The Drowning

19

It didn’t really bother him so much not to have any friends. Because he had books. But the older he got, the more he yearned for what he saw everyone else had. A sense of community, of belonging, of being part of a group. He was always alone. The only person who wanted to be with him was Alice.

Sometimes they used to chase him home from the school bus. Erik, Kenneth, and Magnus. They would roar with laughter as they raced after him, moving slower than they were actually capable of running. The only purpose was to make him run.

‘Hey, fatso, get moving!’

And he ran, even though he despised himself for complying. In his heart he kept wishing for a miracle, that one day they would simply stop, that they would see him and understand that he was somebody. But he knew this was only a dream. No one saw him. Alice didn’t count. She was a retard. That was what the boys called her, especially Erik. He used to roll the word around on his tongue whenever he saw her. ‘Reeetard…’

Alice was often waiting for him when the bus stopped. He hated it when she did that. She looked perfectly normal as she stood inside the bus shelter with her long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, her cheerful blue eyes eagerly looking for him as the kids from the high school in Tanumshede got off the bus. Sometimes he actually felt a bit proud when the bus pulled up at the stop and he saw her through the window. That long-legged, dark-haired beauty was his sister.

But then came the moment when he stepped out of the bus and she saw him. She would come towards him with that awkward gait of hers, as if she had invisible strings attached to her arms and legs that someone was randomly tugging on. Then she would call his name in her thick voice, and the boys would howl with laughter. ‘Reeetard!’

Alice didn’t understand, and that was actually what embarrassed him most. She merely smiled happily, and sometimes she even waved to them. Then he would take off running, not because anyone was chasing him but in order to escape from Erik’s bellowing taunts that echoed all over town. But he could never escape from Alice. She always thought it was a game. She would easily catch up with him, and sometimes, laughing, she would throw her arms around his neck with such force that he almost fell over.

At those moments he hated her just as much as when she had cried non-stop and taken Mother away from him. He wanted to punch her in the face so she would stop embarrassing him. He would never get to be part of the group as long as Alice stood there in the bus shelter waiting for him, calling his name and throwing her arms around his neck.

He wanted so desperately to be somebody. And not just for Alice.

When she woke up, Patrik was sound asleep. It was seven thirty, but Maja was still asleep too, even though she was usually up before seven. Erica was feeling restless. She had awakened several times in the night, thinking about what she’d heard on the cassette tape. She was anxious for morning to arrive so she could do something about it.

Now she slipped out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. When the caffeine of the first cup of coffee had kicked in, she glanced with impatience at the clock. It was possible they were already awake. With young children in the house it was even likely.

She left a note for Patrik, explaining in vague terms that she had gone out to take care of an errand. He was going to wonder what she was up to, but she would give him a full report when she got back.

Ten minutes later she drove into Hamburgsund. She had called Information to find out where Sanna’s sister Agneta lived, and she found the place at once. It was a big house built of Mexitegel brick. She held her breath as she entered the long driveway, squeezing her car between two stone pillars positioned close together. It was going to be tricky backing the car out, but she would worry about that later.

Erica could see people moving about inside, and she was relieved to find that she’d guessed right. They were up. She rang the bell and soon she heard footsteps coming downstairs. A woman who had to be Sanna’s sister opened the door.

‘Hi,’ said Erica, introducing herself. ‘I was wondering if Sanna is up yet. I need to have a few words with her.’

Agneta gave her a quizzical look, but didn’t offer any objections.

‘Sure, Sanna and the little monsters are awake. Come on in.’

Erica stepped inside and hung up her jacket. She followed Sanna’s sister up a steep flight of stairs to another hallway. Then they turned left and entered a big open space that served as kitchen, dining room, and living room.

Sanna and the boys were eating breakfast with the cousins, a boy and a girl who looked a few years older than both of Sanna’s sons.

‘I’m sorry for interrupting your breakfast,’ said Erica, looking at Christian’s wife. ‘I just need to ask you about one thing.’

At first Sanna made no motion to get up. She was holding a spoon halfway to her mouth, looking as if thoughts were whirling through her head. But then she put down the spoon and stood up.

‘Why don’t you go downstairs and sit on the veranda so you can talk in peace,’ said Agneta.

Erica followed Sanna down the stairs, through a few more rooms, and into a glass-enclosed veranda that looked out on the lawn and the small centre of Hamburgsund.

‘How are you and the boys doing?’ Erica asked as they sat down.

‘All right, I suppose.’ Sanna looked pale and haggard, as if she hadn’t had much sleep. ‘The boys keep asking about their father, and I don’t know what to tell them. I also don’t know whether I should try to get them to talk about what happened or not. I was thinking of phoning Child Psychiatric Services today, to ask for advice.’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ said Erica. ‘But kids are tough. They can handle more than we think.’

‘You may be right.’ Sanna stared into space, her expression blank. Then she turned to Erica and said:

‘What was it you wanted to talk about?’

Like so many times before, Erica wasn’t sure how to begin. She had no authority to be here, no mandate to ask questions. All she had was her curiosity. And her concern. For a moment she pondered what to say. Then she leaned down and took the drawings out of her purse.

Sven-Olov Rönn was up at dawn. That was something he was enormously proud of, and he seized every opportunity to mention it. ‘There’s no use lying in bed, practising for the nursing home,’ he liked to say with satisfaction, and then he’d explain that he was always up by six at the latest. His daughter-in-law sometimes teased him about the fact that every night he went to bed by nine. ‘And you don’t call that practising for the nursing home?’ she’d ask with a smile. But he chose to ignore those kinds of remarks. He always made good use of his daytime hours.

After a solid breakfast of oatmeal, Sven-Olov sat down in his favourite armchair and took his time reading the newspaper as the dark slowly faded outside the window. By the time he finished, it was usually light enough for him to make his morning survey. It had become a ritual over the years.

He got up, fetched the binoculars hanging on a hook, and sat down in front of the window. His house stood on the slope across from the boathouses, with the church behind him, and he had an excellent view of Fjällbacka’s harbour approach. He raised the binoculars to his eyes and began his inspection, moving from left to right. First the neighbours. Yes, they were up too. These days not many people lived here in the wintertime, but he was lucky enough to have one of the few permanent residents in the area as his neighbour. And as a bonus, the man’s wife liked to walk around in nothing but her underwear in the morning. She was about fifty, but had a damned nice figure, he noted as he moved the binoculars to continue his survey.

Empty houses, one empty house after another. Some were completely dark, others had lights with timers, so here and there he saw lights on. He sighed as he always did. It was terrible how things had changed. He could still remember when all of the houses were occupied and filled with activity year round. By now the summer visitors had bought up almost everything, and they didn’t bother to spend more than three months a year in Fjällbacka. Then they would return to the cities with a flattering suntan, which they enjoyed talking about at parties and dinners well into the autumn: ‘Oh, yes, we were at our house in Fjällbacka all summer. Just imagine living there all year round. What peace and quiet that would be. We could really unwind.’ But of course they didn’t mean a word of it. They wouldn’t last twenty-four hours out here in the winter, when everything was closed up and quiet, and it was way too cold to be lying on the rocks, trying to bask in the sun.

The binoculars moved on, crossing Ingrid Bergman Square, which was deserted. Sven-Olov had heard that the people in charge of Fjällbacka’s website had installed a camera so it was possible to log on to the computer and see what was happening in town. Anybody who does that must not have enough to do, he thought. Because there certainly wasn’t much to see.

He swung the binoculars onward, letting them glide over Södra Hamngatan, past Järnboden, and over towards Brandparken. For a moment he paused at the coast guard boat, admiring it as he always did. Simply magnificent. He’d loved boats all his life, and the MinLouis always gleamed so beautifully when she was in dock. Then he followed the path towards Badholmen. Memories from his youth always came back to him whenever he saw the wooden buildings with the high fence, which was where people changed their clothes. Men on one side, women on the other. When he was a boy, he and his pals were always trying to find a way to peek in at the ladies. Though rarely with any success.

Now he could see the rocks and the trampoline that the kids used so much in the summer. Then the tower, looking a bit worn these days. He hoped that they would fix it up and not just tear it down. In a way it was an essential part of Fjällbacka.

Sven-Olov moved past the tower to look out over the water towards Valön. Then he gave a start, and moved the binoculars back a bit. What on earth? He adjusted the focus and then squinted his eyes in an attempt to see more clearly. If he wasn’t mistaken, something was hanging from the tower. Something dark, swaying slightly in the wind. Again he squinted his eyes. Maybe some kids had been up to no good and decided to hang a doll or something from the tower. He couldn’t really see what it was.

His curiosity got the better of him. He put on his coat and stuck his feet in a pair of shoes, attaching snow cleats to the soles. Then he went outside. He’d forgotten to put sand on the top step, and he held on tight to the railing so he wouldn’t land on his backside. Down on the road it was easier, and he headed off as fast as he dared in the direction of Badholmen.

The whole town seemed asleep as he passed Ingrid Bergman Square. He wondered whether he should flag down a car if he saw one drive by, but decided not to. It was silly to cause a commotion if it turned out to be nothing.

As Sven-Olov came closer, he slowed down even more. He usually tried to take a long walk at least a couple of times a week, so he was still in fairly good condition. Even so, he was breathing hard by the time he reached the buildings at Badholmen.

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. At least he pretended that was the reason for stopping. The truth was that he’d had a bad feeling ever since he saw that dark silhouette in his binoculars. He hesitated, but then took a deep breath and stepped through the entrance to the swimming area. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at the diving tower yet. Instead, he stared at his feet, setting them down carefully on the rocks so he wouldn’t fall and then not be able to get up. But when there were only a few yards left to the tower, he raised his head and slowly let his eyes move upwards.

Patrik sat up with a jolt. Something was buzzing. He looked around and at first couldn’t tell where he was or identify where the sound was coming from. Finally he woke up enough to reach for his mobile. He’d turned off the ringer, but the vibrate function was on, and the phone was frantically hopping around on the bedside table, with the display glowing in the dim light of the room.

‘Hello?’

He was instantly wide awake and started getting dressed as he listened and asked follow-up questions. A few minutes later he was fully dressed and on his way out the door when he saw the note that Erica had left, and he realized that she hadn’t been lying in bed next to him. He swore and ran back upstairs. Maja was in her room, but she had climbed out of bed and was sitting on the floor, playing quietly. What the hell was he going to do? He couldn’t leave her home alone. Annoyed, he tried Erica’s mobile, but it just kept ringing until her voicemail took over. Where could she be this early in the morning?

He ended the call and instead punched in Anna and Dan’s number. Anna answered, and he sighed with relief as he quickly explained his dilemma. Then he stood in the front hall, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other during the ten minutes it took Anna to jump in her car and drive over.

‘I can’t believe all the emergency calls I’ve been getting from the two of you lately. First Erica needing to make a trip to Göteborg yesterday, and now you call, sounding as if there’s a fire somewhere.’ Anna laughed as she swept past Patrik and came into the house.

He quickly thanked her and then ran for his car. Not until he was behind the wheel did Anna’s remarks sink in. A trip to Göteborg? Yesterday? He didn’t understand. But it would just have to wait. Right now he had other things to think about.

The whole police force was on site by the time he reached Badholmen. He parked his car in front of the Coast Guard boat and jogged out to the island. Torbjörn Ruud and the other techs were already at work.

‘When did the call come in?’ Patrik asked Gösta, who had come over to meet him. Torbjörn and his team must have driven over from Uddevalla, and shouldn’t have been able to get here faster than he had. Gösta and Martin either, since they had to come from Tanumshede. Why hadn’t anyone phoned him sooner?

‘Annika tried to reach you several times. Apparently last night too, but you didn’t answer.’

Patrik pulled his mobile out of his pocket, prepared to show Gösta that he must be mistaken. But when he looked at the display, he saw that there were six missed calls. Three from yesterday and two from this morning.

‘Do you know why she phoned me yesterday?’ said Patrik, cursing himself for turning off the ringer, even for just one evening. Of course something had to happen the minute he allowed himself not to think about work, for the first time in ages.

‘I have no idea. But this morning it’s because of this.’ He motioned towards the diving tower, and Patrik gave a start. There was something so primeval and dramatic about the sight of a man swinging in the wind with a rope around his neck.

‘Damn it to hell,’ he said, and he really meant it. He thought about Sanna and the children. And about Erica. ‘Who found him?’ Patrik tried to step into his professional role, to lose himself in the work that needed to get done and push aside any thought of all the repercussions. Right now he couldn’t think of Christian as someone who had a wife and children, friends, and a life. At the moment he was just a victim, a mystery that had to be solved. The only thing Patrik could allow himself to think about was that something had happened here, and it was his job to find out what and why.

‘The old man over there. Sven-Olov Rönn. He lives in the white house.’ Gösta pointed towards one of the houses on the slope across from the row of boathouses. ‘Apparently he’s in the habit of surveying the area through his binoculars every morning. And that’s when he caught sight of something hanging from the diving tower. At first he thought it was some sort of kids’ prank, but when he made his way over here, he saw that it was for real.’

‘Is he okay?’

‘A bit shaken up, of course, but he seems to be made of stern stuff.’

‘Don’t let him leave until I have a chance to talk to him,’ said Patrik. Then he went over to Torbjörn, who was cordoning off the area around the tower.

‘You’re certainly keeping us busy, and that’s an understatement,’ said Torbjörn.

‘Believe me, we’d prefer a little peace and quiet.’ Patrik prepared himself to take another look at Christian, and then turned his gaze upwards. The body’s eyes were open and the head had fallen forward a bit when the neck was broken. It looked as if he were staring down at the water.

Patrik shuddered.

‘How long do we have to leave him hanging there?’

‘Not much longer. We just need to take our photographs before we cut him down.’

‘What about transport?’

‘On the way,’ said Torbjörn tersely. He looked keen to get to work.

‘Do whatever you have to do,’ said Patrik, and Torbjörn immediately began issuing orders to his team.

Patrik went over to join Gösta and the elderly man, who looked like he was freezing.

‘Patrik Hedström, Tanum police force,’ he said, holding out his hand.

‘Sven-Olov Rönn,’ said the man, shaking hands as he practically stood to attention.

‘How are you feeling?’ asked Patrik, studying the man’s face for signs of shock. Rönn was a little pale around the gills, but otherwise he looked quite composed.

‘Well, this wasn’t exactly pleasant,’ he said, ‘but I’m going to have myself a small fortifying drink when I get home, and then I’ll be fine.’

‘Would you like to talk to a doctor?’ asked Patrik, prompting a horrified expression to appear on the face of the man standing in front of him. Apparently he was the type of old man who would rather amputate his own arm than consult a doctor.

‘No, no,’ said Rönn, ‘that’s not necessary.’

‘All right then,’ said Patrik. ‘I know that you’ve already talked to my colleague here,’ and he nodded towards Gösta, ‘but I’d like to hear for myself how you happened to find… the man in the tower.’

‘Well, you see, I’m always up at the crack of dawn,’ Rönn began, and then he went on to tell the same story that Gösta had reported to Patrik a few minutes earlier, although with a few more details added. After asking several follow-up questions, Patrik decided to send the old man home so he could get warmed up.

‘So, Gösta. What do you think this means?’ he asked after Rönn had left.

‘The first thing we need to find out is whether it was suicide. Or whether it was the same…’ He didn’t finish the sentence, but Patrik knew what he was thinking.

‘Have you seen anything to indicate a struggle, or some type of resistance?’ Patrik called to Torbjörn, who had stopped halfway up the steps to the diving tower.

‘Not so far. But we’re just getting started,’ he said. ‘We’ll take the photographs first.’ And he waved the big camera he was holding in his hand. ‘Then we’ll see what else we can find. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.’

‘Good. Thanks,’ said Patrik. He realized that there wasn’t much more he could do right now. And there was another task that required his attention.

Martin Molin came over to join them, his face as pale as it always was whenever he had to be near a dead body.

‘Mellberg and Paula are on the way too.’

‘How nice,’ said Patrik without enthusiasm. Both Gösta and Martin knew that it wasn’t Paula who had prompted that tone of voice.

‘What do you want us to do?’ asked Martin.

Patrik took a deep breath as he tried to form a plan in his mind. He was tempted to delegate the task that he was dreading, but his sense of responsibility took over, and after another deep breath, he said:

‘Martin, you wait here for Mellberg and Paula. We won’t count on Mellberg for any sort of help; he’ll just wander about and get in the way of the crime techs. But take Paula with you and start knocking on the doors of all the houses near the entrance to Badholmen. Most of them are empty this time of year, so it shouldn’t take long. Gösta, I’d like you come with me when I talk to Sanna.’

Gösta’s expression darkened, but he said, ‘Fine, when do you want to go?’

‘Right now,’ said Patrik. He just wanted to get it over with. For a moment he considered ringing Annika to find out why she’d been trying to reach him the day before. But that would have to wait until later. He didn’t have time for it now.

As they left Badholmen, both Patrik and Gösta made an effort not to turn around to look at the figure still swaying in the wind.

‘But I don’t understand. Who could have sent these to Christian?’ Sanna was staring in bewilderment at the drawings that lay on the table in front of her. She reached out her hand to pick up one of them, and Erica was glad that she’d had the presence of mind to put each drawing in a separate plastic bag so they could be handled without destroying any potential evidence.

‘I don’t know. I was hoping that you might be able to come up with some sort of explanation.’

Sanna shook her head. ‘I have no idea. Where did you find them?’

Erica told her about her visit to Christian’s old flat in Göteborg, and about Janos Kovács, who had saved the letters all these years.

‘Why are you so interested in Christian’s life?’ Sanna gave her an enquiring look.

For a moment Erica pondered how to explain her actions. Even she was hard-pressed to understand why she had become so involved.

‘Ever since I heard about the threatening letters, I’ve been worried about him. And since I’m the kind of person that I am, I couldn’t let it go. Christian wouldn’t tell me anything, so I started digging around a bit on my own.’

‘Have you shown these to Christian?’ asked Sanna, picking up another drawing to study it more closely.

‘No. I wanted to talk to you first.’ She paused for a moment and then said, ‘What do you know about Christian’s background? About his family and childhood.’

Sanna smiled sadly.

‘Almost nothing. You have no idea. I’ve never met anyone who is so unwilling to talk about himself. There’s so much I’ve wanted to know about his parents, how they lived, what he did when he was a kid, what sort of friends he had… all those questions people ask when they’re getting to know someone. But Christian has never been willing to discuss his past. He told me that his parents are dead, that he has no brothers or sisters, and that his childhood was just like everyone else’s, so it’s not really worth talking about.’ Sanna swallowed hard.

‘Didn’t that seem strange to you?’ asked Erica, and she couldn’t help letting a trace of sympathy slip into her tone of voice. She could see how hard Sanna was fighting to hold back the tears.

‘I love him. And he always got annoyed if I pestered him with those kinds of questions, so I stopped. All I wanted… All I ever wanted was for him to stay with me.’ She whispered the words, her eyes fixed on her lap.

Erica had an urge to sit down next to Sanna and put her arms around her. She suddenly looked so young and vulnerable. It couldn’t be easy to live in that kind of relationship, always feeling at a disadvantage. Because Erica understood what Sanna was hinting at: the fact that she loved Christian, but he had never loved her.

‘So you don’t know who that small figure standing next to Christian might be?’ asked Erica gently.

‘I have no idea, but a child must have made these drawings. Maybe he has kids that I don’t know about.’ She attempted to laugh, but the laugh lodged in her throat.

‘Now don’t go jumping to conclusions.’ Erica was suddenly worried that she might be making things even worse for Sanna, who was clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

‘I won’t, but I have to admit that I’ve been wondering too. I’ve asked him a thousand times since the letters started arriving, and he just says that he doesn’t know who sent them. But I’m not sure that I believe him.’ She bit her lip.

‘So he has never mentioned any old girlfriends or anything like that? Nothing about a woman who might have been part of his life before?’ Erica realized that she was being a bit pushy, but maybe Christian had said something once, something that might be buried deep in Sanna’s subconscious.

Sanna shook her head and laughed bitterly. ‘Believe me, I would remember if he’d ever mentioned another woman. I even thought…’ She stopped herself, looking as if she regretted starting the sentence.

‘What did you think?’ asked Erica, but Sanna retreated.

‘It’s nothing. Just foolishness on my part. I have problems with jealousy, you might say.’

And no wonder, thought Erica. Living with a stranger for so many years, and loving someone without being loved in return. It was no wonder that Sanna was jealous. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she chose to steer the conversation towards what had been on her mind since the day before.

‘You talked to one of Patrik’s colleagues yesterday, didn’t you? Paula Morales?’

Sanna nodded. ‘She was really nice. And I liked Gösta too. He helped me get the children washed up. Tell Patrik to thank him for me. I don’t think I remembered to do that yesterday.’

‘I will,’ said Erica, and then paused for a moment before going on. ‘There was one thing in your conversation that I don’t think Paula caught.’

‘How would you know that?’ asked Sanna in surprise.

‘Paula taped your conversation, and Patrik was listening to it at home last night. I couldn’t help overhearing.’

‘Oh,’ said Sanna, seeming to accept the white lie. ‘What was it you…’

‘Well, you said something to Paula about Christian not having an easy time of it. And it sounded like you were thinking about something specific.’

Sanna’s expression froze. She avoided looking Erica in the eye and started plucking at the fringe of the tablecloth.

‘I don’t know what -’

‘Sanna,’ Erica pleaded. ‘This isn’t the time for secrets or keeping quiet in order to protect someone, to protect Christian. Your whole family is in danger, and others too, but maybe we can prevent anyone else from sharing Magnus’s terrible fate. I don’t know what you’re not saying, or why. It might not even have anything to do with this, and maybe that’s what you’re thinking. Otherwise I’m sure that you would have mentioned it. Especially after what happened to your children yesterday. But can you be absolutely sure about that?’

Sanna looked out of the window, staring at a spot far away, beyond the buildings, out towards the frozen water and the islands. She didn’t speak for a long time, and Erica didn’t either, allowing Sanna to fight the battle with herself.

‘I found a dress up in the attic. A blue dress,’ said Sanna at last. Then she proceeded to tell Erica everything. About how she had confronted Christian, about her anger and her uncertainty. About what he had finally told her. The whole horrible story.

When Sanna was finished, she seemed to shrink, looking utterly drained. Erica sat motionless, trying to digest what she’d just heard, but it was impossible. There were certain things that the human brain just couldn’t fathom. All she could do was reach out her hand and place it on top of Sanna’s.

For the first time Erik felt panic overwhelm him. Christian was dead. He was swaying in the wind like a rag doll, hanging from the diving tower at Badholmen.

A female police officer had phoned to tell him the news. She told him to be cautious, and not to hesitate to call the police. He had thanked her, saying he didn’t think that would be necessary. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand who could be after them. But he had no intention of just sitting around, waiting for his turn. This time he was determined to take control, to hold on to his power.

Patches of sweat appeared on his shirt, proving that he wasn’t as calm as he tried to pretend. He still held the phone in his hand, and with fumbling fingers he punched in Kenneth’s mobile number. After five rings, his voicemail answered. Angrily Erik ended the call and tossed the mobile on his desk. He tried to force himself to act rationally and think through everything he now needed to do.

The phone rang. He jumped and then looked at the display. Kenneth.

‘Hello?’

‘I can’t pick up the phone on my own,’ Kenneth explained. ‘I have to have help to put on the Bluetooth. I can’t hold the phone,’ he said, without any self-pity in his voice.

For a moment Erik thought he should have taken the trouble to visit Kenneth in the hospital. Or at least sent him flowers. Oh well, he couldn’t think of everything, and somebody had be to at the office. He was sure Kenneth would understand.

‘How are you doing?’ he asked now, trying to sound as if he were actually interested.

‘Fine,’ said Kenneth curtly. He knew Erik too well to think that he had asked about his health because he cared.

‘I have some unpleasant news.’ Might as well get right to the point. Kenneth didn’t reply as he waited for him to go on. ‘Christian is dead.’ Erik tugged at the collar of his shirt. He was still sweating heavily, and he could feel that the hand holding the phone was damp. ‘I just heard about it. The police rang. He’s hanging from the diving tower at Badholmen.’

Still no answer.

‘Hello? Did you hear what I said? Christian is dead. The officer I talked to refused to tell me more, but any idiot can see that it’s the same nutcase who’s been doing everything else.’

‘Yes, it’s her,’ said Kenneth at last. His voice was icy and calm.

‘What do you mean? Do you know who it is?’ Erik practically screamed. Kenneth knew who it was, and yet he hadn’t told anyone? If nothing else happened to Kenneth first, he was going to kill the man himself.

‘She’ll be coming after us next.’

The eerie calm in his voice made the little hairs on Erik’s arms stand on end. For a moment he wondered whether Kenneth might have suffered a blow to the head.

‘Would you please let me in on what you know?’

‘She’ll probably save you for last.’

Erik had to restrain himself from slamming his mobile on to the desk out of sheer frustration. ‘Who is it?’

‘You mean you really don’t know? Have you hurt and injured so many people that you can’t pick her out of the crowd? For me it was easy. She’s the only person that I ever harmed. I don’t know whether Magnus ever realized that she was after him. But I do know that he suffered. That’s not something you’ve ever done, have you, Erik? You’ve never suffered or lain awake at night because of what you’ve done.’ Kenneth didn’t sound upset or accusatory. He was still calm and composed.

‘What are you talking about?’ snarled Erik, as thoughts raced through his head. A vague memory, an image, a face. Something began stirring. Something that had been buried so deep that it was never supposed to resurface again.

He gripped the phone hard. Could it be…?

Kenneth was silent, and Erik didn’t need to say out loud that he now knew too. His own silence spoke volumes. Without saying goodbye, he ended the conversation with Kenneth, trying to push away the certainty that had been forced upon him.

After that he opened his email and swiftly began doing what had to be done. It was urgent.

As soon as he saw Erica’s car parked in the drive in front of Agneta’s house, Patrik got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Erica had a tendency to get involved in matters that didn’t concern her. And even though he had many times admired his wife for her sense of curiosity and the way she used it to produce results, he didn’t like her to interfere with police business. He would have preferred to protect Erica, Maja, and the unborn twins from all the evil in the world. But that was a tough job when it came to his wife. Time after time she had landed in the centre of the action, and he realized that without his knowing it she had probably landed herself up to her ears in this investigation too.

‘Isn’t that Erica’s car?’ asked Gösta laconically as they drove up and parked next to the beige Volvo.

‘Yes, it is,’ replied Patrik. Gösta didn’t ask any more questions, simply raised one eyebrow.

They didn’t have to ring the bell. Sanna’s sister had already opened the front door and was waiting for them, a worried look on her face.

‘Has something happened?’ she asked tensely.

‘We’d like to talk to Sanna,’ said Patrik, without answering her question. He wished that he’d brought Lena the pastor along this time too, but she had been out when he phoned, and he didn’t want to delay delivering the news.

The expression on Agneta’s face was even more concerned as she stepped aside to let them in.

‘She’s on the veranda,’ she said, pointing.

‘Thanks,’ said Patrik. ‘Could you make sure that the children are kept busy for a while?’

Agneta swallowed hard. ‘Yes, I’ll do that.’

Patrik and Gösta made their way out to the veranda. Sanna and Erica looked up when they heard them come in. Erica had a guilty expression on her face, but Patrik motioned to her, indicating that they would talk later. He sat down next to Sanna.

‘I’m afraid I have some very bad news to tell you,’ he said, keeping his voice calm. ‘Christian was found dead early this morning.’

Sanna gasped for breath and her eyes filled with tears.

‘We don’t know very much at the moment. But we’re doing everything we can to find out what happened,’ he added.

‘How…?’ Sanna’s whole body began shaking uncontrollably.

Patrik hesitated, unsure how to tell her.

‘He was found hanged. From the tower at Badholmen.’

‘Hanged?’ Her breathing was fast and shallow. Patrik put his hand on her arm to calm her.

‘That’s all we know right now.’

She nodded, her eyes glassy. Patrik turned to Erica and said in a low voice:

‘Could you trade places with her sister? Ask Agneta to come down here while you take care of the kids?’

Erica got up at once, casting a glance at Sanna before she left the veranda. A moment later they heard her heading upstairs. Then, as soon as they could tell that someone was on the way down, Gösta went out to the hall to speak to Sanna’s sister. Patrik was grateful to his colleague for wanting to report what had happened out of earshot so that Sanna wouldn’t have to hear it twice.

Agneta came in, sat down next to Sanna, and put her arms around her. And that was how the two women stayed as Patrik asked if they’d like him to call anyone, and whether they wanted to speak to a pastor. All the usual questions that he clung to in order not to fall apart at the thought of the two little boys upstairs who had lost their father.

But he really needed to be on his way. He had a job to do, a job that entailed doing something for this family. First and foremost for them. It was the victim and the victim’s family members that he always pictured in his mind as he sat in his office at the station and spent so many long hours trying to find a solution to cases he was investigating – some of them more complicated than others.

Sanna was sobbing uncontrollably as Patrik met her sister’s gaze. Agneta gave an almost imperceptible nod in answer to his unvoiced question, so he stood up.

‘Are you sure there isn’t someone you’d like me to phone?’

‘I’ll ring Mamma and Pappa as soon as I can,’ said Agneta. Even though she was very pale, she had a calm air about her that made Patrik feel okay about leaving them.

‘Call us anytime, Sanna,’ he said, pausing in the doorway. ‘And we…’ He was uncertain how much he dared say. Because the worst thing that could happen to a police officer in the midst of an investigation had now happened to him. He was about to lose hope. The hope that they’d ever find out who was behind all of these horrible events.

‘Don’t forget the drawings,’ said Sanna, sniffling as she pointed to some papers lying on the table.

‘What drawings?’

‘Erica brought them. Someone sent them to Christian’s old address in Göteborg.’

Patrik stared at the pictures and then carefully gathered them up. What had Erica been up to now? He needed to have a talk with his wife as soon as possible; this demanded a proper explanation. At the same time, he couldn’t deny that he felt a certain sense of anticipation when he saw the drawings. If they turned out to be important, it wouldn’t be the first time Erica had stumbled upon a crucial piece of information.

‘You’re certainly doing a lot of babysitting lately,’ said Dan as he came into Erica and Patrik’s house. He had rung Anna on her mobile, and when she explained where she was, he had driven over to Sälvik.

‘Uh-huh. I don’t really know what Erica is mixed up in, and I’m not sure I want to know, either,’ said Anna, as she sauntered over to Dan and turned her face up for a kiss.

‘So they won’t mind if I crash the party?’ said Dan. In the next second he was almost bowled over by Maja, who threw herself into his arms. ‘Hi, cutie! How’s my girl? You’re still my girl, right? You haven’t found some other guy, have you?’ said Dan, looking stern. Maja laughed so hard that she started hiccupping, and she rubbed her nose against his, which he took to mean that he hadn’t lost his high-ranking status.

‘Did you hear what happened?’ asked Anna, her expression suddenly turning serious.

‘No, what?’ asked Dan, hoisting Maja up and then dropping her down. Considering how tall he was, Maja was getting quite a ride, much to her delight.

‘I don’t know where Erica is, but Patrik had to go off to Badholmen. Somebody found Christian Thydell there this morning – hanged.’

Dan stopped instantly, which left Maja upside down. She thought it was all part of the game and laughed even louder.

‘Are you kidding me?’ Dan slowly put Maja down on the rug.

‘No, but that’s all Patrik told me before he raced off. Christian is dead.’ Anna didn’t know Sanna Thydell very well, but occasionally she would run into her, which was inevitable since so few people lived in Fjällbacka. Now she was thinking about those two little boys.

Dan dropped on to a chair at the kitchen table, and Anna tried to chase away the images that kept cropping up in her mind.

‘Bloody hell,’ he said, staring out of the window. ‘First Magnus Kjellner, and now Christian. Not to mention Kenneth Bengtsson, who’s in the hospital. Patrik must be up to his ears with this investigation.’

‘I’m sure you’re right,’ said Anna, pouring some juice for Maja. ‘But let’s talk about something else, okay?’ She always got very upset thinking about other people’s troubles, and her pregnancy had made her a hundred times more sensitive. She couldn’t stand to hear about anyone having difficulties.

Dan understood the signals and pulled her close. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on her stomach, spreading out his fingers.

‘Soon, sweetheart. Soon he’ll be here.’

Anna’s face lit up. Every time she thought about the child, it felt as if nothing bad could reach her. She loved Dan so much, and she practically burst with joy whenever she thought about how the small creature inside her was uniting the two of them. She stroked Dan’s hair, murmuring:

‘You need to stop saying “he”. Because I think we’ve got a little princess inside here. I think this baby kicks like a ballet dancer,’ she teased him.

After having three daughters, Dan was longing for a boy. At the same time, Anna knew that he would be overjoyed with the baby, no matter whether it was a girl or a boy. Because it was their child.

Patrik dropped Gösta off at Badholmen. After thinking for a moment, he decided to drive home. He needed to talk to Erica and find out what she knew.

As soon as he stepped inside, he paused to take a deep breath. Anna was still there, and he didn’t want to drag her into any dispute that he had with Erica. Anna had the annoying habit of always siding with her sister, and he didn’t need two people facing him in the opposite corner of the ring. But after thanking Anna – as well as Dan, who had turned up as an extra babysitter – Patrik tried to make it as clear as possible that they should leave him and Erica in peace. Anna picked up on what he wanted and took Dan with her, although he had a bit of a struggle before Maja would let him go.

‘I assume that Maja isn’t going to the day-care centre today,’ said Erica cheerfully, glancing at the clock.

‘Why were you at Agneta’s house talking to Sanna? And what were you doing in Göteborg yesterday?’ asked Patrik in a sharp tone of voice.

‘Er, well, I…’ Erica tilted her head, trying to look as sweetly innocent as she could. When that brought no response, she sighed and realized that she might as well confess. She had intended all along to tell Patrik everything; he had just beat her to it.

They sat down at the kitchen table. Patrik clasped his hands in front of him and stared her straight in the eye. Erica took her time as she decided where to begin.

Then she explained how she couldn’t stop wondering why Christian had always been so secretive about his past. So she had decided to work backwards and drive to Göteborg, to the address where he had lived before moving to Fjällbacka. She told Patrik about the kindly Hungarian man and about the letters that had arrived for Christian. But he had never received them because he hadn’t left any forwarding address. Erica took a deep breath and then explained how she had surreptitiously read through the case material and hadn’t been able to resist listening to the cassette tape. And how she had heard something that had stuck in her mind, until she realized that she needed to get to the bottom of it. That was the reason for her visit to Sanna earlier that morning. She also told Patrik what Sanna had said. About the blue dress and what was almost too awful to comprehend. When Erica was finished, she was out of breath and hardly dared look at Patrik, who hadn’t moved a muscle since she began her report.

He was silent for a long time, and she swallowed hard, prepared for the worst lecture she’d ever received in her life.

‘I just wanted to help you,’ she added. ‘You’ve been looking so tired lately.’

Patrik stood up. ‘We’ll talk more about this later. I need to go back to the station. I’m taking the drawings with me.’

Erica sat staring into space for a long time after he was gone. This was the first time since they’d known each other that he’d left the house without giving her a kiss.

It wasn’t like Patrik not to call back. Annika had phoned him several times since yesterday, leaving him a message that she needed to speak to him, but not explaining why. She wanted to tell him in person what she had found.

When he finally arrived at the station and she saw his exhausted expression, she was even more worried. Paula had told her that she’d ordered Patrik to stay home and take it easy, and Annika had silently applauded the decision. Lately she’d been thinking of doing the very same thing.

‘You were looking for me?’ said Patrik as he entered her office behind the glass separating it from the reception area. She spun around in her chair.

‘Yes, and it hasn’t been easy to reach you by phone,’ she said, peering at him over the rims of her computer glasses. The tone of her voice wasn’t reproachful, just concerned.

‘I know,’ said Patrik, sitting down on the visitor’s chair next to the wall. ‘I’ve had a lot on my mind.’

‘You need to take better care of yourself. I have a friend who hit the wall a few years ago, and her health still isn’t a hundred per cent. It’s a long way back up once you let yourself hit bottom.’

‘I know, I know,’ said Patrik. ‘But things aren’t that bad. I’ve just had a lot of work to do.’ He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ‘So what did you need to talk to me about?’

‘I finished looking into Christian’s background.’ She fell silent. Only now did she remember where Patrik had been all morning. ‘How did it go, by the way?’ she asked quietly. ‘How did Sanna take it?’

‘How would anyone take it?’ said Patrik. He nodded for her to go on, indicating that he didn’t want to discuss the news he had just been forced to deliver.

Annika cleared her throat. ‘Okay, first of all, Christian is not listed in our own police records. He has never been charged with a crime or even suspected of anything. Before he came to Fjällbacka, he lived for several years in Göteborg. He was studying at the university there, and then online to get his library degree. The library school is in Borås, you know.’

‘Uh-huh…’ said Patrik a bit impatiently.

‘Furthermore, he has never been previously married, nor does he have any children other than the two sons with Sanna.’

Annika fell silent.

‘Is that all?’ Patrik couldn’t hide his disappointment.

‘No. I haven’t told you the interesting part yet. I discovered very quickly that Christian was orphaned when he was only three years old. He was born in Trollhättan, by the way, and that was also where he was living when his mother died. The father was never in the picture. I decided to dig a bit deeper into the past.’

She picked up a paper and began reading. Patrik was now listening intently. Annika could see that thoughts were swirling around in his mind, attempting to link this new information with the little they already knew.

‘So it was his mother’s last name that he took back when he turned eighteen,’ said Patrik. ‘Thydell.’

‘That’s right. I also found out quite a bit about her.’ She handed a paper to Patrik, who quickly read through it, eager to learn more.

‘It looks like we’re getting closer to untangling a few threads,’ said Annika when she saw Patrik’s reaction. She loved digging up information, combing through the public records and researching small details that could be later connected to form a whole picture. Especially when her work turned up a lead that could move the investigation forward.

‘Yes, and now I know where to start,’ said Patrik, getting to his feet. ‘I’m going to begin with the blue dress.’

Annika looked at him in astonishment as he left her office. What in the world was he talking about?

Cecilia was not surprised to see who was standing outside when she opened the door. She had actually been expecting this. Fjällbacka was a small town, and secrets could never be kept for long.

‘Come in, Louise,’ she said, stepping aside. She had to resist an impulse to place her hand over her stomach, which was something she’d started doing often, now that her pregnancy had been confirmed.

‘I hope Erik’s not here,’ said Louise. Cecilia could hear how she was slurring her words, and for a moment she felt a pang of sympathy. Now that the love affair was over, she realized what a hell it must be to live with Erik. In Louise’s place, she probably would have taken to drink as well.

‘No, he’s not here. Come in,’ she repeated, leading the way to the kitchen. Louise followed. She was elegantly dressed, as usual, wearing an expensive outfit classically tailored, along with discreet gold jewellery. Cecilia felt slovenly in her casual attire. The first customer wasn’t due at the salon until one o’clock, so she was allowing herself a relaxing morning at home. Besides, she was also suffering from morning sickness and couldn’t keep up her usual pace.

‘There have been so many women in his life that I’m finally feeling worn out.’

Cecilia turned to look at Louise in surprise. This was not the opening that she’d been expecting. Instead, she was prepared for anger and accusations. But Louise merely looked sad. And when Cecilia sat down across from her, she noticed some cracks in the elegant facade. Louise’s hair was dull-looking, and the polish was chipping off her fingernails. She had buttoned her blouse wrong, and one end was sticking out of the waistband of her trousers.

‘I told him to go to hell,’ said Cecilia, noticing how wonderful it felt to say the words out loud.

‘Why?’ asked Louise, listlessly.

‘I got what I wanted from him.’

‘What do you mean?’ Louise was staring at her with a vacant, distracted expression.

Cecilia suddenly felt such a tremendous sense of gratitude that she had to gasp for breath. She would never be like Louise; she was a much stronger person. But maybe Louise had also been strong at one time. Maybe she had been filled with expectations and a will to make things good. Those hopes were now gone. All that remained were the years of lies and the wine.

For a moment Cecilia considered lying to Louise, or at least holding back the truth for a while. It would come out soon enough. But then she realized that she had to tell her. She couldn’t lie to someone who had lost everything she had ever held dear.

‘I’m pregnant. It’s Erik’s child,’ she said. For a moment neither woman spoke. Then Cecilia went on: ‘I made it very clear that the only thing I want from him is financial support. And I threatened to tell you everything.’

Louise snorted. Then she started to laugh. Her laughter got louder and shriller. Tears began running down her face, and Cecilia looked at her in fascination. This was not the reaction she had expected either. Louise was certainly full of surprises.

‘Thank you,’ said Louise after her laughter subsided.

‘Why are you thanking me?’ wondered Cecilia. She had always liked Louise. She just hadn’t liked her enough to stop fucking her husband.

‘For giving me a good kick up the backside. This is exactly what I needed. Good Lord, just look at me.’ She glanced down at her mis-buttoned blouse and almost tore off the buttons in her eagerness to fix it. Her fingers were trembling.

‘You’re welcome,’ said Cecilia, and she couldn’t help laughing a bit at the situation. ‘What are you planning to do?’

‘What you’ve already done. I’m going to tell him to go to hell,’ said Louise firmly, and she no longer had a vacant look in her eyes. The feeling that she still had power over her own life had triumphed over her former mood of resignation.

‘Make sure you have your finances in order first,’ said Cecilia drily. ‘I have to admit that I was infatuated with Erik for a while, but I know what kind of man he is. He’ll strip you of everything if you leave him. Men like Erik refuse to be dumped.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to get the most out of him that I can,’ said Louise as she tucked her blouse, now properly buttoned, inside the waistband of her trousers. ‘How do I look? Is my make-up running?’

‘A little. Wait a minute and I’ll fix it.’ Cecilia got up, held a piece of kitchen roll under the tap, and then came back to stand in front of Louise. Carefully she wiped off the mascara from under her eyes. She stopped abruptly when she felt Louise’s hand on her stomach. At first neither of them spoke. Then Louise whispered:

‘I hope it’s a boy. The girls have always wanted a little brother.’

‘My God,’ said Paula. ‘That’s one of the most horrifying stories I’ve ever heard.’

Patrik had told her what Erica had found out from Sanna. Paula now gave her colleague a surreptitious look as he sat next to her in the passenger seat. After the near-death experience on the road the day before, she wasn’t planning to let him get behind the wheel again until he started looking more rested.

‘But what does it have to do with the investigation? That happened so many years ago.’

‘Thirty-seven years ago, to be exact. And I don’t know whether it has anything to do with the case, but everything seems to be linked to Christian. I think the answer has to lie in his past; it’s there we’ll find some sort of connection with the other events. If there is a connection, that is,’ he added. ‘Maybe they were just innocent bystanders and were targeted because they were close to Christian. But that’s what we need to find out, and we might as well start from the beginning.’

Paula overtook a lorry at high speed, almost missing the exit to Trollhättan.

‘Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?’ asked Patrik anxiously, gripping the door handle.

‘Now you see how it feels,’ laughed Paula. ‘After yesterday, you’re no longer reliable. Did you get any rest, by the way?’ She glanced at him as she accelerated through a roundabout.

‘Actually, I did,’ said Patrik. ‘I slept for a couple of hours, and then I had a nice, relaxing evening with Erica. It was great.’

‘You need to take better care of yourself.’

‘That’s exactly what Annika told me. The two of you need to stop being such mother hens,’ said Patrik.

Paula shifted her gaze to the map that they’d printed out from the internet. Then she looked at the street signs along the road, almost hitting a cyclist who suddenly appeared on the right.

‘Let me read the map. Apparently it’s not true that girls are good at multi-tasking,’ said Patrik with a grin.

‘Watch what you say,’ said Paula, although she didn’t really seem insulted.

‘Turn right here. We’re getting close,’ said Patrik. ‘This is going to be interesting. Apparently the documents still exist, and the woman I talked to on the phone knew instantly what case I was talking about. But then, it’s not the sort of thing that would be easy to forget.’

‘It’s great that everything went so smoothly with the prosecutor. Otherwise it would have been difficult to get access to these kinds of documents.’

‘You’re right,’ said Patrik, focusing his attention on the map.

‘There it is,’ said Paula, pointing at the building that housed the social welfare offices in Trollhättan.

A few minutes later they introduced themselves to Eva-Lena Skog, the woman that Patrik had spoken to on the phone.

‘There are plenty of people here who remember the story,’ she told them, taking out of her desk a folder containing papers that had turned yellow with age. ‘It was a long time ago, but that kind of thing stays with you,’ she said, pushing back a lock of grey hair. She looked like the stereotypical schoolteacher, with her long hair pulled back in a neat bun.

‘Did anyone suspect that the situation was as bad as it was?’ asked Paula.

‘Yes and no. We’d received some reports, and we’d made…’ She opened the folder and ran her finger over the page on top. ‘We’d made two home visits.’

‘And there was nothing to indicate that some sort of intervention might be necessary?’ asked Patrik.

‘It’s hard to explain, but those were different times,’ said Skog with a sigh. ‘Today we would have stepped in at a much earlier stage, but back then… well, we simply didn’t know any better. Apparently things improved during certain periods, and most likely our visits took place during those times when she was doing better.’

‘And there weren’t any relatives or friends who reacted?’ asked Paula. It was difficult for her to understand how something like this could have happened without anyone noticing.

‘There were no other family members. I don’t think there were any friends either. They lived a very isolated life, and that’s why things happened the way they did. If it hadn’t been for the smell…’ She swallowed hard and looked down. ‘We’ve made a lot of progress since then. It would never happen today.’

‘Let’s hope not,’ said Patrik.

‘As I understand it, you need this information in connection with a murder case,’ said Skog, pushing the folder across her desk towards them. ‘But you’ll be careful how you handle the material, won’t you? It’s only under special circumstances that we allow access to this sort of file.’

‘We’ll be extremely discreet. I promise,’ said Patrik. ‘And I’m positive that these documents are going to help us move forward with our investigation.’

Skog looked at him with ill-concealed curiosity.

‘What could your case possibly have to do with this? It all happened so many years ago.’

‘I’m afraid I can’t discuss that,’ said Patrik. The truth was that he had no idea whatsoever. But they had to start somewhere.