"Peter don't … It doesn't mean I don't love you as well. It's just not that simple for me. I can't just stop caring for a person like that. I'm not like you. I can't turn off my love like a faucet."
Right before he walked out the door to the kitchen, Peter turned around and looked at me. "Do what you want to today. Go see him. See if I care. I'll be in my studio painting."
"Peter … don't be …" But it was too late. He had left.
46
August 2012
Karl Persson soon proved to be an interesting contact. After meeting at the bar, they had moved on to another bar, then another and, by nighttime, they were both so hammered they could hardly stand up straight.
Henrik crashed at Karl's place. A small basement in an old house from the seventies. He woke up on the couch with a serious hangover to the sound of the TV. He opened his eyes and looked straight into the eyes of Karl.
"Wakey wakey, hands off snakey," Karl grinned.
Henrik growled and sat up. With only one eye open he looked at the TV screen.
"What's going on?"
"You're famous," Karl shrieked. "They found your girl. Genius to make it look like it was the organ thief by the way."
Henrik growled again. He hadn't really thought of it as a cover up, but it was kind of effective, though he didn't like the idea of giving the feminists the credit or even more attention. That was what they wanted wasn't it? That was their purpose to it all, wasn't it? To get some lame point out to people. Exactly what the point to it all was, Henrik couldn't figure out, but they didn't fool him. As soon as he found their leader, he was going to ask her about it. He was going to get her to explain everything.
Right before he killed her.
"How do you know it wasn't the organ thieves?" Henrik asked.
"It's not his style. This one reeks of desperation, of frustration and anger. Plus the organ thief would never pick someone in her own home. He's only after businessmen on trips being unfaithful."
"How do you know? And why do you keep talking about it as if there is only one? The police seem to think it is an entire group."
Karl clapped his hands in excitement. "Because I know him."
Henrik opened both his eyes widely. "You what?"
"Yes," Karl said with a shrill voice. "I know the organ thief."
"How? How do you know him?" Henrik asked.
"I talk to him on a daily basis. Remember last night when you asked if there were others out there like you and me?"
Henrik remembered asking if there were others out there like Karl, not himself. I'm not like you, you crazy imbecile.
"Yes. Vaguely."
"Well, I answered that we often chatted with one another. That's how I know him and others just like him. We support each other, we help each other out."
Like a support group from hell or what?
"You do? How? How do you get in touch with this organ thief? How do you find him?"
Karl clapped his hands again and jumped in excitement. He pulled out an old laptop and placed it in Henrik's lap. "His name is Bill Durgin. He's new to the chat forum, but I speak with him almost every day. He always writes right before a kill, when he is sitting in the hotel bar waiting for his victim. He especially looks for businessmen who pick up women and bring them back to hotels. If you look at the screen you'll see his latest writing."
Henrik looked at the screen. Karl had been writing in the chat room all morning while Henrik was still asleep. Someone called Alex Andreyer had answered. And then there was one message from the one called Bill Durgin. Henrik read it.
I didn't kill those women. Someone out there is impersonating me.
Don't be so angry about that, a Thomas De Quincey answered. It just means you have the public's attention. You are someone people want to be. Someone people out there are trying to copy. Only the biggest artists are being copied. Be proud.
"Who's that Thomas De … Quincey?" Henrik asked.
"He's the one who came up with the whole thing. He created the secure chat room. We were shut down a month or so ago when the police discovered us because of some lunatic named Allan Witt who went berserk, but Thomas created a new page for us, even more secure than the first. He's the real genius here. His art by far excels any of what the rest of us are doing."
"So, he is the leader? He is the one telling you what to do?" Henrik asked.
"Well, not exactly. He has set up some rules for us to follow so we won't get caught. He helps us out to become all we can be and not get stopped by the police. He helps us with details when we come to him and ask for his help. He makes sure we don't screw up. He has killed more people than any of us. We draw on his expertise, so to speak."
"What's in it for him? Why is he doing it?" Henrik asked.
"We donate a sacrifice to him," Karl said. On TV an officer was talking to the reporter in front of Barbara's apartment.
"A sacrifice? What kind of sacrifice?"
"We donate something. It can be the body of our first kill, or a body part, or photographs or something like that. But it has to be something big. Something that characterizes us as killers and why we do it."
Just when I thought the world couldn't get any crazier?
Henrik rubbed his forehead wondering what he had gotten himself into. He scrolled the chat and stopped at a message send by Karl earlier in the morning. He read it while Karl watched TV, grinning from ear to ear.
Caught myself a little something last night. Will have fun with him for a while, then cut him to pieces and eat him for dinner tonight. My first male. Thought it was about time I progressed. Wish me luck.
47
August 2012
Sune looked at lot better when we arrived at the hospital. He was sitting up when Tobias and Julie ran to him and crawled into his bed.
"Easy there kiddos. He just had surgery," I said.
Sune chuckled and hugged the both of them.
"Wow, you look great," I said and placed a bouquet of flowers in a vase next to him. "You even have some color in your cheeks again."
"I feel a lot better. How has he been?" He said and touched Tobias' hair.
"I think he is fine. A little worried last night and found it hard to fall asleep, but being with Julie helped a lot, I think."
"I'm fine Daddy," Tobias said. Julie laughed, acting silly, and Tobias copied her.
I smiled, enjoying watching them together again. I missed it.
"Those two have been inseparable ever since I brought him home."
Sune looked at me. Our eyes locked. I felt warm. A stirring grew inside of me. "Thank you," Sune said. "Thank you for all you have done."
"It's no problem, really. It's nothing. The least I could do."
Sune grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. "I don't think it's nothing."
Julie jumped down from the bed and pulled my shirt. "Mommy. Can Tobias and I go out in the hallway and play Mindskill on your phone? I want to show him something."
I looked at Sune. "Don't you think Tobias wants to be with his dad a little?"
"It's okay," Sune said. "Let them have their fun."
"Okay then. Just don't leave the floor, alright?"
They both promised. I gave them my phone and they stormed out the door. I pulled a chair close to Sune and sat down.
"So I was planning on calling officer Jansson later today," I said. "You know to hear how they're doing on catching those who did this to you and all. Did you hear there was another case?"
Sune looked at me, then shook his head. "No I've been kind of busy with getting well and all."
"Of course, no, I'm silly. It was another woman. That makes it two women who were both killed in their own apartments and three men who were attacked in hotel rooms. It's weird I think. There is something I don't quite understand. Why bother with the hotel rooms where you could easily be spotted if you might as well go inside someone's apartment and take their organs. And another thing, in both cases with the women, the attacker didn't take any of their organs at all. H
e just opened them up and cut the organs loose. In the second case, the body had been more chopped with a knife than cut professionally. It is very unlike what happened to you and the kidney-guy." I paused and looked at Sune who was avoiding my eyes.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm being insensitive here."
"No. I like to hear you talk, but …"
I interrupted him. "I was thinking that maybe you could help me learn more by hacking into the police files? Or maybe … no you're too tired."
Sune sighed and looked at me. "If it's important to you, I'll do it."
I grabbed my laptop and put it on Sune's lap. "Well it's not only important for me, it's important for you too."
I flipped through a magazine while he let his magic fingers dance across the keyboard.
"There you go," he said. "I'm in. Now I'll take a nap if you don't mind."
"No go ahead. I'll just go through it."
Sune turned around to try and sleep.
"This can't be right," I said.
Sune turned and looked at me.
"I'm sorry," I said. "You're trying to sleep. I'll be quiet."
He forced a smile. "No. I can tell you are dying to tell me what it is Rebekka. Go ahead."
I jumped up from the chair and put the laptop on his lap again. "See this? Look at the names here and there."
"They are the same. So what?" Sune asked.
"These are the names of the women who were killed and the women sleeping in the hotel rooms with two of the victims. Apparently, the rumors were right about Henrik Fenger. He wasn't alone as he claimed to be. But, don't you see? They are the same two women."
Sune looked at me. "So what do you think this means?"
"Well, it's strange, isn't it? It can hardly be a coincidence, can it? The same two women?"
Sune shrugged. "Who knows?"
I grabbed the laptop in my hands and scrolled more, then opened a new file and gasped.
"What?" Sune asked.
"The body of Martin Damsgaard has gone missing."
"Excuse me?"
"You know, the guy who died after having his liver taken. Look here," I said and showed him the screen. "The police believe someone broke into the forensic department in Aarhus where he was being examined and stole the body of Martin Damsgaard a couple of nights ago. There was no sign of breaking and entering, though." I paused and thought for a second. "Hm, there was no sign of breaking and entering in the apartments of the women either."
"It's all very interesting, Rebekka, but …"
"I wonder if there is a connection to the disappearance of the bodies of the kings from the churches?"
"Why on earth should there be a connection to that?" Sune sounded tired now. He rubbed his eyes.
"I don't know, but it's strange right?"
Sune exhaled deeply. "Maybe it's just me because I’m really tired, but I honestly don't care, Rebekka."
"Don't care? How can you say that? These people attacked you while you were asleep. They sedated you and took your spleen. They almost killed you. You almost bled to death. How can you not care?"
Sune closed his eyes. "I just don't. Not anymore. It's not worth it."
"Not worth it? Hello? Where is the real Sune and what have you done with him?"
"Very funny, Rebekka," Sune said with a tired voice.
"Don't you want to catch these thieves or at least help the police catch them? Don't you want them put away for what they did to you?" I asked.
Sune looked at me. There were tears in his eyes, but he tried to repress them. "Don't you see it doesn't matter anymore? All I care about right now is getting well. And then I want to take my son and go home."
I couldn't believe my own ears. What was going on? This was so unlike him. "But we are so close. I feel that we are so close to finding who is behind all this."
"Rebekka. I really don't want to talk more about this. And I don't want you to come and pretend to be interested in me or pretend to be caring or whatever it is you're doing here."
"What I am doing here? I'm trying to help you out. I do care about you, Sune. You know I do," I said.
Sune looked at me. The look in his eyes felt like a knife to my heart. "Who are you kidding here? Who are we kidding? I'm sick of this. I'm sick and tired of this life going back and forth with you, thinking one moment that you want to come back, knowing in the next that you never will. Do you think this is easy for me Rebekka? Do you think it is easy for me to be around you constantly?"
"What are you saying?"
"I get that you have a hard time choosing between me and Peter so I'm going to make it easy for you. Leave and don't come back. I'm going to quit my job at the newspaper and go away with Tobias, leave Karrebaeksminde. There, I made the choice for you. Now leave."
48
July 2011
Anna tried hard to hold back her tears. She was sitting outside Michael's office waiting for him while his secretary was on the phone. She looked down at the 60GB memory stick in her hand that she so sincerely hoped would help save the life of her beloved son.
Valdemar had gotten a lot worse just in the last month, since Anna had received the news from the doctor and waited to gather the courage to face Michael for the first time since the day he left to be with his other family.
Back then, he had offered to help them financially, but Anna had refused to take any of his money. And, up until now, they had done fine without him; to be frank, life had been much easier without him. It was only the hurt in her son's eyes that reminded her that Michael had once been in her life. Back when he left, she had thought she would never see him again, especially never be asking anything from him again.
It was like life was laughing at her right now. It was the cruel irony of destiny that she now had to beg him for something again. It felt so humiliating, so demeaning.
Anna took in a deep breath to calm herself down. When she was about to leave the house, she went upstairs to say goodbye to Valdemar who had spent most of the week in bed. He was lying on his back coughing heavily as she entered. She kneeled next to him fighting her tears.
"I'm leaving now, sweetie. Wish me luck."
Valdemar had tried to laugh, but it ended in another cough attack. The doctor had told them he only had ten percent of his lung capacity left now. Valdemar looked at her while breathing heavily. Oh, how she hated that sound, that wheezing, hissing sound he made when he gasped for air. All night she would lie awake listening to him in the room next door, worrying about him, thinking at least he was still breathing and fearing the day the sound stopped and all she would wish was for it to start again.
"Why are you going there anyway? It's a waste of your time," Valdemar said, out of breath. He paused and took in a deep breath. "He's not going to say yes. What has he ever done for us?"
"I know it's a long shot. But, he is, after all, your father. I loved him once, remember? Enough to marry him, enough to have a child with him."
Valdemar coughed and wheezed. "He's a worthless bastard, that's what he is."
"I know, sweetie. But he's our only hope right now."
Valdemar breathed with trouble. His nostrils moved when he breathed in air. "I have something I want you to bring to him," he said. "I want you to show him my game." Valdemar held up a memory stick in the air with his toes and handed it to Anna.
Anna looked at her boy and stroked his hair gently. Her handsome, sweet boy. All he ever wanted in life was for his daddy to accept him, to love him. Still now, as a teenager, sick with a deadly disease, that was all he could think about.
"It's all on this. Promise me you'll show it to him, will you?"
"Of course, sweetie." Anna leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I promise you I will."
Valdemar closed his eyes to rest. Anna stayed and watched him breathe. A tear fell from the corner of her eye and rolled across her cheek. Oh how she wished she could just give him both of her lungs. She had pleaded with the doctor to take hers and give them to him, but the doctor had said
it wasn't legal, that she would die. Anna had said it didn't matter, but still, the doctor refused.
"Mr. Jacobsen is ready for you now, Mrs. Kragh," the secretary said and pulled Anna out of her reverie.
"Thank you," Anna said and walked towards the door. With a deep breath she put her hand on the handle and pulled it down.
Michael wasn't even looking up when she entered.
"Hello Michael," she said.
49
August 2012
Karl Persson was still grinning when Henrik closed the lid of the laptop.
"So, aren't you proud?" he asked and pointed at the TV where they were still talking about the death of Barbara Rasmussen. "You're all over the news. Gives quite the kick, doesn't it?"
Henrik shrugged and put the laptop away. "I guess."
"Aw, come on. Don't be so modest. I know how it feels. Usually I make sure no one ever finds the bodies, but it happened to me once that my kill made the news. I remember feeling like the king of the world. The entire country was appalled by what I had done. Everybody was talking about the dismembered body of a teenage girl that had been found in a dumpster. Chopped into small pieces. The public ate it all raw. Fascinated and repulsed at the same time, they were all glued to the TV. That was back in the late eighties, back when a killing like that was a huge thing and would be in the news for weeks. Nowadays, it drowns in all the other bad stuff. You'll have to do some real nasty stuff to impress the news. Like the organ story. That's new. Never been seen before. I tell you, this Bill Durgin is a genius."
Infuriated by Karl's last sentence, Henrik stared at the screen. A reporter was talking to the anchor while yellow signs were flashing in the bottom BREAKING NEWS - Woman killed in her home by the organ thieves last night.
Henrik didn't care one bit about all this. All he kept wondering was how he was going to get out of this apartment alive. This lunatic was dangerous and, right now, planning on killing him and chopping him into pieces. Henrik looked around and saw no knives or other deathly weapons. Karl was still grinning like someone who had just won the lottery.