Blue Blue Eyes: Crime Novel (14 page)

”That’s OK”, Nikki said and felt how her vest was sticking to her sweaty back.

”As you can see we’ve written everything we know about both victims here.” Daphne pointed at the white-board with her hand before continuing.

”From our point of view it seems that both Swedes have been victims of the same offender. Well, we still don’t know if it’s one murderer or if there were several, but it seems to have been the same.”

Nikki studied the board and looked closer at Sten Arvidsson’s picture. She got goose-bumps on her bare arms and felt a long shiver in her body. She had to turn around and look out through the window while thinking of what Sten Arvidsson and Karl Hofvenskold actually had done to merit such an awful death. The palms outside were dancing in the light breeze and the sun was shining strongly in the sky. Meanwhile Nikki noticed in the corner of her eye how Daphne was taking out a picture of Karl Hofvenskold and taped it on top of the text, victim unknown.

She bit her lip, went forward and studied the saintly man. Her otherwise smooth forehead was wrinkled in deep folds of despair as she saw his tortured body. It felt as if the perpetrator had taken the victims’ souls and replaced them with hell instead when she saw how their faces were empty. Nikki didn’t doubt for a second that most people felt the same about Karl Hofvenskold and she really had a tough time seeing how he could have fucked up so much that he had to pay with his life. There wasn’t a better man than Karl Hofvenskold.

She understood why Hogstrom had begged her to stay in Cyprus. With a feeling of dejection but with a strong determination to nail the offender she saw how Daphne wrote an address under Karl’s picture. The reaction didn’t take long.

”What the hell, the victims lived on the same street….” Daphne looked in surprise at Nikki, scratched her head and then once again turned to the white-board.

”Didn’t you know that already?”

Daphne shook her head in answer and rubbed her forehead. ”There must be a connection between the two.”

”For sure. The question is what? By the way, where did the gentlemen live, is it close-by?”

”Oh yes, they were living on the high end of Coral Bay, on a rock just by the sea.”

”I’m not surprised regarding the Hofvenskold family”, Nikki said and sat down by the conference table.

”Sam and I were outside Sten Arvidsson’s house the same day we found out from the Gothenburg police that he had had his post forwarded to Cyprus. We didn’t enter, though. Everything looked normal from the outside and according to the neighbour opposite him they hadn’t seen anything strange lately. We haven’t been at the family Hofvens…well however you pronounce it, yet. His wife came here, though.”

From nowhere Nikki heard a meowing outside the door and a big black cat came in with his tail held high to proudly show them a lizard he’d just caught.

”Oh, haven’t you’ve been good”, Nikki said in her very own cat language. ”Have you caught a lizard?”

”Let me present the Panther, the police station’s little mascot. What a bad boy you’ve been, catching another lizard.” Daphne scratched the cat affectionately behind his ear.

”I don’t know why he insists on catching lizards because he seldom eats them. A few survive since they let go of their tails, but most of these poor things meet a cruel death.”

Nikki bent down. At the same moment the Panther bit off the head of the poor lizard and happily ate his body. Before her legs went numb Nikki got up and went to the white-board again. Not even in her wildest dreams could she understand why somebody would want to murder both men in such a brutal way. Who wished evil on Karl? He was the holiness himself. He described himself in the media as having a deep faith and was known as a popular speaker in his own church. Nikki shook her head and wondered what was behind it all. Was Sten Arvidsson a believer as well?

The mobile phones ring cut through the room. Daphne answered while Nikki poured herself a glass of water and continued pondering the fate of both men.

”That was Maria from Forensics, she’s my cousin by the way”, Daphne said and put some hair behind her ear. ”She had some interesting facts regarding Karl.”

”Tell me.” Nikki put her arms behind her neck and sharpened her senses.

”Obviously he had been thrown into the dam from the precipice above. They also found similar tyre tracks as they had where Sten Arvidsson was found as well as some fresh shoe prints.

”Are we talking about a high cliff or how deep is the dam?”

”Maria implied that the distance between the edge of the cliff and the water surface would be around three metres. The dam is deep. I seem to remember that it’s over 60 metres.” Daphne went and wrote the new information on the white-board. ”Maria is going to fax the report in a few minutes and also the pictures of the tyre tracks and the foot prints.”

”Perfect.” Nikki stretched and stifled a yawn. The heat really broke down the body and she felt that she was moving in slow motion . Curiously she looked as Daphne went up to the book-shelf and looked for something. The next minute she put a map on the large conference table. The map included all the property descriptions in Coral Bay. With a steady hand Daphne drew a circle around the peninsula which was also referred to as the high end with her red pen.

”There are about 50 houses within this circle”, Daphne continued and looked at the map carefully. ”This is where Sten lived and here Karl lived.” She showed the houses with the help of her pen.

”They must have known each-other when they were living so close.” Nikki scratched her head and felt how her investigation spark was starting up.

”OK, we have to start somewhere. Could we start by going to the places where the bodies were found?”

”Of course.” Daphne was smiling approvingly. She liked Nikki’s straightforwardness and looked forward to solving these cases together.

”Then I want to go and see the medical examiner and look at the bodies. And then it would be good if we could exchange a few words with Karl’s wife. When we’re at the high end we could have a look at Sten’s house as well.”

”Let’s do it”, Daphne said with enthusiasm as she wondered if Carlos had procured a search warrant for Sten Arvidsson’s house.

They passed the reception where Katerina as usual was sitting looking sad. Her hair was tied up in a big doughnut and her fringe was in place with a clip decorated with pink flowers.

”We’ll be gone pretty much all day and can be reached on our mobiles if there should be anything.”

”Noted”, Katerina sighed heavily. Reluctantly she put down the chocolate-ball and wrote down the information on the white-board hanging on the wall over the desk.

”By the way, you might as well greet Nikki. She’ll be helping us with the cases of the murdered Swedes.”

Without much interest Katerina raised her greasy hand in a casual greeting and then continued gobbling down the cake. Nikki was grateful not to have to shake hands and greeted her back by raising her hand while trying to stop the laughter welling up within her. As soon as they came outside the station she couldn’t control herself anymore.

”How can she eat those greasy sweets this early in the morning?”, Nikki asked, shaking her head.

”I know. The only thing she talks about is how she wants to loose weight. But do you think she does anything about it? On the contrary she’s a regular at the bakery across the street and runs there a few times a day. But we have a deal which is that she should weigh the same as me on Christmas Eve.”

”If she keeps this up she’ll just get bigger. Are there many smoking here, or what?”

Daphne looked at all the butts lying here and there on the gravel on the side of the police station. ”It’s Carlos. And he’s too lazy to put an ash-tray outside.”

”It looks crazy. I mean, you do have visitors from the public and they can’t really think that this is OK, do they?”

”I’m so used to it that I actually don’t notice them. I’ll ask Katerina to arrange for an ash-tray and also ask her to tell the cleaning company to pick up the dirt. Damn how ugly it is now that you mention it. Disgusting. Let’s take the police car, by the way.” Daphne jumped in to sit in the Land cruiser. Before she put it into reverse she called Katerina who wasn’t overjoyed about her new assignment. Then she called Neo and told him about their coming to Nicosia later during the day.

”Cool you showing me the places where they were found.” Nikki looked at Daphne with approval and put her handbag by her feet. ”By the way- is that Carlos coming in that small car?” Nikki had imagined Carlos as short and fat with a big, bushy moustache and she was surprised at how correct she had been when she saw the man in the old Lada.

”Right on.” Daphne put on a fake smile and lowered the window.

”Good morning, I’m going to show Nikki the sites and then we’re going to the medical examiner. We thought of having time to visit Barbro as well. Oh yes, this is Nikki by the way.”

Nikki raised her hand as a greeting. Carlos who had his mouth full of chocolate croissant stared in surprise at them both. ”But wait a minute, did you say Nikki? Nikki from Sweden?”

Daphne nodded.

”But I took it for granted it would be a man.” Carlos looked baffled and raised his big eye-brows.

”As far as I can see she’s a woman.” Daphne laughed quietly while looking at Nikki’s body.

”But damn it, we don’t need any more incompetent bitches in the station. Couldn’t they have sent a completely normal police officer instead? But Sweden is probably doing all it can to get rid of their female losers.”

”Now you have to stop”, Daphne called out, giving Carlos an ice-cold look. ”One more derogatory word about us women and I will report you for discrimination, as well as to the union. That’s not a threat but a promise, understood?” Daphne pushed the accelerator so the dust flew and left the parking cursing.

”Is that really your boss?” Nikki turned around staring in shock at Carlos who was getting out of the small car. How he could fit in it at all was a mystery to her.

”Carlos? Yes, unfortunately. Beware of him. He is one of the greatest haters of women in the universe. But just ignore him. Make sure you answer back and give him straight facts when discussing something. Carlos thinks he’s somebody because he lives in Spain, but he’s the most incompetent Chief of Police I’ve ever worked with, he’s standing in for his brother for a year and don’t ask me how that came about. The family is Spanish Cypriots, like us.”

”Are you Spanish, too?” Nikki asked surprised.

”Yes and no, daddy comes from Costa del Sol and mum comes from here. I’ve lived in both countries and could very well think of moving back to Spain again.”

”I’ll be damn, unusual mixture. I’ve never heard of it before.” Nikki looked out through the window and saw a large field with lemon trees pass by. ”Where are we going first?”

”I thought we would pass by Akamas where Sten Arvidsson was found and then we’ll go to the dam. After lunch we can go to Nicosia to have a look at the bodies and to chat with Cyprus’ most handsome medical examiner.” Daphne gave Nikki a lovely smile and a couple of charming dimples appeared in the tanned cheek.

The sun was high in the clear blue sky and it was over 35 degrees in the shade. They passed a few inviting golden sandy beaches where most people were cooling down in the turquoise shimmering sea. A shepherd and his herd of goats were walking along the coast and Nikki wondered what nourishment the goats actually could get out of it since the ground was more or else parched. A few green bushes were growing here and there but it didn’t seem like enough to feed the large herd.

”If you continue further on this gravel road you’ll get to a beach called Lara Beach, that’s where the sea turtles lay their eggs”, Daphne informed her and followed the road round to the right.

”You know what, I went there as a child. We often came to Cyprus when I lived in Israel.”

”But then you know how beautiful that beach is. The best thing of all is that the tourists hardly ever find it.”

”I recognize this place although it has been years since we came here. The natural reserve is magically beautiful, glad to hear that it’s been well preserved.”

”By the way, how come you lived in Israel?” Daphne gave Nikki a curious look and slowed down for a big hole in the road.

”My father worked as a diplomat in Tel Aviv for many years. I lived there between the age of 11 and 21.” Nikki remembered the good times with a smile on her face.

”Oh, it sounds exotic.”

”That time was just fantastic and I often have a longing to go back. Life was so much easier or maybe it’s because I was in a completely different phase of my life. Whatever, I’ve never felt as well as when I lived in Tel Aviv. Life wasn’t that complicated when you’re younger.”

”And you think it is now, or what?”

”Mm, the hard school of life changes you. Sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. But if I’d known then as a 21-year old what I do now, I’d never have moved back to Gothenburg again.”

”Oh, that sounds serious.”

Nikki mumbled something in coherent and continued looking at the beautiful landscape. She didn’t want to get any more personal and chose to be quiet until they arrived at the precipice where Sten Arvidsson had been found.

Three and a half hours later, after they had visited both locations where the victims were found and eaten a sea food salad, Daphne parked the police car outside Forensics in the capital Nicosia. The impressive building next to the hospital was newly built and looked like a gigantic cube. Nikki and Daphne went up to the large information desk and asked for Neo Fernàndez and a blond girl directed them to the first floor. The air was cool, it smelled clean and Nikki looked around in amazement. Everything was fresh, in contrast to the police station in Coral Bay and the tiled walls were filled with paintings by Cyprus’ different artists. Automatically she passed the lifts, continued to the stairs instead and opened the doors for Daphne.