Disclaimer: Frozen (still) belongs to Disney

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold

Ever since the meeting with Erikksen, the line had rolled through Hans' thoughts again and again, like a song set on a continuous loop. The earworm from hell. It had only gotten worse since then, especially after an unexpected phone call from his brother Gerhard.

"There are some anomalies in your books, Hans," his third-oldest brother had said. "I'm sending Reinhardt and two accountants to do an audit. We don't need to run afoul of the tax laws, either here or in Arendelle."

His smug arrogance goaded Hans into an impotent fury that still had him quivering. I told Father that you weren't ready yet. You're not capable of handling the responsibility.

Gerhard would eat those words one day, Hans swore to himself.

He turned up the collar of his raincoat against the chill breeze coming in off the fjord. The main charm of the trendy bistros that dotted the waterfront was atmosphere, not food, and most of the atmosphere came from patio dining. He ducked under the awning of the Selvgode Café and Dessertery and shook out his umbrella before closing it. That clearly would not be happening today.

He considered calling Margareta and suggesting a different place, but it was notoriously difficult to get a table at Selvgode, and she would be suitably impressed. Besides, she was already here – he spotted her through the glass of the front door, standing by the hostess station. She saw him and gave him a little wave.

His phone buzzed right when he reached for the door. He frowned as he fished it out of his pocket and saw the number on the screen. Now what? He smiled at Margareta and held up one finger apologetically. "Westergard," he snapped into the phone.

"What?!" Hans almost dropped the phone when the caller reported that Agdar Erikksen had seemingly vanished, right from under the noses of both his watchers and those from the National Police. He had last been seen going into a hearing room at the Nasjonsting, but he had never come out.

"Find him!" Hans roared into the phone. He hung up, battling the urge to smash the phone into the sidewalk. He ran a hand through his hair and paced under the awning. What was Erikksen's game? Had he simply decided to make his escape early? Or was there something else? Had he managed to make contact with Elsa Kjarensen? That would be devastating for his plans, particularly if Kjarensen was still with Anna Aarndahl. An information exchange between the three of them would be very bad for Hans.

Hans stopped pacing and took a deep breath. Calm down and think. He looked across the street and saw a businessman hail a taxi, his briefcase held over his head as a shield against the rain.

The briefcase.

Hans' jaw dropped. The damn briefcase! The one that he and the Weasel had given to Erikksen, with the backup recorder in it. The conversation in the car. They'd admitted to the killing of the NP agent. Erikksen had conned Hans and Weselton into betraying themselves, and then recorded them with their own equipment.

The story of the trees and the axe…Erikksen had actually told them what he was doing! Hans and the Weasel themselves had provided Erikksen with the very tool he needed to destroy them. Hans loosened his tie as his chest constricted in panic and he struggled to breathe.

Sonofabitch!

He grabbed at his phone, his hands trembling. His fingers shook so badly that he made three wrong calls before he touched the correct contact. "His briefcase," he growled into the handset, trying to keep his voice steady. "It has a digital recorder in it. It must be destroyed. You have to find it. And him."

He shoved the phone into his pocket and slumped against a wall, his heart racing. Erikksen was running loose with evidence that could destroy everything Hans had worked for. All his plans, his ambitions. It was one thing for Reinhardt to go nosing around in his ledgers; that could be plausibly explained away with only minor embarrassment, and if his plan succeeded, Hans could lord in triumph over his older brothers and bask in the admiration of his father.

But Erikksen could take him down hard with this, especially if he managed to find Kjarensen and Anna, and they went to the NPs together. Hans would go to prison. But that would be nothing compared to the humiliation he would suffer at the hands of his family if he failed.

Prison would be preferable.

Hans closed his eyes and tried to get control of his breathing. It will not end like this, Hans, he told himself. You've worked too hard. You will not be denied your place in history. These petty, insignificant people will not beat you. Now think!

Slowly and steadily, his breathing returned to normal and his head cleared. Maybe Erikksen was just using the recording as insurance. After all, if he went to the National Police, he would go down as well. Erikksen wasn't stupid; he undoubtedly had a bailout plan, one that likely included a new identity and a numbered account somewhere. Why risk going to the dungeons when he could simply disappear? He had as much to lose as Hans and the Weasel. Surely he wouldn't go to the authorities out of spite.

Or would he?

The painting! Was that what this was about? Erikksen had been practically quivering with fury when he got in the car, demanding to know where it was. Maybe that had started this whole thing. Taking the painting had been Weselton's idea – "sending a message," he'd called it.

Idiot. As if Erikksen needed a reminder of how deep he was in. Taking the painting had only goaded him. He called Weselton.

"Return the painting."

"…because all it did was piss him off, that's why. He's disappeared."

"…calm down, we'll find him. Now return the damn painting. And call him and tell him that you did."

Definitely time to part ways with the Weasel.

Hans made one more call, then relaxed, his confidence restored. This was why he had backup plans. And backup plans for those backup plans. He would find Erikksen, and with any luck, Kjarensen and Anna as well.

He smoothed his hair in the reflection of the bistro window, then went went inside to greet Margareta with a smile and a kiss.

Kristoff got out of the car in front of Rider's Motorcycles and looked around in disbelief. He stared at the front of the dilapidated tavern next door, trying to imagine Elsa Kjarensen ever setting foot into such a place. Hell, he couldn't picture Elsa coming anywhere near this side of the city, much less doing business with any of these…establishments.

"This is the last place," Kai said, checking his list.

"Aarndahl's cousin?" Kristoff asked.

"Yes. A Rapunzel Fitzherbert."

"Hopefully, she'll be a little more helpful than the others."

Kristoff and Kai had been all over the city, looking for something, anything, that might lead them to Elsa Kjarensen. It was like chasing smoke. Elsa had no family; an only child, she'd lost both of her parents before she reached legal adulthood. Her last remaining relative, an aged aunt, had passed away more than five years ago. Visits to her home and office had proven fruitless. Elsa kept to herself, with no significant other and no friends to speak of. The neighbors only saw and spoke to her in passing, and while she occasionally went out with colleagues after work, the gatherings were mostly business.

So they'd turned their attention to Anna Aarndahl, and she was proving to be almost as difficult. Neither Olaf nor his mother had any idea where she might have gone. They didn't know of any particular friends she might have, since she worked such odd hours. Olaf mentioned an ex-boyfriend, but didn't know where he lived or even his last name. He added that the ex was "really mean," and "Anna said she was never going near him again."

They tracked down Aarndahl's guardians, an aunt and uncle, who claimed they hadn't seen Aarndahl more than a handful of times since her discharge from the Army, the last time being more than six months ago.

"We get concerned about Anna," said the aunt, a petite brunette with worry lines around her green eyes. "She's always been angry and unsettled. We tried to do what we thought was best for her, but we just never knew how to deal with her. She only comes to visit when our daughter drags her here."

So they'd gotten the address of Aarndahl's cousin, and here they were.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Kai? I thought they said their daughter was an artist."

"Her husband owns the motorcycle shop," Kai replied. "Her studio must be in the apartment above it." He pointed toward the second floor of Rider's.

They went into the shop. The young woman at the counter looked up when the bell over the door tinkled. Slender, with bright green eyes and an unruly bob of brown hair, she was a dead ringer for Aarndahl's aunt. This had to be the cousin.

"Hi, welcome to Rider's! Can I help you?"

"I hope so, ma'am. We're with the National Police." Kai showed her his creds. "Are you Rapunzel Fitzherbert?"

"Yes," the young woman replied, an exasperated expression flitting across her face as she looked at the creds. "Please tell me this isn't about Eugene."

Kai quirked an eyebrow and shot a look at Kristoff, who said, "No, actually, we're here about your cousin. Anna Aarndahl?"

"What about Anna? Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"Honestly, we're not sure. Have you seen her recently?"

She shook her head. "I haven't. But Eugene mentioned that she came by a couple of days ago." She looked apologetic. "I was out on a parts run. Eugene fired our last office assistant for stealing petty cash."

"Eugene is your husband?"

"Yes."

"Did he say why Miss Aarndahl came by?"

"No," she said, furrowing her brow. "He didn't mention anything specific. I just assumed she was in the area and decided to drop in for a few minutes. She does that sometimes."

"We should talk to your husband, then, Mrs. Fitzherb - " Kai began.

"Rapunzel."

" – Rapunzel. Is he here?"

"He's in the repair bay. I'll get him." She slipped off the stool, her hand moving to rest over the small but distinct bump at her lower abdomen as she went to the back corner of the office and opened the top half of a divided wooden door. "Eugene! Could you come up here for a few minutes?"

So Aarndahl had been here. But she hadn't lingered long enough to see her cousin. In a hurry and looking for wheels, maybe? Kristoff wondered if Rapunzel's husband had seen Elsa as well.

"Do you see your cousin often, Mrs. Fitzh - Rapunzel?" Kai asked as she returned to the counter.

She pulled a face. "Not as often as I'd like," she said with a sigh. "Anna can be…difficult. She's my cousin, but she's also my foster sister, and she…well, it's complicated. I think she feels closer to Eugene than to me."

A good-looking, dark-haired man stuck his head through the open half of the door. "What's up, Blondie?" he said to Rapunzel.

"Blondie?" Kristoff asked, cutting his eyes between them.

"It's a long story." Rapunzel patted her hair and looked a bit sheepish. "Eugene, these men want to talk to you about Anna."

Kai showed his creds. Fitzherbert's eyes tightened briefly as he studied them, but he stepped into the office, wiping his hands on a rag.

"We understand that Miss Aarndahl came to see you recently," Kai said. Fitzherbert nodded. "When, exactly, was she here?"

"A few days ago."

"Can you be more specific?"

"No."

"And what did she want?"

"Just stopped by to say hi. She was in the neighborhood." Fitzherbert's nonchalance seemed forced.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel said, and Kristoff could hear a warning edge in her voice.

"Why?" Fitzherbert tossed the rag into a bin, then went to the vending machine and banged it with the heel of his palm. A bottle of Solo dropped out. He twisted the cap off as he moved to the counter. He slid onto a stool next to his wife, giving the two agents an appraising look.

Something about the man set Kristoff's teeth on edge. "Look, Fitzherbert - "

Kai put a restraining hand on his arm. "Mr. Fitzherbert, we're not as interested in Miss Aarndahl as we are the young woman who may be accompanying her. Did she have someone with her when she came to see you?"

Fitzherbert took a pull on his soda and studied them with sharp brown eyes. "Yeah," he said finally. "There was a woman with her."

Kai took out a couple of photos of Elsa, pulled from the airport surveillance system, and handed them over.

Fitzherbert nodded as he stared at them. "That's her, all right. Tried to sell her a bike, but she gave me a serious cold shoulder."

"You tried to sell her a bike?"

"Yeah, she was hanging around in the lot, so I figured I could interest her in a nice ride. Hot chick, kind of classy-looking, even with that hat. I thought she'd look good on one of the BMWs."

Kristoff and Kai exchanged a quick glance. "So she was out in the lot by herself?" he asked. "Where was Miss Aarndahl?"

"Probably looking for me." Fitzherbert took another swig of his soda. "So what did she do?"

"Who said she did anything?" Kristoff said hotly. The man was getting under his skin in a hurry.

"Well, you said you weren't really interested in Anna. If this other chick didn't do anything, then why is she running from you?"

"She's a material witness in a sensitive investigation," Kai said. "There are some very dangerous people looking for her, Mr. Fitzherbert, and if Miss Aarndahl is with her, then…" he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Rapunzel grabbed her husband's arm. "Eugene, if you know something, you have to tell them."

"Goddamnit, Squirt…" Fitzherbert ran a hand through his hair. "All right, yeah, they came by because they needed wheels. Anna was in a hurry, didn't want to wait to see if I could get her car, so I gave her a bike."

"What kind of bike?" Kai asked.

"Honda Rebel." Fitzherbert said. His wife rifled through a stack of brochures on the counter and slid one over.

Kai picked up and scanned it. "We're going to need a color and a plate number."

"Green, just like the one in the brochure. Blondie, can you look up the plate number?"

"Yes." Rapunzel hopped off her stool and went to the desk behind the counter.

"Did Miss Aarndahl say where they were going?" Kai asked.

"No. I asked, but she blew me off. But the Rebel's not really a long distance bike. They'll be pretty uncomfortable if they're going a long way."

"Did you give her anything besides the bike? Did she have a map, or anything else that might indicate where they were going?"

"I gave her a couple of helmets and heavyweight suits." Fitzherbert rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

Kristoff was immediately suspicious. "What else?" he demanded, looming over the counter.

Fitzherbert just gave him an unimpressed look and shook his head. Kristoff twitched with the urge to smash the man's pretty face against the counter.

"Back off, Kristoff," Kai said, shooting him a look that clearly said let me handle this. Kristoff crossed his arms and fumed. Kai studied Fitzherbert carefully. "Mr. Fitzherbert, the more you can tell us, the faster we can get out of your hair. I would hate to have to come back with a warrant. A squad of National Police agents rifling through your property might be detrimental to your business."

That got Fitzherbert's attention. "You can't do that!"

Kai straightened the brochures on the counter. "You'd be amazed at what we can do in an investigation of this importance. But why hide information about Miss Aarndahl? I can't emphasize enough how vital it is that we find her and her companion, for their safety, if nothing else."

"But - "

"You do care about Miss Aarndahl, do you not? I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous these people are." Kai shot a pointed glance at Rapunzel's protruding abdomen as she returned to the counter with a computer printout. "If they find out that Miss Aarndahl came here…"

Fitzherbert's eyes widened, and Kristoff thought maybe they'd finally gotten through to him.

"Eugene, you tell them whatever it is," Rapunzel ordered.

Fitzherbert ran his hand over her face. "Fine. I gave her a gun." Kai made a 'give me more' gesture. "An unlicensed, unregistered .45. She said she'd lost hers, and needed one. She was very insistent."

Kristoff looked at him with contempt. "You supplied her with an illegal firearm? And you didn't ask questions, right?"

"Actually, I did," Fitzherbert flared. "Anna said it was better if I didn't know. Besides, you never really need a gun until you really need a gun."

"Ammunition?"

"Yeah, a full box."

Kai stretched out his hand, and Rapunzel handed him the printout. "Thank you for your cooperation." He took out a business card and slid it across the counter. "If you hear from Miss Aarndahl, please give us a call."

Rapunzel nodded. "You'll let us know what happens, Agent Haugland?"

Kai smiled at her. "Yes, ma'am, we will."

When they settled back in the car, Kai said, "It doesn't look like Aarndahl is dragging Kjarensen along against her will. She left her alone in the bike lot. She could have escaped at that point."

"Yeah," Kristoff agreed. "They look like they're at least cooperating. Or Aarndahl may see herself as Elsa's protector. But we still don't know where they went."

"Let's see if we can narrow it down. Fitzherbert said the motorcycle he gave them wasn't really designed for long trips. Now, that doesn't mean they couldn't do it, but we know they weren't carrying a lot with them."

Kristoff scratched his chin. "Elsa bought two tickets to Gjoheim. Maybe they went there."

"Perhaps. So why there? What's in Gjoheim?"

"It's kind of a gateway to the mountain resorts, isn't it?"

"Yes. Wealthy area. A lot of small towns that cater to the exclusive resorts. And a lot of expensive mountain houses."

Kristoff groaned. "There are hundreds - maybe thousands - of vacation houses between all those little towns."

"Well, Kjarensen has plenty of money – one look at her townhouse makes that obvious. If I were her, I would have a safe house under my alias in case things went south."

"I had the data guys start a search for other properties that she might own. They could narrow the scope to the Gjoheim area."

"Good idea." Kai made the call. When he hung up, he said, "In the meantime, we can head for Gjoheim and ask around. We have the motorcycle's plate number and photos of our two ladies. Maybe we'll get lucky, and someone has seen them."

"I'm not supposed to leave the area," Kristoff reminded him.

"You can go anywhere as long as I'm with you." Kai put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb.

"What about backup?"

Kai side-eyed him. "Well, if you really want to, I suppose we could call Sinclair and Chifu and let them take all the credit."

Kristoff grinned. "Let's go grab my stakeout bag and then we can roll."

A/N: Everyone's converging - could be a party soon. Thanks for sticking with me, and a big thanks to all of you who left reviews!