She marched up to a young uniformed officer holding a clipboard. “Give me that,” she said, snatching it off him. Swann nodded as Elea took it from his hands and scribbled down her name. Her shaky writing looked as if a spider had limped across the page. She thrust the log of names back to the officer before turning towards the building. One by one, she took each stepping plate, Swann close behind. She would identify the girl in the ice, and then they would take it from there.
Chapter 43
Liisa
It has been three whole days. I’ve worked out day from night by the sliver of light over my head and the noises of Johanna’s routine. The shuffle of her heavy feet. The cabin door slamming as Mikael leaves for the forest. Every second feels like forever as I sit wrapped in blankets, rocking on the spot. I talk to myself about home. I talk about my family, about how I will decorate my room. Anything to take myself away from here. I think about my friends and my teachers at school. I can feel myself falling behind. I think about survival and what I need to do to stay alive.
My first night in this pit I dug a hole for a toilet and covered it up. The smell makes me so queasy that I force myself to suck on the liquorice that I found in Mikael’s bag of supplies. They make my teeth all furry. I hate the smell of them because they remind me of his breath. But they’re better than the stink of my home-made toilet in this cold underground cave. The roof creaks above me.
Today Johanna’s footsteps are heavy and specks of dirt rain down. It’s in my eyes, my face, my hair. It stops, as does Johanna. I keep my breath low as I listen out for her. My fingernails are thick with soil from when I tried to tunnel my way out. But to where? I’ve already tried escaping. There was nothing but trees and ice. Mikael hasn’t spoken to me again. I relive the last minutes when I disappeared. Could I have done more? Mama would have taken the gun. She would have shot Mikael first, then pulled the trigger on Johanna. Then she would have taken the keys of her yellow car and driven for help. But would she have done it when she was twelve years old? Then I remember that the gun wasn’t loaded in the first place.
My stomach growls from hunger and I am thirsty all the time. Not a regular thirst. There is an itch at the back of my throat that I can’t reach by swallowing as my mouth is so dry. I sip from my bottle of water, but it makes a hollow sound. There’s nothing left but air. I get thrown one bottle a day, and leftovers that always smell funny. I hate fish with a passion. The walls feel like they are getting closer. There’s life in the dirt. Living creatures that crawl on my arms and face when I lie down to sleep. I’m so tired all the time. This morning—at least I think it was this morning—I burned my hand on the heater because I jumped away from a spider. But nobody came when I cried.
She is moving again. My stomach churns as I hear her right above me. She’s pulling at the hatch. That gorilla of a woman is coming for me. Every thought involving her is unkind. I cannot help myself. A plan flashes in my mind, and I don’t have time to work out whether or not it’s a good idea. I lie on my side, eyes shut, playing dead. I feel the light of the hatch behind my closed eyes. Seconds pass as I hold my breath. But I can hear Johanna’s, thick and whistling as it passes through her congested nose.
The edges of the hatch creak and I imagine her leaning on it, her big wide head blotting the light out. If she thinks I have fainted, maybe she’ll set me free. But there are no steps down to this place. I don’t think she can make it here right away, even if she wants to. She grunts as she moves. Can I keep this up? But then I hear a slosh swirling in a bottle of water. I flinch as it hits me in the leg. Johanna barks what I think is a laugh. “Well, well, little mole. I was going to let you out,” she sneers, her words hard and cold. “Playing dead earns you another night in the hole.”
Then the hatch slams above me and the white light goes out. I sit up and let the tears flow. I’m crying, not because I am sad, but out of relief. She’s letting me out soon. I’m not going to die down here. I clasp my small wooden doll to my chest, taking comfort in its pointy edges. I’m getting out.
I awake to raspy voices from above. How long have I been asleep for? The sliver of light is still there. Johanna and Mikael are arguing. But it isn’t the usual shouting match. This is harsh but quiet whispers. I stand as the radio is turned on, my heart fluttering and jumping in my chest. Something is up. What was that? Did I just hear a knock on the cabin door?
Three loud raps. I’m shaking. Help—help is coming. Because nobody comes out this far. There’s somebody out there. Voices. More than one. I listen as the door opens. Then I scream.
Chapter 44
Elea always knew that she could be called to identify her daughter’s body. It’s why she never travelled too far. Australia was out for sure, as was any long-haul holiday. She had travelled to Bangkok once and spent every night checking her phone. She didn’t want to believe that Liisa was dead. She’d never allowed the flame of hope to extinguish. But the small, practical side of her nature had a voice, too. Nobody but her should be granted the task of identifying her daughter’s body when it came down to it.
She saw the pitiful looks from the police officers as she approached the scene. Their quiet reverence was almost too much to bear. She wasn’t having any of it. She delivered a nod of acknowledgement, her face stony. She pulled the forensic mask over her mouth, glancing upwards at the house. What had happened within these walls? He’d been under their noses, but for how long? Could she have made it here sooner?In, out ...She reminded herself to breathe as the stepping plates shifted on the gravel beneath her feet. She was shadowed inside the building. The ground was solid, so why did the world feel like it was still moving beneath her weight? Her footsteps echoed down the long, narrow corridor, the cold air stifling as it wrapped itself around her.
Elea took in her surroundings. Yellow walls. A white dado rail. Pictures of the Lincolnshire wolds. A mop sticking out of a metal bucket near the door. The building was old but clean, the faint smell of bleach hanging in the air. A hush fell as she followed Swann to the end of the corridor.
“Down here,” he said, rustling ahead of her.
Elea kept walking, pausing when Swann stopped.
“Are you...”
“Yes, I’m ready.” Elea gave him a stern look. The one that said it was time to get on with it. They were all on a countdown. Every second mattered. But each step down to the basement felt as if they were a million miles apart. She glanced at the cobwebs lining the old wooden beams. At the stained brown lino on the floor. A dusty wine shelf took up a whole wall, empty apart from cobwebs. Boxes lined the other side, as well as some rusted garden furniture that had been stored away for the winter. The air smelt of damp.
She looked at the CSI officers as they cleared a path for her. There, against the wall, was an industrial-sized chest freezer. There was a dent on the front. Smudges of dirt on the lid. The insectile buzz of its motor as it preserved what was inside. Her throat clicked as she swallowed, her tongue feeling like it was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t speak now, even if she wanted to. Swann gestured to guide her forwards, a world of emotion behind his eyes.
The smell of the mask on her face was making Elea feel sick. She was too confined in this place. The soft creak of the freezer lid focused her thoughts as an officer opened it. She stepped forward. Stared at the sight inside. “Jumalauta,” she whispered beneath her breath. But it was too late for God to help her now. “Can I brush away the ice?” She spoke to the crime-scene officer, looking deep into her grey-blue eyes. Shewas female, from what Elea could tell beneath the confines of her forensic bunny suit.
“Yes,” she said simply, handing Elea a soft brush. “Just the face, if that’s OK.” They needed to preserve forensics for more in-depth examination, but equally an identification was of the essence now.
Elea took in the young girl’s form, forcing her lungs to breathe. The child was lying in a foetal position, head bowed into her knees, elbows by her side. Her feet were splayed upwards in unnatural angles, most likely broken to fit inside the compact space. Her long blonde hair covered her features. Her dress...Elea leaned forward. A light was switched on, making everything glisten. The open door was causing the freezer to ice up and she didn’t have long.
Swann kept a respectful distance as Elea took everything in. White lace and netting, like a communion dress. Like the one Jenny Flynn had been wearing when she was found. It couldn’t be her Liisa...could it? This child, frozen in time. With a shaking gloved hand, Elea gently pulled the frozen strands of blonde hair back from the girl’s face. Another thought jostled for attention. Logistically, itcouldbe Liisa. He could have taken her to the UK when she was alive. He could have found a way to—
Elea exhaled the breath that had been burning her lungs as the girl’s frozen face came into view.
Chapter 45
It had been agonising watching Elea move ghost-like into the room. Swann had seen his wife at her best and her worst and he was in awe of her strength. He wasn’t so sure he could do the same, had it been one of his boys. The room had fallen silent as she leaned in for a better look. Gently she pushed strands of frozen blonde hair away, before sweeping a soft brush over the young girl’s face. He barely dared to breathe as every solemn moment passed. He wished it didn’t have to be this way, but at least if it was Liisa, some closure would be had.
“It’s not her.” As much as she tried to conceal her emotions, Elea’s voice was trembling. “It’s not Liisa.”
“Are you sure?” Swann leaned forward, taking in the child’s preserved face. It was as if she’d been dipped in marble while she was sleeping. Her eyes were closed, her blonde lashes frosted. Her lips blue and thin. Liisa had inherited her mother’s full, plump lips. This child wasn’t her. Even he could see that now.
