Iain Kelly

The sun shone on Oslo, the signs of Spring finally showing. There was warmth in the sun and families sat on picnic rugs and played games on the grass. Sand and Gabi walked along the path. Gabi’s arm was still in a sling. The bruises and swelling on Sand’s face had receded. He moved stiffly with two broken ribs and the stitches in his shoulder.

It had been a week since Sand had been picked up from the yacht. Dag Moen was missing presumed dead. In the stormy sea the chances of anyone being able to swim back to shore were zero. In the sub-zero temperatures he would have frozen to death in less than a minute.

‘He stole the yacht as part of his plan?’ Gabi asked. Sand hadn’t been back to work yet. Although they had spoken briefly on the ‘phone, it was her first chance to get the full story.

Sand nodded. ‘It was supposed to be his getaway, I think. He should have killed me on the whaler and then got away before anyone missed me. They found the owner of the yacht in his apartment. Moen had followed him home one night, broken into his place and left him tied up in the closet. Took the keys for his yacht.’

‘He was lucky to get away alive. If Moen was evil or insane, why didn’t he kill him too?’

‘Nothing is black and white,’ Sand said. ‘I’m not convinced he was pure evil. There was motive to what he was doing, and he had a plan that made sense in his reality. I was the target all along.’

‘You have to be a little sick to want to avenge a father who raped your mother and murdered innocent men.’

‘I’m not making excuses for him, but think about the life he had. No father, a mother who lied to him, dealing with Asperger’s, bullied by other children, no friends. The revelation about who his father really was tipped him over a precipice that was already crumbling.’

‘What about his mother, Brit? Why would she keep in contact with her brother if he abused her.’

‘I bet there is something in their past that brought them together. I wonder what their parents were like.’

‘Or maybe the whole family is nuts. The whole obsession with whale-hunting, you don’t think that was crazy?’ Gabi said.

‘Again, nothing is as black and white as that. You have to be careful not to dismiss people as crazy.’

‘Like you did with Jules Eckberg twenty years ago?’

‘And look what happened.’

They stopped and sat on a bench overlooking the large pond. Children pushed sailboats across the water.

‘Are they still searching for the body?’ Gabi asked.

‘They’ve scaled back the search. He’ll be fish food by now if he hasn’t washed up on the shore.’

They sat in silence watching the people of Oslo enjoying the park. Sand sighed. He wished they had found Dag Moen’s body. He knew it was impossible for him to have survived in that sea, but nothing was that black and white. He would always have that nagging doubt. He would always be looking over his shoulder.

Sand jumped as Gabi’s ‘phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket. It was Pedersen. She spoke to him briefly, hung up and looked at Sand.

‘Dead body found abandoned in a dumpster. Pedersen wants to know if you’re ready to return to duty. Probably a drunk.’

‘Possibly a drunk, but also a person with a story, a history. Our job is to investigate that and find out how he died, and if necessary, who did it. Remember, nothing is black and white.’

Gabi laughed. ‘Nothing is black and white, I know, Boss.’ They stood up and began walked back to the squad car. Gabi opened the passenger door and looked over the car roof at her dishevelled partner.

‘How about a zebra, Sand? They’re black and white.’

This is part twenty-six, the concluding part, of my A to Z Challenge 2017. More information on the challenge, and other stories and blogs taking part in it, can be found HERE.

Throughout April I  have published a section a day, relating to a letter of the alphabet, which make up a continuous story, all based round the objects found in this children’s jigsaw:

To read the full story and catch up on other entries visit here: A TO Z CHALLENGE 2017.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story all the way, and to those who have dipped in and out. Your comments and support make the whole thing worthwhile, and I hope you have enjoyed the story. I have no doubt Anders Sand and Gabi Henrickson will return at some point in the future. To those loyal few who have been reading and commenting everyday, I can’t thank you enough for taking an interest and giving up your time to read my story.

I have been privileged to discover many new blogs and writers over the course of the challenge and look forward to keeping in touch and reading more from everyone – especially now I have a bit more time on my hands! Here’s to the A to Z Challenge 2018!