Liv

by Mikaela Bley

  The visit might at least give Ellen a sense of whether Liv really had been living in a violent relationship, which had been the police’s first theory. Now, the police were apparently looking for a man who had attacked multiple women in Stentuna. Ellen hadn’t been able to find anyone to confirm that lead, but had asked Agatha to keep digging. She herself chose to pursue the lead that she felt was most probable, and she couldn’t credit that the fatal blow had been the first.

  Ellen was directed to the dental clinic one floor down. The women’s clinic didn’t want her in their offices, which made perfect sense.

  The dental receptionist understood immediately what it was about and automatically showed her into a cold, silent room with two armchairs and a small table in the middle.

  It was stuffy, and Ellen took the liberty of opening the little window before she took a seat in one of the red armchairs. You could almost touch the dejection that emanated through the room, and she thought of the women who’d sat here before her. On the table lay some brochures and information flyers about violence and the support that was available. She picked one up, but had only just started browsing when the director of the women’s clinic came into the room. Ellen stood up, and they shook hands. The woman, who was in her fifties and introduced herself as Joulin Bergfelt, had long black hair and olive skin.

  As she sat down on the chair opposite and folded her hands, Ellen was struck by how beautiful the woman was. Joulin told her briefly about the operation and what they did. It was admirable work that must often have felt hopeless.

  Ellen couldn’t stop herself wondering about whether Joulin herself had experienced anything like that and whether that could be why she was so engaged, but she suppressed her curiosity and explained instead that she was working on the murder of Liv Lind, but that she wanted to talk about violence against women in more general terms.

  ‘Is it okay if I record this?’ she asked, taking her phone out of her pocket.

  Joulin nodded, and Ellen put the phone on the table.

  She started by asking what Joulin thought about the police sending women a general warning the way they had the day before.

  ‘Because I’m not familiar with the case, I can only give a general response to your question, and the most common thing when the victim is a woman is that the perpetrator is known to her.’

  ‘But the murder of Liv Lind has led to a lot of anxiety and fear in the community.’

  ‘Yes, and I don’t know if the police have good reason to send out that kind of warning. I just hope that it doesn’t lead to women’s freedom of movement being limited. It’s a major problem that we often talk about how women should protect themselves, for example by not walking home alone or running with earphones. But we ought to be directing the warnings at men, as they’re the ones who are responsible for the greatest share of violence in the world by far. If you want to reduce this type of violent crime, you have to work with men and boys.’

  ‘In what way?’ Joulin was well-spoken, good-looking, and credible. She has an on-screen presence, Ellen thought, and made a mental note to tip off News Morning about her.

  She was met by a look of exhaustion.

  ‘Through crime prevention efforts. I can email you a summary of what we think society can do to stop this violence. The men hit, and the women hide here. That’s the awful development we’re seeing.’

  ‘Thanks, please do email me. Can you tell me anything about how violence in intimate relationships most often expresses itself?’ Perhaps she should get some new input. After the conversation with Sara, it appeared that Liv’s relationships had not been wholly uncomplicated, and Ellen had had the feeling that her sister had probably responded a little too quickly when asked whether there were signs that Liv had been subjected to physical violence previously.

  ‘It can be physical, mental, or sexual.’

  ‘Can you give me some concrete examples?’

  ‘When we talk about physical violence, for example, she can be shaken, shoved, dragged, or someone can take a stranglehold, or threaten her with a knife. And it still counts as physical violence, even if no bruises or wounds are visible after the attack.’ Joulin took a deep breath. ‘Control and isolation are examples of psychological violence. Maybe someone controls the other person’s email or phone. Perhaps they intrude on them without permission or follow them. Threatening to injure children or pets, or to commit suicide, or reveal someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity against their will are further examples. It can also express itself in extreme jealousy or the desire to shame your partner in front of others and humiliate her or him, likewise to make someone financially dependent. The violent person can hit, threaten, and offend one moment, and then be warm and regretful. The happy, intimate times together mean that the subjected partner continues to hope that it can be good again.’

  ‘What would you say are the clearest warning signs for a family member? How can we tell if it’s happening to a sister or friend?’

  ‘It’s hard to generalise, but we usually say that the victims withdraw from family and friends.’

  Ellen nodded and tried to process all the heavy information, which was actually only confirming things she already knew, but which bore repeating again and again. Besides which she needed the facts on which to hang her argument.

  ‘And what signs can you see in the man who commits abuse?’

  ‘I just want to point out that violence occurs in all types of relationships, it can be the man who is abused, and it can happen in same-sex relationships. But the signs are usually the same. The one who abuses is perceived as charming and verbal. Often, they may criticise their partner in front of others, or disparage them. It usually starts with mental abuse, which is hard for a family member to notice.’

  Ellen ended the interview and praised Joulin for the amazing work she and her colleagues were doing. They exchanged business cards, and Joulin said that Ellen should feel free to be in touch again, should she have more questions.

  The sun was shining on Ellen as she stepped out onto the street. She squinted up at the sky and took a few deep breaths before walking over to her car.

  It was broiling hot, and it was barely possible to sit on the car seat without burning your thighs. She rolled down the windows and tried to get a little air circulating, but there was no breeze.

  Liv’s previous relationships had also been secretive. She needed to speak to Carola and find out if they knew anything else about the person in question.

  But Carola wasn’t answering her phone. While waiting for her to call back, Ellen scrolled through her inbox and saw that Agatha had sent her an email. According to her sources, no reports could be found from women who had been attacked in Stentuna in the past year.

  Ellen was feeling more and more confused and decided to call the police in Nyköping. She needed someone who could confirm her information. According to Agatha, the reports from Stentuna from the past few months were only connected to bullying and vandalism. She was transferred to Börje.

  ‘Now what do you want? Will you please leave us alone so we can do our work? Haven’t you got your own contact?’

  ‘Yes, but she’s not answering. According to my source, you’re working on a new lead. Can you confirm that earlier this year, several assaults on women were reported in the surrounding area?’

  He sighed. ‘What are you talking about? You’ll have to check your sources and not waste our time on your speculations.’

  ‘So you’re saying it’s not true?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Why, then, have you asked women to be extra cautious?’

  ‘I’m not the one who handles the press questions in this media circus, Stockholm is responsible for external communication. Thanks to you,’ he said and hung up.

  Thanks, yourself. Ellen stared, crestfallen, at the phone and wondered why Börje wouldn’t want to confirm
that several women had been attacked, and why it seemed like he wasn’t behind the warning at all.

  ELLEN

  1.10 P.M.

  Ellen was driving up Odengatan when Carola finally called her back.

  ‘Hi, thanks so much for arranging the interview with Sara,’ Ellen said in a put-on pleasant tone to conceal her irritation. ‘I need to ask you a few supplementary questions. Is now a good time?’

  ‘I’m on a late lunch at the moment, can we talk again later this afternoon?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Ellen. ‘Are you having anything good?’

  ‘Nothing special, a dry salad at Industry.’

  ‘Wonderful. Call me when you get the time,’ said Ellen and hung up. She made a sharp U-turn and drove up Tegnérgatan, across Barnhusbron, and over to Kungsholmen. Parked in a loading zone on Norr Mälarstrand and went into Industry. ‘May I sit down?’

  Carola looked up from the newspaper and was not exactly over-enthused to see Ellen there. She folded up the newspaper before Ellen had time to see what she was reading. ‘Are you in a hurry or something?’

  ‘Yes, a little. I’m sorry to disturb you in the middle of lunch. By the way, I thought you police officers didn’t have time to eat lunch?’

  ‘No, but I felt like I had to get out of the office. There’s been far too much work for me recently. I don’t just work with the press now, I’ve had to assist the Nyköping police quite a bit from here.’

  ‘I was joking. You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m happy that you’re taking some time. It’s important.’ It occurred to Ellen that she hadn’t had any lunch herself. It smelt delightfully of fresh-baked bread, and she was hungry for a sandwich. ‘Great place, I haven’t been here for years.’ She looked around the scaled-back, industrial environment with concrete floors and sheepskins on the wicker chairs. There weren’t many people around, most of the customers were sitting outside, which meant they could talk undisturbed.

  Carola was wearing a knit jumper, and it looked horribly warm. When compared with Ellen’s thin summer dress, it looked like they were sitting on opposite sides of the calendar year. The circles under Carola’s eyes were dark, and she had tried to put her hair up in a bun, but most of it had fallen down on the sides.

  ‘Would you like anything?’ a waiter asked.

  ‘A fizzy water, no flavour, please. Do you want anything?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘I just have a few questions,’ Ellen said, once again with a fake smile on her lips.

  ‘Okay, I’ll try to give you answers, but as you know, I don’t have full knowledge of the investigation — it’s actually better if you email me so I can check things.’

  ‘I understand, but I’m here now. Let’s see what you can answer here and now, and I’ll be grateful if you’re able to check the rest after lunch. According to my sources, it doesn’t seem like the Nyköping police are on board with that warning you wanted us to release yesterday.’

  Carola raised her eyebrows. ‘Who have you been talking to?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘There are always different ways of looking at things, and not everyone in the police can stand fully behind every decision, and by the way, not everyone has the competence to do so either.’ She shrugged and took a bite of her salad.

  ‘You’ve gone ahead and warned the general public, anyway.’ The waiter came and served her. She took several gulps of the ice-cold water before she continued. ‘Speaking of which, how come there aren’t any police reports on assaults, despite what you maintained yesterday?’

  Carola stared at Ellen, and it was impossible to miss the irritation in her body language. ‘I’m your contact when it comes to Liv Lind.’ Her neck had turned completely red.

  ‘But you don’t answer when I call. Tell me, then, is this true or not?’

  ‘It turned out that both cases were dropped.’

  ‘But why didn’t Börje say that, then?’

  ‘Because he doesn’t think it has anything to do with you.’ She grinned then, but quickly turned serious again.

  Ellen shook her head. Someone was lying, and she didn’t get why. What was the point?

  ‘But what other assaults are there that can be linked to the murder of Liv?’

  ‘I can’t answer that at the present time.’

  ‘At the present time, at the present time.’ She sighed deeply and decided to keep going. ‘I did meet up with Sara, and she told me, among other things, about a ring that she thought Liv had been wearing. Do you know if a ring was missing?’

  Carola shook her head and finished chewing. ‘I don’t have all the details in my head.’

  ‘It looks like she had a secret relationship with someone. The father of the child presumably. They had clearly been seeing each other for several months, according to the sister — but don’t you already know that? Shouldn’t we release a picture of Liv? In case he might make contact?’

  ‘No, it’s too soon.’ Carola gave her a sharp look.

  ‘How so?’

  ‘Out of respect for the family. They would never go along with it.’

  ‘Don’t say that. I can try to talk to Sara, I actually think she’d understand the importance of it.’ Ellen took another gulp. ‘Someone must know about their relationship, and he is a suspect to say the least because he hasn’t made contact. What if he’s a danger to others?’

  True, Ellen had a hard time believing that. Because the DNA from the sperm got no hits in any of the registries, it had to be someone with no prior convictions. Besides, maybe Liv hadn’t been raped, but had simply had sex before the attack, which didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the murder.

  ‘What other possible leads do you have?’ she pressed. ‘Have you checked the surveillance cameras from the local buses on the night Liv was murdered? Who was the last person to see her alive? What do you know about Liv’s previous relationships? Maybe there was something that didn’t end well. Someone who was still angry, betrayed, or who knows?’

  Carola laughed a little too loudly, and then demonstratively crossed one leg over the other. ‘What, you don’t have any more questions?’

  ‘Yes, but I wanted to start with those.’

  Carola pulled the sheepskin over her legs, even though it must have been thirty degrees Celsius inside.

  ‘Are you cold?’ Ellen asked, who wished she could tear off her clothes because it was so hot and stuffy in the place.

  ‘Yes, I may be starting to get sick.’

  ‘Oh, dear, do you want something? A pain reliever? Ginger?’ Ellen felt impatient and didn’t have time for illnesses now.

  ‘No, thanks. I did say that I was telling you about the assault lead in confidence, it’s clear that Börje isn’t talking to you about that. It’s important for us to trust each other.’

  ‘Exactly. And for that reason, I have to know that you’re giving me correct information.’

  ‘I’ve done that.’

  ‘But why did you ask us to give that warning to women?’

  ‘Because I thought it couldn’t hurt.’

  Ellen let that hang for the moment. ‘Do you know if Liv’s mobile phone was turned off manually or if it’s been destroyed? I know there’s a way that can be detected somehow.’

  ‘It said “disconnected” when they searched on Find My iPhone so that’s still unclear.’

  ‘When was the last time you could see that she’d been active on the phone?’

  ‘She called her sister at 6.05 p.m. But when her sister sent her a text at ten minutes to ten, she didn’t reply.’

  ‘Anything new from the masts?’ Ellen already knew that the police had checked the cell towers to see what phones had been in the area during the night, but she also knew that it was an extensive process to go through the records, and you had to know what you were looking for
if you wanted to actually get any results.

  Carola shook her head.

  ‘Have you checked Åhléns City last Friday, lunchtime? I assume that a big department store like that has cameras. Apparently, Liv was there, and Sara thought she might have had someone with her.’

  ‘I’ll pass that question on. But just to clarify our cooperation: I decide what information I think is relevant for the media. It won’t work for you to sit here and ask a thousand questions and expect me to answer them all.’

  Ellen nodded. ‘Okay. But you probably ought to check it all out, anyway, and you’ll have to confirm that you’re investigating the questions, otherwise I’ll start suspecting that something isn’t right in the investigation. Have you accessed Liv’s computer?’

  ‘Yes. I was actually the one who managed to guess her password.’ There was a little pride in her voice. ‘Passwords should be treated like toothbrushes, perhaps you’ve heard that before? Change them often, don’t loan them out, and never use the last four digits of your Social Security number.’

  Her mood was so changeable that Ellen was no longer able to keep up. It was almost as if she wasn’t controlling her behaviour herself.

  Ellen smiled and nodded. So true. She wondered when she herself had last changed her passwords and couldn’t recall when it would have been. ‘Did you find anything of value?’

  ‘The computer basically had nothing personal on it.’ Carola looked completely pale.

  ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Have you talked to her midwife? Surely she must know who the father is?’

  ‘Yes. Liv had visited her once, but didn’t want to talk about her partner.’

  ‘Maybe she’s been living in Denmark?’ Ellen suggested. ‘What do we know about her previous relationships, which she seems to have also concealed from her family … Carola, are you sure you’re feeling okay?’

  Carola was clutching her chest and sweat was running down her temples. Ellen stood up and went over to her. Leant forward and placed her hand on her back. ‘What is it? Maybe you ate something strange?’ She looked down at Carola’s plate of Greek salad, which she’d barely touched.