door at quarter past five. Through the open kitchen door, he could hear the sound of sizzling margarine, and there was a pleasant smell of dinner in the making. He hung his windbreaker and cap up on the hook by the door, took off his shoes, and stuck his feet into the sheepskin-lined slippers Helle had given him for Christmas.
“What are we having?” he asked with a cheerfulness he didn’t feel.
“Rissoles.” Helle had a sharp, worried wrinkle on her forehead, like an inverted figure of 1, and he sensed the tension in her. Maybe she was afraid she would be late for choir practice, even small everyday appointments often caused her a considerable amount of anxiety. She stuck the spatula under a rissole and flipped it rapidly. “Did you walk past it?”
“No,” he lied. “Why should I?”
“Remember you promised to get me the slug bait.”
“I’ll do that after we eat. The garden center is open until seven. If it can’t wait until tomorrow, that is.”
“I can’t,” she said, flipping the next rissole. “We need to finish them off before they have a chance to reproduce.”
INA WAS GONE .
The teachers had known about it since that morning, but Nina only found out about it when she came to spend her lunch break with Rina, a habit she had fallen into since the trial.
“She ate breakfast and grabbed her schoolbag, like all the other kids,” Rikke said defensively. “But she never showed up in the classroom. The teachers have been out looking for her most of the day.”
Nina looked at her watch. It was 1:45 P.M ., and there was a chilly wind blowing over the Coal-House Camp. It took a certain amount of determination for a seven-year-old to stay out so long on her own, but that was still what she chose to believe for the time being—that Rina had left the camp alone and of her own free will. It was not completely unthinkable that Natasha’s former fiancé had taken her, but Nina couldn’t quite believe it. She pictured Michael Anders Vestergaard as he had appeared in court. Freshly ironed shirt, expensive cologne, and a broad, self-satisfied grin. He was a sadistic bastard, no doubt about that, but he went in for risk-free crimes. Women on the margins of society and possibly also their children; victims he could control without winding up behind bars with all those nasty Hells Angels thugs. For the moment, Rina was too big a risk for him now.
“We contacted the police,” said Rikke, the carer. “They asked if there were any family members she might be with.”
“They know damn well her mother’s in jail,” Nina said, pulling out her car keys. “Rina doesn’t have anyone else.”
“Well, you know how it is. They don’t have unlimited resources.”
Yes, Nina knew that quite well. Children ran away from asylum centers every single week, and it was true that some of them turned up withfamily members somewhere or other in the constantly migrating population that flowed back and forth across Europe’s borders. But Rina wasn’t that kind of child.
“She’ll probably come back on her own,” Rikke said, giving her best stab at a smile.
Nina couldn’t even muster a response. Rina had been gone for almost six hours, and in Nina’s opinion contacting the police now was too little, too late. Rina was seven. The world was a dangerous place for kids like her. This wasn’t something that could wait until some duty officer could be persuaded to find the resources.
Magnus had apparently had the same thought, because when she returned to the clinic he was already ready to go, jacket and phone in his hand.
“I’ll search the shrubbery behind the school grounds. Are you taking the car?”
Nina nodded, hastily typing a text message to Ida.
Delayed. Take 300 kroner from the kitchen envelope and call a cab. I’ll be there as soon as I can
. It was roller hockey Wednesday.
“I took her to see Natasha last week,” Nina said. “I think she made a note of the route. I’ll try driving in that
“What are we having?” he asked with a cheerfulness he didn’t feel.
“Rissoles.” Helle had a sharp, worried wrinkle on her forehead, like an inverted figure of 1, and he sensed the tension in her. Maybe she was afraid she would be late for choir practice, even small everyday appointments often caused her a considerable amount of anxiety. She stuck the spatula under a rissole and flipped it rapidly. “Did you walk past it?”
“No,” he lied. “Why should I?”
“Remember you promised to get me the slug bait.”
“I’ll do that after we eat. The garden center is open until seven. If it can’t wait until tomorrow, that is.”
“I can’t,” she said, flipping the next rissole. “We need to finish them off before they have a chance to reproduce.”
INA WAS GONE .
The teachers had known about it since that morning, but Nina only found out about it when she came to spend her lunch break with Rina, a habit she had fallen into since the trial.
“She ate breakfast and grabbed her schoolbag, like all the other kids,” Rikke said defensively. “But she never showed up in the classroom. The teachers have been out looking for her most of the day.”
Nina looked at her watch. It was 1:45 P.M ., and there was a chilly wind blowing over the Coal-House Camp. It took a certain amount of determination for a seven-year-old to stay out so long on her own, but that was still what she chose to believe for the time being—that Rina had left the camp alone and of her own free will. It was not completely unthinkable that Natasha’s former fiancé had taken her, but Nina couldn’t quite believe it. She pictured Michael Anders Vestergaard as he had appeared in court. Freshly ironed shirt, expensive cologne, and a broad, self-satisfied grin. He was a sadistic bastard, no doubt about that, but he went in for risk-free crimes. Women on the margins of society and possibly also their children; victims he could control without winding up behind bars with all those nasty Hells Angels thugs. For the moment, Rina was too big a risk for him now.
“We contacted the police,” said Rikke, the carer. “They asked if there were any family members she might be with.”
“They know damn well her mother’s in jail,” Nina said, pulling out her car keys. “Rina doesn’t have anyone else.”
“Well, you know how it is. They don’t have unlimited resources.”
Yes, Nina knew that quite well. Children ran away from asylum centers every single week, and it was true that some of them turned up withfamily members somewhere or other in the constantly migrating population that flowed back and forth across Europe’s borders. But Rina wasn’t that kind of child.
“She’ll probably come back on her own,” Rikke said, giving her best stab at a smile.
Nina couldn’t even muster a response. Rina had been gone for almost six hours, and in Nina’s opinion contacting the police now was too little, too late. Rina was seven. The world was a dangerous place for kids like her. This wasn’t something that could wait until some duty officer could be persuaded to find the resources.
Magnus had apparently had the same thought, because when she returned to the clinic he was already ready to go, jacket and phone in his hand.
“I’ll search the shrubbery behind the school grounds. Are you taking the car?”
Nina nodded, hastily typing a text message to Ida.
Delayed. Take 300 kroner from the kitchen envelope and call a cab. I’ll be there as soon as I can
. It was roller hockey Wednesday.
“I took her to see Natasha last week,” Nina said. “I think she made a note of the route. I’ll try driving in that
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