The Fire Witness

11

An old woman is making her bed. She looks up and Joona recognizes her at once. It is the woman who approached him outside Adolf Fredrik Church and who showed him the tarot cards.

“Are you Rosa Bergman?” Joona asks.

“Yes,” she says, shyly holding out her hand.

“You had a message for me,” he says softly.

“Oh my goodness… I don’t remember,” she says, and sits down on her sofa.

Joona swallows hard and steps closer.

“You asked me why I’m pretending my daughter is dead.”

“Well, you shouldn’t do that,” she reprimands him. “It’s not a nice thing to do at all.”

“What do you know about my daughter?” Joona asks gently, taking another step. “Have you heard anything at all?”

She smiles absently and Joona has to look away. He tries to think clearly. His hands are shaking. He goes to her tiny kitchenette to steady them and makes two cups of coffee.

“Rosa, this is very important,” he says slowly as he sets the cups down on her coffee table. “It’s extremely important to me.”

Rosa blinks a few times. It is clear she’s grown suddenly frightened. “Who are you? Has something happened to Mother?”

“Rosa, do you remember a little girl named Lumi? Her mother’s name is Summa and you helped them to…”

Joona falls silent as he sees her wandering, lost gaze.

“Why did you come to Stockholm to find me?” he asks, although he knows his question won’t be answered.

Rosa Bergman begins to cry. A nurse comes in and comforts her in a practiced manner.

She says quietly to Joona, “Come with me. I’ll show you out.”

They walk along the wide hall, designed for wheelchairs.

“How long has she been suffering from dementia?” Joona asks.

“Things went quickly for Maja. We started to see the first signs last summer, so, for about a year. In the old days, they used to call it a second childhood, which is not so far from the truth.”

“If she… if she’s able to think clearly at all…” Joona says seriously.

“It’s unlikely,” the nurse says, but you never know. “I can call you.”

“My card,” Joona says, and hands it to her.

She looks impressed. “Detective Inspector?” She tacks it to the bulletin board behind her desk.