Echoes From the Dead

28

“No, I’m not married,” said Lennart. “Never have been, either.”

“No children?” said Julia.

Lennart shook his head. “No children, either.” He looked down into his half-empty glass of water. “I’ve had precisely one serious relationship in my life, but on the other hand, it lasted almost ten years. It ended five years ago... she’s living in Kalmar now, and we’re still friends.” He smiled at Julia. “Since then I’ve devoted most of my energy to the house and the garden.”

“Perhaps northern Öland isn’t the best place,” said Julia. “If you want to meet somebody, I mean.”

“You mean there’s not much choice,” said Lennart, still smiling. “That’s very true. I suppose it’s much better in Gothenburg?”

“I don’t know...” said Julia. “I’ve almost stopped looking.” She drank some of her water and went on: “I’ve really only had one serious relationship as well. And it was even longer ago than yours... It was with Jens’s father, Michael; he was always restless, and it ended... well, afterward. You know.”

Lennart nodded. “You have to be very determined to maintain a relationship.”

Julia nodded.

“But what are your plans now?” said Lennart. “Are you going to stay on Öland?”

“I don’t know... maybe,” said Julia. “There isn’t much to keep me in Gothenburg. And Gerlof isn’t all that well. He probably doesn’t want anybody keeping tabs on him, but I think he might need it.”

“Northern Öland needs nurses, I know that,” said Lennart, looking at her. “And I’d like you to—”

He was interrupted by a persistent bleeping, and Julia jumped. Lennart looked down at the pager on his belt.

“They’re after me again,” he muttered.

“Is it something important?”

“No. It looks as if I just need to call in at the station for a little while.” He got to his feet. “I’ll go and pay our bill.”

“We can split it.”

“No, no.” Lennart waved the suggestion away. “I was the one who dragged you over here.”

“Thanks,” said Julia.

As usual she was short of money.

“Shall we say we’ll meet up at...” Lennart looked at his watch. “... a quarter to four over at the station? I should be done by then, and we can get out of the big city and head home.”

“Fine.”

“Perhaps you’d like to come and see where I live? It isn’t a big house, but it’s right by the sea north of Marnäs. The sun rises out of the sea with each new day, if you want to put it poetically.”

“I’d like that,” Julia told him.

They parted outside the restaurant. Lennart walked off quickly toward the station, and Julia hopped much more slowly toward Kungsgatan on her crutches to have a look at the shops. There didn’t seem to be any clothes sales on this week, but at least she could study what was in the windows.

She went past a newsagent’s and automatically read some of the headlines on the placards outside — SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON E22 — DEAD NOT YET IDENTIFIED; CAROLA HAPPY AGAIN; ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS WEEKEND; HAVE YOU WON THE LOTTERY? — without them affecting her in any way.

She felt fine now, despite her broken bones. She even felt... happy. Happy that she and Gerlof had grown closer to each other than ever before, happy that she and her sister Lena had parted more or less as friends, and happy too that Lennart Henriksson seemed to enjoy her company.

She was even happy that the police had let Anders Hagman go. It would have been terrible if anyone in Stenvik had been involved in her son’s disappearance. Despite everything, it would be better if Jens had gone down to the shore in the fog that day without anyone seeing him. He had conquered his fear of the sea and started jumping around on the rocks out in the water, just like any little boy would, and he’d slipped.

Julia believed that now.