out as a possible suspect.’
‘Let me guess,’ said Annika acidly. ‘Could it possibly have been a certain Kaj Wiberg?’
‘That’s right,’ said Gösta. ‘I gave Patrik all the documents I have about their contacts with us over the years.’
‘A waste of time and resources,’ said Ernst. ‘It’s completely absurd to believe that Kaj had anything to do with the girl’s death.’
‘Oh, right, you two know each other,’ said Gösta and gave Patrik a questioning look to see whether he was aware of this. Patrik confirmed with a nod that he knew.
‘At any rate,’ Patrik interrupted when Ernst again tried to say something, ‘we’ll continue to investigate Kaj to decide as soon as possible whether he was involved. And we need to keep all options open at this stage. First we have to find out more about the girl and her family. I thought Ernst and I would begin by talking to the girl’s teachers to see whether they know of any problem concerning the family. Since we know so little, we might need to get some help from the local press as well. Would you be able to help with that, Bertil?’
He got no answer and repeated a bit louder: ‘Bertil?’ Still no answer. Mellberg seemed far away in his own thoughts as he stood leaning on the door jamb. After raising his voice another notch, Patrik finally got a reaction.
‘Oh, sorry. What did you say?’ asked Mellberg. Patrik once again had a hard time believing that he was the one playing the part of chief in this building.
‘I just wondered whether you might consider talking to the local press. Tell them it was a murder and that anyone’s information is of interest. I have a feeling we’re going to need the public’s help on this case.’
‘Oh, uh, of course,’ said Mellberg, who still had a dazed look on his face. ‘Okay, I’ll talk to the press.’
‘All right. That’s about all we can do for now,’ said Patrik, slapping his hands on his desk. ‘Any more questions?’
No one said a word, and after a few seconds of silence everyone began gathering up their things as if on command.
‘Ernst?’ Patrik stopped his colleague just as he was heading out the door. ‘Will you be ready to go in half an hour?’
‘Go where?’ Ernst demanded with his usual grumpiness.
Patrik took a deep breath. Sometimes he wondered whether he just thought he was talking while really it was only his lips moving. ‘To Sara’s school. To talk to her teachers,’ he said, carefully enunciating each word.
‘Oh right, that. Sure, I can be ready in half an hour,’ said Ernst, turning his back to Patrik.
Patrik gave him a dirty look. He would give this unwelcome partner of his a couple more days before he dared to defy Mellberg and discreetly take Molin along instead.
STRÖMSTAD 1924
The pleasure of novelty had truly begun to wear off. The whole winter had been filled with trysts, and at first Agnes had enjoyed every moment. But now that winter was in retreat and spring was quietly approaching, she felt indolence beginning to creep in. To be honest, she no longer saw what it was about him that she had found so attractive. Of course he was good-looking, she couldn’t deny that, but his speech was crude and uneducated and there was a constant odour of sweat about him. It had also become harder and harder to sneak down to his place, now that the winter darkness was relinquishing its protective cover. No, she would have to put an end to this, she decided as she sat in front of the mirror in her room.
She attended to the last details of her dress and went down to have breakfast with her father. She had seen Anders yesterday, so her body was still overwhelmed by a great weariness. She sat down at the breakfast table after kissing her father on the cheek and began listlessly cracking open the shell of a soft-boiled egg. Her exhaustion made the smell of the egg turn her stomach.
‘What is it, my heart?’ August asked in concern, gazing at her across the large table.
‘Just a little tired,’ she replied miserably. ‘I didn’t sleep well last night.’
‘You poor thing,’ he said in sympathy. ‘See that you eat something, then you can go back to bed for a while. Perhaps we should take you to see Dr Fern. You’ve been rather out of sorts all winter.’
Agnes couldn’t help smiling, though she had to hide the smile hastily behind her serviette. With a downcast look she answered her father, ‘Yes, I have been a bit worn out. But it was probably mostly because of the winter darkness. Just wait, once spring comes I’ll be more lively again.’
‘Hmm, well, we shall see. But think about it. Perhaps the doctor should have a look at you all the same.’
‘Yes, Father,’ she said, forcing herself to take a bite of egg.
She shouldn’t have done that. The instant she put the boiled egg-white in her mouth she felt her stomach turn over and something rose up in her throat. She jumped up from the table and with her hand to her mouth she dashed to the toilet they had on the ground floor. She had scarcely raised the lid before a cascade of yesterday’s dinner mixed with gall splashed into the toilet bowl. She felt her eyes fill with tears. Her stomach turned inside out several more times. She waited a while, and when there didn’t seem to be any more coming, she wiped her mouth in disgust and left the little room on shaky legs. Outside stood her father, looking worried.
‘Dear heart, how are you?’
She just shook her head and swallowed to get rid of the repulsive taste of vomit in her mouth.
August put his arm round her shoulders, led her into the parlour, and sat her down on one of the sofas. He put his hand on her forehead.
‘Agnes, you’re in a cold sweat. No, I’m going to ring Dr Fern at once and ask him to come over and have a look at you.’
Agnes managed only a feeble nod, then lay down on the sofa and shut her eyes. The room was spinning behind her closed eyelids.
9
It was like living in a shadow world with no connection to reality. Anna hadn’t really had a choice, and yet she was consumed by doubt that she had done the right thing. She knew that nobody else would understand. After she’d finally succeeded in breaking away from Lucas, why had she gone back to him? Especially when he’d done what he had to Emma. The answer was that she went back because she thought it was the only chance for her and her children to survive. Lucas had always been dangerous, yet he kept himself restrained. Now it was as though something had snapped inside him, and his self-control had yielded to a brooding insanity. That was the only way she could describe it: insanity. That had always been part of him; she’d sensed. Indeed, perhaps it was that underlying current of potential danger that had attracted her to him in the first place. Now it had risen to the surface and she feared for her life.
The fact that she had left him and taken the kids wasn’t the only reason that his madness had come to light. Several factors had combined to flip that little circuit-breaker inside him. Even his job, which had always been his biggest arena of success, had now betrayed him. A few failed business deals and his career was over. Just before Anna went back to him she had run into one of his colleagues, who had told her that Lucas was starting to act more and more irrationally on the job when things didn’t go well. He gave in to sudden outbursts of anger and aggressive attacks. Finally he had shoved an important client up against the wall and been fired on the spot. The client had pressed charges, so there would be an investigation as soon as the police got round to it.
The reports of Lucas’s mental condition had worried her, but it wasn’t until she came home one day to a totally vandalized flat that she realized she no longer had a choice.