On A Dark Sea (The DCI Dani Bevan Detective Novels Book 2) (7 page)

Chapter Thirteen

A
ndy Calder returned to his modern first floor flat in the west-end of Glasgow at just before seven. Carol had already put Amy down to sleep in her cot and Andy knew to enter through the front door as quietly as possible.

              He removed his coat and shoes and padded into the small, functional kitchen. Carol was stirring a pot on the stove. Andy put his arms around her from behind and rested his face against hers.

              ‘Have you had a good day?’

              ‘Aye. Amy and I went to the drop-in clinic this morning.’

              Andy’s posture stiffened. ‘Is everything okay?’

              ‘It was just to get her weighed and for a chat with the health visitors. She’s perfectly fine.’

              Andy went into the main bedroom and changed out of his suit. Making his way towards the small lounge he ducked his head into his daughter’s nursery, gazing for a moment at her peaceful form.

              He was still smiling as he turned on the television set and positioned himself comfortably on the sofa in front of it. Andy just caught the end of the local news and discovered Jane Boag staring out of the screen at him. The detective sensed Carol come into the room.

              ‘She’s a real ball-breaker that one,’ he muttered quietly.

              ‘I was just thinking how glamorous she looked,’ Carol replied, taking in the woman’s tall, slim physique, displayed to full advantage in an expensively tailored suit and with sleek black hair pinned up expertly to frame her attractive face. Carol subconsciously placed a hand to her own ample, post-baby curves.

              ‘Jane is certainly not
my
type,’ Andy put in forcefully. ‘She’s all spiky edges, in more ways than one.’

              The Headmistress was being interviewed about yet another proposed slew of changes to the examination system. Jane was commenting on how the reforms did nothing to address the fact that current education policies were failing to engage modern children.

              ‘She’s got a good point,’ Carol said. ‘These politicians are so out of touch.’

              Andy creased his face into a frown. ‘A young girl is still missing from Jane’s school - out there somewhere in the dark and cold. All
she
can talk about are bloody government initiatives.’

              ‘That’s her job. The world can’t stop turning because Maisie Riddell’s run away from home.’

              Andy pulled his wife onto the sofa next to him and gave her a tight squeeze, thinking about their own little girl, lying in her soft pink pyjamas, all safe and warm in her room down the corridor. ‘I don’t know,’ he said with a sigh. ‘Perhaps it really should.’

*

As DCI Bevan exited the lift and strode across the open-plan floor of the Serious Crime Division, she noted that DS Boag was the first at his desk again. Dani called out, ‘good morning!’ as she passed him and proceeded into her own office. The phone started ringing as soon as the detective sat down.

              It was the reception desk, informing Bevan that Charles Riddell was waiting in the lobby to see her. Apparently, he was in something of a state. Dani immediately jumped up, pulling on her jacket once again and summoning Phil to accompany her downstairs.

              Mr Riddell was sitting on the edge of a soft chair by the entrance doors with his head resting in his hands. Dani slowly approached the man, clearing her throat as she got closer. Charlie looked up, his face pinched with anguish.

              ‘Has something happened, Mr Riddell?’ She asked gently.

              He nodded.

              Phil led them towards one of the more pleasant of the ground floor interview rooms. There was a three piece suite in this one and a small window. They all took a seat.

              ‘I need to ask your permission to return to Norway, Detective Chief Inspector. I’m booked on the next flight.’ Charlie gazed at her pleadingly.

              ‘Of course,’ she replied, ‘you aren’t a suspect.’

              ‘Thank you,’ the man let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Kristin called me this morning. She is very upset. There was an incident at the house yesterday.’

              ‘What kind of incident?’ Phil enquired gravely, getting out his notebook.

              ‘It was late afternoon and the temperature was extremely mild. My wife had left Gabriel in the buggy to sleep. He was on the step by the front door. She had kept the door open but was pottering around inside the kitchen for a few moments.’ Charles glanced up and caught Dani’s eye. ‘We do not have any near neighbours. Our house is on the edge of the forest.’

              ‘Carry on.’

              ‘When she came out to check on Gabriel, she found the buggy was gone. At first, Kristin thought she may not have secured the brake properly and it had rolled down the driveway a little, so that it was out of sight. But when she rushed outside, the baby was nowhere to be seen. Kristin was frantic, as you can imagine. She ran up and down the track which leads to the main road, searching for him. After ten minutes, she called the police. They sent a car very quickly and several officers scoured the surrounding area. They found Gabriel some forty five minutes later. His buggy was semi-hidden in a little dip in the woods, about half a mile from the house. My little boy was still asleep. He appeared totally unharmed.’

              Dani edged forwards. ‘Do the Norwegian authorities have any idea who was responsible?’

              Charles shook his head, looking confused. ‘Not yet, they are investigating the woods thoroughly. Kristin says officers are still at the house. Do you think this could have something to do with Maisie’s disappearance? Is there someone out there targeting me?’ The man seemed extremely agitated.

              ‘We’d need to look into this more closely to be able to say,’ Dani explained. ‘But it is certainly possible.’

Chapter Fourteen

‘W
as Carol okay about you coming away at such short notice?’ Bevan asked her colleague, as they hauled their baggage through Stavanger Airport.

              ‘Her mother is going to stay for a couple of days. Carol’s fine, she knows it’s all part of the job.’

              Their hotel was a short taxi drive away. Once they’d had a chance to freshen up, Dani and Andy made their way to the police headquarters, where the British detectives would be liaising with the National Criminal Investigation Service.

              The headquarters were housed in an impressive glass-fronted building, positioned just on the outskirts of the city. Stavanger was a low-lying settlement, with a largely coastal landscape. The urban area was surrounded by the sea, five lakes and three fjords, with the centre of the town retaining much of its period charm. Dani already knew that the offices of Barents Oil were based in a nearby business park. But she wanted to speak with the investigating officer in charge of the Riddell case before she paid a visit there.

              Dani and Andy were greeted by a tall man in his early forties who introduced himself as Detective Dieter Karlsen. Bevan was relieved to note that he spoke impeccable English. They were led up an escalator to a mezzanine level where several glass topped desks were populated by busy looking staff. Detective Karlsen introduced them to a younger woman, apparently his partner. Her name was Magda Hustad.

              ‘Have you already been briefed on our missing person case in Glasgow?’ Dani enquired.

              ‘Yes,’ said Karlsen. ‘Your colleague Phil Boag has sent us an account of Maisie Riddell’s disappearance. I studied the details this morning.’

              ‘Good. Could you give us a run-down of the investigation into the attempted abduction of Gabriel?’

              Karlsen nodded towards Magda who led them over to a large desk area. She picked up a handful of photographs, obviously taken of the Riddell’s property and the surrounding terrain. ‘This is the spot where our men found the little boy and his pram. There was no evidence that he had been disturbed in any way. Kristin Riddell claimed his clothing and blankets were exactly as she had left them.’

              ‘So what was the purpose of hiding the boy? Was the intention to frighten the Riddells?’ Andy asked.

              Magda nodded. ‘At this stage we think that must have been the case. He was only a half mile from the house. The boy was never in any great danger.’

              ‘Perhaps the abductor was interrupted and simply decided to abandon the plan, dumping Gabriel and fleeing the scene. Maybe whoever it was had not expected the mother to come out of the house again so quickly. The perpetrator might have seen her from the woods and decided to abort the kidnapping.’

              ‘That is also a possibility,’ Karlsen added, ‘especially if the same people are responsible for the kidnapping of Maisie Riddell. It shows that they are perfectly capable of abducting a child.’

              ‘But taking an eighteen month old toddler is an entirely different proposition from holding a teenager,’ Andy commented.

              ‘And no effort has been made by any group to take the credit for Maisie’s disappearance, whereas this act seems to be directed quite specifically at Charles Riddell,’ Dani supplied.

              ‘Perhaps it is part of an escalating series of events,’ Karlsen explained. ‘Maisie’s fate was just the start. As the acts become more frequent then the aims of the perpetrators will be made apparent.’

              Dani nodded, this theory was certainly plausible, especially if it was the work of an extremist organisation setting out to make a big impact. ‘Do you have any idea which pressure groups may have decided to target Charles Riddell?’ Bevan glanced at Detective Karlsen.

              ‘As your Sergeant has been doing, we too have looked into the threats received by all of the executives working at Barents Oil. We were quite amazed by the sheer number there has been in the past few years. Some of the individuals responsible are known to us, we have detailed files on a few.’

              Magda Hustad retrieved more documents from the glass topped desk. A mug shot was paper-clipped to the corner of a detailed form sitting at the top of the pile. Dani examined the face closely. This individual was not more than a teenager, she thought.

              ‘This is Andreas Nilsen. He started out as a student campaigner, but as far as we can tell, he has never taken a proper job since graduation,’ Magda explained. ‘Nilsen has been arrested several times for petty offences, such as the damaging of oil executives’ cars.’

              ‘Has he ever been in direct contact with Riddell?’ Dani asked.

              Karlsen nodded. ‘That’s why we picked him out of the bunch. Nilsen’s environmental group were sending propaganda e-mails to Charles Riddell even when he was still working in Scotland.’

              Bevan tipped her head towards Calder and scooped up her bag. ‘Does this individual live close by?’

              ‘About a twenty minute drive away,’ the Norwegian detective confirmed.

Detective Hustad remained at headquarters, helping the team to continue sifting through the many protest e-mails and letters received over the past few years by the Barents Oil Corporation. Dani sat beside Dieter Karlsen in the front of his estate car. Andy Calder was leaning forward from his position on the backseat, so he could hear what the local cop was telling them.

              ‘Riddell’s wife was previously known as Kristin Berg. She was also an employee at Barents Oil. She was one of Charles’ secretaries, although she left the corporation not long after marrying her boss. The baby was born a year or so later.’

              ‘It makes sense that the guy met his new partner on the job. Apparently, Charles Riddell puts a lot of hours in,’ Andy added. ‘That’s why his first wife left him.’

              Karlsen nodded sagely. ‘It is a situation that policemen know a great deal about.’

              Dani looked at her companion closely. At least two day’s worth of stubble covered the lower half of his face, but the man’s hair was neatly trimmed and his shirt carefully ironed. He wore a thick gold band on the third finger of his right hand, as was customary for married men in Norway.

              ‘What did you make of Kristin Riddell when you spoke to her? Did she strike you as the ditsy type? Might she have forgotten leaving the pram in the woods? Perhaps she’d taken the baby for a walk and lost her bearings. The story of the buggy being left outside on the driveway may have been a fabrication, to excuse her own negligence,’ Dani suggested, thinking out loud.

              Karlsen shot her a sideways glance, with watery, grey-green eyes. ‘The woman was frantic about the child. I believe she genuinely thought he had been abducted.’

              Dani nodded. She didn’t need any further convincing. Bevan suspected that Dieter Karlsen’s instincts were razor sharp.

              Within a few moments, they pulled up onto a steep drive which sat at the foot of a single-level property, perched in an impressive position on the mountainside, overlooking a perfectly still lake.

              ‘Does Nilsen live
here
?’ Andy asked incredulously, surveying the collection of BMWs parked in front of the garage.

              ‘He still lives with his parents.’ When Dani raised an eyebrow at this, Nilsen said, ‘I never suggested the guy was a master criminal. None of these young eco-warrior types really are.’

              They climbed a set of stone steps which led to the front door. Andy turned for a moment and absorbed the stunning view before spinning back and folding his arms across his chest.

              A slim, blond woman answered the door. She was dressed in a roll neck sweater and dark jeans but managed to make this simple ensemble appear incredibly chic.

              Karlsen addressed the woman in Norwegian. Dani heard the detective mention her son’s name. The woman stood back and muttered a protest. Somehow Dani sensed that the family had guests. They were led into a bright and open plan kitchen. Just as Bevan had predicted, there were plates of food and open bottles of wine covering the central island. Karlsen began speaking in English.

              ‘Mrs Nilsen, there was an incident yesterday that we need to ask Andreas some questions about.’

              The woman sighed heavily. ‘Stay in here would you? I’ll send him in. But please could you keep it short? We are having a lunch party for my husband’s birthday.’

              ‘Of course.’

              Andreas Nilsen strode in a few moments later, carrying a glass of champagne and grinning from ear to ear. He greeted the detective in his native language, in a relaxed manner that suggested to Dani the young man knew him well.

              ‘These are two of my colleagues from Glasgow, they are assisting my investigation,’ Karlsen said.

              Andreas raised his flute in a gesture of welcome, not appearing in the least bit perturbed. ‘Good. I will get a chance to practise my English.’

              Karlsen was beginning to get annoyed. ‘When did you last send hate mail to Charles Riddell, Andreas?’

              The young man tipped his face towards the ceiling, as if trying to recall the details of a pleasant holiday excursion or day trip. ‘Not for at least six months. I’ve been busy with other ventures.’

              ‘A couple of days ago, the Riddells’ baby boy was taken from outside the family’s home.’ Karlsen allowed this piece of information to sink in. Dani felt sure she saw a flicker of emotion pass across the lad’s features.

              ‘Oh yes,’ Andreas replied, his face fixed in a rictus grin. ‘What’s that got to do with me?’

              Dani stepped forward. ‘Why did you target Charles Riddell when he was working in Aberdeen? What did he do to catch your attention?’

              The young man allowed his piercing blue eyes to slide down the contours of her slim, athletic frame. If the gesture was intended to intimidate her, it hadn’t worked. ‘Our friend Charlie wrote a scientific paper back in 2007, suggesting that the future of international oil exploration should be focused on the Arctic Ocean. He claimed that Norwegian oil companies should be at the forefront of this project. Since that time, the man has been at the top of my Christmas card list.’

              ‘You must have been particularly annoyed when Riddell came to work here, then?’ Andy put in casually.

              ‘Not at all,’ Andreas laughed and took a long sip of champagne. ‘It merely saved money on the postage.’

              Karlsen leaned forward and Dani saw that his face was flushed with anger. ‘Do you know what the penalty is for child abduction - particularly of a baby? Your pretty boy looks wouldn’t serve you very well in prison.’

              Andreas blinked several times, but his expression remained blank. ‘I had absolutely nothing to do with that. It’s not my style.’ He gestured around him. ‘I live with my parents, where on earth could I hide a baby?’

              ‘You’ve got associates,’ Karlsen replied levelly.

              ‘My group are made up of student-types, mostly girls. They wouldn’t want any part in the kidnapping of a young child.’

              ‘Do you know Maisie Riddell?’ Dani suddenly asked, examining those dazzling blue eyes closely.

              Andreas shook his thick head of sandy hair. ‘No. Is she a relative of Charles? I’m aware the baby is a boy, but that’s all I know.’

              ‘We’ve got a warrant to seize your computer and phone,’ Karlsen added.

              ‘Fine, but I need them returned to me by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll get my lawyer onto it.’

              ‘You do that,’ Karlsen snapped.

              The lad padded out of the kitchen and returned a few moments later with the devices. He seemed to have regained some of his composure. As he handed them over to the detective he said conversationally, ‘and how is
Mrs
Karlsen these days?’

              The officer flashed Andreas a look of pure hatred, thanked him through gritted teeth for his assistance and led his two colleagues back out to the car.

Bevan was sure that Detective Karlsen was driving more aggressively on the return route to Stavanger.               ‘Did you think he was lying?’ Andy asked generally.

              Bevan directed her response to the Norwegian officer. ‘You know him best, Dieter, but I thought the news about Gabriel Riddell was completely unexpected.’

              Karlsen nodded. ‘I agree. Much as I dislike Nilsen and his cronies, I don’t think they’ve got the gumption to pull off this kind of thing, particularly not the abduction of Maisie from a totally different country. It’s way out of Andreas’ league.’

              ‘And there aren’t any other organisations you think could be responsible?’

              ‘There are still a few individuals I’d like to question, but none of them has the kind of record I’d associate with a child kidnapping.’