Vanished?

by Christer Tholin

  “No, for real. I don’t know any of my clients’ names.”

  “But you still have his phone number, right?”

  “Yeah, on my cell phone.”

  Per tried to get to his phone with his wrists bound, but it didn’t work.

  “Can’t you guys untie me?” he asked.

  Elin didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned over and fished his cell phone out of his inside jacket pocket. Per entered his code and, after a brief search, gave her a cell phone number.

  “What does the guy look like?”

  “Tall, dark hair, strong.”

  “How old?”

  “Early 40s maybe.”

  “What else?”

  “Nothing. There isn’t anything else.”

  Elin looked at him.

  “There really isn’t!” Per looked at his cell phone.

  “I don’t believe you. I think we’ll go see the police after all.” She signaled to Maja, who started to drive.

  “OK, OK. There’s one more thing, and then that’s really it.”

  “What? Spit it out!”

  “I have a picture of his car. Took it yesterday.”

  He entered some stuff on his phone and then showed Elin a picture. It was a black Land Rover. You could see the license plate number, but you couldn’t make out the first letter. It was either a C or an O. It didn’t matter—that wasn’t a problem. Elin entered the number on her phone.

  “OK, you can go.”

  Per leaned back, relieved. Maja drove out of the woods and parked the Mustang near the Södertälje Syd train station. She and Elin got out, turned away from the car as they immediately removed their masks, and walked through the glass door. They waited until the Mustang drove off. Per had apparently done a fast job of undoing the cable ties. He probably had a knife in his car.

  Maja looked at Elin. She was proud of her. Elin was short and slight, but she had given him a seriously tough time.

  “You were amazing. I didn’t think you could do it. You’re gonna be a great detective someday.”

  Elin gave Maja a light punch on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming.” Then she leapt into the air. “Yay! We finally have a real clue.”

  They took the train back to downtown Södertälje to pick up their car. Elin was content: the initiative had paid off. Now she just had to figure out how to break the news to Lars about her solo foray.

  Sunday, November 22

  57

  Martin couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was lying on her side, sound asleep, her face turned toward him. Her blond hair was spread out across the pillow, and the light that streamed in through the slits in the curtains made it glow like gold. He had noticed that she had risen several times during the night to check on the children, especially Saga. It was the first night that Saga had slept in her own room again. But the rest of the night, Liv had slept—except, of course, during those times when they had made love. Last night had been very passionate, and afterwards, Liv had fallen asleep in his arms. Then, this morning, they had explored each other’s bodies more thoroughly. It felt amazing. It had been some time since Martin had been with a woman, and he hadn’t realized how much he had missed it. He and Liv were so close, and yet everything was so new.

  So why did he have to leave today? Should he change his reservation? But then he would have to ask Jürgen to cover for him again, and there were some cases that he wanted to follow through on himself. Also, next weekend, Lara would be visiting. Otherwise, he would have flown straight back.

  Liv stirred and opened her eyes—those wonderful blue eyes.

  Martin smiled. “Good morning, my love.”

  “Hello, Martin.” She pulled him close to kiss him.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “Yes. It’s so nice being in bed when you’re here. I haven’t slept this well in a long time.”

  “Me, neither. Even if I did wake up a couple of times.”

  “Yeah, but that last interruption was the best, wasn’t it?”

  Martin nodded and held Liv close.

  “I don’t want to leave—now that we have such a nice thing going.”

  “I don’t want you to leave, either. But you have to work, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to put it off one more time. The problem is that my daughter is visiting next weekend, which is why I can’t come here.”

  “How old did you say she was? Four?”

  “Yeah, she’ll be five in February.”

  “Bring her along! Saga would play with her. I’m sure of it.”

  “I just have to check with my ex. She can be a bit difficult on that point.”

  Martin’s ex-wife always wanted to know exactly what he had planned for Lara. A trip to Stockholm would not go over so easily.

  Liv shook out her hair and wove it into a braid. “Then we’ll come to you. How much space do you have?”

  Martin thought it over. He had a three-room apartment. Liv could sleep with him in his king-size bed. Lara always used the guest room, where she had a closet with toys. That room also had a sleeper sofa.

  “Lara’s room has a couch that can be made into a double bed. Do you think that would work for the three kids? Otherwise, one of them could always sleep in the living room.”

  “That would work. But think it over. And now, let’s just enjoy the day! You’re not taking off till this evening.”

  Liv leapt out of bed and flung the curtains wide open.

  “Look! It’s another beautiful day!”

  Monday, November 23

  58

  Martin was digging through his mail. Even if most of it was handled via email, there were still some written documents that arrived at the office by conventional mail. He had gotten there early because he had had a feeling there were a number of things to review. Besides, he had woken up early and hadn’t been able to go back to sleep with Liv being constantly on his mind.

  The front door to the law office opened. That had to be Jürgen.

  “Hello?”

  Martin went out to greet him. “Hey, Jürgen.”

  “Man, am I glad you’re here. It was getting to be a bit much. Welcome back!”

  They exchanged a vigorous handshake. “Thanks for covering for me. From what I’ve seen so far, everything looks great.”

  “Well, there were no major problems and just a few conflicts related to my own cases. But I got through it all. How did things go for you? Did you manage to achieve what you wanted in Sweden?”

  While Jürgen was getting himself a cup of coffee, Martin gave him a rough idea of what had happened during his week in Stockholm. Jürgen was wide-eyed with astonishment.

  “Man, you went through a lot there. At least, you didn’t come back with a bunch of bumps and bruises this time. But what do you make of the kidnappers’ choice to not withdraw the money?”

  “The only explanation we could come up with was that the kidnapping was tied to the sale of the company. Maybe the Russians were behind all things and were content with the fact that they were able to buy it.”

  “At a lower price?”

  “That, too.”

  “So now what?” asked Jürgen. “Don’t you want to go to the police?”

  “Liv doesn’t want to,” Martin replied. “She’s happy to have her daughter back safe and sound. And she did get the money in return for the company, even if it was probably too little. In any case, she doesn’t want any more stress.”

  “I can see that,” Jürgen said. “But I would still be ticked off if someone played me like that.”

  “Yeah, but for now she doesn’t care. Maybe it will be an issue for her later on.”

  Jürgen gave Martin a penetrating look. “So, uh, what’s up with you and the Swedish lady?”

  Martin turned red. “Um, well, how can I put this? I think we’re a couple.”

  “Seriously? That’s great! I’m happy for you, Martin.” Jürgen clapped him on the shoulder. “I had a feeling from the start that you had a thi
ng for that woman. It’ll be good for you. So how are you two going to handle this now? I mean, Stockholm isn’t exactly around the corner.”

  “We’re not quite there yet. At first, we’ll just travel back and forth. She’ll probably come here next weekend.”

  “By herself or with the kids?”

  “With the kids, of course. She would never leave them at home after what just happened.”

  “Yeah, I can see that, too. So then it won’t be a super-romantic weekend, will it?”

  Martin smiled. “Yeah, Lara will also be staying. More alone time with Liv would be great, but it’s better than not seeing her at all. And maybe Lara will enjoy being around other kids.”

  “True. You’re right. It will all work out. Listen, I’ve got an appointment coming up, but could we meet at 10:30 to review the cases?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Martin went back to his office. Until then, he hadn’t made a final decision about the weekend, but now he was sure: he wanted Liv to come. He would tell her that right away. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

  Liv answered after the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Liv. It’s me, Martin.”

  “I was hoping it was you. I still need to save your office number to my contacts list. Did you sleep well?”

  “No. I miss you.”

  Liv let out a loud sigh. “I miss you, too. It’s nice that you’re calling. The house is empty. The children are in school, and Mai-Li is out. I feel so alone.”

  “I can imagine. Listen, I’ve been thinking. I would love it if you all came here for the weekend. Even if we won’t have much time to ourselves, I absolutely want to see you. And the children might have fun, too, even if they have a hard time understanding each other.” Lara spoke only German, while the two Swedish kids didn’t.

  “Wonderful! I’m so glad. I’ll book the flight right away.”

  They agreed on the times and said goodbye.

  Martin hung up. He already felt better. Now he had something to look forward to. The workweek would go by quickly—he had a lot to do.

  Martin had just come back from lunch. He and Jürgen had gone to a pizzeria, where they had a chance to swap more stories. Jürgen had naturally been curious to hear more of the details. Now Martin was bent over the files pertaining to an old case that was always taking on a new spin. He would have to discuss it with his client again. He was about to reach for the phone when his cell phone rang. He could see from the display that it was Lars.

  “Hello, Lars.”

  “Hello, Martin. Sorry to bother you. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Sure. What about?”

  “Well, it’s about the kidnapping again.”

  “Really?”

  “I know that Liv didn’t want us to investigate it any further. But Elin is very committed and has tracked down another clue. I’m somewhat uncomfortable with this, since we always adhere to our clients’ instructions, and I’ve already had a serious talk with Elin on this subject. So it won’t happen again—I promise you that. But what I wanted to tell you was that she’s discovered something that I don’t want to keep from you and Liv. The two of you will need to decide what you want to do with the information.”

  “I see. OK, shoot!”

  Now what? Lars had Martin in suspense.

  “So you remember the two guys who were watching Liv’s house. We were able to find out their names. Over the weekend, Elin put some pressure on one of them without revealing who she was. In my opinion, she was very smart about it, and I don’t see any chance of it being traced back to us or you.”

  “OK, so what did she do?”

  “Well, Martin, it wasn’t exactly by the book, so I’d rather not say any more.”

  Martin raised his eyebrows. Whatever was going on here was certainly interesting.

  “I see. So what did the guy say?”

  “He led us to the man who hired him. Not directly, but by way of his car.”

  “Now I’m curious. And he’s based in Russia?”

  “That’s the thing—he’s not. We were able to identify him as Erik Lind.” Lars paused.

  Lind, thought Martin. Why did that name sound familiar?

  Lars resumed. “That’s the brother of Thomas Lind, Liv’s husband.”

  Martin was dumbstruck. He needed a minute to let this tidbit sink in.

  “Martin? Are you still with me?”

  “Yes, I’m just stunned. I hadn’t anticipated anything like this.”

  “Neither had we. But there’s no question about it.”

  Martin’s head was spinning. “Now hold on a second,” he said. “I’m still having a hard time piecing this all together. You’re saying the brother kidnapped Saga but didn’t collect the ransom money. Did he get cold feet? And that would also mean that the Russians are clean, wouldn’t it?”

  “We don’t know all of that yet. Either he cut the kidnapping short, or he’s working with the Russians. But to get him convicted and to understand the background, we need to keep working on the case. Elin is ready and willing to do so, but we’ll only do it if you assign us the job.”

  Martin thought it over. This would come as a shock to Liv—he was sure of it. And Liv had no desire to dig deeper into the whole affair. This was not something he would be able to discuss with her over the phone.

  “Lars, I need to talk to Liv about this. And I’d like to do it in person, not over the phone. I’m sure you can understand that. I’ll be seeing her this weekend. She’s coming to Berlin.”

  “Aha.”

  “Yeah, something has developed between us. In any case, I’ll discuss it with her, and we’ll get back to you this coming Monday. Will that work, or could something have eluded us by then?”

  “No, I don’t think so. That should be OK.”

  They said goodbye.

  Martin leaned back in his chair as he pondered this new bit of information. That was some great family Liv had married into. First, her husband tried to kill her, and then her brother-in-law kidnapped her daughter. Unbelievable.

  59

  Lars hung up and looked at Elin. She was sitting across from him and was pretty damn nervous. Her right foot was crossed over her other one, and it was jiggling up and down at a rapid rate. She hadn’t been able to follow the phone conversation, which was in German.

  “Was he pissed?” she asked.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Lars replied. “At least, he didn’t say anything to that effect. Although he was pretty shocked by our clue about the brother.”

  “So what now?”

  “Well, as I already told you, Liv is the bigger problem, which is why I talked to Martin. There’s a good chance that she could make our lives a living hell because of your solo action. But he’s going to tell her and discuss it with her, so that’s good for us. I think Martin knows how to handle her. Especially now that what I’ve suspected all along has come about.” Lars grinned at Elin.

  Elin gave him a blank look. “I don’t get it. What are you talking about?”

  “Simple. From the beginning, I’ve been wondering why Martin had gotten so deeply involved in this case. I mean, he had only had two brief encounters with the woman before she disappeared. But he still followed her trail to Stockholm, hired us to search for her, and went to Dalarna himself. You don’t do that kind of thing just because you think some woman is nice. I told him to his face that there was more going on, but he firmly denied it. So what’s happening now? He just told me that they’re together. This weekend, Liv is flying to Berlin to visit him.”

  Elin giggled. “When love comes along ... But if you ask me, they were already coming across as a couple when we had that meeting at her company. I think they work well together.”

  “Yeah, and now Liv is available again.”

  “Oh, come on, Lars! Don’t you lay that on her.”

  “No, no! I didn’t mean it that way. If anyone is to blame for her husband’s death, then that would be me. I was
the one who tied the guy up inside the house before it blew up.”

  Elin leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. She had to bite her lip: she had almost blurted out “’Splosion Man,” which would not have been appropriate just then.

  “Lars,” she said softly, “that wasn’t your fault. The guy placed the explosive there himself, and you had no idea.”

  “I know. But the stupid feeling is still there …”

  “I understand. So what happens next with Martin and Liv?”

  “Martin will be discussing it with Liv this weekend. He doesn’t want to tell her over the phone. I wouldn’t, either. Then he’ll let us know if we should keep digging.”

  “OK. So for the time being, we do nothing?”

  “Elin! Have I not made myself clear? We only take action when someone hires us to do so. Tobias will fire you if he ever catches wind of this. That means that you will now stay put!”

  “Yeah, OK. I won’t do a thing. Cross my heart.”

  “All right. I’m not saying anything to Tobias, but if Liv makes a big fuss over this, I won’t be able to help you. Do you understand that?”

  Elin nodded and sheepishly answered, “Yeah, I understand.”

  Lars rose from his seat and patted her on the shoulder. “No need to hang your head. It’ll all work out. I have full faith in Martin. And anyway, like I already said, great job on Saturday. It’s just too bad it wasn’t official.”

  Lars left the office. Elin was staring blankly into space. Yeah, right: ‘Too bad ... so sad ...” If there had been an official job, there was no way they would have given it to her. It would surely have gone to Lars. They just never let her take part in the interesting stuff because they didn’t think she was up to it. But then how could she ever prove herself?

  Still, she would once again refrain from forging ahead on this case. Lars had been really pissed when she told him the story this morning, and Lars was the only one there who ever gave her a chance. She had no desire to ruin what she had with him.

  Saturday, November 28

  60

  Martin was observing Liv. She was sitting on his sofa with a glass of wine in her hand, and she seemed at peace with herself. They had spent a pleasant day together. When Liv and the children had arrived the day before, things had been somewhat reserved at first. He and Liv had felt uncomfortable about indulging in a passionate greeting in front of the kids. And the children were tired and had eyed each other with suspicion. But Martin had ordered pizza, and eating together had broken the ice.