ولش کنید!

chapter four

Leave her alone!

The Mariella moved slowly into Helsinki. It was morning. Monika watched the city get closer. Soon she could see the roofs of houses, a church and tall buildings.

Suddenly she heard a voice she knew.

‘Here! It’s her! She’s the one who pushed me in the water!’

It was the English football fan. It was the young man who she had pushed into the water outside the City Hall. His face was even redder. He looked very angry. And he wasn’t alone. Six other young men with shaved heads and big boots were with him.

The English fans started singing.

‘Here we go! Here we go!’ they sang as they quickly made a circle around Monika. The circle closed around her.

‘Get her!’ one of the fans shouted.

Monika looked at the circle of red, smiling faces. They were like animals. The leader was the fan who she had pushed in the water. He came closer to her.

‘Stop!’ Monika heard someone shout. ‘Stop it now!’

It was Bruce. The football fans turned to look at him.

‘Do what I say,’ Bruce said. ‘Leave her alone! Go and get on the bus!’

Then a strange thing happened. The young men did what Bruce told them. They went away.

‘Thank you,’ Monika said. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘That’s all right,’ Bruce said. ‘I’m sorry. Some of these fans don’t know when to stop.’

‘But they did stop! They did what you told them!’ Monika said in surprise.

‘Yes,’ Bruce said. ‘I know them quite well. We travel together a lot.’

‘I see,’ Monika said slowly. ‘I didn’t realised they were your friends.’

Bruce smiled. ‘We’re all Millham fans,’ he said. ‘It’s lucky we met now. I wanted to see you again. I’m not doing anything today. Would you like to have lunch and a look around Helsinki?’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I can’t. I’ve got to go back to Stockholm.’ She really was sorry and she suddenly felt lonely. She would like to spend the day with him.

But she was working.

‘But I thought you were on holiday,’ Bruce said quickly. Monika shook her head. ‘I can’t explain,’ she said.

‘Your phone number,’ Bruce continued. ‘Give me your phone number in Stockholm.’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ Monika replied. ‘I have to go now.’

She turned and walked away from Bruce. The Mariella was in Helsinki now and Monika left the ship. Two hours later she was on a plane back to Stockholm.

‘MI5 are sending a man called Chapman over this evening on the late British Airways flight,’ Blom said to Monika. They were in his office. ‘Chapman’s going to help us. Can you go and meet him at the airport?’

‘And what about the Millham United team?’ Monika asked.

‘We’ll ask the police in Finland to watch them,’ replied Blom. ‘And there’s something else you should know. We still don’t know how Carlsson was shot. The police haven’t found a bullet.’

James Chapman was a tall, slim Englishman of about thirty. He had a small moustache, black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an expensive suit and had a small bag over his shoulder.

‘Oh,’ Chapman said in a cold voice when Monika introduced herself. ‘So you’re Lundgren. I was expecting a man, not a girl.’

‘I’m not a girl,’ Monica replied gently, ‘I’m a woman.’

Chapman then refused to go into Stockholm by bus. He wanted to go by taxi.

‘But taxis are very expensive,’ Monika explained.

‘Never mind,’ replied Chapman. In the taxi Chapman talked about himself, and how good a secret agent he was. He didn’t seem interested in the Carlsson shooting. He told her about all the countries he had visited.

‘I’ve never been to Sweden before,’ he said. ‘I expect it’s an interesting little place.’

Monika looked angrily at him.

‘Sweden is not a little place,’ she said. ‘It’s much bigger than England!’

‘Oh, I say,’ said Chapman. ‘Now, now, don’t get angry.’

‘Let’s talk about the shooting of Carlsson,’ Monika replied.

Chapman listened, and said nothing as Monika told him what had happened. By the time Monika had finished, the taxi had arrived at the Strand Hotel where Chapman was staying.

‘Now, my dear,’ Chapman said, taking Monika’s arm. ‘Let’s go somewhere nice and have dinner.’

‘I’m terribly sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid I can’t join you. I’ll call at the hotel for you at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.’ She was pleased to leave Chapman. She thought he was boring and rude.

The next morning Monika took Chapman to the City Hall to see the place where Carlsson was shot. The police were still there. Divers were working underwater to try and find the bullet.

‘I’d like to dive underwater,’ Chapman said.

‘OK,’ Monika said. ‘Me too.’ She had become an expert diver in the USA.

They put on wet suits in the City Hall and then they dived for an hour. They found nothing. They dived again in the afternoon. Nothing. At four o’clock the police were ready to stop. Chapman had started to take off his wet suit.

‘Once more,’ Monika said. ‘There must be something in the water.’

Monika worked carefully in the dark water. Then she felt something under her fingers on the bottom. She picked it up and swam up to the top. She looked at what she had found. It was a small piece of metal, like the top of a pen.

‘What do you think it is?’ Monika asked.

‘I don’t know,’ said Chapman. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing. Throw it away.’

‘No,’ Monika replied. ‘I think I’ll show it to Blom.’ They took off their wet suits, and went back to the SMI offices.

Monika walked in and put the piece of metal on Blom’s desk. ‘What’s this?’ she asked.

Blom picked up chef piece of metal and looked at it. ‘It’s a crossbow bolt,’ he replied. ‘Now, a crossbow looks like this,’ and he drew a picture.

‘It’s an old weapon that people used to use hundreds of years ago. It’s not heavy and it’s very strong. It shoots a heavy piece of metal called a bolt. A crossbow bolt can kill someone over a hundred metres away.’

‘That’s why I didn’t hear a shot,’ said Monika. ‘And perhaps the noise I heard was the bolt. The bolt went right through Carlsson. It hit the ground and fell into the water.’

Blom looked up at Monika. ‘Yes, I think you’re right,’ he said. ‘And perhaps the bolt came from the SS Vaxholm.’

‘But what was the light I saw on the SS Vaxholm?’ Monika asked.

‘I don’t know yet,’ Blom answered. ‘But we’ll find out.’ Chapman said nothing, then coughed. ‘Excuse me,’ he said. ‘If you don’t need me, I think I’ll go back to the hotel.’

‘Fine,’ Blom said. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘Bye,’ Monika said. She watched Chapman leave the room. After he had gone she turned to Blom.

‘He’s not much help,’ she said.