They were allready, sitting in the front rows of plastic bucket chairs. The functional space was big enough to accommodate around fifty officers. He waited for everyone to filter in until it was standing room only. Swann walked to the head of the room and stood before the wall-mounted digital screen that dominated the room. It displayed everything from CCTV footage to suspect profiles, but the two large whiteboards that they’d used in their office had also been wheeled in. Swann appreciated technology, but would not allow it to take over. His brain processed physical evidence better than the digital information that flashed up on the screen. One whiteboard covered timelines, the other focused on the victims and their locations to date.
A low murmur served as a backdrop, but there was an air of focus. Superintendent Jessica Collins sidled in. Officers parted to give her space. Swann scanned the room. Almost everyone was here. The forensic team would provide guidance on the evidence being processed, and CSI officers would update them on their finds. The family liaison officer’s job was to support the families involved and liaise with the child-protection unit. They would update on any contact they’d had so far. Then there were the uniformed officers who provided boots on the ground, knocking on doors and giving local reassurance. Eileen was also there: the press officer was a godsend when it came to handling high-profile cases and he was grateful for her help earlier in the day. And Sean, their criminal profiler, would advise on behavioural assessment and patterns.
Deep in Swann’s gut, his intuition nagged. Elea didn’t sleep in. She wouldn’t have missed this for the world. But he was the senior investigating officer, and he was exactly where he was meant to be. He cleared his throat and the room fell quiet.
Chapter 51
Time. Elea needed to buy time. Because as soon as Swann found out where she was going, he would be on her back. The jolt and rumble of the LNER train carriage eased her thoughts as she stared at the Lincolnshire countryside.Anu is alive. Anu is alive.The steady rhythm of the train spoke the words in her mind. Was it really true? If Anu was alive, then where was Liisa? And what about Venla? Elea hadn’t forgotten about her. But she didn’t have a mother, like Anu did. A mother who never gave up hope. Her conversation with Maria had been so short, and attempts to call her back had failed. The most she’d got was a text, saying that she’d see Elea when she got there. It came with a smiley face. The woman must be thrilled. But it was all so odd. Should Elea have rang Heikkinen? He’d be furious when he found out that she knew ahead of him. But she’d made a pact. In her early conversations with Maria, she had told her: friends first, police second. Tragedy buddies. Elea had assured Maria that no matter what happened, she would put Maria’s family first. They had been through enough, after all. But so much time had passed. Had Anu escaped after being held captive in Finland all this time? But what about their suspect? Surely he wouldn’t have just left Anu there. Unless that’s exactly what he did. Perhaps Anu realised that he wasn’t coming back and made a run for it.
There were plenty of stories about victims who had been held for decades and came out of it alive. There was Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten in Austria. She’d escaped after eight years in captivity. Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped aged eleven in California and escaped after eighteen long years. Then there was Colleen Stan, who had been kept in a box underneath a bed and escaped after seven years. These were the stories that gave Elea hope—a candle in the darkest of days. But could Anu really have simply turned up at Maria’s front door? Sophie Miller had got away, proving that their suspect could be careless, but...
Elea sighed as the train came to a slow halt at its first station. Twenty years had passed since Anu had disappeared. It was easier to imagine that Maria was losing her mind. But she’d heard someone call out.Someonewas in Maria’s home. She’d also heard the joy in Maria’s voice. The absolute conviction that her child was back. Because they never stopped being your child, no matter how old they were.
Her phone buzzed with a missed-call notification as the train pulled away from the station. The three-hour journey had never felt so long. She could have driven, but she didn’t trust herself to focus on the roads. She had a four-hour flight ahead of her.This time tomorrow, everything will be out in the open, she thought. The case had gone from utter stagnation to galloping along so fast that she could barely catch her breath. What if Swann found Liisa in Lincoln? Then she wouldn’t be there to— Elea stopped the thought.Identify her. That’s what she was about to think. She clutched at the hope that was still there.The Ice Angels have a connection. Liisa is still alive. The call had been from Swann. Another voicemail. She pressed the phone to her ear: “We need to talk. Call me.” Elea nibbled her lip. She knew Swann. This could be a ploy. She searched her contacts and brought up Mitch’s number, her fingers pecking her phone screen as she tapped out a text.
Any news?She waited for a reply.
Swann is looking for you. Asked if I saw you.
What did you say?
I said no.
Elea exhaled a relieved breath. Good.Any leads?
Lots. But nothing firm. Where are you?
OK. Keep me updated.She ignored his question, but knew it wouldn’t end there.
Where are you? Everything OK?
Elea stared at the screen. She should have come up with a better cover story than she was sleeping late. Her head was so full of Maria and Anu that she didn’t think. She tapped her chin with her fingers.
Emergency dentist appointment.She groaned as she pressed send. It sounded so lame. But if she said “doctor,” Swann would be on her back, asking what was wrong. If she said she was chasing up leads, he’d definitely be hunting her down.
Stay out of trouble. ;-)
Elea smiled at the response. She waited for more, but that was it. He was leaving her alone. This was why she liked him so much. He might have been younger, but Mitch felt like a kindred soul. Now to deal with Swann. She couldn’t ring, because he’d hear the sound of the train in the background. She had no choice but to text.
I won’t be in today. Emergency dentist appointment.
She had barely pressed send when the phone rang. Elea set her phone to silent, watching it buzz angrily in her hand. She just needed a head start. Because as soon as Swann found out about Anu, he’d be on the phone to Heikkinen, who would send his units round. Would that be such a bad thing? But Elea knew Maria. If she had knew where Liisa was, she would have told her by now. Anu was most likely traumatised. Any victim in such circumstances was more likely to speak to family than the police. Elea reminded herself of her pact; she wouldn’t break it now. She slipped her phone into her pocket, ignoring Swann’s texts and calls. In a few hours Anu would speak to her, and her alone. She stowed her phone in her backpack, the lulling movement of the train soothing her thoughts. Every instinct told her that she was doing the right thing.
Chapter 52
Liisa
My screams went unheard. The police hadn’t tried very hard. There were two more visits after they first came to Johanna’s home. The second time they came in and searched the cabin. Johanna must have been expecting it. She seemed to know the woman who came, bringing another officer to help her with the search. But they didn’t find the trapdoor. I wasn’t able to scream that time. Mikael had dragged me into the hole seconds before they arrived, pushing me down ahead of him, where I landed on the mattress with a thud. I couldn’t call out if I wanted to, as the fall had winded me. I couldn’t breathe. Mikael was fitter than me and jumped down, landing on his feet. The hatch was closed, the rug pulled over from above. I drew a breath to cry for help, but Mikael clamped a hand over my face.
“I’ll cut your throat if you bite,” he hissed in my ear, his breath laced with a hateful liquorice stench. The coolness of the blade against my skin was enough to make me stop. “You’re not the first, you know that, don’t you?” he whispered. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will, if you make a sound.”
I had no choice. So we listened, me tasting the dirt on his hand as footsteps rose above. There was laughter. Such a thing was in short supply, and it sounded alien in this space. Doors closed. Briefly I heard a woman—older, perhaps? She spoke in a warm voice and told Johanna to “take care.”
“Listen to me,” Mikael whispered, knowing that Johanna would be back soon. “Listen, if you want to live.”
Then he told me a secret. One that made everything fall away. The cabin door closed. He dropped his hand, and we took each other in. That was the day that everything changed.
Chapter 53
