Crime fiction with a twist.
The heroine of the series "The Killing" returns in a new short story.
The Getaway
by Alan Place.
Officer Sarah Lund turned from the sound of the gunshot that told her a close friend had chosen to kill herself, rather than die an agonizing death by poison. In front of her, she saw the crowd of people at the party who were oblivious to how close they had been to being the victims of a psychotic killer hell-bent on destroying the elite of Copenhagen.
Sarah put her hand in her coat pocket to feel for her phone and thought "I saved the day, but I know that won't matter as the force needs a scapegoat for the situation getting this far, and that will be me again. No matter what I do, I get the blame for not stopping things before they get this far."
Sarah was about to throw her phone in the bin went she received a call, "Here it comes," she thought, "The chief wants to praise me for saving the elite, but castigating me for letting things get out of hand."
As she looked at the phone, she saw the caller ID was unknown to her. "Go ahead, caller," she said to the stranger.
The man's voice at the other end said, "Miss Lund, you are in danger. The police will be tracking my call, so listen and don't talk as you don't have time to get in a discussion. You need to leave Denmark as soon as you can, take no clothes as they are watching your apartment, end this call and leave the country without looking back."
Sarah waited until the caller had ended the call, then she put the phone in her jacket pocket and walked to her car; the old Denzel was still in the parking spot outside the Absalon Hotel where she had parked.
Sarah smiled to herself as she realized that her caller had already told her the escape route, over the Oresund Bridge to Sweden. In the past, cooperation between the two countries had been an ensured thing, but since the Swedish officer Saga Noren had shot and injured the Danish police officer Martin Rohde before sending him to trial for the shooting of the felon responsible for killing Martin's son; relations between the countries had become tense.
As Sarah walked to her car, she noticed the car detailed to tail approaching from the end of the street, "Before you make your move, you need to make sure I can't be seen," muttered as she took her keys out and started the engine.
Driving with care, so as not to give occasion for the police to apprehend her, Sarah left Copenhagen heading for the bridge, and freedom. As she drove, she thought, "The Swedes have no cause to stop me, to them, I am one of the thousands of cars that cross the bridge each day; either going to work or going home. Before they act, I will have to have broken the law in Sweden, or be suspected of going to break the law."
At police HQ, the tracking team as predicted where tracking Sarah's phone; "Mobile 3 do you have the suspect in sight, control over?"
The tailing car replied, "Mobile 3 to control; we have the suspect in sight, over."
"Whatever you do, don't lose her, remember she is one of ours, and she knows all the tricks of tailing, control over."
The lights changed to red, and Sarah slowed but did not stop as she approached them. The lights turned, and she accelerated, her advanced driving course paid off; by idling, she had made it possible to get the jump on her pursuers.
"Mobile 3 to control, she got the jump on us; we lost sight of her heading to the E20 turn-off for the bridge; we suggest that the bridge be put on alert as she will be there soon."
"Control to Mobile 3, damn her, now we need to play catch up and try to think like Sarah, that won't be easy as she's a bit of a maverick. The bridge has been put on high alert in case she goes that way: but knowing her, she'll do something unexpected."
The conversation was interrupted by another caller, "Mobile 1 to control, suspect, is sighted crossing the roundabout before the E20 and heading back to the city, what do you wish us to do, over?"
"Control to Mobile, bring the suspect in; we cannot let her escape. You have the authority to apprehend Sarah Lund if possible, over."
"Roger that, control; we are in pursuit."
Sarah smiled as she saw the police give chase, and then muttered, "Now, let's have some fun."
She put her foot down and began to speed up as the police gave chase, then she sped onto the Kystvejen heading for the airport roundabout.
"Control to all Mobiles, intercept the suspect, Sarah Lund at as soon as possible, she is heading for Kastrup airport."
She slowed down as soon as she entered the gates, and began to seek a parking place; after a few minutes, she saw one and parked her car. "Now let the fun begin," she said as she left her vehicle; with the phone in it the driver's glove box.
