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Stockholm Bromma Airport
Stockholm, Sweden
Present Day

 

Acton frowned as he stepped down from their private jet and onto the tarmac. He had expected Karlsson to meet them when they arrived, though he was an old man and it was a chilly day. He turned to Laura.

“He must be inside where it’s warm.”

She shivered. “Then he sounds far smarter than us.”

He chuckled as they scurried toward the terminal reserved for private charters, groaning with pleasure at the warmth that greeted them inside.

And still, there was no sign of Karlsson.

Acton checked his phone for messages, finding none from Karlsson or any of his people, Laura doing the same. A quick check at the counter found no messages left for them.

“Could he have got confused and thought we were meeting at the hotel?”

Acton shrugged. “I can’t see how there could be any misunderstanding, but perhaps. He was always very academic, if you know what I mean. How about we go there then try to find him. It’ll be a lot more comfortable than waiting around here.”

Laura agreed, and a rental vehicle was quickly arranged, their arrival at the hotel swift and efficient, the Nobis Hotel the finest of establishments. And again, they found no Karlsson, and no messages.

“I’m getting a little concerned.” Acton brought up the website for Stockholm University, and after a few transfers, was speaking with one of Karlsson’s grad students at the dig site, Elsa Andersson.

“I’m sorry, Professor Acton, we haven’t seen him all morning. Wasn’t he supposed to meet you?”

“He was, but he didn’t.”

“That’s odd. I’ll try texting him, though I’m sure you already have.”

“We have, many times. Do you have his home number? I’d like to call his wife.”

“Yes, absolutely.” She provided the number and he jotted it down on a piece of hotel stationery. “I’ll let you know if I hear from him.”

“Thank you.” Acton immediately dialed Karlsson’s wife. “Hello, Mira. This is Jim Acton. How are you?”

“Oh, hi Jim, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Viggo said we’d be doing dinner tonight. Did that old fool mess up our plans again?”

Acton chuckled, feeling slightly better at the revelation that his old friend might simply be confused instead of missing. “Well, he must have gotten really mixed up, because he forgot to meet us at the airport, and we can’t reach him.”

There was a pause. “Oh…”

He sensed something in her tone that had him concerned. “What is it?”

“Viggo received a phone call last night.”

Acton’s eyes narrowed. “From whom?”

“From the Saudi Embassy.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What did they want?”

“The Ambassador wanted to meet him. This morning at nine o’clock.” He heard a quick intake of breath. “You don’t think…”

Acton was terrified to voice what he was thinking. “I’m sure I don’t. He probably got sidetracked with something and lost track of time. Don’t worry. We’ll try to track him down, and if you hear from him, tell him to call.”

“I will, Jim. I’m so sorry about this.”

“No need to apologize. I’m sure it’s completely innocent. I’ll talk to you soon.”

He ended the call and briefly recapped the conversation for Laura.

“What do we do?”

Acton sighed, shaking his head. “Given the Saudis’ recent history, I think we have to assume the worst.”

“Surely they wouldn’t repeat such a stupid thing?”

Acton grunted. “Were there really any consequences?”

She frowned. “I suppose not. So, what do we do? Report it?”

Acton tapped his chin, slowly shaking his head. “No, that could take hours. Law enforcement probably would just hang up, telling us to wait forty-eight hours.” He pursed his lips then smiled slightly as an idea occurred to him. Then he frowned at the idiocy of it.

“I know that look. What are you thinking?”

He blasted his frustration through his lips. “Well, I was thinking there’s still a chance to save him, if he’s still alive.”

“How?”

“By letting them know we know they have him.”

Laura’s eyes widened. “And just how are we going to do that?”

“I’m going to go inside.”