”What Patrik wanted with me?” Anna went quiet and then she started talking.
Nikki stayed on the steps in shock. She felt deflated and Nikki thought several times that she had heard incorrectly. She felt cheated. Thoroughly cheated. Then it all broke and she cried and cried. She cried out all her anguish for Linn and Patrik but also over the new situation with Anna.
The group was silent when Nikki came inside again. All pale she sat down next to Sam and shook her head.
”Sorry, but it seems that Patrik just wanted to change his booking.” Nikki hoped the lie wouldn’t show. She took a napkin and blew her nose loudly. Sam looked at her suspiciously, put an arm around her shoulders and whispered:
”Is everything alright?”
With watery eyes she looked at Sam and nodded carefully. She felt how he stroked her back and she relaxed a little. Caring Sam, she thought while squashing up the wet napkin. She felt her head-ache coming back but tried not to give it too much thought. There was no time to be either sick nor feel sorry for yourself.
”It seems Patrik has had some papers translated by the office in Nicosia, and then he’s had some common questions to the other accounting firm in Limassol.” Daphne came in with some pitchers of water and put her mobile phone on the conference table. Without caring about the atmosphere in the room she continued: ”We had an interesting night in Pafos’ harbour yesterday. Why don’t you tell us a little more about what you found on Sten’s boat Nikki?”
Nikki twisted a bit and embarrassed lifted the tea-cup up to her mouth. She crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t have to tell the awkward incident with Carlos and slowly started telling what had happened. Nikki showed them what she had found onboard and passed the sea-charts, the plastic files and the notebook around to the others.
”I’ll be damned, good job”, Sam said and patted Nikki on the shoulder.
”Dikla seems to have been killed by mistake by the government troops in Syria two years ago. And everything is pointing to Sten smuggling weapons to the rebels in revenge of his wife’s death. But where does Sten’s death fit in? Why did he actually die?” Nikki looked at her colleagues with questioning eyes but avoided Carlos who had stared at Nikki non-stop since coming into the room.
”Yesterday we were wondering whether the Mafia could have killed Sten Arvidsson. We know that they too smuggle weapons but we don’t know to whom.” Daphne quenched a sneeze in her arm, took out a handkerchief from her trouser pocket and blew her nose.
”It could be the Mafia as long as we find the motive and some evidence”, Sam said.
”Could Sten Arvidsson have competed with the Mafia as to the smuggling?”
”That’s a possibility”, Nikki said and lit up. ”But where does Karl Hofvenskold fit in?”
”Maybe he was in it together with Sten? Could they have been doing it together?” Sam suggested and looked at Nikki for a long while.
”But why would Karl Hofvenskold smuggle weapons?” Nikki wondered and shook her head in disbelief. ”I don’t think he had anything at all to do with Dikla’s death. In addition the Hofvenskold family is absolutely loaded.” Nikki glanced across at Carlos, he was sitting hunched up on his office chair staring into space.
”Karl Hofvenskold will continue being a riddle until we get some more facts. Do we know anything more about Patrik?” Daphne stifled yet another sneeze and started once again digging for her paper handkerchief in the trousers pocket.
”At least he’s not on Money Talks”, Nikki said without thinking.
”Eh...and how do you know that?” Sam asked curiously.
”Ah, I just know.” Nikki looked decisive but felt how she blushed.
The others in the group looked at Nikki with suspicion before returning to the subject.
”If Patrik is not onboard the Mafia’s boat, then where can he be? Any ideas?”
The question was left hanging as Katerina entered the conference door.
”The autopsy report from Nicosia just arrived by fax”, she said and smiled widely.
”I thought you might want to read it immediately so I made four copies.” She gave them each a copy.
”Thanks.” Nikki looked in wonder at Daphne when she left the room on her high red shoes. She was really special. Then she felt cold sweat running over her hot body. While Nikki wanted to read the report she was terrified it would say that Patrik was the victim in the sandpit.
”Hell what a way to die”, Sam exclaimed and screwed up his face. Nikki could hear her colleagues’ comments as in a haze. Nervously she started flicking through the report but couldn’t really make out the text. It all merged together in a mess.
”But poor man”, Daphne continued.”Who would want to hurt an old man in this brutal way?”
Old man, Nikki thought. But Patrik isn’t an old man.
”The eyes are gone, just like with Sten and Karl”, Sam said and sneezed too.
”What?” Nikki asked surprised and sat up straight on the chair.
”But aren’t you reading?” Sam asked so the wrinkles on his forehead joined together.
”Eh, no…or yes. But I don’t understand. The victim..is it Patrik?”
”Patrik? Where did you get that from? Patrik isn’t between eighty or eighty-five years old, is he”, Daphne asked and looked with concern at Nikki.
”So it’s not Patrik being murdered then?”
”But hallo Nikki, welcome to reality. No, Patrik is not the victim.”
Nikki sat without moving. It took some time for her to realize what Sam had just said.
”But then it can’t be Patrik”, Nikki exclaimed smilingly.
”Already.” Sam applauded loudly and put a friendly arm around Nikki’s shoulders.
”How are you doing actually? Have you been going around being worried the victim would be your friend?”
Nikki couldn’t get a sound out but nodded in reply. Carlos who had been sitting quietly during their discussion hit his tea-spoon without warning on the coffee cup so it rang in the room. Everybody looked at the moody Chief and Sam couldn’t help but ask:
”Sorry but you look bloody awful. Has somebody hit you or did you fall?”
Nikki sank down even deeper in the chair and just wanted to pull some old blanket over her head.
”There was some little misunderstanding yesterday on Sten Arvidsson’s boat”, Daphne interrupted and stifled a laughter bubbling up within her.
”Misunderstanding?”
”Yes, Nikki was in Sten’s boat and thought that a thief had come onboard.” Daphne looked in apologetically at Nikki who in turn looked at Sam while he put two and two together.
”What, you got beaten up by Nikki? That little shit.” Sam laughed out loud and long, hitting his hands on the thighs. ”I actually thought you were tougher than that Chief. Beaten by a girl, I’ll be damned.” The laughter rang out in the little room and finally Sam had to get up. He went around the table a few times laughing before he could sit down again. ”Sorry, but I can’t believe it. Nikki…”
”Shut up”, Carlos exclaimed with a hissing voice and stood up with blushing cheeks. ”That little ant is no longer welcome in our group.” The Chief of Police looked with anger at Nikki while trying to hide the fact that he had been offended.
”What do you mean?” Daphne asked worriedly.
”The bitch is leaving our conference room. Now.” Carlos tried shouting but it sounded more like croaking.
”Hang on a minute now. Just because you forgot to give notice that you were from the police before jumping onboard Nikki now has to leave our group. Is that what you are sitting there saying? What kind of chief are you actually?” The anger was shining in Daphne’s eyes and her tone was sharp.
”Hey, I’m the one in charge of this bloody station. There is nothing here for Nikki to do and I can’t stand seeing her anymore. She’s got to leave now!” Carlos was shouting bitterly.
”Come on”, Sam said decisively and pushed his chair out from the table.
”If you force Nikki out we’ll leave as well.”
”Be my guests”, Carlos insisted and looked out through the barred window.
Sam gave Daphne a loaded look and she in turn looked at Nikki. The three police got up at the same time and left the room without turning around. They went out on the stairs, upset and sat down on the top step.
”I’m sorry, but you don’t have to do this for my sake.” Nikki felt stupid now when she thought of yesterday. She knew that she had overdone it and been too tough with Carlos.
”Ah, never mind the Chief”, Sam said and squinted at the morning sun. ”He’s just been offended. His manhood has been hit. It will pass.”
”You know what, I actually don’t care whatever. I’m overjoyed the victim in the sand-bunker wasn’t Patrik and that information made my day.” Nikki jumped with joy and shouted loudly while stretching her arms high up in the air. Her head-ache suddenly returned and there were flashes in front of her eyes. She quickly took hold of Sam and closed her eyes.
”How are you really doing?”
Nikki still held on hard to Sam and took some deep breaths. ”It will soon be OK, it’s my head.”
”Are you suffering with migraine or what?” he asked and stroked her gently over the hair. Nikki screamed with pain and Sam was so surprised he jumped.
”Sorry if I frightened you but the back of my head is extremely sore today.”
”Ah, you had a bit too much of the nice stuff yesterday now that your friend is here?”
Nikki tried to smile and let go of Sam. ”I wish.”
”I think we should pay Petros Christou a visit”, Daphne said without notice.
”I’d love to”, Nikki replied. ”But don’t forget that Carlos just has cut me off from the investigation.”
”Carlos is a real asshole. Never mind his explosion. He knows very well that he can’t cope without us. After all it’s us working, putting our souls in these investigations while he is sitting on his fat behind playing solitaire on the computer, eating chocolate croissants. I promise you he will give in or pretend that he hasn’t asked us to go to hell once we come back.” Nikki didn’t know what to believe. It didn’t feel good after the Chief’s reprimand. And she knew that there would be more. Did she deserve all of this? Maybe but not as much as she was getting. Wasn’t it called self-defence? Her uncertainty was spinning around in her head and she went through what had happened for the umpteenth time. Could she have acted differently? Probably.
Tuesday June 11th
The summer traffic was frustrating. If it wasn’t the rental cars driving too slowly it was all the road-works slowing down the traffic. The reconstruction of the road by the Tombs of the Kings had been under way for the past two years but was still far from being completed. Sam felt his patience running out when he finally came out of the traffic jam. He put his foot down on the gas and drove toward the Old Town where Petros Christou had his office.
Nikki and Sam had decided that the suspicious accountant should be paid a visit to hopefully fill in some of the blanks the investigation the group had found. Sam parked outside a beautiful property and Nikki jumped off the motorbike and managed to get the far too big helmet off.
This was one of the better parts of Old Town and had a fantastic view over Pafos city. They crossed the one-way street and passed a café’ where old Cypriot men sat drinking coffee and playing different kinds of board-games. A sign showed them the way to the office and they stopped outside a sun-bleached door. Sam pressed the top button of the intercom and a female voice answered. He told her their names but kept it to himself that they came from the police. After a buzzing sound they stepped into a well-kept inner courtyard and took the first stair-case to the left. A rather large lady in an austere suit was waiting for them at the door and asked them politely to come in. She smelled of a mixture of perfume and hair-spray and looked carefully at Sam’s ID.
”The police?” she asked surprised.
”We are looking for Petros Christou?”
”Sorry, but have you made an appointment with him?? Her look didn’t reveal anything when she looked into Sam’s eyes.
”It’s not necessary”, he smiled back. ”We are from the police and just need to have a few words with him.”
The secretary thought for a second while pulling down her blouse.
”Please have a seat while I inform Mr. Christou.”
Nikki and Sam just had time to sit down when they had to get up again since the accountant showed up quicker than they had expected.
”How come I have the honour of receiving a visit from the police?” Petros said and politely stretched out his hand. His face almost looked like that of a bull-dog’s. It was flat and round with big cheeks his smile didn’t seem genuine and he was moving nervously. Is that really a toupee he is using? Nikki thought and smiled to herself. A grey toupee on a man over 50. Well, well, it’s not only us women being vain.
”Please have a seat.” Petros lifted his hand and cleared his throat discreetly and then indicated the black leather armchairs in front of the big desk.
Nikki immediately felt that the office had a definite smell of luxurious eau de cologne and cigar. The room was large and tastefully decorated. In one corner there was a modern leather sofa-group and a just as modern glass-table. Along one wall there was a built-in bookshelf containing mostly files and books. Nikki and Sam sat down and looked at the accountant as he was getting seated.
”So how can I be of help to the police?” Petros pulled his fingers through the moustache and leaned back in the office chair.
”We need to know if you have a client by the name of Patrik Kroona”, Sam started out hesitating.
”Patrik Kroona?” Petros thought for a brief second. ”You mean Patrik from Sweden?”
”Patrik Kroona from Gothenburg to be exact”, Nikki added. She studied the facial expression of the accountant, as well as his body-language, carefully and he seemed worried.
”Yes, he is one of my clients. Why?”
”We’ve understood you met in Ayia Napa last Friday for Patrik to sign some documents?”
”And?” Petros started twisting one of his rings and tried smiling.
”You see we’re interested in knowing how the meeting went and what you were actually talking about?” Nikki noticed a slight but very brief change on Petros’ face which disappeared so quickly she hardly had time to see it. But she did notice it.
”Ah, the meeting was nothing special. We went through Mr. Kroona’s companies and he signed the Articles of Association as he usually does when we meet.”
”What were you fighting about?” Nikki managed to notice the worry in the accountant’s dark eyes for a fraction of a second.
”Fighting? What do you mean?” He clasped his hands behind his neck and looked at the two police.
”Something obviously went wrong at the meeting. What?” Sam put his index-finger under the chin and leaned slightly forward.
”No, nothing went wrong at the meeting. When Mr. Kroona had signed the documents I went through the new rules he should know about.”
”The rules?”
”Well, the new tax-rules that came into force on the first of January of this year.”
”Was that really it?” Nikki felt how the room’s atmosphere changed.
”Yes, of course we spoke about our families, but we didn’t disagree which you seem to think.” Petros automatically pulled a hand over the toupee to make sure it was in place.
”We have reason to think that something went very wrong and we’ve come here to find out what.” Sam looked sternly at the accountant and noticed how stiff he was. His shoulders were pulled up toward his ears and his jaw-line was stiff.
”But nothing went wrong”, the accountant continued. ”We had a completely normal businesslike dialogue and split up as friends. Just as usual.” He opened his hands in defence. Nikki could hear from Petros’ voice that he was hiding something and she decided to change tactics.
”When did you actually see Patrik the last time?”
”As I said, in Ayia Napa last Thursday.” Petros dried a few drops of sweat from his forehead and sighed loudly. He was beginning to feel a bit irritated.
”I will rephrase the question. When did you last hear from or see Patrik?”
”The answer will be the same. Last Thursday.”
Sam took a piece of paper from his back pocket and showed it to the nervous accountant. He immediately looked surprised and for a moment he was speechless.
”Listen up, we’re police”, Sam sternly clarified. ”You don’t lie to us.” He took the paper, which was a copy of Patrik’s call list and stared straight into Petros’ eyes which lit up with fear.
”According to this list, Patrik called you last Saturday. What did he want?” Nikki looked at Petros with the question.
”He…he wanted to know if I could help him move one of the companies to Malta.”
”And could you?”
”No.” Petros lowered his gaze and carefully fiddled with the sore on his mouth. Herpes, Nikki thought and held up her chin.
The large palm-trees outside the window were shading the accountant’s face and made him look spooky. He’s either lying or he is knowingly withholding some information from us, Nikki thought and moistened her lips.
”What was Patrik doing here last Saturday?” She tried coming up with a statement hoping the accountant would fall for the trap.
Petros looked thoughtful and Nikki wondered if he would come up with yet another half-truth.
”He never came here. We finished it all on the phone.
”It feels as though you’re withholding important information from us. Are you?” Nikki raised a threatening finger and frowned. Petros vehemently shook his head and looked stubborn.
”We know that something happened to Patrik last Saturday and unfortunately he’s been missing since then. The question is how much you are involved in his disappearance?”
Petros closed his eyes and the fold of concentration between his eye-brows deepened. He glanced at his watch and Nikki had a feeling it must have cost him an average persons yearly salary.
”I’m sorry to hear that. Unfortunately I can’t help you with that and if you’ll excuse me I soon have a meeting.” Petros stood up to mark that the conversation was over.
When Nikki and Sam came back to the station she refused to enter. Carlos had told her to go to hell and Nikki felt far from welcome. Sam tried cheering her up by saying that all of them actually had been suspended and that it wasn’t the first time that Carlos had fired them all.
”Come on now, we need you in this investigation. Don’t mind Carlos.”
”But he...” Nikki looked unconvinced at her colleague. ”I have to admit that I’m a little scared of what he will do if he sees me again. Don’t forget that I’m a woman and that I knocked him out.” Not until now did Nikki realize how stressed she sounded and before she could change her tone of voice Sam interrupted her.
”Nobody can fail to notice that you’re a woman, Nikki.” Sam’s cheeks turned red and he smiled shyly. ”The Chief is a hot-tempered ass whom you should ignore.”
Nikki smiled a little and scraped her foot in the gravel. It was nice knowing that Sam was of the same opinion about Carlos but she was still scared to death of what he could do. He was known for holding on to his anger and to punish his employees if they didn’t behave properly.
”OK, I’ll come with you but promise you’ll be by my side if the idiot gets any more fits of anger.”
Sam’s teeth shone in the sun when he opened the door and the cool air pleasantly hit them both. Katerina was as usual sitting by the reception eating something sweet. They greeted her quietly and continued into the kitchen where Daphne was refilling the basket with raw-food bars.
”How’s it going in there?” Nikki nodded toward Carlos’ office.
”Carlos? He’s calm. He hasn’t said a word about me being here. On the other hand I happened to pass his room while he was chatting with the Panther in confidence.”
”Oh, and what was the conversation about?” Nikki leaned against the window and noticed that Daphne had put on her make-up really nicely. The hard line around the eyes was gone and it suited her better.
”The usual. He was sitting with the cat on his lap, scratching him behind his ear and telling the poor cat what idiots he had as employees.” Daphne chuckled and continued. ”And of course Carlos said that he wished that we”, Daphne pointed at herself and then at Sam and Nikki, ”were tomcats. He wished that we all were tomcats. Do you get it?”
A wonderful heartfelt laughter rang out in the room.
”He’s bloody insane. How can a Chief of Police wish that his employees were like cats?” Nikki asked and sat down on a worn stool. ”Has he said anything about what happened this morning?”
”You mean the collective firing?” Daphne grinned. ”Not a shit. He’s already forgotten it, believe me. You don’t have to worry.” Daphne let her long hair hang over her shoulders and put the elastic band in the pocket of her trousers. ”Tell me, how did it go for you at the accountant’s?” Sam described the meeting while pouring coffee in his white mug. The picture of the Panther appeared when the mug was full. Suddenly without warning the Chief was standing in the door with a very stern look. He looked at Nikki coldly and his face was dark with hatred.
”My office in three minutes, and only you Nikki.” As fast as he had appeared, he was gone.
Nikki let the words sink in and knew that her last moment at this police station had come.
”Don’t let him frighten you. He just wants to show who is in charge.” Sam put a comforting hand on her shoulder but Nikki knew that she wouldn’t get away. After all she had knocked him down and made sure he had to go to hospital for his injuries. With her heart in her mouth she collected her notebook, pen and mobile and slowly started walking toward Carlos’ office. With a very light hand she knocked on the door frame and unwillingly made a face when she saw the bruise more or less covering the front of his thick neck. That one eye was completely closed up and his lip was still cracked made her feel guilty.
”For your information I’ve contacted your boss and informed him that you used unnecessary violence against a higher officer. What consequences he will decide of I don’t know but if it was up to me you would be fired and put in prison for three months.” Carlos voice was coarse and his gaze dark with anger.
”But..” Nikki noticed that she was trembling. Confrontations were always unpleasant.
Carlos looked at her coldly. ”But...now you’ll only be given a fine. Did you know that if you litter on the highway in Cyprus you’ll be fined 854 Euros. Keep that in mind when reading the amount on your fine. Another thing before leaving my office. The fine has to be paid within two weeks or before you leave the country, which I hope will be soon.”
Bloody ass, Nikki thought as she received the piece of paper with foreboding.
”Get out of my room and make sure you stay as far away from me as possible during the remaining time you’ll be here polluting our air.” Carlos stood up and pointed with his whole hand toward the door while putting on his glasses. The happy face had disappeared and been replaced with one of disgust.
Downhearted and with sloping shoulders Nikki went into the kitchen and put on the water-boiler. ”Bloody man”, she spat out and slammed the cupboard so hard the whole kitchen reverberated.
”Oh, it went that well?” Sam poured himself a cup of coffee and looked at his colleague.
”He is a real killer of joy and a big nasty pig.”
”You mean Carlos?”
Nikki nodded, poured her tea and took a raw bar.
”Never mind him. He’s completely incompetent. You can’t find a bigger idiot.”
”Have a look.” Nikki gave the fine to Sam with an upset face.