Read Missing in Malmö: The third Inspector Anita Sundström mystery (Inspector Anita Sundström mysteries) for Free Online Page B

that was true. The more he talked, the more it sounded as though this wasn’t a straightforward relationship. She knew Björn too well. She had learned the hard way when he wasn’t telling her the whole truth. ‘Please, can you just ask around? That’s all I’m asking. I just want to know that she’s all right.’
    Another missing person. Had Greta Jansson and Graeme Todd got something in common? Were they just trying to escape from unwanted partners?
    ‘OK. I’ll make one or two discreet enquiries. But I’m not going to make a big fuss over this.’
    Björn nodded his head like a grateful hound.
    ‘But there’s a condition. I want you to have a long talk with your son. He’s driving me demented. I can’t get him to do anything with his life. Like you, he’s mooning over a floozy. He doesn’t listen to me anymore. So act like a father for once, and talk some sense into him.’
    ‘Does that mean I can stay the rest of the weekend?’
    Anita inwardly groaned.
    ‘You’d better be on the train back to Uppsala first thing Monday morning.’

CHAPTER 8
    Five minutes after Anita had reached her office on Monday morning, she phoned Jennifer Todd. Though there was an hour’s time difference, she reckoned that Graeme Todd’s wife would be up. Worried women rarely slept well. Men seemed to cope better. Anita had given Jennifer Todd her mobile number so that she could contact her over the weekend if her husband turned up or got in touch. She hadn’t rung. Anyway, Anita had had enough on her plate with a love-sick Björn and listless Lasse. On Saturday night she had sent them out to hit the bars of Malmö. She thought a bit of bonding might pave the way for the man-to-man talk she hoped the two of them were going to have. But it hadn’t been a great success, as Björn had got drunk again and Lasse had had to chaperone him back to the apartment. According to Lasse, his father had spent most of the time saying how much in love he was with Greta Jansson, but also that he had been an idiot to leave Anita. Anita was furious with Björn for wasting the opportunity to deal with his son, and was happy to shove him out early that morning to catch the six o’clock train. Before he left, he’d extracted a promise from her that she would make some enquiries about Greta. This had been given reluctantly, as she didn’t want to get involved in any aspect of Björn’s messy domestic life. Eleven years had been enough.
    Anita paused with her hand on the receiver. She was sure that Graeme Todd had done a bunk. Jennifer Todd knew he was working on the Doris Little case, but had no idea why it had taken him to Sweden. He must have kept her in the dark, which made his behaviour suspicious. Her money was on another woman.
    The call was answered almost immediately. Jennifer must have been hovering near the phone. She probably had been all weekend.
    ‘Have you any news?’ she blurted out even before Anita had time to say anything other than her name.
    ‘No. I’m afraid nothing has come in.’
    ‘You must do something. This isn’t like Graeme. He always keeps in touch whenever he’s away from home. Please, please find him.’ It all came out in a garbled rush. ‘I can get a flight across to Sweden. I’ll be there tomorrow.’
    ‘Wait a minute, Jennifer,’ interrupted Anita. ‘I can call you Jennifer?’
    ‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
    ‘I think you’d better let us look into this first.’
    ‘I’m so worried.’
    Anita tried to sound pleasantly professional so that the woman at the other end of the line would calm down. And she certainly didn’t want her coming over to Malmö until she had a better idea of what might have happened. It wouldn’t make the investigation any easier with a hysterical wife on her hands.
    ‘Look, Jennifer, can you give me any more details about this search for a beneficiary? I need as much information as possible.’
    She heard a sniffle at the other end. ‘Sorry, I’m just all over the