Buried Angels (16 page)

Annika turned to face him, clasping her hands in her lap.

‘I can’t say anything. When Martin is ready, he’ll tell you.’

Patrik sighed, and all sorts of thoughts whirled through his head as he sat down on the visitor’s chair next to the door.

‘So what do you think about this case?’

‘I think you’re right.’ Annika was clearly relieved that Patrik had chosen to change the subject. ‘The fire and the disappearance are connected in some way. And considering what was discovered under the floor, it seems likely that somebody was afraid Ebba and her husband would find it as they were renovating the house.’

‘My dear wife has been fascinated by the story of the missing family for a long time.’

‘And now you’re worried that she’s going to stick her sweet nose in the investigation,’ Annika added.

‘You could put it that way, but I’m hoping Erica’s smart enough not to interfere this time.’

Annika smiled, and Patrik realized that he didn’t believe his own words.

‘She probably has a lot of interesting background information, since she’s so good at doing research. Provided she can manage to keep a low profile when it comes to the actual investigation, she might actually be able to help us out,’ said Annika.

‘Except that she’s not very good at keeping a low profile.’

‘But she
is
good at taking care of herself. So where are you planning to start?’

‘I’m not sure.’ Patrik crossed his legs and absentmindedly fidgeted with the toe of his shoe. ‘We need to interview everybody who was involved when it happened. Gösta is getting us contact information for all the teachers and students. The most important thing is to have a talk with those five boys who were on the island that day. I’ve asked Gösta to prioritize the list of individuals and decide who he thinks we should interview first. Then I was thinking that you could do background checks, based on what Gösta finds out. I don’t have the greatest faith in his organizational abilities, so I really should have asked you to work with him on this assignment. But he’s the one who knows most about the case.’

‘At least he seems very keen to pursue the investigation. For a change,’ said Annika. ‘And I think I know why. I’ve heard that he and his wife took in the little Elvander girl for a while.’

‘Ebba lived with Gösta?’

‘That’s what I’ve heard.’

‘That explains why he was acting so strange out there on the island.’ Patrik recalled the way Gösta had looked at Ebba. How he had behaved, touching her arm.

‘That’s probably why he hasn’t ever been able to forget about the case. Apparently they got very attached to the little girl.’ Annika’s gaze fell on the large framed photo of Leia that she kept on her desk.

‘That makes sense,’ said Patrik. There was so much that he didn’t know, so much he needed to find out about what happened back then on Valö. Suddenly the task ahead of him seemed daunting. Was it really possible to solve this old case after all these years? And how urgent was it?

‘Do you think the person who tried to burn down the house will try again?’ asked Annika, as if she had read his thoughts.

Patrik pondered the question. Then he nodded.

‘It’s possible. We can’t afford to take any risks. We’ll have to work fast to find out what really happened on that Easter Eve. Whoever it was that tried to hurt Ebba and Tobias must be stopped before they strike again.’

Anna stood naked in front of the mirror, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t recognize herself. Slowly she raised her hand to touch her hair. When it grew out again after the accident, her hair was darker and more wiry than before, and it was still much shorter. A visit to the hairdresser might fix things, but the idea didn’t appeal to her. A new hairstyle wasn’t going to change her body.

With a trembling hand she traced the scars that ran across her skin, forming a criss-crossing map. The lines had faded a bit, but they would never disappear completely. Listlessly she pinched the roll of fat at her waist. She’d always managed to stay thin with minimum effort, and she’d been so proud of her figure. Now she gazed with disgust at her plump flesh. Because of her injuries, she hadn’t been able to move around much, and she hadn’t cared what she stuffed in her mouth. Anna raised her head to study her face, hardly daring to meet her own eyes. Thanks to the children and to Dan, she’d fought her way back to life, out of a darkness that had been worse than anything she’d ever experienced, worse even than those years with Lucas. The question now was whether it had been worth it. She didn’t yet know the answer.

The sound of the doorbell startled her. She was home alone, so she would have to go and see who it was. Taking one last look at her body, she threw on her comfy clothes, which lay in a heap on the floor, and rushed downstairs. When she saw Erica standing outside the door, she was filled with relief.

‘Hi, what’s going on?’ said Erica.

‘Nothing much. Come in. Where are the kids?’

‘At home. Kristina is babysitting. I had a few things that I needed to get done. So I thought I’d drop by before I head back there.’

‘Good idea,’ said Anna and led the way to the kitchen to make coffee. Again she pictured her plump white flesh in the mirror, but then she pushed the image aside and took some chocolate macaroons out of the fridge.

‘Oh, no, I daren’t eat any of those,’ said Erica with a frown. ‘I put on a bikini over the weekend, and it was not a pleasant sight.’

‘How can you say that? You look great,’ said Anna, unable to hide a hint of bitterness. Erica followed her outside to the small patio at the back of the house.

‘Nice lawn furniture. Is it new?’ She ran her hand over the white-painted wood.

‘Yes, we found them at Paulssons, near the old Evas Livs supermarket, you know.’

‘You’re really good at finding nice things,’ said Erica, positive that Anna was going to like the idea she’d come up with.

‘Thanks. So where have you been today?’

‘Out at the summer camp,’ said Erica. And she told her sister about the visit.

‘How exciting. So they’ve found blood but no bodies? Something must have happened there, at any rate.’

‘It certainly seems that way.’ Erica reached for a macaroon. She picked up a knife to divide it in half, but changed her mind and set the knife down. She took a bite of the pastry.

‘Big smile,’ said Anna, for a moment feeling a warm surge of childish glee.

Erica understood exactly what she was thinking and smiled broadly, showing her teeth covered with chocolate.

‘Check this out,’ she then said, taking two straws from the tray. She stuck one in each nostril and crossed her eyes, smiling again to reveal her brown teeth.

Anna couldn’t help giggling. She remembered how she’d loved it whenever her big sister acted silly when they were kids. Erica had always been so grown up and serious, more like a mother than an older sister.

‘I bet you can’t drink through your nose like you used to,’ said Erica.

‘Of course I can,’ replied Anna, insulted. She stuck a straw in each nostril, then leaned forward and put the straws in the glass. She breathed in through her nose. When the juice reached her nostrils, she started coughing and sneezing uncontrollably, and Erica burst out laughing.

‘What on earth are the two of you doing?’

Dan had arrived without them hearing, and when they saw his expression, the sisters collapsed with laughter. They pointed at each other and tried to explain, but they were laughing so much they couldn’t manage a single word.

‘I can see that I should never come home unannounced.’ Dan shook his head and left.

Finally they calmed down, and Anna noticed that the lump in the pit of her stomach had eased a bit. She and Erica had had their differences over the years, but nobody could affect her as deeply as her sister. No one could make her as angry as Erica did, but no one could make her so happy either. They were for ever linked by an invisible bond, and Anna realized how much she needed her sister as she sat across from Erica and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.

‘After he’s seen you like this, you better not count on any hugs and kisses tonight,’ said Erica.

Anna snorted. ‘I doubt it’ll make the slightest difference. But let’s change the subject. It seems a little incestuous to talk about my sex life when my fiancé used to sleep with my sister …’

‘Good Lord, that was a hundred years ago. To be honest, I can’t remember what he looks like naked.’

Anna made a show of sticking her fingers in her ears, and Erica shook her head, laughing.

‘Okay, I promise. Let’s talk about something totally different.’

Anna took her fingers from her ears. ‘So tell me more about Valö. What’s the daughter like? What’s her name? Ebba?’

‘Yes, Ebba,’ said Erica. ‘She’s living there with her husband, Tobias. They’re planning to renovate the place and open a bed and breakfast.’

‘Do you think they can make a go of it? The tourist season is short here.’

‘I haven’t a clue, but I suspect they’re not doing it for the money. The project seems to have a different purpose.’

‘Well, it might work. The place does have potential.’

‘I know. And that’s where you come in.’ Erica pointed at her sister, a hint of excitement in her voice.

‘Me?’ said Anna. ‘How did I get mixed up in this?’

‘You’re not. At least, not yet. But you could be. I’ve had the most amazing idea.’

‘So modest, as always,’ giggled Anna, but her curiosity was aroused.

‘Ebba and Tobias were actually the ones who brought up the subject. They’re good at doing the renovation and manual labour, but they need help with the finishing touches, creating the right sort of ambience. And you’re exactly who they need: you have a flair for interior design, you know antiques, and you have good taste. So you’re the perfect person for the job!’ Erica caught her breath and then took a sip of juice.

Anna could hardly believe her ears. This might be a way to find out if she could work as a freelance interior designer. This could be her first consulting job. She could feel the smile forming on her face.

‘What did you tell them? Do you think they want to hire somebody? Can they afford it? What sort of style do you think they have in mind? It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. In fact, it would be more fun to go around to country auctions and source good furniture and odds and ends at knockdown prices. I’d think that out there on the island a rather old-fashioned, romantic style would work best, and I know where to get hold of some beautiful fabrics, and …’

Erica raised her hand.

‘Hey, calm down! The answer is no – I didn’t tell them about you. All I said was that I might know someone who could help. I have no idea what their budget is, but why don’t you give them a call? Then we could head out there together and have a meeting with them, if they’re interested.’

Anna narrowed her eyes and looked at Erica.

‘You just want an excuse to go out there again and snoop around.’

‘Maybe … But I also think it’s a brilliant idea for you to meet them. You’d be terrific at this kind of project.’

‘It’s true that I’ve been thinking about starting some sort of business of my own.’

‘So let’s go! I’ll give you their number, and you can call them yourself.’

Anna sensed a spark of something new ignite inside of her. Enthusiasm. That was probably the word that best described it. For the first time in ages she felt truly enthusiastic.

‘Okay, give me the number before I change my mind,’ she said, picking up her mobile.

The interview continued to bother him. It was so frustrating to have to watch what he said and not speak his mind. The journalist he’d talked to this morning was an idiot. Most people were idiots. They refused to see things as they really were, which made his responsibility even greater.

‘Do you think the party will suffer any damage?’ John Holm twirled his wine glass in his hands.

His wife shrugged. ‘Probably not. It’s not one of the major newspapers.’ She tucked her hair behind her ear and put on her glasses to start reading through the stack of documents in front of her.

‘It doesn’t take much for an interview to get picked up by other papers. They’re after us like hawks, always alert for the smallest reason to attack.’

Liv peered at him over the top of her reading glasses. ‘Don’t tell me that you’re surprised. You know who has the power over the media in this country.’

Holm nodded. ‘No need to preach to the choir.’

‘But after the next election, things are going to be different. People will finally wake up to what’s happening in our society.’ She gave him a triumphant smile and went back to leafing through the documents.

‘I wish I had your faith. Sometimes I wonder whether the public will ever understand. Have Swedes grown too lazy and stupid, too multicultural and degenerate to comprehend that the monster is spreading? They might have too little pure blood flowing in their veins for us to have anything worth working for.’

Liv stopped reading. Her eyes glinted as she sized up her husband.

‘Now listen here, John. Ever since we met, you’ve had a very clear goal. You’ve always known what you have to do, what you’re destined to do. If no one listens – well, then you need to speak louder. If someone questions your views – well, then you need to present a better argument. We finally have a seat in parliament, and it’s the people, the very people that you’re now doubting, who have seen fit to put us there. Forget about some minor journalist quibbling over our budget figures. We know that we’re right, and that’s the only thing that matters.’

Holm smiled at her. ‘You sound exactly the same as when I met you at the youth association. Although I have to say that you look better with hair than without.’ He went over and kissed the top of her head.

Aside from her quick temper and fierce rhetoric, there was nothing about his aloof, fashionably dressed wife to remind him of the skinhead in military garb that he’d fallen in love with. But he loved her more than ever now.

‘It’s an article in a local paper, that’s all.’ Liv squeezed his hand, which he’d placed on her shoulder.