Rebekka Franck Series Box Set

  I leaned back in the couch. "So you have been killing them, haven't you? You're the one trying to get rid of all the group leaders from back then. You're avenging Edwina and Ole?"

  "Someone had to do something before they did it again. I waited for years for the police to discover the body but that never happened. I waited for them to screw up otherwise, but they never did. I realized I had to get rid of them on my own."

  I looked at Officer Knudsen. He was pale and didn't seem well. A fear struck me. Sune leaned over and grabbed his coffee cup and lifted it up to his mouth. I pushed it out of his hand, causing it to tumble on the carpet.

  "It's in the coffee," I said.

  Sune gasped and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Officer Knudsen looked at me with fear. He was even paler now, almost greenish in his face.

  "We need to get you to the hospital," I said and got up from the couch.

  Then I heard steps on the stairs behind us and turned around. Ole was walking down slowly with a rifle pointing directly at us. My heart started racing.

  "The doctors say he has a slight brain damage," Bjarne said. "They don't know why, but I know. I have talked to specialists about it. His mother had it too. It's from the radiation Edwina was exposed to when she was in her mother's womb. Ole won't get old. He'll probably die from leukemia in ten or fifteen years. He is not going to spend them in jail. He is the only thing I've ever done right in this world. When I asked God to forgive me after that night when we made Edwina pregnant, he told me to go and make things right again. That's what I've done. I've taken care of Ole and now I have avenged his mother."

  Ole walked closer still pointing at us with his hunting rifle.

  "He is a very skilled hunter," Bjarne continued. "He never misses a target, so I wouldn't try anything if I were you."

  "You had Ole do it, didn't you?" I continued. "He knows how to climb the fence and get into the property. He knows his way around and how to avoid the surveillance cameras. He put it in something, the food or something they drink. He did the dirty work."

  Bjarne nodded. "He wanted to. I had to let him do it. My hands are not what they used to be." He lifted his hands. They were shaking heavily.

  I turned and looked at Ole. "You spilled some didn't you? You got it on your fingers and were scared of what it might do to you, you ran through the forest and found a water post. You washed it off there, am I right?"

  Ole nodded. "I spilled some on my finger where I had a wound. I was afraid it would penetrate the skin through it and get into my bloodstream. So I washed it off. All it left was this small rash," he said and showed his finger.

  "What do you want to do with us?" I asked Bjarne. "We need to get officer Knudsen to the hospital immediately. He will die if we don't."

  "I'm afraid you all have to die," Bjarne Larsen said. "As much as I want to, I can't let you leave here knowing the things you do. I just can't."

  CHAPTER 52

  OLE CAME DOWN the stairs still pointing at us with his rifle. Officer Knudsen tried to stand up, but felt too sick and had to sit back down. I spotted his weapon in his belt. He tried to grab for it, but had to bend over and throw up on the couch. Bjarne approached him and took his gun. Then he put it to his head and fired. I screamed as Officer Knudsen sank onto the couch, dead.

  Then I looked at Sune. His eyes were suddenly filled with fear like I’ve never seen before. These people were serious, I realized. They weren't bluffing. Killing a police officer in cold blood like that meant they had no remorse in killing us as well. I turned and looked at Ole. I was breathing frantically now. I knew I had to react within seconds or they would shoot us. Frantically my eyes searched across the room, the dresser, the stairs, the hallway. I spotted the switch behind Ole's back. Then I grabbed a lamp and threw it as hard as I could towards Ole. He bent his head and as he did I sprang for the light switch. When I flipped it the entire room went black. Long live the dark Danish winters, I thought as I felt Sune grab my arm and we ran up the stairs. Bjarne was standing near the main entrance so up was the only way out for us. We jumped the stairs and heard shots being fired behind us. Then we turned the corner and ran into a room. Sune found a dresser and blocked the door with it.

  I was hyperventilating, finding it hard to even draw in a breath. My head was pounding with fear. There was one window in the room, that seemed to be an office of some sort. And underneath it stood Bjarne pointing the sheriff's gun at us. When he spotted me he fired a shot that hit the roof right above us. I jumped backwards. Then I heard knocking.

  Ole's voice was right outside the door. "There is no way out," he said almost giggling.

  I gasped and clung to Sune. "Don't answer him," he whispered. "We'll find a way out." He began searching the room desperately. "There has to be something in here we can use," he said going through closets and looking under the desk.

  "Can't we call for help? We have our phones," I asked.

  "I'm afraid we'll be dead before they get here," Sune said.

  "I'll try it anyway."

  I found my phone and just as I was about to dial 911 Bjarne fired another shot that went straight through the glass and left a perfect little whole through the shattered glass. I screamed and dropped the phone as I watched the bullet land in the wall and leave a small but deep hole.

  Ole started banging on the door causing it to start cracking. A loud noise followed and a huge crack was made in the wooden door. The blade from an axe went through it, then disappeared until it returned after another loud noise and another crack was formed in the door.

  I screamed. "He's getting in!" I yelled and picked up my phone. "Sune, he is destroying the door with an axe!"

  I fumbled with the phone again trying to call when Ole was able to stick his head through one of the cracks and peer through it.

  "Here's Johnny!" he screamed, impersonating Jack Nicholson.

  Soon the hole in the door was so big Ole could manage to get his body in and pull himself up on the dresser. He smiled widely while he stared at us. We were trapped. Then he jumped into the room and knocked Sune over with the end of his rifle.

  I screamed as I watched Sune tumble to the floor unconscious. I approached Ole but he hit me in the face and caused me to fall backwards. My phone landed on the floor next to me.

  He walked slowly towards me with the rifle loose in his hand. Then he leaned over and grabbed my face clutching it between his fingers.

  "I thought I would get my way with you some day," he said. "I knew you would be back for me. I knew you liked it rough. Am I right?" Ole licked his lips. Then he giggled. He put down the rifle and began opening his pants. He pulled off his belt. Then he swung it and slapped it across my chest. I screamed. He kept beating me with his belt while laughing.

  "Feisty one, huh? I like them feisty. Like the Priest in the forest. He liked them wild. I do too. I liked to watch him with them."

  Ole tied my hands with his belt, while I kicked and screamed. Then he began pulling his pants down and taking out his sex. He touched himself while moaning. "I'm almost ready for you," he said. He looked like he was feeding off my fear.

  I heard Bjarne yell from outside, but Ole never answered him. He started fumbling with my jeans. I tossed and writhed my body trying to kick him but it was no good. He was too strong.

  Dear God please don't let this happen. Please don't let him do this to me.

  I let out as huge scream but he covered my mouth with his hand and got on top of me. He pulled down my pants and stuck in his hand and started touching me. I groaned, tried to get my mouth free, tried to bite him, but had no luck. I moved desperately. I tossed and screamed, but nothing but a muffled sound came out.

  I began crying, almost giving up when I saw movement behind Ole's back. I watched Sune as he got to his feet, grabbed the rifle and hit Ole with the shaft so hard it made a cracking sound when it hit his head. Ole fell to the ground bleeding. Sune removed the belt and grabbed my hand and after I had picked up my phone he helped me climb the dress
er. We sprinted to the stairs and jumped down the steps. When we reached the bottom, Bjarne came walking in the door, pointing the gun at us.

  "Lose the rifle," he said to Sune.

  Sune obeyed. Carefully he bent to the floor and put it down.

  "Now kick it over here to me," Bjarne said.

  Sune did as he was told. I felt rage growing inside of me. Exploding rage. Bjarne moved closer and picked up the rifle. He put it in the corner.

  "Don't you understand that I was only doing you all a favor?" he asked walking closer to us. "You should all be thanking me."

  I was breathing heavily while a million thoughts ran through my mind. I remembered having taken a self-defense class once. If only he would come close enough, I thought and stared at him while he walked. Just a few more steps. Bjarne kept talking about how they had all deserved it for doing what they did to that poor girl. Just one more step. As he came closer and closer he lifted the gun towards my head, ready to pull the trigger as soon as he was done talking. I calmed myself down by breathing steadily, thinking only of getting back to Julie. Then I lifted my hand as fast as I could, stuck out my pointer finger and jammed it as hard as I could directly into Bjarne's eye. When he recoiled while whining I kicked him as hard as I could in the crotch. While Bjarne bent over and dropped the gun Sune managed to hit him on the jaw and the blow forced him to the ground, unconscious.

  Then we ran to our car as fast as we could.

  CHAPTER 53

  WE CALLED THE police from our car and told them to go to Bjarne Larsen's house immediately. There was a dead police officer and two unconscious murderers. I told them we were going to the hospital and they could find us there for our statement later.

  "There is something important we need to take care of first."

  Soon I heard sirens wailing in the distance and for the first time in many hours my heart calmed down. I just hoped they would get to Bjarne's house before he and his son woke up.

  Arriving at the hospital I ran straight to the reception and asked for the Director of the SIS, Gunnar Moll. I pulled out my press-card. I knew he was there to clean the church members and check them for radiation exposure, I told her.

  "He knows who I am. You can call him if you want."

  "Fourth floor, department 5432," the receptionist told us.

  We ran for the stairs, jumped them and burst into the hallway. A nurse tried to stop us.

  "This is restricted area," she said.

  "I need to talk to Gunnar Moll immediately," I said, panting from running up the many stairs. "It's very urgent."

  "I'm right here. What's going on?" I heard Gunnar's voice behind the nurse. "Rebekka Franck? What happened to you?"

  That was when I realized I probably looked like a homeless person. My clothes were torn, my face beat up by Ole.

  "I don't have much time. I might even be too late. Isabella Dubois. Where is she? We know who the killer is, who gave them the polonium, and we know she is his last victim. We need to stop her before she gets sick."

  "She's in her room," he said. "She has refused to participate in any of this. We haven't even been able to wash her let alone take her blood test."

  "I need to see her," I said. "I need to warn her."

  "Sure. I'll show the way." Gunnar Moll started walking. He stopped in front of a door. "She's right in here. If you could get her to cooperate with us then I would be very grateful. She has this idea that she doesn't need our help."

  "I'll try," I said.

  Carefully I pushed the door open and entered her room. Isabella was kneeling on the floor with her head bowed. She looked pale and weaker than last time I saw her. Between her hands she was holding her silver crucifix. She lifted it and was about to kiss it.

  "Stop!" I screamed.

  I ran towards her. She turned her head and stared at me. "It's on the crucifix," I said breathing heavily. Isabella looked at her silver crucifix then dropped it to the floor. Gunnar Moll came in behind me.

  "It just struck me now," I said. "They all carry these crucifixes and they kiss it several times a day. Bjarne knew that, so he had Ole dip the crucifixes in the polonium 210 powder. That way he could control who was exposed to it. When they kiss it, it enters via the mouth when they lick their lips. Every day they received a small dose, just enough to one day make their bodies sick, but not enough to make it easy to trace."

  Gunnar Moll put on a plastic glove then picked up the crucifix. "We'll have it checked right away," he said and gave it to a nurse who sealed it and left the room in a hurry. Gunnar Moll put his hand on Isabella's shoulder. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "We need to have your blood checked immediately," he said.

  Isabella Dubois nodded heavily. Then she started crying.

  CHAPTER 54

  ONLY A FEW days later we were all back home in Karrebaeksminde again. Dad was feeling better and the doctor told him that the medicine, the Dimercaprol, seemed to be working on him. They still couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't eventually get sick from the exposure to the polonium, but so far his body seemed to be doing fine.

  My dad accepted that and decided to live like every day was his last.

  "Well I always do that anyway," he said laughing on the way home in the car. "Cause when you pass seventy, every day could be your last, right?"

  "I'm so happy to have you back," Julie said and hugged his arm.

  The house and the town hadn't changed, we were happy to realize. We hadn't been gone long, but it felt like forever, like everything had changed in us with all we had been through. If nothing else, then it had certainly brought us closer together. Even Sune and I who enjoyed each other even more than before. I decided to stop over thinking everything and just live life.

  I talked to Jens-Ole as soon as we got home and had unpacked. I told him I had a great story for him, unlike anything he had ever published in his paper. He listened very carefully as I explained what had happened to the sect and the members.

  He was in a state of shock when I was done, I could tell by his long silence.

  "So do you want it or not?" I asked.

  "Are you kidding me?" he answered.

  I laughed. "Thought so. I'll write it tomorrow. Today we're unpacking."

  "That's a deal," he said.

  Then we hung up. I stared at my wonderful family who were already playing some board game in the kitchen, very loudly discussing a rule that Julie and Tobias weren't agreeing upon. Sune sneaked up behind me and hugged me tight. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it.

  "It's good to be back home," I mumbled.

  Sune kissed my neck. "Mmm," he said.

  "Case is closed," I said while enjoying his kisses and touches. "Ole and Bjarne are in the hands of the police now."

  He stopped and looked out the window. "I do still wonder what happened to the body of Edwina, though," he said.

  "Yeah. Me too," I answered.

  We both went quiet for a little while. Sune was staring out the window at the snow that was still falling slowly from the sky. It had been snowing all day, it felt like it wasn't going to stop. They had just managed to clean the roads enough for us to be able to drive home. By the next morning they would be blocked once again if it continued.

  I thought about Isabella for a second. The doctors didn't know if she was going to make it or not. She had been exposed to a big dosage of polonium, the test results showed, but how severe it was they didn't know when we left the hospital with my dad. Time would show if she could survive it and if she would be healthy enough to be prosecuted for what she had done.

  "Say, do you still want that baby?" I asked. I was surprised to hear the words come out of my mouth so I really couldn't blame Sune for being astonished as well.

  He froze completely. Then he looked at me. "Why are you asking this now?"

  I shrugged with a laugh. "Don't know. Guess all this made me think."

  "Think about what? Having babies?" Sune looked at me like I had gone mad.

  "No. About how s
hort life is, silly. About taking the chances life gives you."

  "Ah, a little like 'Life gives you lemons so make lemonade,' is that it?"

  I pushed him gently." I'm serious here," I said. "Maybe we should do something. Maybe we should embrace our love by making our family bigger."

  Sune grabbed me and pulled me closer. "I have an idea," he said.

  I kissed his arm holding me tight. "Mmm?"

  "How about we try and move in together first? Then see what happens from there? What do you say to that?"

  I smiled widely, then I kissed him on the lips. He closed his eyes and tasted the kiss for long after it was over.

  "I say it is a wonderful idea," I whispered while our faces were still close together.

  Sune kissed me again. Then Tobias called him from the kitchen. Sune kissed me one last time then went in there to help him. The kids were discussing wildly. It made me chuckle. I looked at my phone. I had changed the picture to one of my dad holding the kids. Still having him in my life was truly a gift. I sighed and shut off the phone when someone suddenly knocked on the door. It was a heavy knock, not a gentle one and made me jump slightly. I looked through the peep hole then opened the door.

  "Peter?"

  Peter smiled and gesticulated. "I'm back," he said. "In a better shape than ever." He sighed deeply with a wide smile. I felt confused, startled. He looked great.

  "I'd like to see Julie if I may?"

  EPILOGUE

  ESTHER PETERSEN was walking through the forest. Why she didn't know but she knew she was searching for something, maybe even someone. It was pitch dark between the pine trees yet she knew how to find her way. She followed a trail on the ground. It looked like small footsteps, made by someone with small feet, maybe a child. They were glowing in the dark night, casting a green light for her to follow. Deeper and deeper she went into the dark forest. She felt scared when she heard an owl in a tree and when she thought she heard a dog bark in the distance. It was full moon and every now and then she could see it through the moving clouds in the sky, and every now and then it would peek through the trees and light her way. She didn't know why she knew she was supposed to follow these glowing footprints, only that she knew she had to. She had this urgent feeling that this was very important, it was crucial even - that she followed them till the end.