Invisible Murder

T TOOK A while for her to make it up the stairs. Nina’s legs were sluggish and sore, and she was forced to stop on the landing halfway up to gather her strength for the last flight. Then she let herself into the apartment and stood for a moment, on wobbly legs, contemplating her next move.

Leaving the boy and the other children at the garage was no longer an option. She wanted to get them all over to Bispebjerg Hospital and have them checked out, but her powers of persuasion had been woefully insufficient, and she had a serious bruise on the back of her hand to remind her of that fact. It would take both the social welfare authorities and the police to get the children out of there. What this would mean for their parents was no longer a concern she could afford to be influenced by.

She called Magnus’s mobile, her fingers feeling like oversized gummy bears. He sounded like his usual calm, overworked self when he answered. It was 10:10 P.M., but he was still at the Coal-House Camp waiting for the medical transport he had just ordered for one of the camp’s elderly residents. Of course Valby wouldn’t shock him either.

“You could call one of the pediatricians at Rigshospitalet,” he said. “They have details of all the agencies you’ll need. They are the ones who pick up the pieces when little kids get beaten by mom and dad. They know what they’re doing.”

Nina sighed. Damnit, this wasn’t the same thing at all. Magnus was quiet on the other end of the line.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Nina had no idea how he did it, but Magnus had something like a sixth sense when it came to illness. As if he could hear it, even over the phone, even when the call was routed via satellites.

“I’m not one hundred percent,” she admitted, sitting down on the edge of the sofa.

Someone said something to Magnus in the background. The medical transport team must have finally arrived, and Nina waited, supporting herself with her hand on the coffee table, while Magnus directed them down the hallway. Then he was back on the line.

“Right,” Magnus said. “Here’s what we’ll do. You come out here now. Take a taxi. We’ve got to have a look at you, too.”

Nina smiled weakly at the phone.

“I’ve got to get the boy to a hospital first.”

Magnus snorted. “Now you listen to me. I’ll take care of the Valby kids, but only if you come out here. Now. Besides …” Magnus exhaled heavily into the phone, and Nina guessed he was on his way over to the clinic. “… the faster we run some tests on you, the faster we’ll figure out what’s going on with those children. It can be difficult to get the social welfare authorities off their backsides, so it could easily take a few hours before anything happens in that department. You’re sick. Let’s start with you. I’m sure you’re suffering from the same thing.”

“You’re just saying that to get me to do what you want,” she said. “So I’ll quit being a nuisance.”

His warm, rural Swedish laugh resonated into her telephone ear.

“Perhaps,” he said. “But I’m right, aren’t I?”

SHE DIDN’T TAKE a cab. She wasn’t completely helpless, even though it was surprisingly hard to turn the key in the ignition.

Her fingers trembled, and to her intense irritation after two fruitless attempts she was forced to rest her hands on her thighs, take a deep breath, and try again. This time the motor started. Fucking hell. Nina swore softly in a mix of relief and frustration. She sat still for a moment, trying to get control of her body before she put the car in gear and backed out onto the road. So far, so good. She cast a quick glance in the rearview mirror just before she turned onto Jagtvej and caught a glimpse of a lanky, girlish figure on a clunky old lady’s bicycle. Then the cyclist disappeared from view. Ida? Nina tried to turn her head and catch sight of the cyclist again, but the movement made her head pound, so she gave up. No, of course it wasn’t. Ida was at Anna’s.

Nina suddenly felt miserably alone. Her thoughts drifted off into the darkness around her. She pictured all of them, Anton, Ida, Morten, and herself, as small, illuminated fireflies surrounded by black nothing, each heading off in its own direction.