need to know everything about Samra’s life.
Louise asked how Dicta perceived Samra’s relationship with her family.
Dicta shrugged, and when no answer was forthcoming, Louise stepped over and opened the door to leave.
“Over time, she preferred spending time here more than being at home,” Dicta said finally as Louise stood in the hallway, “but that may also have been because there was always so much noise and so many people at her place,” she continued, following Louise.
Louise went back out to the kitchen and said good-bye to Dicta’s parents, who were still sitting at the table talking softly, but they got up and came outside with her.
“Did Samra mention anything about her family recently? Did she give the impression that anything wasn’t as it should be?”
Louise glanced at the parents to see if they understood where she was headed with this line of thought.
Dicta’s shoulders sank a little, and, without warning, all the tears she had been holding back suddenly flooded out. Her slender body began to shake as though convulsing from some intense cramp, and then the sobs emerged. Charlie got up uneasily from his place under the table and watched Dicta. The tremors increased, and Dicta’s father took his daughter in his arms and rocked her gently back and forth.
“Had you noticed anything about Samra that might indicate she was afraid of something the last few times you saw her?” Louise repeated, persisting with her question despite the sobbing because the question might well have been what triggered it.
Dicta didn’t answer, and her father closed his arms tighter around her. Louise nodded at him and said good-bye to Dicta as she let the mother accompany her the rest of the way out.
They stood on the front steps as Anne said she thought she had noticed a change in Samra recently. She said Samra had seemed sullen and sad.
“She used to enjoy helping me out a little with the dogs, also when I was training them in our dog run out in the back yard. But lately she’s been staying up in the bedroom with Dicta. Maybe they just had a lot of homework to do, or a lot of things to talk about.”
Louise nodded. It was impossible to know, if Dicta didn’t want to say what was going on. Louise thanked Anne for the coffee and asked her to tell her daughter that she could call or stop by the police station at any time if anything else came up.
She was just stepping off the end of the driveway onto the sidewalk when a blue station wagon drove up and parked at the curb, and she immediately recognized the photographer as he got out of the car and started walking up toward the front door.
“Hello,” she said, offering a hand. “Detective Louise Rick. I’m with the Holbæk Police Department.”
The man shook her hand and introduced himself.
“Michael Mogensen,” he said, seeming a bit hesitant.
“I know,” Louise said, smiling. “I was just looking at the pictures you’ve been taking of Dicta. Those are some big plans the two of you have been cooking up there.”
He nodded a little self-consciously.
“I’d really like to help her. It would be fun for me as well if she got discovered and became famous.”
“I noticed that you also knew Samra.”
“Yes, a little,” he said. “I promised Dicta I’d drive her out to Hønsehalsen cemetery so she can lay a bouquet of flowers and light a candle.”
The door behind Louise opened.
“I’ll be right there,” Dicta yelled, disappearing back into the house. A moment later she returned, wearing a jacket and ready to go.
Louise went to her car and smiled at them as the photographer gallantly opened the station wagon’s door for the young woman.
10
W HEN L OUISE GOT BACK TO THE POLICE STATION , SHE MET Samra’s father and a woman in the hallway. She guessed it must be the mother, Sada, because she was wearing a headscarf and keeping her eyes stiffly trained on the floor. They were following Søren Velin to the corner office where Bengtsen and
Louise asked how Dicta perceived Samra’s relationship with her family.
Dicta shrugged, and when no answer was forthcoming, Louise stepped over and opened the door to leave.
“Over time, she preferred spending time here more than being at home,” Dicta said finally as Louise stood in the hallway, “but that may also have been because there was always so much noise and so many people at her place,” she continued, following Louise.
Louise went back out to the kitchen and said good-bye to Dicta’s parents, who were still sitting at the table talking softly, but they got up and came outside with her.
“Did Samra mention anything about her family recently? Did she give the impression that anything wasn’t as it should be?”
Louise glanced at the parents to see if they understood where she was headed with this line of thought.
Dicta’s shoulders sank a little, and, without warning, all the tears she had been holding back suddenly flooded out. Her slender body began to shake as though convulsing from some intense cramp, and then the sobs emerged. Charlie got up uneasily from his place under the table and watched Dicta. The tremors increased, and Dicta’s father took his daughter in his arms and rocked her gently back and forth.
“Had you noticed anything about Samra that might indicate she was afraid of something the last few times you saw her?” Louise repeated, persisting with her question despite the sobbing because the question might well have been what triggered it.
Dicta didn’t answer, and her father closed his arms tighter around her. Louise nodded at him and said good-bye to Dicta as she let the mother accompany her the rest of the way out.
They stood on the front steps as Anne said she thought she had noticed a change in Samra recently. She said Samra had seemed sullen and sad.
“She used to enjoy helping me out a little with the dogs, also when I was training them in our dog run out in the back yard. But lately she’s been staying up in the bedroom with Dicta. Maybe they just had a lot of homework to do, or a lot of things to talk about.”
Louise nodded. It was impossible to know, if Dicta didn’t want to say what was going on. Louise thanked Anne for the coffee and asked her to tell her daughter that she could call or stop by the police station at any time if anything else came up.
She was just stepping off the end of the driveway onto the sidewalk when a blue station wagon drove up and parked at the curb, and she immediately recognized the photographer as he got out of the car and started walking up toward the front door.
“Hello,” she said, offering a hand. “Detective Louise Rick. I’m with the Holbæk Police Department.”
The man shook her hand and introduced himself.
“Michael Mogensen,” he said, seeming a bit hesitant.
“I know,” Louise said, smiling. “I was just looking at the pictures you’ve been taking of Dicta. Those are some big plans the two of you have been cooking up there.”
He nodded a little self-consciously.
“I’d really like to help her. It would be fun for me as well if she got discovered and became famous.”
“I noticed that you also knew Samra.”
“Yes, a little,” he said. “I promised Dicta I’d drive her out to Hønsehalsen cemetery so she can lay a bouquet of flowers and light a candle.”
The door behind Louise opened.
“I’ll be right there,” Dicta yelled, disappearing back into the house. A moment later she returned, wearing a jacket and ready to go.
Louise went to her car and smiled at them as the photographer gallantly opened the station wagon’s door for the young woman.
10
W HEN L OUISE GOT BACK TO THE POLICE STATION , SHE MET Samra’s father and a woman in the hallway. She guessed it must be the mother, Sada, because she was wearing a headscarf and keeping her eyes stiffly trained on the floor. They were following Søren Velin to the corner office where Bengtsen and
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