Into the Flood PAPERBACK

CHAPTER 1

Sonia Krogstad wanted answers. And, one way or another, she was going to squeeze them out of her elusive business partner today.

Since Lauritz Thorsen wasn’t taking her calls, she had manufactured an errand that took her to Trondheim Harbor, giving her an excuse to be in the neighborhood of his glass-fronted office building.

What could be more natural than an impromptu visit to her closest business associate? Especially since she’d been waiting days for him to green-light a contract with their biggest investor to date. The venture capitalist was ready to put millions of dollars into Moving Up, Lauritz’s groundbreaking real estate app. But if Lauritz didn’t show up and close the deal, the investor would take his cash to the next shiny startup, wasting all Sonia’s hard work in nurturing the lead.

She strode through the revolving glass doors, her heels clicking a fast staccato on the shiny marble floor of the lobby. The male receptionist at the front counter welcomed her with a grin, waving her toward the bank of elevators. She was a familiar enough face that the front desk staff no longer asked her to sign in for a visitor’s pass.

Riding up to Lauritz’s penthouse office, Sonia straightened her new Armani suit in the mirrored walls of the elevator. Maybe it stretched her budget to the limit, but the fitted tie-fastened jacket flattered her hourglass curves and went perfectly with her maroon Valentino pumps. Besides, everyone knew that cheap clothes were bad for the environment and supported sweatshops that exploited widows and children in developing countries.

Smiling at her reflection, Sonia smoothed her dark, curly bob. There was only one hairdresser in all of Trondheim she could trust with her Afro-European hair, and he didn’t come cheap.

She looked far better at forty-five than she had at twenty. After years of working hard and paying her dues, she’d come a long way from her humble small-town roots. Her days of rummaging through Salvation Army racks and bargain store discount bins were over. As a sought-after independent public relations specialist, elegant clothes and weekly salon appointments were part of her professional role.

Her well-groomed appearance was a key reason Lauritz had been eager to do business with her in the first place, along with a little flirtation on the side to make things interesting. It was a bit of fun, and who knew where it might lead?

But neither the business nor the flirtation would go anywhere unless she found out what was happening with Lauritz.

The elevator doors slid open and Sonia stepped out, slamming into a woman who was bustling past. Sheets of paper flew into the air and scattered all over the floor.

“I’m so sorry, Maria,” Sonia said. The young intern, whom Sonia had seen around Lauritz’s office before, gave her a strained smile, stooping to pick up the mess.

Sonia allowed herself a mental fist pump. She’d once been an invisible peon at the bottom of the corporate ladder, so it gave her a kick to call even the humblest support worker by name.

Sonia’s pencil skirt wasn’t designed for crouching, but she did her best, angling her body downward to help Maria pick up the wayward documents.

Gathering the last of the papers, Maria smiled again. “Thank you. I’m sorry about that.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I should have been looking where I was going. See you soon.”

Maria scurried down the hallway and Sonia stepped through the office door and into pure bedlam.

Normally humming with contained, efficient energy, today Lauritz’s business HQ resembled an ants’ nest after a collision with a bulldozer. Workers scrambled back and forth. The ringing of telephones filled the air, but no one appeared to be answering the calls.

One man, sweat ringing the armpits of his blue shirt, stood next to a heavy-duty paper shredder, feeding it from a pile of documents that teetered at the edge of his desk. The papers slid to the floor and he barked out a string of profanities.

What was going on? Sonia headed to the desk where the receptionist, Rita, stood.

The petite woman’s face was flushed, her normally pristine blond hair slipping out of its bun. The phone on her desk was ringing, but instead of answering it, Rita stuffed a handful of papers into the churning metal blades of a shredder. Her pale eyes widened as she looked up at Sonia. “How did you get up here?”

Sonia stared back at her. How was she supposed to answer such a weird question? She gestured over her shoulder. “With the elevator.”

“Past the lobby reception? They were under instructions not to send any visitors up today.”

“I’m not really a visitor, though. I work with Lauritz.”

Rita fidgeted with her stack of papers, her hands skittering over them like a pair of flighty squirrels. “Nobody other than on-site staff was supposed to come up here today. We’re really busy, as you can see.”

Sonia glanced at the chaos surrounding them. “I can see that. But since I’m here now, could I have a quick word with Lauritz? I won’t be more than five minutes.”

“Mr. Thorsen isn’t in.” Rita picked up another handful of papers and slid the edges into the shredder.

Sonia looked past the receptionist to Lauritz’s closed office door. “He’s not in, or just unavailable?”

“He’s not in,” Rita repeated, her gaze sliding away from Sonia’s face. “Why don’t you call and make an appointment?”

“Can’t you set up the appointment now?”

“That’s not possible. Company policy states that we can only make appointments over the phone. It really would be better if you called.”

Sonia pointed at the shrilling phone lying between them on the desk. “You mean like these people who are trying to call right now?”

Rita glared at her, face flushed.

Sonia took a slow, calming breath. Time to try honey instead of vinegar. Smiling, she injected as much sweetness into her tone as she could muster. “I can see you’re really busy, and I don’t want to add to your workload. But since I’m here now, how about you schedule me in and save me the trouble of calling for an appointment?”

“That’s not possible. I already told you I can only make appointments over the phone.”

“Since when has that been a policy?” So much for being syrupy sweet.

“Since we realized that drop-in visitors disrupt everyone’s workflow,” Rita snapped. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a lot to do. Have a nice day.”

Sonia bit back a sharp retort. Squabbling with the receptionist would get her nowhere. Glancing at Lauritz’s closed door, she sighed and half-turned to leave.

A harried-looking man balancing a stack of ledgers knocked on the door, then stepped inside. He closed the door behind him, but not before Sonia glimpsed a pale faced, unshaven Lauritz sitting hunched at his gleaming glass and steel desk.

Sonia whirled back to Rita. “I thought you said Lauritz wasn’t in.”

Color flooded Rita’s face. “I—I’m under strict instructions not to let anyone in. It’ll cost me my job if you go in there.”

So Lauritz was avoiding her. The sneaky, cowardly, lying weasel. Something strange and stinky was going on. Sonia could walk away and avoid an awkward confrontation, but she had an important investor waiting for answers. No way was she leaving until Lauritz spoke to her.

“I’ll tell him you tried to stop me,” she said, stepping around Rita’s desk.

Rita dropped her papers and held her hands up, her blue eyes wide. “Please don’t go in there.”

“I need to see him.” Sonia walked toward Lauritz’s door.

“I’ll call security.”

Sonia looked over her shoulder.

Rita, jaw set, clutched a phone receiver in a death-like grip.
Sonia held her gaze and was dimly aware of a hush around them, as though everyone else in the room held their breath.

Rita broke eye contact first, turning to the phone keypad. She punched in three digits. “Hello, security? I need someone up at Thorsen Solutions to remove an unwelcome guest.”

“Fine. I’m going.” Sonia gritted her teeth. Getting thrown out of the building would consummate her humiliation. She gathered the threadbare remains of her dignity, held her head high, and stalked toward the door, staring down the blue-shirted man next to the big paper shredder.

He ducked his head as she swept past.

She faced the elevator doors, her ears burning. Lauritz had better have a sterling explanation, delivered along with a groveling apology. Besides all the investors she had brought to him over the past months, she had liquidated her pension fund and sunk it all buying into Lauritz’s startup. Her nest egg probably paid the salary of that receptionist who’d just called security on her.

Somebody jostled her elbow and Sonia looked up.

Maria, the intern, hovered in front of her, arms loaded with document folders. “Sorry, I’m so clumsy today. Goodbye.”
Maria turned to leave, but as she brushed past, she pressed a folded scrap of paper into Sonia’s hand.

The elevator doors slid open, and Sonia stepped inside. As the doors closed, she unfolded the paper Maria had given her. It was a note.

MARIA: There’s something you need to know. Meet me at the Java Bean Café down the street in ten minutes.

Her heart thumping, Sonia crumpled the note and stuffed it into her handbag.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Sonia sat in the Java Bean Café, staring at her phone while her cup of black coffee cooled. As she waited for Maria, she clicked through Lauritz’s business website and scoured his social media accounts. No mention of anything out of the ordinary. But the vibe at Thorsen Solutions was way off. They were hiding something big. Something way bigger than just Lauritz holed up in his office.

She checked the time. Ten minutes had passed, but Maria still wasn’t here. She’d give her ten more minutes, and then put in a call to her lawyer.

As the clock crawled past the five-minute mark, Maria rushed through the doors and approached Sonia’s table near the window. She walked past, murmuring, “Please move to the back of the café. We’re too conspicuous near the window.”

Feeling like Norway’s answer to 007, Sonia gathered up her coffee and purse and followed Maria to a secluded booth at the back of the crowded café.

Maria scanned the room and leaned forward. “I only have five minutes, so I’ll make it brief. You’ve always been kind to me, which is why I’m going to tell you this.”

She looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “You need to distance yourself as far as you can from Lauritz. Something big is going down. The police are involved, and I think Interpol is, too. This morning, Lauritz gave orders to shred a bunch of documents, and everyone’s hard drives were to be wiped. I think it’s only a matter of time before they arrest him. You’re a decent person and judging from the way they’re stopping you from seeing him, I’m sure you’re not a part of whatever shady deals have been going on. If I were you, I’d get out as fast as you can.”

Each of Maria’s words hit Sonia with the force of a sledgehammer. “Are you sure?”

“Trust me. The Titanic has hit the iceberg, and it’s sinking. I know you’ve invested a chunk of money with Lauritz. Get it out if you can. I’ll be leaving as soon as I’m done with my shift today. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you.” Maria glanced at her watch and stood. “I’d better go. I don’t want anyone to know I’ve been speaking with you.”

Sonia watched her leave. Around her table, the café bustled along as usual, as though Sonia’s world hadn’t just spun off its axis.

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