Stalker

70

Joona is practising his knife techniques, his fist and elbow exercises, as well as skipping, weight-training and running. He’s still a long way from his old level, but is getting stronger all the time. His hip ached after his five-kilometre run, and he walked the last bit.

It’s seven o’clock when he sees Erik’s BMW turn into the drive. Joona puts the meat in the oven and pours two glasses of Pomerol as he hears the front door close and the sound of keys being put down on the chest of drawers.

Joona takes the glasses and goes to the library. Pushes the door open with his foot and walks in.

Erik’s jacket is lying on the floor. He’s in his study, searching through the papers on his desk.

‘Food will be ready in forty minutes,’ Joona says.

‘Great,’ Erik murmurs, glancing up with a stressed look in his eyes. ‘You’ve shaved… nice.’

‘It felt like it was time.’

‘How are you?’ Erik asks, switching his computer on.

‘Good,’ Joona says, walking into the room.

‘How’s your hip?’ Erik says, looking at the screen.

‘I’ve done some exercise, and I’m-’

‘Can we talk?’ Erik interrupts, looking Joona in the eye. ‘I’ve just had a meeting with Margot and Adam, and… I’m not prone to paranoia… but I’ve met all three victims… It’s crazy, I don’t understand anything, but that can’t be a coincidence – can it?’

‘How do you know-’

‘What are the chances of that?’ Erik asks, staring at Joona.

‘How do you know the victims?’ Joona prompts, and puts the glasses of wine down on the desk.

‘It feels like this is directed at me. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but if that is the case, then…’

‘Sit down,’ Joona says gently.

‘Sorry, I’m just… I’m pretty shocked,’ Erik says, sinking down on to his chair and taking a deep breath.

‘How do you know the victims?’ Joona repeats, for the third time.

‘I had a brief fling with Maria Carlsson earlier this summer… Sandra Lundgren was a patient at the clinic… And I recognise Susanna Kern… I’ve met her, but I don’t know where.’

‘What does Margot say?’

‘Well, I was so surprised that I didn’t say anything about Susanna Kern… but I’m going to, obviously…’

His mobile rings, making Erik jump.

‘It’s work. I’ll leave it,’ he mutters, clicks to reject the call and drops his phone on the floor.

‘And I couldn’t tell her I’d slept with Maria,’ he goes on, picking up his phone. ‘I just said we went to the same gym.’

‘Anything else?’

‘I said that Sandra had been a patient of mine, but not… I still don’t think this is relevant,’ he smiles, scratching his forehead. ‘But I’ll say it anyway… It’s not unusual for patients to want to control the situation by trying to seduce their therapist… There’s always a connection, that’s only natural, but in this instance the patient went so far that I passed her on to Nelly.’

‘But nothing happened between you?’

‘No…’

Erik’s hand is shaking as he picks up the wine glass, raises it to his lips and takes several large gulps.

‘Could it be a patient taking revenge on you for-’

‘I no longer work with dangerous patients,’ Erik interrupts.

‘But when you were doing research on-’

‘That’s fifteen years ago,’ he says.

‘How far back do your records go?’

‘I record and archive everything.’

‘Can you go through it?’

‘Only if I know what to look for.’

‘Some sort of parallel, a connection, anything – stalking, violence directed at the face, the arrangement of bodies… And we’re probably dealing with trophies of some sort…’

Erik is standing up now, and starts walking back and forth across his study. He runs his hand through his hair and is muttering to himself:

‘This is crazy, it’s completely sick…’

‘Sit down and tell me what-’

‘I don’t want to sit down!’ Erik snaps. ‘I’ve got to-’

‘Listen,’ Joona says. ‘You’re welcome to stand, but I need to know as much as possible… and, to be honest, you look like you need to sit down.’

Erik reaches for his glass, drinks on his feet, then pulls a pack of pills from his inside pocket, presses a couple out and swallows them with some more wine.

‘Shit,’ he sighs.

‘Have you started on the pills again? I’d never have believed that,’ Joona says, looking at him with sharp grey eyes.

‘I’m keeping an eye on it, it’s fine.’

‘Good.’

Erik sits down on his desk chair, wipes his forehead and tries to breathe more calmly.

‘I can’t get my thoughts together,’ he mutters. ‘I’ve been trying to work out if Rocky had an accomplice or an apprentice.’

‘You’ve only just seen him.’

‘Trying to uncover real memories is one of my areas of expertise… but hypnotising Rocky was unusually complex. I managed to get past his organic amnesia, and ended up in a world of heroin highs and delirium…’

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t really know how to interpret it,’ Erik says in an unsteady voice. ‘But today, when I was sitting there with Margot and Adam and realised that I’d met all three victims, when I saw the photographs… I started to think back to the hypnosis again… This is completely sick.’

‘I’m listening,’ Joona says, sipping his wine.

Erik nods, and screws his eyes up as he tries to describe what happened.

‘Rocky was in a state of deep hypnosis when he said the preacher had shown him a picture of a woman he had already killed in front of his eyes… and after that he showed him a picture of Rebecka Hansson… I could have sworn that was just a nightmare.’

‘But it’s the same killer,’ Joona says. ‘The preacher is back, it’s the same pattern.’

Erik’s face has turned grey.

‘In that case, I’m playing Rocky’s role this time,’ he whispers.

‘Did Rocky have relationships with the two women?’

‘Yes.’

‘Call Simone at once,’ Joona says seriously.

Erik picks up his phone, clears his throat, then stands up anxiously.

‘Simone,’ the familiar voice says in his ear.

‘Hi, Simone, it’s Erik.’

‘What’s happened – you sound upset?’

‘I need to ask you for a favour… Are Benjamin and John there?’

‘Yes, but why do you-’

‘I think I’ve got a patient who’s stalking me, and I just don’t want you and Benjamin to be on your own at home until this is sorted out.’

‘What’s happened?’

‘I can’t tell you.’

‘Are you in danger?’

‘I just don’t want to take any risks, please, just do as I say…’

‘OK, I’ll try to bear it in mind,’ Simone says.

‘Promise.’

‘You’re scaring me, Erik.’

‘Good,’ he replies, and hears her laugh wearily.