That made no sense to Elin. In Helena’s place, she would want to find out what the guy was up to. But for Helena, the simplest approach to that would be to ask Markus directly. To bring a private detective into the game would be overkill. Anyway, Helena had only hired her to expose a potential affair—or to prove her suspicion wrong, which Elin had managed to do.
After that, they settled the rest of the bill for Elin’s services and said goodbye. But Elin was not entirely content with the outcome of the case. She still had a strange feeling whenever she thought of the secret meetings in the hut, but what could she do? It was no longer her problem. She had finished her first assignment to her client’s satisfaction, and that was the most important thing. At least, she could be happy with that.
5
Elin heard the door to the apartment open. Maja had come home. Elin leapt up and ran to the small foyer. She flung her arms around Maja’s neck. “Hej, it’s so great to have you home. I missed you.”
Maja kissed her. “I missed you, too, my love.” She took off her wet softshell jacket. Today, it had rained practically all day—rare in Stockholm, even if June almost always brought plenty of showers.
“You must be hungry. I made penne arrabbiata.”
“Wonderful! That’s perfect for this damn awful weather.” Maja shook her long, dark hair and walked over to the mirror to comb it. “Hey, did you happen to notice that guy?”
Elin gave her a questioning look. “What guy?”
“Across the street in the entryway next to the supermarket. Earlier, when I arrived at the studio, he was there, too. And I think I also saw him here yesterday in front of the house. Anyway, I have the impression he’s watching me.”
“Maybe he has a thing for you.” Elin giggled. “Can’t say I blame him.”
Maja grinned. “Yeah, maybe. But when I looked right at him, he immediately turned around, as though I’d caught him at something. But maybe I’m wrong, and it has nothing to do with me. Could just be a coincidence.”
Now Elin’s instincts had awoken. “Do you think he’s still there? Show me!”
She went into the living room, which was on the street side, positioned herself next to the window, and cautiously peered outside. Maja did the same on the other end.
“Yeah, he’s still there. Do you see the guy with the brown parka?”
Elin nodded. “Yes, I do. And now he seems to be looking up here. Don’t let him see us!”
Maja moved away from the window to the kitchen. “I’m getting some pasta. You can keep scrutinizing him. You’re the detective, anyway.”
Elin stayed beside the window another few minutes and watched the man. He had his hood on in spite of the fact that the rain couldn’t possibly reach him in the entryway. He stood there, apparently waiting for something, yet also looking up at the house again and again. Of course, it was hard to tell which floor and apartment held such interest for him, but it was strange nonetheless.
After supper, Maja wanted to turn on the television, but Elin asked her to wait: “I want to check on this guy one more time. Maybe he’s gone by now.” Outside, it was already dusk, and Elin was trying to avoid letting her shadow be seen behind the window. The clock read 9 p.m., and the sun would be going down in about an hour. Elin positioned herself beside the window once more and very carefully moved her head forward. Funny, the guy was still standing there. And yes, now he was raising his head again, and it seemed as though he was looking right through their window. Elin didn’t like that at all. She would keep an eye on this man. If he was in fact targeting Maja or even both of them, she would be sure to find out.
6
Another day at the office went by with nothing special going on. But Elin was now on fire, and she constantly checked her mail in the hope of finding a new request, but there was nothing. It was enough to drive her insane! She so wanted another assignment, one that would truly challenge her—one that was even more interesting than Helena’s. Elin had driven to the cabin a third time and seen the men there, but since nothing new had come of it, she decided she was done with it.
Now back at her apartment, she had changed into something comfortable and eaten a snack. She was standing in the bathroom washing her hands when Maja came home.
“Elin!” Maja was screaming. The door to the apartment slammed shut. Maja’s bag made a loud noise as it landed in a corner, and her rapid footsteps could be heard crossing the living room floor. Elin hurriedly dried her hands. This was not at all like Maja, who was usually the image of calm itself. Something must have happened. Elin opened the door to see Maja standing before her, her hands on her hips. Her face was red; her breathing, quick and shallow. She stared at Elin, furious: “What have you done? Where did you go with my car?”
“Maja, calm down! What happened?”
“I will not calm down! I want to know where you went with my car. Damn it!” Her dark eyes flashed at Elin.
“Fine, no problem. I’ll tell you. Come on, let’s sit down.” Elin stepped toward Maja and tried to take her in her arms, but Maja pushed her away.
“What? I haven’t done anything to you. Whatever it is, I didn’t do it intentionally. What’s going on with the car? Is something broken?” Elin looked at her, distraught. She had never seen Maja like this before. Usually, it was Maja who had to calm Elin, not the other way around. “Come on, let me hold you in my arms. I love you.”
That seemed to work. Maja lowered her eyes, and her shoulders dropped. Elin put her arm around her and drew her close. What was going on? Maja was sobbing. She embraced Elin and held her tight. Her shoulders jerked, and she was howling like a hyena. God Almighty, this must really be bad. Maja seldom cried, and never this hard. Elin was getting seriously worried. What had happened here? After all, she had parked the car in the courtyard, and everything had been fine. Unless someone had tried to break in, but that would have happened later. And why did Maja think Elin was to blame? That wasn’t like her at all.
Gradually, the sobbing subsided. Elin led Maja into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Squatting down before her, she looked into her tear-filled eyes.
“Now tell me everything, and if I’m to blame, I’ll admit it right away. Promise! And I’ll formally apologize. But I honestly have no idea what could be wrong with your car. I borrowed it again the day before yesterday, but then I parked it in the courtyard, as usual. Everything was still fine at that point. I swear!” Elin raised her right hand.
The corner of Maja’s mouth twitched briefly into an unsuccessful smile. She dug around in her pants pocket, produced a tissue, and blew her nose. Then she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Luckily, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, or she would have looked even worse.
“I was attacked,” she finally gasped.
“What? Are you hurt?” Elin couldn’t believe it. Maja was extremely well trained—she could perform any self-defense move in her sleep. And what did this have to do with the car?
“No. They only threatened me.”
“That’s lucky.” Elin breathed a sigh of relief. At least, Maja was unharmed. “But who threatened you? Now please! Tell me the whole story from the beginning.” Elin gave her a penetrating look. “All right, Maja?”
Maja blew her nose once more and leaned back. “Yeah, OK. So I was walking out of the studio on my way to the underground. Since it was still so light out, I took the shortcut through the park. There was no one in sight other than that guy who’s been following me for the past few days. He was sitting on a bench in the middle of the park. I was trying to decide whether to turn around. But then I thought, ‘This is my chance to find out what this is all about,’ and I walked right up to him. He immediately stood up, and it was only then that I noticed he was wearing a mask. I wanted to go back right away, but when I turned around, there were three other guys standing before me, all with masks as well. I tried to escape to the right, but these guys already had a knife at my throat, and they were restraining me on all sides. Then they pulled m
e off the path and down into the bushes, and one of them whispered that I should keep my trap shut. I was sure they were going to rape me, and I was desperately trying to figure out how to break free. But then one of them—a tall guy, definitely over six feet—said that they just wanted to talk to me. I didn’t really believe that, but I waited to see what they would say.”
Elin stared at her, spellbound.
“I need something to drink,” Maja said.
Elin rose and went to the kitchen. She had an uneasy feeling for some reason. Four guys, of all things, and one of them very tall. That was surely no coincidence. But why?
Elin handed Maja a glass of water. Maja drank eagerly. “And what did they want?” asked Elin.
“They claimed I’d followed them in my car. And that they didn’t like having someone sneaking around behind them. This would be their first and final warning. If they saw either me or the car nearby again, our next meeting would proceed without a lot of talking. They said they’d make short shrift of me.” Maja had tears in her eyes again, and she let out several sobs. “I had to confirm that I understood. I obviously said yes. After that, one of them hit me in the stomach full force, and I blacked out. When I came to again, the four of them were gone.”
“God, how awful! I’m so sorry—I’m sure they were the same guys I was observing. I just don’t understand why they reacted so viciously. I’ve already put the whole thing to rest. Honestly, Maja, I didn’t want to pull you in. I’m sure it was me they were after.”
“Yeah, that much was clear to me by then. But did you go back to the cabin another time? You only told me about two surveillances. And the men didn’t see you at all, did they?”
“Well, yes, they did. The second time, they stopped briefly next to my—I mean, your car. I ducked right away, but they might have written down or photographed the license plate number. I’m sorry—that was my mistake. The first time, I did better and parked around the corner. I’m sure they didn’t see the car that time. Then the day before yesterday, I was there again for the third and last time because I just couldn’t get the whole business out of my head. I wanted to get through the surveillance quickly, so I drove the car down the dirt road to the fork where it turns off to the cabin. On their way back, they obviously drove by your car, but I was hoping they didn’t see it.”
Maja sighed. “But they did. Did you find anything out?”
“No, that’s why I put the whole thing to rest. The assignment is done. I just wanted to make sure one more time that nothing new had come up. But it was the same game as the other times: working together on their computers, four guys in two cars—nothing more.”
Maja was calmer now. Her breathing was steady again. “I’m sorry I lit into you earlier. It’s clear that it wasn’t your fault. I just needed to vent my frustrations on someone.”
“No problem. I probably deserved it, anyway. When I think of how they could have attacked me instead, then I know that I got off lightly with your tirade. But that should be a lesson to me: I’ll no longer use your car for detective work. I see now what comes of that. But tell me, can you describe these guys at all?”
Maja shook her head. “No. They all had on black masks, hoodies, jeans, and sneakers. The one who was following me earlier was wearing a brown parka, as usual—otherwise, I’m sure I never would have recognized him. And as I said, one of the other three guys was very tall. Aside from that, I didn’t notice anything special.”
Elin thought it over. “It fits in any case. I mean, who else could it be? I just don’t understand why they would make such a big deal out of it. If all they’re doing is playing harmless computer games, they wouldn’t have had such a violent reaction. Something about the whole thing stinks—I’ve had that feeling from the very beginning. Four guys who meet in secret in a secluded place several times a week ... that can’t possibly be harmless.”
Maja sat up. “You’re not really thinking of pursuing this further, are you? To be honest, I’ve had enough. I can usually put up a good fight, but four men armed with knives—I’d rather not risk that again. And I can tell you: they meant what they said.”
Elin raised both hands in defense. “Stop worrying! Under no circumstances do I want anything to happen to you. But it bothers the hell out of me that they could get away with this intimidation act so easily. In my view, our best move would be to bring in the police. They’d definitely find something interesting here—if only I knew what it was.”
“Thanks, but I really have no interest in dealing with the police. You know how overworked they are. And since nothing serious happened to me, I can imagine what priority they would give this incident. Also, if these guys ever caught wind that the police were involved, they’d get in their heads to make good on their threat. I really don’t need that, thank you very much.”
“Yeah, I know. But this situation doesn’t exactly feel safe, either. I mean, how do we know that they’ll leave us in peace, even if we just lay low? Think about it. You run across one of these guys by chance. You don’t even recognize him, but he alerts the others, and there you are again with a knife at your throat.”
Maja looked at Elin in horror. “Do you have to be so graphic? I’ve got chills running down my spine.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re right, though. It’s still a risk. Let me see how I cope with it. Ask me again in a few days—maybe I’ll change my mind. But please do not do anything without my consent! This thing concerns me now, too. You can’t make the decisions on your own.”
“All right, Scout’s Honor. I’ll discuss everything with you beforehand.”
Elin could easily understand Maja’s point. And she would keep her promise. On the other hand, her detective instincts had been aroused, and she wondered what lay behind this thing. Just what sort of plot were they hatching in that cabin?
Elin rose and walked to the window. She looked down at the entryway to the house on the other side of the street. There was no one there.
“At least, they seem to have called off their surveillance. I don’t see anyone there.”
“Sounds good. That’s something, anyway.” Maja made no effort to check Elin’s observation but instead went straight to the kitchen. “I need to eat something now. And a glass of wine would also be good. Now that I think about it, more like several glasses.”
That was something Elin could fully endorse. Right now, a little normalcy and relaxation were just what they both needed.
7
Elin was sitting in a cafe near her office, waiting for Lars. She had finally made up her mind to call him and set up a personal meeting outside of work. He had agreed, though he’d naturally asked why. Elin had merely mentioned something about a private issue. She trusted Lars. After surviving two assignments together in the past year, they had become a good team.
Elin was seated at a small table in a corner and had already ordered a glass of water. She didn’t want any coffee—she was already nervous enough. Several times now, she had gone through various scenarios in her head about how best to explain the situation to Lars. She had decided to simply stick to the truth and tell him everything from the beginning. Lars’s reaction to her moonlighting job would then be apparent. In any event, she didn’t think he would betray her to Tobias.
The door opened, and Lars entered and looked around the cafe. At his height, he had a good overview. Now he could see Elin waving. He wound his way around the tables and walked over to her, his left leg dragging slightly, as usual—the result of a gunshot wound during his time with the police.
“Hej, Elin.”
“Hi, Lars. Thanks for coming.”
Lars took a seat and motioned to the waitress, who immediately came and took his order for a cup of coffee.
“So you’ve got me in suspense. What’s on your mind?”
Elin cleared her throat and lowered her eyes. “Yeah, this is a little awkward for me. I hope I can count on your discretion.” She looked him in the face.
Lars eyed he
r with a combination of surprise and amusement. “You know I can keep my mouth shut. So let’s hear it. What’s this about?”
Elin took a deep breath. “You already know my problem—I mean, that I’m pretty bored at the office, right?”
Lars nodded.
“That’s why I’ve kept my ears open for private jobs.”
Lars raised his eyebrows.
Elin told him the whole story: about her company, the ad, the assignment, and how things had gone from there. Lars listened patiently, without interrupting. His angular face betrayed no emotion and gave no hint of what he thought of her actions. Elin took a break only once, when the waitress came with Lars’s coffee.
“So I thought I was done with my first assignment and that I could now concentrate on some new jobs.” Elin paused.
“Well, then you wouldn’t have needed to tell me the whole story.” Lars studied her intently with his steel-blue eyes.
“True, and I probably wouldn’t have,” Elin had to admit. “But then Maja was first followed and then threatened and even assaulted.” She told him about the man in the brown parka—the one Maja and she had noticed—and about the assault in the park.
“Wow, so your first assignment worked out really great.” Lars looked at her: “Any suspicions?”
“Of course. It’s crystal clear. Those guys noticed the car and tracked Maja down through the license plate number. Now they’re assuming that Maja was also spying on them for some reason, which is why they gave her a warning.”
“OK. So was there nothing else that struck you during their meetings at the cabin?” He winked.
“No, Lars, there really wasn’t.” Elin raised her right hand, as though making an oath. “Honest to God. But something’s not really legit, or why would they get so worked up?”
Secrets? Page 3