Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(21)

She is on the verge of panic. She is all alone and has no idea where she is.

How did she end up here?

Vague memories of swaying, of twists and turns, come into her mind. She was tied up, lying on her back, unable to move her arms or legs.

She remembers the wind in her face, as if she were on a sled being pulled by a snowmobile, traveling at high speed.

She staggers to her feet and tries to orient herself. The cabin consists of just one room. Apart from the bunk beds attached to the wall, there is only a shabby plastic table and two plastic chairs. A few comic books are strewn across a window seat.

She shivers and realizes that her clothes are gone. She is wearing nothing but her bra and panties.

He’s taken everything else, including her boots.

Amanda searches for something she can put on, but the only fabric in the room is the blanket and the stained mattresses on the beds.

She tries the door—locked. Outside the window, which is partly covered by a crossbar, it is pitch dark. She screws up her eyes and thinks she can make out huge piles of snow.

Is she up in the mountains? Where the hell is she?

There is a fire burning in the stove. She crouches down and holds out her hands to the warmth.

She has no idea where she is, or how she is going to get away. The door is locked, and even if she managed to get it or the window open, she dare not go out into the bitter cold without her clothes.

Her phone is gone too.

She can’t hold back the tears. No one can hear her crying.

“Mommy,” she whispers. “Help me.”

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22

Daniel gets into the passenger seat and lets Anton drive. He gazes out of the side window as they swing around to head back to the station.

Once again he thinks that most missing teenagers turn up within a few days. However, Amanda’s mother was adamant that she would never disappear of her own accord.

Daniel’s main concern is that the girl might have met with an accident. At the moment there is no evidence of a crime. However, he is well aware that Amanda could have frozen to death if she was very drunk and lay down to rest in a snowdrift.

Most people don’t understand how close to death they can be, wearing unsuitable clothing in extreme cold. He has seen girls tottering home in high heels in the middle of the night, sometimes setting off in completely the wrong direction on a trek of more than six miles. Far too many travel up to ?re by train, check in to their accommodation, then take a cab straight to the bar. At the end of the night, they have no idea where they’re going or how far it is.

If Amanda tried to walk home in the dark, and was drunk enough to fall asleep outdoors, things could have gone very badly.

He briefly considers the possibility that she might have taken her own life, but pushes the thought aside. Nothing the parents had said pointed in that direction.

Anton signals a right turn for Kurortsv?gen, where the relatively new police station is situated. It is housed in the same building as the health center, fresh and modern, but the design hasn’t really been thought through. It would be a simple matter to block every entrance and exit to sabotage an emergency police dispatch.

They tend not to mention this.

Daniel’s phone beeps. It’s the telecoms operator he contacted on his way to the Halvorssens’. Amanda’s phone hasn’t been used since one o’clock this morning.

Not a good sign.

“We need a search dog,” Anton says as he parks the car. “Shall we bring in Jarmo?”

Jarmo M?kinen, who lives in J?rpen, is the only dog handler in the area. All the rest are based in ?stersund, which is an hour and a quarter’s drive away, and Daniel is far from sure that they can afford to wait that long.

“Good idea,” he says. “Ask him to meet us on Trollv?gen as soon as possible. And call the cab companies, find out if anyone’s seen anything.”

?re’s cab firms often help. Every year they make a huge contribution to public safety, picking up drunken skiers staggering home in the middle of the night.

Anton nods and undoes his seatbelt. They are stopping off briefly at the station in order to plan their next moves.

Daniel wants to apprise his superiors in ?stersund of the situation. Helicopters are sometimes required in a major search, and the Mountain Rescue teams might also be needed.

For the moment the plan is to have a patrol car check out the local area and the route between Amanda’s home and Trollv?gen, where the party took place. There aren’t many options, and if the girl has fallen asleep in a snowdrift, they should be able to spot her.

He doesn’t want to think about what state she’ll be in.

He also wants to speak to Ebba, Amanda’s best friend, see what she has to say.

It is almost six thirty. It’s going to be a while before he can get back to Ida and Alice. He won’t be able to bathe his

daughter tonight—for the first time since she was born.

He takes out his phone and sends a quick message to Ida.

Have to work late, it can’t be helped. Sorry.

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23

The aftermath of the party is all too evident when Daniel and Anton enter Ebba’s house. Cigarettes and booze weren’t the only substances on offer; the smell of cannabis lingers in the stuffy air.

Daniel isn’t surprised. Drug dealing is the latest major criminal activity in the area, and problems with drugs have increased significantly during the past few years. Not long ago alcohol was the biggest concern, but nowadays fifteen-year-olds are smoking weed while gaming.