Buried Angels

STOCKHOLM 1925

‘I’m cold, Mamma.’ Laura was whining unhappily, but Dagmar paid no attention. They were going to wait here until Hermann came home. Sooner or later he’d have to return, and he would be so happy to see her. She longed to see his eyes light up, to see the desire and love that would be so much stronger after all these years of waiting.

‘Mamma…’ Laura was shaking so hard that her teeth chattered.

‘Hush!’ snapped Dagmar. The child was always ruining everything. Didn’t she want them to be happy? Dagmar could no longer contain the rage inside of her, and she raised her hand to strike.

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’ A strong hand grabbed her wrist, and Dagmar turned around in fright. Behind her stood an elegant gentleman wearing a dark overcoat, dark trousers, and a hat.

She tossed her head. ‘Sir, you have no right to interfere with how I raise my child.’

‘If you hit her, I will hit you just as hard. Then you’ll see how it feels,’ he said calmly, and his voice indicated that he would not stand for any backchat.

Dagmar considered telling this man what she thought of people who stuck their noses in matters that were none of their business, but she could see it would do her no good.

‘Please forgive me,’ she said. ‘The girl has been impossible all day. It’s not easy to be a mother, and sometimes…’ She shrugged apologetically, gazing down at the ground so that he wouldn’t see the fury in her eyes.

Slowly the man released his hold on her wrist and took a step back.

‘What are you doing here, outside my front door?’

‘We’re waiting for my pappa,’ said Laura, giving the stranger a pleading look. She was not shamed by the fact that someone had dared to defy her mother.

‘And your pappa lives here?’ The man scrutinized Dagmar.

‘We’re waiting for Captain Göring,’ she said, drawing Laura close.

‘Well then, you’re going to have a long wait,’ he said, still studying them with interest.

Dagmar felt her heart start to pound in her chest. Had something happened to Hermann? Why hadn’t that miserable woman upstairs said anything?

‘What do you mean?’ she demanded.

The man crossed his arms. ‘An ambulance came to get him. They took him away in a straitjacket.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘He’s in Långbro Hospital.’ The man wearing the elegant coat stepped over to the door, apparently in a hurry now to put an end to this conversation with Dagmar. She tried to take his arm, but he pulled away with a grimace.

‘Please, sir, can you tell me how to find that hospital? I must see Hermann!’

His whole face radiated displeasure, and he opened the door and stepped inside without replying. When the heavy door closed behind him, Dagmar sank down to the ground. What was she going to do now?

Head resting on her knees, she sobbed as if her heart were breaking. Laura tugged at her mother, trying to get her back on her feet. Dagmar shook her off. Why couldn’t the child leave her alone and go away? What was she going to do with the girl if she couldn’t find Hermann? Laura was not simply her child. She was theirs.