Chapter 94
In the pale morning light, Daniel can see that Hanna is almost transparent with exhaustion. Her hair is more tousled than ever, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Apparently she has been up all night, and he is equally concerned about Filip’s disappearance.
He can’t help reproaching himself.
Shouldn’t they have realized that Charlotte’s son could be in danger, after the murders of his mother and Aada Kuus?
He hears his inner critical voice asking how he could allow the boy to be kidnapped before their very eyes.
The whole team is gathered around the table in the conference room. It is seven o’clock in the morning, and Anton and Raffe are sitting next to Daniel and Hanna. So is Birgitta Grip, who stayed over in ?re. Everyone has been called in at short notice.
It is Easter Saturday, but that is the last thing on their minds.
A call has gone out for Filip Wretlind, and all patrols in the region have been informed. Given the circumstances, the case is being treated as an abduction. Filip has probably been taken away, presumably by the same person who is behind the two murders.
A patrol is on the way to Supper to see if there are any traces of Filip or the kidnapper. The parking lot at the train station will also be searched.
The hypothesis is that the kidnapper left his car there and dragged Filip across the road. They have no idea where he went after that, but they have posted information on the police home page and on local Facebook groups. They have also contacted Missing People to ask for assistance.
Daniel has a sudden flashback to the case involving Amanda eighteen months ago, when Missing People helped with the search.
Patrols have also been sent to Hedin’s and Lehto’s homes to check where they are—and whether they have an alibi for the time when Filip was taken.
“We should have fucking realized he was in danger,” Hanna says. Her tone is strained, she is finding it difficult to sit still, and she is swearing more than usual. “I don’t understand how I could be so blind. I shouldn’t be a fucking cop.”
“None of us knew,” Daniel says gently.
He can’t help looking over at the wall where the pictures of the murder victims are on display. The last thing he wants is to see a photograph of Filip next to his dead mother.
Mother and son together in the worst possible scenario.
“It must have been that article in the paper,” Hanna continues, as if she hasn’t heard his comment.
“I saw it too,” Anton says, halfway through a cheese sandwich. “What a pile of crap.”
“Filip was standing in front of ?reg?rden in the picture they used,” Hanna exclaims. “They even wrote that he was staying there because he didn’t want to go to the hotel where his mother was killed.
” She sighs deeply. “We might just as well have messaged the perpetrator and told him where to find Filip.”
Grip glances up from her phone and looks at Hanna.
“There’s no point in self-reproach. We have to find out who took Filip—that’s all that matters at the moment. So where are we?”
Daniel can see that Hanna is trying to compose herself. She goes over to the whiteboard, picks up a blue marker pen and writes down Bengt Hedin and Paul Lehto. She gives a brief summary of the previous day’s discussions, and the new information about Lehto’s past.
“I’ve also been given more details strengthening our suspicions that Charlotte’s financial dealings weren’t entirely up front. It seems likely that she was bribing Bengt Hedin.”
“Where has this come from?” Anton wants to know.
Daniel is wondering the same thing—Hanna seems slightly uncomfortable.
“I had a conversation with Henry Sylvester, Filip’s godfather. When it became apparent that Filip had gone missing. He told me.”
This annoys Daniel—why hadn’t Sylvester mentioned it earlier? He should have shared that kind of suspicion with the police from the get-go.
“Why didn’t he tell us?”
“He thought organized crime might be involved,” Hanna replies quickly. “He was scared.”
Grip coughs into the crook of her elbow before she speaks. “If we think this is the same perpetrator as in the two homicides, and that he has abducted Filip, then this is probably not about a kidnapping to be followed by a ransom demand. I don’t think money is the motive behind the abduction.”
The import of her comments is devastating.
Daniel feels his heart rate spike. They are dealing with someone who has already displayed a staggering degree of ruthlessness. Charlotte Wretlind was stabbed to death. Aada Kuus was strangled with her own scarf.
Filip is only twenty-three years old, and a total innocent in this context.
That doesn’t matter. If it is the same perpetrator, there is only one reason why Filip has been taken.
He is going to die, just like his mother.