The Sandman

140

Mikael is sitting in his room watching television with Berzelius. Reidar is heading downstairs, looking out through the row of windows at the snow lying on the fields outside like a grey glow. The sun never came up today, and it’s been dark since morning.

Birchwood is burning in the open fireplace and the post has been laid out on the table in the library. Beethoven’s late piano sonatas are streaming from the speakers.

Reidar sits down and glances quickly through the pile of post. His Japanese translator needs to know the exact titles and ages of various characters for the manga film adaptations of the books, and a producer from an American television company wants to discuss a new idea. At the bottom of the pile is a plain envelope with no sender’s address. Reidar’s address looks as if it had been written by a child.

He doesn’t know why his heart starts beating faster before he’s even opened the envelope and read the note:

Reidar’s hands are shaking as he gets to his feet and calls Joona. His phone is switched off. Reidar walks towards the hall. Obviously he’s aware it could be another hoax, but he has to go, he has to go at once. He takes the car keys from the bowl in the hall table, checks that his nitroglycerine spray is in his coat pocket, then rushes out.

While he’s driving to Stockholm he tries calling Joona again, then manages to get through to Joona’s colleague, Magdalena Ronander.

‘I know where Felicia is!’ he yells. ‘She’s on Södermalm, in a flat on Kvastmakarbacken.’

‘Is that Reidar?’ she asks.

‘Why’s it so damn difficult to get hold of anyone?’ Reidar roars.

‘You’re saying you know where Felicia is?’ Magdalena asks.

‘Kvastmakarbacken 1B,’ Reidar says, trying to sound calm and collected. ‘I received a letter this morning.’

‘We’d like to see the letter—’

‘I need to talk to Joona,’ Reidar interrupts, dropping the phone.

It slips down beside his seat and he swears to himself and hits the wheel angrily as he overtakes a grey articulated lorry. The windscreen gets soaked in dirty snow, and the car shudders in the wind.