“Okay,” Aurora mused.All of that sounded fairly normal, no red flags so far.Then, a sudden thought occurred to her.“And your mother, where is she from?”
“She was born in Grand Rapids.But she passed away eight years ago, nearly to the day.So now it’s only me, Taro and Papa.”
A sudden chill ran down Aurora’s spine.Her own mother had died exactly eight years ago as well.She wasn’t sure if that was an omen or not, but it was definitely something they had in common.She decided to ignore it for now.At least it explained the hitch in his voice earlier.He was obviously very close to his mother.
“I’m sorry,” she said, softening her tone.“That must’ve been hard to lose your mother.”If he were the same age as her, then he would’ve been eighteen when she died, just like her.An impressionable age, where a girl needed her mother.But in someways it’d been serendipitous, because Aurora had officially become an adult and so she’d taken the opportunity to flee the only home she’d known up till then.
“Yeah, I guess.”He kept his voice devoid of any emotion, which only helped her to understand how much genuine feeling he was holding back.“She was ten years younger than Papa.Sometimes I don’t know why she married him.”The last part was said almost to himself, and so she didn't pry.
Aurora slowed the car as they came to turn off, taking the right-hand turn slowly so as not to send the car into a skid.This was the way toward the reindeer farm, and Jiro sat straighter in his seat, eyes focused intently on the road ahead.
“You’ll need to tell me when to turn next,” she said.This was as far as her recollection of where the pin was dropped went.It was up to Jiro now to find his father.They drove past the entrance to Luleå Adventures, and both of them stared at the closed gate as they sailed past.Everything was dark and locked up tight; no one was stirring yet.It was almost as if the gathering of all the locals and the search effort last night had never happened.As if everyone had forgotten a man was missing in the snow.
Jiro went back to focusing on his phone.“Slow down,” he said after five minutes.“The turn will be coming up soon, but it doesn’t seem to be signposted.”They would be well past the boundaries of Dávvet’s property by now.As soon as she had the thought, row upon row of tall, straight pine trees appeared on each side of the road.Sweden had millions of hectares planted with pine trees for the forestry industry.The problem was, some of it was state-owned land, some of it was privately owned, and some of it was owned by large industrial forestry companies.It was impossible to know which category this land fell into unless they saw a sign, or she rang HQ and asked them to research it for her.And she wasn’t about to do the latter.
“It should be here somewhere.”Jiro indicated the roadside to the right, and she slowed the car to a crawl, flicking her headlights up to high beam.“There.Is that it?”He pointed to a small gap between the rows of trees.It looked to be some kind of access road for whatever forestry company owned this land.It was dirt and completely ungraded.She wasn’t sure how far her old Subaru would take them.It was a good solid vehicle, but it wasn’t a four-wheel-drive, and if the road got any worse, they’d definitely have to get out and walk.Just as she turned onto the road, she noticed tire tracks in the snow disappearing up the dark track.They’d been made after most of the snow had fallen early last night, as they were only covered by a light dusting of snow.Which meant the car had probably driven up here sometime after midnight.
“Someone has been here before us.”Jiro said the exact thing she was thinking.
But now she was in a quandary, because if she drove over the top of the tracks, she might ruin any evidence that might help them find out who and what this was all about.Making a quick decision, she stopped the car on the road verge and hopped out.The cold hit her with an icy slap to the face, and she zipped up her jacket.
“What are you doing?”Jiro said, opening his door and standing on the empty road.
“I just need a few photographs,” she replied, waving him back into the car.Using the flash, she took some close-up photos of the tire tracks, hoping that it would be enough to help them find the vehicle that’d made them if need be.Then she hopped back into the car and drove slowly up the incline, following the trail as it led them deeper into the slate-dark woods.Thankfully, the access road remained remarkably drivable.Which meant this plantation was probably owned by private industry, as they tended to keep everything well-maintained.
“Wait, stop.Look over there,” Jiro said.She’d been concentrating so hard on staying on the track and within the two tire tracks, she almost missed a tiny cut-out in the trail up ahead.But the tire tracks told the story; the vehicle must’ve pulled in and stopped next to a locked gate.“This looks about right,” Jiro announced, opening his door before she’d even come to a full stop.“The map shows the pin is a couple hundred meters away, in that direction.”He stood in the glare of her headlights, and she followed where his arm was pointing directly into the plantation.She turned off the ignition and got out of the car, leaving her headlights on so she could survey the area.
Two sets of footprints could be seen leading away through the snow on the other side of the gate.Did one of these sets belong to Kenichi?Or did this confirm they were following two culprits?Should they just follow the footprints?Could it really be this easy?It seemed as if a trail had been left for them to follow.Including intentionally making the tire tracks after the snow had stopped falling, to make it easier to see them.But what was waiting for them at the other end?Were the owners of those footprints waiting for them?Perhaps hiding in the forest with a gun aimed at their heads.
“Come on, then,” Jiro said impatiently, taking a few steps toward the gate.
“Wait.”She held up a hand.She really needed more time to process this.Her brain went immediately to asking what Mårten would do in this situation.Her fingers hovered over the pocket in which her phone sat as she equivocated.But her partner wasn’t here, and it was up to her now to make the decision.She’d come this far; she needed to see this through.This was her first real test as a police officer acting on her own.
She shut off the headlights and closed the car door.They stood beside the car, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness.It was pitch black and as silent as a morgue, except for the icy breeze that whistled in the branches above.It was eerie, and the hair on the back of her neck rose up.She suddenly felt very vulnerable.Protocol dictated she didn’t remove her gun from its holster unless she intended to use it.But these were mitigating circumstances, and she definitely intended to use it if the need transpired.So she unzipped her jacket and withdrew her weapon from the shoulder holster, holding it with the muzzle facing toward the ground.
“Stay behind me at all times,” she whispered, although why she was whispering was anyone’s guess.If there were someone waiting in the trees to shoot them, they would’ve already made it blindingly obvious of their position with the bright headlights of her car.And if there was no one waiting, then there was no need to be quiet.Jiro used the flashlight app on his phone to show them the way.She was tempted to tell him to turn it off, but there was no point in them stumbling around in complete blackness, so she left it.She climbed over the gate a little awkwardly because she was holding the gun in one hand, but she wasn’t about to relinquish it.Then she waited for Jiro to do the same.Beyond the gate was a walking trail, made by whom, she had no idea.But it’d clearly been used and kept clear of any underbrush.The only sounds were the crunch of their boots as they made their way carefully up the walking trail, and her breathing rasping quietly in and out.
After a surprisingly short distance, they emerged from beneath the branches of the plantation into a more open area of natural forest.Aurora’s heart rate ramped up even more until she could feel the pulse pounding in her neck.Where the hell were they going?She disliked this situation more and more with every step they took.Jiro’s impatient presence at her back was the only thing that pushed her onward.He was counting on her.And so was his father.
The trail continued into the woodland, and so she followed it slowly and warily, her eyes darting in every direction.Not that she would see an ambush coming, someone could be standing ten feet away in the dark and she wouldn’t know it.They reached the edge of a clearing, the unobstructed sky above a blessed relief, but she didn’t advance into the open area just yet, as they would become sitting ducks if someone was waiting to pick them off, remaining instead hidden just inside the line of trees.A carpet of soft snow blanketed the clearing, the ice crystals glinting in the reflection from the torch.The footprints led straight across the clearing toward an indistinct, large shape that loomed at the opposite edge of the clearing.An old hunting cabin, perhaps.This might explain the existence of the trail through the plantation, to allow the traditional owners access to their hut.She studied the blocky shape minutely, looking for any movement or shaft of light that might give away someone’s presence.
Jiro touched her shoulder.“This could be it,” he whispered.Yes, she was well aware of that fact.But she wasn’t going to advance until she was as sure as she could be this wasn’t a trap.
“Let’s circle around through the forest,” she whispered back.“Use the trees for cover.And turn off your torch.”The last thing they needed was to wave a red flag to anyone who might be watching.He merely nodded his agreement, turning to his left, trying to find a path through the underbrush, but she pulled him back.Had he forgotten already?He was an unarmed citizen, so it was her job to lead the way.He grimaced as she shot him a look, but stepped aside to let her through.Aurora took a few steps, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light, while trying to stay as quiet as possible.There was a pale strip of indigo on the horizon, heralding the rising sun.It would be many hours yet before it was fully light, but dawn was definitely on the way.
Jiro did a surprisingly good job of staying quiet as they worked their way through the undergrowth.Almost better than her own effort.He had told her he worked in conservation, and so he was probably used to making his little sound as possible while stalking through the wilderness to track down a wolf pack.It didn’t take long for them to work their way closer to the hut.Now she could see it was a rustic building, probably a traditional hunting cabin, perhaps even built hundreds of years ago.She stopped behind a tree about twenty meters from the hut, surveying the area.
Everything looked deserted.Nothing moved.Not even the rustle of a leaf in the wind or the hoot of an owl broke the silence.
“Is he in there?”Jiro hissed from behind her.There was probably only one way to find out, but Aurora wanted to be one-hundred percent sure this wasn't some kind of ambush or trap.
All of a sudden, Jiro rushed past her.“Wait.Stop,” she shouted, but to no avail.Jiro had already wrenched the door open and turned on his flashlight.She ran forward, gun at the ready.“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”She shouldn't have let him get past her.He could be in—
“He’s here,” Jiro shouted, dropping to his knees on the earthen floor beside the prostrate body just as she breached the doorway.Her breath left her lungs in a rush of relief as she saw there was no one else inside the hut.But that didn’t mean they were out of danger.She turned and scanned the exterior, keeping her back to Jiro and gun pointed out at the forest, half expecting someone to charge out of the dark at them.Her breath pounded in her lungs, large puffs of steam on every exhalation filling the air around her.But nothing moved.Everything remained quiet and still.
“Is he alive?”It was a question she dreaded the answer to, but it had to be asked.
There was silence, and Aurora risked a glance over her shoulder.Jiro was crouched low over his father, almost nose to nose with him, fingers feeling at his neck for a pulse.As he did so, he pulled back a thick, woolen blanket; someone had tried to keep him warm.Which meant they intended for him to live through the night.The old man looked to be dressed in the same clothing he would’ve been wearing at the reindeer farm; waterproof pants, boots, and the large cruise-issued jacket that swamped his frail body.Was that and the blanket enough to have kept him warm overnight?Even inside the shelter of the cabin, Aurora wasn’t sure; it was probably the same temperature outside as it was in.Aurora had noticed no other blankets, or sign of a fire in the hut.
