The Woman in the Hotel Read online

  Camilla didn’t comprehend but stroked her hand lovingly along the girl’s slender back.

  “And now I just know he’s going to tell.”

  The sobs made her body contract.

  Camilla looked at her.

  “I don’t quite understand. I know what H.C. did…”

  “No, you don’t!” Sofie exclaimed violently. “You don’t know that it was him who made them do it!”

  “Made who do what?”

  “Tue and Stoffer. He paid them to beat up Grandpa. It wasn’t supposed to be that bad. They were only meant to put a scare into him. After that, H.C. paid them to start the fire, and he said they’d go to jail if the police found out they did it.”

  Camilla was speechless. Her little niece had known all along, but she hadn’t dared say anything for fear of someone from her new gang of friends getting arrested. It wasn’t so strange that she had taken refuge behind a dark exterior ever since the assault. H.C. was more cynical and calculating than Camilla would have imagined. And her dad had gone to the trouble of finding him a good lawyer!

  “Your friends won’t go to jail; they’re not nearly old enough. This is all for H.C. to take responsibility for.”

  She helped Sofie get up off the bed.

  “Now let’s drive down and have dessert with the rest of the family, and I’ll tell Michael about the other stuff.” She gave the slight girl a long hug and helped her find some presentable clothes in her closet.

  * * *

  Saturday morning, Camilla packed the two bags that she and Markus had brought. Afterward, she sat in the garden with her back against the big cedar tree and ran her fingers through the grass.

  Her dad came rolling across the patio in his wheelchair with his computer in his lap.

  “WOULD YOU RATHER STAY?” it said in capital letters when he turned it to her.

  Would she rather stay?

  Camilla didn’t know. SkagenPosten wasn’t sold yet, even though it was just a matter of time. All night long, she had been wondering whether the sale could be avoided if she stayed on in Skagen and took over the helm. But slowly, while sitting there in the shade of the tree, it had dawned on her that she had her life in Copenhagen. She realized how much she missed the perpetual buzz and never-ending news feeds that landed on her desk daily at Morgenavisen.

  Also by Sara Blaedel

  THE LOUISE RICK SERIES

  The Missing Persons Trilogy

  The Forgotten Girls

  The Killing Forest

  The Lost Woman

  The Camilla Trilogy

  The Night Women

  The Running Girl

  The Stolen Angel

  The Homicide Trilogy

  The Midnight Witness

  The Silent Women

  The Drowned Girl

  THE FAMILY SECRETS SERIES

  The Daughter

  About the Author

  Sara Blaedel’s suspense novels have enjoyed incredible success around the world: fantastic acclaim, multiple awards, and runaway number one bestselling success internationally. In her native Denmark, Sara was voted most popular novelist for the fourth time in 2014. She is also a recipient of the Golden Laurel, Denmark’s most prestigious literary award. Her books are published in thirty-seven countries. Her series featuring police detective Louise Rick is adored the world over, and Sara has just launched her new Family Secrets suspense series to fantastic acclaim.

  Sara Blaedel’s interest in story writing, and especially crime fiction, was nurtured from a young age. The daughter of a renowned Danish journalist and an actress whose career included roles in theater, radio, TV, and movies, Sara grew up surrounded by a constant flow of professional writers and performers visiting the Blaedel home. Despite a struggle with dyslexia, books gave Sara a world in which to escape when her introverted nature demanded an exit from the hustle and bustle of life. Sara tried a number of careers, from a restaurant apprenticeship to graphic design, before she started a publishing company called Sara B, where she published Danish translations of American crime fiction.

  Publishing ultimately led Sara to journalism, and she covered a wide range of stories, from criminal trials to the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace. It was during this time—and while skiing in Norway—that Sara started brewing the ideas for her first novel. In 2004, Louise and Camilla were introduced in Grønt Støv (Green Dust), and Sara won the Danish Academy for Crime Fiction’s debut prize.

  Originally from Denmark, Sara has lived in New York, but now spends most of her time in Copenhagen. When she isn’t busy committing brutal murders on the page, she is an ambassador with Save the Children and serves on the jury of a documentary film competition.

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