Vanished?

by Christer Tholin

  Today, they went out and spent the day sightseeing around Berlin. In the morning, they went to the MACHmit! Museum, which was a lot of fun for the kids. Then it was off to McDonald’s—always a sure bet—and in the afternoon, to the Christmas fair. By the end of the day, the children were exhausted, and once supper was done, they went happily off to bed. All three of them slept on the sofa bed in the guestroom, and they even enjoyed it. Somehow they managed to communicate, too. They each spoke their own language and also made signs with their hands. Martin almost got the feeling that Lara could understand the two Swedish kids’ wishes better than he could.

  The evening before, he had already had a chance to have Liv to himself for a couple of hours, but he hadn’t wanted to spoil her first day in Berlin, which was why he hadn’t told her about his phone call with Lars. Now, however, he could no longer put it off. He set a small cheese platter on the coffee table and sat down across from Liv. He started to speak but then stopped to take another sip of red wine.

  “Don’t you want to come sit next to me?” Liv patted the spot beside her on the couch.

  “I will. But I need to tell you something first.”

  Liv looked at Martin uneasily. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, no, it has nothing to do with us. It has to do with Saga’s kidnapping.”

  Liv said nothing. Her big blue eyes were trained on his face. Damn it, this was no fun at all. Why did he have to be the one to tell her?

  “I got a call from Lars this week.” Martin paused. Liv kept looking at him expectantly. “They’ve found out something new.”

  Liv set down her wine glass and leaned forward. She reached for a strand of hair.

  “And why is that? They weren’t supposed to pursue this anymore. Did you hire them for another job?”

  Martin raised his hand in defense.

  “No, no,” he protested. “I wouldn’t do that without your consent. And as I understand it, it also wasn’t Lars. It seems that Elin has developed a bit of personal initiative.”

  Liv became agitated and held both hands to her mouth.

  “Martin, are we in danger?” She looked terrified.

  “No, not at all. Liv, it’s nothing bad. Well, it is in a way, but at least it’s not a danger to you or your kids or any of us. Lars didn’t agree with what Elin did, but he said that she executed the operation very skillfully so that no one could make a connection to any of us. He didn’t want to give me the details, but they have a lead.”

  Liv took her hands away from her mouth. Martin had evidently succeeded in calming her down. Her expression had now changed to one of curiosity.

  “You’re not going to like this,” he said, “but you need to be aware of it.”

  “So tell me already!”

  Martin swallowed hard. “They spoke with one of the men who was watching your house, and he told them who hired him. We thought the Russians were behind it, but that’s apparently not the case. The man who hired him was your husband’s brother.”

  “Erik?” Liv looked utterly mystified.

  Martin nodded.

  “That can’t be ...” she said. “I don’t believe it.”

  Martin took a sip of wine, set down his glass, and moved over to the couch beside Liv. He took her hand in his.

  “Are they sure?” she asked.

  “Lars says they are.”

  She leaned her head on Martin’s shoulder, and he laid his arm around her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Liv shook her head in disbelief. “How could Erik kidnap his own niece? And why?”

  “We don’t know. We can only speculate. Maybe the Russians hired him.”

  Liv had tears in her eyes. “I still can’t believe it. Not that I’ve ever had a good connection with Erik or that I think too highly of him. I just don’t think he’s capable of that.” She looked at Martin. “Why did you wait until now to tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. And last night, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

  Liv nodded. “Yes, that was probably smart of you. But what do we do with this now?”

  Martin shrugged his shoulders. “That has to be your decision. If you want, Lars can keep digging and pin Erik down. At that point, we can turn the case over to the police.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, before you make any decisions, we can discuss it with Lars again. He can explain things better.”

  Liv was staring into space.

  “Did you have much contact with Erik?” Martin asked.

  Liv shook her head. “No, virtually none. We saw each other at some family get-togethers, but that was just a couple of times. He’s an odd person.”

  “In what way?”

  “Well, how can I say this? He’s quite volatile and somewhat cynical. He’s not very approachable.”

  “Is he married?”

  “No, he was usually with some girlfriend or other. But he came alone to his brother’s funeral.”

  “What does he do for a living?”

  “He works in the IT department at Saab in Linköping, which is two hours south of Stockholm.”

  “Right, so IT. Don’t want to say anything, but it fits.”

  Liv looked at him. “You mean because of the emails and that ... what do you call that camouflaged server again?”

  “An elite server, I think. Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

  “Yes, that’s true. But why did he do it? For the money? He didn’t get any.”

  “Lars believes that things either got too hot for Erik and he aborted the kidnapping or that he was working with the Russians and their goal was to buy your company.”

  “You mean the Russians paid him to do it?”

  “Yes.”

  “That bastard!”

  “It doesn’t matter which version you choose. There’s no argument about this guy’s character.”

  Liv looked into Martin’s eyes. “You must think I’m a complete idiot. I marry a man who first has me kidnapped and afterwards tries to murder me. And then I refuse to believe that my brother-in-law is behind my daughter’s kidnapping.” The tears were running down her face. Martin wiped them away with his finger.

  “There’s nothing to worry about. I love you. This whole mess has nothing to do with us or my feelings or my opinion of you. And you’re not responsible for your brother-in-law’s actions. No one can see inside a person’s heart. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve witnessed. As a lawyer, you experience quite a few surprises.”

  “Yes, but I lived with Thomas for many years. It never occurred to me that he could do this.” Liv was sobbing.

  Martin pulled her close. “Some people are good actors. You’re not the first to be so thoroughly deceived by someone.”

  Martin let Liv cry a while. He could easily see how this latest disappointment could tear open an old wound. And he knew that it must be hard, but he hoped she would manage to compose herself, just as she always had before. She was sensitive, but she was also strong.

  All of a sudden, Liv sat up. She took a tissue out of her pants pocket and wiped her nose.

  “He’s going to pay for this! Thomas destroyed himself, but I’m going to nail Erik. He kidnapped my daughter. And that was after everything else. What a miserable, filthy swine!”

  There she was, the strong Liv. Martin hadn’t figured on that fast a turnaround.

  “You know, Martin,” she said, “this past week has not been an overly pleasant one for me. I mean, you left, and all my fears returned. The surveillance by the security company is definitely a good thing, and so is the alarm system, but I still spent the entire time worrying. I just can’t be with the children all the time. And then—well, I thought that if the Russian Mafia was behind all this, then ... they always find a way. The danger isn’t over, you know? I’ve already thought about leaving Stockholm and moving here to be near you. Of course, not just because I’m afraid but also to be with you. You’re so good for me—in ev
ery way.” Liv smiled at him.

  “And,” she continued, “it was in fact that miserable little brother-in-law of mine who did this to Saga and me. He obviously knows a lot about me and can approach us at any time without raising eyebrows. This is just incredible.”

  All of this came gushing out of her, leaving Martin struck by how she managed to channel her fear and disappointment into anger and indignation.

  “But you know what we’re going to do, Martin?” she added. “We’re going to forget all about this for now! I want to spend time with you and enjoy this day before we fly back to Stockholm tomorrow. I’m so proud of our children. The three of them are getting along so well, aren’t they? Tomorrow, we’ll also have a lovely time. And next week, I’ll meet with Lars, and we’ll call you. And then we’ll finish that scum!”

  Martin was glad to see the change. “That’s my Liv,” he said. “That’s what we’ll do.”

  “I love you, Martin.”

  “Jag älskar dig, Liv.”

  Martin had practiced that sentence last Wednesday in his Swedish class, and now he could say it flawlessly.

  Tuesday, December 1

  61

  Lars walked over to Elin’s desk in the office and sat down across from her. Elin gave him an anxious look.

  “Hej! How did it go?”

  “Well, you lucked out again. Liv is not going to give us a hard time over your actions.”

  “Phew!” Elin breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had had some serious jitters. She had no wish to lose her job.

  “Yeah,” Lars continued, “she even wants us to put the guy behind bars. She’s really pissed at him. And it’s easy to see why.”

  “Great! When do we start?”

  Lars looked at her. His expression was serious. “I don’t think you’re on the team.”

  Elin’s jaw dropped as she stared at him in shock.

  “I have to be able to rely on the people I work with,” he said. “They can’t constantly be pulling off some solo initiative.”

  “Lars, you can’t do this … OK, I promise that things will change now. I’ll do whatever you tell me. And no more special excursions. I swear! Please let me be a part of it!” Elin was begging him.

  Lars looked her in the eye and waited. Finally, he nodded.

  “All right, last chance. Anything like that again, and that’s it. Got it?”

  Elin nodded energetically.

  “And I’m not saying that your initiatives haven’t been good. I just want you to run things by me first! No stepping on the gas until I’ve given the OK. Got that?”

  “Yeah, thanks. You won’t be sorry.”

  Lars shook her hand.

  “All right, then that’s settled. So now you’re going to sit down and find out everything you can on Erik Lind. We’ll get started right away with the surveillance. I’m driving over there now, and you’ll come tomorrow.”

  “To Linköping?”

  “Right. See you tomorrow.”

  Lars turned around and walked out. It looked like the message had gotten through. Of course, he wanted her on the team—the kid had done a great job in Dalarna. She was the best partner in the whole agency. She just needed to learn some discipline. But he would make sure of that.

  Elin gradually calmed down. Lars had given her a real scare. She badly wanted this case. She knew that she could solve it—together with Lars, of course. This time, she really would get her act together.

  She started typing, which reactivated the monitor. She had actually already collected some info on Erik Lind. True, she wasn’t supposed to be working on it until now, but no one would notice that little bit of Internet research. And now it would save her some time—now that she had official permission to work on it.

  Wednesday, December 2

  62

  Lars was happy to see Elin arrive. Sitting there, waiting in front of the Saab building was a pretty boring pastime. It was a long, two-story, red building with a yellow roof, and it was located on the outskirts of Linköping, not far from the freeway. Erik Lind was on the job. His black Land Rover was parked in the company parking lot, which was open to the public. That allowed Lars to take up his station there. Unfortunately, the entrance was on the other side of the building, which made it impossible for him to keep an eye on it. But the assumption was that Erik would be using his car for every excursion since there was nothing within walking distance.

  Elin pulled into a vacant spot and walked over to Lars.

  “Hey, ’Splosion Man.”

  Lars grinned. “Hey, Elin. Good to see you.”

  She sat down beside him. “So what’s up?”

  “Not much. I kept an eye on Erik last night, and he left shortly after 5 p.m. Drove right home to the address you sent me. It’s a three-story apartment building with six households. He stayed there the whole time, so I quit at 11 p.m. During that time, at around 6 p.m., a woman came by and went into the same building. She drove off again at around 10 p.m. But I don’t know which unit she went into. Did you find out anything else?”

  “I asked for his tax records—nothing too exciting. Salary fits the job. He bought the apartment five years ago and is in the process of paying off his mortgage. So other than just buying a new car, there’s nothing that stands out.”

  “Did you check to see where he bought it?”

  Elin rolled her eyes. “Does a fish swim in the water? Of course, I checked. Sweden has nine Land Rover dealerships, and one of them is right here in Linköping. I want to drive over there now to see if they can tell me anything.”

  Lars would have gladly taken on that job. A little variety would have done him good, but Elin might have an easier time getting the information. Car salespeople were usually male. There was a good chance that she would be able to get something out of them just by batting her eyelashes.

  “OK. Anything else?” Lars asked.

  “No, Erik Lind hardly shows up at all. He’s mentioned in some publication to do with Saab and in connection with his dead brother, but beyond that, there’s squat.”

  “Well, nothing we can do about that. So go ahead and drive over to the Land Rover dealer, and after that, you can take my place for the remainder of the day, all right?”

  Elin nodded. “Yup. So are you driving back to Stockholm?”

  “No, I want to poke around a little and see what I can find out about the woman from last night. I got her address through her license plate number. She lives a little ways outside of town. I just want to check this lady out.”

  “So you think she was at Erik’s place?”

  “That’s what it looked like. I think I saw her in the window of the same apartment where the light went on after Erik disappeared into the building. But I’m not sure.”

  “OK, well, I’ll head on over to the Land Rover dealer now,” Elin said.

  “Yeah, great. Good luck! Maybe you could pick up some food on your way back.”

  “Sure, what would you like? A three-course French meal?” She grinned at him.

  Lars laughed. “No, it doesn’t have to be that fancy. I’m fine with a burger.”

  “With or without cheese?”

  “The works would be great.”

  “OK, so a cheeseburger.”

  “Right.”

  Elin got out of the car and returned to her own vehicle. Before opening the door, she waved at Lars. Having her there was definitely a good thing—she brought momentum to the case.

  Elin had scrutinized the area. The car dealership was located in an industrial park on the outskirts of Linköping. The courtyard was surrounded by large trees and a lawn, which clearly set it apart from the other businesses. In addition to Land Rovers, the company also dealt in other makes, including Mercedes and Fiat, a combination that didn’t make much sense to Elin. She had seen on the Internet that, along with a few general salespeople, the dealership also had a representative for each specific make. She was now waiting for the Land Rover representative to fin
ish his phone call.

  Finally, he hung up. “Hej! Sorry about the wait. What can I do for you?”

  Elin explained that she was interested in a Land Rover, in particular, a Discovery Sport, which was the model Erik Lind had bought. The salesman took her to the Land Rover section of the large showroom and pointed out a model in silver. After examining the vehicle in detail and enquiring about the price, Elin asked about delivery time frames.

  “Right now, we have four of this model here. Those are immediately available. Otherwise, it takes three to four months.”

  “What colors are available for the cars you have here?”

  “Aside from this silver one, we have two in white and one in red.”

  Elin made a disappointed face. “Oh, that’s too bad. I so wanted one in black. You know, for us ladies, color is always critical.”

  The salesman nodded. He seemed to have no trouble understanding that.

  “Yes, unfortunately, we don’t have the Sport in black. We could either order one, or you could choose a standard Discovery. We have that here in black. Of course, it’s a bit pricier.”

  “No, I really want the Sport. And I also don’t want to wait that long. Why don’t you have that one in black? Is that not a popular color?”

  “Well, yes, it is. We had a black Sport, but I sold it last week.”

  “Oh, bummer! So I came a week too late. Any chance the customer will return it?”

  The salesman laughed. “I doubt it. The man had his eye on that car. He even paid cash for it.”

  “What? The whole amount?”

  The salesman nodded.

  “Do you get that a lot?” asked Elin.

  “No, it’s pretty unusual. And our company doesn’t like it, but we’ll obviously do it if the customer insists.”