The Drowning

23

Christian could feel the agitation taking over his body. It was getting worse and worse, making it impossible for him to sleep at night. And causing him to see eyes under the water.

He had to leave – he knew that. If he was ever going to find a place for himself, he needed to go away. Far away from Father and Mother, and from Alice. Oddly enough, that hurt the most. Having to part with Alice.

‘Hello! Hey, you!’

He turned around in surprise. As usual, he was on his way over to Badholmen. He liked to sit there, staring out across the water at Fjällbacka.

‘Over here!’

Christian didn’t know what to think. Over near the men’s changing booths he saw Erik, Magnus, and Kenneth. And Erik was calling to him. Christian gave them a suspicious look. Whatever it was they wanted, he knew it wouldn’t be good. But the temptation was too strong, and with feigned nonchalance, he stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered over to the three boys.

‘Want a smoke?’ asked Erik, holding out a cigarette. Christian shook his head. He was still waiting for the hammer to fall, when all three would attack him. Anything but this… show of goodwill.

‘Sit down,’ said Erik, patting the ground next to him.

As if in a dream, Christian sat down. The whole situation seemed unreal. He had imagined just such a scene so many times, hoped and longed for it. And now it was actually happening. He was sitting here, one of the group.

‘What are you doing tonight?’ asked Erik, exchanging glances with Kenneth and Magnus.

‘Nothing special. Why?’

‘We’re planning to have a party here. A private gathering, so to speak.’ Erik laughed.

‘Really?’ said Christian. He shifted his position a bit to get more comfortable.

‘Want to come?’

‘Me?’ said Christian. He wasn’t sure he’d heard right.

‘Yes, you. But everyone has to bring something to get in,’ said Erik, again exchanging glances with Magnus and Kenneth.

So there was a catch, just as he’d thought. What sort of humiliating task had they planned for him?

‘What do I have to bring?’ he asked, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

The three boys whispered to each other. Finally Erik looked at him again and said defiantly:

‘A bottle of whisky.’

Was that all? Relief washed over him. He could easily sneak one out of the house.

‘Okay. No problem. What time should I be here?’

Erik took a couple of puffs on his cigarette. He looked so worldly wise holding that cigarette in his hand. Grown up.

‘We have to make sure that nobody bothers us. So after midnight. Shall we say twelve thirty?’

Christian felt himself nodding a bit too eagerly. ‘Okay. Twelve thirty. I’ll be here.’

‘Good,’ said Erik.

Christian hurried away. His feet felt lighter than they had in a long time. Maybe his luck would now change and he’d finally belong.

The rest of the day passed very slowly. At last it was time for bed, but he didn’t dare close his eyes for fear of oversleeping. So he lay there, wide awake, staring at the hands of the clock as they slowly moved towards midnight. At twelve fifteen he climbed out of bed and got dressed, careful not to make any noise. He slipped downstairs and went over to the drinks cabinet. There were several whisky bottles inside. He took the one that was nearly full. The bottle clinked as he took it out, and for a moment he didn’t move. But no one seemed to have heard the sound.

When he got close to Badholmen, he could hear the other boys. It sounded like they had already been there a while, like the party had started without him. For a second he considered turning around. He could just walk back to the house, slip inside, put the bottle back in the cabinet, and crawl into bed. But then he heard Erik laughing, and he wanted to join in that laughter; he wanted to be one of the boys that Erik exchanged glances with. So he kept on going, carrying the whisky bottle firmly under his arm.

‘Hey, take a look,’ said Erik, slurring his words and pointing at Christian. ‘Here comes the king of the party.’ He sniggered, and Kenneth and Magnus followed suit. Magnus looked like he’d had the most to drink. He was swaying as he sat there, and he was having a hard time focusing.

‘Did you bring the admission ticket?’ asked Erik, motioning him forward.

Feeling wary, Christian handed him the bottle. Were they going to humiliate him now? Were they going to chase him away, since he’d brought what they wanted?

But nothing happened. Erik simply opened the bottle, took a big slug of the whisky, and then handed it to Christian. He just stared. He wanted to take a drink, but he didn’t know if he dared. Erik urged him to try it, and Christian realized that he would have to do as Erik said if he wanted to be part of the group. He sat down with the bottle in his hand, and then raised it to his lips. And just about choked when he swallowed too much of the whisky.

‘So how was that, lad?’ Laughing, Erik pounded him on the back.

‘Good,’ said Christian, taking another gulp, just to prove it.

The bottle passed from hand to hand a few times, and he began to feel a pleasant warmth spreading through his body. His anxiety vanished. The whisky pushed away everything that had been keeping him awake at night lately. The eyes. The smell of rotting flesh. He took another swallow.

Magnus was lying on his back, staring up at the stars in the sky. Kenneth didn’t say much. He just agreed with everything Erik said. But Christian was enjoying being in their company. He was somebody. Part of a group.

‘Christian?’ a voice said from the doorway. He turned to look. What was she doing here? Why did she have to turn up and ruin everything? His old anger awoke.

‘Get lost,’ he snarled, and then saw her face contort in disappointment.

‘Christian?’ she repeated, her voice thick with tears.

He got up to chase her away, but Erik put his hand on Christian’s arm.

‘Let her stay,’ he said, and Christian looked at him in surprise. But he complied, and sat down again.

‘Come here!’ Erik waved for Alice to come closer.

She gave Christian an enquiring glance, but he merely shrugged.

‘Sit down,’ said Erik. ‘We’re having a party.’

‘Party!’ said Alice, her face lighting up.

‘What luck that you happened to stop by. We need some pretty girls here too.’ Erik put his arm around Alice and touched a lock of her dark hair. Alice laughed. She liked being called pretty.

‘Here. If you want to come to our party, you have to drink.’ He took the bottle away from Kenneth, who was just about to take a swig, and handed it to Alice.

Again she looked at Christian, but he didn’t care what she did. If she was going to keep following him, she’d just have to play along.

She started to cough, and Erik stroked her back. ‘There, there, what a good girl. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. You just have to try again.’

Hesitantly she raised the bottle and took another swallow. This time it went better.

‘Good. That’s the kind of girl I like. Someone who’s pretty and knows how to drink whisky,’ said Erik with a smile that made Christian’s stomach start to churn. He wanted to take Alice by the hand and lead her home. But then Kenneth sat down next to him, put an arm around his shoulder, and mumbled:

‘Shit, Christian, just think – here we are with you and your sister. I bet you never thought that would happen, did you? But we knew there was a bloody decent lad under all that flab.’ Kenneth pointed at his stomach, and Christian didn’t know whether to take his remark as a compliment or not.

‘She’s really cute, your sister,’ said Erik, moving even closer to Alice. He helped her raise the bottle again, pouring more whisky down her throat. Her eyes were shining, and she had a big smile on her face.

Christian suddenly felt everything start to spin. All of Badholmen was spinning. Around and around, like the globe. He giggled and lay down on his back next to Magnus, looking up at the stars that seemed to be whirling through the sky.

A sound from Alice made him sit up. He was having a hard time focusing, but he could see Erik and Alice. And he thought Erik had his hand inside Alice’s shirt. But he wasn’t sure, with everything spinning around him. He lay down again.

‘Shh…’ Erik’s voice and the same whimpering sound from Alice. Christian rolled on to his side and rested his head on his outstretched arm. He looked at Erik and his sister. Her shirt was gone. She had small, perfect breasts. That was the first thought that occurred to him. That she had perfect breasts. He’d never seen them before.

‘Don’t worry. I’m just going to feel them a little…’ Erik kneaded her breasts with his hands as he started breathing harder. Kenneth was staring at Alice’s bare torso.

‘Come and feel,’ said Erik, nodding to Kenneth.

Christian saw that Alice was scared, that she was trying to cover her breasts with her arms. But his head felt so heavy he couldn’t lift it.

Kenneth sat down next to Alice. After waiting for a signal from Erik, he lifted his hand and began touching her left breast. He squeezed it cautiously at first, then harder, and Christian could see the bulge in his shorts grow.

‘I wonder if the rest is just as nice?’ murmured Erik. ‘What do you say, Alice? Is your pussy just as nice as your tits?’

Her eyes were big and frightened. But she didn’t seem to know how to defend herself. Without resistance, she allowed Erik to slip off her knickers. He let her keep on her skirt, just lifting it up to show Kenneth.

‘What do you think? I doubt anyone’s been here before.’ He pushed her knees apart, and Alice numbly let him do it, incapable of protesting.

‘Shit, check this out. Magnus, wake up! You’re missing something here.’

He merely groaned. A faint drunken muttering.

Christian could feel the lump in his stomach growing. This was wrong. He could see Alice staring at him, wordlessly pleading for help. But her eyes looked just like they had when she’d looked up at him from underwater, and he couldn’t make himself move, couldn’t help her. All he could do was lie on his side and let the world keep spinning.

‘I get first dibs,’ said Erik, unbuttoning his shorts. ‘Hold her down if she starts fighting.’

Kenneth nodded. His face was pale, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Alice’s breasts gleaming white in the moonlight. Erik forced her down on to her back, forced her to lie still and stare up at the sky. At first Christian felt relieved that her eyes had disappeared. They were staring at the stars instead of at him. Then the lump inside of him grew, and with an effort he hauled himself into a sitting position. The voices were screaming at him, and he knew that he should do something, but he didn’t know what. Alice didn’t say a word. She just lay there and let Erik separate her legs, let him lie down on top of her, push inside of her.

He began sobbing. Why did she have to ruin everything? Take what was his, follow him everywhere, love him? He had never asked her to love him. He hated her. And she just lay there.

Erik suddenly stopped moving, then groaned. He pulled out and buttoned his fly. He lit a cigarette, cupping his hand around the match, and then looked at Kenneth.

‘Your turn.’

‘You mean me?’ stammered Kenneth.

‘Yes, now it’s your turn,’ said Erik, and his tone of voice demanded obedience.

Kenneth hesitated. Then he looked at Alice’s breasts again, those firm breasts with the pink nipples that had turned hard in the summer breeze. Slowly he began unbuttoning his shorts, then he started moving faster until he practically threw himself on top of Alice, and began thrusting at her. It didn’t take long before he too groaned, his body rippling with spasms.

‘Impressive,’ said Erik, puffing on his cigarette. ‘Now it’s Magnus’s turn.’ He pointed at Magnus who had fallen asleep, drooling saliva out of the corner of his mouth.

‘Magnus? He’ll never be able to do it. He’s too sloshed.’ Kenneth laughed. He wasn’t looking at Alice any more.

‘Then we’ll have to help him out,’ said Erik, lifting Magnus up. ‘Come on, give me a hand,’ he said to Kenneth, who rushed to his side. Together they dragged Magnus over to Alice, and Erik began unbuttoning his trousers.

‘Pull down his underpants,’ he ordered Kenneth, who with an expression of distaste did as he was told.

Magnus wasn’t ready to do anything, and for a moment Erik looked annoyed. He gave Magnus a few kicks, which woke him up a bit.

‘Let’s just put him down on top of her. But he’s going to fuck her too.’

The voices were quieter now, echoing inside his head. Christian felt like he was watching a film, not something that was actually happening, or something he was participating in. He saw how they dropped Magnus down on top of Alice, how he woke up enough to start making disgusting animal-like sounds. He never got as far as the others; just passed out halfway through, his body heavy on top of Alice.

But Erik was satisfied. He dragged Magnus off because he was ready again. The sight of Alice lying there, so beautiful and remote, seemed to excite him. Harder and harder he thrust into her, holding her long hair wrapped around his hand and pulling so hard that he pulled out big tufts of it.

Then she started to scream. The sound was sudden and unexpected, piercing the night, and Erik abruptly stopped. He looked down at her. Began to panic. He needed to make her stop screaming.

Christian heard the screams forcing their way into his silence. He put his hands over his ears, but that didn’t help. It was the same screaming as when she was a baby, when she took everything away from him. He saw how Erik was sitting astride her, saw him raise his hand and then hit her, how he too was trying to make the screams stop. Alice’s head thumped against the wooden deck with each blow, bouncing up as it struck. And then came the sound of something crunching as Erik’s fist struck the bones of her face. He saw how Kenneth, very pale, was staring at Erik. And Magnus had been awakened by the screaming. He sat up groggily, looking at Erik and Alice and his own unbuttoned trousers.

Then the screams stopped. It was very quiet. And Christian fled. He got up and ran – away from Alice, away from Badholmen. He ran home, in the front door, and upstairs to his room, where he got into bed and pulled the blanket over his head, over the voices.

Slowly the world stopped spinning.

‘We left her there.’ Kenneth couldn’t make himself look at Erica. ‘We just left her there.’

‘Then what happened?’ asked Erica. She still didn’t sound reproachful, which made him feel even worse.

‘I was terrified. In the morning when I woke up, I thought at first that it was all a bad dream, but when I realized that it really did happen, that we really had…’ His voice broke. ‘All day I waited for the police to knock on the door.’

‘But they didn’t?’

‘No. A couple of days later, we heard that the Lissanders had moved away.’

‘What about the three of you? Did you talk about it?’

‘No, never. It wasn’t that we agreed not to talk about it, we just never did. Until that Midsummer party when Magnus had a little too much to drink and he brought up the topic.’

‘That was the first time?’ asked Erica in disbelief.

‘Yes, that was the first time. But I knew that he was suffering. He was the one who had the hardest time living with what we’d done. I somehow managed to suppress it. I focused on Lisbet and my life. Chose to forget. And Erik… well, he didn’t even need to forget. I don’t think it bothered him at all.’

‘And yet the three of you remained friends all these years.’

‘Yes, and I don’t really know why. But we… deserved this.’ He motioned with his bandaged arms. ‘I deserve even worse, but Lisbet didn’t. She was completely innocent. The worst thing is that she must have learned what happened. I think that was the last thing she heard before she died. I wasn’t the person she thought I was. Our life together was a sham.’ He was trying to hold back the tears.

‘What the three of you did was horrible,’ said Erica. ‘There’s no other way to describe it. But the life you had with Lisbet was not a sham, and I think she knew that. No matter what she was told.’

‘I’m going to try to explain it to her,’ he said. ‘I know that it’s my turn next. She’s going to come for me too, and then I’ll have a chance to explain. I have to believe that’s possible, or else…’ He turned his face away.

‘What do you mean? Who’s coming for you?’

‘Alice, of course.’ Hadn’t Erica heard anything he’d said? ‘She’s the one who’s been doing all this.’

At first Erica didn’t reply. She just looked at him with pity.

‘It’s not Alice,’ she said then. ‘It’s not Alice.’

Patrik closed up the book. He didn’t understand everything – it was a little too deep for his taste, and the language was somewhat convoluted in places – but he’d been able to follow the basic story line. And he realized that he should have read the book earlier, because certain things were now becoming clear.

A memory surfaced in his mind. A fleeting image of the bedroom belonging to Cia and Magnus. Something he’d noticed but hadn’t thought important at the time. There was really no reason why it should have caught his attention, but he still couldn’t help reproaching himself.

He tapped in the number on his mobile.

‘Hi, Ludvig. Is your mother home?’ He stayed on the line as he listened to Ludvig’s footsteps and the faint murmur of voices. Then Cia picked up the phone.

‘Hi, it’s Patrik Hedström. I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve been wondering about one thing. What did Magnus do on the night before he disappeared? No, I don’t mean the whole evening, just after you’d gone to bed. He did? All night? Okay, thanks.’

He ended the conversation. It fit. Everything fit. But he knew he wouldn’t get far on theory alone. He needed concrete proof. And he wasn’t about to tell his colleagues his idea until he had that proof, because otherwise they might not believe him. But there was one person he could talk to, one person who should be able to help. He reached for his phone again.

‘Sweetheart, I know you’re not picking up because you think that I’m mad at you or that I’ll try to persuade you to stop what you’re doing. But I just finished reading The Mermaid, and I think we’re both on the same track. I need your help, so call me back as soon as you can. Hugs and kisses. I love you.’

‘The documents from Göteborg are here,’ said a voice from the doorway, making Patrik jump.

‘Oh, did I scare you?’ asked Annika. ‘I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me.’

‘No, I was thinking about something else,’ he said, giving himself a shake.

‘I think you should go over to the clinic for a check-up,’ Annika told him. ‘You’re not looking well.’

‘I’m just a bit tired,’ he murmured. ‘But that’s great news about the documents. I’ve got to go home for a while, so I’ll take them with me.’

‘They’re on my desk in the reception area.’ She was still looking worried.

Ten minutes later Patrik stepped out into the corridor, carrying the papers that Annika had given him.

‘Patrik!’ called Gösta behind him.

‘Yes?’ he said, sounding more annoyed than he had intended. But he was in a hurry to get going.

‘I’ve just talked to Erik Lind’s wife. Louise.’

‘And?’ said Patrik, still without any show of enthusiasm.

‘According to her, Erik is about to leave the country. He emptied all their bank accounts, both their personal accounts and the ones belonging to the company. He’s booked on a plane leaving from Landvetter airport at five o’clock.’

‘Really?’ said Patrik. His interest was now definitely aroused.

‘Yes, I’ve checked it out. What do you want us to do?’

‘Take Martin and leave for Göteborg immediately. I’ll make a call to make the necessary arrangements and ask our colleagues to meet you at the airport.’

‘That’ll be a real pleasure for me!’

Patrik couldn’t help smiling as he headed for his car. Gösta was right. It would be a pleasure to throw a monkey wrench into Erik’s plans. Then Patrik thought about the book he’d just read, and his smile disappeared. He hoped that Erica would be at home when he got there. He needed her help to put an end to this case.

Patrik had come to the same conclusion. Erica understood that as soon as she heard his message on her voicemail. But he didn’t know everything. He hadn’t heard the story that Kenneth had told her.

She’d been forced to make a detour to Hamburgsund to take care of something. But when she was back out on the motorway, she stomped on the accelerator. There really wasn’t any reason to hurry, but she was feeling impatient. It was time for all the secrets to be revealed.

As she turned into the driveway at their house, she saw Patrik’s car parked in front. She had phoned him to say that she was on her way and to ask if she should meet him at the police station. But by that time, he was already at home, waiting for her. And for her piece of the puzzle.

‘Hi, sweetheart.’ Erica went into the kitchen and gave her husband a kiss.

‘I’ve read the book,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘I should have worked it out sooner. But I read an unfinished manuscript. And in stages – not all in one sitting. I still don’t know how I could have missed it.’

‘I should have read the book earlier,’ said Patrik. ‘Magnus read it the night before he disappeared. Which was also most likely the night before he died. Christian had given him the manuscript. I just talked to Cia, and she said that Magnus started reading it in the evening and surprised her by staying up all night to finish it. She asked him about it in the morning, wanting to know whether it was a good book. But he told her that he didn’t want to discuss it until after he’d talked to Christian. The worst part is that if we go back and look through our notes, I’m sure we’ll find that Cia mentioned this before. We just didn’t think it was important and never gave it a second thought.’

‘Magnus must have understood everything after he read the manuscript,’ said Erica quietly. ‘And realized who Christian was.’

‘And Christian must have intended for him to find out. Otherwise he never would have given Magnus the manuscript.’

‘But why Magnus? Why not Kenneth or Erik?’

‘I think Christian was drawn back here to Fjällbacka, and to all three of the men,’ said Erica, thinking about what the psychiatrist Thorvald had said. ‘It may seem strange, and he probably couldn’t explain it himself. Then I think he may have actually grown to like Magnus. From everything I’ve heard about him, Magnus seems to have been a very nice person. He was also the one who participated against his will.’

‘How do you know that?’ asked Patrik, giving a start. ‘In the novel it just says that three boys were involved. But there aren’t a lot of details.’

‘I had a talk with Kenneth,’ said Erica calmly. ‘He told me everything about what happened on that night.’ Then she recounted Kenneth’s story, as Patrik’s face grew paler and paler.

‘Bloody hell. And they got away with it. Why didn’t the Lissanders ever report the rape? Why did they just leave Fjällbacka and then send Alice away?’

‘I don’t know. But I’m sure that Christian’s foster parents could answer those questions.’

‘So Erik, Kenneth, and Magnus raped Alice while Christian watched. Why didn’t he try to stop them? Why didn’t he help her? Is that why he got those threatening letters, even though he didn’t participate in the assault?’

Some of the colour had returned to Patrik’s face, and he took a deep breath before he went on:

‘Alice is the only one who had any reason to seek revenge, but she can’t be the one who did it. We also don’t know who’s to blame for this.’ He shoved a stack of papers over to Erica. ‘Here’s all the documentation from the investigation into the murders of Maria and Emil. They were drowned in their own bathtub. Someone held a one-year-old boy under the water until he stopped breathing, and then did the same thing with his mother. The only clue the police had was that a neighbour saw a woman with long dark hair leaving the flat. But as I said, it couldn’t have been Alice, and I don’t think it was Iréne either, even though she would also have a motive for doing such a thing. So who the hell was that woman?’ He pounded his fist on the table out of sheer frustration.

Erica waited for him to calm down. Then she said quietly:

‘I think I know. And I think I can prove it to you.’

Erik carefully brushed his teeth, put on his suit, and meticulously knotted his tie. Then he combed his hair and finished by ruffling it a bit with his fingers. He looked at himself in the mirror with satisfaction. He was a handsome and successful man who had his life under control.

He picked up his suitcase in one hand and his carry-on bag in the other. The plane ticket had been left for him at the front desk and was now securely stowed in his jacket pocket along with his passport. He took one last look in the mirror and then left the hotel room. He’d have time for a beer at the airport before boarding the plane. He could sit there in peace and quiet, watching all the Swedes rushing about, knowing that soon he would no longer have to deal with them. He’d never been especially fond of the Swedish temperament. Too much group thinking, too much talk about how everything had to be fair. Life wasn’t fair. Some people had better qualities than others. And in another country, he would have a good chance of taking advantage of those qualities.

He would soon be on his way. His fear of her was something that he pushed aside, burying it deep in his subconscious. Soon it wouldn’t matter. She would never be able to find him.

‘How do we get inside?’ asked Patrik as they stood at the door of the boathouse. Erica hadn’t wanted to say anything more about what she knew or suspected. She just insisted that he come with her.

‘I picked up the keys from Sanna,’ said Erica, taking a big key ring out of her purse.

Patrik smiled. Erica was nothing if not resourceful.

‘What are we looking for?’ he asked as he followed his wife into the small building.

She didn’t answer his question directly, but said, ‘This is the only place I could think of that Christian had all to himself.’

‘Doesn’t the boathouse belong to Sanna?’ Patrik asked, blinking his eyes to get used to the dim lighting.

‘On paper, yes. But this was where Christian always retreated in order to be alone and to write. I think he must have considered it his private refuge.’

‘And?’ said Patrik, sitting down on the narrow sofa next to the wall. He was so tired that his legs could barely hold him up any longer.

‘I don’t know.’ Erica looked around uncertainly. ‘I just thought that…’

‘What did you think?’ said Patrik. The boathouse wasn’t much of a hiding place, no matter what they were looking for. It consisted of two miniscule rooms, and the ceiling was so low that Patrik had to stoop. The place was filled with old fishing gear, and over by the window stood a worn drop-leaf table. Anyone who sat there would have a magnificent view of the Fjällbacka archipelago. And of Badholmen.

‘I hope we find out soon,’ said Patrik as he stared at the diving tower, a looming black shape against the sky.

‘Find out what?’ Erica was aimlessly roaming about in the cramped space.

‘Whether it was murder or suicide.’

‘You mean Christian?’ said Erica, but she didn’t wait for his answer. ‘If only I could find… damn it, I thought… then we’d be able to…’ She was muttering incoherently, and Patrik couldn’t help laughing at her.

‘You look like you’re really confused. Can’t you at least tell me what we’re looking for? Then maybe I could help.’

‘I think that Magnus was murdered here. And I was hoping I could find something…’ She scrutinized the rough, blue-painted wooden walls.

‘Here?’ Patrik got up and began studying the walls too. Then he looked at the floor and after a moment he said:

‘The rug.’

‘What do you mean? It’s perfectly clean.’

‘Exactly. It’s too clean. In fact, it looks brand-new. Here, help me lift it up.’ He grabbed hold of one end of the heavy rag rug. With an effort Erica picked up the other end.

‘Oh, sorry, sweetheart. It might be too heavy for you. Don’t strain yourself,’ said Patrik with concern as he heard his very pregnant wife puffing.

‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘Come on, let’s do it instead of standing here chattering.’

They moved the rug aside and looked at the wooden floorboards underneath. They looked very clean.

‘Maybe in the other room?’ said Erica. But when they glanced inside, they saw a floor that was equally clean, and without any rug on top.

‘I wonder if…’

‘What?’ asked Erica, but Patrik didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt down on the floor and began examining the cracks between the floorboards. After a moment he stood up.

‘We need to get the tech guys over here and then wait for their results. But I think you’re right. The place has been meticulously cleaned, but it looks like blood ran down between the planks.’

‘If that’s true, shouldn’t the planks have soaked up some of the blood too?’ said Erica.

‘Yes, but that would be hard to see with the naked eye if someone scrubbed the floor afterwards.’ Patrik squinted at the old planks, which were discoloured with age in numerous places.

‘So he died here?’ Even though Erica had been sure of her theory, she could still feel her heart beating faster.

‘Yes, I think so. And this place is close to the water, where the body could be dumped. So now will you tell me what’s going on?’

‘Let’s take another look around first,’ she said, ignoring the look of frustration on Patrik’s face. ‘Go and check up there.’ She pointed to the attic above them. The only access was by means of a rope ladder.

‘Are you kidding?’

‘It’s either you or me.’ And Erica demonstratively placed her hands on her huge stomach.

‘Okay,’ he said with a sigh. ‘I suppose it’s easy enough to climb up there. And I assume you’re still not going to tell me what I’m looking for, right?’

‘I’m not really sure,’ said Erica truthfully. ‘I just have a feeling that…’

‘A feeling? I’m supposed to climb up a rope ladder because of a feeling?’

‘Just do it.’

Patrik went up the ladder and crawled inside the attic.

‘Do you see anything?’ called Erica, craning her neck.

‘Of course I see something. But it’s mostly old blankets, rags, and a few comic books. It looks like the kids’ cubbyhole.’

‘Nothing else?’ said Erica, feeling discouraged.

‘No, it doesn’t look like it.’

Patrik began coming back down the rope ladder but then stopped midway.

‘What’s in there?’

‘Where?’

‘In there.’ He was pointing to a hatch door right next to the opening to the attic.

‘That’s usually where people store their junk in boathouses, but let’s check.’

‘Okay, take it easy. I’ll do it.’ He tried to balance on the ladder as he used one hand to jiggle the hasp loose. He could see that it was possible to lift away the entire hatch door, so he gripped one side of it, pulled it off, and handed it to Erica below. Then he turned to look inside.

‘What the hell?’ he said in surprise.

Suddenly the hooks that attached the ladder to the ceiling gave way, and with a crash Patrik fell to the floor.

Louise filled a wine glass with mineral water, then raised it to drink a toast. It would soon be all over for him. The police officer she’d spoken to had understood immediately what was going on. And he’d told her that they would be taking prompt action. He had also thanked her for ringing. ‘You’re very welcome,’ she had replied. ‘It was my pleasure.’

I wonder what they’ll do with him? she mused. The idea hadn’t really occurred to Louise until now. Her only thought was to stop him, prevent him from fleeing like a cowardly brute with his tail between his legs. But what would happen if Erik was sent to prison? Would she still get back all the money? She started feeling anxious, but then calmed down. Of course she’d get the money back. And she planned to thoroughly enjoy spending every öre of it. He would sit there in his prison cell, knowing that she was using up all of his – and her – money. And he wouldn’t be able to do shit about it.

Suddenly she made up her mind. She wanted to see his expression. She wanted to see how he looked when he realized it was all over.

‘I’ve seen a lot in my day, but this… this takes the cake,’ said Torbjörn. He was standing on the ladder that they’d borrowed from the boathouse next door.

‘It really does beat all,’ said Patrik, rubbing the small of his back, which he’d hit hard when he fell. His chest was aching a bit too.

‘There’s no doubt that it’s blood, at any rate. And a lot of it.’ Torbjörn pointed at the floor, which now had an odd sheen to it. The luminol revealed all traces of blood, no matter how much the surface had been scrubbed. ‘We’ve taken a few samples that the lab should be able to match with the victim’s blood.’

‘Good. Thanks.’

‘So these things belong to Christian Thydell?’ said Torbjörn. ‘The man we cut down from the diving tower?’ He crawled into the small space, and Patrik cautiously climbed up the ladder to join him.

‘That’s what it looks like.’

‘But why…?’ Torbjörn began but then stopped himself. This wasn’t his case. His task was to secure the technical evidence, and with time he’d have all the answers. He pointed.

‘Is this the letter you were talking about?’

‘Yes. At least it proves that his death was definitely a suicide.’

‘It certainly does,’ said Torbjörn, although he still couldn’t believe his eyes. The whole space was filled with female belongings. Clothes, make-up, jewellery, shoes. And a wig with long, dark hair.

‘We’re going to bring everything in. It’ll take a while to collect it all.’ Torbjörn carefully backed up until he reached the edge of the hatch and could lower his feet to follow Patrik down the ladder. ‘I’ve seen a lot of things in my day…’ he muttered again.

‘I’m going back to the station. There are a number of matters I need to review before I can present my report to everyone,’ said Patrik. ‘Give me a ring later, after you’ve finished here.’ He turned to Paula, who was intently watching the crime techs as they worked.

‘Are you staying here?’

‘Absolutely,’ she said.

Patrik left the boathouse and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air outdoors. After they found Christian’s hiding place, Erica had told him more of the story. Combined with the letter they’d found, the pieces of the puzzle were now falling into place, one by one. It was incomprehensible, but he knew that it was true. He understood everything now. And when Gösta and Martin came back from Göteborg, he’d be able to explain the whole sad tale to his colleagues.

‘It’s almost two hours until the plane takes off. We didn’t really need to get here so early.’ Martin glanced at his watch as they approached Landvetter airport.

‘I don’t think we need to just sit on our tails and wait for him,’ said Gösta as he turned into the car park outside the international terminal. ‘Let’s go in and take a look around, and if we find him, we nab the son-of-a-bitch.’

‘Shouldn’t we wait for backup from Göteborg?’ asked Martin. It always made him anxious if things weren’t done by the book.

‘You and I can easily handle this guy,’ said Gösta.

‘Okay,’ said Martin doubtfully.

They climbed out of the car and went inside the airport.

‘So, how should we do this?’ Martin glanced around the terminal.

‘How about a cup of coffee? We can survey the scene at the same time.’

‘But shouldn’t we walk around and look for Erik?’

‘What did I just say?’ said Gösta. ‘We can keep an eye out for him at the same time. If we sit over there,’ and he pointed to a coffee stand in the middle of the departure hall, ‘we’ll have an excellent view in both directions. He’ll have to walk past us when he gets here.’

‘Okay, you’re right about that.’ Martin relented. He knew there was no use arguing once Gösta had set his mind on having a cup of coffee.

They each bought coffee and an almond cake. Then they sat down at a table. Gösta beamed as he took his first bite.

‘This is food for the soul.’

Martin didn’t bother to point out that an almond cake didn’t really qualify as food. But he couldn’t deny that it was delicious. He had just stuffed the last piece in his mouth when he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye.

‘Look, isn’t that him?’

Gösta quickly turned around.

‘Yup. You’re right. Come on, let’s bring him in.’ He stood up with unusual speed, and Martin jumped up to follow. Erik was walking away at a good clip, with a carry-on bag in one hand and a big suitcase in the other. He was impeccably dressed in a suit and tie with a white shirt.

Gösta and Martin had to jog to catch up with him. Since Gösta had been the first to get up from the table, he reached Erik first, clapping a hand on the man’s shoulder.

‘Erik Lind? We’re going to have to ask you to come with us.’

Erik turned around with a look of surprise on his face. For a second he seemed to consider running, but he settled for shaking off Gösta’s hand.

‘There must be some sort of misunderstanding. I’m leaving on a business trip,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what this is about, but I have a plane to catch. I’m going to an important meeting.’ Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

‘I’m afraid you’ll still have to come with us. You’ll have a chance to present your own explanations a little later,’ said Gösta, ushering Erik towards the exit. Everyone nearby had stopped to stare.

‘I’m telling you that I have to get on that plane!’

‘I understand,’ said Gösta calmly. Then he turned to Martin. ‘Would you mind taking his baggage?’

Martin nodded but swore inwardly. He never got to do the fun stuff.

‘So it was Christian?’ Anna’s mouth fell open in surprise.

‘Yes – and no,’ said Erica. ‘I talked to Thorvald about it, and we’ll never know for sure. But by all indications, that’s what happened.’

‘Christian had a split personality? And his two selves didn’t know about each other?’ Anna sounded sceptical. She’d come right over when Erica phoned after returning from the boathouse. Patrik had to go back to the station, and Erica didn’t want to be alone. Her sister Anna was the only one she wanted to confide in about everything she’d found out.

‘Apparently. Thorvald suspected that Christian must have been schizophrenic. His disease also showed aspects of what’s called dissociative identity disorder. That was what caused the split in his personality. It can stem from an enormous amount of stress, as a way of dealing with reality. And Christian definitely had some terribly traumatic events in his past. First his mother’s death, and the week that he spent with her body. Then what, in my opinion, was outright child abuse, if not psychotic behaviour at the hands of Iréne Lissander. The way that Christian’s foster parents decided to ignore him after Alice was born must have felt like being abandoned all over again. And so he blamed the baby – he blamed Alice.’

‘And he tried to drown her?’ Anna placed a protective hand on her stomach.

‘Yes. Alice’s father saved her, but she suffered serious brain damage from oxygen deprivation. Mr Lissander decided to protect Christian by never speaking of what happened. He probably thought he was doing the boy a service, but I’m not sure he made the right decision. Imagine growing up knowing that you’d done something like that. The guilt must have been horrendous. The older Christian got, the more aware he became of what he’d done. And his feelings of guilt were probably even greater because Alice loved him.’

‘In spite of what he’d done to her.’

‘She never knew. Nobody knew, except for Ragnar Lissander and Christian.’

‘And then the rape.’

‘Yes. Then the rape,’ said Erica, and she felt her throat close up. She tallied up everything that had happened in Christian’s life, as if it were a mathematical problem that was finally solved. But in reality, it was a tragedy.

The phone rang and she answered.

‘Erica Falck. Yes? No. No, I have no comment. Don’t call me again.’ And she angrily slammed down the phone.

‘What was that all about?’ asked Anna.

‘A newspaper reporter. They wanted me to say something about Christian’s death. The vultures are circling again. And they don’t even know the whole story yet.’ She sighed. ‘Poor, poor Sanna.’

‘But when did Christian get sick?’ Anna was still looking confused, and Erica could understand why. She had asked tons of follow-up questions when she talked to Thorvald, and he had patiently tried to answer all of them.

‘His mother was schizophrenic, and it’s an inherited condition. It often surfaces during the teenage years, and that’s when Christian may have started to notice something was wrong without fully understanding it. A sense of anxiety, dreams, voices, visions – there are many different symptoms. Mr and Mrs Lissander probably never noticed, because he left home right about that time. Or rather, he was chased away.’

‘Chased away?’

‘Yes, that’s what it said in the letter that Christian left in the boathouse. The Lissanders assumed, without even investigating, that Christian was the one who had raped Alice. And he didn’t defend himself. Presumably he felt so guilty because he hadn’t intervened and protected her, that he thought he might as well have done it himself. But that’s just my own speculation,’ said Erica.

‘So they threw him out?’

‘Yes, and at the moment I can’t say how that might have affected his disease. But Patrik should look for some sort of medical case files. If Christian received any type of care or treatment when he arrived in Göteborg, there should be a record somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding it.’

Erica paused. It was so hard for her to comprehend everything that Christian must have gone through. And everything he had done.

‘Patrik thinks that the police will reopen the investigation into the murders of the woman that Christian was living with, and her little boy,’ she went on. ‘Considering everything that has now come to light.’

‘Do they think that Christian killed them too? But why?’

‘It’s highly likely that we’ll never know for sure whether he did it,’ said Erica. ‘Or why. If the other part of his personality – the Mermaid, or Alice, whatever you want to call her – was mad at the Christian part, maybe she couldn’t stand to see him happy. That’s Thorvald’s theory, anyway, and he may be right. Perhaps Christian’s happiness unleashed something. But as I said, I don’t think we’ll ever really know the answer.’