Read Online Only One Life by Sara Blædel - Free Book Online

ask them. It was late, and Jette was sitting with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths as though she were struggling to regain control over the emotions that had suddenly sprung a leak within her. Her willingness to come had been an enormous help to them. Louise received a text message from Søren, who wrote that the family in Ringsted had been located, but they were going to postpone getting in touch with them until morning, hoping that would allow them to inform the parents first.
    Before dropping Jette off, Louise asked her not to mention anything at school. They wanted to make sure that the family had been told before they heard the rumors in town. They agreed to meet the next morning when the teacher had a free period in her schedule so they could talk about Samra.
    “Good night, and thank you so much for being willing to do this so late in the evening and on such short notice,” Louise said.
    Mik got out of the car and shook the teacher’s hand good-bye.
    “Do you know her?” Louise asked as he pulled away from the curb.
    “I know who she is, and she knows who I am, but I don’t know her any more closely than that. But it’s never nice to take a blow like that while other people are looking on, let alone people who know you.”
    Louise just sat and watched him, surprised by the thoughtfulness that had shone through Mik’s reserve and awkwardness.
    “I’m heading home if that’s okay with you,” he said when they arrived back at the police station. After they dropped Jette off, they had stopped at Dysseparken 16B to inform the girl’s parents, but there was still no answer at the door.
    Louise nodded at her new partner and said good night before heading up to see whether the others were still at their desks. The lights were off in most of the offices, but Ruth Lange was sitting at her desk working. Ruth told her that everyone had just taken off and they would regroup again at eight.
    Louise sat down in her office and found to her satisfaction that the IT guy had managed to set up her two laptops, so she would be ready for the next morning. She took out her personal cell phone and saw the long list of messages from Camilla, who asked her to call. But now it was too late.
    She turned it off and flipped it shut, and then started walking over to the hotel with an extra key that had been dropped off for her that opened the main door to the hotel when the front desk was closed. She suspected there wouldn’t be anyone at the front desk this late, but she still went over to see if she could get anything to drink and take up to her room.
    Søren Velin was sitting in one of the roomy armchairs in the lobby waiting for her. With two beers.
    “Hey,” he said, asking if she wanted one.
    She nodded and sat down. There was a pack of cigarettes on the table, but she quickly looked away. She had relapsed and started smoking again over the summer but had decided to quit again.
    “How’s it going?” he asked, holding out a beer to her.
    “All right,” she replied. “We got the girl ID’d.”
    He nodded and said he actually meant how Louise herself was doing.
    Louise smiled and said that she was all right too.
    “What about your partner? Is he okay?” he asked, and Louise took care not to say too much because she knew she couldn’t afford to complain.
    “I haven’t really figured him out yet,” she said. “It’s like we’re not communicating on the same frequency.”
    “Well, everything is still pretty new. Are you still happy about being in Unit A back in Copenhagen?” he asked, shifting the subject away from the local situation.
    She nodded and asked if he had plans to come back.
    “Yes, but I don’t know when,” he replied. “Right now things are going well here.”
    “What about at home? Are you guys able to stay connected with you gone so much?”
    “Actually, it’s working pretty well,” he said. “As long as Lisbeth is enjoying working from home, I think we can make it work.”
    Søren and