Authors: Hans Koppel
‘Erik Månsson?’
‘Yes.’
Karlsson held out his ID card.
‘Police. I’d like a few words with you. Have you got a minute?’
Erik shifted his weight.
‘Of course,’ he said, hesitating. ‘What’s it concerning?’
‘I’ve had a visit from Anna Stenberg.’
‘Right,’ Erik sighed heavily.
‘You know who she is?’ Karlsson asked.
Erik put his hands sulkily on his hips.
‘Yes.’
‘She says that you’re harassing her.’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘I’m sure you heard. Are you perhaps of a different opinion?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Interesting,’ Karlsson said. ‘Could I come in so we can discuss it?’
Erik hesitated again, but had no reason to say no. He opened the door and took a step to the side.
‘Shall we sit in the kitchen?’ Karlsson suggested.
Erik nodded and led the way.
‘The name’s Karlsson, by the way.’
Erik gave an uninterested nod.
‘Everything okay?’ Karlsson asked.
‘How do you mean?’
‘You seem bothered.’
‘Well, it’s not very nice being accused of things like this.’
‘So, there’s no grounds for it?’
‘Absolutely none.’
‘So if we were to request a printout of your phone log, we wouldn’t find an unhealthy number of calls to her?’
‘We’re in a relationship. I don’t know whether she told you that? It’s not like we don’t know each other.’
‘I don’t think she actually used the word “relationship”,’ Karlsson said.
‘She didn’t?’ Erik sounded aggressive. ‘How come we’ve had sex together quite a few times then? She’s come to my flat. Does that count for nothing?’
‘And apparently you made a film as well?’ Karlsson added.
Erik didn’t answer.
‘Nice,’ Karlsson nodded to himself. ‘Considerate, manly.’
‘What do you want?’
‘I wanted to hear what you had to say. And to make sure that you leave Anna Stenberg alone in future. No visits, no sudden appearances, no phone calls, no text messages. No contact with her whatsoever. Agreed?’
‘I’ll contact who the fuck I like, and I have every right to do so.’
‘Yes, but Anna Stenberg is already married and not interested in your attention.’
Erik muttered something.
‘What did you say?’ Karlsson asked.
‘I said she should have thought of that before.’
‘Is that what you think? You feel that you’ve got some kind of an alliance?’
Erik stood up straight.
‘I want you to leave. I’ve tried to be patient, but this is too much.’
Karlsson nodded and got up. He went into the sitting room and stood by the window, clasped his hands comfortably behind his back.
‘Nice view,’ he said.
‘I want you to leave,’ Erik repeated.
Karlsson turned round and studied him, nodded in amusement.
‘If you contact Anna Stenberg again, in any way whatsoever, she’ll report you for stalking. And you will be charged and sentenced, I can assure you. If the video you made is distributed in any way, I personally will make sure that you are charged with blackmail.’
‘Blackmail?’
Karlsson went over to him.
‘Your purpose is to defame another person. And that is against the law. I agree that legislation can seem a bit unwieldy at times, but I promise you, when interpreted correctly, it’s very effective.’
He gave Erik a hard pat on the cheek.
‘Don’t know what you’re after,’ Karlsson said. ‘She’s old enough to be your mother.’
Erik’s eyes went black, his lips tightened.
‘You’ve been warned,’ Karlsson continued. ‘Now, be a sensible young man and lay off. Swallow the bitter pill and accept that she’s not interested.’
He whistled as he left the flat and went down the stairs. At the bottom he held the door open for an attractive older woman who was talking on her mobile phone. He saluted in jest and she smiled her thanks.
‘Protect, help, reprimand,’ Karlsson chanted.
It was Kathrine’s firm conviction that all people were basically the same. Even the wildest ideas were driven by a desire to belong. Everyone was steered by more or less the same compass.
Kathrine understood why Erik Månsson was fascinated by her daughter, his desperation at losing his job, his loneliness as a newcomer and outsider in a closed place like Helsingborg. His hurt feelings when Anna suddenly didn’t want to know him and refused to see him after several intense encounters.
Kathrine was going to talk to him. Get him to understand. Surely it must be possible.
When she got to the address, all her good intentions were stymied. She didn’t know the entry code. She rummaged around in her bag for her mobile and rang her daughter. The call went straight to voicemail, which meant her mobile was turned off. Kathrine tried her direct number at work instead.
‘Please hold the line while your call is transferred.’
The automated voice was replaced by the familiar voice of the receptionist.
‘
Family Journal
. You were trying to get hold of Anna Stenberg?’
‘Yes, hello. It’s Kathrine, Anna’s mother.’
‘Hi, Kathrine,’ Renée said. ‘How are you?’
‘Very well, thanks. And you?’
‘Fine, thanks. Listen, Anna’s in a meeting for the rest of the day. Shall I ask her to call you?’
A man came out of the door and Kathrine grabbed hold of it. The man saluted her.
‘Protect, help, reprimand,’ he chanted.
Kathrine smiled in answer.
‘No, it’s not important,’ she said, into the receiver. ‘Just let her know I called.’
‘Will do,’ Renée assured her. ‘Bye for now.’
‘Yes, goodbye.’
Kathrine stopped by the stairs, looked up at the name board and then took the lift to the top floor. She rang the bell and heard quick steps approaching. The door was pulled open in an almost aggressive manner. Erik Månsson looked surprised, but the surprise swiftly disappeared as his guard immediately went up.
He looked younger than Kathrine had imagined. Somehow not fully adult, despite his age. He was good-looking, no doubt about it, if a little stressed and bothered.
‘Hello. My name’s Kathrine Hansson. I’m Anna Stenberg’s mother.’
She held out her hand. He hesitated but then took it, as it would be far too rude not to.
‘I wanted to talk to you.’
Erik shifted his weight, stood up straight.
‘About what?’
‘My daughter. Can I come in?’
She gave a kind smile.
‘Anna doesn’t know that I’m here,’ she added.
Erik held open the door.
‘Thank you.’
She went in and he closed the door. She turned around and tussled with the uneasy feeling that she was making a mistake. She took off her coat and hung it up, put her handbag on the floor below it.
‘Is it okay if I keep my shoes on? They’re a bit difficult to take off.’
Erik grunted his agreement and went into the kitchen. Kathrine followed tentatively behind. She pointed at a chair, he gave a curt nod. She sat down. Erik crossed his arms and leaned back against the worktop.
‘So,’ Katherine started gingerly, when it became clear that he wasn’t going to help her with any small talk or charming questions. ‘Anna’s told me about what happened and how you met. To your mutual pleasure, I believe.’
She tried to read his response but was uncertain whether her words were having any impact.
‘But she also said that it’s all started to go a bit off the rails now,’ Kathrine carried on, opened out her hands. ‘I’ve only heard her version. So I wanted to hear yours.’
Erik scrutinised her.
‘So she sends her mum here, eh?’ he exclaimed. ‘She doesn’t dare tell her husband, but she cries on her mum’s shoulder. Mummy who’s always there to comfort her and put things into perspective. Mummy who promises to sort things out and talk some sense into the naughty boy.’
‘Anna doesn’t know that I’m here.’
‘I didn’t believe you the first time,’ he said. ‘And repeating the lie doesn’t make it any more convincing.’
‘It happens to be the truth.’
‘Okay,’ he said, and hopped up on to the worktop. ‘So you’re here of your own accord. That means that Anna’s told you my name and where I live. Did she give you the entry code as well?’
‘A man came out just as I wanted to get in.’
‘How handy.’
He’d gone from being aggressive to being facetious. Kathrine didn’t know if it was a step in the right direction.
‘Can’t you just say what the matter is?’ she asked. ‘Surely you can talk it through.’
‘It’s pretty hard to talk when she doesn’t answer my calls.’
‘Would you like me to talk to her?’
Erik laughed until it made him cough. Kathrine didn’t let it bother her.
‘As my representative, you mean? Yes. That would be really good. Because you wouldn’t be at all biased in that situation.’
Kathrine straightened her back and changed her sitting position.
‘I am of course here for Anna’s sake. She said that you’d recorded a film.’
‘She did, did she?’
‘Without her knowing about it. Do you think that’s fair?’
He shrugged.
‘I haven’t done anything illegal.’
‘I don’t know whether it’s legal or not. I asked whether you thought it was fair?’
Erik looked over her shoulder.
‘I’ve got every right to document my daily life.’
‘Your daily life?’ Kathrine repeated.
He nodded.
‘So it’s something you do regularly?’ she asked. ‘Make that kind of film?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
Kathrine held up her hand.
‘Wait,’ she said. ‘Let’s start again. Is that okay?’
She gave him a questioning look, he flung out his arm with ironic generosity.
‘This is what I know about you,’ Kathrine started. ‘You met at the hotel in Mölle. You had sex. You met a couple of times later here in this flat, same activity. And from what I understand, you both enjoyed it.’
Erik made no comment.
‘And since then,’ Kathrine continued, ‘you’ve tried to contact Anna in different ways, even though she’s expressly asked you not to.’
She looked at him: not a twitch. Kathrine bobbed her head down between her shoulders and opened out her hands, a physical question mark.
‘Am I wrong?’ she asked.
Erik jumped down from the worktop, took a glass out of the cupboard, turned on the tap and felt the water with his finger. When he thought it was cold enough, he filled the glass. He drank half of it straight down before he answered.
‘Did she forget to tell you that I lost my job because of her? Something she felt forced to do so she wouldn’t need to tell her colleagues that she’d been unfaithful.’
‘She said she had nothing to do with it.’
‘She said that?’
He poured out the rest of the water and put the glass on the dish rack. He shook his head.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Why argue?’ Kathrine asked. ‘It seems so unnecessary. Please stop. And if you don’t want to do it for Anna’s sake, then think of her daughter.’
Kathrine pushed her behind back in the chair and leaned forwards, rested her arms on her thighs and clasped her hands between her knees.
‘I believe that most people are basically the same,’ she said. ‘There’s very little that differentiates us. When things get out of hand, it’s usually because of hurt feelings or a misunderstanding.’
‘If I was at all interested in that kind of thing I’d be watching Dr Phil,’ Erik said, curtly. ‘You want to help your daughter. Is that why you’re here?’
‘Of course.’
‘Do you want to help me?’
‘I don’t know you.’
‘So you want to help your daughter, but not me?’
Kathrine tried to change tack.
‘I want to understand,’ she said.
‘Understand what?’ Erik asked.
‘Why you can’t leave her be? You met a few times, fair enough.’
Erik grinned, as if she’d said something funny.
‘You come here and preach about morals. Your daughter used me for her sexual gratification. Then she was overcome by guilt and is trying to blot out the whole thing now. Do you think that’s fair?’
‘You slept together. Good God, you’re both adults.’
‘Ah,’ Erik said. ‘You mean the pleasures of the flesh. Disassociated from the loneliness of the soul. She wasn’t responsible for her actions? It just happened.’
‘You got something out of it as well, didn’t you?’
‘So I should be there for her pleasure? I should be there whenever she feels the urge, but otherwise I should keep away and not disturb? Anna fooled me into believing. She owes me.’
‘Owes you what? She’s not interested. How hard is that to understand? Move on. Surely you won’t have any problems meeting other women?’
Kathrine let the question hang in the air, almost like an accusation.
‘Do you know why I recorded the video?’ Erik said, calmly. ‘To document what it was like. To prove to myself that it wasn’t just my imagination. If you saw it, you’d believe me. What Anna and I have together is real. She’s lying when she says she doesn’t want to see me, lying to herself.’
‘Can I see it?’ she asked. ‘Can you show me the recording so I can make up my own mind?’
Erik looked at her with disgust.
‘I would never show anything that private to anyone else.’
‘Is that a promise?’
Erik didn’t understand.
‘That you won’t show the video to anyone else? Do you realise how terrifying it is for Anna? That you’re threatening her entire life?’
‘Her suburban lie, you mean?’
‘Call it what you like, think of the girl. She’s only ten years old.’
‘Marvellous,’ Erik said, amused. ‘Bloody marvellous.’
‘What?’
‘The constant chat about children. Unashamed.’
Kathrine looked at him, puzzled.
‘As soon at things get difficult, the middle class cries but the children, the children, the children. Artificial concern in order to hide whatever it is that’s threatening their false self-image. Children are accessories in their world, nothing more.’
He was so agitated, he was spitting.
‘Do you think it’s right to use the children as an excuse just because you’re too lazy to get divorced and too tired to fight? It’s a construct, a convenient lie. You know just as well as I do that Anna would never have stayed with that boring fart if it hadn’t been for Hedda.’
Kathrine felt sick hearing him say the girl’s name.
‘She’d have left him ages ago,’ Erik continued. ‘You know that too. If she was so in love with her husband she would hardly have been looking for pleasure elsewhere.’
‘Anna loves her husband,’ Kathrine stated. ‘They’re happy together and have a good relationship. What you had was a flirt, a bit of spice. Why can’t you be happy with that?’
‘Can I ask you something?’ Erik interjected. ‘If Anna loves her husband so much, why did she go to bed with me? Please tell me that. And be honest.’
‘I don’t know. I guess she was attracted to you.’
‘She was attracted to me?’
‘Obviously.’
‘And that makes it okay to be unfaithful to your husband?’
‘No, it doesn’t. But good grief, have you never made mistakes? You were both at a work do, for Christ’s sake.’
Erik laughed and shook his head. He went over to the window and looked down at the street.
‘A work do? And that excuses everything, you think?’
‘No, I don’t. But I think we all do strange things every now and then. And her judgement wasn’t the best just then.’
‘Just then?’ he said, turning round. ‘We’ve done it four times. Four.’
He held up the same number of fingers as proof, like a child.
‘Whatever,’ Kathrine said. ‘I don’t suppose it will happen again. If Anna had known how this would end, she would never have done it in the first place. You must understand that. You need help, professional help.’
Kathrine crossed the kitchen and stood next to him.
‘I’ve found out a few things about you,’ she said. ‘I admit, I phoned the national registry. They told me that your mother died a couple of years ago. I even spoke to a couple of her, well, your previous neighbours. They hinted that you and your mother were perhaps closer than normal. If you don’t leave my daughter alone, I will make your life very difficult. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’ll publicly humiliate you.’
Erik’s lower lip twitched once, though it was hard to tell whether it was nerves or repressed anger. Possibly the latter. Kathrine was not going to back down.
‘It’s up to you,’ she said.