Run Run as Fast as You Can (16 page)

"Hi Lisa," a woman standing outside said.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Emma. We met at the hairdresser yesterday, remember? I'm Sophia's friend."

42

November 2013

"
E
MMA.
T
HAT'S RIGHT.
Now I remember you."

Lisa looked a little manic when she talked. I wondered if she was alright. Maybe she had already heard about Nora and put the pieces together?

"Come on in," she said, and made room for me to walk past her. Remembering what Sophia had told me, I stopped in the hallway and took off my boots. Lisa saw it and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "I’ve just cleaned."

"Well I know how boots can leave dirty marks all over the place. Especially at this time of year when it rains a lot and there’s mud everywhere outside."

Lisa tilted her head and smiled again. "That is so true," she said. "Not many people realize this. But it is so true."

I smiled and nodded, sensing that Lisa had taken a liking to me.

"Come into the kitchen," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

I looked at her and was about to refuse, but I realized that she was the type who would be offended if I said no. "I'd love some coffee if you have any."

"Coffee it is," she said, chirping.

I followed her into the kitchen. She placed the carving fork I had noticed in her hand when she opened the door on the counter, then went for the coffeemaker. To my surprise, she wasn't alone. Morten was in the kitchen.

"Emma?" he said, looking at me startled. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to Lisa. What are you doing here?" For a split-second I felt the spirit of jealousy visit my heart. I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing in another woman's kitchen. But then I noticed the notepad on the table and the pen in his hand and I blushed. Of course, he was just working.

"I'm here on a police matter," he said with a shy smile.

"Why, isn't this nice?" Lisa chirped and clapped her hands. "You two know each other."

"It's good that you are here," I said ignoring Lisa's sarcastic remark. "I've been trying to reach you. You should hear this."

I sat down while Lisa put a cup of coffee in front of me. I sipped it while Lisa sat down as well. She seemed like she couldn't relax. Like having us in her kitchen made her highly uncomfortable. A small flat screen TV was on in the corner of the kitchen showing the local Fanoe TV station. It had been muted. Lisa stared up at it, then back at me.

"So what is it that is so important?" she asked.

"Well, I'm afraid you might be in danger," I said.

Lisa looked at me, then laughed out loud. "Me? Now that's a new one. And why, might I ask, do you believe I am in
danger
?" She said, sounding like she was mocking me.

"It's the mothers’ group," Morten said.

"Exactly," I said. "I believe the killer is targeting your mothers’ group. Three people have disappeared, all were part of the group. Two of them turned up in cars in the ocean. Both of them were shot. Only one survived."

"And now Nora has disappeared as well," Morten said.

"That leaves only you and Sophia," I continued.

"Where is Sophia?" Morten asked.

"Back at my house with Alma who is asleep. I called your station. There's a patrol keeping an eye on her and the neighborhood."

"Good," he said.

"Now I say we get Lisa back with us as well. What do you say Lisa?" I said and turned to look at her. But Lisa seemed to have lost interest in the conversation. She was staring at the flat screen TV in the corner where a man was being interviewed.

Per Egon, candidate for City Council,
the text said beneath him.

"Lisa?" Morten said.

She still didn't answer. She walked closer to the TV and turned up the sound. I looked at Morten and shrugged. Lisa seemed lost in what was going on inside the TV. The voice of this Per Egon filled the kitchen.

"Yes, I do believe my opponent Lisa Rasmussen should withdraw right away," he said.

"And why is that?"

"I hold here evidence that she is a fake," Per Egon said and held a piece of paper up in the air for the camera to see.

"And what exactly are we looking at?" The journalist asked.

Per Egon grinned. "This is proof that Lisa Rasmussen never passed her final exam at Business School in Karrebaeksminde, as she claims to have. This proves she is a fake, a phony, and no one should vote for her. After all, if this isn’t true, what else is she lying about?"

I got up from the chair. "Lisa …? We really should take this seriously. You should come to my house where we will be able to protect you. You'll have to deal with that other stuff later. Right now, it’s your safety that’s important. Have your family come over as well, just to make sure."

Lisa was frozen. Her back was still turned to me and Morten. I walked closer and realized she was shivering. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lisa …"

"That son of a …" she mumbled. "I'll show him who is fake, I'll show him. I will. I have to …" Lisa turned and looked into my eyes. She seemed lost in her own thoughts. I had a feeling she hadn’t listened to anything I’d said.

"Lisa? Will you come to my house?" I asked again.

"It's a great idea," Morten said. "You should do it, Lisa. There is no way we can send out a patrol to guard your house as well. This way you'll be protected."

Lisa mumbled something then looked up.

"So what do you say?" I asked.

"What? Say to what?"

"To spending the night at my place?"

"Oh that … Well I guess. I just have … I mean, I have something I need to do first." She said pensively.

"Okay," I said and looked at Morten. "Maybe I'll stay with you till you're done," I said.

Lisa turned her head like an owl and looked at me. "No! No. I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's protection. I'm fine, don't you see? I'm great. I'm perfect. I can take care of myself. Don't you worry about a thing."

Morten got up from the chair. "Lisa, you really should go."

Lisa nodded distantly while mumbling something about the carving fork. I was wondering if she was at all well.

"Yes, yes," she said. "I'll come over later." She grabbed my shoulder and pushed me slightly towards the front door. "Now, just leave. I'll be right there. Just have a small errand I need to run downtown."

"You really shouldn't be alone," Morten said. Lisa grabbed his shoulder and started pushing him as well.

"Oh, I won't be alone. Don't you worry about that. In fact, don't worry about me at all. I'm never alone. I have all the voices in my head to keep me company, ha ha," she said, chuckling while pushing us out the front door.

"Do take care now," she said and slammed the door in our faces.

I stared at Morten who shrugged with a smile. "Can't force her," he said. "If she doesn't want our protection."

"I know," I said and walked towards my car. Across the road, I spotted an abandoned building.

"What happened here?" I asked.

"There was a fire earlier in the year. Killed the man inside the top apartment. They say he committed suicide because of unrequited love. It was never rebuilt."

"That's so sad."

"I know."

43

March 2013

T
HOMAS WAS GOING
through Ellen's drawers. They had left to go to the movies downtown and Thomas had decided to stay behind. He had followed them all the way there and watched them go inside before he drove back to the farm and broke in through the window in the basement.

Thomas found a pair of her underwear in the basket in the bathroom and sniffed them. He held them to his face and rubbed his nose in them. Oh, how amazing they smelled. How intoxicating.

He put the underwear in his pocket then moved on to the rest of the bedroom. He put his head on her pillow and sniffed it, then rubbed his own head on it imagining he was hugging her and smelling her hair.

Soon Ellen. Soon, we will be together. Soon, nothing will ever be able to come between us again.

"Who’s in here?" The voice of the handsome husband shattered the air above Thomas. He rolled down to the floor, then rolled under the bed. Thomas was shivering as he heard the sound of the husband's big boots come closer.

"Hello?"

"There is no one here," Ellen said.

Thomas smiled. Her sweet voice always made him so happy.

"You're just being paranoid, Mads. I'll get the kids to bed."

The boots were outside the bedroom now. Then they stopped. Thomas heard Ellen talk to the children in the bathroom while they brushed their teeth. They were laughing. Thomas closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of Ellen's laughter. It felt almost like he was there with her, laughing, goofing around with the kids.

It should have been you. This family should have been yours. Not his. He stole it from you. He stole your life, your future. It's time you take it back. It's time that you take back what is rightfully yours.

The door to the bedroom opened and the boots entered. A second later, a face looked directly at Thomas. Then an arm reached in under the bed, grabbed him, and pulled him out.

"Ha!" the husband yelled. "I knew you were still alive. I was right! Ellen, come and see what I’ve found."

Thomas was shivering and pulled out of the husband's grip. A kick from his boot made Thomas fall back to the floor in pain.

"Ellen!" The husband yelled again. "Come in here. Right now!"

Steps were coming closer and then they stopped. Thomas heard Ellen gasp, then whimper before she shooed the children back to their room. The husband kicked Thomas in the stomach a few times before Ellen finally returned.

"Stop!" she said. "He's bleeding."

The husband was panting. The kicks paused. Thomas coughed to breathe.

"What's the matter with you? Are you defending him again? Can't you see I was right?" the husband said.

"Yes. Yes, Mads. You were right, okay? But there is no reason to beat him," Ellen said.

"Why Ellen? Can you give me one good reason for not beating the crap out of this creep? He has been harassing us for seven years now. SEVEN years. Don't you think it is about time we taught him a lesson? The police won't do it since they believe he is dead, so it's up to us now, Ellen. This is our chance to tell him what we think of him and make him go away."

"Yes, you're right, but not this way," Ellen said. "Beating him is wrong. He did, after all …"

"If you say that he '
after all saved our daughter's life'
one more time, I'm gonna scream," her husband interrupted her.

"Then scream all you want," Ellen said. "I don't care. Don't you understand he is sick?"

"That I can agree with. He is a sick bastard who deserves to be punished," the husband said, lifted his clenched fist, and slammed it into Thomas' face.

Thomas screamed in pain. Ellen yelled.

"Stop it. Stop it, Mads. I won't let you beat him anymore. There are other ways to do this."

"Is that so?" The husband said. "Like what?"

Ellen kneeled next to Thomas. He felt her touch his cheek gently. It felt so soothing. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her touch. She wiped off some blood, then looked at him. Oh how Thomas had dreamt of this moment for so long.

This is it. It's finally here. The moment when Ellen tells you she loves you. Finally, she is going to let her husband know who her heart really belongs to. Finally, your time has come.

"Thomas?" Ellen said with such a gentle voice it almost made Thomas cry. "Thomas Hamilton, that's your name, right?"

Thomas was in pain but nodded anyway.

"Alright Thomas. Now listen to me …"

This is it. This is the moment in all the movies when the hero finally gets the girl, when she says the words he has longed to hear.

Ellen had tears in her eyes as she looked at him. It moved him deeply. "Thomas …" she hesitated like she needed to find the courage. "For years and years now I have feared you. For years I thought you were harassing me and my family, but lately I have come to realize that you're not a bad person, Thomas. You're just a little confused. You believe I love you, but I really don't. I have a husband and a family and I don't love you. I really don't. I hardly know you. You must realize now that you can't have me … ever. You'll never be with me. Do you understand that Thomas? Do you?"

She might as well have beaten Thomas up herself. At that instant, he would have preferred that to this. It would have hurt less. Thomas moaned in pain and looked up at her.

"But … But Ellen … I love you."

"I know you think you do, Thomas. I've read so much about this type of behavior lately and I know that you think you love me, but you don't. It's an illusion, Thomas. It's not real."

"But we have so much together …" Thomas said, his voice shivering.

Ellen shook her head while Thomas sat up. He couldn't believe what she had just said. It was so painful; he couldn't understand how she could be so heartless.

"No, Thomas. We don't. We don't have anything together. What we have is not real. It's in your head. And I'm sorry that you have to go through this to understand it, but I have to tell you the truth. I have to be honest with you. I don't love you, Thomas. I don't. I love my husband. I love Mads and you need to understand that. You need to leave us alone."

Thomas got to his feet. Blood was running from his nose into his mouth. It tasted horrible.

"I love you Ellen," he said again, hoping desperately that she would come to her senses and say the same to him.

"What's this?" the husband said and pulled something out of Thomas' pocket. It was the underwear.

The husband looked at the silky underwear, then at Ellen who gasped, appalled. "Still don't think he deserves a beating?"

Ellen took the underwear while looking at Thomas with disgust. "Do what you want," she said, then left.