Chameleon People (36 page)

Without thinking, I asked why she hoped this. The answer was like being punched in the stomach.

‘Because that would increase the chances that your fiancée is still alive.’

I was completely unable to think clearly about what might be the most likely reasons for the kidnapping. I said to Patricia that I had to see her. She replied that I was welcome any time.

When I entered Patricia’s library, I realized that the table was empty. It was something I had never experienced before. Patricia had a packet of cigarettes in her hand,
but there was not even a cup of coffee on the table. She said that if I would like anything to eat or drink, I just had to say, and I told her that I could not even face the thought at the
moment.

I sat down and told her about the last few hours and Miriam’s disappearance.

Patricia seemed to be unusually unsettled by the situation. She lit a cigarette after only a few minutes and I saw that her hand was shaking. Even though the room was smoky and warm, she was
still shivering. This made me even more anxious, but I was also touched by Patricia’s concern for Miriam.

‘There really are not many leads here,’ Patricia said, with a heavy sigh when I had finished.

I had to agree. Practically anyone could, in theory, have driven past and bundled Miriam into a car – especially if she was, as usual, reading as she walked. All that was needed was two
people and a car. Another possibility was even more terrible: one person in a car could have stopped, shot her and then taken the body to conceal the crime.

‘Unfortunately, I think it is more likely that Miriam has been kidnapped in an attempt to render her harmless because she knows too much, rather than as possible leverage against
you,’ Patricia then said, gently.

She carried on quickly before I had time to ask why she thought so.

‘Partly because kidnapping in order to exert pressure of some kind on a police officer would be tricky and entail a greater risk for the perpetrator. But it is also the matter of the
book.’

It was beyond my understanding how she could deduce that from the book, and I was not in the mood to guess. So I asked what she meant. I added that the book was about languages and that Miriam
had had it with her the day before as well.

‘Exactly. But according to what you said, she only had fifty pages left to read the day before. It would take me no more than half an hour to read them, and I would be surprised if your
fiancée was any slower. So if she still had not finished the book, she must have spent a lot of time thinking or doing something else in the meantime. And I would dearly like to know what it
was she did instead, as it could be crucial. Do we know anything about her day, before she disappeared?’

I said the same to Patricia that I had to Danielsen: we knew what Miriam had planned to do, but not necessarily what she had actually done. Miriam was going to go to a lecture from a quarter
past ten to twelve, as she normally did on a Thursday. She would then go to the library until about three o’clock, before spending a couple of hours at the party office. Danielsen had no
doubt started to map out what she had actually done.

‘Excellent. Let me know as soon as you have any more information. Otherwise, I wonder what was in the envelope she was carrying. That could also be crucial. There was no sign of
that?’

I shook my head. Patricia sighed again.

‘Well, it is certainly clear that we cannot expect help from any quarter in this case. Let me know as soon as there is any news on what your fiancée did today or about the envelope.
In the meantime, please tell me what you did earlier on this afternoon, as the investigation and kidnapping may well be related.’

It felt good to talk about something else, so I told her without further delay.

Patricia smoked in silence, but nodded with a little smile when I told her about my meeting with Solveig Ramdal. She did not look happy, however, and waved me impatiently on when I told her
about my disastrous meeting with the lawyer Rønning and Lene Johansen. Then she listened attentively when I told her about the meetings at the prime minister’s office and the Soviet
Embassy.

‘It could be a coincidence, but has it struck you that one of the key parties in the Fredriksen case lives near Sogn halls of residence?’ I asked.

Patricia had clearly thought about this too. She nodded quickly, but opened her hands at the same time.

‘Johan Fredriksen lives at Sognsvann, yes. It must be a coincidence. Even though he is about to become a very rich man, following the deaths of his father and sister, it is hard to imagine
that he would have a motive for kidnapping your fiancée, and that he would have the resources to do so. Kidnapping for the purposes of extortion would be both complicated and risky for him
and anyone else in the family or group of friends from 1932. Most likely they would all need help in order to do it, and they would be in great danger of being caught sooner or later. I think
rather that Miriam has been kidnapped because she knew too much, about something significant that has happened or is about to happen. In which case, one might start to think in a different
direction . . .’

‘To the East, you mean?’ I said.

Patricia nodded gravely and stubbed out her cigarette. ‘The Soviets have the resources and a possible motive linked to the oil agreement. And even more worryingly, they currently also have
a man in Oslo who has killed before. But if it was them, it will not be easy to prove. The big question is how Miriam might have discovered something important in that connection? Did she know
about that side of the case?’

My throat tightened, but I managed first to nod, and then to regain my voice. It all fitted uncomfortably well. Miriam had heard about the case from me the evening before – and had been
visibly shaken.

Patricia looked as though she wanted to say something. But instead she finished another cigarette, stubbed it out and said: ‘I think that is where the answer lies, but we do not have
enough information yet to make the connection. Think about it, and get in touch as soon as there is anything new. I will be up first thing and waiting. And in the meantime, know that I am thinking
about you. This must be an extremely difficult situation for you.’

I was once again touched by Patricia’s concern – and told her so. We hugged each other affectionately and then I left.

It was quite a shock to be outside. The rain was heavier and felt cold on my face and head. I thought about how hard it would be to find clues at the spot where Miriam had been
taken, if there were any. I suddenly realized how hungry I was.

I could not face going home, and even less making food. So I stopped at a cafe in Frogner that was still open and had a steak alone at a table in one of the darker corners of the cafe. It helped
to ease my hunger, but not the feelings of fear and restlessness in the rest of my body.

At ten o’clock I finally went home. There was a brief glimmer of hope when I saw that the light was on in my flat. I ran up the stairs with a thumping heart. But my hope was soon snuffed
out. The flat was quiet and empty and there was no sign that Miriam had been there. I had obviously just forgotten to turn off the light when I ran out.

The telephone rang as I sat there, and I answered in the wild hope that I would hear Miriam’s voice. But it was her mother’s broader Hedemark dialect that I heard at the other end.
She asked how I was – and if there was any news of Miriam. I was deeply touched by the fact that she had thought of me in the middle of all this, and said so. But sadly I could not tell her
anything about Miriam other than that an investigation had started and we hoped for good news, but everything was very uncertain.

She wondered if they should perhaps come to Oslo. I told her that there was not much they could do here at present, and it was perhaps best to stay where they were – in case Miriam or
anyone else contacted her family home. She replied that that was a good idea and that they would hold the fort at home, but added that they were ready to come to the capital straightaway if they
could be of any help.

I promised to ring her as soon as there was any news. We quickly agreed that the phone line should be kept open in case Miriam or anyone else tried to call. And then I was alone again in the
world.

I stood by the window and looked out at the empty street. I had seen Miriam walking up here in her green raincoat many a time. I could just picture her. But she was not there now. There was no
one to be seen at this time of evening.

Having stood there for a few minutes, I suddenly felt absolutely certain that I would never see Miriam walking up towards the house again. At the same time, I felt certain that she was alive,
somewhere out in the rain and darkness, only I did not know who was holding her prisoner, or where – or how to find out.

At ten to eleven, the phone was still silent, the darkness just as dark and I was still just as restless. I did not know what to do with myself. But I knew that I had to do something. So I went
out, got into the car and drove back to the station.

Danielsen was sitting in his office with the door open and jumped up when he saw me.

‘Any news?’ he asked.

I shook my head and said that I had neither seen nor heard anything from Miriam. I mentioned Patricia’s theory about the book, which could indicate that she had been preoccupied, and asked
if he had found out what she had done during the day.

He nodded quickly.

‘There was not much information to be had from the halls of residence. But I did talk to a librarian on the telephone who knew your fiancée by sight. Miriam had come to the library
a bit later than usual after the lecture, around half past twelve or oneish. Then she had sat and read some books that were still lying at her place. But the librarian thought she seemed restless,
and thinks she left around half past two. They had not seen her at the SPP party office. So we know where she was until around half past two, but not where she was in those few hours until she
called here.’

I thanked him for the information. Then I went to my office to telephone Patricia with the latest news on Miriam’s movements.

The telephone at Frogner was not answered. In my nervous state, I was taken aback by this, but then remembered that she had promised to get up early the next day and was probably asleep.

There was no more to be done at the station. I was still agitated and anything but tired, so I drove up to the student halls of residence.

This detour to the halls of residence was basically an emotional whim. I did not believe that I would find any evidence that Danielsen and the others had not found. But I did think that I might
find inspiration if I went there again. And that I should talk to Katrine again.

Katrine opened the door as soon as I rang the bell, but only shook her head when she saw me. She had been sitting up and could not think about anything other than Miriam and what might have
happened to her.

‘But something odd did happen,’ she said. ‘The phone in the hall rang at around ten o’clock, but I didn’t manage to answer in time. And then it rang again, but the
voice only said “Miriam” – and then the person hung up when I said she wasn’t here. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that, but it was so unexpected.’

I told her that it was fine, especially in a situation where Miriam’s disappearance was not yet an official case. The telephone call could of course have nothing to do with her
disappearance. I asked Katrine all the same if she could say any more about the voice on the phone. She took her time and then said that it was not easy, as the person had only said one word. But
she was fairly sure that it was a woman and someone she did not know.

I thanked her and once more promised to let her know as soon as there was any news of Miriam. Katrine said again how worried she was and assured me that she would stay where she was until the
situation was clarified. I could see that she was close to tears and I so desperately wanted to say something that might comfort her, but I had nothing to say.

So I left and walked the route down to the bus stop alone this time. I could imagine Miriam, in her old green raincoat with the thick blue book, as though she was there in front of me. But this
inspired no new ideas of what might have happened, even when I passed the spot where we had found the book in the ditch.

It was now nearly half past eleven, the road was dark and there was no one to be seen. I stood there alone at the edge of the road for a couple of minutes and looked up at the stars above. In
that moment I wondered if there was a God or anyone else out there somewhere who knew what had happened.

As I stood there, I heard a car coming down the road and turned to look, to make sure that it did not hit me. It was a large car, possibly a van of sorts, but I was not able to see it in detail
in the dark. I could make out the shadows of two people in the front and guessed that the large figure behind the wheel was a man and the smaller one in the passenger seat was a woman.

Just as the car passed, I caught a glimpse of the face of the person in the passenger seat. It was close enough to see, just as I lost my footing and fell into the ditch myself.

The passenger in the car was Patricia.

She was looking straight ahead and did not see me there by the side of the road in the dark. It looked as though she was talking to the person beside her, because her mouth was moving. Her
expression was tense and grim, almost angry.

I stood there staring after the car until it disappeared into the dark – in the direction of Frogner. I suddenly felt more alone than I’d ever felt before. Miriam had been kidnapped
and I no longer knew if I could trust Patricia.

I stood there for a few minutes more before walking unsteadily back to the car and driving home. It felt like the air was freezing, even though the rain was still pouring down.

As I walked up the stairs, I thought about how happy I would be if Miriam was now sitting in her usual place on the sofa. I would shout with joy, carry her around the flat like
a trophy and never let her out of my sight again. But I knew there was no hope. I had seen that the flat was dark. And when I opened the door, I saw straightaway that the sofa was just as empty as
when I had left the flat.