“Joakim,” said Lisa when they had parked the car and come into the hallway. She hugged him, for a long time. “We really wanted to come and see how… Are you tired?”
“A little,” he said, patting her.
“You look a little tired. You must make sure you get some sleep.”
Joakim just nodded.
Michael patted him on the shoulder and moved into the house, his expression curious.
“I see you’ve been carrying on with the work here,” he said. “Fantastic skirting boards.”
“They’re original,” said Joakim, following him out into the corridor. “I’ve just sanded them down and painted them.”
“And you’ve chosen exactly the right wallpaper border. It really fits in with the soul of the house.”
“Thanks, that was the idea.”
“Are you doing all the rooms in white?”
“Down here on the ground floor, yes.”
“Looks good,” said Michael. “Cool and harmonious.”
For the first time Joakim felt a faint pride in what they had achieved so far. He had carried on with what Katrine had started, in spite of everything.
Lisa walked into the kitchen and nodded approvingly.
“Wonderful… but have you had a feng shui consultant here?”
“Feng shui?” said Joakim. “I don’t think so… is it important?”
“Absolutely. It’s really important to know how the flow of energy works, particularly here on the coast.” Lisa looked around and placed a hand on her chest. “There are powerful earth energies here too…I can feel them. And they must be able to flow without any kind of impediment, in and out of the house.”
“I’ll bear it in mind.”
“We’ve got a fantastic feng shui consultant who reorganized our cottage on Gotland. I’ll give you her number.”
Joakim nodded and heard Katrine giggling inside his head. She had always laughed at Lisa’s spirituality.
They had an excellent dinner at the kitchen table that evening. Joakim fried some plaice, which he had bought in
Marnäs. The guests had brought a bottle of white wine, and he drank a glass for the first time in many years. It didn’t taste particularly good, but he relaxed a little and was almost able to forget Livia’s talk of his dead sister in her sleep.
Livia herself was bright and cheerful this evening. She sat at the table with them and told Lisa about her three teachers at preschool-how two of them would nip outside for a secret cigarette, although they told the children they were just going out for some fresh air.
Michael told the children about a female elk and her calf they had seen running along the road as they were driving through Småland. Gabriel and Livia listened avidly.
Both children were excited by the visit from the big city, and it was difficult to get them to change into their pajamas and go to bed. Gabriel fell asleep straightaway, but Livia asked Lisa to read her a story about Emil’s mischievous adventures.
After twenty minutes Lisa came back into the kitchen.
“Has she gone to sleep?” asked Joakim.
“Yes, she was worn out… she’ll sleep like a log all night.”
“I hope so.”
He stayed in the kitchen chatting to Lisa and Michael for another hour, then helped them take their bags to the corner bedroom beyond the large drawing room.
“I’ve just finished this room,” he said. “You can be the inaugural guests.”
He had lit the tiled stove earlier in the day, and the guest room felt warm and welcoming.
Half an hour later they had all gone to bed. Joakim lay in the darkness listening to the murmur of Lisa’s and Michael’s voices from the guest room. It felt really good to have them here. Eel Point needed more guests.
Living guests.
He thought about the stories the Carlsson family had told him about the dead at the manor house. And Livia had said
the same thing about Katrine-that she would come home on Christmas Eve.
To see her again. To be able to talk to her.
No. He mustn’t think that way.
After a few minutes there was silence in the house.
Joakim closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Loud cries could be heard throughout the house.
Joakim woke up with a start and an instant thought:
Livia?
No, it was a man’s voice.
He stayed in bed, sleepy and confused, then remembered he had guests staying.
It was Michael Hesslin calling out in the darkness.
Then he heard the sound of rapid footsteps and Lisa’s questioning voice in the corridor.
It was twenty to two when Joakim got out of bed, but first he went to check on the children. Both Livia and Gabriel were fast asleep, but of course Rasputin had jumped out of his basket and was slinking uneasily along the walls.
Joakim went toward the kitchen. The light was on in the hallway, and when he got there Lisa was just putting on her coat and boots. She wasn’t smiling now.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
“I don’t know… Michael woke up and started yelling. He ran out to the car.” Lisa buttoned her coat. “I’d better go and see what’s wrong.”
She went outside, and Joakim went into the kitchen, still half asleep.
Rasputin had disappeared and the house was completely silent now. He put on some water to make tea.
When the tea was ready, he stood by the window with his cup and saw Lisa sitting next to Michael in the car. It was snowing lightly, the flakes glittering as they fell through the air.
Lisa seemed to be asking Michael questions; he was sitting behind the wheel just staring out through the windshield and shaking his head.
After a few minutes Lisa came back inside. She looked at Joakim.
“Michael had a nightmare…He says someone was standing next to the bed watching him.”
Joakim held his breath. He nodded and asked quietly, “Is he coming back inside?”
“I think he wants to stay in the car for a while,” said Lisa, and added, “I think we’ll probably drive down and stay the night at the hotel in Borgholm. It is open in the winter, isn’t it?”
“I think so.” Joakim paused, then asked, “Does he usually… sleep badly?”
“No,” said Lisa. “Not in Stockholm… but he has been a bit on edge. Work isn’t going too well right now. He doesn’t say much about it, but…”
“There’s nothing dangerous around here,” said Joakim. Then he thought about what Livia had said in her sleep. He added, “Of course, things have been pretty miserable here over the last few weeks. But we wouldn’t stay here if we didn’t feel… safe.”
Lisa glanced around quickly. “There are powerful energies here,” she said, then asked tentatively, “Have you felt as if Katrine were still here? As if she were watching over you all?”
Joakim hesitated before nodding. “Yes,” he said. “I do feel something at times.”
He fell silent again. He would have liked to talk about the things he’d experienced, but Lisa Hesslin wasn’t the right person to talk to.
“I have to pack,” she said.
A quarter of an hour later Joakim was back at the kitchen window watching the Hesslins’ big car driving away. He watched them for a long time, until the taillights had disappeared up on the main road.
The house was still silent.
Joakim left the light on in the hall and went back to his bedroom, after checking that the children were still sleeping peacefully. He climbed back into bed and lay there in the darkness, his eyes open.
On Monday morning he drove the children into Marnäs, then started sanding down, painting, and wallpapering the penultimate bedroom still to be renovated on the ground floor. As he worked he listened for noises, but heard nothing.
It took five hours, including a short lunch break, to finish three of the walls. At around two o’clock he stopped for the day and made some coffee.