Liv

by Mikaela Bley

  ‘You didn’t answer, did you? It’s that journalist again. I could strangle her if I got hold of her.’

  Hanna shook her head and wished she hadn’t heard that. ‘What does Alexandra say about all this?’ She had wanted to ask for a long time, but hadn’t dared.

  ‘Alexandra?’

  ‘Yes … Do you trust her?’

  Stoffe stared angrily at her. ‘Come on, we have to go in. The parents’ meeting is starting.’

  Hanna took a deep breath and got out of the car. She had been on the verge of asking about the bruises on his body.

  ELLEN

  8.00 P.M.

  Carola wanted to treat her to coffee as thanks for helping her to the hospital that day. Ellen didn’t have the stomach to decline and thought that perhaps she could squeeze a little information out of her, even though she actually ought to drive back to Örelo before her mother called Missing People.

  They met on Norr Mälarstrand near the police headquarters, and walked along the water, which they were not alone in doing. The promenade was just about packed.

  It was too warm and too late for coffee, so they each got an ice cream at the snack bar and sat down on a bench.

  ‘Do you usually work this late?’ asked Ellen, who felt uncomfortable with the whole arrangement.

  ‘No, but I had quite a bit to catch up on after the last two days.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you be at home resting?’

  Carola ignored the question and leant back on the bench. ‘Listen, I just want to say thanks for your help recently. I hope we can forget it and move ahead as if nothing happened.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Ellen, who was more than happy to do that, but it wasn’t so easy to scale back the intimacy in the conversation. ‘Where did you grow up?’ she asked, hoping that was neutral enough.

  ‘Vällingby. I’ve lived in Stockholm my whole life and never left the western suburbs. You?’

  ‘Örelo, an estate in the vicinity of Stentuna.’

  ‘I see. Is that why you got so attached to the Liv Lind case?’

  ‘In part.’ Ellen licked at the sprinkles, struggling to finish the soft ice cream before it melted. ‘Have you always lived alone?’ She realised how bad she was at small talk but was really trying.

  ‘No. I’ve had some long-term and short-term relationships, but nothing that lasted. Unfortunately. I think it’s because of my job.’

  Ellen nodded in recognition.

  ‘I truly want to thank you for taking care of me the other day. Sorry, but I just want to say that again. You didn’t have to do that, and I’m never going to forget it.’

  It was a completely different Carola who was sitting beside her now compared with the tough policewoman she was used to talking to. ‘Ah. It’s nice to see that you’re feeling better and that you’re back at work, even if it would perhaps be better for you to stay home and rest. Or I don’t know, for me it’s better to work and avoid thinking about myself.’

  Carola started biting into the cone. ‘Yes, I’m probably like that.’

  ‘What’s your feeling about Liv Lind? Do you think it’s Patrik?’ There had to be an end to this girl talk. They didn’t really know each other, and Ellen wasn’t interested in making a new friend.

  ‘I don’t know.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m trying not to speculate too much, and just stick to the facts we have.’

  ‘Why do the police persist in saying that? You must have some kind of imagination and let your thoughts wander. It’s completely inhuman to be so factual.’

  ‘Maybe, but we have to be. It might not be part of your job, but in mine it is. Who knows how dangerous it could be if we started making up stories.’

  Ellen sighed and supposed she was right. ‘Do you really think some kids could be involved? I can’t imagine that they’re capable of killing a woman. Why would they?’

  ‘As I said, we proceed from the evidence we have.’

  ‘Which is?’

  Carola glanced at her and smiled. ‘It’s not that easy to get me to talk. No, I won’t joke, these are serious matters. It would damage the investigation if I told you. Can I borrow your phone?’

  Ellen took it out of her bag. ‘Why?’

  ‘Do you have a picture of Liv’s car from the crime scene?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I thought so.’ She sneered. ‘Can I see?’

  Ellen didn’t question it and gave the phone to Carola, who enlarged the image and showed Ellen.

  ‘What?’ But then she saw. ‘Has someone keyed it?’ She zoomed in a little more and saw the letters BfH.

  ‘Bitch from Hell?’

  ‘Yeah, presumably. We’ve found the same letters in other contexts connected to bullying and the like, and have managed to link it to a gang of teenagers and children.’

  ‘Bea Bosängen?’

  Carola shrugged. ‘I can’t comment on that.’

  Ellen heard the alarm bells ringing in her head. ‘What are children capable of, actually?’

  ‘More than what most of us can imagine. Who knows, it may be a game that has gotten out of control.’

  Ellen thought a moment. ‘Have you gotten any more information from forensics?’

  ‘Yes. Just between us. We’ve found signs that she tried to flee. She took a powerful blow to her stomach and abdomen and apparently collapsed, or was pushed down to the ground. She had wounds on her cheek, probably from blows, and marks from a ring or the like. The perpetrator beat her with a blunt object. There were traces of blood on the ground that indicate that she tried to get away, but the perpetrator must have dragged her back to the car.’

  The picture became so real that Ellen felt sickened. ‘Have you found the murder weapon?’

  ‘No, but it’s likely to be something the perpetrator found at the scene. None of it seems planned.’

  ‘Such as what then?’

  ‘Maybe a stone or something like that.’

  ‘But if it was the result of an argument, DNA from the perpetrator must have been found?’

  ‘Liv had a lot of DNA on her, but it’s been difficult to figure out whose it was — there was too much blood. Fingerprints and saliva can disappear in that quantity of blood.’

  Ellen swallowed and tried to erase the images that were being projected in her mind. ‘My God.’

  ‘Yes.’

  They both sat silently awhile and looked at all the people walking past them on the promenade.

  Suddenly, Carola clutched her chest and leant over.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘It hurts here, and it feels like my heart is racing.’ Her face was completely white.

  ‘Maybe you’re having another anxiety attack,’ said Ellen. ‘I get them too. Try to relax. It’s not dangerous.’

  Carola moaned, and Ellen suffered with her. ‘Try to breathe calmly.’

  Carola took a few deep breaths and stretched. ‘Ugh, it’s horrible.’

  ‘I know.’

  They sat silently for a few minutes, and Carola tried to breathe regularly. Ellen held her hand on Carola’s back.

  ‘It feels a little better now. Talk to me.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Anything at all.’

  ‘How are things with Ove?’ That was the only thing she could think of.

  ‘I have such a hard time seeing how you collaborated. When he gave me this case, I have to say, I wasn’t that impressed with you. Was Ove really the best source you could find?’

  ‘I’m glad I’ve found you now. This collaboration feels much better.’ And she truly meant that.

  ALEXANDRA

  8.15 P.M.

  Alexandra was lying on the bedspread, staring up at the ceiling. The air conditioning hummed faintly in the background. In her hand, she held the documents about Bea from the police and
the school. She’d read disconnected words like bullying and vandalism. Words that shouldn’t be connected with her daughter. She let the papers fall onto the bedspread beside her and continued staring at the ceiling. Bea had been transformed into someone she didn’t want to know. It was as if she was no longer part of their family. And here Alexandra had thought she had struggled so much, but it hadn’t been enough.

  Bea was sleeping later and later in the mornings and coming home at night less and less often. Several nights, Alexandra had left Märtha alone while she desperately drove around combing neighbourhood after neighbourhood in search of her daughter. And Patrik hadn’t been there.

  She curled up in the foetal position. It was frightful to get to the point where she realised that she was afraid of her own daughter and what she might do. She didn’t want to admit it, even to herself. But that was what had happened.

  So many times, she had tried to turn herself inside out, and the only thing she’d decided was that she was terribly ashamed, about everything.

  Her thoughts wandered off. What were Hanna and Patrik doing now? How did he touch her? What did they say to each other? Even though it tormented her, her imagination was lively, and she saw scenes in her mind’s eye that made her feel terrible. It was probably just a matter of time before Hanna moved in with them, because it wasn’t safe for them to live in Stentuna.

  She closed her eyes.

  Would Patrik sleep with them every other night then? Would he kiss her good night, and then crawl into Hanna’s bed? The thought of hearing them felt like a knife stab, and she struggled to be rid of the images of the two of them together.

  In truth, she’d already known how it would be from the moment they got engaged, even though Patrik had said then that he would never want to grow up in a family like his own.

  Bosängen had always been surrounded by myths. Not just because the farm was so beautiful and there were rumours that it was haunted, but also because so many cousins lived there, and the family ties were unusually tight.

  When she came to Sweden, it hadn’t been long before she’d fallen in love with Patrik. But she hadn’t been the only one. He was two years older than her and the best-looking guy in Karlstad. There was whispering about him in the corridors, and hearts were drawn around his name in the restrooms. But for Alexandra, he was unreachable. There was roughly the same chance that she would end up with Richard Gere. She actually didn’t have that many idols she was in love with. Patrik was the only one she dreamt about.

  For a few years of school, he had been together with Linda. She was a tough girl with big breasts and short crop tops, who mostly hung out in the smoking corner. Now, when Alexandra thought about it, she reminded her a lot of Hanna.

  During her teen years she’d spent most of her time doing sport, mostly track and field, and she focused on heptathlon. She never went to parties and didn’t have that many friends. Even today, it hurt when she thought about herself as a child and teenager. She had been extremely slender. Now, in retrospect, she realised that she’d probably suffered from an eating disorder.

  It was at a birthday party with one of the track coaches, who also turned out to be Patrik’s cousin, that she’d gotten to know Patrik. The party had been held in the workout room at Karlstad Athletic Facility. When she got there, Patrik was sitting on one of the benches, drinking a beer. He called her over to him and asked her to sit down. It had been the happiest moment in her life.

  Patrik had said that she was a late bloomer. The sort that no one paid any notice to until the types like Linda had faded.

  They became a couple. Every day, she had to pinch herself on the arm. She could not understand that Patrik Bosängen was in love with her.

  When she learnt for the first time that his dad was ‘married’ to several women and that all of his cousins were actually his half-siblings, she was already so much in love that it didn’t matter. It was illegal, and she associated it with something religious, but Patrik explained that it had nothing to do with religion, their family had just lived that way for generations.

  At that time, Patrik thought it was bothersome. He’d been ashamed of his family constellation, and it had taken several years before he’d actually dared to tell her what went on. Maybe that was why Patrik had more patience with Bea’s behaviour?

  Alexandra couldn’t help thinking that she had been perfect wife material for Patrik. Adaptable, head over heels in love, and alone, with no friends who could gossip to others about what went on at Bosängen.

  ELLEN

  9.00 P.M.

  After the meeting with Carola, Ellen drove out onto E4. Actually, she wanted to stay in the city. But she had no choice — her mother was not going to tolerate anything other than her coming home.

  On the way, she stopped at McDonald’s in Nyköping and bought a cheeseburger, a fizzy water, and a coffee. All Ellen had eaten all day was that ice cream, and she could feel her stomach growling loudly. Even though she’d soon be home, she needed coffee to keep her eyes open the whole way. She’d already dozed off several times on that last part of the E4, and woken up to the thumping sound of being about to leave the roadway.

  Ellen took the opportunity to ask the young woman at the register if she’d been working on Sunday evening, and she had. ‘Did you see anything unusual?’

  The girl shook her head. ‘Like, what kind of thing?’

  ‘I’m thinking about the murder in Stentuna. Do you know if the police have been here and talked to any of you, checked surveillance cameras or the cash register?’

  ‘Yes, but I don’t think they found anything relevant — it was really dead here last Sunday evening — but maybe it’s better if you ask my boss.’

  Ellen nodded and made a note of the boss’s name in her phone. ‘Please call me if you think of anything,’ she said, handing her a card. ‘Anything at all.’

  Then she wolfed down the hamburger, quickly finished the mineral water, and felt stuffed. You chow down, burp, and get hungry again, as Philip liked to summarise a meal at the Golden Arches. She chuckled, picked up the phone, and called him. He answered after just a few seconds.

  ‘Did you see me on tonight’s program?’

  ‘No, I don’t watch TV if I’m not on,’ Ellen answered, and they laughed.

  ‘I can’t believe I did it. They asked me to be on the program because I was into the guy who was on, and I guess they wanted a little gay romance. Would you believe I made out on TV? With that lunatic. We’re no good for each other. We’re both way too out of control. You and I both need broccoli guys. Or we’re going to die much too young.’

  ‘Broccoli guys?’

  ‘Yeah, you know what I mean. The cross-trainer, the cottage cheese, and the chicken breast. The mapped-out life. Fish on Tuesdays. Kiss and good night at ten o’clock.’

  ‘Right, and it doesn’t matter if you tell him that Beyoncé’s in town and we’re invited to her suite, he’ll just say, “No, that’s not going to work, honey, because I’ve already thawed the fish and the oven is on.”’

  ‘Ha ha, right. You want him to be firm.’

  ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if Didrik has called in Beyoncé and she’s standing in the castle courtyard singing when I come home.’

  ‘Oh, he’s wrong in the head. You’d prefer Jay-Z.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Philip sighed.

  Ellen drove up into the yard and slowed down. ‘Am I a sister person?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Ugh, I have to hang up now. Unfortunately, Jay-Z isn’t here to meet me. It’s Mum in her nightgown, waiting on the steps.’ Sigh. She ended the call and got out of the car. ‘Are you waiting for me? It’s the middle of the night.’

  ‘I heard a car,’ said Margareta.

  ‘But why aren’t you asleep?’

  Her mother didn’t reply.

  ‘How’s your day b
een?’

  ‘It’s been fine, I suppose.’

  Ellen squeezed past her, went into the hall, and kicked off her shoes.

  ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘Please, we can talk about it tomorrow. Good night, Mum,’ she said, going upstairs towards the bedrooms and into the long, dark corridor.

  ‘Ellen?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Did you see anything funny on the way home?’

  ‘No, is there something in particular you’re thinking of?’

  Margareta’s eyes were hazy. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Good night, Mum,’ said Ellen, giving her a kiss on the cheek and noticing the aroma of gin.

  In her room, she pulled off her clothes and lay down on the bed. It was hot and stuffy, and the moon was shining into the room.

  Then she thought she heard something outside the door.

  ‘Mum,’ she called carefully, but got no answer.

  It sounded like there was a knock on the door. A muffled knock. She waited for the handle to be turned down, but nothing happened. ‘Mum?’

  After a pause, she got up and pulled the blanket around her. Trod softly up to the door. ‘Mum?’ she whispered.

  Still no answer.

  She took a deep breath and tried to slow down her escalating pulse. She snapped her fingers three times before she opened the door. Was startled by the creak from the hinge and was met by coal-black darkness.

  Slowly she stuck her head out in the dark corridor to see what it was she’d heard, but it was barely possible to make anything out. She shuddered, quickly closed the door, and hurried back to bed.

  It was probably just her imagination.

  Her skin was crawling, and she had a hard time settling down, even though she was tired. She got up and grabbed the sleeping pills from her bag, took two.

  When the phone rang, she was at first unsure whether she was dreaming or if it was real. But the ringtone continued, and she fumbled for the phone.

  ‘Ellen, it’s me, Jimmy. We’ve received information about a girl that has disappeared in Stentuna, not far from where Liv Lind was found murdered. Perhaps there’s a connection? Can you go there? I’m sending a photographer, so you guys can meet there. I’ll email the address. Okay?’