"Put him on."
"Hi mom," he said, sounding all of a sudden so grown up. He was about to turn nine soon, so I guess he was growing up as well. I just had a harder time letting go of him than Maya, since he had always taken so much of my attention. I suddenly wished that he would never get older, that he would always stay my sweet innocent Victor.
"Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?"
"You asked me this yesterday," he answered.
"Yes, but today is a new day. How was this day?"
"I really don't like answering the same question again. Can't you come up with a new one?"
"Okay," I said. I couldn't help smiling. Victor never changed and I was suddenly so thrilled he didn't. "So how about you tell me how it is to be with Grandpa and Grandma?"
"It's good, I guess. They're nice."
"Aren't you going to ask me how I'm doing?"
"Why?"
"Because that's the polite thing to do. It shows you're interested in others."
"But I'm not," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Okay, buddy. I'm glad to hear you're doing well," I said.
"Thank you."
"That was very polite."
"I know. Can I go now?"
"Okay, buddy. Put your granddad back on."
"So, no news about Maya?" my dad asked as soon as he was back.
"Not yet. It's getting really hard."
"I know. But you have to hang in there. You can't give up. It'll all be fine. I know it will…Wait a second, Victor looks odd." My dad's voice became weaker. I could hear him talking to Victor in the background. Then my dad returned. "Victor is saying something. I don't quite grasp it, but he says it’s for you."
"What is it?"
"He said to tell you he likes rats? That's what he said. Tell her I like pet rats."
I chuckled. "Tell him we'll discuss it when I get back."
32
April 2014
"SO WHAT ELSE DID you find out about Signe Schou?" Morten asked, when I had hung up and put the phone down.
"Anything we can use?"
Rebekka looked through her notes. "We know she had a terrible childhood and that Mads' mother tried to pay her off, but that’s pretty much it. She went to the local high school for just a few months, then was thrown out and had to work to earn money until she met Mads and married him."
"They were married in 2012, right?" I asked.
"Yes," Rebekka said.
"So what has she been doing since?"
Rebekka threw her arms out. "Beats me. Everyone we have spoken to tells us she married Mads and then they never saw her again. They went on a honeymoon to Egypt for a month or so. Neither the mother nor her few friends have seen her since."
"But she was active on Facebook recently," I said.
"That's right," Rebekka said and sipped her coffee. "Maybe she’s just been enjoying life and spending her husband's money."
"What about Mads? What has he been doing?" I asked.
"He’s been working in his dad's company since mid-May 2012, according to the company's profile. He’s supposed to take over when his dad retires. Lundbit. It's a pharmaceutical company. Lots of money involved."
"Wasn't there a scandal once?" Sune asked.
"Yes," Rebekka replied. "They were accused some years ago of trying to bribe doctors to select their medicine above other brands. It's illegal in this country, you know. Nevertheless they’ve been accused of owning some doctors in the Danish hospitals. But those are just rumors. They’ve never been convicted of anything."
I looked at my phone again, hoping and praying for Maya to call me and for this nightmare to be finally over. Things were getting too complicated and I felt like we were getting further and further away from my daughter. I was scared that we were using our energy on the wrong things here. We had to focus on what happened after they all ran out of the theater. Who was that woman who followed Mads and pushed him in front of the car?
"I know what you're thinking," Rebekka suddenly said. "And believe me I know how it feels. You're worried that we're focusing on the wrong things, right? Well, I think we're on to something. I think that in order to find this woman who pushed Mads into the street, we need to figure out why she attacked Mads. It might have something to do with his wife, who also seems to have vanished. So I don't believe we're wasting our time, even if it seems so, okay? Trust me on this."
I finished my coffee. "You're right," I said with a thick voice. I fought hard to pull myself up and concentrate on the task ahead. "We need to work with what we've got."
"Exactly." Rebekka put a hand on my shoulder. "We're going to find her. I'll do everything I can. And I'm sure the police will do more now that Sascha DuBois has told them about the woman. They'll find her."
"What do we do until then?" Sune asked.
"If she was at the party," I said and looked at my friends. "If the woman was at the party, then she must be on the list, right? She must be on the Facebook-list for the event. How many were there who said they would attend? Twenty?"
Sune tapped on his keyboard. "Twenty-three," he said.
"How many were women?"
Sune looked again. "Looks like about half of them. Maybe a little less."
"So you believe she is one of them?" Rebekka asked.
"How else could she have known about the party?" I asked. "How could she have known Mads was attending this thing?"
"I'll print out the profile on each of the participants who are women," Sune said and let his fingers dance across the keyboard. "Then we'll take a look at them one after another and see if anything jumps out at us as strange or as a possible profile."
33
April 2012
SIGNE FORGOT EVERYTHING ABOUT feeling sad once they hit the Casino de Monte Carlo. It started out so well for them. One win after another. Everything turned in their favor. The balls in the wheels, the cards, even the slot machines seemed to welcome them to the small kingdom with favor and open arms.
After just a few hours, they had tripled the amount they started with. Mads and Signe enjoyed themselves immensely, shoveling money in and drinking the free drinks served to them.
"It must be you," Mads said with a grin as they went to roll the dice. "You're my lucky charm. I've never won anything before at a casino. A little here and a little there, but nothing as major as this. You and me together, baby. It's just a lucky combination."
Signe liked seeing him happy like this and enjoyed the excitement of gambling these big amounts, big numbers, big enough to make anyone’s hands shake as they rolled the dice.
"You do it," Mads said and handed them to her. "Roll me an eight."
In that moment, his eyes sparkled with love for her. She took the dice and threw them.
"Eight!" the croupier yelled.
Signe jumped and clapped. Mads grabbed her and kissed her. "You're amazing. You know that? You're so amazing."
Signe couldn't stop laughing as more money was rolled to their side of the table. "Eight again," Mads said. "Do it again and we can travel to the Caribbean and spend the rest of our lives there."
He was drunk now. Signe could see it in his eyes. They were drowsy, but happy and sparkling with excitement.
"Just one more time," he whispered. "Do it for me. Come on, baby."
Signe lifted her arm and threw the dice. They jumped across the green table and took forever to lie still. The croupier looked at them, then up at Signe and Mads.
"It's an eight!" he yelled.
Everyone around the table burst into a loud cheer. Mads turned to Signe, then picked her up and swung her in his arms. "We're rich, Signe. We're truly rich! This time, it’s no longer my parent's money. It's our own, Signe. This is ours!"
Signe laughed and kissed him, thinking this was the happiest moment of her life. Finally, they could escape from her mother in-law’s sharp claws. Finally, they could take care of themselves and never go back to that boring country. Finally, she would ge
t the life she deserved, and after everything that had happened to her, after everything she had been through, it was only fair.
Mads put her down and kissed her again. He grabbed two drinks from a waitress and gave one to Signe.
"To us," he said. "YNWA."
They clinked their glasses and drank. "What was that you said?" Signe asked. She watched as Mads emptied the entire glass and grabbed another one as another waitress walked by. "What's that?"
"Those letters you said. What do they mean?"
"YNWA?"
She nodded and sipped her drink. She was getting very drunk now. Whether it was the overwhelming joy, the ambiance, or the alcohol, she didn't know, but it felt like a dream.
"It stands for You'll Never Walk Alone. It's Liverpool's fan-song. I think it fits us so well. You and me baby. We'll always be together. You'll never be alone again."
Signe looked at her husband and had no idea what to say. She now realized they really were made for one another. He wasn't just some rich guy that she had gotten her claws into like her mother had said. He wasn't just her way out of the miserable slum. They were actually compatible. Even if he had the facade of the nice pretty boy, Mads was just as crazy and unpredictable as she was.
She loved that about him. She loved everything about him in this second. Right up until that petrifying moment later when he said the few words destined to change everything:
"Now let's try roulette."
34
April 2014
I WAS ON THE phone most of the afternoon calling all the women on the list that agreed to talk to me. None of them really wanted to talk much about what had happened at the party. They all seemed to believe it had only been a cruel joke, a prank that someone had played on them, and to be frank, they were pissed off at whoever had arranged the party. I kept asking them if they knew who it was, but none of them did. None of them knew where Signe Schou was either. They all seemed to know who she was, but no one had seen Signe since her wedding.
I hung up feeling more lost than ever. I looked at Rebekka who had also just hung up and was now approaching me with a serious look in her eyes. It frightened me a little.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I just got off the phone with Karrebaeksminde Police. I was trying to get an update on the case of the hit and run hoping to hear that they were now investigating it as an attempted murder case and that they were now looking for the woman who pushed Mads Schou in front of the car."
"But they weren't?" I asked.
Rebekka shook her head. "Not even close. They haven't heard anything about it. Nothing about any woman or anyone being pushed."
My hands started shaking in anger. "She didn't talk to them? Sascha hasn't told them anything?"
"Apparently not. Maybe you should get ahold of her once again," Rebekka said.
"She promised me she would do it right away. I don't understand," I said, puzzled. Sascha had seemed so convincing. I had no doubt in my mind that she was going to do it. Why hadn't she been down there to talk to them yet? Had she lied to me? Just to get me off her back? Had she backed out? Had fear overcome her?
"Let me get to the bottom of this," I said, as I grabbed my purse and stormed towards the door. Morten got up and followed me.
"I'll go with you," he said.
I heard concern in his voice. It was sweet. He was worried.
"Thanks," I said.
We drove to Sascha's apartment in silence. I felt anger and worry at the same time. I simply couldn't understand why she hadn't done as promised. I parked the car close to her building and we both got out. I felt more and more anxious as I approached the building. Something wasn't right here. Something was off.
I opened the door and we went up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. When we reached her platform, I froze. The door to her apartment was ajar.
Cautiously, I walked closer and pushed the door open.
"Hello? Sascha?"
No answer.
I walked inside and looked around. The apartment looked just like it had when we left it. There was no sign of Sascha DuBois. I rubbed my forehead and let out a frustrated sound.
"You think she bailed on us?" Morten asked. "You think she’s run away?"
I walked into the bedroom and found her clothes in the closet hanging neatly on hangers. "Wouldn't she have taken her clothes with her?"
He shrugged. "Not if you're really afraid and want to hurry."
I walked back into the kitchen. A tray of cups was on the counter. I walked closer and looked into them. "They’re ours," I said. "I put a small gum wrapper into mine before we left. It's still there. She never got to clean them."
"So you think she left right after we were here?"
I shook my head. "I have a strange feeling about this…"
"What do you mean?"
"Something is definitely off." I walked to the small table next to the door to the hallway. On the small table, Sascha kept her keys and…I picked something up and showed it to Morten. "I don't believe she would run off without her wallet, do you?" I opened it and looked inside. "There’s credit cards and cash in here. I don't think she would have left all this if she had run off, do you?"
Morten shook his head. "Probably not. So what do you think happened?"
I looked around, then walked back into the hallway. I put my finger on the inside of the door. There was a bump. I touched it with my finger. "Someone was in here," I said and looked at my finger. Then I showed it to Morten.
"Is that blood?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so. The door was slammed into her face. Look there’s blood on the floor over here as well. Small droplets that have sunk into the wood. She must have fallen. My guess is that someone took her out of here right after we were here."
Morten looked terrified. "Who? Who would have done this?"
"My guess is that it’s a woman. The same woman that pushed Mads Schou out in front of the car."
35
April 2014
"DID YOU FIND HER and talk to her?" Rebekka asked as we stormed back inside the office.
"Not exactly," Morten answered.
I threw myself into a chair and stared for a long time at the chocolate cake in the middle of the table. Sara was eating a piece of it with great pleasure.
"You want some?" she asked with a big smile.
"Yes, please," I said, thinking if Morten made as much as one little remark, I was going to kill him. This piece of cake was what I needed right now. I was frustrated and angry and wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, scream at the world at how unfair I thought everything was. But I simply wasn't the type. It wasn't my thing. Instead, I drowned my anger with a nice giant piece of rich chocolate cake. I knew it was bad, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't able to, all of a sudden, get some self-control in a situation like this. Sara handed me a fork and I started eating.
"What happened?" Rebekka asked and came closer. Sune grabbed a piece of cake as well. Rebekka and Morten soon followed.
"She’s gone," Morten said before he shoveled in his first bite.
I nodded and swallowed. "Sascha DuBois never made it to the police station. I think she was right to be afraid. She told me she hadn't gone to the police because she was afraid of the woman she had seen, afraid she would come after her next. I fear that she was right."
"So, she didn't just run off?" Sune asked.
I sipped my coffee, then shook my head. "No. She left everything in the apartment. Wallet, credit cards, cash, clothes everything."
"She hadn't even cleaned the cups we had used when we visited her. We think she might have been attacked soon afterwards."
Rebekka looked terrified. "That's awful."
"I know," I said.
"At least we now know for sure that we’re on to something here," Sune said. "Something even the police have no clue about."
"We should call Officer Hansen," Morten said. "We have to tell him everything we know."
"But we have no proof, and now our
only witness to the murder attempt is missing as well. What do you want us to tell them?" I asked. "They already think I'm just a lunatic mother who refuses to believe my daughter could do anything wrong."
Morten nodded pensively while eating. "You have a point. Maybe if I talk to them alone?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Rebekka said. "Then we'll focus on finding this mysterious woman on our own."
"Any news?" I asked.
Rebekka shook her head. "Not really. We’ve been through every woman on the list from Facebook. We’ve spoken to all of them."
"Except one," I said.
"Who's that?"
"Signe Schou. I'm guessing you haven't gotten an answer from her, right?" I said.
"You got that right. She hasn’t been on Facebook since the day of the party and her mother hasn't seen her for a very long time."
"What about Mads' mother?" Sune suddenly asked. "Pennie Schou?"
"What about her?" I asked puzzled.
"Could she have done any of this?" Sune continued.
"I don't understand," Rebekka said.
Sune leaned over the table. He looked very mysterious. I sensed he enjoyed this kind of work.
"I'm just saying that we know she tried to pay off Signe Schou to not marry her son. She was against the marriage all along. Could she have made Signe Schou disappear somehow?"
"You mean, she thought her son was such a disgrace that she got rid of the daughter in law?" Rebekka asked. "Then she went to the son and, when he got angry and didn't want to be a part of it or to do as he was told, she ran after him and pushed him out in front of a car in anger?"
"Why at a party?" I asked.
"Maybe she knew he would be there," Sune said. "Maybe he refused to have anything to do with her or even speak to her anymore and she knew she had to sneak up on him to be able to get him to talk to her. Maybe she was even the one who turned off the lights?"