The rest of the operation had been relatively simple. Getting away from Lovön after shooting the boys hadn’t been a problem; the response from the authorities had been anything but rapid. The tracks left by the wheels of the van had obviously failed to lead the police in any particular direction, which didn’t really matter anyway. The vehicle had been stolen and fitted with false number plates. He had also used a car for the abduction itself, because he thought the boys would be less inclined to go with a stranger driving around in a van. Everything was possible, as long as you had patience.
But it seemed that Nadia hadn’t given up on the idea that Gideon deserved to lose both his children. At first Efraim couldn’t work out how she knew where he was staying, then he remembered that he had mentioned the Diplomat. A long, long time ago, when Benjamin was still alive and they still had a viable relationship. The first time Efraim visited Stockholm.
‘It’s right by the water,’ he had said. ‘You can see boats when you look out of the window.’
Why the hell had he gone back there?
The simple answer was that he liked it. The staff didn’t ask unnecessary questions, and they already knew him by the alias he usually used.
Unfortunately Nadia had also stumbled upon his alias; she had once heard him on the phone, booking a flight. He hadn’t noticed her until he had hung up. He should have thought about that incident when he was planning his trip to Stockholm, and he cursed his own carelessness. If she hadn’t known his alias, she wouldn’t have been able to play her little game.
He had been surprised that she had gone to the hotel and left him a message, but that was nothing compared to the fact that she had got into his room and found the gun he had acquired in order to kill the boys. He had trained her well in the skills needed to survive as a source on the West Bank for over ten years, and now he was paying a high price. She wasn’t a good enough shot to hit a small child from that distance, and as a consequence she had shot a teacher instead.
If only she had said something.
Then he would have got rid of the gun immediately, used a different one to shoot the boys.
Instead he had to live with the fact that all three victims had been shot with the same gun.
Whatever – they would never find it. It was resting safely at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
A far more serious problem was his decision to save Gideon’s daughter, and that was only possible if he took her away. Therefore, Efraim had kidnapped Polly when she was in Tessin Park with her friend and the friend’s parents. He had given her a sedative, and she had been hidden in the van when he drove onto the ferry that would take him to Finland. The same van he had kept the boys in overnight on Lovön; he had to get rid of it anyway.
In Helsinki he had had to push the boundaries, make use of contacts he had developed through his job, contacts who agreed to look after the child until the danger was over. And to get rid of the van.
Perhaps he had already realised by that stage that he couldn’t stop the avalanche that had been set in motion. That it would crush everything in its path.
Including himself.
Suddenly he saw someone approach the doorway, peer inside, then step back.
The darkness swallowed her up before he had time to react, but he knew he hadn’t been mistaken. He wasn’t the only one watching the apartment block. Nadia was there too.
Efraim hunched his shoulders against the cold and waited for Nadia the Paper Boy’s next move.
Another late night at the office. It was almost half past nine. Shit. She really had meant to leave earlier, join her family in the temporary apartment. Not waste time in yet another meeting with GD, whose imagination appeared to be running riot about what she had been up to during her brief absence.
‘So you’re saying that Efraim Kiel has nothing to do with the murders?’ he said again.
‘In my opinion,’ Eden Lundell replied.
Yet again. They had already gone over all this at lunchtime, but GD had insisted on another meeting. Säpo had been closely following the police investigation into the murders.
‘But you’re not prepared to tell me what that opinion is based on?’
‘I can’t. I’m sorry.’
GD was starting to look annoyed, which wasn’t a good sign. Eden was too tired to argue in a civilised manner. She had spent hours catching up with work since she got back from London, and now she just wanted to go home. She had also spoken to Alex Recht and Fredrika Bergman. The case had taken a new turn; it seemed that Gideon Eisenberg was the guilty party, and he had hanged himself in his own living room.
Fucking coward.
She was ashamed to admit that she felt a certain sense of peace at the thought that he was gone. At least he wouldn’t claim any more victims, thank God. Everything could get back to normal.
Or not.
Because Eden had made a decision. She had stopped smoking for good. A habit was a weakness, and she couldn’t afford any sign of frailty. And she was going to go on holiday with her family in March. The girls would soon be starting school, and there would no longer be any room for that kind of spontaneity.
‘I’m taking a week off in March,’ she said. ‘A family holiday.’
‘I didn’t think you went in for that kind of thing,’ GD said.
‘I do now.’
She didn’t even have the energy to sound defensive.
‘Okay, so if Efraim Kiel has nothing to do with the murders, then why can’t we find him?’
‘Because he’s better than us. Because he doesn’t want to be found.’
‘Why not? What’s he doing that he doesn’t want us to see?’
How was Eden supposed to know that?
‘I’ve no idea.’
‘Mossad have got a nerve if they’ve started up a new operation in Stockholm,’ GD said. ‘I was very clear about our views on unauthorised intelligence activities.’
Eden suppressed a sigh.
‘He could be keeping a low profile for personal reasons. There doesn’t have to be a Säpo-related reason why he doesn’t want to be under permanent surveillance.’
GD’s expression was grim.
‘I’d feel better if we hadn’t lost the woman who was following him as well. Did I tell you we tracked her down to a place on Torsgatan? An office block.’
‘No, you didn’t.’
Eden was only half listening; in her mind she was already at home with Mikael.
Things will be different from now on. I promise.
‘In that case I haven’t mentioned that we haven’t seen her since. She just disappeared. Went into the building and never came out again.’
‘I assume she used a different exit. Or our surveillance guys missed her. That kind of thing does happen.’
GD ignored her comments. Eden wondered how come GD was better informed about the latest surveillance reports than she was. Officially Efraim Kiel’s case was being handled by the counter-espionage unit, but GD was obviously following developments in minute detail – possibly because he, unlike the head of counter-espionage, knew that she and Efraim had been an item.
‘We’ve been watching the block on Torsgatan,’ he went on. ‘The strange thing is, they said they were almost certain they saw police officers enter the building today, but our guys decided against making themselves known.’
Eden was immediately alert.
‘Were they from Alex Recht’s team?’
‘I don’t know. Counter-espionage were supposed to check as discreetly as possible, but I haven’t heard from them.’
Of course not. Eden couldn’t think of anyone who worked more slowly than the counter-espionage unit. Impatiently she took out her mobile and called Alex. GD raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
‘Alex, it’s me, Eden. Sorry to bother you again, but I’m just wondering if your team has been involved in an operation on a property on Torsgatan over the last couple of days.’