On A Dark Sea (The DCI Dani Bevan Detective Novels Book 2) (16 page)

Chapter Thirty Three

M
agda Hustad was snowed under with paperwork. She’d still not heard from Dieter and was finding it increasingly tricky to steer his replacement away from the Aron Holm case. Magda knew they’d only taken very cursory statements from Holm’s work colleagues who were at the restaurant that night. It was going to be obvious to this Inspector as soon as he read them.

              When the Scottish detectives came and started digging around into the assault on Holm, Magda hadn’t found it so bad. She knew they just wanted to find the lost girl. Magda had liked the pair and didn’t sense either of them was vindictive. Knowing there wasn’t much more she could do at the Bureau, Hustad decided to chase up Andy Calder’s lead instead. After all, she also wanted young Maisie Riddell returned safely to her mother.   

              Her first recourse was to visit Andreas Nilsen, at his parents’ house on the hill. It was a glorious day and Magda paused to take in the view of the morning sun, shimmering on the lake. Nilsen appeared to be home alone. He led her into the living room, which possessed a bank of windows facing the water.

              ‘Why would anyone wish to destroy this beautiful country?’ He asked sadly, as he observed her eyes being drawn to the vista outside.

              ‘Is that what you believe the oil companies are doing?’

              ‘Of course. It is all about profit. They make money now and the future generations suffer.’

              ‘But we need energy. Look at this lovely house your parents have. You don’t want to go back to the dark ages.’ Magda directed her gaze at his earnest young face.

              The man smiled. ‘There are alternatives, Detective. But our corporations and governments are too short-sighted to investigate them. Only Aron Holm is putting forward a new strategy. We have to hope that the future is led by men such as him. Now, I don’t believe you have come to talk to me about my views on the environment.’

              ‘How well do you know Kristin Riddell?’

              Andreas seemed taken aback. ‘She was Charles Riddell’s secretary at Barents Oil, then she married him. That’s all.’

              ‘I have been looking into her past.’

              ‘Oh yes?’

              ‘Kristin Berg attended the same university as you.’

              ‘She must have been a few years above me. I don’t recall her.’

              ‘But Kristin is very beautiful. I’m surprised you don’t remember seeing her there.’

              Andreas said nothing.

              ‘She studied Environmental Sciences and graduated with honours. It was something of a come down for her to become a secretary, don’t you think?’

              The man rested his weight on the arm of the sofa, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. ‘Kristin fell in love with him, pure and simple.’

              ‘But she was a member of your organisation?’

              ‘At first, yes, she was. It was my master plan - to get one of our members on the inside of a big corporation like Barents Oil. Kristin’s family are well-regarded business people in Stavanger. It was easy for her to get the job.’

              ‘Did she provide you with much information?’

              ‘In the first year, it was fantastic. We had the inside track on every new proposal, every potential exploration site. We could target our message accordingly. Then Kristin began to become more cautious, more reticent. It would take several days for her to return my calls. She would say that it was important to leak the details slowly, otherwise her bosses would become suspicious. Little did I realise that Kristin was being absorbed into their world, being brainwashed by their self-justifying arguments.’

              ‘When did she tell you about her relationship with Charles?’

              ‘A week before the wedding.’ Andreas turned to Magda. ‘It came as something of a surprise, as you can imagine, although she’d been cold with me for months, hardly wanting me to touch her anymore. I thought the strain of leading a double life was tiring her out.’

              ‘Does Charles know she used to be in your organisation, that she was your lover?’

              ‘You will think me sentimental Detective Hustad, but I simply let her go. I loved Kristin, so I said nothing at all.’

              ‘Do you know that Charles Riddell’s daughter found out about Kristin’s past?’

              Andreas looked surprised. ‘I didn’t even know he had a daughter until the detectives from Glasgow came and questioned me. It actually wouldn’t be that difficult to find out, with access to the internet and online records being what they are. I’m sure if you visited our website, you might easily find a photograph with Kristin in it – as part of a demonstration perhaps. I always wondered if Charles knew the truth really, he just chose not to acknowledge it.’

              ‘Weren’t you angry with Kristin – didn’t you want revenge?’

              ‘What, enough to snatch her baby for half an hour or kidnap a teenager? If I wanted to get even with Kristin I would simply tell Charles the truth, show him the photographs of us together, when we were happy. Force him to face what in his heart he already knows.’

              Magda nodded. ‘Thank you for your time, Andreas.’

              They walked to the front door together.

              ‘Detective Karlsen is not with you today?’

              ‘He’s on leave,’ Magda replied.

              ‘You need to cut yourself free of that one. He’s no good.’

              Magda said nothing, stepping out into the bright sunshine and making her way slowly back to the car, allowing the powerful rays to gently warm her back.

Chapter Thirty Four

I
t was the first time that year Dani had stood out in her little garden and enjoyed the sunshine. Dieter stepped through the patio door to join her, slipping his arm around her narrow waist.

              ‘I’ve booked my flight for tomorrow morning,’ he spoke quietly into her ear.

              Dani felt the words make her stomach turn over. She dreaded the moment they would have to say goodbye. ‘It’s all sorted then.’

              ‘I’ve got to go. I can’t leave Magda with all that work to do.’

              ‘No, of course not. You must return.’ Dani moved out of his embrace and went into the house. She placed her empty mug on the draining board and grabbed her jacket and keys.

              ‘Can I do something for you, on my last day here?’ He called after her, as she headed for the front door.

              Dani paused. ‘It’s a Wednesday. I know it sounds weird, but can you spend lunchtime at the St Enoch Centre? You can buy me a parting gift if you like. It’s the time and day when Maisie used to hang around there. I don’t know what I think you might find – but it’s worth a try.’

              ‘I’ll do it,’ he shouted back, blowing a kiss to her retreating form.

*

Andy knocked on the office door, watching for Dani to wave him in. When he took the seat across the desk from her, he thought she looked pre-occupied.

              ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ he began sheepishly. ‘I’ve been chasing up a lead I got from one of the members of the Storm.’

              ‘The letters that might have been written by Maisie, you mean?’ Dani became suddenly alert.

              Andy placed the package on the desk in front of her. ‘She’s using the name Kenna Adams. Fiona’s maiden name was Adams and the stuff she writes about very closely follows the events of Maisie’s life.’

              ‘Fine,’ she said impatiently. ‘But does it actually get us anywhere?’

              ‘I think it does. In these letters, Maisie discusses her parents’ divorce and her father’s move to Norway. Where they really get interesting is when she talks about Charles’ new wife. Maisie claims the woman only married her father to gain insider information about his company. She accuses her step-mother of being a spy for an environmental action group.’

              ‘Bloody hell, we need to check this out, straight away.’

              ‘I already have.’

              Dani stared at him oddly, but said nothing.

              ‘Magda Hustad questioned Andreas Nilsen again. Kristin Berg attended the same university as him. The man admitted that Kristin took the job at Barents Oil so she could gather information for him.’

              ‘How long have you known this?’ Her voice sounded hollow.

              ‘Only since last evening, when Magda called me back.’

              ‘Okay, so is the marriage just a sham – what about the child?’

              ‘Andreas claims that Kristin genuinely fell in love with Charles, it wasn’t part of the plan. Before that, she’d been in a relationship with him. He was heartbroken when she married the guy.’

              ‘So Maisie knew that Kristin had been a member of this organisation. Did she tell her father? Is Charles aware of all this?’

              ‘I don’t think so, do you? I saw no sign of it when they were together.’

              Dani sat back in her seat, considering this new information. ‘We should tell Dieter, find out what his take on it is.’

              Andy pursed his lips. ‘I don’t see it’s got much to do with him.’

              ‘The snatching of the Riddell’s boy was
his
case. This puts it in a new light. What if Kristin orchestrated the whole thing to frighten her husband?’

              ‘That assumes Kristin is still working for Nilsen and I don’t really think she is. I can’t see her having a baby with Charles purely for the sake of their environmental campaign. It would be incredibly mercenary.’

              ‘I still believe that Dieter has a right to know. Why didn’t Magda try to contact him and let the guy in on what was happening? Why didn’t you inform me
before
you called Norway, for that matter?’

              Andy took a very deep breath, not wanting to end up in an argument with her. ‘Magda has been trying to get hold of Karlsen for days. She’s got no idea where he is. Apparently, some Inspector from the Chief’s office is sniffing around their cold cases. Magda’s got herself into a state about it. God knows what the pair of them have been up to.’

              ‘Did you tell her he was here in Glasgow?’

              ‘I didn’t think that was my place, Ma’am.’

              ‘Why have you kept all this to yourself, Andy?’ She leant forward and rested her steely eyes upon him.

              ‘Because all I signed up for in this job was to solve crimes, not clear up the mess created by your bloody love life.’ As soon as the words were out, Andy regretted them, not because they weren’t true but because Dani appeared so stricken that he’d said them her face had crumpled and her eyes were filling up.

              ‘Get out,’ she hissed levelly.

              He quickly did as Dani said, knowing that as soon as he’d left the poky wee office, his friend would let the tears fall.

*

When the DCI’s phone buzzed a couple of hours later she was tempted to ignore it. Seeing it was Dieter, she fought back a sob and took the call. ‘Hi.’

              ‘Hey, Dani. Can you come down to the St Enoch Centre right now? There’s something I need you to see.’

              ‘Is it urgent?’

              ‘I think so.’

              ‘Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll call you when I arrive.’             

              The traffic was busy and it was more like half an hour before Dani reached the shopping precinct. She spotted Dieter’s tall frame leaning against a post at the bottom of an escalator. He bent down and gave her a deep kiss. ‘You’re just in time,’ he said.

              Dani crinkled her brow in puzzlement.

              The Norwegian flicked his head towards a pizza restaurant just opposite them. ‘Do you see the couple sitting by the window? I’ve been watching them for an hour or so. You asked me to look out for anything unusual. I spent a lot of time examining the Maisie Riddell case files back at the Bureau. I’m fairly sure that woman is Maisie’s mother.’

              Dani took a pace nearer. ‘You’re right, and the guy having lunch with her is my Sergeant, Phil Boag.’ The DCI kept walking towards the restaurant, with Dieter following close behind. She pushed through the doors and marched straight up to the table.

              Phil glanced up from his plate. ‘Ma’am?’

              ‘Do you mind if we join you?’

              They both shook their heads, shifting along the booth so that Dani and Dieter could sit at opposite sides.

              ‘I can explain,’ Phil began awkwardly. ‘Fiona and I haven’t seen each other socially since the day Maisie went missing, but she found out I’d been suspended from duty and wanted to talk to me.’

              ‘We decided to meet at the same place and time we always used to, especially if it was going to be the last opportunity to see one another,’ Fiona continued. ‘I wanted to give Phil some moral support. I knew he’d be going through a rough few days.’

              ‘So is this where you met on a weekly basis, for the last year or so?’ Dani looked at them both in turn.

              ‘Yes, unless it was too busy in here, then we went to the burger bar across the way,’ Fiona clarified.

              ‘But this was where Maisie was coming to, each Wednesday lunchtime, when she bunked off school. She’d hang around the shops and buy herself some lunch. Maisie
must
have seen the two of you here on at least one of those occasions. Didn’t you make the connection, Phil?’

              DS Boag appeared confused. ‘I didn’t think about it. The city centre is a big place, we were always very careful not to be followed here.’

              ‘Not careful enough,’ Dani said dryly.

              ‘So Maisie knew all about my affair with Phil?’ Fiona looked horrified. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. ‘No wonder she ran away! Why didn’t she just talk to me about it?’

              Phil leant across the dirty plates and clasped her hands tightly. ‘You mustn’t blame yourself darling, it wasn’t your fault.’

              Dani slid out of the seat and tapped Dieter on the shoulder, indicating they should leave the pair to it. The couple proceeded out into the mall, dodging the little clusters of shoppers milling past, finding a quiet spot, well away from the restaurant.

              ‘So that was why Maisie took off. She thought her mother was about to destroy her best friend’s family. Added to that, Maisie hated her dad’s new wife, believing their life to be a total sham.’ Dani looked Dieter in the eye. ‘Maybe she’d finally decided it was time to fight back.’