"I…I…really don't think…I mean we have so many people here, could she have been here to visit someone?"
"Do you allow visitors?" I asked.
"If they're family, then yes. Short supervised visits."
"And you think she might have been in here to visit someone?" Morten asked.
"That's not what I said. I said she might have been, but I really don't remember seeing her. It's hard for me to tell, really. Now, was that all?"
"Do you know Mads Schou?" I asked.
The doctor looked startled. "No," she said. She wasn't very good at lying. I could tell she did. "I mean, I heard about what happened to him through the news and everything, but not personally." The doctor looked at her watch, then back at me forcing a smile.
"I have consultations starting here at eight and I need to prepare…was there anything else you wanted from me, officers? I really need to…"
Morten got up. "We won't take anymore of your time, doctor."
It annoyed me that he gave up that easily. I wasn't prepared to let go yet. This was my only clue to finding Maya and I was certain I saw something in her eyes when she saw the picture of her. I wasn't going to let her go that easily.
"Are you sure you don't know where Maya is?" I asked.
"I'm certain…Officer." The doctor paused and looked at me like she knew I wasn't a real officer. That was when I knew I would never get anything out of her.
"Let's go," Morten said, and pulled my elbow.
I rose to my feet and looked at the doctor. I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her, shake the information out of her. I couldn't bear the fact that she knew something about my daughter's whereabouts and I couldn't force her to tell me. For the first time in my life, I wanted to hurt someone so badly it frightened me. I wanted to scream at her to tell me, to let me know where she had seen Maya, but it was no use.
The doctor reached out her hand. "Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you officers with," she said.
I shook her hand, and as I looked at her, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. What I saw quite startled me.
"I'm afraid you have a rat in your office," I said.
The doctor turned and looked at the big grey rat crawling across her desk. "Ah yes. That's Misty. She's my pet rat."
I felt nauseated. I had always hated rats more than anything. If I had a nightmare, it was always about rats. To me, they were the most disgusting and creepy animals alive. Yet I couldn't stop staring at it. I kept hearing Victor's words in my head.
"Tell her I like pet rats."
Victor never liked rats before. He’d liked many strange things, but never rats. And he never said anything like this without it meaning something.
"Let's go," Morten said.
I stared at the doctor, who was looking at us with a strange almost maniacal smile. I had to really restrain myself from punching that smirk off her face.
56
April 2014
IT WAS A LITTLE reluctantly that I walked out into the hallway following Morten. I wasn't ready to let go of the doctor yet.
"Olav, please help our guests find their way out," the doctor said.
Olav came towards us.
My heart was beating hard in my chest. I had no idea what to do, but I didn't want to leave. I felt so deeply frustrated, I wanted to scream. I turned my head to see if there was something I had missed, but there was nothing but a long hallway painted white. Suddenly, as I looked, a door was opened and another guard walked out of a room, escorting a patient.
"Let's go," Morten said, but for some reason I hesitated. I couldn't take my eyes off of the person exiting the room far down the hallway. I couldn't see her face, but I knew it was her. Something inside of me just knew it. I would recognize my daughter anywhere…no matter the angle…no matter the short blonde hair and different clothes. I just knew.
"Maya?" I yelled and started walking down the hallway. The girl didn't react. The guard started walking in the opposite direction from us and the girl followed.
"Maya?" I yelled again and walked faster.
"Stop," the doctor yelled behind me. "That is a very dangerous patient. She killed someone just a few days ago. You can't get close to her. She is highly erratic. Olav, you must stop her."
"Emma, stop it. It's not her," Morten said.
But I kept walking…determined steps across the linoleum floor. "Maya?"
I was running. I could hear turmoil behind me and people running after me. I didn't care. I didn't stop. The girl in front of me didn't react. I called again and again, but still she didn't stop. I ran as fast as I could and soon caught up with them. I grabbed her shoulder and turned her to see her face. Then I gasped.
"Maya? Maya, sweetie? It's you. It's really you!"
Tears rolled across my cheeks as I first hugged her, then held her face between my hands while looking into her beautiful eyes. "Oh my God, Maya. I've been so scared."
But Maya didn't react to anything I said. She looked so pale. What was wrong with her?
"Do you know this woman Zelllena?" the guard asked her.
Maya hardly looked at me. She shook her head. "No."
"I'm going to have to ask you to step back," the guard said.
"Zelllena? What is going on here? Maya? Don't you recognize me? I'm your mother."
"I'm sorry Mrs.," the guard said. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave this girl alone."
Olav was behind me now and grabbed my arm. "I'm gonna need you to come with me, Mrs.," he said.
I tried to fight his grip, but he was too strong. "But…but…Maya? But I'm her mother."
"She clearly doesn't know you," the doctor said, approaching us. "I'm sorry, Vivian," she said to the guard. "This woman is very confused. Psychotic after the loss of her daughter. She sees her face everywhere. I'm sorry it had to happen here. Just take Zelllena to her physical therapy. I'll take it from here. Thank you."
"NO!" I screamed while Olav grabbed both my arms and started to drag me out. "That’s my daughter! What have you done to her?!"
"Now stop it," Morten said. "This girl is Maya Frost. I know her just as well and I tell you, it’s her."
"I'm sorry, Officer," the doctor said. "The girl's name is Zelllena Wold. She was admitted here because she is a danger to herself and others. She was admitted by her parents. If you have issues with her or anyone else in here, you have to take it up with the hospital management. Now I have to ask you to leave."
I watched in shock as the guard took my Maya through a door and she disappeared once again out of my life.
"No!" I pleaded. "Please don't do this. Please don't throw us out of here. I will do anything. I just want to talk to my daughter."
"I'm sorry. I can't help you with that, since this is not your daughter," the doctor said and signaled Olav and another guy. "You're just very delusional because of your loss. It's only natural, but you really should consider getting some help. Now get the two of them out of here before I lose my patience. This is a medical institution not a Kindergarten. I have patients to attend to. Good day, Mrs. Frost."
57
April 2014
I WAS ON THE verge of panic when Morten helped me get into the car. I kept yelling and kicking everything. I simply refused to believe that my daughter was right in there and I couldn't do anything about it.
"You're a police officer, Morten. Can't you stop them?" I asked angrily when we drove off. "Can't you go in there with your badge and tell them to give me my daughter?"
He sighed deeply. "I can't, Emma. I have no right to. I'm not even on Maya's case. It's not my district, I'm actually on vacation and I have no authority here. She knows it. And she’s right. I need a warrant if I want to force my way in there. Otherwise, I need to go to the hospital management. So I believe that's what we need to do. I'll contact Officer Hansen and try to explain the situation to him. He's the only one who can help us get access to the place."
"And that's going to take what? A week
? I can't wait that long, Morten. They'll just move her to some other place. They know we're on to them. What the hell did they do to her? Why couldn't she recognize me?" I burst into tears. Morten put his arm around me. "You should have seen her, Morten. Her eyes…they were completely dead. She stared at me like she had never seen me before. Me! Her mother! I can't believe it."
"I know," Morten said. "It's so surreal. But the important thing right now is to remain calm. At least now we know where she is."
He turned down the road and I watched in the mirror how the hospital disappeared in the background. It broke my heart having to leave my daughter there without knowing if I would ever see her again. It was brutal.
My hands were still shaking as we drove through town. I had never felt so helpless. It was the worst feeling in the world.
"I bet she was the one who pushed Mads," I said. "I mean, she must have been, right? She must have been the one who ran after him and pushed him in front of Maya's car. Then she must have taken Maya and driven off with her. That's the only explanation I can come up with."
Morten parked the car in front of the newspaper's office.
"What are we doing here?" I asked. "I thought we were going to the police station?"
"I’m going," he said. "You stay here with Rebekka and Sune."
"No. I want to go with you. I want to explain everything to Officer Hansen."
Morten put his hand on my shoulder. I hated when he did that. It made me feel like a child.
"You're too upset. You'll come off as a hysterical mother and he won't listen to a word you're saying. Let me talk to him. Officer to Officer."
"But…"
"Trust me on this, Emma. I know how he works. I know how to handle him. I deal with guys like him every day, remember?"
I calmed down. He was right. I was way too agitated and would only ruin everything. "Alright then. I trust you. But tell him you saw her too. You saw her face and had no doubt it was Maya. If it’s only me, then he'll think I was just being delusional. And hurry up. If that doctor moves her, then we'll lose her again."
The very thought made my heart jump. This was so tough. Having to wait like this. It was unbearable.
"Meanwhile, I'll explain everything to Rebekka and Sune," I said. "Maybe they can help us somehow. They know everybody in this town."
"I believe more in my way," Morten said. "But it's worth a shot."
I opened the door and got out. I stuck my face inside to say goodbye.
"Just promise me one thing," Morten said.
"Yes?"
"Don't do anything irrational. It's very important. You risk ruining everything. You hear me?"
I smiled and nodded. "I won't," I lied, then slammed the door and ran up the stairs.
58
April 2014
"YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT we’ve found out," Rebekka said when I stormed inside the office.
"Wow, what happened to you?" Sune asked when he looked up from his screen. "You look like you just fell from the moon."
"I found Maya," I said. The words felt so strange in my mouth after so many days of searching frantically for her, and so empty, since there was no happiness following them.
Rebekka got up from her chair and walked towards me. "You found her? That’s wonderful news!"
I shrugged and swallowed my tears. "It is and it isn't."
"Emma? What's going on? Sit down and let's talk."
I started crying, but tried hard not to. It didn't work. Sune and Rebekka sat next to me on their small couch in the corner. The table in front of me was stacked with newspapers. Sara even took off her headphones and came closer. "I'll get you all some coffee," she said.
"Now tell us everything from the beginning," Rebekka said. "Where did you find Maya? How did you find her?"
I took in a deep breath then started talking. I told them about Mads' Morse signal, about the visit to the ward and me seeing her and her not recognizing me. "She's being kept there for some reason under the name Zelllena Wold."
"What a strange name," Sune said.
"Morten has gone to talk to Officer Hansen and have him help us, maybe through the hospital management or getting a warrant to grant us access."
"But all of that takes time," Rebekka said. "And they might move Maya now that they know you know she’s there."
"That's exactly what I tried to tell Morten," I said and sniffled. "But he insists on doing this the right way. You know how he likes to play by the rules."
Sara brought us coffee and carrot cake, then handed me a tissue. I wiped my eyes, then grabbed a piece and took a bite.
"We need to do something," Rebekka said and looked at Sune for answers.
"I'll do some research," Sune said and got up from the couch. He went to sit behind his computer and I heard his fingers dance rapidly across the keyboard. I felt so blessed to have friends like these two in a moment like this.
"What was it you guys found out?" I asked. "You said you found something important?"
Rebekka looked at me. "Ah that. Yes, well it's not as important as your discovery, but I think it is interesting. It's about Signe Schou. I did some digging, well Sune did some and tried to figure out where they went on their honeymoon. We found their credit card information…I know, naughty us for breaking the law."
"Morten isn’t here," I said.
"True. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. But anyway. Apparently they went to Egypt at first, but then suddenly bought tickets to Turkey where they stayed only for a little more than a week, then they went to Monaco."
"So they travelled around a little. That's not so strange?" I asked.
"No. But there’s more. According to their bank statement, they lost a lot of money at a casino and after that the card was blocked. Sune couldn't trace them anymore, but I found an article in a local paper about two foreigners attacking a family in their home with the intention of stealing money from them, but it ended up with the murder of the wife. There was a picture of one of the arrested. A girl."
"Signe? She was arrested for murder?" I was baffled.
"Apparently, yes. Mads was never found."
"But we know they came back home? How did she go from a prison in Monaco to her mother's basement in Karrebaeksminde?"
"Sune found a way into the police's database down there and found the initial report taken when Signe was arrested, but it also states she was released a week later. She was picked up by a Mrs. Schou. Apparently, all charges were suddenly dropped."
"Mads' mother?" I asked. "Could she have paid them to drop the charges?"
Rebekka shook her head. "She might have paid them, but there was another reason why the charges were dropped. Am I right, Sune?" she asked.
He nodded. "She didn't do it."
"She didn't?"
"No. Apparently, the father in the house they attacked admitted two days later that he did it. He just used the burglary to cover it up. It was the perfect cover. In his statement, he said that the kids entering his home were heavily drugged. No one would believe a word they said. So he took the chance."
"But why? Why did he want to kill the mother?"
"Money. He wanted to get her life insurance. He was indebted…from gambling, like so many others. He told the children he would chop their heads off as well if they ever told he did it. But the oldest daughter broke down during her interrogation and told them everything. Later, the dad admitted the crime. He chopped her head off with an axe and blamed it all on Signe and Mads. The strangest part is that Signe never denied doing it. If you read her statement, all she could talk about was blood. They stated that she kept saying she saw blood everywhere. I guess they figured that was about as good as a confession."
"Maybe she thought she did it?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she might have been so drugged that she had no idea what was reality and what was in her head."
Rebekka nodded pensively. "It’s plausible."
"They were friendly," I sud
denly said.
"Who was?"
"Mads and Signe. On Facebook. They wrote something on each other's walls, remember?"
"YNWA," Rebekka said.
"You wouldn't write that if you were angry at each other, would you?"
"Probably not."
I looked at Rebekka. "But I don't know what to make of it."
"Well actually, there was another thing we found," Rebekka said. "Sune found a message from Signe to him on Facebook. She told him to come to the party…that she needed to see him…that it was important. She had something important to say. She pleaded with him to come, but he told her he didn't want to see her. That's probably why she knocked her mother out and escaped from the basement. She went to see him. Maybe she hoped he would show up anyway?"
"But she never showed up," Rebekka said.
"Instead, this strange doctor tried to attack him. Maybe she took Signe as well?"
"But all that doesn't help Maya," Rebekka said.
"It might in the end. So what we need now is a connection between Dr. R.V. Devulapallianbbhasskar and Mads Schou."
"Is that really her name?" Rebekka asked with a grin. "That's ridiculous."
"I know. I think it's a numerology thing. She seems to be into stuff like that. Crystals and numbers. She kept talking to us about our numbers…it's a whole numbers deal, I don't think I understand it anyway. But I'm certain she’s the one who attacked him and followed him into the street, then pushed him in front of the car. She seems crazy enough to do it. But why was she after him?"
"That's a good question."
"You might want to hear this," Sune interrupted us.
We both looked at him.
"Ward Q currently has three patients that don't exist."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I can't find their names anywhere else, yet they're all admitted to psych Ward Q. I can't even find them in the National Register. They don't exist. One of them is Zelllena Wold."
"Maya," I said.
"Then who are the two others?" Rebekka asked. "Could one of them be Signe Schou?"