Secrets?

by Christer Tholin

  “Unless the whole stalking thing had nothing to do with the case. What else can you think of? Any other jobs you haven’t told me about?”

  “No, that’s the only one so far.”

  “Well, then something in your own or Maja’s personal life? A former lover or secret admirer? Or someone whose toes the two of you have stepped on?”

  “Lars, I’ve racked my brains over this. I’m not coming up with anything. You already know that Maja and I have been together for two years. Before that, Maja only saw other women, and I never got serious with any man. Other than that, yeah, we had a bit of an argument with the chick upstairs. But she really doesn’t need to hire someone to monitor us, and anyway, she can do that best herself from her apartment.”

  “What kind of argument?”

  “Oh, just little things. First, our music was too loud for her taste. Then she claimed we’d stolen her mail. But there was nothing to it. And frankly, Lars, those guys were talking about ‘snooping around’ and Maja’s car. The only thing that fits is the cabin with the four guys.”

  Lars took a final sip of his coffee and looked up at the ceiling. Then he turned to Elin. His gaze was intense. “So what are you seeing? How would you like me to help you?”

  “Well, first of all, I just wanted to talk to someone about it. And then, there’s also the fact that you know what you’re doing with this sort of business.”

  “With this sort sideline, you mean?” Lars grinned.

  “No, of course not. Look, Lars, I’m not trying to justify this at all. I just needed to try something new. And I’m completely aware that it’s against the rules of my contract. I hope you won’t mess things up for me.”

  Lars shook his head. “Let’s just say that I know nothing about the bit with your company, all right?” Elin nodded. She had a look of relief on her face.

  “All I know is that they threatened Maja, and of course I’ll help you with that.”

  That made Elin happy. “Oh, that would be so great if you could do that.”

  “Yeah, of course. You were a huge help to me last year with those two assignments, and you bailed me out of several dangerous situations. So for me to have the chance to return the favor could only be a good thing.”

  “Thank you, Lars. I really appreciate that about you.”

  “OK, we’ve cleared that up. Now what do we do? What information do you have on these guys? Descriptions, license plate numbers, etc.?”

  Elin shook her head. “Not much, unfortunately. I obviously have photos of Markus and his three pals as well as the license plate number from his car and also the second car, a Volvo. The guy who was watching us is always wearing his hood, which is why I can’t say for sure that he was one of the four men at the cabin.”

  “Does he still stand in front of your house or stalk Maja?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. And that’s the only reason Maja has agreed to let me talk to you. If they’d left us in total peace, I think Maja would have preferred to forget the whole thing. Anyway, we saw no one for two days following the assault, but after that, the guy in the brown parka resurfaced. Although he doesn’t stand there the whole time anymore—just on and off. And Maja has seen him outside her studio only once since then.”

  “All right, well, he’s never seen me before. Let me know when the guy shows up again. I’ll go there right away, and I won’t let him out of my sight. Maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to ID him from his address or car. And that way, we’ll be able to prove the connection to your assignment. After that, we can talk about what to do next. What do you think?”

  “That’s exactly what I had in mind.”

  “Is this guy standing in front of the cafe right now?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I haven’t noticed anyone following me personally. It’s always just Maja.”

  “OK, so he’s either outside your apartment or Maja’s studio. Will you please give Maja my phone number?”

  Elin nodded.

  Lars continued: “This evening, I won’t be able to make it, because I have to pick up my daughter from soccer practice. But every other evening this week should be no problem.”

  “Great! Thank you!”

  “Like I said, call me as soon as you see the guy standing around near your place. OK, I have to go now.” He flagged down the waitress.

  “Not to worry, Lars. The coffee’s on me, of course.”

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

  Lars stood and walked towards the door. Elin followed him with her gaze. Confiding in Lars had felt good to her, though she hadn’t expected him to take the bit about her moonlighting business so lightly. He’d already blasted her over other things, but those always revolved around topics that related to his job. This didn’t affect him directly, and he even seemed a little sympathetic. In any case, it was great that he was willing to help her.

  8

  Lars was cursing inwardly. The traffic at this time of day was terrible. He had to stop at every light, and in between there was nothing but slow going. Elin had called him a half hour before to report that the man in the brown parka was stationed in front of the house again. Lars had been on his way home at the time and was already almost in Hässelby. He’d briefly considered taking the tunnelbana, or Swedish underground, back to town. That certainly would have been faster, but he had no idea if the man in the parka had a car parked nearby. Following him without a car would be hard, and in Stockholm, getting a taxi on the fly was next to impossible. So Lars made up his mind to head back to town in his car, even if it took a bit of time. The guy would surely be standing outside Elin’s place for more than twenty minutes.

  The traffic was putting Lars’s patience to a serious test, but after a good three-quarters of an hour, he finally arrived at Elin’s apartment house on Kungsholmen. While briefly stopped at an intersection nearby, he immediately spotted the man in the brown parka standing in the doorway of a house. But finding a parking spot at that time of day was a real problem. Most of the residents were home from work and had already taken the available spaces. Still, Lars was in luck: just now, a car was pulling out two cross streets away, and Lars took the empty space. He quickly paid his parking fee with the EasyPark app on his smartphone. That allowed him to keep his parking options open.

  Now back at the intersection, Lars could see that the brown parka was still there—yes, everything was good to go. He scanned the surroundings for a suitable observation post. Positioning himself directly across from the man was not a good idea. It was a perfect place to observe the guy, but the man would also be sure to quickly notice Lars, and that was something Lars wished to avoid. Then he spotted a small patch of green—complete with a bench beside a tree. Perfect. Lars could monitor the guy closely from there, and he would instantly see if he started to move. To get there without going right by the man, Lars switched to the opposite side of the road, passed Elin and Maja’s house, and then returned to the other side. The bench was still free, and Lars made himself at home. He sat a little to the side to ensure a good view of the entryway. Then he pulled out a newspaper and began to read. He repeatedly peered over the edge of the paper to check that the man was still there.

  The time crawled by. Lars had long since read the paper through and through.

  When Lars briefly spoke with his wife Lisa over the phone, Lisa wasn’t exactly thrilled that he would be late coming home. Of course, she knew that that was a frequent requirement of his job, but she had been looking forward to spending the evening together. Luckily, they had no special plans, so in the end his wife was OK with it.

  Lars had called Elin as soon as he began his surveillance, and all of a sudden, she was standing before him with a sandwich and a bottle of mineral water. That was very nice but also a bit risky. Still, Elin had been cautious and left through a different courtyard entrance to avoid being seen by the lurker.

  Now it was almost 9 p.m., and Lars was wondering how long the guy planned on standing around. He appeared to have more patience t
han Lars, and Lars had had a lot of practice waiting. The more he reflected on it, the stranger the whole thing seemed. And so far, none of it made an iota of sense.

  Lars’s mind began to wander, and he thought of Midsummer, Sweden’s largest and most important festival. In about two weeks, it would be time. Midsummer actually occurred on the longest day of the year, but in pragmatic Sweden, the Midsummer festival took place on a Friday—the Friday closest to the day with the shortest night of the year. At this festival, people all over the country would decorate and set up maypoles. Then everyone would dance around the maypole and sing Midsummer songs. At the family Midsummer buffet that followed, the fun would really begin: the schnapps and beer would flow like water, and for every schnapps, there was a song. Midsummer was also the day when most of Sweden’s children were conceived.

  This year, Lars and Lisa had decided to drive to Norrland, where Lars’s father was from. His parents still had a summer house there, and this year Lars had reserved it over Midsummer for his family. It would be a long drive, but worth it. There in the north, the celebration was still steeped in tradition—there, where broad daylight reigned for several weeks, for the sun never fully set for two whole months. Lars could already see his two girls before him, each with a garland of flowers in her hair as they danced barefoot around the maypole in their summer dresses. They especially loved the famous “Little Frogs” song. Olivia, Lars’s younger daughter, had a genuine knack for it: with every “ribbit” in the song, she would hop around just like a real little frog. Lars had to smile—he was looking forward to it.

  Suddenly, Lars looked up. He had detected a movement. And sure enough, something was moving in the doorway: the man in the brown parka was forsaking his post. Lars quickly gathered his things and briskly followed the man, who was heading away from him. The brown parka was not exactly conspicuous, but it was easy to distinguish, so Lars had no trouble keeping the man in his sights. He could still maintain his distance while managing not to lose him. By now, though, there were too few people on the move for Lars to risk getting closer.

  They rounded two corners, and the man then headed for the Stadshagen underground stop. He vanished through the entryway and took the escalator down. Lars followed on the adjacent steps. Now arrived at the bottom, he waited on the opposite side of the tracks from the man, but switched as soon as the train pulled in on the other side. He waited for the man to enter one of the cars and then took the one behind it. The train was headed to T-Centralen, where the man in the parka transferred to the southbound green line. Following him was no problem. Lars also had the impression that this fellow was not especially cautious. At least, he never turned around or did a careful survey of his surroundings. The man seemed to feel quite safe and apparently didn’t expect to be followed. In the meantime, he had also removed his hood, and Lars was able to see that he had a pronounced receding hairline.

  Four stations later at Skanstull, the man got off and exited the underground station. Lars followed. These streets were much more bustling, which meant that Lars could and also had to follow the guy a bit more closely. About ten minutes later, the man arrived at his destination, a multi-story apartment house. Lars took out his smartphone and managed to photograph him from the side immediately before he set foot in the entryway. The man keyed in his code on the access pad beside the door and disappeared into the building. Lars waited another ten minutes or so, but the fellow never reemerged. Which apartment he had entered was something Lars could not establish, so he simply recorded the address on his smartphone and sent it to Elin, along with a picture. Maybe she could find out more through the Internet.

  Then Lars set out for home. He hadn’t needed his car—but we’re all smarter in hindsight. By now, it had grown late. At least, the traffic at that time was no longer an issue, so having his car for the ride home to Hässelby was not so bad, after all. Lars was satisfied with his surveillance, and he hoped that Elin would be, too.

  9

  Elin was carrying the drink tray into the living room. Lars and Maja looked at her expectantly. She set the tray down and took a seat.

  “So let’s sum this up. What have we got?” asked Lars.

  Elin placed four photographs on the table. She had made a cutout of each of the men and printed them out. “These are the same guys I observed at the cabin.”

  She took a post-it note and stuck it on the first photo. “This one is Markus Lager, my client Helena Ron’s boyfriend. He’s 41 years old, works as a real estate agent, and drives a company car—a black BMW 3 Series.”

  She took another post-it note for the next photo. “This guy always drives the other car, the blue Volvo, which is why I’m assuming the car is registered in his name. If my assumption is correct, his name is Justus Kindell, and he lives in Huddinge. He’s 42 years old.” Elin had figured this out by sending an SMS request to the department of transportation, Transportstyrelsen.

  Elin picked up the third photo, which showed the man in the brown parka. “This is the guy who’s always standing outside our house. Now, with Lars’s photo, we can say for sure that he’s one of the four men who were at the cabin. Lars followed him to an address on Söder. Unfortunately, the building has ten apartments, so getting a definite ID is not that easy. How old do you think he is?”

  Maja studied the picture carefully. “I’d say also in his early forties. In this picture here, he’s not wearing a hood for once. And it’s really obvious that his hair is thinning.”

  “Well, I think with such a pronounced receding hairline, he’s probably older. Mid-forties maybe?” Lars threw in.

  Elin picked up another printout. It was a list of all the building residents, information that in Sweden was publicly available over the Internet. “If that’s true, then that narrows down the choices quite a bit. There are a whole lot of young people living in that building, with their ages ranging from twenty-five to their late thirties. There are also two retired couples and a couple in their fifties. Only two men are in their forties. One of them is forty-three and lives with his forty-year-old wife. The other apparently lives alone and is forty-seven.”

  “I’m betting on the second,” said Maja. Lars nodded in agreement.

  “OK, then his name is Kjell Norden.” Elin wrote down the name. “I’ll put a question mark next to it.”

  She picked up the last photo. “On the other hand, we know absolutely nothing about this one here. This is the tall, very strong guy that Maja also noticed during the assault.”

  “They don’t exactly look like criminals. They’re all normal middle-aged types.” Maja was studying the photos in detail.

  “Maja,” Elin countered, “if you could tell a criminal by his nose, our lives would be a lot easier. And besides, they assaulted you.”

  Lars leaned forward. “All right, Elin. So we have four men who regularly meet in a cabin south of Stockholm. For three of them, we have a probable ID. We know that they get overly touchy when someone spies on them the way you did, Elin, although Maja was the one who felt it. But we have no evidence that they’re doing or planning anything illicit. Maybe they just want to keep their plans a secret, and it’s all perfectly legal. Like setting up a new business or some secret society, whether political or whatever.”

  “Do you find it normal for someone to be standing outside our door all day? And that all four of them should pounce on Maja for the purpose of threatening her?”

  “No, I don’t find that normal. You’re right. It’s totally excessive. On the other hand, there are plenty of crazy people who react like that. I’m just thinking of some of the nationalistic movements that aren’t especially nice during their demonstrations and definitely not squeamish about dealing with anyone who gets in their way.”

  “Yeah, or just think of Sweden’s far-right party, the Sverigedemokraterna.” Maja gave Elin a piercing look. “Several of them have committed a whole slew of violent acts. Remember how one of them used a steel pipe on some foreigners in the pedestrian zone? He was even
a party leader and a member of parliament.”

  “Well, all right, but we’re not foreigners,” Elin countered.

  No.” Lars replied. “We’re just using that as an example of how there’s been a major increase in violent behavior in some segments of Sweden’s population. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised if we also run into that type of person.”

  “So we should just lie down and take it?” Elin looked at him questioningly.

  Lars shrugged. “Yeah, I really don’t know how to handle it. But what do you want to do? Confront each one of them to drive home the fact that they’ve gone too far? That will only lead to further escalation. And then the two of you will be living in constant fear that they’ll take the next step. I really don’t recommend that.”

  Maja agreed. “Exactly. Besides, the guy with the brown parka hasn’t shown up since the night Lars followed him. Maybe they just wanted to make sure that I obeyed their instructions, and now they’re content. I have no desire to stir things up again. Your assignment is over, and if they leave us alone, I’d rather just forget those guys.”

  “But what if they are in fact hatching some criminal plot or even seeing it through? I have the feeling that something is not quite right.”

  “Elin, I think there’s something you still need to learn. I have full respect for your moral outlook, but as private detectives, we complete our assignments—and that’s it. We do not take it upon ourselves to investigate clues on our own in an effort to better the world. That’s the police’s domain.” Lars’s expression was stern but benevolent.

  “Then should we report it to the police—or what?”

  “No way,” cried Maja. “That puts us back in the line of fire—especially me. You can count on one hand where the police could get a tip like that.”