Anneli smiled. They weren’t wrong. Once she had completed her quest of justice with a few more murders, she would disappear from the face of the earth. A plan that Jazmine, Denise, and Michelle had unknowingly sped up. The news on the Internet mentioned that the haul from the Victoria robbery was one hundred and sixty-five thousand kroner, and she intended to get her hands on that money. It would be easy enough once she had killed Denise and Jazmine. And despite the fact that it wasn’t a huge amount of money, she reckoned she would be able to live off it for at least ten years somewhere in central Africa if the cancer didn’t get her first. A train to Brussels, a flight to Yaoundé in Cameroon, and she would be gone without a trace. No one could convince her that Interpol or the like could find her once she had been swallowed up by the jungle.
Occupied with these thoughts and dreams of young black men and eternal sunshine, she didn’t hear what the young woman who stepped into her office wanted, only her name.
Anneli briefly inspected her. Midtwenties, feminine, and a predictable small tattoo of a lizard on the back of her hand between her thumb and index finger. Same tart, different name. Just another sponger with braids.
The girl was strangely polite in an old-fashioned way, bordering on the servile, and was subdued in both appearance and tone. Therefore, Anneli was totally unprepared for what came next.
“Like I said, I’m no longer eligible for student support because I’ve dropped out of my classes,” she said with kitten eyes. “So I can’t pay for my room, food, or clothes. Of course, I’m aware that you don’t get benefits just like that, but if I don’t, I’ll kill myself.”
Then she went quiet. Just sat there fiddling with her hair like all the other cows, as if having beautiful hair was the most important thing in the world. She was staring at Anneli with a provocative arrogance, probably imagining that her demand was absolutely indisputable. She was obviously as thick as two short planks. Probably the type who had flirted and sucked up to her teachers all through high school in order to get good grades and into college. She had probably realized now that the demands were too high. Failed to turn up to lectures and subsequently been thrown out of school. That would be the real reason her student support had been stopped.
Anneli’s expression became stern. Annoyance, resentment, hatred, and contempt were only the tip of the iceberg.
She looked up at the young woman. Was she really threatening to commit suicide, the stupid cow? What a shame for her that she had come to the wrong person.
“I see, so you’re going to commit suicide! You know what? I think you should hurry home and get it over with, sweetie,” she said and spun around to show the girl her back. This meeting was over.
Anneli could hear the indignation and shock in the girl’s voice behind her. “I’ll report you to your boss for encouraging me to commit suicide,” she said threateningly. “I know that’s against all the rules, so for your own sake, I think you’d better find a way to award me five thousand kroner here and now, you b. . . . !”
Had the little brat just called her a bitch?
She slowly turned back around in her chair and directed an icy look at the girl. She had just moved to the top of Anneli’s death list. In fact, she would take great pleasure in seeing the horror in her dolled-up eyes and her pretty face smashed to a pulp.
Anneli took her phone from her handbag and pressed the record button.
“The time is ten minutes past nine on May 27th, 2016,” she said. “My name is Anne-Line Svendsen and I am a caseworker for Copenhagen municipality. Sitting in front of me is a twenty-six-year-old client, Tasja Albrechtsen, who has demanded a payment of five thousand kroner. She has stated that she will commit suicide if the payment is not made immediately.” She pushed the phone in front of the girl. “Would you mind repeating your demand, Tasja Albrechtsen, and state your social security number so we have something for your file?”
Anneli couldn’t tell whether it was the recording, the accusation of blackmail, or the overall development of the situation that caused the girl to adopt a worried expression, because at that moment they were interrupted by the telephone. And as Anneli took the receiver, the girl quietly stood up and slipped out of the door.
Anneli smiled. Just a shame that she hadn’t managed to get more information out of the tart. Her address, for example. That would have made it easier when her turn came.
“Hi, Anne-Line. It’s Elsebeth,” said a familiar voice on the other end. “I’m glad I got ahold of you.”
Anneli pictured her former colleague from Gammel K?ge Landevej. She was one of the good ones who took her work seriously enough to challenge her superiors. It was a shame, actually, that they never saw each other anymore.
After a few pleasantries, she stated her business.
“You remember Senta Berger, don’t you?”
Anneli frowned. “Yes, Senta. Who could forget that little diva?”
“I took over her case after you, and now she’s dead. Had you heard?”
Anneli thought before answering. “Yes, I read about it in the newspaper. An accident, wasn’t it?”
“That’s the question. The police have just been here to question me about her. Whether she had any enemies, whether I had any problems with her, and whether I knew anything about a red Peugeot or a black Honda. It was really quite awful, almost as if I was a suspect and they expected me to blurt out a lot of information. Luckily I don’t even have a driver’s license, but all the same.”
“Phew, that’s understandable. But why are you calling me, Elsebeth?” she asked feeling unease in her stomach. Had the girls already been arrested and told the police about her? She wasn’t ready for this at all.
“They asked me who her caseworker was before me, and I had to say it was you. They also asked if you’ve had any disagreements with her.”
“God, no. She was just one of many clients. What did you say?”
“Nothing. How would I know?”
Idiot! thought Anneli. You could have helped me out a bit. Would it have hurt to say no? It’s only a word.
“No, of course you couldn’t know. But we haven’t had any disagreements.”
“They’re on their way over to see you now, I heard them saying to my manager. So now you’re warned. That was all, really.”
Anneli sat staring at the receiver after Elsebeth had hung up.
Then she pressed the intercom. “Just send in the next client,” she said. They weren’t going to catch her slacking off.
Apparently the two policemen had been there for a while, probably to state their business to Anneli’s manager. She certainly looked at Anneli with reproach when they marched into her office.
“Sorry for the interruption,” said the manager to the client, “but we’ll need to ask you to wait in reception for a moment.”
Anneli nodded to the policemen and then to the client. “That’s all right. We were just about finished here, weren’t we?” She smiled at the client, and they shook hands.
She sat down, calmly collected her notes, and put them in a folder before turning her attention to the two men.
“How can I help you?” She smiled inquisitively to the one who appeared to be in charge. Then she pointed at the two chairs in front of her.
“Please take a seat.” The bitch could stand.
“My name is Lars Pasg?rd,” said one of the policemen, handing her his card. Anneli looked at it. “Inspector” was written on the front.
She nodded approvingly. “I see you’re from police headquarters. How can I help you?” she asked with chilling calm.
“They’re investigating two murders committed by a hit-and-run driver,” said her manager with a cold stare.