Page 116 of Hidden in Memories
“No. It’s possible that he might remember more tomorrow when he sobers up. We’ve got his contact details.”
All of Hanna’s forebodings are coming true. It doesn’t sound as if Filip left the restaurant of his own free will.
Henry has woken and is sitting up, listening to every word with his fists clenched on his knees.
Hanna immediately calls Daniel. It’s the middle of the night but it can’t be helped—she has to wake him now.
He answers after five rings.
She hates saying the words out loud.
“It’s about Filip Wretlind. I think he’s been kidnapped.”
92
Filip tries to force his eyes open, but it’s no good; there is a strange weight pressing on his face; he can’t see. It’s as if he is wearing a hood.
Someone is carrying him in their arms.
Is it Mom?
He remembers the feeling of safety when he was little and afraid of the dark. When he cried and she would fetch him from his nursery and carry him into her room. He would be allowed to snuggle down beside her in the double bed and fall asleep while she lay reading.
Mom always smelled so good, of bergamot, gardenia, and something else. That was the smell ofher.
Filip is semiconscious, but this is different—a mixture of sweat and stale booze, unfamiliar and unpleasant body odors.
Mom is dead.
The grief when the memory suddenly returns hits him with full force. She doesn’t exist anymore; she has been murdered.
He will never see her again.
And now he has been abducted.
He becomes aware of the cold penetrating his clothes. He must be outside; he is no longer shut in the narrow, claustrophobic space from before.
Whoever is carrying him is breathing hard with exertion. Gasping and puffing with damp breaths that smell of beer. A vague thought stirs in Filip’s mind. He ought to break free, try to escape.
But he can’t do it; his muscles won’t cooperate; his body is unresponsive. Plus both his arms and his legs are still bound.
He hears a creaking noise, as if a door is being closed. Then it gets warmer; they must be indoors now.
Filip slips into unconsciousness again.
He wishes Mom were here.
Saturday, April 3 Easter Saturday
93
Tiina feels like a robot when she arrives home on Saturday morning after an early long walk with Zelda. She couldn’t sleep, so shortly before six o’clock she gave up, got dressed, and took the dog to the forest. It is usually Ogge who takes Zelda out before breakfast, it’s their special time, but Tiina still has no idea where he might be.
It is Easter Saturday.
Three days have passed since Ogge came home in the middle of the night and she began to suspect that he was seeing someone else. The following morning he took off, and she doesn’t know where he is. People ask after him, and she has nothing to say. He isn’t answering his phone and is ignoring her text messages; she has lost count of how many she has sent.
The house is empty when she opens the door. The scooter is there, but Ogge’s car is missing. Zelda dances around while Tiina fills her food bowl and gives her clean water. Then she goes down to the cellar to put on a wash. Everyday tasks are all she can cope with right now. If she sits at the kitchen table brooding, she will go crazy.
