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29 |Nobis Hotel Stockholm, Sweden Present Day
Acton cursed at a message that had just appeared on the tablet. Laura looked at him.
“What now?”
“I have to call Mira.” He showed her the message with the instructions it contained.
“Bloody hell!”
Acton tapped the number shown and the tablet dialed, the call automatically on speaker. Mira answered almost immediately, her anxious voice betraying her state of mind.
“Hej?”
“Hi, Mira, it’s Jim Acton.”
“Oh, thank God, I’ve been getting worried. Please tell me you found him, and the old fool just forgot he was meeting you.”
“I need you to listen carefully, and most importantly, don’t panic.”
“Oh God! Something’s happened! What did those barbarians do to him?”
Acton kicked himself for his poor choice of words. Telling someone not to panic was the best way to make them do just that. “Viggo is okay, but I need you to listen.”
Heavy, sobbed breathing was the only response.
“Mira, I need you to go to the front door. There will be a man there. He’s going to hand you a pin then leave. Put the pin on. It has a camera and microphone on it. The moment you put it on, everything will be transmitted to the people who have your husband.”
“Have? Jim, please, tell me what is going on!”
Acton’s heart ached at her anguish. “I’m so sorry, Mira, but you must follow my instructions to the letter. Go to the door. Now.”
He could hear her footsteps then a door open, an alarm chirping in the background. There was a gasp, but nothing said, the door closing a moment later.
“I-I have the pin.”
“Put in on, then we can talk.”
Another pause. “Okay, it’s on.”
“Good. Now listen very carefully. Everything you say from now on will be transmitted to the people who have your husband.”
“Who has him?”
“The Saudi government, as far as we know. I can’t say much more, because we’re being recorded as well.”
“Wh-what do they want?”
“The ring he discovered.”
There was a quick inhalation of air caught by the speaker. “What? This is all because of a stupid ring?”
Acton understood her outrage. It was ridiculous, yet it was the situation they all found themselves trapped in. “Apparently, it’s important to someone. We’re going to go get it, hand it over to them, then they’ll release Viggo. If everything goes to plan, this should all be over tonight.”
“Oh, please God, take care of my Viggo. Do-do you think he’ll be okay?”
Acton exchanged a look with Laura, both of them clearly in agreement they weren’t at all confident in the outcome. But he had to give the poor woman hope. “Yes, as long as we all follow their instructions to the letter. It’s essential you tell no one what is going on. Not the police, not his students, not your friends. Nobody.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now, just sit tight and wait to hear from us, and don’t worry if it takes several hours. We’re not sure exactly how the exchange will play out.”
“Okay, Jim, I trust you. Please promise me you’ll do whatever it takes to get him back to me.”
“You have my word, Mira, we’ll do everything we can.”
He ended the call, tossing the tablet on the bed then collapsing back on his pillow.
“I noticed you didn’t promise her.”
Acton frowned, turning his head to face Laura. “Because I’m betting we’re never going to see him again.”
Her eyes flared at his perhaps too frank assessment, and she glanced down at her pin. “Even after we retrieve the ring?”
He grunted. “I’m afraid we may never be seen again.”