‘That’s funny. What’s this about?’
‘I’m afraid it’s my sad duty to inform you that we believe your parents are dead. Their house burned down this evening, and we’re assuming that the bodies we’ve found are theirs.’
‘But …’ she stammers.
‘I’m sorry to have to break the news like this, but you’re still registered at your parents’ and I got your number from their lawyer –’
‘What do you mean, dead?’ Victoria raises her voice. ‘I only spoke to them a few hours ago. Dad said they were on their way down to the sauna.’
‘Yes, that’s correct. We found your parents in the sauna. From what we understand at the moment, the fire started in the basement and they were unable to get out. The latch on the door might have seized, but for the time being that’s just speculation. We’ll know the details after a proper investigation. But it seems to have been a very tragic accident.’
Accident, she thinks. If they think it was an accident, then they can’t have discovered the plank. She’d been correct in assuming that it would burn up before they managed to put the fire out.
‘I appreciate that you probably need someone to talk to. I’ll give you the number of a duty psychologist that you can call.’
‘There’s no need,’ she replies. ‘I’m a psychologist myself, so I’ve got my own contacts. But thanks for the thought.’
‘Ah, I see. Well, we’ll be in touch again tomorrow with more information. Have a stiff drink and call a friend. I really am very sorry to have to break the news to you like this.’
‘Thank you,’ Sofia Zetterlund says, and hangs up.
At last, she thinks. Her feet ache. But she feels alive.
Now there’s nothing left.
She can see the end at last.
Kronoberg – Police Headquarters
AS JEANETTE CLOSES the front door behind her she hears the first raindrops hit the windowsills. It’s clouded over, and in the distance she thinks she can hear thunder. She gets in the car and drives away from the deserted house in Gamla Enskede while the first late-summer storm sweeps in over a grey Stockholm.
When she gets to police headquarters she clears her desk and waters the plants. Before leaving work she goes to see Jens Hurtig and wish him a good holiday.
‘What are your plans?’ she asks.
‘The day after tomorrow I’m taking the night train to ?lvsbyn, then the bus to Jokkmokk, and Mum’s going to pick me up there. I’m just going to take it easy, do some fishing. Maybe give Dad a hand with the house.’
‘How’s he getting on after his accident with the saw?’ she asks, embarrassed at not having asked sooner.
‘Apparently he can still pluck the strings, even if he’s not much good on the fiddle. But it feels a bit tragic that Mum has to tie his shoelaces for him.’ Hurtig looks serious, then breaks into a smile. ‘How about you? Peace and quiet?’
‘Hardly. Gr?na Lund, with Johan and Sofia. You know I’m not good with heights, but she suggested the fair, so I’ll just have to grit my teeth.’
His smile turns into a broad grin. ‘Try the little kids’ roller coaster, or the fun house!’
Jeanette laughs and gives him a playful push in the stomach.
‘See you in a couple of weeks,’ she says, little suspecting that they’ll see each other again in less than three days.
By which time her son will have been missing for almost twenty-four hours.
Vita Bergen – Sofia Zetterlund’s Apartment
SOFIA ZETTERLUND WAKES up with Victoria Bergman and she feels whole.
For two days she has lain in bed with Gao, talking to Victoria.
Sofia has told her everything that has happened since they separated twenty years ago.
Victoria has mostly been silent.
Together they have listened to the tapes, over and over again, and each time Victoria has fallen asleep. The reverse of what used to happen.
Only now, forty-eight hours later, does Sofia feel ready to face reality.
She gets a cup of coffee and sits down at her computer. As soon as she was told of her parents’ death she had a look at the website of Fonus, one of the big undertakers, and worked out the simplest way to get what was left of them into the ground. It’s scheduled for Friday out at the Forest Cemetery.
When she checks her phone and sees that Jeanette has called several times, she feels a pang of guilt. She remembers promising to go to Gr?na Lund together with Johan, and calls Jeanette straight away.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ Jeanette asks anxiously.
‘I’ve been a bit under the weather, couldn’t really handle answering the phone. So, what about Gr?na Lund?’ Sofia asks.
‘Can you still make Friday?’
‘Absolutely,’ she replies. ‘Where shall we meet?’
‘At the Djurg?rden ferry, four o’clock?’
‘I’ll be there!’
The next call is to the lawyer handling the estate. His name is Viggo Dürer, an old family friend. She met him a few times when she was a child, but only has a very vague memory of him. Old Spice and Eau de Vie.
Watch out for him.
The lawyer tells her she’s going to get everything, as the sole heir.
‘Everything?’ she says in surprise. ‘But the house burned down …’
Viggo Dürer explains that apart from the insurance on the house, worth about four million kronor, and the plot, which is worth more than a million, her parents had savings of nine hundred thousand kronor, as well as a portfolio of shares that ought to bring in another five million if they are sold.
Sofia tells the lawyer to sell the shares as soon as possible. Viggo Dürer tries to persuade her against doing so, but she insists, and in the end he agrees to do as she wishes.
She does a few sums and realises that she will soon be worth more than eleven million kronor. She has become a wealthy woman.
Part II
Gamla Enskede – Kihlberg House
JEANETTE FEELS HAPPY as she puts the phone down. Sofia has just been feeling ill and hadn’t felt like answering her phone. She’d been worried about nothing.
The trip to Gr?na Lund means that she finally has a surprise for Johan, and at the same time she’ll get to see Sofia.
Now that she’s finally got some holiday, she’s going to take things easy for a few days, then think about the future.
Her thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell ringing, and she goes to answer it.
Outside stands a uniformed police officer she’s never seen before.
‘Hello, my name’s G?ran,’ he says, holding his hand out. ‘Are you Jeanette Kihlberg?’
‘G?ran?’ Jeanette says. ‘What’s this about?’
‘Andersson,’ he adds. ‘G?ran Andersson. I work out in V?rmd?.’
‘I see. How can I help you?’
‘Well, you see …’ He clears his throat. ‘I work out in V?rmd?, and a few days ago we had a serious fire out there. Two people died in what looked like an accident. They’d been having a sauna, and …’
‘And …?’