‘How very macho of you,’ said Anna and found herself smiling foolishly. She felt a pang of guilt because she was more or less flirting with Ebba’s husband, but it was all in fun and totally harmless, although she couldn’t deny that she found him incredibly attractive.
‘Let me take that.’ Tobias lifted the heavy bag of samples from her shoulder, and Anna gratefully followed him up to the house.
‘Normally I would say that we should sit in the kitchen, but there’s a bit of a draught in there right now,’ said Tobias when they came inside.
Anna laughed. She felt light-hearted. It was a relief to talk to someone who wasn’t always thinking about the troubles she’d endured.
‘And it would be difficult to use the dining room, since there’s no floor,’ he went on, giving her a wink.
The gloomy Tobias that she’d encountered before seemed to have vanished, but maybe that wasn’t so odd. Ebba had also seemed less downhearted when Anna had seen her at Erica’s house.
‘If you don’t mind sitting on the floor, I think it’d be best if we went upstairs to the bedroom.’ He headed up the stairs without waiting for an answer.
‘It seems a little odd to be bothering with fabric samples right now, after what happened yesterday,’ she said apologetically as she followed.
‘Don’t worry about it. Life goes on. In that regard, Ebba and I are very much alike. We’re both extremely practical.’
‘But I’m surprised that the two of you dare stay here.’
Tobias shrugged. ‘Sometimes there are things you just have to do,’ he said, setting the bag on the floor in the middle of the room.
Anna knelt down next to it and began pulling out fabric swatches, spreading them on the floor. With great enthusiasm she talked about what could be used for furniture, curtains, and cushions, and which types would go well together. After a while she fell silent and turned to Tobias. He wasn’t looking at the fabric but instead had his eyes fixed on her.
‘You certainly seem very interested,’ she said sarcastically, but she felt her cheeks flush. Nervously she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Tobias was still staring at her.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.
She nodded hesitantly. ‘Actually, I am.’
‘Good.’ Tobias quickly got to his feet. ‘Stay here and put away the samples. I’ll be right back.’
He set off downstairs to the kitchen while Anna remained where she was, surrounded by the swatches of fabric laid out on the beautiful, newly polished hardwood floor. The sun was slanting in through the windows, and she realized that it was later than she’d imagined. For a moment she thought she needed to get back to take care of the kids, until she remembered that no one was home. The house was empty. All she had to look forward to was a lonely supper in front of the TV, so she might as well stay. Tobias was alone too, and it would be much nicer to eat dinner together. Besides, he was already in the process of making something for them, and it would be rude of her to leave after she’d accepted his invitation.
Nervously Anna began gathering up the fabric. When she’d finished piling all the swatches on top of the chest of drawers that stood against the wall, she heard footsteps on the stairs, along with the clinking of glasses. A moment later Tobias came into the room carrying a tray.
‘It’s going to be a supper à la Cajsa Warg: some cold cuts and cheese, and I’ve toasted a few slices of bread. But maybe it’ll be all right if we have a good red wine.’
‘Absolutely. But I’ll have to make do with only one glass. It would be a real scandal around here if I was arrested on my way home for drinking while driving a boat.’
‘Well, I certainly don’t want to be the cause of any scandal.’ Tobias set down the tray.
Anna felt her heart beating faster. She really shouldn’t stay here, eating cheese and drinking wine with a man who made the palms of her hands sweat. At the same time, that was precisely what she wanted to do. She reached for a piece of toast.
Two hours later she knew that she was going to stay even longer. It was not a conscious decision, and they hadn’t discussed it, but that wasn’t necessary. As dusk fell, Tobias lit some candles, and in the glow from the flickering flames, Anna decided to live for the moment. For just a brief time she would forget about everything that had happened to her. Tobias made her feel alive again.
She loved the evening light. It was so much more flattering and forgiving than the merciless light of the sun. Ia studied her face in the mirror and slowly ran her hand over her smooth features. When had she started caring so much about how she looked? Back when she was young, other matters had been considerably more important. Then love had become the only thing that mattered, and Leon was accustomed to being surrounded by beauty. Ever since their fates had become intertwined, Leon had sought out bigger and more dangerous challenges, while her love for him had grown stronger and more devoted. She had allowed Leon’s wishes to govern her life, until there was no turning back.
Ia leaned closer to the mirror but could see no regret in her eyes. As long as Leon had remained as bound to her as she was to him, she had been willing to sacrifice everything, but then he had begun to withdraw, forgetting about the fate that united them. The accident had made him understand that only death could separate them. The pain she had felt when she pulled him from the car was nothing compared to what she would have experienced if he had left her. That was something she could not have survived – not after all she had given up for his sake.
But she could no longer stay here. She couldn’t understand why Leon had wanted to come back. She shouldn’t have allowed him to do it. Why visit the past when it held so much sorrow? Even so, she had complied with his wishes. But now she had reached her limit. She couldn’t stand by and watch as he brought about his own destruction. The only thing she could do was to go home and wait for him to follow so that they could continue to live the life that they’d created together. He couldn’t get by on his own, and this way he would be forced to realize that.
Ia stretched and cast a lingering glance at Leon, who was sitting on the balcony with his back turned. Then she started packing her bags.
Erica was in the kitchen when she heard the front door open. A moment later Patrik came rushing into the room.
‘What the hell have you been doing!’ he shouted. ‘Why the devil didn’t you tell me that we’d had a break-in?’
‘Well, I wasn’t really sure…’ she ventured, though she knew it was pointless. Patrik was as angry as Gösta had predicted he would be.
‘Gösta said that you suspected John Holm was behind it, and yet you never said a word to me. Those people are dangerous!’
‘Lower your voice. I’ve just put the kids to bed.’ Actually, she made the request as much for her own sake. She hated conflict, and her whole body shut down whenever anybody yelled at her – especially Patrik, maybe because he so seldom raised his voice to her. And the situation felt worse this time, because she had to admit that he was partially right.
‘Sit down and let’s talk about this. Ebba is upstairs in my work room, going through my research.’
She saw that Patrik was struggling to control his temper. He took a couple of deep breaths, exhaling through his nose. It looked as if he’d succeeded, more or less, but he was still slightly pale when he nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.
‘I hope you have a very good explanation, including for why you and Gösta have been going behind my back.’
Erica sat down across from Patrik and stared at the tabletop for a few moments. She was trying to work out how to formulate her words so that she would be completely honest with Patrik but at the same time present herself in the most advantageous light. She started off by telling Patrik how she had contacted Gösta after learning that he had been personally involved in the case when the Elvander family disappeared. She admitted that she hadn’t wanted to tell Patrik since she knew that he wouldn’t approve. Instead, she had persuaded Gösta to collaborate with her for a while. Patrik didn’t look happy, but at least he was listening to what she had to say. When she told him about her visit to John Holm’s house and how she had discovered that someone had tried to get into her computer, Patrik again turned pale.