Buried Angels (40 page)

As Anna neared the dock, she saw Tobias waiting there for her. She had phoned ahead to tell him of her visit, and he must have been keeping an eye out for her arrival.

‘So you dare to come back out here to the wild west?’ he said with a laugh as he reached for the bow.

‘I’ve always liked defying fate.’ Anna tossed the line to Tobias, who moored the boat with a practised hand. ‘You look like you’re already an old salt,’ she said, pointing to the half-hitch he’d tied around one of the bollards on the dock.

‘You’ve got to be if you live in the archipelago.’ He held out his hand to help her ashore. His other hand was wrapped in a bandage.

‘Thanks. What did you do to your hand?’

Tobias examined the bandage as if he’d never noticed it before. ‘Oh, that’s just the sort of thing that happens when you’re doing renovation work. All part of the job.’

‘How very macho of you,’ said Anna and found herself smiling foolishly. She felt a pang of guilt because she was more or less flirting with Ebba’s husband, but it was all in fun and totally harmless, although she couldn’t deny that she found him incredibly attractive.

‘Let me take that.’ Tobias lifted the heavy bag of samples from her shoulder, and Anna gratefully followed him up to the house.

‘Normally I would say that we should sit in the kitchen, but there’s a bit of a draught in there right now,’ said Tobias when they came inside.

Anna laughed. She felt light-hearted. It was a relief to talk to someone who wasn’t always thinking about the troubles she’d endured.

‘And it would be difficult to use the dining room, since there’s no floor,’ he went on, giving her a wink.

The gloomy Tobias that she’d encountered before seemed to have vanished, but maybe that wasn’t so odd. Ebba had also seemed less downhearted when Anna had seen her at Erica’s house.

‘If you don’t mind sitting on the floor, I think it’d be best if we went upstairs to the bedroom.’ He headed up the stairs without waiting for an answer.

‘It seems a little odd to be bothering with fabric samples right now, after what happened yesterday,’ she said apologetically as she followed.

‘Don’t worry about it. Life goes on. In that regard, Ebba and I are very much alike. We’re both extremely practical.’

‘But I’m surprised that the two of you dare stay here.’

Tobias shrugged. ‘Sometimes there are things you just have to do,’ he said, setting the bag on the floor in the middle of the room.

Anna knelt down next to it and began pulling out fabric swatches, spreading them on the floor. With great enthusiasm she talked about what could be used for furniture, curtains, and cushions, and which types would go well together. After a while she fell silent and turned to Tobias. He wasn’t looking at the fabric but instead had his eyes fixed on her.

‘You certainly seem very interested,’ she said sarcastically, but she felt her cheeks flush. Nervously she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Tobias was still staring at her.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.

She nodded hesitantly. ‘Actually, I am.’

‘Good.’ Tobias quickly got to his feet. ‘Stay here and put away the samples. I’ll be right back.’

He set off downstairs to the kitchen while Anna remained where she was, surrounded by the swatches of fabric laid out on the beautiful, newly polished hardwood floor. The sun was slanting in through the windows, and she realized that it was later than she’d imagined. For a moment she thought she needed to get back to take care of the kids, until she remembered that no one was home. The house was empty. All she had to look forward to was a lonely supper in front of the TV, so she might as well stay. Tobias was alone too, and it would be much nicer to eat dinner together. Besides, he was already in the process of making something for them, and it would be rude of her to leave after she’d accepted his invitation.

Nervously Anna began gathering up the fabric. When she’d finished piling all the swatches on top of the chest of drawers that stood against the wall, she heard footsteps on the stairs, along with the clinking of glasses. A moment later Tobias came into the room carrying a tray.

‘It’s going to be a supper à la Cajsa Warg: some cold cuts and cheese, and I’ve toasted a few slices of bread. But maybe it’ll be all right if we have a good red wine.’

‘Absolutely. But I’ll have to make do with only one glass. It would be a real scandal around here if I was arrested on my way home for drinking while driving a boat.’

‘Well, I certainly don’t want to be the cause of any scandal.’ Tobias set down the tray.

Anna felt her heart beating faster. She really shouldn’t stay here, eating cheese and drinking wine with a man who made the palms of her hands sweat. At the same time, that was precisely what she wanted to do. She reached for a piece of toast.

Two hours later she knew that she was going to stay even longer. It was not a conscious decision, and they hadn’t discussed it, but that wasn’t necessary. As dusk fell, Tobias lit some candles, and in the glow from the flickering flames, Anna decided to live for the moment. For just a brief time she would forget about everything that had happened to her. Tobias made her feel alive again.

She loved the evening light. It was so much more flattering and forgiving than the merciless light of the sun. Ia studied her face in the mirror and slowly ran her hand over her smooth features. When had she started caring so much about how she looked? Back when she was young, other matters had been considerably more important. Then love had become the only thing that mattered, and Leon was accustomed to being surrounded by beauty. Ever since their fates had become intertwined, Leon had sought out bigger and more dangerous challenges, while her love for him had grown stronger and more devoted. She had allowed Leon’s wishes to govern her life, until there was no turning back.

Ia leaned closer to the mirror but could see no regret in her eyes. As long as Leon had remained as bound to her as she was to him, she had been willing to sacrifice everything, but then he had begun to withdraw, forgetting about the fate that united them. The accident had made him understand that only death could separate them. The pain she had felt when she pulled him from the car was nothing compared to what she would have experienced if he had left her. That was something she could not have survived – not after all she had given up for his sake.

But she could no longer stay here. She couldn’t understand why Leon had wanted to come back. She shouldn’t have allowed him to do it. Why visit the past when it held so much sorrow? Even so, she had complied with his wishes. But now she had reached her limit. She couldn’t stand by and watch as he brought about his own destruction. The only thing she could do was to go home and wait for him to follow so that they could continue to live the life that they’d created together. He couldn’t get by on his own, and this way he would be forced to realize that.

Ia stretched and cast a lingering glance at Leon, who was sitting on the balcony with his back turned. Then she started packing her bags.

Erica was in the kitchen when she heard the front door open. A moment later Patrik came rushing into the room.

‘What the hell have you been doing!’ he shouted. ‘Why the devil didn’t you tell me that we’d had a break-in?’

‘Well, I wasn’t really sure …’ she ventured, though she knew it was pointless. Patrik was as angry as Gösta had predicted he would be.

‘Gösta said that you suspected John Holm was behind it, and yet you never said a word to me. Those people are dangerous!’

‘Lower your voice. I’ve just put the kids to bed.’ Actually, she made the request as much for her own sake. She hated conflict, and her whole body shut down whenever anybody yelled at her – especially Patrik, maybe because he so seldom raised his voice to her. And the situation felt worse this time, because she had to admit that he was partially right.

‘Sit down and let’s talk about this. Ebba is upstairs in my work room, going through my research.’

She saw that Patrik was struggling to control his temper. He took a couple of deep breaths, exhaling through his nose. It looked as if he’d succeeded, more or less, but he was still slightly pale when he nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.

‘I hope you have a very good explanation, including for why you and Gösta have been going behind my back.’

Erica sat down across from Patrik and stared at the tabletop for a few moments. She was trying to work out how to formulate her words so that she would be completely honest with Patrik but at the same time present herself in the most advantageous light. She started off by telling Patrik how she had contacted Gösta after learning that he had been personally involved in the case when the Elvander family disappeared. She admitted that she hadn’t wanted to tell Patrik since she knew that he wouldn’t approve. Instead, she had persuaded Gösta to collaborate with her for a while. Patrik didn’t look happy, but at least he was listening to what she had to say. When she told him about her visit to John Holm’s house and how she had discovered that someone had tried to get into her computer, Patrik again turned pale.

‘You should be glad they didn’t swipe your computer. I assume that it’s too late to bring someone in to dust for fingerprints?’

‘Yes, I don’t think it would do any good. I’ve been typing on the keyboard, and the kids are always running around with sticky fingers.’

Patrik shook his head in resignation.

‘And I don’t really know whether Holm is behind it,’ said Erica. ‘That was an assumption I made because the break-in occurred after I happened to take that note.’

‘
Happened
to take it?’ said Patrik, snorting.

‘But now I’ve turned it over to Kjell, so there’s no longer any danger.’

‘The people who are looking for it don’t know what you’ve done with it.’ Patrik stared at her as if she were an idiot.

‘I realize that. But nothing else bad has happened.’

‘Still, it would have been nice to find out about this a little earlier. Gösta has at least told me some of what the two of you have managed to find out.’

‘And tomorrow we’re going to see Junk-Olle and get back the family’s possessions.’

‘Junk-Olle?’

‘Didn’t Gösta tell you? We found out what happened to everything that belonged to the Elvander family. Junk-Olle was apparently a sort of handyman out at the summer camp when it was a boarding school, and when Gösta phoned him to ask about the family’s belongings, he said: “It’s amazing how long it’s taken the police to come asking about those things!”’ Erica laughed.

‘So Junk-Olle has been keeping them all these years?’

‘Yes, and at ten o’clock tomorrow morning I’m going over there with Gösta to go through it all.’

‘No, you’re not,’ said Patrik. ‘I’m going out there with Gösta.’

‘But I …’ Erica began, but then realized that it would be better to give in. ‘Okay.’

‘From now on, you’re to keep out of this investigation,’ he warned her, but she saw to her relief that he was no longer angry.

They heard footsteps on the stairs. Ebba was about to join them.

Erica got up to finish washing the dishes.

‘Friends?’ she said.

‘Friends,’ said Patrik.

He sat in the dark, watching her. It was her fault. Anna had exploited his vulnerable state and tricked him into breaking his vows to Ebba. He had promised to love Ebba in sickness and in health, until death did them part. That fact didn’t change just because he now realized that she was the one to blame for what had happened. He loved her and would forgive her. He had stood before her, dressed in his best suit, and vowed to be faithful. She had been so beautiful in her simple white dress, and she had looked him in the eye, listened to his words, and then locked them in her heart. Now Anna had ruined everything.

She gave a faint grunt and burrowed her head in the pillow. Ebba’s pillow. Tobias wanted to tear the pillow away to keep Anna’s scent from sullying it. Ebba had always used the same shampoo and the pillowcase was usually fragrant from her hair. He clenched his fists as he sat there in bed. Ebba should have been the one lying next to him with the moonlight illuminating her lovely face, casting shadows around her nose and eyes. It should have been Ebba’s chest rising and falling, naked above the edge of the blanket. He stared at Anna’s breasts. They were so different from Ebba’s, which were like tiny buds, and below he could see the scars winding their way towards Anna’s stomach. Earlier in the night they had felt rough under his hands, and now he was disgusted by the sight of them. Cautiously he reached out, grabbed the blanket, and pulled it up to cover her body. Her repulsive body that had pressed against him and erased the memory of Ebba’s skin.

The thought made him nauseated. He had to undo this so that Ebba could come back. For a moment he sat perfectly still. Then he picked up his own pillow and slowly lowered it over Anna’s face.

It was most unexpected. She wasn’t ill-disposed towards children, but as the years passed and nothing happened, she had calmly come to the conclusion that she would never have any of her own. Sigvard already had two grown sons, so he didn’t seem concerned about the fact that she was barren.

But then a year ago she suddenly began to feel terribly and inexplicably tired. Sigvard presumed the worst and sent her to their family doctor for a thorough examination. She too thought it might be cancer or something equally fatal, but it turned out that at the age of thirty she had suddenly become pregnant. The doctor could offer no explanation, and it took Laura several weeks to assimilate the news. These days her life was largely uneventful, and that suited her just fine. She preferred to stay at home, in the house where she was the mistress and everything had been deliberately chosen and arranged. Now something was going to erase the perfect order that she had so meticulously established.

Along with the pregnancy came peculiar symptoms and unwelcome physical changes. The realization that there was something inside of her body that she could not control brought her to the verge of panic. The actual birth was horrible, and she decided that never again would she allow herself to be subjected to such an experience. She refused to undergo the pain, powerlessness, and bestial condition of giving birth to another child, so Sigvard had to move into the guestroom for good. He didn’t seem to mind, satisfied as he was with his life.