And why was Josef the one who stood up and offered to go along? Leon thought that he knew the answer. The minute Josef had come in the door today, Leon had seen in his eyes that he was ready to die. It was a look that he recognized. He’d seen it on Mount Everest when they got caught in a sudden storm, and in the life raft after the ship went down in the Indian Ocean. The look in the eyes of a person who had let go of life.
‘I have no intention of taking part in any of this,’ said John, getting up and straightening the creases in his trousers. ‘This farce has been going on long enough. I’ll deny everything. There’s no proof; all they have is your word for it.’
‘John Holm?’ said a voice from the doorway.
John turned.
‘Bertil Mellberg? That’s all we need,’ he said. ‘What do you want? If you’re planning to talk to me with that same tone of voice as before, you’ll have to speak to my lawyer.’
‘I have no comment about that.’
‘Fine. Then I’m going home. Nice to see you.’ John started for the door, but Mellberg blocked his way. Behind him stood three men, and one of them was holding a big camera, snapping one picture after another.
‘You’re going to have to come with me,’ said Mellberg.
John sighed. ‘What kind of nonsense is this? It’s nothing but harassment, pure and simple, and I promise you there will be repercussions.’
‘You are hereby arrested for conspiring to commit murder, and you will come with me immediately,’ said Mellberg, smiling broadly.
Leon watched the whole scene from his wheelchair, while Percy and Sebastian also eagerly followed what was happening. John’s face was now bright red, and he made an effort to push past, but Mellberg shoved him up against the wall and then clumsily brought his wrists together so he could put the cuffs on him. The photographer carried on snapping pictures as the two other men stepped closer.
‘What do you have to say about the fact that the police have uncovered a plot that you and the Friends of Sweden call “Project Gimle”?’ asked one of them.
John’s knees buckled, and Leon watched with even greater interest. Sooner or later everyone was held accountable for their actions. He felt a sudden flash of worry about Ia, but he pushed it aside. No matter what happened, it was predestined. She needed to do this in order to be rid of the guilt and regret that had forced her to live all these years for his sake alone. Her love for him had bordered on obsession, but he knew that she had burned with the same fire that had driven him to take on each new challenge. And finally they had burned together, sitting there in the car on that steep slope in Monaco. They had no choice but to see this through to the end, together. He was proud of her, he loved her, and now she would find her way back home at last. Today everything would finally be over, and he hoped that it would be a happy ending.
Tobias slowly opened his eyes and looked at them.
‘I was so tired.’
Neither Erica nor Gösta said a word. Suddenly Erica too felt overcome with weariness. The adrenalin had seeped out of her body, and the thought that her younger sister might be dead made her limbs feel as heavy as lead. All she wanted to do was to lie down on the wooden floor and curl up into a ball. Close her eyes, fall asleep, and wake up when this whole thing was over. One way or another.
She’d noticed that the display on Anna’s mobile was blinking. Dan. Good Lord, he must be beside himself with worry after reading the message she’d sent. But there was no reply from Patrik. Maybe he was so busy with something that he hadn’t yet seen it.
Tobias continued to study them. His whole body was relaxed, his expression indifferent. Erica regretted not asking Ebba more about what had happened to their son. His death must have set something in motion, until Tobias finally slid into insanity. If only she knew what happened, she might have been able to talk to the man. They couldn’t just sit here, waiting for Tobias to kill them. And she had no doubt that murder was his intention. She had realized that as soon as she saw the cold look in his eyes. Gently she said:
‘Tell us about Vincent.’
At first he didn’t answer. She was aware only of Gösta’s breathing and the sound of distant motorboats. She waited, and finally he said in a flat voice:
‘He’s dead.’
‘What happened?’
‘It was Ebba’s fault.’
‘Why was it Ebba’s fault?’
‘I never really understood it until now.’
‘Did she kill him?’ Erica asked, holding her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Gösta was following the conversation intently. ‘Is that why you tried to kill Ebba?’
Tobias was playing with the gun, shifting it from one hand to the other.
‘I didn’t mean for the fire to get so big,’ he said, placing the gun on his lap again. ‘I only wanted her to realize that she needed me. That I could protect her.’
‘Was that also why you shot at her?’
‘Ebba needed to understand that she and I had to stick together. But it didn’t matter. I know that now. She manipulated me so that I wouldn’t see the obvious. That she killed him.’ He nodded, as if to add emphasis to his words, and his expression scared Erica so badly that it was all she could do to stay calm.
‘She killed Vincent?’
‘Yes, she did. And I finally understood everything after she went to stay with you. She inherited the guilt. That much evil can’t simply disappear.’
‘Are you talking about her great-great-grandmother? The Angelmaker?’ said Erica in surprise.
‘Yes. Ebba said that she drowned the children in a basin and buried them in the cellar because she thought nobody wanted them, that no one would ever come back to get them. But I wanted Vincent. I went looking for him, but he was already gone. She drowned him. He was buried with the other dead children and couldn’t come back up.’ Tobias spat out the words, leaving a trail of saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Erica realized that it would do no good to try talking to him. Different realities had merged, creating a strange shadowland where he could not be reached. Seized with panic, she glanced across at Gösta. His resigned expression told her that he had come to the same conclusion. All they could do was pray and hope that they’d somehow survive this situation.
‘Shh,’ said Tobias suddenly, straightening up.
Both Erica and Gösta flinched when they saw him move.
‘Somebody’s coming.’ Tobias grabbed the gun and jumped to his feet. ‘Shh,’ he said again, putting his finger to his lips.
He dashed over to the window and peered out. For a moment he stood still, as if considering his options. Then he turned and pointed at Gösta and Erica.
‘You two stay here. I’m going now. I need to guard them. They can’t be allowed to find them.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Erica couldn’t stop herself from asking. The hope that someone was on the way to help them was mixed with the fear that Anna’s life was in danger, if it wasn’t already too late. ‘Where’s my sister? You have to tell me where Anna is.’ Her voice rose to a falsetto.
Gösta placed his hand on Erica’s arm to calm her.
‘We’ll wait here, Tobias. We’re not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘We’ll be here when you get back.’ He kept his eyes fixed on Tobias.