‘What are you doing!’ screamed John and sat back down. Patrik and Martin raised their weapons to aim at Percy, but lowered them when he continued to point his pistol at John. It was too risky.
‘Next time you’re the target. That’s one legacy from my father they can’t take away. I used to begrudge the hours he forced me to spend practising my sharp-shooting. But I could shoot off that charming fringe of yours if I wanted to.’ Percy cocked his head to one side and stared at John, whose face had turned ashen.
Only now did it occur to Patrik that the Göteborg police must have gone to John’s house to find him. Most likely they had no idea that he was here.
‘Take it easy, Percy,’ said Martin calmly. ‘We don’t want anyone to get hurt. Nobody’s going anywhere until we’ve settled this.’
‘Was it about Annelie?’ Patrik again turned to Leon. Why was the man hesitating if he really wanted to reveal what happened on that Easter weekend in 1974? Had he suddenly got cold feet? ‘We think that she took her passport and fled abroad after the murders. Because the family were murdered, weren’t they?’
Sebastian started to laugh.
‘What’s so funny?’ asked Martin.
‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing.’
‘Was it your father who helped her disappear? Were you and Annelie sleeping together? Did everything fall apart when Rune found out? How did you get the other boys to help you and then keep quiet all these years?’ Patrik motioned towards the group of middle-aged men. In his mind he saw the pictures of them that were taken after the disappearance. Their defiant expressions. Leon’s natural air of authority. In spite of their greying hair and ageing faces, they were very much the same as back then. And they were still sticking together.
‘Sure, tell them about Annelie.’ Sebastian grinned. ‘Since you’re so keen on telling the truth. Tell them about Annelie.’
Patrik had a sudden flash of insight.
‘I’ve already met Annelie, haven’t I? It’s Ia.’
No one said a word. They all turned to Leon with a mixture of fear and relief on their faces.
Leon slowly stretched his arms as he sat in his wheelchair. Then he turned towards Patrik so that the sun shone on the scarred side of his face, and said:
‘I’ll tell you about Annelie. And about Rune, Inez, Claes, and Johan.’
‘Stop and think about what you’re doing, Leon,’ said John.
‘I’ve already thought it through. It’s time.’
He took a deep breath, but before he could say another word, the front door opened. And there stood Ia. She looked from one to the other, and then her eyes opened wide when she saw the gun in Percy’s hand. For a moment she seemed to hesitate. Then she went over to her husband, put her hand on his shoulder, and said gently:
‘You’re right. It’s impossible to keep running away.’
Leon nodded. Then he began to tell the story.
Anna was more worried about Ebba than about herself. Ebba’s face was pale, and her neck was a fiery red with what looked like the marks from someone’s hands. Tobias’s hands. Anna’s own neck did not feel tender. Had he drugged her? She didn’t know, and that was the most frightening thing of all. She had fallen asleep in his arms, flushed with the feeling of acceptance and closeness, only to wake up here, lying on this cold stone floor.
‘My mother is in there,’ said Ebba, peering inside one of the chests.
‘You can’t be sure of that.’
‘Only one of the skulls has long hair. It has to be my mother.’
‘It could be your sister,’ said Anna. She considered closing the lid, but Ebba had been wondering about her family for so long, and the contents of the chests provided some of the answers.
‘What is this place?’ asked Ebba as she continued to stare at the skeletons.
‘I think it’s some kind of air-raid shelter. And judging by the flag and uniforms, it must have been built during the Second World War.’
‘It’s so strange to think of them lying here all this time. Why didn’t anyone ever find them?’
Ebba was starting to sound more and more preoccupied, and Anna realized that she would have to take charge if they were going to get out of here.
‘We need to find something to prise open the door,’ said Anna, giving Ebba a small shove. ‘Why don’t you have a rummage through the rubbish over there in the corner, and I’ll…’ She hesitated. ‘I’ll search the chests.’
Ebba gave her a horrified stare. ‘But what if… what if they fall apart?’
‘If we don’t get the door open, we’re going to die here,’ said Anna calmly. ‘There might be some tools in one of the chests. Either you have to do it, or I will. Take your pick.’
For a moment Ebba didn’t move as she thought about what Anna had just said. Then she turned away and began rummaging through the rubbish heap. Anna didn’t really think she’d find anything, but it would be good for Ebba to keep busy.
She took a deep breath and stuck her hand inside one of the chests. She felt sick to her stomach as she touched the bones. Dry, brittle hair tickled her skin, and she couldn’t help letting out a shriek.
‘What is it?’ Ebba turned in alarm.
‘Nothing,’ said Anna. Then she steeled herself and continued her search. Her fingers scraped the wooden bottom of the chest, and she leaned forward to see if there was anything else down there. Suddenly she felt something hard, and she grabbed it between her index finger and thumb. It felt too small to be of much use, but she lifted it out all the same, to see what she’d found. A tooth. With a murmur of disgust, she dropped it back inside and wiped her hand on the blanket wrapped around her.
‘Did you find anything?’ asked Ebba.
‘No, not yet.’
Anna forced herself to search through the second chest, and when she was done, she sank to her knees. There was nothing. They would never get out of here. They were going to die.
Then she made herself stand up again. There was one chest left, and she refused to give up, even though she shuddered at the thought of another search. Resolutely she moved over to the final chest. Ebba was huddled against the wall, crying. Anna glanced in her direction before she stuck her hand inside the chest. She swallowed hard as she reached for the wooden bottom, letting her fingertips move back and forth. She touched something. It felt like a stack of papers, although they seemed smoother on one side. She pulled out the bundle and held it up to the light.
‘Ebba,’ she said.
When she didn’t get an answer, she went over to sit on the floor next to Ebba. Then she held out what she now saw were photographs.
‘Look,’ said Anna. Her fingers were practically itching to leaf through the pictures, but she suspected they were from Ebba’s past. She should be the first one to see them.
With trembling hands Ebba took the Polaroids.
‘What does this mean?’ she said then, shaking her head.
She and Anna stared at the images, though they would have preferred not to. And they both realized that here was the explanation for what happened on that Easter weekend.
Tobias’s attention was fading. His eyelids were heavy, his head drooped, and Erica saw that he was on the verge of falling asleep. She didn’t dare look at Gösta. Tobias was still holding the gun in a tight grip, and it could be fatal to make any sudden move.
Finally his eyes fell closed. Slowly Erica turned her head towards Gösta as she held a finger to her lips. He nodded. She cast an enquiring glance at the doorway behind Tobias, but Gösta shook his head. No, she didn’t think that would work either. If Tobias woke up as they crept past, there was a risk that he’d start shooting.
She paused to think. They needed to get help. Again she caught Gösta’s eye and pretended to hold a phone to her ear. Gösta instantly understood and began rummaging through his jacket pockets, but then he gave her a resigned shrug. He hadn’t brought his mobile. Erica scanned the room. Anna’s handbag was a short distance away. Slowly she slid closer. Tobias twitched suddenly, and she froze for a moment, but he went on sleeping, his head bowed towards his chest. Then her fingers touched the bag, and she slid a few more centimetres to the side and managed to grab the handle. She held her breath as she picked up the bag without making a sound. Cautiously she searched the contents as Gösta watched. He suppressed a cough, and she frowned at him. They didn’t need Tobias to wake up now.