The Key (70 page)

Walter lowers his hand.

‘I understand that this is hard,’ he says gently. ‘But you’re doing the right thing.’

Ludvig and Ramström accompany Linnéa to the small room and she sinks down on the sofa. Was it really this morning they met in here for the first time? Now it seems all that happened in a different life. In a different universe.

Diana hurries in, sits down next to Linnéa and gives her a hug.

‘Christ,’ she says. ‘It’s all over.’

Awkwardly, Linnéa returns the hug. She still can’t quite believe it’s true.

‘You were incredibly brave,’ Ludvig says when Diana lets go.

‘I must say, I’ve never experienced anything like it,’ Ramström says, sounding almost exhilarated. ‘I think the court would’ve agreed to anything after that confession.’

He and Ludvig carry on talking about the damages that the court has awarded Linnéa. A hundred thousand kronor. A lot of money.

‘Would you like me to get you something?’ Diana asks. ‘A glass of water, perhaps?’

‘Vanessa,’ Linnéa says. ‘Please, could you find Vanessa and Anna-Karin?’

‘No problem,’ Diana says, and leaves.

Linnéa just sits quietly, listening to the two men. They are talking about the sentences.

Erik’s five years and Robin’s four. Years that they’ll never get back. And they will always be known as the guys who tried to murder somebody.

Linnéa senses Vanessa’s energy coming closer and Diana opens the door.

‘They are on their way,’ she says. ‘Do you need a lift later?’

‘No,’ Linnéa replies. ‘I’ll go back with the others.’

Diana nods and smiles. Diana, who has always trusted Linnéa, always done more for her than her job required. Much more. Linnéa can’t blame her for what she did while Olivia controlled her. She has known that for a long time, but now she feels it as well.

‘Thank you,’ Linnéa says. ‘For everything.’

Diana looks touched.

‘You take care,’ she says. ‘We’ll talk soon.’

Ludvig and Ramström shake hands with Linnéa. She thanks them both, as usual feeling awkward and stiff when she tries to be polite. But her gratitude is real enough and she hopes they will realise that.

They leave just as Vanessa and Anna-Karin enter.

Vanessa’s cheeks are streaky with tears. Linnéa walks towards her and straight into her arms. Suddenly she is surrounded by the scent of coconut shampoo.

Vanessa’s emotions flow into Linnéa. She feels Vanessa’s happiness and relief and they become her own happiness and relief. Now, she dares to believe that it actually happened. They won.

She wishes she could kiss Vanessa and tell her that not a day goes by when she does not regret what she did. Tell her how much she needs her. But she reminds herself that history would only repeat itself. She would hurt Vanessa again.

She lets go and gives Anna-Karin a quick hug.

‘You got them’, Linnéa says. ‘You fucking got them.’

Anna-Karin smiles.

‘Erik won’t try to appeal,’ she says. ‘And he won’t try to harm you or anyone else again.’

‘It feels like we’ve won against the whole of Engelsfors,’ Vanessa says. ‘Against everything that’s rotten in the town.’

Linnéa laughs. That’s exactly how it feels.

‘What happened to Alexander by the way?’

Anna-Karin and Vanessa glance at each other.

‘He did his best to stop me from getting here,’ Anna-Karin says. ‘But I dealt with him.’

‘The Council probably had spies in court today,’ Vanessa says. ‘We have to assume that they know what we did. But, Linnéa, it was worth it. You mustn’t ever think any different. Not for one second. We’re not going to be scared of them any more.’ Vanessa’s eyes shine defiantly and Linnéa doesn’t feel afraid any more. She feels how strong they are together.

‘Having said that, we shouldn’t be alone tonight,’ Vanessa continues. ‘Not as both the Council and Olivia are after us. Evelina is sleeping over at Rickard’s place. They have already left with Gustaf.’

‘The three of us can stay at Minoo’s,’ Anna-Karin says.

Linnéa agrees, glad not to be left on her own tonight.

‘Does anyone know how things panned out for Minoo?’ Linnéa asks. ‘Did she find the box?’

‘We don’t know,’ Anna-Karin says. ‘It’s still impossible to phone Engelsfors.’

‘Nicolaus has gone for the car,’ Vanessa says. ‘Do you want to leave now? Or stay for a while?’

‘Let’s go now,’ Linnéa replies.

The crowd in the hall has thinned. Tindra comes along to give Linnéa a hug and congratulate her. Ramström is talking to some journalists. Linnéa catches a glimpse of Cissi’s blonde hair in the group.

Near the doors, a guy wearing a keffiyeh is waiting with a microphone at the ready.

‘Congrats, Linnéa! How are you feeling?’ he says.

‘Like maybe there’s some justice in the world after all.’

Then, fresh air at last.

He stands at the bottom of the steps.

Dad.

Linnéa stops on the top step.

I’m just going to talk to him for a moment
, she thinks to Vanessa, who nods and walks on together with Anna-Karin towards Nicolaus’s car.

Linnéa walks down the steps.

He isn’t drunk today.

‘Have you been here all day?’ she asks.

‘Yes, I have.’

She wonders how she would have felt if she had spotted him in the public gallery. Would it have made her feel worse? Or better?

‘I’m so very sorry about the last time,’ he says. ‘I’ve joined AA now. But you don’t have to listen to any more about that. There is just one thing I want to tell you, for your sake. Not mine.’

What he is saying sounds prepared, but his eyes tell her that he really means it.

‘You were so wrong,’ he says. ‘You’re not ruined. You’re not like me. You’re like your mother. Emelie was the bravest, strongest person I’ve ever met. If she hadn’t died in the damned accident, she would have made a future for herself. As you will, Linnéa. You must never believe that you can’t.’

Linnéa opens her mouth to say something, until she realises that her voice wouldn’t carry.

Her mind goes to the box back in the flat, full of letters that her mum and dad wrote to each other when they were young. And the cassette tapes they exchanged.
TO BJÖRN FROM EMELIE
. Two kids from care homes who married and tried to build a life together.

What is it that decides who gets on and who is dragged down? Is it inherited? Or in the environment? Willpower? Good luck and bad?

She hears the reporters swarm down the steps. Cissi calls her name.

‘I have to go,’ Linnéa says.

She isn’t sure that she wants to see him again. Or if she will ever forgive him.

But she is grateful for what he has just said.

‘Take care,’ she says.

‘And you,’ Björn Wallin replies.

She gives him a brief smile.

‘Bye, Dad,’ she whispers.

And then she sets off at a run towards Nicolaus’s car.

Walter’s car is parked outside an abandoned terraced house. The
FOR SALE
sign is so dirty you can barely make out the estate agent’s phone number. Minoo sits in the passenger seat, wrapped in the black smoke. It soothes her, makes her feel pleasantly numb. Thoughts and memories come and go without hurting her.

Adriana’s lifeless eyes.

Alexander’s furious gaze.

Walter’s threats.

Do you think Gustaf can defend himself?

She doesn’t even feel anything when she looks at Walter, who is sitting next to her with an old copy of the
Engelsfors Herald
spread out across the steering wheel. The pages rustle as he turns them. The heater is humming. The stereo quietly plays old tunes that seem to belong in black-and-white films.

A car slows down and stops behind them. Walter checks the mirror. Minoo hears a car door open and close.

‘All right,’ Walter says, folding the newspaper. ‘I can allow you two hours.’

‘Thank you,’ she says, not feeling the humiliation.

‘Of course, with Olivia snapping at our heels, we’ll have to be extra careful. I’ll stay here and watch until you have got in safely.’

Outside, the air is icy, as if the temperature has fallen to zero. The sky is covered in dark clouds. She walks quickly to Gustaf’s house. Rings the doorbell. His face opens up in a surprised smile when he answers the door.

‘Hi there,’ he says. He takes her in his arms.

Now that she is inside the smoke, it feels meaningless to kiss him, but she does it all the same. He must not think that anything is wrong. That is why Walter allowed her to come here. She must make Gustaf believe that all is well with her.

‘I’ve just come back home,’ Gustaf says. ‘It’s so good to see you. I’ve been worried about you.’

‘Because of Olivia, you mean?’

‘Yes,’ he says.

‘You mustn’t worry,’ she says. ‘I got a lift to come here.’

She walks ahead of him into the kitchen, feeling his eyes on her. To give herself something to do, she grabs a glass from the rack and fills it with water.

‘Tell me about the court hearing,’ she says.

Gustaf tells her and she listens. There is so much that should make her feel something, but all she can do is note the facts, and try to look happy or worried in the right places. Not that she thinks she can fool him. It is obvious that he notices that something is wrong.

‘Where are the others?’ Minoo says.

‘Evelina is sleeping at Rickard’s tonight, and the others have all gone to your house,’ Gustaf says. ‘Special precautions, because we know that both the Council and Olivia are on the warpath.’

‘But what about you?’

‘It’s cool. Olivia is chasing natural witches. And the Council aren’t likely to be interested in me either.’

Do you think Gustaf can defend himself?

She has to release a little more black smoke to dampen down her fear.

‘Has the Council said anything?’ Gustaf asks. ‘I mean, about what they might do to Anna-Karin and Vanessa?’

‘No, they haven’t said anything.’

Gustaf looks concerned.

‘How are you feeling? Did you find the box?’

‘No,’ Minoo says. She drinks a little water. ‘Shall we go to your room?’

‘It’s a crazy mess. Hang on.’

He walks ahead of her up the stairs and, after a while, calls to her that all is clear and she can come up.

The bed has obviously been tidied up in a hurry. The wardrobe door is slightly open and she can see he’s thrown a pile of clothes inside. The Venetian blinds are pulled down and the only light comes from the bedside lamp.

She notices the photograph of Rebecka and Gustaf. It used to hang on the wall above his bed, but now it has been moved to the windowsill, next to a photo of Gustaf’s family. He moved it in the spring, saying that Rebecka would always be a part of his life, but that she couldn’t be his girlfriend any more.

‘You’re using your magic,’ he says. ‘I can see it in your eyes.’

She turns towards him. He sits on the bed and she can see the tendrils of smoke float in the air between them. It’s so strange that he can’t see them, even though they almost touch him.

‘It feels as if you aren’t here,’ he says. ‘Please, Minoo. Stop it.’

She hesitates. Without her magic, she risks breaking down. But she must try to draw strength from something else.

She pulls the smoke back. Gustaf looks relieved.

And she realises that he truly sees her. That he can tell how she is, even when she tries to hide it.

‘Why did you use your magic? Has something happened?’

Adriana’s lifeless eyes.

Alexander’s furious gaze.

Walter’s threats.

Do you think Gustaf can defend himself?

Fear is lurking, ready to leap at her. But she will not let it. She has less than two hours with him.

These might be their last moments together.

She wants them to be filled with happiness.

‘Loads of things have happened,’ Minoo says.

She goes to the bed and sits down next to him.

‘But is it all right if we don’t talk about it now? Can’t we forget all the bad things? Just for now?’

She looks at him and he nods. And so she slams the door shut on all her fears, on all the problems. All that will be waiting patiently for her the moment she steps outside this house.

She kisses him and Gustaf pulls her close. She feels the scent of him. And how much she loves him. It makes her dizzy.

She has always wondered about sex. Like, how do you even begin? Does one have a discussion and reach a joint decision? Or, is it supposed to kind of
happen
, wordlessly?

But now, all these questions are unimportant. There’s no time.

‘Gustaf,’ she murmurs. ‘I’ve never …’

And she feels herself blushing.

‘You know …’ she says.

Gustaf nods.

‘But I want to,’ Minoo says, and her face goes hotter still. ‘If you do.’

He smiles. Then kisses her again, lingeringly. His lips move down her neck and on to kiss her ear. It tickles wonderfully. He pulls his T-shirt off and throws it on the floor; she slides her hand through his tousled hair, along his neck, his shoulder, down to his waist. Feels his warm skin under her hand.

Gustaf starts unbuttoning her cardigan. She pulls it off, and her top. She moves closer to him, feels the warmth of his naked skin against her body. It’s a new sensation.

They kiss awkwardly while they fumble to get jeans and socks off. Then she lies back on his bed and he kisses her neck again. His lips move down her collarbone to her breasts. She unfastens her bra. He takes it off.

She had always thought that she would be shy and stiff; that her many body fixations would distract her. Now, she feels that she can’t do anything wrong because there is no such thing as wrong. All she wants is to continue.

Gustaf’s fingers wander down to her waist, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He touches her hips and pulls down her panties. She kicks them off, then slips her hand down the small of his back and tugs at the elastic of his underpants. He pulls them off and lies down next to her so she can rest her head on his arm.

He looks at her.

‘You are so lovely,’ he says.