The day ended up even better than Simon had imagined. The skies had begun to clear, and all of Gothenburg glowed with the fantastic sharpness a ray of sunlight brings on an overcast day. They strolled around the city for hours. Sofia took him to the cathedral, which was so majestic it gave Simon the shivers. At last she had to drag him away, because he’d found himself captivated by the medieval astronomical clock near the entrance and couldn’t tear himself away. He read and reread the sign that explained how the clock worked, drinking in the details: how you could see the phases of the moon, the position of the sun relative to the horizon, the knight that showed the time, and the calendar that extended all the way to the year 2123.
‘What will happen then, after 2123?’ he asked Sofia.
‘How should I know? We’ll be dead by then anyway. Come on, let’s go.’
They wandered around the campus of the university, where Sofia showed him the library where she worked and told him that they lent out over half a million books per year. They sat on a park bench in Lundagård as the sun set and Sofia got him to tell her everything he’d seen at the manor. She made him repeat some parts of his tale several times. In the end they agreed that the new group was nothing but a big joke. A bunch of failures who couldn’t even come close to posing any sort of threat.
Sofia made dinner for him back at her little place. He slept on her sofa that night and took the train home the next morning. Before he left, he promised Sofia he would keep an eye on ViaTerra and be in contact with her at least once a week.
As he sank into his seat on the train and gazed out at the bare winter landscape, he decided it really wasn’t so terrible to take a little trip now and then.
9
It was sheer coincidence that Anna-Maria noticed the article in the paper. A client had left a copy of Expressen in her waiting room. She immediately recognized Elvira’s face on the front page.
A shiver ran down her spine as she slowly picked up the paper from the coffee table and unfolded it. The headline made her feel so sick that she had to grab the wall for support.
SHE WAS FRANZ OSWALD’S SEX SLAVE
Now Forced to Bear His Children
As she read, the rest of the world was made fuzzy by her increasing dizziness. It wasn’t so much the fact that that vapid little girl was knocked up, it was the blog. That there was a blog Anna-Maria didn’t know about, even though it had been live for days. One of her agreements with Oswald was that she would keep track of what the media was saying about him. She’d made a huge blunder, and could only hope he hadn’t read the paper. But she was all too familiar with his routines – there was no way he didn’t know. The vibes of his rage made it all the way from Skogome to her office.
All at once she knew this couldn’t wait. Anything could happen. He must be absolutely furious – what if he fired her and decided to find another attorney? Her fears attacked her like tiny demons, until she was so worked up that she was pacing the floor in desperation. It was just her luck that this would happen! Everything had been going so well. Oswald’s plan was proceeding smoothly and she had started to bring about some order with the dummies at ViaTerra.
Franz had even hinted at a more intimate relationship in the future. Several times. And now this…
She looked at her watch; it was seven-thirty, so visiting hours were long over. She told herself it couldn’t be helped, and dialled the number of Skogome. Helga McLean picked up. Anna-Maria steeled herself for the confrontation it would take to make an exception to visiting time, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
‘I think it would be best if you came in,’ McLean said as soon as Anna-Maria had introduced herself. ‘Your client isn’t doing very well right now. He’s in observation.’
‘What? He’s not a suicide risk, is he?’
‘No, not at all. Just furious. Truly furious. He was shouting and threatening us and disrupting everything, so we had to isolate him. And I’m sure you already know what the issue is.’
‘Elvira Asplund.’
‘Exactly. He’s demanding to see her. Immediately. And you know our rules – it’s out of the question.’
‘I’ll be there right away. How long will you be keeping him under observation?’
‘Until you get here.’
All the way to Skogome, she heard a voice in her head. It was her own voice of reason, speaking to her, just as it had sounded in the courtroom. Now it was laying out a plan: Just stand there and take it until his rage ebbs out. It always does eventually. Then you can present your arguments without his talking back. But then the voice began to mock her and she decided she was not about to accept any more of his relentless criticism. She sure as heck wasn’t the one behind bars. Time to smarten up and take control of the situation.
Once she’d made it through all the gates and doors and spotted him behind the glass wall that surrounded the observation unit, it struck her that he looked far too calm. He was bent forward, his elbows on his knees and his head resting in clasped hands. Only his slightly mussed hair let on that there had been some sort of turmoil. She caught a glimpse of her own face in the glass and thought she looked tired and grumpy, but imagined that couldn’t be true.
‘Go to visiting room seven, and I’ll bring him in,’ said the guard.
She tried to slow her breathing as she waited, and she cast her eyes downward as Oswald was led in. The guard closed the door and left them alone. Oswald didn’t take a seat, electing instead to lean against the wall.
‘I want to see Elvira,’ he said right away.
‘Franz, you know that’s not possible. Of course I can try, but…’
‘Then I want to see her dad,’ he cut her off. ‘Anders.’
His lack of resistance was surprising and gave her a moment of respite.
‘I can probably make that happen. He’s still at ViaTerra, isn’t he?’
‘Right.’
‘If you’re worried about the babies, I can…’
He barked a short, hoarse laugh.
‘The babies? Are you really that stupid? Do you think this is about them? How would it look if the greatest spiritual leader in Sweden abandoned his children? It’s a matter of PR. Come on. I thought we had the same end goal in sight here.’
‘Yes, we do,’ she hurried to say. ‘Of course I will straighten this out.’
‘And I want sole custody of the babies. It’s my own business why.’
‘Okay, I understand. I can help with all of that, I promise.’ She hadn’t quite dropped the placating tone in her voice. He still hadn’t mentioned the blog.
He reached out a hand and pulled over her notepad, then took the pen from her hand. After scribbling a few digits on the paper, he handed it back.
‘Call this number. Tell him hello from me. He’ll deal with that blog and a few other things. All you will do is thank him and accept his help, understood? I’m depending on you, Annie. You know that.’
He was the only one who called her Annie. It was a miracle. He wasn’t angry with her anymore.
His words swirled in her mind and set off a rush of joy. I’m depending on you, Annie.
‘Thank you, Franz. Is there anything else you need?’
‘No, you go take care of all this and I’ll put on my very best smile and convince the guard I’ve calmed down.’ He waved his hand dismissively.
She was afraid the magic spell would break. That this tiny, intimate moment would transform into a fresh burst of rage. She hurried away, and when she closed the door she took a big, greedy breath of relief. The cruel little devil did a backflip in her heart.
It was going to be okay. Everything would work itself out.
10
The first sign of a problem was when the blog disappeared. It was the second week of February. As Sofia was walking home from work, through the park, she realized it was brighter out. The air felt milder. Contrails from jets drew lines across the pale sky. A few big clouds had parked themselves in the distance, their undersides painted deep pin
k.
Her life was moving forward; she was kept very busy at the library and had her hands full with the blog once she got home each evening. They’d had over three million visitors and received so many comments each day that they couldn’t read them all. Elvira had been a guest on nearly every talk show, visiting each program with her big belly, looking divinely beautiful. No one could doubt that she was telling the truth. Now and then the thought entered Sofia’s mind that it was strange Oswald hadn’t responded. He’d had a whole month by now. But nothing had happened.
Elvira was waiting for her in the stairwell. Panting, she trudged up the stairs to the apartment.
‘I don’t know if I can manage another month,’ she said. ‘I can hardly breathe, and these little jerks are kicking me to pieces. All I want to do is sleep, and I’ve been eating like a horse.’
‘Well, it will be over soon. Have you decided what to do yet?’
Elvira didn’t respond.
‘Shall we work on the blog for a bit, and then you can go home and sleep?’
‘Yes, but you’ll have to write the entries, my spelling’s not so good.’
Sofia sat down at the computer and logged in. She searched for the blog among her favourites, but when she clicked on it, it was gone. That’s weird, she thought, wondering if Ellis might have taken it down for maintenance, or whether it had become such a big hit it exceeded its allotted gigabytes. She decided to check in with him.
‘What’s wrong?’ Elvira asked from the sofa.
‘The blog’s gone. Bizarre. But I’m sure Ellis is just up to something. Don’t worry. I’ll call him.’
Elvira stretched out on the sofa. Her eyelids fluttered; she was dozing off. Sofia went to the kitchenette and made a cup of strong coffee, but by the time she got back Elvira was asleep. Sofia called Ellis from her mobile. He hadn’t touched the blog and was as baffled as she was.
‘Someone must have hacked into it and taken it down. Those bastards!’ he said.
‘Can you find out who did it?’
‘I’ll try. Call you back soon.’
As Sofia waited, she searched YouTube for clips from Elvira’s interviews. But she found only messages from YouTube stating that they had been forced to remove them.
All at once she knew something was wrong. It was just a feeling, but it was so strong she felt her dinner turning in her stomach.
Ellis called not long after.
‘Someone hacked into the blog and erased it. I can probably get it back up today.’
‘Can you tell who did it?’
‘That might be a tall order, but I’m sure I can figure out where they were.’
Sofia told him about the YouTube clips.
‘Then someone pressured them to take them down. We can find out who it was if we contact YouTube. And listen, there’s something else you should see. I sent you a link.’
The link led to another blog. It seemed to imitate their blog, but in this case downturned lips had been drawn over Elvira’s mouth and there were horns on her head. The name Cult Kid remained, but it had a subtitle: The Truth About Elvira. Probably so that anyone who googled Elvira’s blog would encounter this one instead. The text was a lengthy rant that described Elvira as a gold-digger who had done her utmost to ensnare Franz Oswald. The language was so vulgar that the text was entirely repellent. There were tabs, too, showing every non-disclosure agreement Elvira had signed as well as short entries from the staff at ViaTerra about how awful she was. Sofia imagined that no one in their right mind would ever believe this. Yet her eyes stung as she scanned the words. People would read this. Maybe they wouldn’t believe everything, but it would change the way they looked at Elvira in one way or another.
She went over and gazed at Elvira, who was asleep on the sofa with her mouth agape. She was snoring gently and having a dream; her eyes flicked back and forth under their lids. All of a sudden, Sofia was flooded with an immense wave of affection. Elvira was in no shape to fight a battle against Franz Oswald. She had to take care of herself and the babies. Maybe it would be best to shelve the blog, turn their backs on the whole mess, and devote themselves to real life.
Her phone rang; it was Ellis.
‘Okay, so whoever demanded the clips be taken down was on West Fog Island. I think that’s all we need to know.’
Sofia realized she had no reply. All of her attention had gotten stuck somewhere between her brain and her phone. An increasing dizziness was pressing at the back of her head.
‘Hello? Are you there? Do you still want me to publish the blog again?’
She forced her attention back to their conversation. ‘Yeah, but I want you to do me a favour.’
‘Anything.’
‘Write a comment under the picture of Elvira. Say that she’s taking a break from blogging right now – I guess we can call it maternity leave. And then write that her friend Sofia Bauman will take over the blog for a while. That I’ll respond to questions and all that, as time allows.’
‘Are you sure you want your name on it?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Okay. One more thing, Sofia.’
‘What?’
‘Do you remember the night I went out to Fog Island and stood outside the wall to demand they let you go?’
‘How could I forget?’
It had happened when Sofia had started working on the staff at ViaTerra. Ellis had taken the boat to the island one night, drunk as a skunk, to stand there shouting from the other side of the wall, ordering them to let Sofia out. It had been beyond embarrassing.
‘Well, I was right.’
‘Oh, lay off. And those blog entries with my face photoshopped onto naked bodies were so nice. No, you’re not getting off that easy. You’ll be indebted to me for the rest of your life.’
Ellis laughed. Sofia thought it was strange how life could change people and mould them into new creations. One day, your worst enemy could become your lifeline.
Elvira had woken up and was moaning from the sofa. ‘What’s going on?’
Sofia walked over to sit beside her. Elvira’s forehead was sweaty; her legs were swollen and the veins on her calves had burst here and there. Only fifteen, and looking like that. When she should be going to school, meeting boys, and thinking about her future.
‘They’ve taken down your blog and put up another one, and it’s disgusting – I really don’t think you should read it. Ellis is fixing it right now.’
‘I figured as much. That they would attack me, I mean. I don’t want to read that crap. I just want to be left alone, get these babies out of me, and have some sort of life.’
‘I know.’
‘I have to go home and get ready for that TV interview tomorrow. It’s the last one. I can’t take any more.’
‘Okay, do you want me to walk you home?’
‘Why? Do you think they’re going to come after me? Attack a pregnant woman? Yeah, actually, that wouldn’t surprise me.’
‘No, that’s not what I meant. I just thought I could keep you company. It’s dark out.’
‘Nah, I’ll be fine. Although there’s something I have to tell you before I go.’
Elvira flushed and her eyes darted away from Sofia’s.
‘Dad called me yesterday.’
‘What? Are you joking?’
‘No. He said Franz wants me to come to Fog Island with the babies. That they’ll build me a little house on the property, and give me half a million kronor a year. A nanny and everything. Private tutoring so I can finish school. I don’t have to have anything to do with Franz if I don’t want to. He just wants custody of the babies. Dad said Franz isn’t interested in anything sexual, since pregnancy changes your body so much. Perfect little girl bodies, you know. That’s what Franz gets off on.’
Sofia felt like the floor was dissolving beneath her feet. Her mouth went dry and her heart shrank in her chest. Elvira began to cry; the silent tears ran down her cheeks in a steady stream.
‘For Christ’s sake, Elvi
ra. You cannot accept this!’
‘No, you can say that again. Dad said there are certain conditions. The most important one being that I have to break off all contact with you and Benjamin.’
Elvira backed up against the entryway wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She clapped her hands to her belly and swayed back and forth as if she were rocking her unborn children. In a split second she had grown so pale that the dark circles under her eyes stood out. Tears dripped onto her stomach.
Sofia leaned against the wall to steady her body, still overwhelmed by what Elvira had told her. She stared at the girl’s belly with an increasing sense of hopelessness. What was the point of all this?
‘Elvira, you absolutely cannot go back there.’
‘You think everything’s so simple,’ Elvira sobbed. ‘But I have no life. No fucking future. Everything is ruined.’
‘He raped you!’
‘That’s not exactly what happened. At first I was into it, but then it all went to hell.’
‘You were only fourteen!’ Sofia felt her desperation growing. The buzz in her ears that meant she was about to lose control. ‘You can stay here. I’ll help you take care of the babies. Just as long as you don’t go back.’
Elvira stood up, leaned over her belly, and hugged Sofia so hard she almost couldn’t breathe.
‘You’re so nice. ViaTerra is the last place on earth I want to go. As I’m sure you understand. But maybe I can come back here once the babies are born. That way he’ll have his kids and I’ll get my life back.’
‘He would never let you.’
‘You don’t know that. Please, I have to think about this for a while, on my own.’
‘Of course. You have to make up your own mind.’
Sofia helped her put on her jacket and boots, then watched her go as she half-staggered, half-trudged back toward downtown. She looked like a perfectly normal girl. There wasn’t a soul on the street besides Elvira, who weaved in and out of the shadows of trees along the way. The streetlights turned her long hair blue.
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