The Preacher (20 page)

‘How much do you know about Tanja’s trip to Sweden?’

Pia translated the question fluently into German, and then translated Peter’s reply back to Swedish.

‘Not a thing. Unfortunately we did not part as friends, so after the divorce we hardly spoke to each other. When we were married she never mentioned that she wanted to travel to Sweden. She was more fond of taking sunny holidays in the south, to Spain or Greece. I should think she would have regarded Sweden as a country too cold to visit.’

Cold, Martin thought ironically, looking out the window at the water vapour steaming off the pavement. Okay, and there are polar bears walking the streets … He continued his questioning.

‘So she never mentioned that she had some business to take care of in Sweden, or any other connection here? Nothing about a place called Fjällbacka?’

Peter once again answered in the negative, and Martin couldn’t think of anything else to ask. He still didn’t know what Tanja had told her travelling companion was the purpose of her trip. One last question occurred to him just as he was about to thank Peter and say goodbye.

‘Is there anyone else we could ask? The only relative the German police told us about was you, but perhaps she had a woman friend?’

‘You really ought to ring her father. He lives in Austria. That’s probably why the police don’t have him in their records. Wait a minute, I’ll get his phone number.’

Martin heard Peter walk away and the sound of things being moved about. After a moment he returned. Pia continued translating, speaking extra clearly when she said the numbers he read off to her.

‘I’m not sure whether he can tell you anything either. Two years ago, right after we got divorced, he and Tanja had a real falling-out. She didn’t want to tell me why, but I don’t think they’d spoken in a long time. But you never know. Say hello to him from me.’

The conversation hadn’t produced much, but Martin thanked him for his help and asked if he might ring again if more questions came up.

Pia stayed on the line and anticipated his request by asking whether he wanted to ring Tanja’s father now so that she could help with interpreting.

The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. But Tanja’s ex-husband’s remark about a quarrel between Tanja and her father had aroused Martin’s curiosity. What would a father and daughter quarrel about that was serious enough to make them completely cut off contact with each other? And did it have any connection with Tanja’s trip to Fjällbacka and her interest in the disappearance of the two girls?

Deep in thought, Martin almost forgot that Pia was still on the line. He hurried to thank her profusely for her help. They agreed that she would help him ring Tanja’s father again the next day.

Martin stared long and hard at the photo of Tanja from the morgue. What was Tanja looking for in Fjällbacka, and what did she find?

Waddling cautiously, Erica made her way along the pontoon wharf in the marina. It was very unusual to see vacant spaces among the boat docks at this time of the year. Usually the sailboats were tied up in rows two and even three deep. But Tanja’s murder had thinned out the crowds and made quite a few sailors look for other harbours. Erica really hoped that Patrik and his colleagues would solve the case soon, otherwise it would be a hard winter for many of those who made their living from the tourists in the summertime.

Anna and Gustav had chosen to go against the flow and stay a couple of extra days in Fjällbacka. When Erica saw the boat, she understood why she couldn’t convince them to stay in the house with her and Patrik. It was magnificent. Dazzling white with a wooden deck, and big enough to house at least two other families, it loomed at the end of the wharf.

Anna waved happily when she saw Erica approaching and then helped her into the boat. Erica was fairly winded when she sat down, and Anna hurried to bring her a big glass of cold cola.

‘I suppose you must be getting sick and tired of this by now, towards the end?’

Erica rolled her eyes. ‘As if. But it’s probably nature’s way of getting us to look forward to the delivery. If only it wasn’t so bloody hot.’ She wiped her brow with a paper napkin, but instantly felt more drops of sweat running down her temples.

‘Poor baby.’ Anna gave her a sympathetic smile.

Gustav came up from the cabin and politely greeted Erica. He was as impeccably dressed as last time, and his teeth gleamed white in his suntanned face. In a disapproving tone of voice he said to Anna, ‘The breakfast dishes are still on the table below decks. I told you I wanted you to keep a little order on the boat. It won’t work otherwise.’

‘Oh, sorry. I’ll take care of it right away.’

The smile vanished from Anna’s face and with a lowered gaze she hurried down below. Gustav sat down next to Erica with a cold beer in his hand.

‘It’s impossible to live on a boat if you don’t keep things orderly and neat. Especially with children, otherwise everything gets so messy.’

Erica wondered to herself why he couldn’t have cleared the breakfast dishes himself, if it was such a big deal. He didn’t look crippled.

The mood was a little oppressive between them. Erica felt the chasm created by differences in background and upbringing begin to widen. She felt that she had to break the silence.

‘She’s a very lovely boat.’

‘Yes, she’s a real beauty.’ He swelled with pride. ‘I borrowed her from a good friend, but now I’m anxious to take the plunge and buy one myself.’

Silence again. Erica was grateful when Anna came back up the companionway and sat down next to Gustav. She set her drink on the other side. An annoyed frown appeared on Gustav’s face.

‘Could you please not put your glass there. It’ll leave a ring on the wood.’

‘Sorry,’ said Anna. Her voice was small and apologetic. She quickly picked up the glass.

‘Emma.’ Gustav switched his attention from mother to daughter. ‘You may not play with the sail, I already told you that. Get away from there at once.’ Anna’s four-year-old daughter played deaf and ignored him. Gustav was about to get up when Anna jumped to her feet.

‘I’ll get her. She didn’t hear you.’

The little girl wailed in fury at being lifted up and she put on her sulkiest face as Anna carried her over to the grown-ups.

‘You’re dumb.’ Emma aimed a kick at Gustav’s shin and Erica smiled to herself.

Gustav took hold of Emma’s arm to scold her, and for the first time Erica saw a spark ignite in Anna’s eyes. She tore Gustav’s hand away and pulled Emma close.

‘Don’t you touch her!’

He held his hands in the air. ‘Excuse me, but your kids are always misbehaving. Somebody has to teach them some manners.’

‘My children are very well brought up, thank you, and I can manage their manners myself. Come on now, let’s go to Acke’s and buy some ice cream.’

She motioned to Erica, who was more than happy to have her sister and kids to herself for a while, without Mister Stuck-Up. They pulled Adrian in the wagon and Emma ran on ahead.

‘Erica, do you think I’m being oversensitive? He just touched her arm. I mean, I know that Lucas made me a little overprotective of the kids …’

Erica linked arms with her sister. ‘I don’t think you’re a bit overprotective. Personally I think that your daughter is an excellent judge of character, and you should have let her give him a real kick in the shins.’

Anna’s face clouded over. ‘Now I think you’re the one who’s exaggerating. It wasn’t that bad, now that I think about it. If you’re not used to kids, it’s no wonder you get stressed out.’

Erica sighed. For a moment she’d thought that her sister would show a little backbone and demand the treatment she and the children deserved, but Lucas had done his work well.

‘How’s it going with the custody battle?’

At first Anna looked like she wanted to ignore the question once again, but then she replied in a low voice, ‘It’s going nowhere. Lucas has decided to use all the dirty tricks he can, and the fact that I’ve met Gustav has made him even more furious.’

‘But he doesn’t have anything up his sleeve, does he? I mean, how could he possibly say that you’re a bad mother? If anyone has good reason to deny someone custody, it’s you.’

‘Sure, but Lucas seems to think that if he makes up enough stuff, something is bound to stick.’

‘But what about your police report on him, for child abuse? Shouldn’t that count for more than anything he could ever make up?’

Anna didn’t reply, and a nasty thought popped into Erica’s brain.

‘You never reported him, did you? You lied to my face and said you reported him, but you never did it.’

Her sister refused to look her in the eye.

‘Well, answer me. Is it true? Am I right?’

Anna’s reply sounded peevish. ‘Yes, you’re right, dear big sister. But please don’t judge me. You haven’t walked in my shoes, so you don’t know a thing about the way things are. Constantly living in fear of what he might do. If I’d reported him he would have hunted me as far as I could run. I hoped that he’d leave us alone if I didn’t go to the police. And it seemed to work at first, don’t you think?’

‘Okay, but now it’s not working. Damn it, Anna, you have to learn to think farther than the end of your nose.’

‘That’s easy for you to say! You sit here with all the security anyone could ask for, with a man who worships you and would never harm you. And now you even have money in the bank after that book about Alex. It’s fucking easy for you to say! You don’t know what it’s like to be alone with two kids and slave to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. Everything always goes so well for you. And don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at Gustav with your nose in the air. You think you know so fucking much, but you don’t know shit!’

Anna refused to give Erica a chance to reply to her outburst. She hurried off towards the square with Adrian in the wagon and Emma firmly in hand. Erica was left standing on the pavement with tears rising in her throat. She wondered how things could have gone so wrong. She hadn’t meant any harm. All she wanted was for Anna to have the life she deserved.

Jacob kissed his mother on the cheek and shook hands formally with his father. Their relationship had always been this way. Distant and correct rather than warm and hearty. It was odd to view his father as a stranger, but that was the most apt description. Certainly he’d heard the stories about how his father had watched over him day and night at the hospital along with his mother, but he only had a foggy memory of that time. It had not brought them closer together. Instead he had been close to Ephraim, whom he often regarded as more of a father than a grandfather. Ever since Ephraim saved his life by donating his own bone marrow, he had worn a hero’s halo in Jacob’s eyes.

‘Aren’t you going to work today?’

His mother sounded as anxious as usual as she sat next to him on the sofa. Jacob wondered what sort of perils she thought lurked round the corner. She had spent her whole life as if balancing on the edge of the abyss.

‘I thought I’d go in a little later today. And work some this evening instead. I had an urge to drop by and see how things were with both of you. I heard about the broken windows. Mamma, why didn’t you call me instead of Pappa? I could have been here in no time.’

Laine smiled lovingly. ‘I didn’t want to bother you. It’s not good for you to get upset.’

He didn’t answer, but gave her a gentle smile.

She put her hand on his. ‘I know, I know, but let me have my way. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, you know.’

‘You’re not old, Mamma, you’re still just a girl.’

She blushed in delight. This exchange was an old game of theirs. He knew that she loved to hear such comments, and he gladly offered them. She hadn’t had an easy time of it with his father over the years, and compliments were hardly Gabriel’s strong suit.

Gabriel snorted impatiently from his armchair. He got up.

‘Well, now the police have spoken with your good-for-nothing cousins, so let’s hope they’ll shut up for a while.’ He started towards his office. ‘Do you have a minute to look at the figures?’

Jacob kissed his mother’s hand, nodded, and followed his father. Gabriel had begun involving his son in the affairs of the farm several years ago, and his training was still ongoing. His father wanted to assure himself that one day Jacob would be fully capable of taking over from him. As luck would have it, Jacob had a natural talent for running a farm, and he handled the accounts as well as the more manual tasks splendidly.

After sitting with their heads together over the books for a while, Jacob stretched and said, ‘I thought I’d go upstairs and visit Grandpa. It’s been a long time since I’ve been up there.’

‘Hmm, what? Oh fine, go ahead.’ Gabriel was deep in the world of numbers.

Jacob went upstairs and walked slowly towards the door leading to the left wing of the manor house. That was where Grandpa had lived out his days until his death, and Jacob had spent many hours of his childhood up there.

He stepped inside. Everything was untouched. It was Jacob who had asked his parents not to move or change anything in the wing, and they had respected his wish, well aware of the unique bond that tied him to Ephraim.

The room bore testimony to strength. The decor was masculine and muted. It differed sharply from the rest of the manor’s bright decor, and Jacob always felt like he was stepping into a whole other world.

He sat down in the leather armchair by the window and put his feet up on the ottoman. As a boy he had curled up on the floor at his grandfather’s feet like a puppy and reverently listened to his stories from the old days.

The stories about the revival meetings had excited him. Ephraim had described in great detail the ecstasy visible in people’s eyes and how they focused completely on the Preacher and his sons. Ephraim had a voice like thunder, and Jacob never doubted that it could hold people spellbound. The parts of the stories he loved best were when Grandpa told him about the miracles that Gabriel and Johannes had performed. Each day had brought a new miracle, and for Jacob this seemed quite amazing. He never understood why his father refused to talk about this period in his life; instead, Gabriel seemed ashamed of it. Imagine having the gift of healing: to be able to cure the sick and heal the lame. What sorrow the brothers must have felt when the gift vanished. According to Ephraim, it disappeared overnight. Gabriel had shrugged his shoulders, but Johannes had been in despair. He prayed to God at night to give him back the gift, and whenever he saw an injured animal he ran over and tried to conjure up the power he had once possessed.