“They took on a reindeer experience first, introduced us to their tame herd, and we got to feed them and pat them,” he continued, remembering his joy as he warily stroked the fur of the mythical creatures—almost as if he was waiting for the animals to leap into the air and take off pulling Saint Nick’s sled.But his father’s bad mood remained like a wet blanket around his shoulders, sucking away the delight he felt and replacing it with disappointment.Disappointment with his father for reverting to his predictable, surly self.And disappointment in himself for allowing his father’s bad disposition to affect his own.
“We both decided to do the dog-sled ride next,” Jiro said, stopping his pacing long enough to stare out of the window as memories returned.Sitting next to his father, who said nothing for the whole ride, Jiro had relished the feel of the icy wind brushing past his cheeks, and the sound of the joyful yips from the huskies who obviously loved their job.The huskies reminded him of the wolves he tended at the centre on the outskirts of San Diego.Their yellow, omnipotent eyes that seemed to look right through you.That aura of restrained menace, a feeling of wilderness kept leashed just below their skin.Huskies were domesticated dogs, however, and even though they were bred to work and live in the snow, they still welcomed a human touch.The wolves, on the other hand, could never be trusted.They would always remain a wild animal, which suited Jiro fine, because that’s where they belonged.
“After we finished, everyone returned to the barbecue hut for lunch and a hot coffee to warm us all up.”While Jiro could’ve kept riding that dog sled forever, his sense of duty made him take his father back into the hut so that he didn’t get too chilled.“Later, I decided to take the ice plunge challenge, while my father remained behind to drink mulled wine.He said he might go back and pat the reindeer one more time, but he was done with the cold for now.”Jiro didn’t tell her that he’d used the activity as an excuse to get away from his father.The ice plunge had been a shock to his system, the frosty water only one or two degrees above freezing, sending an immediate, painful ache deep into his bones and making his balls shrivel to the size of raisins.But he was glad he’d done it, as he chatted with the other brave souls who had also completed the challenge back in the thawing warmth of the sauna.He should’ve stayed with his father instead, and that was why the guilt was now eating him alive.It was his fault Kenichi was missing.Instead of being the obedient son and staying by his side, in a fit of pique he’d gone off to have more fun, leaving his father alone and unguarded.
“Hmm.”The constable pouted with that pretty mouth of hers as she mulled over Jiro’s revelations.“So you don’t know whether he went back to the reindeer enclosure?”
“No.I left him sitting on a chair drinking his wine.”Jiro didn’t add that his father had sat alone at the back of the hut for a reason.Not one for making easy conversation, Kenichi hadn’t encouraged anyone to sit with him and hadn’t made any friends on the cruise, preferring to stay within the bubble of his son’s presence.So it wasn’t a complete surprise that no one seemed to have noticed him leave, or known where he went afterward.
“So there would be no reason for him not to want to return to the ship?”
“No, none.He was looking forward to our next stop across the gulf in Oulu, Finland.We only had another three days left on the cruise, and he wanted to make the most of each and every day” Well, he had done up until that phone call had altered everything last night.Had his father changed his mind?Did he not want to continue the cruise?Jiro didn’t know the answer.And then there was the strange voicemail from his brother left on his phone this morning.If Jiro didn’t know better, his brother had been trying to warn him about something, but it was unclear exactly what the threat entailed.He hadn’t had time to return the call, and he hadn’t wanted to broach the subject with Papa and ask if he’d also heard from Taro; any mention of his older brother always brought tension to the room, as if there wasn’t enough tension already.Even if he didn’t say it, his father’s common mantra would hang in the air like a bad smell“Why can’t you be more like your brother?”leaving Jiro to feel less-than, unworthy, like a second cousin.But perhaps he should’ve screwed up his courage and done so anyway.
Should he tell Aurora about his misgivings?Jiro remained undecided.He was making his papa out to be perfectly content on this cruise; a man who was enjoying every moment of life.If he told her about the phone call and his father’s sudden change in mood, she might think he was being overly dramatic.She’d want to know why, and she’d probably want to dig deeper into his past to look for any guide to his switch in demeanor, and he wasn’t prepared to reveal his childhood traumas to this woman.But if he didn’t tell her, might they miss a vital clue that would help them find Papa?
Why was he hesitating?Any normal, loving son would be giving up every detail, no matter how small, in the hopes of helping in the search.If his mother were still alive, Jiro knew he would be doing everything in his power to find his father right now, for her sake.But she’d died eight years ago and taken any vestiges of humanity her father might have harbored with her.
Guilt warred with a sense of duty inside Jiro’s head.Kenichi Nashimori was all about duty and responsibility, and had drummed into both his sons how important it was to respect their elders and their tradition and culture.But Kenichi Nashimori was also a hypocrite in Jiro’s eyes.He demanded respect but never gave any back in return.For most of his life, Kenichi had been a bully and a tyrant, pushing his boys to succeed at all costs.Taro had used his father’s driving forces and thrived, following in his father’s footsteps, starting up an umbrella business selling antique and second-hand furniture, to run alongside the highly successful Nashimori’s Furniture Company.But Jiro had rebelled, going in the complete opposite direction to study conservation at uni, and his father had never got over the disappointment.But he couldn’t let his father die.He would never live down the self-condemnation if he did.And Taro would never let him live it down either.He had a responsibility to tell everything he knew.
Just as he opened his mouth to tell Aurora all that he knew, however, the door to the private sitting room flew open and Inspector Viskten strode in.“You are correct; there is no sign of Kenichi Nashimori aboard this ship,” he said without preamble.“I checked with the security officer, and he has confirmed there is no electronic register of your father coming back on board.”
“Right,” Jiro replied slowly.He hadn’t thought about it at the time, but of course every passenger scanned their key card whenever they disembarked or re-boarded the ship, so they would have an electronic record of who was on board at all times.Not that it was fail-safe; he was sure people could slip on and off without scanning, but they would only do that if they were trying to avoid detection.Had his father been trying to avoid detection?
“I’m sorry, but we will have to let the captain sail this evening as per his schedule.You might want to grab your things from your cabin if you want to stay and help with the search,” the inspector added, and Jiro nodded glumly.
Then he raised his head and said, “So, when can we get back out to the reindeer farm?”
Viskten flicked a quick glance at Aurora.So quick, Jiro might’ve missed it if he wasn’t staring directly at the man.
“What?”Jiro demanded.“What’s going on now?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Viskten said, “I’ve been called back to HQ for another priority matter.And Constable Karlsson is due to finish her shift in half an hour.So, unfortunately, we will have to hand you over to another team.Inspector Dalström will be taking over from here.He and his partner, Constable Moreau, have been briefed and will be waiting for you back at HQ.”
Jiro felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and his shoulders deflated.They were abandoning him already?No, that wasn’t right.They weren’t abandoning him; they were handing him off to someone else, but it still didn’t feel right.It was an irrational thought, he only met the two cops less than a few hours ago, but for some reason they felt like a lifeline between him and his lost father.Now he would have to start telling his story all over again to a brand-new set of ears.What else could be higher priority than a missing seventy-year-old man?
Jiro stood mute, his confusion and anger making it impossible to speak without saying something he’d regret.
“Oh, but…” Aurora spoke for the first time, staring at Jiro with her big eyes, confusion and some other cryptic emotion flitting across her face.Then she turned to Viskten.“I’d like to continue with this case, if that’s okay?”
Jiro’s heart stuttered in his chest.He didn’t know why she wanted to stay; all he knew was he was suddenly desperate to have Aurora remain with him.But would the inspector agree?
CHAPTER THREE
AURORA WAS ALMOST as surprised as Mårten looked when the words left her lips and she asked to be allowed to remain on the case.She hadn’t known she wanted to stay and help with the case until he said it would be handed over to Dalström.Her spontaneous request had been on instinct.It would mean doing overtime, which Mårten would have to ask Rydberg to approve.And it would also mean she’d have to get someone in to make sure her father got his dinner.Drat, she hadn’t thought about that when she’d opened her mouth.Nevertheless, she stood at attention, not letting any emotion show on her face as she waited for Mårten’s reply.
Aurora had watched as Jiro had paced around the small room, working out his agitation with movement.She knew how he felt; she was also one who needed to keep busy, was constantly on the go, had been told more than once by her teacher when she was in school that she needed to learn to sit still.A strange swell of pity had overtaken her as she studied him.Pity and something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.She hadn’t been surprised when he’d suddenly removed his fleece and thrown it on the chair next to his jacket; it was boiling in here.The surprise had come when she found she could barely drag her gaze away from those wonderful muscular shoulders, every contour revealed beneath a skin-tight thermal undershirt.Aurora had never been one to drool over a man before, but heavens above, he was quite yummy.With his dark hair falling over his forehead and his equally dark, tilted eyes flashing with concern, he was like no other man she’d ever seen before.
“If that’s what you want, Aurora,” Mårten replied, snapping her attention back to him.“I can work it out with the boss.I’ll let Dalström know you’ll be joining his team.I’m sure he won’t mind another pair of eyes to help with the search, especially seeing as how you have firsthand knowledge on this case for now.”
“Thank you.”She eased out a breath.This was good.Now she was keen to get going.Keen to get out there and start searching.
“I want you to keep me updated.No matter how late it gets,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder as she turned to retrieve her jacket.She wanted to protest that she would be fine; she knew what she was doing.But she understood she was still his responsibility, and he felt a duty of care toward her.It was probably a small miracle he was letting her do this on her own.But he knew how much she chafed at the bit with wanting to be aproper cop, and he was giving her a chance.He would also know it was an opportunity for her to learn useful search and rescue skills, which was possibly why he’d asked her to come along in the first place.She wondered what important job had called Mårten back to HQ, but didn’t want to ask in front of Jiro, so she went to take another step toward the door.Jiro was still messing about putting his puffer jacket on over on the other side of the room.
“Be careful out there, Aurora.Please.”Mårten’s tone held a slight edge that had Aurora swiveling her head to look at him.His Arctic-blue eyes flashed a warning at her.Then he leaned in and said quietly into her ear, “There’s something strange going on here.I’m not sure he’s telling the complete truth.Keep an eye on him.”That made Aurora take a mental step back.Mårten hated the term gut instinct.He didn’t believe in feelings or intuitions, only cold hard facts, and the wisdom of hard-fought knowledge.So if he was telling her something wasn’t right, she would definitely listen.What was it that Mårten thought Jiro wasn’t telling them?When he’d been detailing their movements out on the farm, she hadn’t sensed he was making any of it up.It felt authentic.But now that she thought about it, there had been a kind of strained tension around him whenever he mentioned his father.She’d reasoned that away as pure fear for what might have happened to his father, but perhaps there was more to it than that.Maybe she’d have a chance to figure it out better once they got to the property.
“Okay.”She nodded her agreement just as Jiro joined them, holding out her jacket for her.
“Are we going?”he asked impatiently.
