to drive off.
Just at that moment, Martin heard a revving sound from the pickup, which was coming up behind them. He looked in his rearview mirror: the truck was already closing in. Martin hit the gas. The car responded and lurched forward. Martin drove at top speed as Liv clung in fear to the armrest and kept looking forward and back.
“Faster! Please!”
“I’ll try.”
Martin stepped on the gas. Before them lay the main road. He knew he wouldn’t make the curve at that speed, but he still kept driving at the same pace. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed the pickup truck immediately behind them. Its engine was loud, and the black steel fenders in front of the hood were getting dangerously close.
At the junction to the main road, Martin braked slightly, hoping to make it onto the road without landing in the ditch. He gripped the steering wheel with all his might, and the Audi swung around. It looked like they were going to make it.
The pickup, however, had other plans. It had no intention of making the curve. Just as the Audi was making the turn, the pickup veered slightly to the right and rammed it from the side. The tail end of the Audi hurtled toward the woods. Liv shrieked, both airbags deployed, and Martin stepped on the brakes with everything he had. The car came to a halt perpendicular to the main road.
Before Martin could recover his senses, the door flung open, and he found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle. The man holding it was bellowing something in Swedish. Martin couldn’t understand a word, but what the man wanted was clear. Martin got out of the car and raised his arms, with Liv crawling out behind him. She said something to the man, who briefly bellowed back, after which Liv said nothing.
The kidnapper was wearing a green parka and had pulled his collar way up. He was also wearing a baseball cap. Between those two things, most of his face was hidden. All that was visible was his tousled dark hair and large, red nose. The man waved his hostages over to the pickup with his rifle. Then he opened the hatch over the truck bed and said something in Swedish. Liv climbed in, with Martin following close behind. She explained to Martin that they were supposed to lie down and that the hatch would then close. Feeling for his hand, she took it in hers. The pickup smelled of cement and leaves, and the truck bed was cold. It was pitch black.
The pickup started up, turned around, and drove off. A few minutes later, the hatch reopened and the man led Liv and Martin into the house, down the stairs, and into the cellar. Still pointing the rifle at them, he motioned them to sit down on the bed. Then he looked around the room, cursed, kicked the table so hard it went flying through the doorway, and left the room. The key turned in the lock.
Martin and Liv looked at each other. Liv was crying as she rested her head on Martin’s shoulder. Martin placed his arm around her. He had no idea how to comfort her. The situation seemed hopeless.
20
Lars hit the red button and put down his cell phone. How many times had he tried already? Either Martin’s battery was dead or his cell phone was off. The call kept going to voicemail.
Lars had also called the hotel. Martin had checked out early that morning, so Lars assumed he had driven to Dalarna. Why hadn’t he called? He had to have arrived some time ago. Lars called Elin.
“Elin.”
“Hey, Elin. It’s Lars. How are things today?”
“Everything’s A-OK. You?”
“I haven’t been able to reach our client, which is strange. We spoke on the phone last night, and he insisted on taking on the summerhouse in Dalarna. According to the hotel, he checked out this morning. But now his phone goes straight to voicemail—it doesn’t even ring.”
“Maybe he found his bride, and they don’t want anyone bothering them.” Elin giggled.
“Well, that would be the least of my problems. I hope the explanation really is that simple. Listen, did you have any luck with Åre? The seaside property in the Archipelago was totally dead—not a soul there.”
“Åre wasn’t that simple. When I finally managed to get the right caretaker on the phone, he didn’t want to give me any information. But I did find a taxi driver who was willing to drive to the cabin and knock on the door. Cost me 800 kronor—hope that’s OK. He said he’d call today.”
“Good job. We’ll charge the amount to expenses.”
“OK. I found a couple more articles on the Ulldahls. I’ll email them to you right now.”
“Thanks. Anything interesting?”
“
Not really. We already know most of it. Oh, wait! Maybe there is something. In one of the articles, someone mentioned hearing something about a low sale price for the construction firm. But no one else has confirmed that.”
“Aha, well, this sale keeps getting weirder and weirder. Listen, is the boss in the office?”
“Yeah, wanna talk to him?”
“That would be good. Can you put me through?”
“Sure, hang on. Talk to you later.”
The phone picked up after three rings.
“Hi, Lars. You wanted to talk to me?”
“Hi, Tobias. Yeah, I have a slight problem.” Lars told Tobias about the houses and how they had gone to check them out.
“Are you saying that you sent him to Dalarna alone, out in the sticks?” Tobias was a city person. For him, everything outside of Stockholm was the sticks.
“No, Tobias, I didn’t ‘send’ him anywhere. At first, I didn’t even want to bother with the cabin in Dalarna, but Martin insisted on doing something, and he was intrigued by the idea of visiting a different part of Sweden.”
“I still don’t like it, Lars. When we take on an assignment, we’re the ones who do the job, not the client. He could tag along if he absolutely wanted to, but this is not good. Why didn’t you at least have him do the Archipelago? We could have even sent Elin along.”
“Yeah, you’re right, that would have been better. Somehow we’re always smarter in hindsight.”
“You just didn’t feel like driving to Dalarna, did you?”
“No. I just didn’t think it would be too productive. First, there was the long drive, and second, I figured the cabin would be the least likely place to find Liv. Sorry. Not my best call.”
“Well, let’s hope the guy turns up again in one piece. But if you haven’t heard anything by tomorrow morning, then you’ll need to go and clear it up.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to drive over there and look for the guy! But not alone. You’re taking someone with you!”
“OK, fine. But tomorrow is Saturday.”
“Lars, you botched this one. I don’t give a damn what day it is—you need to iron this out.”
“Yeah, fine, that’s no problem on my end. I didn’t mean it that way. I was thinking more of my colleagues. Marie definitely won’t do it. She’s already working more than she wants to. Torbjörn and Palle are involved in a big surveillance job. Best case, I could ask Anders.”
“No, he flew to Gothenburg today and won’t be back for another week. Ask Elin! She’s itching to do some fieldwork, so this would be her first chance.”
“OK, thanks, Tobias. I’ll do that.”
“Good luck! Hopefully you won’t have to go there at all.”
They hung up. Lars hadn’t expected Tobias to respond that way, but Tobias was always good for a surprise. And if Lars were honest with himself, the idea of Martin making that trip hadn’t appealed to him, either.
Still no luck. Lars would try Martin a few more times and then ask Elin.
21
Thomas’s cell phone was vibrating. He checked the screen: Bosse again. He didn’t like that at all. What did he want, anyway? Thomas rejected the call.
The head of HR had just presented him with her salary suggestions for the beginning of next year. In Thomas’s view, they were way too high.
He interrupted the presentation. “Why are we budgeting a three percent increase? Inflation is negative.”
And why, Thomas wondered, had she gotten so dolled up today? Her outfit was a blatant case of overkill: suit, silk scarf, frilly blouse.
The HR manager turned to face him. “Thomas, as I showed you earlier, our wages are well below market average. I think we could afford to even things out a bit this year.”
“Christina, we’ve already had this conversation multiple times. We provide so many other benefits that I think we’re all right having our wages below average. I’ve already said this repeatedly. Anyone have another opinion?” He looked around the circle.
Two of his colleagues were shaking their heads. They agreed with Thomas. But then the head of finance made a move to speak.
Right at that moment, Thomas felt his cell phone vibrate. It was a text message.
“Yes, Olof?” Thomas turned to the CFO.
“Maybe we could identify the specific employees who are well below average and hike them up by two to three percent. We were already talking this over with Liv.”
Thomas looked at the message. Bosse had texted that he urgently needed to talk to him. What a pile of crap.
Thomas was not interested in Olof’s idea, and he now needed to break things off.
“Great. Christina and Olof, the two of you can come up with a proposal. Let’s postpone the decision until then. Can you two have this done by the end of next week?”
They nodded. Thomas rose and excused himself, explaining that he needed to take an urgent call. He hurried out of the conference room and down the hall to his office, carefully closing the door behind him.
Bosse answered immediately: “Thomas, I’m getting out!”
“What? Are you out of your mind?”
“No. This is not what we agreed on. All hell has broken loose here.”
“Slow down, Bosse! What happened? We were just on the phone not that long ago.”
“Shit. Right. I come back, and your broad is gone. Run off with the same shithead I whacked over the head in Småland.”
“I don’t believe it. How did he get there?”
“I don’t get it, either. I had to ram his car and use the gun to herd them in. Damn it all, this is not my thing.”
“Is anyone hurt?”
“Nah, they’re still in one piece. But his crate is totaled.”
“OK, Bosse, good job. Where are they now?”
“In the cellar.”
“Both in the same room?”
“Fuck, yeah, it’s not like we’re running a hotel.” Bosse’s volume was rising.
“Calm down, Bosse! I was just asking—it’s fine. What’s up with his car?”
“What about it?”
“Is it still sitting on the road somewhere?”
“What, do you think I’m dense, pal? I towed the car and stuck it in the yard. I’ve had my hands full here.”
“OK, great! What kind of car is it?”
“The same one that was sitting at your broad’s place—an A4 with a German license plate. Fuck, man, I’m hangin’ here with two prisoners, and you’re sitting in Stockholm, all nice and warm.”
“Bosse, chill out! I’m just trying to get a picture of the situation. You’ve done everything right, but now we have to figure out what’s next.”
“I don’t have to do a damn thing, pal. We never discussed this shit. Finish it off yourself. I’m not into this anymore.”
“Whoa, Bosse, slow down! We can’t just finish things off—you know that. Then we’d both be in trouble. Give me a couple of hours. I’ll find a way. Just one more question: were you wearing a mask when you took them both in?”
“You’ve got some nerve, dude. I come into the house, the stupid cow has taken off, and I hear a car start. I go after them with the truck, and after that, everything went super fast. And you think I remembered the damn mask? It was in the shit cabin.”
“That’s fine, Bosse. I just want to know whether they saw your face and would recognize you.”
“Uh, probably not. I had my collar all the way up and my cap on.”
“That’s good. Thanks. Did you talk to them some more? Maybe try to find out what this guy was about and how he got there?”
“Look, chum, you think I wanted to hang out and have coffee with them? After all this shit? I barricaded the door, and that was it.”
“Great, then everything’s hunky-dory. Listen, let me try and figure how to solve this problem. I’ll call you back at six, OK? And I’ll double your pay.”
“As if that’s enough. I’ll be here at six, but I’m not promisin
g you a thing. If you don’t come up with something good, I’m outta here.” Bosse hung up.
Thomas let out a long, deep breath. What a pile of crap. Couldn’t anything ever go right? How was he going to get out of this mess? But Bosse had responded well to the situation—that much Thomas had to admit. That’s if it all happened as he described. Bosse had a definite tendency to exaggerate. He was pissed, though. That much sounded real.
Still, there were some things Thomas didn’t get, like how this German guy managed to find the hideout. He must have followed Bosse—there could be no other way. Had Bosse maybe not given an accurate account of what went on in Småland? Or maybe the German guy had managed to free himself quickly and then follow Bosse. Bosse had Liv’s car hooked up to his trailer, and the car would have been easy to identify. But then Bosse would surely have noticed Martin tailing him—at least, by Dalarna, where there were not that many cars on the road, especially cars with German plates. The timing didn’t work, either. Why would the German guy wait several days before freeing Liv? Thomas couldn’t understand it. Somewhere, Bosse must have missed something. Maybe he’d had one too many whiskeys again.
It didn’t matter. What Thomas needed to do now was more important. He would take the rest of the day off. He had to find a solution.
22
Lars had just set out for home when Elin called. He still hadn’t gotten a hold of Martin. It didn’t look good.
“Hey, Elin.”
“Lars, the taxi driver called. He said the cabin is dark and deserted.”
“Yeah, OK, that’s what I thought. Thanks. Good work.”
“Always glad to help.”
“Listen, Elin.”
“Yes, Lars?” Elin’s voice had a sense of suspense.
“I know you’ve been wanting to do an assignment outside the office, right?”
“Yeah, for sure. You got something for me?”
“Yeah, although it’s not yet 100 percent sure. I may have to drive to the cabin in Dalarna, and I need someone to come with me.”
“Because of the German guy? Hasn’t he called yet?”
“No, it’s like the earth has swallowed him up.”
Vanished? Page 7