Vanished?

by Christer Tholin

  “Liv, this is my fault, isn’t it? If I hadn’t come looking to free you, it would never have come to this.”

  “You must not think that way! You’re not the one who kidnapped me, and you’re also not the one who blew up the cabin. That was my husband. He’s the guilty one. You tried to help me, and for that I’m extremely grateful to you. I mean, think about it: they would have released me on Tuesday, assuming that was the plan. I still suspected that my husband was behind it, and I would not have rested until the truth came out. And then what? Take my husband to court? Or simply part ways? Even though what happened is terrible, maybe I’m better off without him.”

  “Maybe. It’s just that three people died in the process.” Martin paused and then said: “There was something else I wanted to ask you. Were you at all familiar with the cabin that exploded? Why did they take us there?”

  “No, I don’t understand why they moved us there. Maybe Thomas didn’t want the explosion to be near his summerhouse. Someone might have made the connection. That’s probably not true of the cabin that blew up. In any case, I’d never been there before. My husband never told me about it, either. And lately, he was on the road a lot and looking at lots of houses. His goal was to buy houses and convert them into apartments for refugees. That was another disagreement we had. You can make an awful lot of money that way since the communities have an urgent need right now for refugee housing, and they’ll take whatever they can get. That means that you can dictate the price. There are companies that charge horrendous rents for such places. Thomas wanted to do the same. I was against it. First of all, I didn’t think it was right to exploit the situation, and then I also saw the potential danger of having it backfire on us at some point. In Sweden, you can make yourself very unpopular if you heap up riches at the expense of the people.”

  “I see. And your husband wanted to do that through the property management company?”

  “Yes, we had divided things up. He had the primary responsibility for the property management business, and I dealt with the construction company. Originally, it was all one business, but after I inherited it from my parents, we split it into two companies. That’s also why I thought it was unfair that we were now selling my share.”

  “Well, that’s no longer an issue. Tomorrow you can raise your objection, and then at least you won’t have that problem anymore.”

  Liv was shifting back and forth in her seat. Finally, she said: “I wanted to speak to you about that. Maybe you could advise me. Somehow, I’m no longer so sure I even want to raise an objection.”

  Martin looked at her, perplexed. He hadn’t expected that. “Why not?”

  “Thomas is no longer with us, which means that the dispute is ended. But now the responsibility for both companies will be riding on me, and I’m afraid it will be too much.”

  Martin leaned back in his chair. He knew why Liv was asking him. He had no vested interest in the matter and was consequently able to form an objective opinion.

  He thought it over. Then he said: “That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. I’m not familiar with the details of either the business under consideration or of your life. But if you ask me, what you’re saying now seems a bit rushed.”

  Martin paused.

  Liv nodded encouragingly. “Please continue!”

  “Well, from what I’ve understood so far, the construction company is your domain, the part that you identify with more than the rest. Is that right?”

  “Yes, I’ve managed to learn the ropes, even though it was hard for me at first. But now it runs beautifully, and I get along well with the team. I’ve also gotten better and better at making business decisions.”

  “All right. Well, in my opinion that would be the No. 1 reason to not sell. Instead, you might want to think about how to get rid of the property management company.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Although I would first have to find a buyer, whereas the contract for the construction company already exists.”

  “Exactly. Which brings me to my second point. You mentioned that the selling price for the construction company had been set much too low.”

  “Yes, that’s my suspicion. Maybe not much too low, but I believe we could get more.”

  “Then if I were in your place, I would raise an objection. It may sound simpler now to go through with the sale agreement and to content yourself with the new situation. But you might be angry about it later—about the low price and about the fact that you sold the part that meant the most to you. On top of that, your husband would still be getting his way postmortem. Sorry to put it like that.”

  “That sounds convincing. I think you’re right. Maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed at the moment and trying to make things easier on myself. But if I do that, I need to think about how to organize my work in the future.”

  “Can’t you hire a general manager for the property management company? That should ease the burden in that area.”

  “Yes, of course. That is the standard solution, and that’s easily done. We simply hadn’t planned on it earlier because we both wanted to be in charge. But now I need to hand over some of the responsibility. Martin, thank you for your advice. You’ve been a big help. I’ll still sleep on it a bit more, but I think I’ll go about it that way.”

  “Great, I’m glad I could help. I’m happy to be there for you tomorrow, too, if you need me, although I had planned on going with Elin to Gävle.”

  Martin told Liv about his phone call with Elin, how Lars was likely to be discharged tomorrow, and that they had located their cell phones and wallets.

  “That’s wonderful, Martin! Tomorrow I’ll also see to it that our cars and your suitcase are brought to Stockholm. And I will most certainly take care of all your expenses: the hotel, the private detective, and the car repairs.”

  “But Liv ...”

  “Yes! No arguments! You had to pay for all that because of my kidnapping, and it won’t hurt me one bit.”

  Martin gave in reluctantly.

  Liv smiled. “But now, let’s not discuss this anymore and enjoy our meal instead!”

  The waiter had just arrived with the appetizer, which looked utterly delicious.

  Monday, September 28

  34

  Lars still looked somewhat battered, but he was in good spirits. He was glad to be going home again. His left arm was in a sling, and he was wearing a clavicle strap on his upper torso.

  Elin had packed Lars’s things and had already gone to the car. Martin was sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed. There were two more beds in the room, but both of the patients were somewhere else at the moment.

  “By the way, Lars,” Martin was saying, “Elin was a great help, not only during the fire but to me personally as well.” He was telling Lars how masterfully Elin had acted and what she had done to help him.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Lars would pass the information on to his boss. This would definitely not be Elin’s last assignment.

  “Elin told me you couldn’t remember the last few minutes before the explosion,” Martin said.

  “Actually, it’s all come back to me now. After my family was here yesterday, I was able to remember again.”

  “So what exactly happened in the cabin?”

  “The second time I went in?”

  Martin nodded.

  “Nothing at all unusual. I checked the bindings, tied the two men to the couch, and then looked for your things. Once I found them in the parka, I left the house and was heading back to you all. At that point, the police car showed up. One of the officers went into the cabin, and then it blew up.”

  “Liv thinks her husband placed the explosive device inside the house. They apparently have access to explosives through their company.”

  “Yeah, that seems likely. It looks like her husband wanted to remove her from the scene. He had already knocked out the other kidnapper and tied him up.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that. I thought you put them both
out of commission.”

  “No, that would have been too hard. They were both armed. I was lucky. After the other man was tied up, only Thomas Lind was left. That was when he fetched the silver case from his Porsche and brought it into the cabin. The explosives must have been inside the case. Of course, I didn’t think of that then. He also left his gun in the car, which was why I risked bringing him down.”

  Martin shook his head. “Pretty cold-blooded to just plant an explosive device to blow up your own wife, your sidekick, and another person.”

  “How is Liv taking it all?”

  “Surprisingly well. Apparently, her relationship with her husband wasn’t that good anymore. But she never expected him to go this far.”

  “Why did he even do it?”

  Martin told Lars about the planned sale and the objection period.

  “So that means that Liv will be raising her objection today?”

  “I think so. We spent a lot of time discussing it last night.”

  “So ... is there something going on between you two?” Lars winked.

  The directness of the question made Martin uncomfortable. He could feel himself blushing.

  “I do like her a lot. And she’s grateful to me for putting myself out for her. But I don’t think there’s any more to it than that.”

  ”Elin told me that the two of you blend well. And even if this sounds a little macabre, Liv no longer has a husband …”

  Martin thought back to their parting the night before. Once they had moved on from discussing more serious issues, their conversation had been very pleasant. Liv had visibly relaxed, and they had engaged in a lively exchange on every conceivable topic. She had told Martin about her childhood and her parents, and Martin had spoken of his time at the university and his law practice. On saying goodbye, they had kissed—a quick kiss on the lips. Martin was himself unsure of how much it meant.

  Now Martin rose and walked to the window. Below, he could see the large parking lot and Elin making her way back.

  “I don’t know. It’s all a bit much and not the best time for such things. Besides, we live in different countries. Liv has her family and her businesses here, and I have my law practice in Berlin. I just don’t foresee any common prospects, even if I wanted to.”

  “What is it they say? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Lars had gotten up and was standing next to Martin.

  Martin sighed. “Yeah, but I’m not so sure about the will part.”

  “Your will or hers?” Lars gave him a mischievous look.

  “Both.”

  Lars patted him on the back. “It’ll be fine. But what are you planning on doing? Are you staying in Stockholm for now?”

  “I’m actually supposed to be back at work on Thursday, but I think I’ll put it off until next week. My Audi will probably arrive in Stockholm today, and it still needs repairs. So we’ll see!”

  Martin had already called Jürgen and informed him of the situation, with the warning that he would probably not make it back that week.

  “Well, then you still have a few more days to work on your will.” Lars grinned at him.

  Martin couldn’t help grinning back.

  35

  His bodyguards were sitting at the next table. He was sitting alone. There was a bottle of vodka in front of him, and his meal had just been served. Classical music was playing softly in the background—Shostakovich perhaps? He liked this restaurant and came here several times a week. That was also why he had a reserved table here. There were definite advantages to being known. The disadvantage, of course, was the security aspect. He was often accompanied by some pretty creature, but today he was by himself. Today, he had also come early, which explained why there were so few guests.

  His phone buzzed—a Swedish number.

  “Da.”

  “Igor here. Can you talk?”

  “I’m eating right now. Any news of our friend?”

  “He was blown to bits with the cabin.”

  “How unfortunate for him. Yes, I saw your message. What happened with our deal?”

  “Scrapped. By way of objection—today.”

  “As we feared. Not good.”

  “What now?”

  “Plan B.”

  He hung up, cursed, and reached for the vodka.

  Part II

  Monday, November 16

  36

  Martin was en route to his office. The hearing had gone well, and he was sure they would win the lawsuit. Most of his cases were settled out of court, but this one had to be pursued to the end. Still, things were looking good.

  Only now he was stuck in traffic. From the Neukölln District Court to Charlottenburg was actually not that far, but the traffic along Reichpietschufer was moving at a crawl. There had probably been an accident at the Potsdamer Straße intersection.

  Once again, Martin’s thoughts returned to Stockholm and naturally also to Liv. It had been nearly six weeks since he had come back home. He missed her. Yes, he had fallen in love. She was a strong, independent woman who ran a large company and had not allowed September’s events to beat her down. That impressed him. And then there were those big blue eyes and that snub nose with all those lovely freckles ...

  By now, the traffic had inched along a few meters more.

  Liv and Martin called each other often, most recently this past weekend. She missed him, too. He knew he meant something to her. In the week following the kidnapping, they had grown much closer and developed a certain intimacy—a lot of touching and kissing, although Martin had restrained himself. He didn’t want to push for fear that conditions were not yet ripe. It would be too easy to destroy the tender seedling of their relationship. He preferred to leave the initiative to her.

  He was also getting to know Liv’s children, although it was the worst time imaginable since they had just learned of their father’s death. It was only natural that they wouldn’t be overly open to spending time with him, and communicating in English didn’t make things any easier.

  Martin hadn’t attended the funeral. It seemed inappropriate to him. Liv agreed, although originally she had hoped he would be there.

  Meanwhile, Liv had raised her objection and returned to the business full of verve. She had also begun the search for someone to manage the other company. And she had asked Martin if he wanted to spend the Christmas holiday with her. Of course, he immediately said yes and was looking forward to it. They had already decided that he would stay at her place. He hoped that the situation there would be relaxed enough by then that they could fully come together, even if their prospects for a common future were totally unresolved. Liv would not want to abandon her businesses, and although he could see himself living in Stockholm—the city genuinely appealed to him—it would mean giving up his practice. In Sweden, he wouldn’t be able to work as a licensed lawyer. What would he do then? Go to work in some company’s legal department? Or even work for Liv? No, neither of those were decent options. Still, in spite of all that, he had set about learning Swedish: two evenings a week at the adult education center. What was it Lars had said? Where there’s a will …

  The traffic suddenly started to move, first slowly and then gradually picking up. There were three cars sitting by the side of the road at the Potsdamer Straße intersection. Probably a rear-end collision. The police were waving the other cars through to prevent the gawkers from creating another slow-down and potentially causing a new accident. Martin drove by quickly without even looking—that was luckily not his problem. His Audi was running like clockwork. The repair shop in Stockholm had done a good job.

  Ten minutes later, he was back at the office. They only had the secretary for half a day, so she was already gone. Jürgen, however, was sitting in his office with the door open. He looked up as Martin passed by.

  “Hey, how did it go?”

  Martin stopped. “It’s looking good. With today’s witness statement, we should win. The other side will have to have an amazing ace up their sleeve if they wa
nt to turn this around.”

  “Sounds good. When’s the follow-up?”

  “Next week.”

  Martin went into his office. The secretary had placed several documents on his desk. He set down his things and went into the small kitchen. There was just enough coffee left in the pot to pour himself a cup.

  Now armed with his coffee, he returned to his office and proceeded to go through the documents: two statements he had dictated and that needed to be signed and a lengthy letter on one of his cases. He started to read.

  He had just finished the first paragraph when his cell phone rang. It was Liv. He was glad, except that she normally didn’t call at that time. They usually spoke on the weekends or in the evenings.

  “Hi, Liv.”

  “Martin, can you talk?” She sounded upset.

  “Sure, no problem. Did something happen?”

  Liv was sobbing. Martin had a bad feeling.

  “Liv, calm down. Talk to me! What happened?”

  She took a deep breath. “Saga’s been kidnapped.”

  “What?”

  Saga, Liv’s ten-year-old daughter, was a bright young girl who spoke good English, which was why Martin had been able to converse with her. Her brother Hampus only knew a few snippets.

  “How do you know she was kidnapped?”

  “I got a text and then an email with a picture. They’ll be making their ransom demand tomorrow.”

  “How long has she been gone? How did they kidnap her?”

  “Someone must have grabbed her at school during one of the breaks. One of the teachers called me at noon and asked if Saga had gone home. She was suddenly missing, but she hadn’t signed herself out. I called Mai-Li, who said that Saga wasn’t home, so we started to search for her—until the text came in.”

  “Have you called the police?”

  “No, the kidnappers wrote that under no circumstances should I involve the police. They would be watching me.”

  “Yeah, they always say that. I would contact the police, anyway.”

  “No, I want to wait a bit longer. I don’t want to risk it.” Liv paused. “Martin?”