Before the Devil Wakes: A Constable Petra 'Piitalaat' Jensen novel (Greenland Missing Persons Stand-Alone Novels Book 5) by Christoffer Petersen

Author:Christoffer Petersen [Petersen, Christoffer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aarluuk Press for Arctic Noir, Action Thrillers and Greenland Crime
Published: 2024-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

Nuuk

23

The smart thing would have been to wait, and to visit Ujoru at home, and perhaps confront her parents, too. But I needed to run, if nothing else to clear my head of all the parenting hazards that were popping up, and to make space for more rational thoughts about how to make the best out of my life with Luui, to really think things through. Running would help, and, as I explained to Kaarat, it was May. It would be light all night and…

“Given what you’ve said about her parents,” I said. “Home is the last place she is going to be.”

Kaarat relented, and I tossed my jacket to her, suggesting she take the car and call for assistance. Meanwhile, I would chase the kids on foot, make a show of it, and direct Kaarat towards them.

“Don’t worry,” I said, when Kaarat suggested if someone had to run, she could do it and I could drive. “I’m used to running. Atii makes me do it all the time.”

It was true. But often under protest. Atii made me run far more than I wanted to, but that day, after the tussle on the grass and the potential mental tussle waiting for me at home, I needed it.

Ujoru was faster than the boys.

Perhaps they were tired after all the fighting, or the last burst of adrenaline when we showed up had robbed them of their strength. They tripped and stumbled after less than a hundred metres and I called Kaarat on the radio, telling her to come and pick them up, while I chased after Ujoru.

Nuuk is more or less built on a grid, with lots of long, almost straight roads. But just like every town and village in Greenland, it is the mountains and the rock that have the last say. There is plenty of up in Nuuk, and Ujoru made the most of every slope and cluster of boulders between the houses she could find.

Maybe she thought she could wear me out?

And maybe she would have, too, if I couldn’t hear Norma Ipsen’s voice in my head, telling me I would never be a good parent, because I didn’t know how to bond.

I thought running would clear my head.

I was wrong.

So I ran faster.

Ujoru slipped on a patch of smooth rock coated with a layer of fine grit. She bumped her knee, cried out, and then again when she saw me charging up the same stretch of rock behind her. The look on her face gave me pause as she looked frightened, and I guessed it must be the look on my face that made her feel scared.

I stopped, took a breath, and then tried to smile.

It wasn’t my best, but it worked. And suddenly I had someone else to worry about other than myself.

“I’m Petra,” I said, gulping a few breaths as my heart threatened to thump out of my chest. “Who are you?”

“Ujoru,” she said.

“Got a last name?” I took a careful step close, ready to run again if Ujoru bolted, but preferring not to.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.