‘We?’
‘Yes. Patrik didn’t think there was any danger now.’
‘Are you sure?’ Gösta was interrupted by the ringing of his mobile. ‘Hi, Victor. Yes, I’ve been trying to get hold of you. We need a ride out to Valö. Preferably right now… Okay, we’ll be there in five minutes.’
He ended the call and gave Erica a suspicious look.
‘You can phone Patrik and ask him if you don’t believe me,’ she said with a smile.
‘No, that won’t be necessary. We might as well get going.’
‘You’re leaving again?’ Kristina appeared, holding Noel in a tight grip. He was trying to get away, and from the living room came Anton’s shrill scream at the same time as Maja began shouting: ‘Grandma! Grandmaaaa!’
‘I’ll only be gone a short time, and then I’ll take over,’ said Erica, silently promising to think more kindly about her mother-in-law if only she were allowed to go out to Valö.
‘Well, this is the last time I’m stepping in on such short notice. You can’t assume that I’ll give up my whole day like this, and keep in mind that I’m not really up to handling such a pace or such a noise level any more, and even though the children are lovely, I have to say that they could have better manners. And that’s not my responsibility, that’s something they need to be taught on a daily basis…’
Erica pretended not to hear as she uttered her thanks and slipped out to the front hall.
Minutes later they were on board the MinLouis, on their way to Valö. She tried to relax, telling herself that everything was fine, just as she’d told Gösta. But she didn’t believe it. She knew instinctively that Anna was in trouble.
‘Should I wait?’ asked Victor as he smoothly brought the boat alongside the dock.
Gösta shook his head. ‘No, that’s not necessary. But we might need a ride back later on. Can we call you to come and get us?’
‘Sure. Give me a ring when you’re ready. I’ll be making my rounds, checking out the area.’
Erica watched the boat move off, wondering whether it was a wise decision to let him go. But it was too late to change their minds.
‘Hey, isn’t that your boat?’ said Gösta.
‘Yes, it is. How strange.’ Erica pretended to be surprised. ‘Maybe Anna came back over here. Shall we go up to the house?’ she said, starting off.
Gösta trudged along behind her, muttering to himself.
Up ahead they saw the beautiful, weather-beaten house. An ominous calm hovered over the building, and Erica felt herself go on high alert.
‘Hello?’ she shouted as they approached the wide stone steps. The front door stood open. No one answered.
Gösta stopped. ‘That’s odd, nobody’s home. But Patrik said that Ebba was here?’
‘Yes, that’s what I understood.’
‘Maybe they’ve gone down to the beach for a swim.’ Gösta took a few steps to the side to peer around the corner.
‘Maybe,’ said Erica, going in the front door.
‘I don’t think we should just go in.’
‘Why not? Come on. Hello?’ she shouted again. ‘Tobias? Is anybody home?’
Gösta reluctantly followed her into the front hall. It was very quiet, but all of a sudden Tobias appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. The police tape had been torn in half and was now hanging from the doorjamb.
‘Hi,’ he said dully.
Erica gave a start when she saw him. His hair hung in lank strands, as if he’d been sweating profusely, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was staring at them with a blank expression.
‘Is Ebba here?’ asked Gösta. A deep furrow had appeared between his brows.
‘No, she went to visit her parents.’
Gösta gave Erica a surprised look. ‘But Patrik just talked to her. He said she was here.’
Erica threw out her hands, and for an instant Gösta’s expression turned stern, but he didn’t say anything.
‘She never came home. She phoned and said that she was taking the car and driving to Göteborg.’
Erica nodded but knew he was lying. Maria, who drove the mail boat, had said that she’d brought Ebba out to the island. Now she took a discreet look around, and her attention was caught by an object on the floor near the door. Ebba’s bag. The one she’d brought with her when she came to stay for a couple of nights. That meant that she hadn’t gone straight to Göteborg.
‘Where is Anna?’
Tobias was still staring at them with that dead expression. He shrugged.
That settled it. Without another thought, Erica threw herself forward and grabbed the bag from the floor. Then she turned and ran up the stairs as she yelled:
‘Anna! Ebba!’
No answer. She heard quick steps behind her, and she realized that Tobias was right on her heels. She made it to the top of the stairs and dashed into the bedroom, only to stop in the middle of the room. Next to a tray holding empty wine glasses and some leftover food was Anna’s handbag.
First the boat, and now her handbag. Against her will Erica had to conclude that Anna was still on the island, just like Ebba.
She spun around to confront Tobias, but the words froze in her throat. There he stood, pointing a gun at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gösta come to an abrupt halt.
‘Don’t move,’ snarled Tobias, taking a step forward. The muzzle of the gun was only a centimetre from Erica’s forehead, and his hand was steady. ‘And you – go over there!’ He nodded to Erica’s right.
Gösta obeyed at once. With his hands raised and his eyes fixed on Tobias, he moved over to stand next to Erica.
‘Sit down!’ Tobias said now.
Both of them sat down on the newly polished wood floor. Erica looked at the weapon. Where had Tobias got a gun?
‘Put that down and we’ll solve this together,’ she ventured.
‘How’s that going to happen? My son is dead because of that bitch. How were you planning to solve that?’
For the first time there was a spark of life in his dead eyes, and Erica felt herself recoil from the madness she saw in front of her. Had it been there all along, behind Tobias’s controlled facade? Or had this place on the island provoked it?
‘My sister…’ She was now so worried that she could hardly breathe. If only she knew that Anna was still alive.
‘You’ll never find them. Just like the others were never found.’
‘The others? Are you talking about the Elvander family?’ said Gösta.
Tobias didn’t reply. He had squatted down, still pointing the gun at them.
‘Is Anna alive?’ asked Erica without expecting to get an answer.
Tobias smiled. Erica realized that her decision to lie to Gösta was the stupidest thing she’d ever done.
‘What are you planning to do?’ asked Gösta, as if he’d read Erica’s mind.
Tobias shrugged but didn’t say a word. Instead, he sat down on the floor cross-legged and continued to study them. It was as if he was waiting for something, only he wasn’t sure what that might be. He seemed strangely calm. Only the gun and the cold gleam in his eyes ruined the effect. And somewhere on the island were Anna and Ebba. But were they dead or alive?
VALÖ 1973
Laura tossed and turned on the uncomfortable mattress. Why couldn’t Inez and Rune have provided her with a better bed, considering how often she came to visit them? They needed to think about the fact that she was no longer young. And to top it off, she needed to pee.
She placed her feet on the floor and shivered. The November chill had set in, and it was hopeless trying to heat this old house. She suspected Rune of stinting on the heat in an attempt to keep costs down. He’d never been a particularly generous man. Little Ebba was sweet, at any rate, she had to admit that – but it was only pleasant to hold her for a short while. She’d never been fond of infants, and she possessed too little energy to spend much time with her granddaughter.