The next photograph she focused on was of a small, stocky woman with long, dark hair like a tangled halo around her head. The woman was from Kolding and shared certain similarities with the deceased, but she did not have a scar.
Louise figured it might be possible that the woman had been reported missing and then subsequently been in an accident, so that the scar wouldn’t be mentioned in the report. But Flemming had said it was an old injury, she reminded herself; she dismissed the Kolding case.
Lower down on the page, her eyes lingered on the town name of Hvalsø. Louise leaned forward and activated the case from 1991. It had been neither canceled nor affixed with a black marker, so the girl had never been found.
She stared at the name for a little while, her eyes squinting, and realization began to dawn. She remembered the case, even though she had moved away from the town by then. LotteSvendsen was the girl’s name, and she had been twenty-three years old when she went missing. She had been a few grades ahead of Louise, who had only recognized her from her picture.
Lotte Svendsen had been reported missing in connection with the town’s annual Whitsun celebration. It was the night between Saturday and Sunday when there had been a party at the sports center. Louise suddenly realized that she had never cared to know how the case turned out. Those were the years when she had put Hvalsø behind her.
So the girl never turned back up.
But Lotte Svendsen fit the description of their Jane Doe in no way. The next couple of women in the age group had all been found and canceled in the system. And then there was one more that same year, but Louise quickly determined that she was not the woman they were looking for, as she was tall and fair. She only dwelled on the case because this one had never been closed, either. The woman was nineteen and had been living with her parents in Espergærde. She had disappeared while visiting a friend who went to boarding school in Ny Tolstrup.
This case was one Louise had never heard of, probably because she had spent so little time at her parents’ place in the years after she left town.
The cases had long been deleted from the electronic system and were now only stored in the basic archive, which didn’t hold much information. All she found was that the second case had been placed with the old Search Department three weeks after the young woman’s disappearance. Back then it had also been noted that there might be a connection to the missing person case from Hvalsø. The two towns were only about five miles apart, and both places bordered on the woods in which the girls, according to witness statements, had disappeared. Otherwise, there were no links between the two girls, and the lead was a dead end.
H ANNE OPENED THE door without knocking to remind them of the department meeting at ten.
“Did you put the cake in the kitchen?” she asked, looking at Louise.
“The cake?” Louise answered, puzzled.
“Yeah—we take turns bringing cake,” Hanne said. “Did you think it turned up by itself?”
Louise had only attended the weekly department meeting once and had given no thought at all to how the snacks ended up on the table. “No, I didn’t realize it was my turn.”
“It’s on the cake list,” Hanne informed her and let her know that it was posted on the notice board in the lunchroom.
Nobody had bothered to tell Louise about any cake list. She suspected the “someone” who should have told her was Hanne.
“I’ll run down to the bakery,” Eik cut in. “Just tell them I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The meeting was scheduled to begin in five minutes but he had already put on his jacket and was heading out the door.
“No, don’t,” Hanne said, quickly heading him off. “I’ve got a box of cookies as backup. We’ll have those today.”
Eik gave her a big smile. “Honey, I’m all out of smokes, so I’ve got to go down there anyway,” he said, patting
Louise figured it might be possible that the woman had been reported missing and then subsequently been in an accident, so that the scar wouldn’t be mentioned in the report. But Flemming had said it was an old injury, she reminded herself; she dismissed the Kolding case.
Lower down on the page, her eyes lingered on the town name of Hvalsø. Louise leaned forward and activated the case from 1991. It had been neither canceled nor affixed with a black marker, so the girl had never been found.
She stared at the name for a little while, her eyes squinting, and realization began to dawn. She remembered the case, even though she had moved away from the town by then. LotteSvendsen was the girl’s name, and she had been twenty-three years old when she went missing. She had been a few grades ahead of Louise, who had only recognized her from her picture.
Lotte Svendsen had been reported missing in connection with the town’s annual Whitsun celebration. It was the night between Saturday and Sunday when there had been a party at the sports center. Louise suddenly realized that she had never cared to know how the case turned out. Those were the years when she had put Hvalsø behind her.
So the girl never turned back up.
But Lotte Svendsen fit the description of their Jane Doe in no way. The next couple of women in the age group had all been found and canceled in the system. And then there was one more that same year, but Louise quickly determined that she was not the woman they were looking for, as she was tall and fair. She only dwelled on the case because this one had never been closed, either. The woman was nineteen and had been living with her parents in Espergærde. She had disappeared while visiting a friend who went to boarding school in Ny Tolstrup.
This case was one Louise had never heard of, probably because she had spent so little time at her parents’ place in the years after she left town.
The cases had long been deleted from the electronic system and were now only stored in the basic archive, which didn’t hold much information. All she found was that the second case had been placed with the old Search Department three weeks after the young woman’s disappearance. Back then it had also been noted that there might be a connection to the missing person case from Hvalsø. The two towns were only about five miles apart, and both places bordered on the woods in which the girls, according to witness statements, had disappeared. Otherwise, there were no links between the two girls, and the lead was a dead end.
H ANNE OPENED THE door without knocking to remind them of the department meeting at ten.
“Did you put the cake in the kitchen?” she asked, looking at Louise.
“The cake?” Louise answered, puzzled.
“Yeah—we take turns bringing cake,” Hanne said. “Did you think it turned up by itself?”
Louise had only attended the weekly department meeting once and had given no thought at all to how the snacks ended up on the table. “No, I didn’t realize it was my turn.”
“It’s on the cake list,” Hanne informed her and let her know that it was posted on the notice board in the lunchroom.
Nobody had bothered to tell Louise about any cake list. She suspected the “someone” who should have told her was Hanne.
“I’ll run down to the bakery,” Eik cut in. “Just tell them I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The meeting was scheduled to begin in five minutes but he had already put on his jacket and was heading out the door.
“No, don’t,” Hanne said, quickly heading him off. “I’ve got a box of cookies as backup. We’ll have those today.”
Eik gave her a big smile. “Honey, I’m all out of smokes, so I’ve got to go down there anyway,” he said, patting
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