Suddenly he found himself thinking about Valö. If only he’d never ended up there. Then none of it would have happened – the things he had decided not to think about, although he couldn’t stop the ghastly images from seeping into his thoughts on occasion.
At first he’d thought it an excellent idea to change schools. The atmosphere at Lundsberg had become unbearable after he’d been singled out as one of the boys who had watched as a couple of bullies forced the school’s scapegoat to drink a big glass of laxative right before the closing ceremonies in the auditorium. The boy’s white summer clothes had been stained brown all the way up his back.
After that incident the headmaster had summoned Percy’s father to Lundsberg. Anxious to avoid a scandal, he hadn’t gone so far as to expel Percy, but he’d made it clear that the boy would have to continue his studies elsewhere. The old man tried to argue that Percy had merely been a spectator, and surely that couldn’t be considered a crime? But in the end he’d admitted defeat, and after discreet enquiries he had decided that Rune Elvander’s boarding school on Valö would be the best option. In truth, Percy’s father would have preferred to send him abroad, but for once his mother had put her foot down. So Percy had been enrolled in Rune’s school, and that was how he’d ended up haunted by dark memories that he struggled to suppress.
Percy took a big swig of the whisky, hoping it would dilute the humiliation that threatened to overwhelm him, and surveyed his surroundings. Pyttan had been given free rein to handle the interior decorating. This sort of rustic, white-painted furniture might not be his taste, but as long as she didn’t touch the rooms in the manor, she could do whatever she liked with the flat. The manor had to remain exactly as it had been during his father’s and grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s time. It was a matter of family honour.
The vague sense of uneasiness grew stronger as he went into the bedroom. Pyttan ought to be home by now. They were due to attend a cocktail party that evening, and she usually started getting ready for social events early in the afternoon.
He set his glass on Pyttan’s night table and then opened the doors to her wardrobe. A few coathangers swayed in the sudden draught; other than that, the wardrobe was empty.
No one would believe that only an hour ago someone was shooting at people out here, thought Patrik as he pulled into dock. The whole place seemed unnaturally quiet and calm.
Before he had even managed to tie the mooring line, Erica jumped out of the boat and began running towards the house. With Gösta following close behind, Patrik took off after her. But she was moving so fast that he couldn’t keep up, and when he entered the house, he found her with her arms around Anna. Tobias and Ebba were huddled together on the sofa, and next to them stood Mellberg and Paula.
Patrik had no idea why she was there, but he was grateful. At least now he could expect to hear a sensible account of what had happened.
‘Is everyone okay?’ he asked, going over to Paula.
‘Everybody’s fine. They’re all a little upset, especially Ebba. Someone fired shots through the kitchen window when she was in there alone. We haven’t seen anything to indicate that the shooter is still in the vicinity.’
‘Have you phoned Torbjörn?’
‘Yes, his team is on the way. But you might say that Mellberg has already begun the forensic examination.’
‘That’s right. I found the bullets,’ said Mellberg, taking out a plastic bag containing two bullets. ‘They weren’t embedded very deep in the wall, and it was easy to prise them out. Whoever did the shooting must have been a good distance away because the bullets had lost so much speed by the time they entered the wall.’
Patrik felt anger surge inside of him, but the last thing he wanted was to create a scene. There would be plenty of time later to have a serious talk with Mellberg about the rules that needed to be followed when investigating a crime scene.
He turned to Anna, who was wriggling out of Erica’s arms. ‘Where were you when this happened?’
‘I was upstairs,’ she replied, pointing. ‘Ebba had gone down to the kitchen to make coffee.’
‘What about you?’ Patrik asked Tobias.
‘I was in the cellar. I’d come back from the mainland and was fetching some more paint. I’d only got as far as the bottom of the cellar stairs when I heard a bang.’ His face was pale under the suntan.
‘When you arrived, did you see an unfamiliar boat at the dock?’ asked Gösta.
Tobias shook his head. ‘No, just Anna’s.’
‘And you haven’t spotted any strangers around?’
‘No, none.’ Ebba was staring straight ahead, as if dazed.
‘Who would do something like this?’ Tobias asked Patrick. ‘Who is after us? Do you think it has anything to do with the card that I gave you?’
‘I’m afraid we don’t know.’
‘What card?’ asked Erica.
Patrik ignored her question, but the piercing look that Erica directed at him made it clear that eventually he would have to tell her.
‘From now on, nobody goes into the kitchen. Consider it off limits.’ He turned to Ebba and Tobias. ‘We’ll need to search the island, so it would be best if you two found somewhere to stay on the mainland until we’re finished.’
‘But we don’t want to do that,’ said Tobias.
‘Yes, we do.’ Ebba suddenly sounded quite determined.
‘And where are we going to find a room at the height of the tourist season?’
‘You can stay with us. We have a guestroom,’ said Erica.
Patrik gave a start. Was she out of her mind? Inviting Ebba and Tobias to be their guests in the middle of an investigation?
‘Really? Are you sure?’ said Ebba, looking up at Erica.
‘Of course. While you’re with us, you can read everything I’ve collected about your family history. I was going through it again yesterday, and it’s really quite fascinating.’
‘I don’t think that…’ Tobias began. Then his shoulders slumped. ‘Here’s what we’ll do: you go to the mainland, and I’ll stay here.’
‘I’d prefer not to have anyone remain here,’ said Patrik.
‘I’m not leaving.’ Tobias cast a glance at Ebba, who offered no objection.
‘Okay, then I suggest that Ebba, Erica and Anna leave now so that we can get started on our work while we wait for Torbjörn. Gösta, you check the path down to the beach to see if anyone could have come that way. Paula, could you take care of the area closest to the house? I’ll search a wide circle around the house. It’ll be easier when we get a metal detector out here, but for the time being we’ll have to make do without it. If we’re lucky, the shooter may have tossed the gun into a shrub somewhere.’
‘And if we’re unlucky, this gun will be at the bottom of the sea, same as the last one,’ said Gösta.
‘That’s possible, but the priority is to carry out a search and see what we can find.’ Patrik turned to Tobias. ‘You need to keep out of our way as best you can. As I said, it’s not a good idea for you to stay here, especially not at night when you’ll be here all by yourself after we leave.’
‘I can work upstairs. I won’t get in your way,’ he said in a flat voice.
Patrik studied him for a moment but decided not to force the issue. If Tobias refused to leave the island, there was nothing anyone could do about it. He went over to Erica, who was standing in the doorway, ready to leave.
‘I’ll see you later,’ he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
‘Okay. Anna, can we go back in your boat?’ she said. Like a sheepdog she herded together the little group that she was going to escort home.
Patrik couldn’t help smiling. He gave them a wave and then turned to the motley group of police officers. It would be a miracle if they managed to find anything at all.