Airport security was jumping after the explosion on our jet, and emergency vehicles were everywhere. But no one on board was hurt at all. Roxette had looked around and noticed a man not far from them begin to walk away, and he was holding a small box in his hand. He dropped it in a nearby garbage canister and Roxette ran after the man grabbing his right arm and telling him to stop.

He did, and turned quickly punching her very hard with his left hand, knocking her to the floor. He then ran off into the crowd with Astrid and Kerstina running after him. He managed to get out of the door and into a waiting car just as the girls arrived at the door. They were then stopped by the security guards. They tried to quickly explain that they needed to go out and get the license number of that car.

The guards just smiled and took them back to where Roxette and another guard were searching the garbage canister. The guard found the box and explained to the other two guards that it was the trigger to an explosive device, likely the one on the plane. “Too bad you did not get the license number of that car,” he said. “We would have,” said Astrid, “but someone got in our way!”

She then showed her ID to the guards, which was given by the Swedish government to the girls. Basically it was like a law enforcement badge. The guards apologized to the girls. Then Kristina and the rest of the team showed up. After this they went to the home of Astrid’s parents and talked things over for a while. Astrid’s mother was at home now, but very distraught about the death of her husband.

“It is because of my boys,” she said, “they are both bad, they get mixed up with bad people and they want it that way. One is in debt so much, he will never pay it. So we pay, until we cannot pay more. They tell us to pay more or my husband dies. We cannot do it, we have no more money. So they kill him. My husband, he was such a good man, never hurt anyone, never get mixed up with bad things.

But somehow our boys go a different way. I am so glad that Astrid did not go with them. I am glad she is with good people, good friends.” Kristina told me all of this. It was so sad to hear it, but now we know the death of Astrid’s father was deliberate murder.

“Annelie,” I said, “look up Cenn and Dolph, everything you can find out about them and who they are mixed up with. And what did you find out about that name I gave you?” “A lot about him,” she said, “I will send it to you. I am surprised you did not remember him.” She was right, how did I forget Reggie? He never liked his name and always wanted to be called Craig Masters for some reason.

He always figured himself to be smarter than anyone in school, and he probably was. He actually started his own business selling home security supplies and had done very well for years. But apparently something went wrong and he went bankrupt. He told me that he would one day be far more successful than me, something I did not dispute.

He also said that if it went the other way, then he would have to come looking for me and kill me, but that he would do it slowly, just for fun. He would always laugh when he said it and I never took him seriously. Guess I should have. Now he has begun his game and I will take him seriously now. He is smart, he knows it too, and he will be a very dangerous enemy to deal with.

He has already proven that. He has not killed anyone yet, but that was by choice. Next time might be different. Annelie has found out more about Astrid’s brothers. The older brother, Dolph, seems to be high up in this criminal organization. His younger brother is not and ended up seriously in debt through gambling in places owned by this organization.

It would appear the two brothers do not like each other at all. It was the older brother that told his parents to start paying to keep Cenn from being killed. He also issued that warning to his father. Nice son that one. It is not a major organization, but a smaller one in the country, but it does have links to the largest. That makes this case all the more dangerous.

I told Kristina I would send her some help, but they would keep their distance for now, but at least they know how things work. So I sent Aari, Miles, John and Clarence, along with Aasta and they arrived late that evening. After dinner some of the girls went to sit out on our deck now that it was complete, but they had not all sat down when Penny yelled, and fell…

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.