‘Why aren’t you coming with us, Mamma?’ Emma was tugging at her sleeve.
Anna squatted down, struck by how tall her daughter had grown. She’d really shot up during the spring and summer. She was a big girl now.
‘I told you: I have a lot of things to do here at home.’
‘Yes, but we’re going to Liseberg!’ Emma stared at her mother as if Anna had taken leave of her senses. And in the world of an eight-year-old, that was undoubtedly the case, since she was voluntarily missing out on a visit to the amusement park.
‘I’ll go with you next time. Besides, you know what a scaredy-cat I am. I probably wouldn’t dare to go on any of the rides. You’re much braver than me.’
‘Yes, I am!’ Emma proudly straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m going on the roller-coaster, and even Pappa won’t ride it.’
It didn’t matter how many times Anna heard Emma and Adrian call Dan ‘Pappa’, she was touched every time. And that was yet another reason why she needed these two days of solitude. She had to find a way to become whole again. For the family’s sake.
She kissed Emma on the cheek. ‘I’ll see you Sunday evening.’
Emma ran out to the car, and Anna leaned on the door frame with her arms wrapped around her, enjoying the commotion in the driveway. Dan was starting to sweat, and it appeared he was finally beginning to realize it would be impossible to take everything along.
‘Good Lord, I can’t believe they’ve packed so much stuff,’ he said, wiping his forehead.
The boot of the car was already full to the brim, and there was still a big pile of stuff in the front hall.
‘Don’t say anything!’ He waved his finger at Anna.
She threw out her hands. ‘I won’t say a word.’
‘Adrian! Do you have to take Dino along?’ He picked up Adrian’s favourite stuffed animal, a metre-tall dinosaur that Erica and Patrik had given the boy as a Christmas present.
‘If Dino can’t come, then I’m staying home,’ shouted Adrian, snatching the dinosaur out of Dan’s hands.
‘Lisen?’ Dan then yelled. ‘Do you really need to take all of your Barbie dolls? Can’t you just choose two of them?’
Lisen promptly began to cry, and Anna shook her head. She blew Dan a kiss.
‘I don’t think I should get involved in any of this. One of us has to be left standing. Have fun.’
Then she went inside and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. She lay down on top of the quilt and used the remote to turn on the portable TV. After much consideration, she decided on Oprah on channel three.
Annoyed, Sebastian threw down his pen on top of the notepad. His usual good humour refused to return even though everything had gone as planned.
He loved the feeling of being able to control Percy and Josef, and his joint business ventures with them were about to become very lucrative. Sometimes he didn’t understand other people. He would never consider getting involved with somebody like himself, but they were both desperate, each in his own way. Percy was terrified of losing his ancestral inheritance, while Josef was searching for redress and his parents’ approval. Sebastian understood Percy better than Josef. Percy was about to lose something important: money and status. But Josef’s motive was a mystery. What did it matter what Josef did now? The idea of opening a Holocaust museum made no sense. The project was never going to get off the ground, and if Josef wasn’t such an idiot, he’d be able to see that for himself.
Sebastian got up and went to the window. The entire harbour was filled with boats flying Norwegian flags, and out on the street, everyone was speaking Norwegian. Not that he had anything against that. He’d made some excellent estate sales to Norwegians. The wealth they’d acquired from the North Sea oil had made them willing to spend money, and they’d paid way too much for their houses with views of the sea along the Swedish west coast.
Slowly he turned his gaze towards Valö. Why did Leon have to come back here and start stirring things up again? For a moment Sebastian thought about Leon and John. Although he had them both in his power, he’d always been careful not to exploit the situation. Instead, like a born predator, he’d identified the weaker elements in the herd and separated them from the rest. Now Leon was trying to gather the herd back together, and Sebastian had a feeling that it would not be to his advantage. But events had already been set in motion, and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t about to start worrying about things that were beyond his control.
Erica watched from the window until she saw Patrik’s car disappear. Then she quickly got the children dressed and put them in the car. She left a note for Ebba, who was still asleep, saying that she’d gone out to run an errand and had taken the children with her. There were breakfast items in the fridge. Erica had sent a text message to Gösta the moment she awoke, so she knew that he would be waiting for them.
‘Where are we going?’ Maja was sitting in the back seat, holding her doll on her lap.
‘To visit Uncle Gösta,’ said Erica, instantly realizing that Maja was bound to tell Patrik. Oh well, sooner or later he’d find out about the agreement that she’d made with Gösta. She was more worried that she hadn’t told Patrik about the break-in at their house.
She took the turn-off towards Anrås, refusing to contemplate who might have been rummaging about in her work room. In truth, she knew who it must be. Or rather: there were only two possibilities. It was either someone who believed that she’d dug up some sensitive information concerning the summer camp, or it was because of her visit to John Holm and the note that she’d taken. Considering the timing of the break-in, she was inclined to think it was the latter.
‘I see you brought your entire brood,’ said Gösta when he opened the door. But the gleam in his eye made up for the cross tone of his voice.
‘If you’ve got any family heirlooms, you’d better move them out of reach right now,’ Erica said as she took off the children’s shoes.
The twins were shy and clung to her legs, but Maja stretched out her arms and cried: ‘Uncle Gösta!’
He seemed startled, unsure how to handle this overwhelming gesture of affection. Then his expression softened, and he picked Maja up.
‘What a good little girl you are.’ He carried her into the house and announced without turning around: ‘I’ve set the table out in the garden.’
Erica gathered up the twins, balancing one on each hip, and followed. Overcome with curiosity, she peered at everything in Gösta’s small house, which was conveniently situated near the golf course. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but this was not a dreary bachelor’s home. It was pleasant and comfortable, with potted plants on the windowsills. The garden behind the house was also surprisingly well-kept, even though it was so small that it probably didn’t require much work to keep it tidy.
‘Are they allowed to have juice and buns, or are you one of those parents who insists that everything should be organic and healthy?’ Gösta set Maja down on a chair.
Erica couldn’t help laughing and wondered if he spent his spare time secretly reading Mama magazine.
‘Buns and juice would be wonderful,’ she said, putting the twins down. Slowly they began moving away from her.
Maja caught sight of some raspberry bushes, and with a shout of joy she jumped off her chair and ran over to them.
‘Is it all right for her to pick raspberries?’ Erica knew her daughter well enough to predict that in a very short time there wouldn’t be a single berry left.
‘Sure, let her eat them,’ said Gösta, pouring coffee for Erica and himself. ‘Otherwise the birds will get them all. Maj-Britt used to pick the berries to make jam and juice, but it’s not the sort of thing I enjoy. Ebba…’ He stopped himself and pressed his lips tight as he stirred a lump of sugar in his cup.
‘What about Ebba?’ said Erica. She recalled Ebba’s expression during the boat trip back from Valö. A mixture of relief and concern. She seemed to be torn between a desire to stay there and a wish to leave.