OVERNIGHT, KIM’S DREAM OF MOVING ON with their life was transformed into a nightmare that would resonate for years to come. They sat at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of water, consumed with doubt and haunted by the constant memories. Sometimes they regretted it all; sometimes they were convinced there was no other solution.
Back in Stockholm after what had happened in Malmö, Kim stayed out of sight at home for several days, filled with remorse and refusing to be persuaded that they were acting in self-defence. There could never be any justification for taking another person’s life. Kim had never had murderous inclinations before. It was completely out of character. It was incredible how somebody’s fundamental principles and sense of equilibrium could be shattered by a single unexpected turn of events.
During the long journey to the man’s cottage, Kim had repeated flashbacks to that night four years ago. The memory of their complete and utter helplessness became more and more vivid. Why was he driving further and further into the countryside? What was he planning to do?
They would never put themselves into such a vulnerable position again.
Kim returned to the living room. A bookcase stood along the left hand wall. They pressed it lightly and it slid to one side, revealing a hidden door. Kim unlocked it, walked inside and turned on the light.
This was their secret room – a compact space previously used as a wardrobe, which, despite its limited size, now served as an office. Kim called it the investigation room.
It was a well-planned workspace with a small desk and a couple of bookcases. On top of the desk lay piles of papers and documents neatly arranged into different categories. In one of the bookcases was a row of red files labelled ‘Subject 1’, ‘Subject 2’ and so on, up to ‘Subject 6’. On the top shelf of the second bookcase were two black files, labelled ‘Other’ and ‘To do’ and on the bottom shelf was an assortment of essential office material, including pens, post-it-notes and a stapler.
Kim lived in a sort of controlled chaos. Everything was in a specific order. Sensitive material was stored away and well camouflaged. Kim pressed a small button, revealing a safe built into the wall. After punching in the security code they opened it and removed a file containing the men’s names, social security numbers and anything else that could be considered sensitive and potentially incriminating. Nobody would ever find the safe – not even Kim’s mother, who watered the flowers when they were away and liked to rummage around in the apartment at the same time.
Directly opposite the door hung a whiteboard covered with text. Much of the surface was allotted to a handwritten list of completed and uncompleted projects.
Subject 1 (x)
Subject 2 (completed)
Subject 3 (completed)
Subject 4 (completed)
Subject 5 (completed)
Subject6 (x)
Subject?
As well as being systematic, Kim was also well informed and aware that the digital domain was far from secure. The police had ways of snooping into people’s computers and a number of important aspects had to be taken into account when dealing with secret projects like this. You could never be too careful when it came to collecting information. Pen and paper were the only viable options.
After the completion of each project it was important not to leave any evidence behind. Eventually, Kim planned to destroy all the material and information collected over the years.
Once Kim had dreamed of becoming a detective and had been envious of others who had achieved this ranking. But over the past four years a lot had changed. Kim smiled. They removed a file from the shelf and proudly admired their work – an investigation report, which, under normal circumstances, could only be compiled by a skilled detective. It was a comprehensive document containing a wealth of information about the next subject. Kim was satisfied. There was no reason to be envious any longer. In the hours, days, months and years spent gathering intelligence about the men, Kim had managed to uncover more information than all the investigation teams who were working on the various cases put together.
Kim returned the file to the safe. They took out a felt pen and began to write on the board. Just then the phone rang. They switched out the light and walked out of the room, closing the door behind them and sliding the bookshelf back to its original position. Nobody would ever suspect there was a concealed room behind the bookshelf.
“Hello?”
“Hi sweetie!”
“Hi Mum!” responded Kim warmly.
“I’m just checking in… how are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“What are you up to? If you’re free since it’s such a nice day we could take Rufus for a walk? How about it?”
Kim thought for a moment. They had planned to go for a run to clear their head and then spend the rest of the day reviewing information about the next subject on the list. This was hardly the best time to be social.
“What a pity, I’ve arranged to meet a friend and before that I’m going running,” replied Kim. “Let’s do it another day…”
“Sure, great that you’re meeting friends,” replied Kim’s mother enthusiastically.
Kim put the phone down and glanced at the clock before hurrying to the bathroom to brush their teeth. They leaned towards the mirror and looked at their crew cut then hurried into the hall to put on their jogging shoes. Just as they were about to leave they changed their mind. There was no point in going out while their head was cluttered with so many thoughts. Kim returned to the secret room and grabbed hold of the file labelled: ‘Subject 6’.