Page 124 of Hidden in Memories
Tiina is twisting her hands together in her lap, so tightly that the skin whitens over her knuckles. The emotional roller coaster of the last few days made her think the worst when the police appeared on her doorstep.
Nothing is as it seems.
“Why are you here?” she mumbles.
“We think your husband might be in grave danger,” the man informs her calmly. “We need to contact him as a matter of urgency.”
“He’s not dead?”
“Not as far as we know.”
He’s alive.
The words release something within Tiina. If Ogge is in danger, then she must have gotten it wrong. That’s why he is inaccessible, he is hiding.
The relief is so great that she has to grip the edge of the table to keep her balance. Then she remembers the other stuff, the bloodstained sock, the marks on the T-shirt that haven’t gone away. The nocturnal outing on the scooter around the time when a woman was strangled outside the hotel.
Tiina weeps with exhaustion and confusion.
Everything is so chaotic.
“Do you know where your husband is?” the woman asks gently. “If so, it’s really important that you tell us.”
“He’s been gone for several days,” Tiina sobs. “His car isn’t here, and I can’t get a hold of him.”
She feels the room begin to spin. Not even Zelda’s damp nose on her knee can quell the rising panic that threatens to take over.
“What do you mean, you can’t get a hold of him?” Daniel asks.
Tiina’s breathing is shallow, and her eyes are darting from one officer to the other.
“I’ve called and texted over and over again, but he doesn’t answer.”
“And you have no idea where he might be?”
“No.”
“Has anything unusual happened during the last week?” Hanna asks. “Has your husband received any threatening calls, or suspected someone could be following him? Has his behavior changed?”
Tiina sees the bloodstained sock in her mind’s eye yet again. She doesn’t know for sure if it means anything.
But something terrible must have happened.
“We just want to help.” Hanna’s voice is so kind and sympathetic that Tiina gets a lump in her throat.
“It started last week,” she whispers. “It’s been impossible to talk to him since then. And it’s gotten worse and worse since that first woman was murdered where he works.”
The walls are closing in.
Tiina tries to focus on the glass of water, but it seems to be moving farther away.
“Where does your husband work?” Daniel asks.
Hanna is leaning across the table. Tiina raises her head and looks into their worried faces.
“At Copperhill.”
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