She tried once again, this time changing the last digit from nought to one, an old trick to bypass the switchboard and get straight on to someone's desk. Sometimes you had to try a hundred times, but sooner or later you'd end up on the desk of some poor bastard working late. Not so this time: Amazingly, she was successful at the first attempt. The director of the Secretariat himself, Evert Danielsson, answered.
Annika deliberated for half a second before she decided to skip the small talk. She'd try to beat him up a bit. "We want a comment from Christina Furhage," said Annika, "and we want it now."
Danielsson groaned. "You've called ten times already today. We have promised to pass on your questions."
"We want to talk to her ourselves. Surely you must appreciate she can't hide on a day like this? How would that look? They're her Games, for Christ's sake! She's never been afraid to talk before. Why is she hiding? Come on, give her to us now."
Danielsson breathed down the phone for several seconds. "We don't know where she is," he said in a low voice.
Annika felt her pulse quicken. She switched on the tape recorder next to her phone. "Haven't you been able to reach her either?" she said slowly.
Danielsson swallowed. "No," he said, "not all day. We haven't been able to reach her husband either. But you won't write about this, will you?"
"I can't tell," Annika said. "Where could she be?"
"We thought she was at home."
"And where is that?" Annika asked, thinking about what she'd found on the computer.
"Here in town. But no one's answering the door."
Annika breathed in. Why was he telling her this? He sounded desperate; Annika pressed on and quickly asked:
"Who's been threatening Christina Furhage?"
The man gasped. "What? What do you mean?"
"Come off it!" Annika said. "If you want me to not write about it, you'll have to tell me what's really going on here."
"How did…? Who said…?"
"She's off the record on the Public Register. Which means the threat against her is so serious that a court of law would issue a restraining order against the assailant. Has this happened?"
"My God," Danielsson said. "Who told you this?"
Annika groaned inwardly. "It's in the Public Register. If you know the language, all you have to do is to read the screen. Has a restraining order been issued against someone who's threatened Christina Furhage?"
"I can't talk any longer," the man said stiffly, and hung up.
Annika listened for a few seconds to the hum of the line before she sighed and put the phone down.
* * *
Evert Danielsson stared at the woman standing in the doorway. "How long have you been there?"
"What are you doing in here?" Helena Starke replied, crossing her arms.
The director got up from Christina Furhage's chair, looking around distractedly, as if not having noticed until now that he was sitting at the Managing Director's desk. "Well, I was… checking Christina's diary to see if she'd made a note of where she was going or something… but I can't find it."
The woman looked hard at Evert Danielsson. He met her gaze.
"You look like shit," he said before he could stop himself.
"What a truly sexist comment," she said with a disgusted look, walking up to Christina Furhage's desk. "Since you asked, I got drunk as a skunk last night and threw up on the doormat this morning. If you say that was unusually unladylike, you're dead.
"Christina is spending the day with her family," Helena Starke said while pulling out the second drawer of the Olympic boss's desk with practised movements. "That means she's working from home rather than here at the office," she explained.
The director saw Helena Starke pull out a thick diary, opening it near the end. She leafed through it, the paper rustling.
"Nothing. Saturday, December 18 is
Annika deliberated for half a second before she decided to skip the small talk. She'd try to beat him up a bit. "We want a comment from Christina Furhage," said Annika, "and we want it now."
Danielsson groaned. "You've called ten times already today. We have promised to pass on your questions."
"We want to talk to her ourselves. Surely you must appreciate she can't hide on a day like this? How would that look? They're her Games, for Christ's sake! She's never been afraid to talk before. Why is she hiding? Come on, give her to us now."
Danielsson breathed down the phone for several seconds. "We don't know where she is," he said in a low voice.
Annika felt her pulse quicken. She switched on the tape recorder next to her phone. "Haven't you been able to reach her either?" she said slowly.
Danielsson swallowed. "No," he said, "not all day. We haven't been able to reach her husband either. But you won't write about this, will you?"
"I can't tell," Annika said. "Where could she be?"
"We thought she was at home."
"And where is that?" Annika asked, thinking about what she'd found on the computer.
"Here in town. But no one's answering the door."
Annika breathed in. Why was he telling her this? He sounded desperate; Annika pressed on and quickly asked:
"Who's been threatening Christina Furhage?"
The man gasped. "What? What do you mean?"
"Come off it!" Annika said. "If you want me to not write about it, you'll have to tell me what's really going on here."
"How did…? Who said…?"
"She's off the record on the Public Register. Which means the threat against her is so serious that a court of law would issue a restraining order against the assailant. Has this happened?"
"My God," Danielsson said. "Who told you this?"
Annika groaned inwardly. "It's in the Public Register. If you know the language, all you have to do is to read the screen. Has a restraining order been issued against someone who's threatened Christina Furhage?"
"I can't talk any longer," the man said stiffly, and hung up.
Annika listened for a few seconds to the hum of the line before she sighed and put the phone down.
* * *
Evert Danielsson stared at the woman standing in the doorway. "How long have you been there?"
"What are you doing in here?" Helena Starke replied, crossing her arms.
The director got up from Christina Furhage's chair, looking around distractedly, as if not having noticed until now that he was sitting at the Managing Director's desk. "Well, I was… checking Christina's diary to see if she'd made a note of where she was going or something… but I can't find it."
The woman looked hard at Evert Danielsson. He met her gaze.
"You look like shit," he said before he could stop himself.
"What a truly sexist comment," she said with a disgusted look, walking up to Christina Furhage's desk. "Since you asked, I got drunk as a skunk last night and threw up on the doormat this morning. If you say that was unusually unladylike, you're dead.
"Christina is spending the day with her family," Helena Starke said while pulling out the second drawer of the Olympic boss's desk with practised movements. "That means she's working from home rather than here at the office," she explained.
The director saw Helena Starke pull out a thick diary, opening it near the end. She leafed through it, the paper rustling.
"Nothing. Saturday, December 18 is
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