Rites of Spring

32

Thea and Dr Andersson go through a few more things on the computer together, but as the time approaches two o’clock, the doctor begins to finish off.

‘I think that’s all you need to know. Good luck, Thea. I’m sure you’ll be fine,’ she says, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

‘So you’re done with your working life?’ Thea says.

The other woman sighs. ‘To be perfectly honest, I’d have liked to carry on for another year or so. I’m in good health, I love my job, and I like the idea of doing something important for the village.’ She straightens her spine. ‘But as Ingrid pointed out, it’s time to pass the baton to someone younger. Time for new blood.’

Thea doesn’t know what to say. She’s suspected this ever since the idea of the move was first broached. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that there just happened to be a vacant post as GP in the village; she wondered whether her mother-in-law had used her influence.

Dr Andersson gives a wry smile.

‘So – you’ve got the keys, the telephone and the computer. One last thing – we need to call at Ängsgården on the way home. Erik Nyberg’s blood sugar monitor is playing up. If necessary we’ll have to swap it for ours. And don’t forget you have to go to Lund; your security clearance has to be handed into the regional office this week. You could do that tomorrow, while the surgery’s closed. The practice car is yours now.’

‘OK.’ Thea realises she’s looking forward to being her own boss. And the doctor is right – best to get her clearance out of the way.

The drive to Ängsgården takes ten minutes. Once again Dr Andersson makes a big show of pressing the GPS button to register that the car is being used for work, then fills the time with a lengthy anecdote about her holiday plans. Thea is lost in thought, listening with half an ear.

Her mother-in-law clearly has a hand in most aspects of village life. The coach house, the TV interview and the renovation of the castle is one thing, but Thea is far from comfortable with the idea that poor Dr Andersson has been kicked out in order to provide a job for her. She thinks about this morning’s phone call; Ingrid didn’t even sound surprised. Didn’t ask how Bertil was. And why didn’t she come to the lodge to pick him up herself? Why send Arne?

It would be good if we could keep this little incident between us.

When they arrive at Ängsgården, Erik, Per and Little Stefan are standing next to an open shed. A dead deer is hanging from a butcher’s hook just inside. The men are absorbed in their conversation, and don’t look up until Thea and Dr Andersson have got out of the car.

‘Bit early for hunting deer,’ the doctor says.

None of the men laugh at her joke.

‘Killed by a predator,’ Per says. ‘We found it this morning in one of the enclosures with its throat ripped out.’

‘Oh dear!’ Dr Andersson immediately becomes serious. ‘What predator is big enough to take a fallow deer?’

Per shrugs. ‘A wolf, or maybe a lynx.’

‘A wolf?’ Thea exclaims. ‘This far south?’

‘It does happen, although it’s rare. A couple of years ago a lone wolf was hit by a car just outside Malmö, and a guy I hunt with who lives up by Vedarp found wolf tracks as recently as last winter.’

‘This is no wolf,’ Erik mutters. ‘More like a big dog.’

Thea freezes. Emee was missing all morning. Where did Hubert say he’d found her? Over by the western meadow, just by the deer enclosure.

‘Which enclosure was it?’ she asks, afraid that she already knows the answer.

Per points in the direction of the castle.

‘The one over by the western meadow. Why do you ask?’

‘No reason – I was just curious.’

Her eyes are drawn to the body. The bloodstains on the cement floor. The gaping hole in its throat.

They leave Per with the deer and follow Erik’s car to the house.

‘Does Per live here too?’ Thea asks, mainly in an attempt to shake off thoughts of the dead animal.

‘He does – he and Erik share the house. Per has been in relationships with various ladies, but they never last very long.’

The doctor looks as if she has a lot more to say on that subject, but they’ve already arrived.

‘One of my dogs has had puppies – would you like to see them, Thea?’ Erik asks as Dr Andersson sits down at the table and starts to check his blood sugar monitor.

‘Yes, please!’

Erik opens a door and she follows him along a short corridor to a laundry room. In a basket in one corner there is a spaniel, feeding a heap of puppies.

‘They’re six weeks old,’ he says. ‘All reserved except for one.’

He raises one eyebrow above the rim of his dark glasses. Thea laughs.

‘Thanks, but I’ve got my hands full with the dog I already have.’

The image of the dead deer comes into her mind again; her smile stiffens.

‘I thought I’d ask. By the way, I heard that Bertil was wandering around in the forest this morning. Is he OK?’

‘He’s as well as can be expected.’

‘Good to know. What was he doing out there?’

Thea doesn’t answer right away. Her first instinct is to brush him off, but this is the second time he’s asked about Bertil. Maybe this is her chance to find out what lies behind his interest.

‘I’m not sure. He was rambling about the girl who died in the stone circle – Elita Svart.’

One of Erik’s nostril’s twitches.

‘Oh? What did he say?’

Thea decides to go for a counter-question.

‘Did you know her?’

Erik purses his lips. ‘No, but her father leased the farm from the count, so it was my job to make sure that Lasse behaved himself and . . .’ Erik breaks off. ‘So what did Bertil say about Elita?’

Thea comes back at him with another question.

‘What happened to the Svart family?’

Erik shrugs. ‘God knows. When Little Stefan got there the morning after Elita’s funeral, they were gone – all three of them. No one ever heard from them again.’ He pauses, raises both eyebrows this time. ‘What did Bertil say?’

Thea wonders whether she ought to keep Bertil’s words to herself; on the other hand, she has to give Erik something if she wants more answers.

‘He said “poor girl”.’

‘Poor girl. Was that all?’

‘Mm.’

Erik holds her gaze for a few seconds.

‘Why did you board up Svartgården and destroy the track?’ she asks.

He scratches the tip of his nose. Seems to be giving his response careful consideration.

‘The count told me to do it.’

‘And you didn’t think it was strange? What if the family came back? What if they’d just gone off to do something?’

She’s been thinking about this ever since she spoke to Little Stefan.

Erik spreads his arms wide.

‘I worked for Rudolf Gordon for over thirty years. We respected each other, respected the importance of discretion. It was the count’s farm, his land, and what he wanted done with the place was his business. Plus Lasse had already been given notice to quit.’ Erik moves a step closer. ‘Is that really all Bertil said?’

‘He just kept repeating “poor girl, poor girl”. Nothing else.’

Erik is about to say something when the doctor calls them. They head back to the kitchen.

‘I believe the land was sold to the army?’ Thea says.

Erik nods.

‘Did they demolish the farm?’

Erik stops with his hand on the doorknob. ‘Why do you want to know that?’

‘Why do you want to know what Bertil said?’

She can feel his eyes through the dark glasses; she is determined not to look away. ‘Did they demolish the farm?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

He opens the kitchen door.

‘There you are!’ Dr Andersson says cheerfully. ‘I’ve fixed the monitor; it just needed new batteries. Didn’t you try that yourself, Erik?’

He shrugs apologetically. ‘I did, but I must have had some spent batteries in the drawer. It’s not easy, getting old and absent-minded.’

Thea is watching him closely. There are two things she’s absolutely certain of when it comes to Erik Nyberg.

One: he’s anything but absent-minded.

Two: there’s something he’s not telling her about Svartgården.

She drops Sigbritt Andersson at her 1970s house. Once again the doctor wishes her well, draws out the leave-taking for as long as possible, but at last Thea manages to escape. The practice car is hers now, and she loves the freedom of being able to go wherever she wants, whenever she wants.

David’s car is outside the east wing when she drives past, and back at the coach house Emee is delighted to see her, behaving just as she normally does. Thea checks her grey coat carefully, searching for any trace of blood around her mouth. Nothing, which makes her feel a little less worried. She puts Emee on the lead and walks over to the castle.

David is on the phone outside the kitchen door, but ends the call as soon as he sees her.

‘Hi, darling, everything OK?’ He kisses her cheek. ‘I’ve just been talking to my new sous chef – he starts on Monday. And everything’s ready for the welcome dinner on Saturday for Nettan and Sebastian.’

‘Great!’

He takes her hand, squeezes it.

‘Thank you for rescuing Dad this morning. Mum called and told me what had happened.’

‘I tried to contact you, but you didn’t answer. Where were you?’

‘At Kastrup. There were problems with the coverage in Denmark. I must have had ten missed calls when I got back.’

‘Kastrup?’

‘I told you yesterday – I was picking Nettan up from her flight.’

She shakes her head. ‘No, you didn’t. You said you had an early meeting.’

‘. . . with Nettan at Kastrup. That’s what I said.’

His expression is perfectly innocent, as it always is when he’s lying.