Three, Four...Better Lock Your Door (3 page)

"It's not like her to be that engrossed," Sune said. He plugged his camera into the computer and began uploading the pictures.

"You think it is important?" I asked.

It had been awhile since I last had a really big story to put in the papers. Actually come to think of it, it had been almost two years since Karrebaeksminde had been the scene of the first serial killer in Denmark. I was deeply involved in solving that mystery and earned a lot of credit from my editor. But since then I hadn't had any great stories, so I was feeling a little excited as I watched Sara jotting notes on her pad. Maybe this was finally something I could put in the paper; maybe this could be a cover story? Oh how I wished it was so. I needed it. I had felt so stuck lately. Karrebaeksminde was so drowsy I was afraid it was going to drag me down with it. I was after all still a reporter always on the lookout for a great story to tell.

Sara finally looked at me as she took off the headset.

"So what have you got for me?" I asked and wiped my mouth with a napkin. The taste of fish and remoulade sauce remained in my mouth. I drank some orange soda.

"Something is definitely going on," she said. "You have to move fast."

My eyes met with Sune's. He signaled that he was ready and hurried up eating the rest of his lunch. I leaned over my desk. "What is it?"

"I don't know but they've called all officers to report at Astrupgaard, the local inn just outside of town."

"What happened?" Sune asked.

"I don't know. They've called for backup from all police stations nearby. That's all I know."

I looked at Sara. "Do you think we should check it out? It doesn't sound like much of a story."

"I think it is. Something huge is going on down there. I received a call earlier from someone telling me that they had blocked the building with crime tape and just a minute ago I heard them calling for the forensic team from Copenhagen over the scanner," Sara said. "I think this might interest you."

I got up from my chair and grabbed my jacket. "That sounds like something worth checking out," I said and looked at Sune.

He swallowed the last bite of his lunch and grabbed his camera.

"We're out of here," I said to Sara. "Lunch is in the kitchen."

Astrupgaard Inn was one of those old-fashioned inns found in most small cities in Denmark. It was romantic and old and had very low ceilings since people were so much smaller back when it was built. It was very charming with its wooden floors and thatched roof. It was perfect for a romantic getaway or for the tourist who wanted to see some of small town Denmark and stay in a place that had good food.

Today however the tourists found it everything but charming, though. People had been asked to leave their rooms and stay in the lobby while the police searched the entire inn. One by one the guests were interrogated and reports were taken of their whereabouts the last twenty-four hours and if they had heard or saw anything suspicious around.

The atmosphere was intense when we arrived, to put it mildly. Through the windows I could see people sitting everywhere in the lobby, on the chairs, the table and even some on the floor. Some were talking amongst themselves, shaking their heads not knowing what was going on or wondering why their vacation was ruined like this. Some were crying, others laughing at the ridiculous situation, but common for everybody was that they couldn't go anywhere. They couldn't go back to their room and they couldn't leave the hotel. Police orders, they were told.

The police had blocked the entrance with crime-tape and two officers were standing by the entrance doors to keep anyone from leaving or entering.

"I'm sorry. You can't enter," the officer said to me as I tried to walk in. "There is an investigation going on and I cannot allow you to enter."

I showed him my press-badge. "Rebekka Franck, Zeeland Times," I said.

The officer sighed. Then he nodded and opened the door so we could walk in. "Okay. But stay in the lobby with the rest. We don't want to have anyone touching anything that might be important evidence."

"Could I talk to a spokesman from the police?"

"I'll make sure to find someone. But don't expect it to be quick. We're pretty busy as you can tell. All officers are working."

"Of course. Maybe you could tell me a little about what is going on?" I asked.

Sune started taking pictures of the lobby with all the people and the officers.

"I am afraid, I can't. I'll make sure to find someone who can," the officer said.

"Thanks."

I turned and looked at the many guests stuck in this small lobby. There was my story already, I thought to myself. Tourists trapped for hours while a crime was investigated by the police. I spotted an elderly woman sitting in a rococo chair. She was shaking her head in anger. Perfect I thought and approached her.

"Hello. Rebekka Franck,
Zeeland Times
," I said and held out my hand.

She looked at me a little perplexed.

"Now the media is here too?" she asked.

"Well I am. I'm from the local paper. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

The lady shook her head and her poodle hair moved along with it. "Do I look like I have anything else to do?"

 I smiled. "Could you start by telling me what is going on? What have they told you?" I asked, turning to a blank page on my notepad.

"Nothing. Nothing is what they've told us. The police came banging at our door this morning when my husband and I were getting ready to leave for our trip to Gavnoe Castle and see the wonderful flower garden of tulips that I have been so looking forward to. They told us to walk down to the lobby without touching anything and without taking any of our possessions with us. Now all of my jewelry is in my bag up there and my husband’s expensive watch and laptop and we don't know if we will see it all again. At first I thought ‘Well this must be some kind of fire drill or something.’ Now we have been here for almost three hours and still nothing. They haven't told us anything about what is going on or what they are looking for. There are rumors of course, but I don't know if any of that could be true."

"What kind of rumors?" I asked while my eye caught Sune's. I signaled that we needed pictures of the lady while she spoke. He approached quickly.

"Well some say that they had a bomb threat this morning, but wouldn't they have us outside the building instead of inside if that was the case?"

"I guess they would," I agreed.

"Others say that they're looking for some terrorist that is hiding at the inn. They're searching all the rooms to see if he is in there."

"That sounds plausible. It could be some criminal trying to hide from the police," I said and noted the rumor. No matter what it turned out to be it was a great story that they kept the guests uninformed for hours. Plus it had to be more than just a small time criminal since they went to so much trouble and pulled people out of their rooms. This would eventually hurt the inn's image and reputation of a quiet romantic place to spend a vacation. The owners couldn't be happy about that.

"Then I heard a third rumor that they've found someone dead in one of the rooms," the lady continued.

I stopped writing and looked at her. "A guest?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said with speculative eyes. "I guess. Maybe they think that one of us did it? Maybe they'll come down in a little while and point at someone and tell everybody why and how he did it?"

Maybe someone was watching too many crime-shows on TV, I thought chuckling to myself.

In the corner of my eye I spotted someone from the inn. He was talking to some of the guests and seemed to be trying to calm them down but that only made them madder. People were flocking around him asking questions, making demands for compensations, wanting to know exactly what was going on here. I felt so sorry for the poor guy. I wondered what bet he had lost to own the honor of being the first to show his face here. I hoped they had at least promised him a raise. I signaled Sune to take the guy's picture while he was surrounded by the angry crowd.

"I know it is a very difficult situation for our guests right now," I heard him say. But his words were drowned by the many angry voices.

"Now why can't we at least be allowed to go back to our rooms and get our things so we can leave this awful place," a woman said. Her voice was like a blowtorch cutting through wood.

"Yeah," someone replied. "We haven't done anything wrong. We are decent citizens we demand respect and decent treatment. We are all taxpayers. Is this what the government is spending our money on? Do we really deserve this after paying our taxes for twenty years without complaining?"

"I ... I really don't know," the inn employee stuttered. "I just work here. They haven't even told me what is going on. All I know is that we all need to stay right here until they are done with the investigation and I came here to tell you all that the inn offers you a complimentary dinner tonight at the restaurant free of charge, naturally."

I scoffed and shook my head while I noted it on my pad.

"A free dinner?" someone yelled from the crowd. They were getting ready to lynch the guy, I thought.

There was lots of murmuring and mumbling among the guests that eventually got louder and louder. Luckily for the employee a police officer of a higher rank appeared behind him. He lifted his hand to calm the crowd.

"Now if we could please just all settle down a little," he said and stepped up in front of the cornered guy from the inn.

"We would just like an explanation of what is going on," the woman with the blowtorch voice said.

"Of course you all do," the officer said. He was a handsome man of about fifty. He had a deep, authoritative voice that made everybody feel comfortable and safe in his presence. He was extremely trustworthy. 

"The thing is that a crime has been committed at this hotel and we have to do our duty to our hard-working taxpaying citizens and find out who did it and put him away so he won't bother anyone again. That's our job. All we ask is for you to bear with us and show us some patience while we work. This inn has many rooms that need to be searched for evidence. That’s why it is taking some time to complete. But it is necessary in order to find this criminal. Is that acceptable?"

The crowd had gone completely silent while he spoke. Someone nodded.

"Could we ask what kind of crime?" I asked.

The officer looked up into my eyes. "I see the press is here as well," he said with a forced smile. "Well I am very sorry, but I can't get into that yet," he said. "We will however have a press conference tomorrow for all members of the press."

"Should the guests at the inn be afraid?" I asked.

"I shouldn't think so," he replied. He was getting ready to leave.

"But maybe you could tell us why you have called in the forensic team from Copenhagen?"

The smile on the officer's face stiffened. "I can't go into details right now," he said to the crowd. "But rest assured that we will catch this criminal. Just give us a couple of hours more and we will be done. Then you'll be able to return to your rooms again. I think we have taken a statement from all of you by now and we will be in touch if needed.”

He pointed at me and signaled that I should follow him as he walked away. I grabbed Sune's arm and dragged him with me.

"Please don't scare people like that again," he said as we walked towards the stairs.

"I won't if you'll give me something to put in my paper," I said while Sune took pictures of us talking.

"What do you want?"

"I need details. What happened?" I asked.

The officer stopped and sighed. "I might as well tell you now. A woman was killed last night."

I froze and looked up from my pad. "Killed? How?"

"That I can't tell you. Not yet. We'll have to wait for the forensics report to state the exact cause of death."

"Was it murder? You could at least tell me that?"

He sighed again. "Yes."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Let's just say there is no doubt she was killed," he said.

"So what you're looking for in this hotel is a killer? That would be okay for me to write that?"

"Yes. Or evidence leading us to him."

"Anything so far?"

"No. And again ..."

"You can't tell me. I know."

"Has the family been informed yet?"

"Yes," he said heavily. "The victim's name is Susanne Larsen. She is from Naestved. She had a husband and two children.  A son and a daughter, eight and eleven years old," he said.

I detected sadness in his voice. This case was really bad, I thought if it could shock an officer as experienced as him.

"Any descriptions, anyone you're looking for that I put in the paper? Any pictures of someone you need to talk to?"

He shook his head heavily.

"Nothing?"

"No," he repeated. "The room was booked in her name. She was seen having dinner with a man in the restaurant last night. We have found no trace of him anywhere in the room. No fingerprints, nothing. So naturally we are looking for him. He is described as tall, medium build and brown-haired."

"That's not much," I exclaimed. "So is it fair to say that the police are looking for a man who was seen having dinner with the deceased last night? Ask the public to bring in any information that they would think could lead to finding this guy?"

"That would be of great help, thank you."

"Well we have to help each other, right?" I said. 

The officer nodded. "Now I need to get back," he said and started climbing the stairs. "I am afraid we still have a long way to go."

C
HAPTER 5

B
ACK AT THE OFFICE
I called my editor Jens-Ole at the headquarters. My hands felt sweaty and my heart was beating fast. It had been quite a while since I last had an exclusive story to present to him. I had a feeling that this could be a big one, one I would have to follow up upon.

"I have a murder at the local inn. We're first with the story," I said.