‘What about Ebba? How could they leave her like that?’
‘That seems to be the thing that has bothered Leon the most over the years. He didn’t come right out and say it, but I don’t think he has ever stopped reproaching himself for making Inez leave Ebba behind. And I didn’t want to ask. I think both of them have suffered enough from the decisions they made.’
‘I just can’t understand how he could have persuaded Inez to leave Ebba.’
‘They were so in love. They were having a passionate love affair, and they were terrified that Rune would find out about it. Forbidden love is a dangerous thing. And Leon’s father, Aron, also shares part of the blame. Leon phoned him to ask for help, and Aron made it clear that Inez would have to leave the country, but not with a small child.’
‘Okay, I can see why Leon would agree to that. But Inez? Even if she was head over heels in love, how could she give up her own child?’ Erica’s voice quavered at the mere thought of giving up any of her children with no hope of ever seeing them again.
‘She probably wasn’t thinking clearly either. And apparently Leon convinced her that it would be best for Ebba. I can imagine him scaring her by saying that, if they stayed, they’d end up in prison, and then she’d lose Ebba anyway.’
Erica shook her head. That didn’t make sense. She would never understand how any parent could voluntarily give up their child.
‘So they hid the bodies and then came up with that fishing story, right?’
‘According to Leon, his father suggested that they dump the bodies in the sea, but Leon was worried that they’d float up to the surface, so he came up with the idea of hiding them in the air-raid shelter. They carried the bodies down to the basement and put them in the chests along with the photographs. They decided to put the gun back where Claes must have found it. Then they locked the room, counting on the fact that it was so well concealed that the police wouldn’t find it.’
‘And they never did,’ said Erica.
‘No. That part of their plan worked fine, except that Sebastian took possession of the key. Apparently he’s held it like a broad-axe over their heads ever since.’
‘But why didn’t the police find any trace of what happened when they searched the house?’
‘The boys scrubbed the dining-room floor and removed any blood that was visible to the naked eye. And you have to remember that this was in 1974, and it was the provincial police who did the technical examination. Not exactly CSI-calibre back then. Then the boys changed their clothes and went out on the fishing boat after making an anonymous call to the police.’
‘And where did Inez go?’
‘She hid. Leon said that was also his father’s idea. They broke into an empty summerhouse on a nearby island. She stayed there until everything calmed down enough so that she and Leon could leave Sweden.’
‘So the whole time that the police were searching for the family, she was in a summerhouse nearby?’ said Erica in disbelief.
‘Yes. The owners of the summerhouse probably filed a police report about the break-in later in the summer, but it was never linked to the family’s disappearance on Valö.’
She nodded, satisfied that all the puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place. After spending so many hours trying to piece together what had happened to the Elvander family, she finally knew most of the story.
‘I wonder how things will go for Inez and Ebba now,’ she said, reaching for Patrik’s bowl so she could eat the ice cream before it melted. ‘I haven’t wanted to bother Ebba, but I assume that she’s gone back to stay with her adoptive parents in Göteborg.’
‘You mean you haven’t heard?’ said Patrik, his face lighting up for the first time since they’d started talking about the case.
‘No, what?’ asked Erica.
‘She’s staying in Gösta’s guest room for a few days to rest. Gösta said that Inez is supposed to come over and have dinner with them tonight. So I assume that they’ll make an effort to get to know each other.’
‘That sounds good. She needs it. The business with Tobias must have come as a horrible shock. Imagine living with somebody you love and trust, and then it turns out that he’s capable of something like that…’ Erica shook her head. ‘But I bet Gösta is happy to have her staying with him. If only…’
‘I know. And Gösta has probably had the same thought more times than we can imagine. But Ebba had a good childhood, and I have a feeling Gösta thinks that’s the important thing.’ He abruptly changed the subject, as if it was too painful to consider all the things that Gösta had missed out on. ‘How’s Anna?’
Erica frowned.
‘I haven’t heard from her yet. Dan drove straight home after he got the text message that I sent, and I know that she was planning to tell him everything.’
‘Everything?’
Erica nodded.
‘How do you think Dan is going to react?’
‘I don’t know.’ Erica ate a few more spoonfuls of ice cream and then stirred what was left in the bowl so it turned into a runny mess. It was a habit she’d had since she was a kid. Anna did the same thing. ‘I hope they can work it out.’
‘Hmm,’ said Patrik, but she could see that he was sceptical. So now it was her turn to change the subject.
She didn’t really want to admit it, either to herself or to Patrik, but over the past few days she’d been so worried about Anna that she could hardly think about anything else. But she’d forced herself not to phone. Anna and Dan needed peace and quiet if they were going to have any chance of working things out. Anna would call eventually.
‘Will there be any legal repercussions for Leon and the others?’
‘No. The statute of limitations has expired. The only person who could have been prosecuted for anything is Tobias. And we’ll have to see what happens with Percy.’
‘I hope Martin isn’t too upset about the fact that he killed Tobias. That’s the last thing he needs to worry about right now,’ said Erica. ‘And it was my fault that he got involved in the first place.’
‘Don’t beat yourself up about it. He’s doing as well as can be expected, and he seems ready to come back to work as soon as possible. Pia’s treatment is going to take time, and both sets of parents are helping them out, so he’s talking to her about working at least part-time.’
‘That sounds sensible,’ said Erica, but she still couldn’t help feeling guilty.
Patrik gave her a searching look. Then he reached out and stroked her cheek, meeting her eye. As if by silent agreement, they hadn’t talked about the fact that he’d almost lost her again. She was here now. And they loved each other. That was all that mattered.
STOCKHOLM 1991
Two Carin Görings?
The Forensic Laboratory in Linköping has analysed the human remains that were recently found in a zinc-lined chest in the vicinity of what was once Hermann Göring’s estate of Karinhall. The remains were said to belong to Carin Göring, née Fock, who died in 1931. The strange thing is that in 1951 a forest warden discovered some scattered skeletal remains that were presumed to belong to Carin Göring. Under great secrecy, they were cremated and then a vicar took the ashes to Sweden for burial in Lovö Cemetery.
That was the third time Carin Göring was buried. The first time was in the Fock family plot in Lovö Cemetery, then at the Karinhall estate, and finally in Sweden.
Now another chapter is being written in this peculiar story. DNA analysis shows that the latest discovered remains do indeed belong to Carin Göring. So the question is: Whose ashes are interred in Lovö Cemetery outside Stockholm?
AFTERWORD
I am writing this a week after the bomb explosion in Oslo, Norway, and the shooting deaths on the island of Utøya. I’ve been watching the news reports with a horrible feeling in my stomach, just like everyone else, trying in vain to understand how anyone could be capable of such evil. The pictures of the destruction in Oslo made me realize that the events in this book touch on that same sort of evil. Unfortunately, it’s true that reality is stranger than fiction. By pure chance my story about people who use politics to excuse their evil deeds happened to coincide with what took place in Norway, but maybe it’s an indication of the kind of society we live in today.