Run Run as Fast as You Can (7 page)

I invited him inside the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee.

He chuckled. "Do I look that bad, huh?"

"Well you look like you could use a cup. Let's just leave it at that," I said and poured myself a cup. He took my statement for the report. It didn't take long. When he was done, he asked for another cup of coffee. I poured him one and placed the basket of buns on the table.

"Want one?"

"Yes, please," he said with a sigh. "That would be great. It's been a long night and an even longer day. Can't remember when I last ate."

I cut one open and handed it to him. He buttered it and started eating it. "Mmm, these are really good," he moaned and sipped the coffee. "Thanks. I really needed this. This day has been hell. You have no idea."

"So, did you tell the family?"

Morten stopped chewing and nodded. "That was the worst part, Emma; I tell you, it was so hard."

"How did he take it?" I asked and buttered a bun for myself even if it was my fourth this afternoon.

"He was in deep shock, still is. He couldn't believe it and started blaming himself for not having looked for her yesterday. He kept saying that he had thought she was just punishing him for their fight and that she would be back. He had never imagined this happening to her."

"Does he need anything? I could cook for him and leave enough in the freezer for a couple of days so he wouldn't have to think about cooking?" I said.

"Someone already suggested doing the same, so I don't think there will be any need for that."

I nodded pensively and sipped my coffee. "Does he need something else maybe? Someone to take the kids for a while? I could easily have them here at the house for a couple of days, if he needed it. I mean there have to be a lot of things for him to do now, like arrange the funeral and all."

"I'll let him know. The funeral won't be for a while, though, since the forensic techs are working on her and the body won't be released for quite some time."

"No, of course not. What have they come up with so far?" I asked. "If you can talk about it, that is?"

"There is going to be a press conference later today where the details are all going to be revealed, so there is no harm in me telling you. She was shot several times just as we suspected. The forensic techs furthermore found animal bites on her body. Mostly on her shoulder, arm and back."

"Animal bites? What kind of animal?" I asked and finished my bun. I grabbed another one and buttered it. "More?" I asked officer Morten.

"Well one more, then. They're so good," he said with a smile.

"You need it more than I do," I said and pushed the butter towards him so he could reach it.

He buttered his bun and took a bite.

"So what kind of animal are we talking about? Do they even know at this point?" I asked.

Officer Morten leaned over and swallowed before he spoke. "That's the strange thing. It seems it’s bats. Bites from a bat all over her arm and back."

I almost spurted out my coffee. "Bats?" I asked, thinking about Victor who had been awake the other night because he claimed to have heard bats screaming.

"Yes, bats."

"But they eat insects, don't they?"

"Well yes, but apparently there are different kinds of bats. This type is called the vampire bat because it feeds on blood from mammals. They bite down through the skin and drink the blood that runs from the wound."

I suddenly lost my appetite and put the bun down. "Are you kidding me? Like real vampires?"

"That's where the myth started, I guess. Anyway, as you might understand, we are looking for anyone who might have bats as pets."

"Hm," I said.

"What?"

"Well my son Victor was awake the other night. He told me he had heard bats screaming. Maybe you're looking for someone not so far away from here?"

Officer Morten ate and nodded. "That sounds like something we might have to look into."

I nodded, thinking it freaked me out a little to think that this bat-loving killer could be anywhere close to us. But wouldn't we have heard the shots if he was anywhere close? I shook my head. "But again, it's Victor. It might have been a very vivid dream or one of his strange visions. As I've told you before, sometimes he sees and hears things the rest of us don't. Do you have any idea why the killer chose this girl?"

"No. It might be random. We believe she was taken at the parking lot where we found the car and the child. Tim told us she had felt like she had been watched for a couple of days before she disappeared, so the killer might have observed her for some time before taking her. There is a team from Copenhagen who has joined us in the investigation. They will be going over Simone's whereabouts for the past few days to see if the killer shows up on any surveillance cameras or if anyone has seen him."

"Sounds like the killer planned this," I said, finishing my bun after all. I sipped my coffee and looked at officer Morten. He looked exhausted. He wasn't the most handsome man, but there was something about him I really liked: A gentleness, a sweetness. And he was so simple. Divorced with a teenage daughter. That was all. We had grown very close on our trips to Eastern Europe together the past many months and I truly enjoyed his company. We never got around to having the date we discussed, there simply hadn't been time for it.

"But there is more," Officer Morten said.

"I had a feeling there would be," I said and finished my cup. I offered him more, but he refused.

"Have to get back soon," he said. Then he exhaled. "There has been another disappearance on the island."

I looked at him. "What?"

"We don't know if it is related, but this morning we were contacted by Nordby VVS, you know the plumbing company. They told us one of their young plumbers had vanished. They had sent him on the road to a couple of assignments yesterday but he never showed up. The truck was found parked downtown at a parking place behind the old movie theater, but there was no sign of the plumber. We have no idea if it is related; he might have just gone on a bender. He was known to be a drunk, but we have to treat it as though it is related."

"Of course you do."

Officer Morten got up from his chair with a sigh. "Well I'd better get going. I have to finish my report before I can finally go home and have a few hours of sleep."

I escorted him out. I opened the door and held it for him while he put on his jacket. He was about to walk out, when he suddenly hesitated. I looked at him. He looked up and our eyes locked for a few seconds. Then he leaned forward and grabbed me in his arms and hugged me. I was taken completely by surprise by this gesture, but enjoyed it. He held me tight for a few seconds more, then whispered in my ear, "I really like you Emma. I hate that we only see each other when bad things happen. I want to make good memories with you."

I was startled. Speechless. "I … uh … Well …"

He looked into my eyes. "I have baffled you, haven't I?"

"Slightly … but not in a bad way," I said. "I like being baffled."

Officer Morten chuckled. "Life is short, you know?"

I smiled. "Life is short and one should be baffled every now and then."

Officer Morten nodded and put on his police-cap. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night then. Would around seven be alright?"

18

November 2013

S
USANNE
A
RNHOLM WAS
breastfeeding. Her nipples were sore and had been for weeks now. Mastitis, inflammation of the breast tissue, her doctor had said. He gave her some antibiotics and told her that it might be time to stop breastfeeding. But Susanne didn't want to. She loved breastfeeding her baby Malthe. With her first child, Christine, she had breastfed until the child was almost four years old. She would have continued, but had to stop since she was almost due with Malthe and he was going to take over.

Susanne closed her eyes while Malthe sucked on her sore nipples. They were red and swollen and Susanne had a slight fever because of the infection. Still, she continued through the pain … For the child's sake. Everybody knew breast milk was by far the best for your child. No other milk contained the combination of nutrients that your child needed like your own milk.

She looked down at Malthe who sucked contentedly. As she looked up at her friends at the table, she received a couple of disapproving looks from other guests in the café, but Susanne didn't care. She was used to people staring, even if she never understood why anyone would be appalled by someone breastfeeding. It was, after all, the most natural thing in the world. The other girls in her mothers’ group all went aside or hid the baby and breast under a blanket like they were ashamed of breastfeeding in public. It had gotten worse in the last six months, ever since some restaurants and cafés had thrown women out for breastfeeding in public. It had led to a demonstration in Copenhagen that Susanne had taken part in. She hated the way it was now something you had to hide or be ashamed of. So, Susanne went in the opposite direction. She hid nothing from anyone. She didn't cover up with a blanket. When her nine-month-old baby was hungry, she simply pulled up her shirt and started feeding him, no matter where she was. If people stared at her bare breast, then she let them. If people were appalled, then she let them be. If she was asked to leave by a waiter, she told them she wouldn't and that they'd have to call the police if they wanted to throw her out. And then she threatened to write bad things about the place on Facebook telling everybody that they were against women breastfeeding; that usually shut them up since most cafés lived very well off of the many mothers’ groups that came in for brunch.

"Susanne, I can see your nipple," one of the girls in her mothers’ group named Lisa said.

Susanne shrugged. "So what?"

"Well … at least cover up a little bit with your shirt. I can practically see the entire breast."

"Then don't look," Susanne said.

Lisa growled and ate her salad. Susanne really didn't like Lisa much. She was so uptight. And now she had told them that she was running for City Council. Susanne had stared at her and tried hard not to laugh. At least it had lightened up the mood in the mothers’ group a little. They had all been really down since Simone disappeared and this morning they had heard that she had been found shot in a car in the ocean. It was all very strange and creepy. Susanne wasn't scared since she was certain Simone's husband did it.

"He fits the profile. He is the typical power-tripping police officer," she had stated when the rest of the group had told her she was crazy for making such a statement.

"Tim loved her," Sophia had said.
Sophia six-kids
, as Susanne secretly had named her, since she was alone with six children all with different fathers. She was by far Susanne's favorite in the group.

"Yeah, but that just gives him a motive, doesn't it? I mean they had a big fight the night before, didn't they? And then she is suddenly gone the next day? Looks a little suspicious to me."

The group had agreed to disagree. They did that a lot. Now Lisa was looking disapprovingly at Susanne's breast while Malthe finished his meal.

"I really don't understand why you don't just introduce him to the bottle," Lisa grumbled. "Margrethe never slept better than since I started giving her a bottle."

"Well I'm not going to, so live with it," Susanne said.

Susanne was sweating heavily because of the pain. She wiped her forehead with a napkin. She closed her eyes for a second while the other girls, including the always very-quiet Nora talked about Lisa's new upcoming career.

"I'll definitely vote for you," Sophia stated.

The rest nodded. Lisa looked smug. It annoyed Susanne. She looked away. Her eyes met with those of a man sitting across the room at a table by the window. She thought she had seen his face before and smiled as you would smile to an acquaintance you met in the street or at the supermarket.

He smiled back.

19

October 2009

O
H MY
G
OD,
she's going to be choked!

Thomas ran across the street and stormed into the yard through the back opening in the fence. He ran to the tree where Gerda was hanging lifelessly from the branch. Her face had turned purple and she wasn't moving.

Thomas gasped, then climbed the tree and reached down to grab her by the shoulder and pulled her back up into the tree.

"Please breathe, please don't be dead," he said, panting while untying the rope around her throat. Gerda's older brother had now realized something was going on and approached the tree.

Thomas looked at the young girl in his hands while his heart was racing in his chest. Everything inside of him was screaming.

Please don't die, please don't.

He leaned over her and listened, then put his fingers on her wrist to feel for a pulse. He didn't find any and she wasn't breathing.

"What's happening?" Frederik asked with a shivering voice.

"Get your mom and dad," Thomas yelled. "Go get your parents. Now."

Frederik disappeared and Thomas put Gerda over his shoulder and carefully carried her down. He placed her in the grass, then opened her mouth and breathed in. Then he pressed her chest carefully, so as to not break any of her ribs.

"Come on Gerda. Come on, sweetheart. Wake up. Breathe."

When nothing happened, he leaned over and breathed into her mouth again, then pressed on her chest again. Finally, something happened. Gerda spurted and coughed. Her legs and arms moved in what looked like spasms. Thomas was crying heavily, tears rolling across his face. Voices emerged from the house. Frederik was running towards them; Ellen and her handsome husband following him.

"What's going on?" Ellen screamed.

Thomas looked up and his eyes met hers. Oh how he loved those deep blue eyes that he had admired for so long.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I … I …" Thomas stuttered. He looked down at Gerda who was still coughing.