Finding Agnetha

By Réal Laplaine

They said it would never happen, but a young boy, Morrie Norris, believed otherwise. Inspired by the pop group, ABBA, Morrie runs away to Sweden in search of Agnetha Fältskog, of ABBA fame, to convince her to get the band together again. With police searching for him, Morrie pursues what everyone he meets along the way says is an impossible dream - or is it? An inspiring story.
"Written in a flurry of inspiration, after seeing the film Mamma Mia, Laplaine conjured a magical adventure in a tribute to the iconic Swedish band, ABBA, that sweeps you along in its cosmic flow, where real time (and disbelief) is suspended and events travel with the speed of light." Author, Barb Roman
"An absolute must for any ABBA fan, as beguiling as it is well-written, involving one fan's dogged determination to bring to fruition that which will never happen...An ABBA reunion."
"...Finding Agnetha was a simple read that brought a smile to my face and put goosebumps on my arms. A bit unrealistic yes, but this is a book with a message folks....dreams CAN come true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Réal Laplaine
• Release date: Aug 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301802234

Réal Laplaine

I write in several genres; crime thrillers, speculative fiction thrillers (some would call it sci-fi but I prefer speculative fiction because my themes are more possible than not) and geopolitical thrillers.I have written a few books which classify as literary fiction - novels with an inspirational edge.My focus has always been on writing very contemporary novels, which, while entertaining, pull no punches on the state of the world we live in, or the potential futures facing us, thus, the speculative fiction aspect of my works.In the bookstore at www.reallaplaine.com you will find my books in eBook formats (ePub/PDF) which are instantly downloadable to your computer, smartphone or other device. Links are provided for each book if you prefer to order Kindle, Nook, paperback or other formats from other book retailers.You will also find a number of my short stories which are cost-free.Some of my titles are now in audio book format - more are coming.Abolishing nuclear weapons:In 2014 I published a book, Twilight Visitor, a geopolitical thriller about China invading Iran for its oil, wherein Iran retaliates by firing a nuclear warhead at Beijing. The book has garnered tremendous reviews, comparing it to the best of Dan Brown and other similar authors, but what is important is that the story impresses on the reader that nuclear war is just a button away. In several of my subsequent geopolitical thrillers this thread also weaves through the stories, to help raise awareness on this existential threat to the future of our kids.Please take a moment to visit the page entitled B.A.N. or Ban All Nukes at www.reallaplaine.comRéal LaplaineAuthor of Break Out Bookswww.reallaplaine.com

Book preview

FINDING AGNETHA

A dream to reunite ABBA sparks a global event.

By Réal Laplaine

Other books by Réal Laplaine

Intrusion: A Keeno Crime Novel (Book 1)

Quantum Assault: A Keeno Crime Novel (Book II)

The One: A Keeno Crime Novel (Book III)

The 9th Divinity A Keeno Crime Novel (Book IV)

The Buffalo Kid

See Me NOT

Deception People

The Other

L.I.N.

Dead but not Gone.

Twilight Visitor

Earth Escape

Woman EX

When Gods Roar: The Awakening

For more information go to www.reallaplaine.com

Finding Agnetha

Copyright © 2009 by Réal Laplaine

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

Disclaimer

While there is reference to real people, such as the members of the group ABBA, the events which take place in the book and the story itself are completely fictional.

Cover design by Cindy Anderson

Dedication

Dedicated to ABBA for their inspiration.

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things.

Albert Einstein

1

Buffalo, New York

What!? 

Alan’s voice carried his alarm, not only into the phone which he held, but across the lobby of the building as he headed toward the exit.

Others turned to look at him.

What are you saying, Maggie?

Morrie is gone. I went to do some Christmas shopping after lunch and when I came home, he was gone.

How do you know he didn't just go down to Karola’s or over to one of his other friends?

I called them all. But… her voiced cracked as she started crying.

But what? he probed.

His school bag is gone, she broke off for a moment and then came back after wiping tears from her eyes, and his stuff is missing.

Like what?

By now Alan was getting really upset. The thought of his son gone missing was the worst news he could ever get. Considering that his marriage was already on the rocks, Morrie was the last thread holding it all together – it seemed.

His wallet, his money jar is empty, his cell phone, and…

Alan did not have to wait for her words. His passport?

Yes, she said, and then she continued to cry.

Ok, I'll be home in fifteen. Just stay calm.

When he got to his car, he made a call straight to his friend at the Buffalo police precinct.

Jack Williams please.

Who may I say is calling? the receptionist asked calmly.

Alan Norris.

One moment please.

Alan raced down Niagara Street toward his house on Delevan and Richmond Avenue.

Jack here.

Jack, it's Alan.

What's up man?

Morrie is missing?

What?! Jack said with surprise.

Yeah, Maggie just called me in a panic. He has been gone for four or five hours. He took all his money and passport too. But it's the passport that's got me freaked out.

You guys checked his friends and the neighborhood?

Maggie called around.

Ok, I’ll get a squad car out there to help you look for him. Let us start with the simple things first before we panic. Often, we find missing kids just down the street, sitting in a local hamburger joint. Besides, an eleven-year-old is not going to go anywhere, even with a passport.

Yeah, I hope so, Alan responded, but his mind was already racing ahead, trying to figure out where his son would have gone to. Thanks Jack.

Alan had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was more complicated. An inner voice was screaming at him, telling him that Morrie had run away, and the guilt was already pouring in on him.

Jack Williams hung up the phone and sat thinking about the call from Alan Norris.

He had known Alan since High School – they were best friends. When they graduated from college, they took different roads. Alan had pursued a career in the advertising field, while Jack had banked his plane and headed into law enforcement.

Despite their different tangents in life, their friendship had never waned, and when Alan met Maggie, Jack had been their best man at the wedding. And when Morrie came along, Jack was not only officialized as godfather to Morrie, but more like an uncle to him.

All of that had radically changed in the past couple of years as their marriage hit the rocks; transforming their relationship from warmth and love for one another, to the cold chill of an icy winter wind.

Since then, Jack had distanced himself. And even though he often dealt with domestic dissonance in his line of work, it was one thing to deal with it professionally, but quite another to watch it happening to an old friend.

Unfortunately, Morrie was the victim of this battle.

Jack saw it happening, the transformation in the boy who was once surrounded by love, and now, was living in the tempest of arguments, conflict, hate and domestic upset. He watched as Morrie isolated himself from the drama which their family life had become.

But why would Morrie run away from home? he wondered. He was not the running type.

Something did not make sense about his disappearance.

Jack picked up the phone and called in his best officer, Stan Sorenson.

2

Buffalo, New York

Two years earlier 

A chair in front of a curtain Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Morrie Norris had just turned nine years old and already he had a love in his life; her name was Agnetha Fältskog.

Agnetha was the blond singer in the Swedish pop band of the ‘seventies, known as ABBA.

It was not Agnetha’s looks or her sexual appeal that attracted him, certainly not for a ten-year old boy. It was what she represented to him.

She had become an icon and a symbol in his life.

Agnetha was the star that Morrie latched his dreams to, and she inspired him to take the leap to the next level in his life.

He spent countless hours listening to ABBA songs – over and over. He knew the lyrics by heart.

He studied everything he could learn about the group. And while each of the members was an inspiration of their own, Agnetha fueled his rockets most, and he felt a certain affinity to her as an aspiring artist.

ABBA had inspired Morrie to pave his future road in life – he would become a musician, like them.

But first, he was going to accomplish something which no one else had done – something which everyone, ABBA included, said would never happen.

Morrie Norris was going to get ABBA together again, after three decades since their retirement.

3

By the time Alan Norris pulled his car into his driveway, the squad car was already in front of his house. The police officer approached him.

Are you Alan Norris?

Yes.

I'm Stan Sorenson, Buffalo Police. Jack Williams, my superior, told me your boy is missing.

That's what my wife says.

Let's talk to her.

The door to their home opened as they approached the house. Maggie was standing there. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She had her arms folded across her chest and she smiled weakly at the officer, and at Alan. Alan ushered the officer into the living room.

Mrs. Norris, please tell me everything you know?

Maggie’s jaw clenched, an attempt to stem her emotion.

With a sigh, she began, I left to do shopping, around lunch. Morrie was in his room playing on his computer and I told him I would be back by mid-afternoon. He said fine.

No school today? asked the officer.

He said he was feeling a bit sick, so he didn’t go to school.

He's usually ok to stay alone?

Oh yeah, Alan piped in. He’s a mature kid.

The officer nodded while making a note in a small pad. From his perspective Alan and Maggie seemed distanced from each other. He presumed there was familial trouble behind this disappearance and that there was more, a lot more, that they were withholding from this picture.

Happy kids simply did not run away from happy homes. He knew that from countless case histories.

I came back at about 3:15 and the house was empty. Usually, if Morrie goes out for any reason, he calls me or sends me an SMS. This time there was nothing. I did not think much of it at first, but around 4:00 I started to feel nervous – I just sensed that something was off. I searched his room and that's when I found that his bag was gone, his money jar was empty, his cell phone, and then I went to my room where I keep our passports, his was gone.

Maggie's lip started to tremble as tears pooled in her eyes.

I understand that this can be very trying ma'am, but let's not assume the worst until we have eliminated all the obvious factors.

Maggie nodded while wiping away her tears.

Can I check his room?

She led the officer up the stairs.

Stan Sorenson carefully looked over everything. The room was extremely neat and orderly - unusual for a kid his age, he thought. On his shelves were scale models of planes and rockets. He had a small CD collection stacked up in one corner and a computer on a stand-alone table.

Stan clicked the enter button and the internet page opened up. He looked it over. He clicked the web browsing history and noted down the sites recently visited.

Your son obviously has free access to the net. Do you have parental controls on this?

Yes. Alan said.

Does he have an email account?

Yes, answered Maggie.

The officer noted it on his pad. Do you have access to his account?

Maggie shook her head. No.

It might be important to know who he's been in touch with. Sexual predators are often detected through email dialogues.

Alan grimaced. That's not Morrie, he's a straight-headed kid, Alan said with an assertive tone.

The officer raised his brow.

I checked with all his friends; none have seen him today? Maggie’s voice was filled with desperation.

What about restaurants or hangouts?

He usually only goes to a small store down the street that sells electronic stuff, and sometimes to another store to buy CDs or DVDs, Alan piped in. He doesn’t get out a lot.

You mentioned that his money was gone?

"Well actually, Morrie hardly ever spends any of the money he gets. He has been saving all his birthday gifts,