Postcard killers

Chapter 134

Nine o'clock came and went.

No red Volvo. No Rudolphs.

The road beyond the rotary was ful of cars now, mostly trailers and trucks. Due to the hunt for the Postcard Kil ers, security at the border crossing had been stepped up and al vehicles were forced to go through the checkpoint, next to a smal wooden building up on the left.

Jacob looked at his watch again.

Half past nine. Jesus. The time was crawling.

Big tourist buses had started to arrive in the lot outside IKEA. They seemed to come from the whole of the Arctic region. Jacob saw license plates from Norway, Finland, and Russia. It was like IKEA was a county fair.

Soon there was a line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot.

"This is the Thursday before Midsummer's Eve," Dessie said. "It's the high point of Sweden's busiest shopping week. It's even bigger than Christmas."

Jacob didn't say anything.

He realized he was grinding his teeth. He needed to stop that. Yes, as soon as they caught the Rudolphs.

A line of shoppers was starting to form outside the entrance to the superstore. These country folks were clearly nuts.

Jacob looked at the time.

Three minutes before ten.

He glanced up into the rearview mirror.

Just a line of cars: blue, red, white, black, al ful of crazy-ass Arctic shoppers.

He pressed the palms of his hands to his forehead.

The doors to the store opened.

People flooded into the hangarlike building.

Jacob felt like he was going to burst out of his skin.

"What the hel is this?" he yel ed suddenly. "Where have they gone?"

Dessie didn't answer.

"They must have taken another road," Jacob said. "They're not coming through Haparanda. That criminal hooligan you cal your cousin was wrong.

Maybe he's in league with them now. Maybe he's fooled us into sitting here so they can get away. They could have bribed him."

"Jacob, calm down! You don't know what you're saying. Stop it."

Jacob turned the key, and the engine coughed into life.

"What are you doing?" Dessie asked.

"I can't wait here any longer," Jacob said. "I'm going completely fucking mad just sit-"

"Hang on," Dessie interrupted. "Just hang on. A red car – there's a red car. I think it's a Volvo."

Jacob looked in the rearview mirror again.

It was a Volvo wagon, an old model, definitely red.

There were two people inside.

A young blond man and a dark-haired woman.

The Rudolphs were here.