I'm Travelling Alone (49 page)

Karen moved very close to her. The unstable woman stroked her face with a cold hand.

‘Don’t think for a moment that you’re pulling the wool over my eyes, Mia. Acting as if we’re friends? Do you think I’m stupid, Mia?’

Mia felt the cold fingers on her eyes and lips.

‘You did get the film, didn’t you? From his wife?’

Mia nodded feebly.

‘I’m not stupid. You know that, Mia. You won’t outwit me. Telling me what you think I want to hear. Why did it take so long for that movie to reach you? To be honest, I thought you would have got it a long time ago.’

Mia felt sick. Karen ran her icy fingers across her face as if she were a blind person trying to imagine what she looked like.

‘What happened, Mia?’

Mia was really struggling to stay calm. She was sorely tempted to bite the sick woman’s finger, but she refrained.

‘The wife couldn’t be bothered to hand in the film. She only showed up a couple of days ago,’ Mia said calmly.

‘Aha.’ Karen smiled. ‘She didn’t like him very much, did she?’

Mia made no reply.

‘I can see her point.’ The strawberry-blonde woman laughed. ‘He was so thick. But you have it now?’

Mia nodded tentatively.

‘Good. Then all we need to do is wait for it to go bang.’

Karen smiled and sat down at the table again.

‘So the house isn’t far from where we are?’ Mia said.

‘Yes, isn’t it brilliant? We’ll hear it go bang and perhaps we get to see something as well? If we have time.’

Karen got up and disappeared from view. Mia could feel the chill from the evil woman behind her. She glanced at the monitor again. She had a shock when she realized that Marion was about to wake up.

No, no, Marion, lie still.

‘Not you, by the way,’ a voice whispered in her ear. ‘You won’t hear it go bang.’

Karen stroked her cheek.

‘You’re going to die now. Won’t that be nice?’

Mia made a last, desperate attempt to free herself, but she was stuck. She couldn’t control herself any more. She felt the rage boil inside her and it was unstoppable. Her body felt as if it was about to explode.

‘You crazy bitch!’

‘Now, now, now, language, Mia,’ Karen warned her.

Mia felt the tape over her mouth again. The taste of adhesive on her tongue. Breathing became difficult. Panic. Don’t panic. Breathe calmly through your nose.
Don’t wake up, Marion, don’t let her see you. Lie still. This is a trap, Holger. Don’t send anyone into the house. She’s going to take everybody with her. Don’t let anyone enter. Holger. Don’t go in. Don’t send in Kim or Curry or Ludvig or Gabriel or Anette, don’t send anyone in. We can’t afford to lose anyone, Holger.

Mia felt a prick in her right hand. She looked down and saw that Karen had inserted an intravenous needle. Mia could hear the strawberry-blonde psychopath fumble with something behind her; she hung a bag on a stand and Mia felt something seep into her. It stung; it made her veins cold and numb.

‘There we are,’ Karen said, sitting down at the table again. ‘It’s a shame that we couldn’t play any longer, but it’s best that you die now. I would like a little time alone with Marion. We need some time together before we go, just her and me. We can’t have you around then.’

She giggled.

‘Won’t it be funny when they find out that you died just a few houses away? If they survive, that is. Those who survive. Who do you think will live, Mia? Munch? Kim? That Larsen guy who thinks he’s so tough? Won’t that be fun to know?’

Mia mumbled behind the tape. The strawberry-blonde psychopath was not entirely lucid; she didn’t realize that Mia couldn’t reply. Karen drummed her fingers on the table. Made small clucking sounds with her tongue. Scratched her face. Got up. Disappeared outside of Mia’s field of vision. Returned with a double-barrelled shotgun. Broke the weapon open, checked there were cartridges in both barrels. Snapped it shut and laid it on the table next to her.

‘The one we never mention liked hunting,’ she said, scratching her face again. ‘We had that in common. We both liked killing. Watching something die is funny, isn’t it, Mia? It’s fun when they stop breathing? When they finally depart?’

Karen got up and went out into the hallway. Mia could hear a door open and close. A small gust of fresh air slipped into the room. Then it disappeared. Karen returned.

‘I’m not going to shoot you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t think the girls will like having a teacher without a face, do you? No, it’s just in case anyone should come in. You can never be too careful, isn’t that right, Mia?’

Mia felt the back of her hand sting again. Something almost metallic was entering her bloodstream. She began having problems seeing clearly. She tried focusing on the screen. Marion was no longer there. Marion was gone. Had Karen been down there? What had she done to the little girl?

Karen shook her head faintly and smiled to herself.

‘I like watching people fall. That idiot who made the movie, he fell really well. For a moment, I thought he might be able to fly. Just like Roger Bakken. Roger even had wings. It was wonderful to watch. Did you feel like that, Mia? When you killed?’

Mia disappeared for a moment, went away, almost leaving the disgusting room for good. She jerked as she came round again. Karen had packed a suitcase.

‘And I was so sure that you knew,’ Karen said again. ‘That you knew why.’

Mia could see Sigrid now. In her white dress. Running slow motion through the field.

Come to me, Mia, come.

‘Markus Skog,’ Karen said. ‘She wasn’t very bright, my sister, she wasn’t, but she was kind. It wasn’t her fault. He wasn’t a good person. But what can you do? Men, eh? Not worth the hassle, are they? She killed herself after you shot him. Not with an overdose, no, she hanged herself. An overdose would have been better, don’t you think, Mia? Like Sigrid? I bet she felt good when she died? She didn’t have to jump from a tree with a rope around her neck.’

Karen glanced at the door, scratched her face briefly again.

‘Well, that’s love for you. What would I know?’

Mia could no longer keep her eyes open. She had lost sensation in her arms or legs.

Karen got up from the table, came over to her and caressed her cheek.

‘Have a nice trip, Mia Moonbeam.’

Across the field, Sigrid came running towards Mia. She stopped in front of her with a teasing look. She waved to her sister.

Come to me, Mia, come!

I’m coming, Sigrid. Wait.

I’ll be Sleeping Beauty and you’ll be Snow White?

Yes, Sigrid, I’d like that.

Come to me, Mia, come!

I’m coming, Sigrid. I’m coming now!

Mia let go.

And she followed her sister’s billowing white dress across a field of golden wheat.

Chapter 82

‘Delta 1, come in.’

Munch released the transmit button on the walkie-talkie and waited for a reply.

‘9, this is Delta 1, over.’

‘This is 9. What’s your position, over?’

Munch glanced at Kim, who sat with the Glock in his lap. He wore a bullet-proof vest and a grim expression on his face. Curry was sitting in the back; he, too, was wearing a bullet-proof vest and holding a pistol in his hand. They had driven down the forest track with the headlights switched off, and they could make out the house now; it wasn’t far away.

‘9, this is Delta 1. Eyes on location in forty metres. No target in sight, over.’

‘Delta 1, this is 9. Hold your position. Don’t shoot until I give the order. Received, over?’

‘9, this is Delta 1, received, over and out.’

‘It’s pitch black,’ Curry whispered, leaning forward between the seats.

Munch took out his night-vision binoculars and aimed them at the dilapidated old building in front of them. There was nothing to suggest that the small cottage was inhabited. That was probably the intention. The GPS coordinates from the film had taken them to this place. He was grateful to Gabriel Mørk, who, with the help of a friend, had managed to identify the location in record time. The guy had really turned out to be a find. Munch pressed the walkie-talkie again.

‘Delta 2, this is 9, come in.’

‘9, this is Delta 2, over.’

‘Position, over?’

‘This is Delta 2. We have two men behind the house, east. Three in front of the entrance, north-west. In position fifteen zero metres, over.’

‘Delta 2, this is 9. Await further instructions. Over and out.’

‘Strange that there’s not a single light, isn’t it?’ Kim Kolsø said as Munch handed him the night-vision binoculars.

‘Perhaps she’s not there?’ Curry wondered out loud.

‘Or they’re in the basement,’ Munch said.

He took the binoculars back from Kim and aimed them at the small house. There were three units attending. Two from the armed response unit, Delta, who had turned up with a group of marksmen and a SWAT team, in addition to Munch, Kim and Curry. Munch returned the binoculars to Kim and almost had to smile as he remembered how Ludvig and Gabriel had both insisted on coming with them. Ludvig was one thing – after all, he had been a police officer for a long time – but Gabriel? The boy had probably only ever let off fireworks. But he had guts. A real coup for the team, definitely. Munch had told them to man the office. He had enough officers.

‘Are we sure that she also has Mia?’ Kim said.

‘We don’t know, but at the same time we do, don’t we?’ Curry said.

‘Her car was found outside the care home,’ Munch said. ‘And the last message from her mobile was sent from somewhere on Drammensveien.’

‘Thrown out of a window, probably,’ Curry snarled.

‘Did you discover anything about the boy – Iversen?’ Munch said.

Kim had worked on his own case and come back just in time to join the team heading to the house.

‘I spoke to his teacher, Emilie Isaksen,’ Kim replied. ‘Very resourceful woman with a great social conscience. Wish there were more like her. The boy is gone. The parents are gone. She had just fetched the younger brother from the house; he had been without food for a week. I told her not to do anything on her own, but I doubt that she’ll listen. She’s probably on her way up to the forest to look for Tobias as we speak.’

‘Talk to Ludvig,’ Munch said. ‘Get Hønefoss Police to dispatch a unit.’

‘Already done.’ Kim nodded.

Munch nodded affirmatively in response. If you could trust anyone, it would be Kim Kolsø. Curry, however, he had to keep an eye on. Kim say motionless in the passenger seat, while Curry, in the back, could barely sit still.

‘So what do we do?’ Curry said, leaning forward between them again.

‘We wait,’ Munch said.

‘What are we waiting for? That crazy woman has Mia inside – who knows what she’s doing to her? Why don’t we just kick the door in and take the bitch out?’

‘Curry,’ Kim said, to calm him down.

‘I know what’s at stake,’ Munch said in a steady voice. ‘My granddaughter is in there.’

He gave Curry a look which could not be misinterpreted. Curry nodded, somewhat apologetically, and sat back down in his seat.

Marion was in there.

Munch pulled himself together. He couldn’t assume that mantle now. The mantle of grandfather. Mikkelson had tried to insist on Munch staying at home, letting others do the job, but not even a bulldozer could not have held Munch back. He raised the binoculars to his eyes again and looked towards the dark house.

‘How long do we wait?’ Curry said impatiently from the back.

‘Curry,’ Kim said again.

‘No, he’s right,’ Munch said gruffly. ‘There is nothing to wait for.’

He pressed the walkie-talkie again.

‘Delta 2, this is 9. Come in.’

‘9, this is Delta 2, over.’

‘Delta 2, this is 9. Stand by for entry.’

‘Delta 2, received. Over and out.’

Munch checked that the safety catch had been released on the Glock before nodding to the other two.

‘Are we ready?’

Kim nodded.

‘Oh, yes,’ Curry said.

Munch carefully opened the door and got out of the Audi as quietly as he could.

Chapter 83

Marion Munch awoke with that strange taste in her mouth again. She had had such a lovely dream. That she was at home, that her parents were there, and that everything was back to normal. She opened her eyes only to discover that she was still trapped in the small, white, chilly room. Still wearing the same stupid, cumbersome dress. She curled up under the thin duvet and started to cry. She didn’t know how long she had been there now, it was difficult to tell because the light never went off. She had looked for the switch, but there was no switch to be found, just cold walls and no windows or doors. Marion had cried so much that her eyes had almost run out of tears. She had banged on the walls, screamed and shouted, but no one had come. At first, she couldn’t understand why. They always came when she cried. Her parents, they would always come. Like the time she had had a temperature and dreamt that Pooh Bear had turned into a giant monster that was trying to eat her. At that time, both her parents had come immediately. But no one was coming now. Not to this room. No one took care of her. She was all alone.

Marion Munch stuck her thumb in her mouth and curled into a tiny ball on the bed. She had stopped sucking her thumb some time ago, but now she had started again. She pressed her tongue hard against her thumb; it felt safe and good. Licked her thumb. The nail felt rough. She took her thumb out of her mouth and stared at it in surprise. Someone had scratched something on to her fingernail. There was a dent there, almost like a letter. Like Vivian’s initial at nursery, V. She had a V on her thumb. Marion stuck her thumb into her mouth again and traced the sharp edges in the nail letter with her tongue.

At the start, she had drawn pictures. Or tried to draw pictures – it hadn’t been easy. There was no one she could show her drawings to; there was just her. She had drawn pictures of her parents and her grandfather. Then she had drawn a superhero. The superhero was a woman she could talk to and who would look after her, and since then being here had felt a little easier. There seemed to be no days in the white room. At home, it would be morning or day or night, it was easy to know when things happened, but here it was impossible. It was light all the time and there were no noises anywhere, except when her meals arrived from the hatch in the wall. The one with the noisy, wind-up monkey inside. The food was strange and not terribly good, but she had eaten it all up because she was incredibly hungry. Sometimes there would be a bottle of squash, but mostly it was just water. Eating and drinking was a mistake, because then she would need the loo. And there was no loo in the room, just a waste basket, and it really stank, it really did all the time. Marion had made a lid from paper from her sketchpad, and that had reduced the stench a little. But, even so, she dreaded every time she had to remove the lid and squat down, because it was getting quite full and it was disgusting.