Buried Angels

Chapter Twenty-Four

Leon had been sitting at the window for a long time before they arrived. He gazed across the water at Valö, watching the boats passing by and the holiday-makers enjoying their few weeks away from their jobs. He could never have lived that sort of life himself, yet he envied them. In all its simplicity, it was actually a marvellous existence, although they might not realize it. When the doorbell rang, he rolled his chair away from the window after casting one last glance at Valö. That was where it had all begun.

‘It’s time to finish this.’ Leon looked at them. The tension in the air had been palpable ever since they’d come in, one after the other. He noticed that both Percy and Josef were avoiding contact with Sebastian, who didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

‘What a fate, to end up in a wheelchair. And your face is completely ruined. You were always so handsome,’ said Sebastian, leaning back against the sofa cushions.

Leon wasn’t offended. He knew the words weren’t intended to hurt him. Sebastian had always been blunt, except when he wanted to dupe someone. Then he had no scruples about lying. It was strange that people changed so little. The others hadn’t changed either. Percy seemed fragile, and Josef’s eyes still held that serious expression. And John radiated the same old charm.

Leon had found out all about them before he and Ia came to Fjällbacka. He’d paid a lot of money to a private detective, who had done an excellent job and informed Leon of the various directions their lives had taken. But it was as if nothing that happened after Valö had any meaning now that they were all together again.

He didn’t reply to Sebastian’s remarks, merely saying: ‘It’s time for us to tell the story.’

‘What purpose would that serve?’ asked John. ‘That’s all in the past.’

‘I know it was my idea, but the older I get, the more I realize what a mistake it was,’ said Leon, fixing his eyes on John. He had surmised that it would be difficult to convince John, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. Regardless whether he was able to get all of them to agree or not, he had decided to reveal the truth. But his sense of fair play made him want to tell the others about his plans before he did something that was bound to affect them all.

‘I’m with John,’ said Josef in a flat voice. ‘There’s no reason to stir up something that has long been forgotten.’

‘You’re the one who always used to talk about the importance of the past. About taking responsibility. Don’t you remember?’ said Leon.

Josef blanched and turned his face away. ‘It’s not the same thing.’

‘Yes, it is. What happened is still with us. I’ve been carrying it with me all these years, and I know that the rest of you have too.’

‘It’s not the same thing,’ Josef insisted.

‘You said that everybody who bore the blame for your parents’ suffering should be held accountable. Shouldn’t we be held accountable and confess our guilt?’ Leon spoke gently, but he saw what a strong effect his words had on Josef.

‘I refuse to permit it.’ John clasped his hands in his lap as he sat on the sofa next to Sebastian.

‘It’s not for you to decide,’ replied Leon, fully aware that he had just revealed his mind was already made up.

‘To hell with it. Do whatever you like, Leon,’ said Sebastian suddenly. He put his hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out a key. He got up and held it out to Leon, who took it reluctantly. So many years had passed since he’d last held that key in his hand, so many years since it had sealed their fates.

Utter silence descended over the room as they saw once again the images that had become etched in their memories.

‘We need to open the door.’ Leon closed his fingers around the key. ‘I’d prefer to have the rest of you with me, but if you refuse, I’ll do it alone.’

‘And Ia-’ John ventured, but Leon cut him off.

‘Ia is on her way home to Monaco. I couldn’t persuade her to stay.’

‘Right. The two of you can always escape,’ said Josef. ‘Go abroad, while we have to stay here and deal with the whole mess.’

‘I’m not planning to leave until everything has been settled,’ Leon told him. ‘And we’re coming back.’

‘No one’s going anywhere,’ said Percy. Until now he had listened in silence as he sat on a chair slightly removed from the others.

‘What do you mean?’ Sebastian was still indolently reclining against the sofa cushions.

‘No one’s going anywhere,’ Percy repeated. Slowly he leaned down and rummaged in his briefcase, which he’d set on the floor next to his chair.

‘Are you joking?’ said Sebastian in disbelief. He was staring at the gun that Percy had placed on his lap.

Percy picked it up and pointed it at Sebastian. ‘No. What do I have to joke about? You’ve taken everything from me.’

‘But that’s business. And you can’t blame me. You’re the one who squandered your entire inheritance.’

A shot rang out and everyone yelled. Surprised, Sebastian put his hand to his face, and blood trickled between his fingers. The bullet had grazed his left cheek and continued through the room and out the big picture window towards the sea. Their ears rang from the shot, and Leon realized that he was gripping the armrests of his wheelchair so hard that his fingers were practically locked.

‘What the hell are you doing, Percy!’ cried John. ‘Are you out of your mind? Put down that gun before somebody gets hurt.’

‘It’s too late. Everything is too late.’ Percy set the gun back on his lap. ‘But before I kill every one of you, I want you to take responsibility for what you’ve done. On that point, I agree with Leon.’

‘What do you mean? Aside from Sebastian, the rest of us are victims, the same as you.’ John glared at Percy, but fear was clearly audible in his voice.

‘We’re all part of it. And it destroyed my life. But you bear the greatest responsibility, and you’ll be the first to die.’ Again he pointed the gun at Sebastian.

It was very quiet. The only sound they could hear was their own breathing.

‘It must be one of them.’ Ebba peered inside the chest. Then she moved away and threw up. Anna felt her stomach turn over, but she forced herself not to look away.

The chest contained a skeleton. A skull with all its teeth stared up at her from empty eye sockets. Short tufts of hair still clung to the bone, and she guessed that it was probably the skeleton of a man.

‘I think you’re right,’ she said, turning to pat Ebba on the back.

Ebba uttered a few sobs before she crouched down and put her head between her knees, as if she thought she might faint.

‘So they’ve been here the whole time.’

‘Yes. I think the others are probably in there,’ said Anna, nodding towards the two chests that were still closed.

‘We need to open them,’ said Ebba, standing up.

Anna glanced nervously towards the door. ‘Shouldn’t we wait until we find out if we’re going to get out of here?’

‘I need to know.’ Ebba’s eyes flashed.

‘But Tobias…’ said Anna.

Ebba shook her head. ‘He’s never going to let us out of here. I could tell by the look in his eyes. Besides, he probably thinks I’m already dead.’

Her words filled Anna with terror. She knew that Ebba was right. Tobias was not going to open the door. If they couldn’t find a way out, they’d die here. Erica might have got worried and started asking questions, but it wouldn’t do any good if she wasn’t able to find them. This room could be anywhere on the island. And why would anybody discover it now if the police had missed it during their search for the Elvander family?

‘Okay. Let’s give it a try. Maybe there’s something inside that might help us open the door.’

Ebba didn’t reply but she immediately began kicking the lock on the chest to the right of the one they’d just opened. This padlock proved more stubborn.

‘Wait a minute,’ said Anna. ‘Could I borrow your angel pendant? Maybe I could use it to unfasten the screws.’

Ebba took off the necklace and with some reluctance handed it to Anna, who began working at the screws. After removing the mountings from the two other chests, she glanced at Ebba, who gave her a brief nod, and then they each opened one of the chests.

‘They’re here. All of them,’ said Ebba. This time she kept her eyes fixed on the remains of her family, which had been tossed inside like rubbish.

In the meantime Anna counted the skulls inside the three chests. Then she counted them again, just to be sure.

‘There’s one missing,’ she said quietly.

Ebba gave a start. ‘What do you mean?’

The blanket started to slip from Anna’s shoulders, and she pulled it tighter.

‘Five people disappeared, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘But there are only four skulls here. That means four bodies, unless one of them is missing its head,’ said Anna.

Ebba grimaced. She leaned forward to count and then inhaled sharply. ‘You’re right. One is missing.’

‘The question is: who?’

Anna stared at the skeletons. This was how she and Ebba were both going to end up if they didn’t get out of here. She closed her eyes and pictured Dan and her children. Then she opened her eyes again. She refused to let that happen. Somehow they would find a way out of this place.

Next to her Ebba began to sob.

‘Paula!’ Patrik motioned for her to follow him into his office. Gösta and Erica had driven off to Fjällbacka, and Mellberg had shut himself away to handle the media, or so he claimed.

‘What’s the matter?’ Paula awkwardly sank down on to the visitor’s chair.

‘I don’t think we’ll get a chance to talk to John Holm today,’ Patrik said, running his hand through his hair. ‘The Göteborg police are raiding his house at this very moment. That was Kjell Ringholm who called. He and Sven Niklasson from Expressen are apparently on the scene.’

‘Raiding his house? Why? And why weren’t we informed?’ She shook her head.

‘Kjell didn’t tell me any details. He just said it was a matter of national security, and that it was going to be big. You know how Kjell is.’

‘Should we go out there?’ said Paula.

‘No. Especially not you, in your condition. If the Göteborg police have gone in, it’s probably best that we keep out of the way for the time being, but I’m thinking of giving them a call to try to get some more information about what’s going on. At any rate, it doesn’t sound as if Holm will be available for quite some time.’

‘I wonder what it’s all about,’ said Paula, trying to find a more comfortable position on the chair.

‘I’m sure we’ll hear soon enough. If both Kjell and Sven Niklasson are over there, the story will be in the papers any minute.’

‘We could start with the others, in the meantime.’

‘As I said, I’m afraid that will have to wait for a while.’ Patrik stood up. ‘I have to meet Gösta and go to Valö to find out what’s been happening out there.’

‘Leon’s father,’ said Paula pensively. ‘How strange that the money came from him.’

‘We’ll have a talk with Leon as soon as Gösta and I get back,’ replied Patrik. Thoughts were swirling through his mind. ‘Leon and Annelie… Maybe this has something to do with them, after all.’

He held out his hand to Paula, who gratefully accepted his help to get up.

‘I’ll see what I can dig up about Aron,’ she said, and then plodded off down the hall.

Patrik picked up his summer jacket and left the office. He hoped that Gösta had succeeded in dropping Erica at home. He could picture her talking the whole way to Fjällbacka, trying to persuade Gösta to let her go with them to Valö. But Patrik wasn’t about to give in. Though he wasn’t as alarmed as Erica, he still felt that something wasn’t right on the island. And he didn’t want his wife out there if anything happened.

He had no sooner reached the car park than Paula called to him from the doorway. He turned.

‘What is it?’

She was motioning him to come back, and when he saw the serious expression on her face, he hurried to comply.

‘Gunfire. At Leon Kreutz’s place,’ she managed to gasp.

Patrik shook his head. Why did everything have to happen at once?

‘I’ll call Gösta and tell him to meet me there. Could you wake Mellberg? Right now we need all the help we can get.’

Sälvik lay spread out before them, the houses gleaming in the sunlight. From the bathing beach, which was only a few hundred metres away, came the sound of children playing and laughing. It was a popular place for families, and Erica had spent almost every day of the summer holiday out there while Patrik was working.

‘I wonder what Victor is up to,’ she said.

‘Me too,’ said Gösta. He hadn’t been able to get hold of the Coast Guard, so Erica had convinced him to come inside. She invited him to have a cup of coffee with her and Kristina while he waited to hear back from Victor.

‘I’ll try phoning him again,’ he said, tapping in the number for the fourth time.

Erica studied him, trying to think of a way to persuade him to let her come along. Staying at home would drive her mad.

‘No answer. Guess I have time to go to the toilet.’ Gösta got up and left the room.

His mobile was on the table. Gösta had been gone only a minute when it started ringing, and Erica leaned forward to look at the display. It said ‘Hedström’ in big letters. She considered what to do. Kristina was in the living room, chasing after the kids, and Gösta was in the bathroom. She hesitated for a second and then picked up the mobile.

‘Gösta’s phone. This is Erica… He’s in the bathroom. Shall I give him a message?… Gunfire?… Okay, I’ll tell him… Yes, yes… I’ll go get him right now. He’ll be heading out in the next five minutes.’

She ended the call, and then a number of different options appeared in her mind. On the one hand, Patrik needed back-up; on the other hand, they needed to go out to Valö ASAP. She listened for Gösta’s footsteps. He’d be back any minute, and she needed to make a decision before he appeared. She picked up her own mobile, and after a moment she tapped in a number. Martin answered on the second ring. In a low voice Erica explained the situation and what needed to be done, and he didn’t hesitate for an instant. So that part was settled. Now all she had to do was give a performance worthy of an Oscar.

‘Who was that on the phone?’ asked Gösta.

‘Patrik. He got hold of Ebba, and everything is fine out on Valö. She said that Anna was going to some country auctions today, so that’s probably why she hasn’t had time to call me back. But Patrik thought we should go out to the island and have a little talk with Ebba and Tobias.’

‘We?’

‘Yes. Patrik didn’t think there was any danger now.’

‘Are you sure?’ Gösta was interrupted by the ringing of his mobile. ‘Hi, Victor. Yes, I’ve been trying to get hold of you. We need a ride out to Valö. Preferably right now… Okay, we’ll be there in five minutes.’

He ended the call and gave Erica a suspicious look.

‘You can phone Patrik and ask him if you don’t believe me,’ she said with a smile.

‘No, that won’t be necessary. We might as well get going.’

‘You’re leaving again?’ Kristina appeared, holding Noel in a tight grip. He was trying to get away, and from the living room came Anton’s shrill scream at the same time as Maja began shouting: ‘Grandma! Grandmaaaa!’

‘I’ll only be gone a short time, and then I’ll take over,’ said Erica, silently promising to think more kindly about her mother-in-law if only she were allowed to go out to Valö.

‘Well, this is the last time I’m stepping in on such short notice. You can’t assume that I’ll give up my whole day like this, and keep in mind that I’m not really up to handling such a pace or such a noise level any more, and even though the children are lovely, I have to say that they could have better manners. And that’s not my responsibility, that’s something they need to be taught on a daily basis…’

Erica pretended not to hear as she uttered her thanks and slipped out to the front hall.

Minutes later they were on board the MinLouis, on their way to Valö. She tried to relax, telling herself that everything was fine, just as she’d told Gösta. But she didn’t believe it. She knew instinctively that Anna was in trouble.

‘Should I wait?’ asked Victor as he smoothly brought the boat alongside the dock.

Gösta shook his head. ‘No, that’s not necessary. But we might need a ride back later on. Can we call you to come and get us?’

‘Sure. Give me a ring when you’re ready. I’ll be making my rounds, checking out the area.’

Erica watched the boat move off, wondering whether it was a wise decision to let him go. But it was too late to change their minds.

‘Hey, isn’t that your boat?’ said Gösta.

‘Yes, it is. How strange.’ Erica pretended to be surprised. ‘Maybe Anna came back over here. Shall we go up to the house?’ she said, starting off.

Gösta trudged along behind her, muttering to himself.

Up ahead they saw the beautiful, weather-beaten house. An ominous calm hovered over the building, and Erica felt herself go on high alert.

‘Hello?’ she shouted as they approached the wide stone steps. The front door stood open. No one answered.

Gösta stopped. ‘That’s odd, nobody’s home. But Patrik said that Ebba was here?’

‘Yes, that’s what I understood.’

‘Maybe they’ve gone down to the beach for a swim.’ Gösta took a few steps to the side to peer around the corner.

‘Maybe,’ said Erica, going in the front door.

‘I don’t think we should just go in.’

‘Why not? Come on. Hello?’ she shouted again. ‘Tobias? Is anybody home?’

Gösta reluctantly followed her into the front hall. It was very quiet, but all of a sudden Tobias appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. The police tape had been torn in half and was now hanging from the doorjamb.

‘Hi,’ he said dully.

Erica gave a start when she saw him. His hair hung in lank strands, as if he’d been sweating profusely, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was staring at them with a blank expression.

‘Is Ebba here?’ asked Gösta. A deep furrow had appeared between his brows.

‘No, she went to visit her parents.’

Gösta gave Erica a surprised look. ‘But Patrik just talked to her. He said she was here.’

Erica threw out her hands, and for an instant Gösta’s expression turned stern, but he didn’t say anything.

‘She never came home. She phoned and said that she was taking the car and driving to Göteborg.’

Erica nodded but knew he was lying. Maria, who drove the mail boat, had said that she’d brought Ebba out to the island. Now she took a discreet look around, and her attention was caught by an object on the floor near the door. Ebba’s bag. The one she’d brought with her when she came to stay for a couple of nights. That meant that she hadn’t gone straight to Göteborg.

‘Where is Anna?’

Tobias was still staring at them with that dead expression. He shrugged.

That settled it. Without another thought, Erica threw herself forward and grabbed the bag from the floor. Then she turned and ran up the stairs as she yelled:

‘Anna! Ebba!’

No answer. She heard quick steps behind her, and she realized that Tobias was right on her heels. She made it to the top of the stairs and dashed into the bedroom, only to stop in the middle of the room. Next to a tray holding empty wine glasses and some leftover food was Anna’s handbag.

First the boat, and now her handbag. Against her will Erica had to conclude that Anna was still on the island, just like Ebba.

She spun around to confront Tobias, but the words froze in her throat. There he stood, pointing a gun at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gösta come to an abrupt halt.

‘Don’t move,’ snarled Tobias, taking a step forward. The muzzle of the gun was only a centimetre from Erica’s forehead, and his hand was steady. ‘And you – go over there!’ He nodded to Erica’s right.

Gösta obeyed at once. With his hands raised and his eyes fixed on Tobias, he moved over to stand next to Erica.

‘Sit down!’ Tobias said now.

Both of them sat down on the newly polished wood floor. Erica looked at the weapon. Where had Tobias got a gun?

‘Put that down and we’ll solve this together,’ she ventured.

‘How’s that going to happen? My son is dead because of that bitch. How were you planning to solve that?’

For the first time there was a spark of life in his dead eyes, and Erica felt herself recoil from the madness she saw in front of her. Had it been there all along, behind Tobias’s controlled facade? Or had this place on the island provoked it?

‘My sister…’ She was now so worried that she could hardly breathe. If only she knew that Anna was still alive.

‘You’ll never find them. Just like the others were never found.’

‘The others? Are you talking about the Elvander family?’ said Gösta.

Tobias didn’t reply. He had squatted down, still pointing the gun at them.

‘Is Anna alive?’ asked Erica without expecting to get an answer.

Tobias smiled. Erica realized that her decision to lie to Gösta was the stupidest thing she’d ever done.

‘What are you planning to do?’ asked Gösta, as if he’d read Erica’s mind.

Tobias shrugged but didn’t say a word. Instead, he sat down on the floor cross-legged and continued to study them. It was as if he was waiting for something, only he wasn’t sure what that might be. He seemed strangely calm. Only the gun and the cold gleam in his eyes ruined the effect. And somewhere on the island were Anna and Ebba. But were they dead or alive?