The Lost and Hidden Years

Chapter Ten

The hours ticked slow. Coffee was the only thing he could bring himself to consume. Björn stepped into the station to see the lieutenant among with the other detectives and officers. Their investigation expanded further than Stockholm and Ekerö. It was now passed to Jönköping officials, who kept their ears and eyes open for the special case of the missing woman.

Three hours of hectic investigations brought a detective to hear word from a broken up radio message from Sheriff Nilsson. After listening to it ten times, shredding the noise and interference, he understood the message clear.

"I've got something," he called out. Björn lifted his head from his cup of coffee and looked at the closest thing he had to Agnetha: her sister Mona. Both knew the importance of it and rushed to his desk.

"The page arrived to Jönköping Sheriff Department two hours ago. He mentioned Agnetha's name and the location."

"Find the sheriff's name and contact him," the lieutenant commanded. "The GPS in his car," she said. "See if he had gone back to the station, if he was able to get her out. If the team was notified. We need to know these things."

* * *

"Let's give it another try, baby," Gert said. He brushed her hair back. "Don't you want to make love?"

"Leave me alone. For the love of God. I'll never love you. I never want to see you. I don't want to touch you," she closed her eyes.

"How could you still love him, Agnetha? How?" He stepped back and paced. "I don't get it. He broke your heart. He still breaks your heart. I see it. How could you still love someone who had hurt you so much, for years, and not give me a chance? I'll take care of you."

"He doesn't stalk me. He doesn't threaten me. He doesn't tie me and kidnap me. He doesn't kill a cop," she began to cry. "He's not a murderer," she whispered.

"Only because I love y–" the two of them fell into silence. They widened their eyes listening to the sounds of sirens draw nearer in the large empty field. "What did you do?" He glared at her.

"It's over for you. They found me," the rush of emotions flooded her chest. Sheriff Nilsson's page had gone through after all.

"Shut up! Agnetha. Shut up." He paced for a while until he looked at her again. He packed his things. Then went near the window, peeking from its edges. Seven police cars were already parked in front of the building with a large van heading to join them. Police force unit. He cursed and cursed with the gun in his hand and the two of his hands on his head as the thought. He walked back to Agnetha and untied her.

"Shit! Damn it. We have to leave," he pointed the gun into her ribs and moved her.

Björn arrived to the scene with Mona, who refused to leave Björn on his own, not when she knew her sister is in danger and this close to being found. Together they walked towards the lieutenant and listened closely to what she was commanding the team, along with the Chief of the Jönköping sheriff department and Chief of the tactical force unit.

"What we know is there's one suspect and two hostages. Suspect may be armed," she informs as a helicopter begins to hover over the scene. The tactical team has already taken their places. All six members dressed in gloves, black armors and masks holding M5s. Two have taken a side from each end of the front entrance, waiting on the command of the lieutenant. It's her case. It's her word.

"I can't believe you did this to us, Agnetha. We could have been so happy," he groaned through his clenched teeth.

"We'd never be happy, you idiot," he pressed the gun stronger into her side. "Ah!"

"Shut it." The ring of a cell phone stopped him from going on to say anything else. He peeked outside finding officers with snipers to the window.

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."

"Gert," Lieutenant Larson spoke through the speaker. "We know you're in there. Let the hostages go. We can help you. It's not too late. I want to help you." They waited a few more minutes.

"Call Sheriff Nilsson's phone again," the chief requested. Gert and Agnetha listened to the jingle of the phone along with sounds of their sniffling.

"Gert, pick up the phone and let's talk," she said. "We can talk this through. No one has to get hurt."

"God damn it," he moved with Agnetha towards the body of Sheriff Nilsson and dug out his phone. Agnetha's eyes squeezed shut, terrified the image of him would be engraved in her mind forever.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" He snapped into the phone irritably.

"Hello, Gert. I'm Lieutenant Zola Larson. I'm going to help you. I need you to help me first."

"What do you want?"

"I'd like to see Agnetha. I need to know that she's okay. Could you put her on the phone for me?"

"No."

"Gert," she said calmly. "Would you be okay if I stepped inside? Just me? I'll help you. We can talk this out. These people here, they're just trying to do their job. No one will hurt you."

"No, you can't come inside. How can I trust you? I don't trust you."

"Alright, I understand, but I just need to make sure that she's okay. That's all. Could you bring her towards the window so we could confirm?" He hesitated.

"Fine," he said.

"Hold your weapons. Do not fire. I repeat, do not fire," she commanded everybody. From outside, Björn the crew watched carefully as the shadows from inside the building move in the window of the second floor. Björn's last nerve was being tested. All he wanted was to see her. His heart was beating rapidly, ready to jump out of his chest.

Agnetha's figure appeared in the window, raising her hands high. Her face was red and irritated, unable to hold back her tears. She couldn't open her eyes from fear of the gun pointed at her head by Gert and the fear that she might accidentally be shot from the officers who were outside with snipers pointed to the window.

"Here she is," Björn nudged the chief quickly, as if he didn't already know. "She's here," his heart fell to his feet. "Oh, jeez, Anna. What's he done to you?" Mona was trying to remain strong seeing her sister in the condition that she was in. She held Björn's arm for support.

His mouth fell open, and heart stopping seeing her so terrified. She turned towards the window slowly, still afraid to take a look for a long while. She finally took a breath and opened her eyes so she could allow herself to see that there was a group of people ready to take him down and get her to safety.

Her tired eyes found the man with a look of fear on his face, the only familiar face she had seen in days. He couldn't take his eyes off of hers, and she couldn't look any other place either. It was the most secure she had felt for days.

He was here. He found her. He was there to save her.

"Björn," she breathed.