not that many places
she could be."
"Could the kidnappers have taken her to the
mainland?"
Officer Morten nodded. "That is a
possibility. I mean we are checking all cars that leave the island by ferry,
and the staff working at the ferry is keeping an eye out for anything, but to
be honest they could have had a boat ready and sailed right towards the mainland
without us ever knowing it."
"And now this, huh? Is there a surveillance
tape that might help see who did this?" I asked hopefully. I really didn't
like to think that this guy was out there somewhere waiting for his next
victim. This was nasty and the girl not much older than Maya. It scared the
dickens out of me.
"That was the first thing I checked
for," Officer Morten said. "Unfortunately, it's gone. Whoever did
this took it with him."
"Whoever did this has done something like
it before," I mumbled as Officer Morten received a call on his cellphone.
Chapter 28
April 2013
I drove Maya to
the police station the next morning to have her
fingerprints taken. She was tired and still quite shocked when we got into the
car. After taking her statement, Officer Morten had let us go home and get some
sleep. I had driven Maya's friend Annika home and explained everything to her
parents before finally being able to bring my own daughter home and let my dad
get back to his house.
Maya had wanted to sleep in my room, so we
shared my bed for the night and neither of us got much sleeping done. Instead
we ended up talking most of the night. It had been years since I had felt this
close to my daughter and even if the circumstances were extremely horrible and
sad, I was happy to have been there, to be the one to take care of her. We had
truly bonded that night, even about her dad and how she sometimes cried when I
didn't see it because she missed him and hated the fact that he never wanted to
see her because of his new wife. I cursed Michael far away while comforting my
daughter.
"How are you doing?" I asked after
starting the engine. "Are you okay with all of this?"
"I just want to get it over with so I can
return to my normal life," she said nodding. I spotted something on her
arm.
"What's that?"
She looked down, then shook her head. "It's
nothing. It's Patrick's autograph."
"You met him?"
"Just briefly, close to the hotel. He gave
us both an autograph. He was really nice," she said.
"Well good for you," I said and put
the car in gear. "At least you got something out of last night."
I parked outside of the police station and
grabbed my daughter's hand as we walked towards the entrance of the small
police station. I smiled thinking about the first time we had come to the
island and picked up the key to our new house here. It was no more than eight
months ago, yet it felt like a lifetime. I could hardly remember what my life
was like before Fanoe Island. I thought about my book and was so grateful that
it had sold so well all over the country. That gave me a freedom to be with my
family and take care of them the way I had always wanted to. It was great that
I didn't have some boss to answer to on a day like this when my daughter needed
me.
"I still keep seeing her sitting there on
that chair," she suddenly said as I grabbed the door handle and was about
to open the door for her. "It was like she could still see me, you know? I
know it sounds weird, but I kept expecting her to move or to try and say
something. I keep wondering what if she wasn't dead when we walked in? What if
she was still breathing and wanted to tell us who had done this to her, but she
couldn't move her lips? How horrifying would that be?"
I reached over and stroked her hair. "I
know you'll be thinking a lot about this for some time to come, but try not to
let your imagination run off with you, sweetie."
"Yeah, but that's the problem, Mom. It's
really difficult. I mean she was about my age, right? A little older, but
still. And the guy is still out there, here on the island. Will he do it again?
Will it
she could be."
"Could the kidnappers have taken her to the
mainland?"
Officer Morten nodded. "That is a
possibility. I mean we are checking all cars that leave the island by ferry,
and the staff working at the ferry is keeping an eye out for anything, but to
be honest they could have had a boat ready and sailed right towards the mainland
without us ever knowing it."
"And now this, huh? Is there a surveillance
tape that might help see who did this?" I asked hopefully. I really didn't
like to think that this guy was out there somewhere waiting for his next
victim. This was nasty and the girl not much older than Maya. It scared the
dickens out of me.
"That was the first thing I checked
for," Officer Morten said. "Unfortunately, it's gone. Whoever did
this took it with him."
"Whoever did this has done something like
it before," I mumbled as Officer Morten received a call on his cellphone.
Chapter 28
April 2013
I drove Maya to
the police station the next morning to have her
fingerprints taken. She was tired and still quite shocked when we got into the
car. After taking her statement, Officer Morten had let us go home and get some
sleep. I had driven Maya's friend Annika home and explained everything to her
parents before finally being able to bring my own daughter home and let my dad
get back to his house.
Maya had wanted to sleep in my room, so we
shared my bed for the night and neither of us got much sleeping done. Instead
we ended up talking most of the night. It had been years since I had felt this
close to my daughter and even if the circumstances were extremely horrible and
sad, I was happy to have been there, to be the one to take care of her. We had
truly bonded that night, even about her dad and how she sometimes cried when I
didn't see it because she missed him and hated the fact that he never wanted to
see her because of his new wife. I cursed Michael far away while comforting my
daughter.
"How are you doing?" I asked after
starting the engine. "Are you okay with all of this?"
"I just want to get it over with so I can
return to my normal life," she said nodding. I spotted something on her
arm.
"What's that?"
She looked down, then shook her head. "It's
nothing. It's Patrick's autograph."
"You met him?"
"Just briefly, close to the hotel. He gave
us both an autograph. He was really nice," she said.
"Well good for you," I said and put
the car in gear. "At least you got something out of last night."
I parked outside of the police station and
grabbed my daughter's hand as we walked towards the entrance of the small
police station. I smiled thinking about the first time we had come to the
island and picked up the key to our new house here. It was no more than eight
months ago, yet it felt like a lifetime. I could hardly remember what my life
was like before Fanoe Island. I thought about my book and was so grateful that
it had sold so well all over the country. That gave me a freedom to be with my
family and take care of them the way I had always wanted to. It was great that
I didn't have some boss to answer to on a day like this when my daughter needed
me.
"I still keep seeing her sitting there on
that chair," she suddenly said as I grabbed the door handle and was about
to open the door for her. "It was like she could still see me, you know? I
know it sounds weird, but I kept expecting her to move or to try and say
something. I keep wondering what if she wasn't dead when we walked in? What if
she was still breathing and wanted to tell us who had done this to her, but she
couldn't move her lips? How horrifying would that be?"
I reached over and stroked her hair. "I
know you'll be thinking a lot about this for some time to come, but try not to
let your imagination run off with you, sweetie."
"Yeah, but that's the problem, Mom. It's
really difficult. I mean she was about my age, right? A little older, but
still. And the guy is still out there, here on the island. Will he do it again?
Will it
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