Why was his brother ringing?He squinted even harder until he could make out the time.It was actually ten past six in the morning, not midnight, as he had first thought.Which would make it around ten p.m.back in LA.
“Hello.”His voice was croaky when he answered, and he cleared his throat a few times before he tried again, saying, “Hello, Taro, is that you?Thank God you finally called.”He’d tried to phone Taro a few times last night, but had only managed to get his voicemail.Not wanting to break the news that their father was missing through a voicemail, he’d left a brief message requesting Taro call him back as soon as possible.
There was an extended silence on the other end of the phone, and Jiro was beginning to wonder if it was actually Taro on the other end of the line when his brother finally spoke.“I know that Papa is missing.”Taro cut straight to the chase, his voice sounding flat and strange, completely unlike his normally confident, upbeat tone.
How could he already know?Jiro hadn’t told anyone back in the US yet; he’d been hoping against hope that Papa would be found safe and well and he wouldn’t have to be the bearer of bad tidings.
As Jiro struggled to keep up with the conversation, Taro continued, “You need to listen to me very carefully.I know where you can find Papa.You need to get to him as soon as you can.Do you have a car?Some sort of transport?I’ve got the coordinates.I can send them to you now.”
For what felt like eons, Jiro’s mind refused to process everything his brother had just told him.Finally, he said the first words that came into his mind.“What the hell, Taro?”he demanded.“What are you talking about?I haven’t been able to get hold of you.I tried to call multiple times last night to let you know Papa was missing.And now you’re telling me you knew all along?How?I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t understand, but I can’t tell you the details over the phone.You’ll just have to trust me.I’m booked on the next flight to Sweden.I’ll be there in twelve hours.I’ll tell you all about it then.”
“What the fuck is going on?”Jiro exploded, his voice rising in pitch so that he was nearly yelling.
“I know this is all hard to take in.But, Jiro, you need to stop asking questions and do as I tell you.Papa’s life is at stake here.”
Taro didn’t need to remind him that their father’s life could be in the balance; he knew all too well.He’d been the one out there in that freezing cold weather, worrying himself sick about how his father might survive.A ping sounded on his phone to alert him that a message had just arrived.
“I don’t have time to argue with you.I’ve sent you the GPS coordinates of where Papa can be found.I believe it’s not too far from the town where you’re staying.You need to get out there now,” Taro continued.
Jiro stared at his phone, his brain still slow to comprehend what Taro had sent him.He clicked on a link in the message, and it took him to a spot on Google Maps.Jiro zoomed out the map until he found the town of Luleå.The little red pin on the map showed a place on the outskirts of town in an isolated agricultural area.There seemed to be no houses or buildings in the area.Was it even in the same vicinity as the Luleå Adventures farm?Jiro couldn’t tell; he needed more time to study the map.
None of this made any sense.How did his brother know where their father was?Had the old man somehow managed to send him the coordinates of where he was?It seemed highly unlikely.Both he and the police had tried numerous times to contact Kenichi on his phone, but it was turned off, or out of range.And one of the first things Inspector Viskten had done even before they went back to the cruise ship last night, was to request a location find on Kenichi’s phone, which had come back with his last known position at the barbecue hut on the reindeer farm.So it seemed the only alternative would be if someone else had sent Taro the coordinates.Jiro’s mind jumped to the most obvious conclusion.“What are you saying?Was Papa kidnapped?Is he being held for ransom?”And if so, for what reason?Kenichi had no enemies as far as Jiro knew.But Taro, on the other hand, might have plenty.
“I, ah…” There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
Jiro had always had his suspicions about what Taro might be up to.He knew his business wasn’t as legitimate as he made it out to be.Taro was making too much money.The antique and second-hand furniture business brought in a good income, but not nearly as much as Taro seemed to be spending.His lifestyle had spiraled out of control recently.He was living in a ten-million dollar mansion, and he and his wife were both driving high-end luxury cars.It was one of the things he and Papa argued about.Jiro was convinced Taro was living way beyond his means, either that or money was coming in from somewhere else.Somewhere like the black market.Or perhaps even underworld dealings.Papa wouldn’t believe him, and so in the end Jiro had stopped trying and dropped the subject.Because Jiro lived in San Diego now, he saw his brother less often, and so it’d become harder for him to judge what was going on in his life.
“Aurora,” a tremulous voice called out, echoing down the corridor.“Aurora, vad som händer?”
Shit, he’d forgotten about the old man asleep in the room next door.The last thing he wanted was to wake him up and cause him undue stress.
He bounded out of bed and began throwing clothes on, leaving his phone on speaker on the bed.He didn’t know what was going on.Didn’t know how Taro knew where to find Papa.But all those issues paled into insignificance with the single thought driving Jiro onward.He had to get to that GPS position right now.If his father was still alive—if he’d survived a night in these freezing temperatures—then he needed to get to him now.
“One more thing, Jiro.”His brother’s disembodied voice drifted from the phone.“No police.You can’t involve the police, not under any circumstances.They made this very clear to me.”
Jiro stalled with one leg half-way into his jeans.“Wait.Who made it clear?”Then, a second thought occurred to him.“Why no police?Should I be worried?Is this some sort of trap?”Was he in danger?By not involving the police, Taro was making a clear statement.There was something underhanded going on here.And what would happen if the police showed up?Would that forfeit his father’s life?
“No.I promise you, it’s no trap.This was a message meant for me.It’s not about you.You just need to get going.Right now.”
That just confirmed Jiro’s fear—that this was something to do with Taro and his dodgy dealings.“Okay, okay,” he breathed.He wasn’t sure if he believed Taro, but he knew he would go to that spot on the map anyway, danger or no danger.But there was one thing he hadn’t yet told Taro; it was a little too late for not getting the police involved.
He was just about to open his mouth and tell Taro he’d already been to the police station and that he was currently sleeping in one of the constable’s houses, when two things happened.Taro abruptly ended the call, and Aurora opened the door to his room without knocking, the look on her face saying she had heard at least some of that phone call.
“I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not,” she said firmly.She’d obviously come straight downstairs when she heard her father cry out, and was dressed in pretty pink and white striped pajamas, the flannelette kind.Her hair hung long and was tousled from sleep, with one side of her bangs sticking out at an odd angle.She didn’t look dangerous, not at all like the tough cop she usually presented to the world.She looked very young and naïve, her eyes wide and unguarded.In that moment, he felt something tighten in his chest.It was a feeling he couldn’t put his finger on, but it made him want to demand that she stay here, where she could look after the needs of her father, where it was safe.And not come out into the frozen wilderness with him, where danger might lurk.Which was ridiculous.She was a cop; it was her job to protect other people.She wasn’t the one who needed protection.Why then did he suddenly, desperately, not want to get her involved in this any more than she already was?
He still had one leg halfway into his jeans, and now he had to hop around to keep his balance.“Shit.”He managed to sit on the bed before he fell, finally being able to pull up his pants.“No, you can’t,” he said, avoiding looking directly at her as he grabbed his phone from the bed and sweater and thermal top from where they lay on top of his duffel bag.All the rest of his clothes—beanie, gloves, shoes and jacket—were in the mudroom.He needed to get them on and get out of here as quickly as possible.Away from here so she couldn’t follow him.Maybe he could call an Uber.He wasn’t game enough to ask if he could use her car; he already knew the answer to that one.
“Stop right there.”Her small palm landed squarely in the middle of his bare chest, and he pulled up short.He was much bigger than she was, taller and stronger.He could’ve pushed past her if he’d wanted to.But that one little touch had him pinned to the spot.Her hand on his skin was warm, and a trickle of awareness ran through him as he glanced down to look at her fine-boned fingers as they curved around his pec.“Who was that on the phone?”she demanded, dragging his focus back to her face.
He stared down into her deep-brown eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of her skin on his.“My brother.”He could see no harm in telling her who it was.It would make no difference whether she came with him.She wasn’t coming, and that was final.
“Okay.”She digested that news thoughtfully, and he wondered what she made of it.As a cop, she would probably know better than most that families could hide many secrets, and so maybe she wasn’t as surprised as she should be to hear his brother was involved.“And how do you even plan on getting to your father without a car?”
“I was going to call an Uber.”
Aurora snorted, the sound loud in the quiet house.“Go right ahead.”Her fingertips flexed against his chest as she pushed a little harder.“Go on.”She pointed to the phone he now held in his hand.“I guarantee that if you actually get one to come out here this early in the morning, it will be at least an hour before it arrives.Do you really want to wait that long?”
