Thank God Oscar was at the kindergarten. He banged on the door again.
“I told you to stay away from him. And you´re not dying,
I wish you were. And you have no right to anything, you drunken old bastard.”
“I will see my grandson. I will stay here and wait until you go and pick him up. You do have to pick him up, don´t you? I´ll stay here and wait for him.”
“Go away. Leave us alone or I´ll call the police.”
He gave a nasty little laugh. “Yes, call the police. What can they do, I´m just a harmless old man who wants to see his grandson. No harm in that, no harm at all. Maybe I´ll go to the dagis myself and wait for him there. They let them out to play, don´t they? I sometimes talk to him over the fence. Maybe he and I will take a little walk together.”
“I´ll kill you if you go anywhere near him, do you hear me, I´ll kill you.”
“Why? I won´t harm him. I wouldn´t do that. I just want to be with him a little.”
“Well you can´t. I don´t want you near him.”
“Well, we´ll see about that, won´t we? I have rights, too, I´m his grandfather. I want to see him and I will see him.”
Why oh why didn´t Sören do something to keep him away from here? Tilda thought as she had so many times before. This was his land after all; surely there must be something he could do? She would just have to pick Oscar up and take him to her mother´s in Färjestaden, because there was no way she was bringing him home with her father waiting on their front step.
She heard someone else coming towards her house outside. She peeped through her curtains. It was Magnus.
Magnus approached Per and laid a hand on his arm. “Per, why don´t you leave the poor girl alone, haven´t you done enough to her already?”
“I just want to see my grandson, that´s all.”
“He´s not here, Per. He´s at the dagis and won´t be home for hours. Look, I´ve got a nice bottle of Scotch Whisky in my office. How about we both go over there and have a sip to warm us up a bit. It´s a bit chilly this morning, don´t you think?”
Scotch whisky was not an offer Per Nielson got very often these days, except at his monthly meetings with Sören Hellström and even then it wasn´t exactly handed out voluntarily. Per willingly followed Magnus to his office. Tilda gave a sigh of relief. Magnus was the only one who could still handle the old man, but even his grip on him was waining. Please God, when would he die?
Magnus led Per Nielson to his office, which was located in a rectangular side building, just to the right side of the barn and the ostrich enclosure. He handed Per a glass of single malt. The whisky had been a birthday present from Sören but Magnus wasn´t really a great fan of Scotch whisky, or any whisky really. He preferred beer and the occasional glass of wine.
Magnus sat across from Per, “Per, why don´t you leave Tilda alone? She´s a good, hardworking girl and a single mother. You should be proud of her, not making her life more difficult.”
“I just want to see my grandson. I don´t want to make her life difficult. All she has to do is let me see him. But no, that´s too much to ask.”
“Per, are you actually surprised about that? She´s afraid of you and afraid you´ll hurt her son. After how you used to treat her and her sister and their mother, it´s no wonder is it?”
Per helped himself to another glass of single malt, Magnus didn´t comment, “I won´t hurt him or her. I don´t do that anymore. She should give me a chance, shouldn´t she? Everyone deserves a second chance, right?”
“She doesn´t trust you, Per.”
“Well, she could try, couldn´t she? Maybe you can talk to her, she trusts you. You could talk to her, tell her to give me another chance. Let me see my grandson. I have feelings, too you know.”
Magnus sighed; the old man was stubborn and ignorant.
He didn´t understand that Tilda didn´t give a shit about him and his feelings and she wasn´t interested in giving second chances, she just wanted him out of her life. But he needed to keep the old man placid, so he wouldn´t go about creating more havoc.
“Alright, Per, I´ll try and talk to her but you have to promise me that you will not go about creating trouble and upsetting people here at Rettinge anymore, alright? Sören Hellström is slowly losing patience with you, Per and this is his land and his gård.”
Per gave a vicious little laugh, “Oh I don´t have to worry about the high and mighty baron.”
“Oh really? And why is that, Per?”
Per leaned forward conspiratorially, “I know things about him, you know. He did something very bad once and I know. And he knows I know, so he won´t do anything about me or I´ll tell everyone and then he will be in big trouble. No more the high and mighty lord of the manor then, you know? I have him in my hand, you see? But I can´t tell you about his hideous crime, because he and I have an agreement, you know?”
Magnus was speechless for a moment. What was the old man talking about now? He had Sören in his hand? Sören had committed a crime?
Even if he had, how would Per know about it? And what on earth could Sören have done that was so bad that Per could threaten him with the knowledge of this hideous crime?
No, Per Nielson was a sick man with a sick delusional mind. But Per was obviously expecting some kind of reaction from him in regard to his sensational revelations about Sören Hellström. Magnus didn´t think it was a good idea to tell him that he didn´t believe a single word of it, so instead he just grunted non-committally and said, “Well, that´s very interesting Per and good for you, I guess. But I wouldn´t go round telling everyone you are privy to Sören´s terrible secret, because I´m not sure if people will believe you. And we don´t want to start any half-baked rumours, do we?”
Per seemed pleased with this answer,“Oh, I wouldn´t dream of it. If and when I tell the world what I know, there will be nothing half-baked about it. Because you see Magnus, I have real hard evidence against him and there will be no doubt about his guilt when I bring forward my evidence.”
Now Magnus knew that the old man was completely off his rocker. “Er, okay Per, that´s good. Now, as pleasant as it is chatting to you, I really must be getting on.”
“Oh, so must I, so must I. I have people to see and things to do.”
Magnus gave him a sharp look, “Now remember, Per, you promised no more trouble at Rettinge, if I talk to Tilda.” “Oh, don´t worry, my business at hand has nothing to do with Rettinge. In fact I shall be leaving Rettinge and Vickleby for the day. I have errands elsewhere.”
“Right, okay, that´s good.”
“So thank you for your help regarding Tilda and now I really must be on my way.”
Per left the office and headed for the alley leading down to the main road. He looked at his watch. He had a bus to catch to Färjestaden but there was still plenty of time. When he passed the örtagård he was just in time to see Annet Sjöquist come out and head for her car. She´s probably been discussing the schedule of her guided tours for the Skördefest with Alma, Per thought. Well no time like the present to remind her of her obligations to me. Per stepped in her way, “Ah, the lovely Miss Sjöquist, how pretty you look today.”
Annet tried to sneak past him quickly, but he held on to her arm. “But where to so quickly, my fair maiden?”
“I am warning you, Mr. Nielson, let go of my arm.”
He leaned in to her and she could smell the alcohol on his breath,” Or what? What are you going to do? Complain about me? I don´t think so. Because we both know what will happen then, don´t we? And we don´t want that, do we? So don´t forget about our little meetings, Miss Sjöquist, or everyone