‘Be quiet, Edvin,’ she said. ‘I’m looking for the German pilot. Have you seen him?’
Edvin stuck his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘The pilot? Is that where you were?’ He laughed the same scornful laugh. ‘Did he know that he was going to bed with the daughter of a murderer? Maybe foreigners like him find it exciting.’
‘Shut up! Answer my question. Have you seen him this morning?’
Edvin paused for a long time before replying. He stared at her, looking her up and down.
‘Maybe we should get together sometime, you and me,’ he said at last, taking a step closer. ‘We’ve never really had a chance to get to know each other.’
She glared at him. Oh how she despised these odious men, without class or sophistication. They had no right to touch her with their filthy hands. She deserved better. She deserved a nice life, that was what her mother and father had told her.
‘Well?’ she said. ‘You heard the question.’
He spat on the ground, then looked her right in the eye, unable to hide his glee as he said:
‘He left.’
‘What do you mean? Where did he go?’
‘He got a telegram this morning about a flying job. He caught a boat out of here two hours ago.’
Dagmar gasped for breath. ‘You’re lying!’ She wanted to punch Edvin right in his sneering face.
‘You don’t have to believe me,’ he said, turning away. ‘But he’s gone.’
She gazed out over the water in the direction that Hermann must have departed, and she swore that she would find him. He would be hers, no matter how long it took. Because they were meant to be together.
Chapter Eight
Erica felt a twinge of guilt even though she hadn’t actually lied to Patrik, she just hadn’t told him the whole truth. Last night she had wanted to discuss her plans with him, but she couldn’t find the right moment. And besides, he was in such a peculiar mood. When she’d asked about his day, he had avoided telling her anything and they’d ended up spending the evening in silence in front of the TV. So she’d worry about it later when she had to explain where she’d been.
Erica sped up and turned the boat to port. She thought with gratitude of her father, Tore, who had taught his daughters to steer a boat. It was an obligation, he always said, to know how to handle a boat if you lived near the sea. And if Erica was being honest, she was better than Patrik when it came to docking, even though she let him do it, for the sake of peace in the house. Men had such fragile egos.
She waved to one of the Coast Guard boats heading towards Fjällbacka. It seemed to be coming from Valö, and she wondered why it had gone out there. But she quickly dismissed the thought as she focused on docking the boat, elegantly sliding it up to the wharf. To her surprise she was feeling nervous. After devoting so much time to the story, it felt a little strange to be meeting one of the main characters in real life. She picked up her handbag and jumped ashore.
It had been ages since she’d been out to Valö. Like most natives of Fjällbacka, she associated the island with camps and school expeditions. She could almost smell the grilled pigs-in-a-blanket on skewers as she walked among the trees.
As she drew close to the house, she stopped in surprise at the feverish activity going on there. Standing on the steps was a familiar figure, waving his arms about. She started walking towards him, picking up her pace until she was practically jogging.
‘Hi, Torbjörn!’ She waved and finally caught his attention. ‘What are you lot doing out here?’
He stared at her in astonishment. ‘Erica? I could ask you the same question. Does Patrik know you’re here?’
‘I don’t think so. But tell me what you’re doing.’
Torbjörn seemed to be considering how much to tell her.
‘The owners made a discovery inside the house yesterday, when they were working on the renovation,’ he said at last.
‘A discovery? Did they find the family that disappeared? Where?’
Torbjörn shook his head. ‘I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you.’
‘Could I come in and have a look?’ She started to climb the steps.
‘No, I’m sorry. I can’t let anyone come in. We can’t have unauthorized people running around while we’re working.’ He smiled. ‘I assume you’ve come to see the couple that lives here. They’re out back, in the yard.’
Erica retreated. ‘Okay,’ she said, unable to hide her disappointment.
She walked along the side of the house, and when she turned the corner, she saw a man and a woman who seemed to be about the same age as herself. They were staring at the house, their expressions grim. They were not talking to each other.
Erica paused for a moment. She’d been so full of enthusiasm and curiosity that she hadn’t given any thought as to how she would explain the purpose of her visit. But her hesitation lasted only a few seconds. It was part of her job, after all, to ask nosy questions and root around in other people’s secrets and tragedies. She had long ago conquered her own doubts, and she knew that afterwards many of the family members had liked her books. Besides, it was always easier when the incident, as in this case, had happened in the distant past. Usually by this time the wounds had healed and the tragedies had begun to be transformed into history.
‘Hi!’ she called, and the couple turned to look at her. Then the woman gave her a smile of recognition.
‘I know you. You’re Erica Falck. I’ve read all your books, and I love them,’ she said. Then she abruptly fell silent, as if embarrassed at being so forward.
‘Hi. You must be Ebba.’ Erica shook her hand. It felt so vulnerable in her grasp, but the calluses on the palm bore witness to how hard she’d been working on the renovation. ‘I’m so glad you like my books.’
Still a bit shy, Ebba introduced her husband, and Erica shook hands with him too.
‘Perfect timing,’ said Ebba as she sat down again and then waited for Erica to take a seat too.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I assume that you want to write about my family disappearing. So you’ve come on the right day.’
‘I heard that you found something in the house,’ said Erica.
‘Yes, we discovered it when we broke up the floor in the dining room,’ said Tobias. ‘We weren’t sure what it was, but it looked like blood. The police came and had a look, and they decided to investigate closer. That’s why all these people are here.’
Erica began to understand why Patrik had been so evasive when she asked him what had happened. She wondered what he thought about all this, whether he suspected that the family had been killed in the dining room and then their bodies taken away. She wanted to ask the couple whether they’d found anything other than blood, but she restrained herself.
‘It must be terribly upsetting for you. I can’t deny that the case has interested me, but for you, Ebba, it’s so personal.’
Ebba shook her head. ‘I was so young at the time, I don’t remember my family. I can’t grieve for people that I don’t remember. It’s not like…’ She stopped and looked away.
‘I think my husband, Patrik Hedström, was one of the police officers who was out here. And he came to see you on Saturday too. I heard that you were the victims of a nasty incident.’
‘That’s one way to describe it. And it was definitely nasty. I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm us.’ Tobias threw out his hands.