Tanaka again before she left.
Just then notes of “The Marseillaise” fluted out of her coat pocket. “Irene Huss,” she said into the cell phone.
It was quiet on the phone, but she could hear someone breathing.
“Hello?” she said.
“It’s. . it’s Petra. At Scandinavian Models. Bell. . Isabell is gone.”
Irene felt her heart skip a beat. “Wait a moment,” she said.
She took the Nokia from her ear and smiled at Metz and Moller.
“Excuse me. It’s my daughter. Personal problems.”
She got up from the chair and headed for the women’s bathroom. Once there, she put the phone back to her ear. “Hi, Petra. Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“You said something about Isabell being gone?”
“Yes. She hasn’t come back from. . a job. . ”
“How long has she been gone?”
“She left here around eleven last night.”
“Where did she go?”
“To the Hotel Aurora.”
“You know this for certain?”
“Yes. We write down all of the orders in a logbook. Bell was supposed to be at the Hotel Aurora before eleven thirty.”
“Do you know who asked for her?”
“I didn’t take the call, but it says here that the customer was Simon Steiner.”
“The request was made by telephone?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where the Hotel Aurora is located?”
“The address is listed here. Colbjornsensgade. It’s in-”
“Vesterbro. I know.”
Irene had been in Tom Tanaka’s apartment behind the gay sex shop on the same street, at about the time Isabell should have arrived at the hotel. More accurately, it was probably just before Irene’s encounter with the skinheads. Her brain was working in overdrive but she couldn’t get her thoughts in order. Finally she asked, “Could Isabell have stayed with the customer overnight and overslept?”
“No, we never stay the night with a customer.”
“Have you called the police here in Copenhagen?”
There was a long silence before Petra answered. “No. A man came yesterday asking after Bell. He said that he was a police officer and showed his police ID. . but Bell had already left, and then you came. But you gave me the card with your name and cell phone number, so I thought. .”
“Petra. I’m really grateful that you called and told me about this. But I don’t have the ability to do anything here. A Swedish police officer has no authority in Denmark. I would suggest that you call the police in Vesterbro and report that Isabell never came back after an appointment at the Hotel Aurora. Only a Danish police officer can search the hotel.”
Petra said, “Do you think I could leave it as an anonymous tip?”
“Yes, but there’s a risk that they will dismiss it as a prank call. Another option is for you to call the hotel. Have you done that?”
“No, but maybe I should. . ”
“You can start with that. By the way, did the man looking for Bell yesterday really say that he was a police officer?”
“Yeah. . they do that sometimes. . say that they want to inspect. . you know. .”
In order to get a free pass, thought Irene. Loudly she said, “Hey, I have to run now. I’ll call you in two hours and see if you have come up with anything. And please call my number if Isabell happens to show up.”
“OK. Bye.”
When Irene had hung up, she felt her stomach flutter with worry. What had happened? Was it really a pure coincidence that she and Isabell had been on the same street at the same time in this huge city?
An ice-cold chill ran down her spine. It felt as though an invisible hand was maneuvering her as if she were a marionette. Someone was playing a cleverly calculated game. Right then, she would have given almost anything for a glimpse at the script.
Could Tom Tanaka be responsible for Isabell’s disappearance? But she hadn’t mentioned Isabell to him. The only ones she had spoken with and shown the picture to were Beate Bentsen, Jens Metz, and Peter Moller. Three police officers.
Tanaka had said that he trusted her, and in turn, it now seemed as though he was the only one she dared to trust.
She got out Tom Tanaka’s calling card with his cell phone number. There was one ring before he answered. “Tom.”
“Hi. This is Irene Huss.”
“What’s new?”
It took a confused second before Irene understood what “What’s new?” meant. Stammering, she started to explain. “No. I don’t have any. . news. But I need to ask a few questions. Is that OK?”
“Depends on what kind of questions.”
“Are you alone now?”
“Yes.”
“It’s about Emil. How long has he worked for you?”
To Irene’s surprise, he let out a short laugh. “Emil doesn’t work for me. He’s more like a volunteer.”
“Volunteer? What do you mean?”
“He has been hanging out in the store ever since I took it over. Sometimes he buys a few things. But mostly he just hangs out. We have gotten to know each other over time. Little by little, as it turned out, he started helping here.”
“Does he have any other jobs?”
“He studies law.”
“Do you know anything about Emil’s parents?”
“Not a thing. Doesn’t interest me. Why are you asking about Emil?”
“His mother is Beate Bentsen. She is the superintendent of police in the Criminal Division. A police officer with connections to Vesterbro. . she works there.”
It became quiet. Irene heard Tanaka’s heavy breathing. When he finally took a deep breath and then exhaled, there was an explosion in the receiver. “Damn! Shit!” Then he said in a normal voice, “When are you going home to Sweden?”
“Now. I’ve just had lunch with my colleagues. Some other things have come up that I’d like to ask you about.”
“Can you stop by on the way?”
“I’ll try. We’re behind Tivoli now so it isn’t far to walk to you. I’ll call on the cell when I get there. You want me to take the back way, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Irene ended the call. She quickly touched up her lipstick before she went out again to her male colleagues.
They were in the process of paying. Irene smiled apologetically. “You can’t be away from home one day without the whole house falling apart-at least it seems that way. Naturally, I’ll pay for myself.”
She pulled her wallet out of her pocket but Metz waved it off.
“Not at all. It’s on us. You can treat us when we come and visit Goteborg.”
“Of course. Thanks a lot.”
The police officers said good-bye to each other outside the pub. Irene and the men went in separate
