18. Another missing piece

Slowly I swirled the frothy cappuccino in my mug, the warmth a welcome contrast to the crisp Växjö morning. Steam danced in tendrils above the surface, momentarily obscuring my reflection on the big windows in the front of the Espresso House in the back of the train station.

I wasn’t looking for my own image anyway.

My gaze was fixed on the worn notebook spread open before me. The rhythmic scrape of my pen scratched out indecipherable symbols; old habit since college years and a psychologists’ shorthand for a world of anxieties and unravelling minds.

But this was not about psychology or anxieties this was about puzzles and mysteries far more captivated than marital woes and work angst.

I felt the bitter taste of my working as a psychologist era almost drowning me. I swallowed hard and put them fast aside. More important things to deal with. A tapestry woven from stolen pastries and a barefoot wanderer.

I wrote exactly that: ‘a barefoot wanderer.’   Then I left some space and added. ‘Former employee the robber.’

Former employees always have something to complain about their former employers. For Christ sake, even I can think a couple of former employers of mine who were real shit and I have often used them as an example of a shitty employer and toxic work environment. Add to that Bo’s reputation as a rude and cheap man.

Sorry, but that does make a bitter former employee.

There was something there I was missing and I had a strange sting in the back of my mind that this missing piece had something to do with the girl’s nose. Damn, I hate it when thing turn into women’s …cosmetics because doesn’t matter what I say or what I think in the end I always sound conventional  whilst I’m proud to absolutely nothing like that.

Still, why a twelve year old want to have a cosmetic surgery and she has her mother in her side. I mean, she’s twelve. They can wait till she becomes eighteen. Fine, fine…sixteen. But twelve? Barely out of the primary school.

How old was the boy? I had never asked. Can I call Bo? Should I call Bo? Would Lucas know. No reason. Then again he probably does.

“Hello Lucas,” I tried to be calm and keep it calm.
“Oh hello there. How are you?” The only Swede I know who makes small talk.
“Fine, fine…”
“No more big nose? Right?” Here we are again.
“No more big nose. However I have a question about the robbery,” I tried to sound casual.
“Which of all.” Lucas answered losing any humour.
“Carpenter’s house.”
“right, right… you know with those robberies lately I’m a bit touchy with the word.” I nodded but he couldn’t see me, so I asked again.

“There was a boy involved, wasn’t it? A former employee or something. Do you remember how old was he?” I asked everything at ones hoping to avoid questions and explanations.

Lucas hesitated but only for a moment, “sixteen, seventeen, something like that. Why you ask?”
“Nothing really, just curious. Thank you Lucas, have a good day and good luck with your robberies.” And ended the call without giving him the chance to say anything more.

Next call to Karl.
“Time to have your afternoon cigarette. Give me fifteen minutes till I get there.”
I also ended this call without waiting for an answer.

He was there waiting when I arrived.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!

17. The nose pieces of the puzzle

Karl had described Bo as a rude man adding that was the common opinion about him in the town. What I had in front of me was a very sad and a very angry man. A man who tried to protect his family from an invader and after defeating him he was not able to punish him. Not even in the most rightful and legal way. And that upset and angered him; sadden him all at the same time. A hurt man, not a rude man.

“My house with my wife, my daughter and my son present…” he murmured angrily lighting another cigarette. I had too many question but no courage to ask them.

“My poor daughter was so sad and scared,” he said returning to the stool for one more time. “The poor thing was shaking all the time and crying saying again and again ‘don’t don’t …don’t’” He nervously stood up again and walked toward the workbench.

He moved around a couple of tools but obviously he was not able to concentrate in any task so he gave up and returned to the stool opposite of me and in front of our coffee cups. We both remained silent for a few minutes.

“Your daughter plastic surgery, is it serious?” I asked innocently.
“Her nose,” he said and I nodded. “I was against it in the beginning,” he continued. “But then my wife dragged me to a psychologist or something and he said that it was important for her confidence. She had been bullied at school and all that and I understood. I hate bullies. So I said yes.” And after a small pause he added with a small voice, “girls and all that. You know.”

“I suspect that there is a boy somewhere in this story but both, wife and daughter say no and I have to believe them. But I don’t.”

Suddenly he looked at me, “no shit, with this and that we forgot your kitchen,” he said totally changing attitude to the point I thought he might even show a smile. Thankfully I was quick.
“I didn’t see something I like so let me check some magazines and I will come back to you, perhaps next time we can meet in my place so you can take your measurements…” I let the sentence not finished but I could see pound signs in his eyes, reminding me the greedy rumour.

“Fine, fine,” he answered quickly. “After all the boys are coming soon and we need to clean the place before starting the new project. Not a big one so I will have plenty of time to make yours in between.” Greedy again.

I nearly run out of the place and just in time because while closing the door two young men came from the small road, obviously Bo’s assistances. I murmured something like “good morning,” without expecting an answer and I walked fast towards my neighbourhood.

I was excited and scared at the same time. So the story of the running in the dark bare foot girl and the robbery were somehow connected. But how? The girl obviously was one common element but that was not enough. Something was still missing.

I was thinking to go home but then I decided that I needed a coffee. A good coffee without the accompanied anger and saddens. Espresso house in the train station.

There are actually two coffee shops of the known Swedish chain in Växjö. One in the central road, Storgatan and one in the train station. At least these are the tow ones I know. Average coffees, average sandwiches, almost good bans, good croissant, not so good carrot cakes.

The one in Storgatan, understandably, was the busiest one having people, even cuing, all around all around the day. The one in the train station was far more relaxed and that’s why I liked it more.

So twenty minutes later and three bus stops in between, I was sitting in one of the tables with a cappuccino, a croissant, my notebook and a pen in front of. Telephone still in my pocket. I wasn’t going to call Karl yet, I needed to put everything in order in my mind first and my notebook always helps.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!

16. The carpenter, the robber and the plastic surgery

A few minutes passed with Bo Ahlqvist, the carpenter moving around, collecting tools from the floor or the workbenches and put them in their right place in toolboxes, in draws or on shelves while I was pretending looking at magazine photos of kitchens.

Okay, fine I saw a couple I liked and I stopped and had a better look but then my brain returned to reason I was here and how urgent it was to find a way to start a conversation with the man.

After a few minutes he gave me the chance. After filling his cup with fresh coffee from the still on coffee-machine, he lit another cigarette and came and sat to the a small stool by the table I had put my coffee and the magazines.

“Retired, right?” He asked.
“Retired and bored,” I answered and funny thing, I actually meant it. He smiled.
“I look forward for the day I will retire and I promise you I will be happy to be bored.” I could feel what he meant. Carpentering is not the easiest work in the world.

“You seem busy,” I aid to say something.
“Really busy, I’m not the only one around here specializing in kitchens and bathrooms but it seems that people like my work. Some construction companies as well. Good money these construction companies,” he added while inhaling smoke from his cigarette. “Steady jobs as well.” I nodded my understanding.

“But,” he was obviously in a talking mood and I was going to listen till he gives me the chance to make the magic questions. “But that means I need hands and hands is one thing I find hard to find. Young people don’t care for carpentering, young people care for Instagram and tic-tac.”
“TikTok,” I corrected him mechanically.
“Right. TikTok,” he said looking at the door.

“You know, they make videos with their telephones even in here, holding tools and everything. We both laughed.

“And then,” I got my chance or at least I felt that I did. “You never know who you really hire.” I said with a sad voice and I continued. “I had once an employ in my company that proved a scum. Not only he was stealing but after I kicked him out he tried to approach some of my customers.” True story, only it was a she, but I felt that a ‘he’ served better in this conversation.

“That,” he murmured and a thick dark cloud covered his eyes and it was not a smoke cloud from his cigarette.
“The little bastard,” he stood up with an explosion that sent sawdust everywhere. “The little bastard came to my house and threatened me and my family.” The words were coming hard between his tighten teeth.

“Do you believe that?” he looked at me and I nodded silently. “He came to my house with his gang and threatened me. Who? ME!” He was almost shouting. “I put food on his table for over a year and he decided to rob me. And he even thought I wasn’t going to recognize him hiding under that ski mask, the little bastard.”

“But my son took care of the little bastard and I was going to sue him and lock him in for the rest for his damn life if it wasn’t my wife and daughter that begged me not.” Gradually and mentioning his wife and daughter had made his voice down a few decibels and now he looked more sad than angry.

He sat back down to the stool and lit another cigarette. “My wife knows his mother, a widow, a loser husband died from drinking too much and my daughter knows his sister. Best friends at school she said. I felt that I had to feel sorry for him. They made me feel that have to feel sorry for him.” A drop of anger returned.

We both remained silent for a bit. “This should have never happened. They should have let me go after the little bastard. And my wife with my daughter have bigger issues to deal with.” His sadness had returned.

“My daughter needs an operation,” he said and I didn’t know what to say. “Nothing serious,” he said seen the expression in my face. “A sort of plastic surgery my wife things it I critical for the little one’s self-confidence. You know how girls get like with their looks. She thinks she has a big nose!”

I felt an ice wave going through my spine.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!

15. A misty morning with rasped Bo

It was one of those spring Växjö mornings when the mist clings stubbornly over the trees leaving a damp chill in its wake when I decided to visit the carpenter’s workshop; not very far from the cul-de-sac I live. The place looked silent from outside even though I was sure that Bo Ahlqvist was inside, I had made sure of that with a call the evening before, expressing my will for a renewed kitchen cupboards and the need to see him beforehand. I pulled the heavy metal door under the sign ‘Bo Ahlqvist & son’ and I felt that its groan echoed loudly in the quiet of the eerie morning.

Pushing through I was met with a scene that made me take a deep breath. Tools lay scattered across the hard cement floor like fallen soldiers. Drawers open, spewing sawdust everywhere. Funny things the thoughts that come in mind when you see a picture like this. Robbery was flashing like an alarm light while loud sirens were ringing.

Oddly, the only thing ringing was the big electric clock on the far wall and the only lighting was coming from a heavy man’s lighter.

Presuming that this was Bo Ahlqvist, the carpenter, I said ‘good morning’ with a thin smile. In my call the evening before I had already asked if he speaks English and he had answered, “good.” Which doesn’t say much while says a lot. I was going to find out soon.

My instinct kicked first, “are you alright?” I asked looking around the scattered tools and open draws.
He looked at me somehow surprised and answered, “yeah, why not?” A rasped, gravelly voice. I looked again around without saying anything.

“That? We had an installation last night, no time to sort out everything and the boys were tired when we came back.” The gravelly tone again. Might be the cigarette he had just lit. Damn I wanted one but the face of my cardiologist crossed in front of my eyes and it changed my mind immediately.

“So, my kitchen…” I started saying and he just stood there unmoved, smoking his cigarette and watching me quietly.

Ideally he should sit down and confess all his crimes, eyes full of tears and pointing me at the responsible for the robbery in his house. Ideally is not this world so no confessions and no crimes pointing, just a hard look and me thinking that this might have been all a mistake.

“Well,” I started again, I’m not really sure what I want, I just feel I need a change and I came here to see if you have any ideas for something …perhaps more rustic…” I was improvising and I’m really bad in improvising.

“I know your house.” He said after some silence. “All the houses around there are just the same. I made some work to one of your neighbours a few months before.” Okay, his English wasn’t so bad. That’s positive, right?

“I have some magazines here, if you care to look,” he said pointing at a pile of magazines and books in the edge of a long and obviously used a lot workbench.

Not really knowing what to do next I moved towards the workbench and the magazines. “Do you want coffee?” He asked and he moved towards the other side where I could see a small kitchenette. “No thanks,” I answered fast. “Just had my morning bit of caffeine and insulin.”

When I’m nervous I make stupid jokes but and to my true surprise he understood and he found it funny because he laughed. A clear even though still rasped, laugh.

I looked at him and suddenly he didn’t look the big angry man he projected when I first entered his workshop. He looked an ordinary hard working family man with a big belly. He shouldn’t smoke though but I didn’t say anything. “Sit here,” he said again pointing at a chair next to a small table just in front the kitchenette. “Sit and take your time, we don’t have anything urgent this morning so the boys will be late after what a full day, yesterday.” I looked at the chair and the table and I felt that the jeans I was wearing needed washing anyway. So I sat.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!

14. Talking with Ruby about robberies

Karl had been really busy with his physiotherapy coming back home always depressed and not in the mood for anything. Even his cigarettes breaks became dull. So I pretended to be also busy the few times I saw him walking towards the parking lot and checking my balcony for company.

Ruby on the other side was anything but depressed. For some reason, obviously a cat reason, she thought that I was there for one and only mission, to entertain her. Oddly she has this idea most of the time but lately she has become more determined and catwise stubborn and while I consider myself the king of my desk chair she’s insisting to use it as a bed for quick naps every time I dare stand and move out of the room.

Another mystery in the long queues of mysteries that surrounds me lately. How the hell does she know when I’m planning to get up and move out of the room and how the hell she manages to go past me without me seeing her and jump to my chair? To be or not to be, that’s kind of mystery.

So, here it is me king of the chair and current prince of the sofa sitting in the sitting room and sigh deeply while letting morning paper lay crumpled on the floor. Whilst trying with my very poor Swedish and Google translate to make sense of the headlines, I could hear in my mind Lucas laughing and Karl yelling … a big pointy nose!

Truth said I had barely managed to understand the one main headline and that with a lot of help from what I had ready early this morning online. There were no news with the robberies in the centre and police had absolutely no information about them. Yet it seems that another one hit, and it was another public services office with a lot of computers and gadgets.

Still it was not these robberies that stark screamed in my mind. The robbery in the house in the edge of the town the same time the bare feet girl run in the dark. With all the laugh and mockery we never talked about that nether with Karl or with Lucas making me wandering if it was intentional. The not talking to me.
Ugh, I hate it when I get paranoid.

“Robberies, Ruby,” I muttered looking at Ruby. She returned the look in a very Clint Eastwood way, ‘are you talking to me, punk?’
Jesus I’m losing it. Was my next thought. I started talking to the cat. Retirement is far less peaceful than anticipated and life in the isolation of the small town suburbs doesn’t help much. However my mind was buzzing with questions and the whole robbery returned. At least the parts Lucas felt like telling us and the parts Karl didn’t investigate.

“Motive and opportunity,” I murmured still looking at Ruby lying still on her cushion. “From what Karl said, if I remember well, a group of individuals with masks and knives invaded a house near here, early in the evening and while the family was inside. They demanded money and jewels threatening their lives. It seems that father and son decided to do something in answer so they attacked the invaders and they wounded one of them while they were running out of the house surprised by the reaction.” Ruby didn’t move.

“And it was Karl a few days later that said that the victim wasn’t exactly well-liked. Greedy, rude some might say. That exactly how Karl had put it,” and I was sure that his reference to some might say that some was himself and his queen wife.

If I remember well they had some works made in their apartment so perhaps it was carpenter works and the victim of the robbery the man who had come to do it. That will also excuse the ‘greedy’ sketching of the man.

“I think that needs further investigation from my part. What do you think Ruby?” I asked and Ruby purred, seemingly pleased with the prospect of further investigation, her emerald eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief.
Perhaps retirement isn’t so dull after all.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!

13. Inspector Clouseau in the house

On my way back home, Ruby was waiting for me behind the door, on her back belly up with all four paws stretched. Laughing. Hysterically!

I was sure the damn cat was laughing and her meows translated into: “A big pointy nose!”
I totally ignored her. I went to the kitchen for a glass of whoever I could find and escape from her laugh but she did follow me. She also followed me in the balcony, in the sitting room, in my study, in the toilet the monster. “A big pointy nose, a big pointy nose…” was everywhere around me and after ruby even the doors, the chairs and the books started laughing at me.

The mighty psychologist, the I-know-all. All the scenarios I had thought, all the implications and the mysteries had drawn by …a big pointy nose. What a triumph for the mystery-solve man. The great detective.

Summer Växjö

And the more I was thinking about it, the more humiliated I felt from my own arrogance and … a big pointy nose. And of course Karl would had called Lucas and when I started thinking about the natural politeness young generations in Sweden had grown into, my telephone rang and the Lucas number flashed on the screen.

“Hello…”
“Inspector Jacques Clouseau?”
“Is this the famous Swedish humour, Lucas?”
“Of course not, it has French …delicacy.” Lucas answered back before bursting into a hysterical laugh.

Fine, it hurt, I admit it! But the same time coming from young Lucas it also made it funny. So after a bit I started laughing as well.

“Thank god we didn’t arrest anybody for suspicions,” Lucas said.
“Suspicions of expanding pointy nose?” I couldn’t hold myself and now we were both in hysterics.
“It was pointing things,” Lucas added and another wave of laugh overwhelmed us both.

It took us a bit but in the end we stopped laughing.
“You know I have to report it,” Lucas said.
“Where to?” I asked more out of reflection than curiosity.
“My boss, still open case, remember?”
“Make sure to point him the right direction…” I said and I couldn’t hold myself from another wave of loud laughs.
“Oh man, I’m still at the office and everybody is staring…” Lucas said between laughs and with that we ended our conversation.

And of course now I thought it was funny, Ruby was ignoring me proving for one more time how evil cats are.

In spite Ruby’s mean attitude I tried to keep my good mood and Inspector Clouseau’s spirit alive until I had a nice coffee and a cheese and ham sandwich. Neither helped much so I decided to go for a small walk and perhaps forget everything with a big pointy nose.

Next day didn’t improve my mood and I was not early in the mood to meet or even hear from Karl since I was sure that the joke had already spread though the entire cul-de-sac communications engine. I wasn’t even in the mood to step out, I was sure if Feta saw me she would burst into hysterical laughs.
And Ruby, I could deal with, Feta …hmmm… definitely not!

And the morning left and early at noon the telephone rang and I was sure that Karl laughing was going to be on the other side.

“Hi,” Karl said. “Lucas talked with his boss but she said perhaps we let it for now but keep an eye on the situation, it might be something else behind the nose.” Karl never for small talk and obviously he was not making a joke.
“A cautious woman,” I said.
“A Swedish police woman,” Karl corrected me.
“What Lucas thinks?”
“After talking with his boss and seen her view, he’s also suggesting to keep an eye on the situation until we are sure.”
“Keep an eye, eh!”
“Right.”

There was silence for a bit.

“After all…”
“What?”
“After all it was her uncle’s next door, the house that was robed, the same time if you remember…”
“WHAT?” My sound of my voice increased some decibels.
“The robbery that didn’t go well for either sides, the robbers or the father?”
“The father is Ms big nose uncle?”
“And she lives next door?”
“One house really…”

Ruby was staring at me and I was staring at the grey clouds gathering far in the horizon.
“We are back, babe!” I said and got up to make a grill cheese toast.

---

Read all the chapters in order, HERE!