Hell Fire

by Karin Fossum

  “As regards the house, furniture, and other movables, they will of course go to the family,” he explained. “But she has also left money, and some of it has been left to you.”

  “Money?” Bonnie said, astounded. “I didn’t know she had any money; she was very frugal.”

  “All old people are frugal,” Falck said. “No matter how wealthy they are. Perhaps that is why they are wealthy. And Erna had a lot of money.”

  “Right,” Bonnie said quietly. “I had no idea. Did she inherit it from her husband? He died a long time ago now.”

  “Yes,” Falck said. “He was a successful businessman. And Erna looked after his money well. Some wealthy elderly people give their money to various foundations, but Erna gave a lot to the local social services. Which you are part of. But some of the money is directly for you. Your son Simon is also mentioned. She thought of you both.”

  Bonnie had never been so surprised in all her life. She remembered the five bottles of perfume and how thrilled she had been to get them.

  “Are you sitting comfortably?” Falck asked.

  Bonnie looked at him, baffled. “Yes,” she said with a light laugh. “Your chairs are very comfortable.”

  He leaned forward over the desk; she noticed that he had a thick gold band on his finger and was wearing not a tie, but a bow tie. He smelled good too. There was something familiar about the scent. Olav.

  “Erna has left you two million kroner.”

  You could hear a pin drop. His smile was roguish.

  “No,” Bonnie said automatically. “No, I don’t believe it. There has to be a mistake.” She felt like the ceiling was floating down and a gentle breeze was playing in the plants.

  “A mistake?” Falck said, grinning. “Why do you say that?”

  “She’s got children. She’s not allowed to deny them their inheritance—aren’t there laws against that sort of thing?”

  “The children are also inheriting a fortune; like I said, she was very wealthy. They have no reason to complain, nor have they. In fact, they have asked me to pass on their regards and thanks for everything you have done for their mother over the years. Erna talked about you all the time, it seems. And how good you were. You were irreplaceable—reliable and good in every way.”

  He looked at Bonnie’s astonished face. She kept shaking her head. It was more than she could comprehend. This sort of thing happened to other people, people who had rich uncles in America.

  “You must have meant a lot to her,” he continued. “And you have no doubt earned every single penny. That’s what the family says too. Congratulations,” he added, chuckling. “Two million goes a long way. It might take some time before the money comes through, though, but I will let you know as soon as it does. In the meantime, I will need your account details. And now I think you should go out and buy yourself a bottle of good champagne.”

  When Bonnie got up from the comfortable chair, her legs would hardly hold her; she took his hand but felt she had no strength. She was a little dizzy, beside herself.

  “It will sink in at some point this evening,” Christian Falck assured her. “You may not even be able to sleep tonight. You’ll be floating a foot above the mattress.”

  Bonnie had to laugh at that. She thanked him and went back through the waiting room. She opened the heavy oak door and stepped out onto the street into the blue afternoon. I will never again judge anyone in my life, she promised herself. Erna was probably just shy and afraid to show her feelings: old school, the war generation, the ones who never got anything. They kept it all bottled up. She decided to go to Sydney Grill. She ordered a cheeseburger, struggled up onto one of the high bar stools by the window, and looked out. Suddenly she loved this town more than anything in the world. The river and all the bridges, the riverside walk. Saint Hallvard and his woman in the boat, the old theater. The old run-down pubs, Lauritz and Dickens and Kongens Våpen. The old brewery that was illuminated at night. When you saw it on the other side of the river from the station, it looked like a dream palace. A pigeon had strayed into the road, presumably from the main square. It strutted down the grass divide, lithe and beautiful. It wasn’t a gray pigeon with blue feathers. It was a white dove with golden flecks. Didn’t they symbolize peace?

  “Old people often save up all their money,” she explained. “And then when they die, the money is given away. And you and I have been given a lot. We don’t have it quite yet because it takes some time before it’s in the bank.”

  “How much did we get?” Simon asked, wide-eyed.

  “A lot,” Bonnie said. “So we can buy ourselves nice things. You can get a new bike, and I can get a new car.”

  “Oh,” he squealed with delight, “is it really that much?”

  “We might even be able to go to Gran Canaria,” Bonnie added with a laugh.

  Simon sat with his mouth open. What he was hearing was making his head boil and he was flushed to the roots of his hair. “I want to go to Africa,” he said, full of hope.

  Bonnie gave it some thought. “Yes, let’s go to Africa and see the lions,” she said. “But we’ll have to get vaccinations first. You know, shots, so we don’t get ill.”

  “Yes,” Simon whooped and clapped his hands. “I’ll have loads of shots!”

  He started to run around the room with a plastic lion in his hand, and Bonnie went into the kitchen to open the champagne. Just as Falck had said, it really hadn’t sunk in yet, and she certainly wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not on a day like today.

  34

  “ONE DAY, I’m going to die,” Mass said seriously. “The house will be too big for you on your own. Perhaps we should move into a small apartment?”

  “Die?” Eddie said and rolled his eyes. “But that won’t be for ages! So we can at least wait until you’re old.”

  Mass looked at her son’s brown curls. His big white hands and double chin. If only he had a brother or sister, but that had never happened and it was too late now. She wanted to go out for a drive with him, sit close to him in the car, enjoy the good weather. They drove out to Tangen and Frydenlund. Mass pointed at the blocks of apartments and residential complexes and said how nice they were. Look at the big balconies. I could have flower boxes there. And you wouldn’t need to clear the snow. They drove across the river and up the hillside. There were lots of big detached houses here, but they were just out for a run in the car and Mass liked driving. Eddie had bought himself a Coke at a store and sat beside her, burping every time he took a sip. It had always irritated her before but not anymore. He was the son she had been given, and she had always been patient with him.

  She was overcome by waves of angst and then struggled to breathe. Eddie drank from his Coke bottle and looked out at the scenery; everything was shiny and nice in the golden spring sunshine.

  “The crocuses will be out soon,” he said happily. “And the tulips. You’ll have plenty to do.”

  Mass thought about all the flowers she would see for the last time. Everything was for the last time. The last spring, the last summer. She had told Dr. Bromann that she would like to die in her own bed. But the more she thought about it, the clearer it became that that simply would not be possible. Eddie wouldn’t cope at all. Take one day at a time, she told herself, as long as the pain isn’t too bad. She thought about her final days, lying in a hospital bed screaming, with a terrified Eddie sitting beside her. Suddenly she wanted to go home. The angst overwhelmed her; she wanted to make supper for him, something nice. Everything had to be kept as normal as possible.

  In the evening, they sat and watched television. She had been to the store and bought a big bag of Twist chocolates, which her son was now guzzling. The colorful empty wrappers lay in a pile on the table. Eddie picked up the newspaper, leafed through to the crossword, and then grabbed a pencil.

  “I’m so glad that you’ve got hobbies,” Mass said. “The crossword. Your computer. You’re a whiz.”

  “I know,” Eddie said proudly. “I’ve always known that. And
you’re a whiz in the kitchen.”

  Yes, Mass thought, we have to remember to say nice things to each other while we can. He needs self-confidence, as much as he can get. But deep down she was afraid that he would not cope. That the world would come tumbling down and he would hide somewhere in the dark and not reach out to other people. And then anything could happen.

  “Buy an apartment,” Eddie said. “Crazy idea. You must be losing it.”

  Mass balled her fists in desperation because it was true. The disease was like a blow from a hammer and she felt dizzy. And soon, soon enough, the pain would take over.

  35

  AS THE DAYS PASSED, Bonnie got used to the idea that she was now rich and she realized that her life had changed forever. Simon scarcely recognized his mother. She laughed all the time, walked with a light step, and put on nice clothes even though she was just going to clean someone’s house. And she laughed about the old Opel that would soon go to the junkyard. Kaja had shown him Africa on the globe. It was made up of lots of big and small countries, and he wasn’t sure where they were going to go. We won’t be traveling alone, his mother had explained.

  “Will Granny and Grandpa be coming?”

  “No, we have to go with a tour company. And then we’ll get a guide who shows us around. In a safari car without a roof.”

  “How long is it until we can go?”

  “Not long, I don’t think,” Bonnie said. “As soon as the money comes, we’ll go.”

  “But when is it coming?” Simon was getting impatient.

  “They said it might take a little while. Come on, let’s go window-shopping, and if we find something nice we can go back and buy it later. OK?”

  She started the old Opel and Simon was allowed to sit in the front for once. The seat belt cut across his neck, which wasn’t good. But normal rules and regulations didn’t apply anymore. This was a new world.

  The snow had melted and the blue handicapped signs were clearly visible now, so she parked in one of the other empty spaces. As soon as they went into the shopping center, Simon smelled the bakery. Bonnie bought him a raisin bun, which he ate with gusto. They took the escalator up to the second floor and started to wander around. They spent a long time going in and out of stores, and Bonnie realized that in a few weeks she would be able to buy whatever she wanted for herself and Simon. She looked at dresses. She looked at jewelry and bags and shoes. She looked at rugs and cushions and bedclothes. Everything they had was worn, and she was looking forward to renewing it all. Simon also found several things, but he understood that he had to wait. When they were full of plans and ideas, they went back down to the first floor and carried on their wandering. They popped into a pet store and Simon fell in love with the dwarf rabbits.

  “I want two of them,” he said decisively.

  Bonnie had to laugh. “I think we can do that,” she said. “They’re so cute.”

  They went on to the sports store. This was where Simon really went to town. His mother had never been so accommodating, and he was simply overwhelmed. They had bicycles and skateboards, knives and flashlights, helmets and small scooters, sneakers in bright colors and cool backpacks. On the back wall, there was every kind of fishing rod you might want. Then they went through to the clothing section. Bonnie fell for an outdoor jacket and Simon found a good tracksuit.

  “We’ll have to wait,” she reminded him.

  “But then someone else will buy it,” Simon objected. “Please!”

  Bonnie stroked his hair. “All right,” she smiled. “But we’ll have to eat porridge for the rest of the week.”

  When they got home, Simon took the tracksuit out of the bag. He found some scissors and cut off the tags, put it on in front of the mirror in the hall, and then paraded back into the living room.

  “You look great,” Bonnie said. “Just like the Norwegian flag, all red, white, and blue.”

  36

  August 2005

  SEJER AND SKARRE continued to visit Henny Hayden at regular intervals. They had investigated the circumstances surrounding Bonnie’s inheritance, but there was nothing to indicate that the two had been killed for the money. Erna Vibe’s other heirs had been duly questioned, but it led nowhere. And according to Henny, very few people actually knew about the inheritance.

  “I read all the papers,” she said, distraught, “and they’re saying it’s a very difficult case.”

  “That’s true. But that doesn’t mean we won’t solve it. We first have to find the man who was observed near the crime scene. A big man driving a red car. And then we have to prove he went to Skarven Farm. And then we can find out the motive.”

  “There are foreigners working there, you know,” Henny hastily informed them.

  “Yes, we know. We questioned them some time ago now. You look tired,” Sejer added. “Are you getting enough sleep and eating properly?”

  After their visit to Henny, they drove on to Skarven. Woiciech, Stanislav, Jürgen, and Thomas were sitting on the grass in front of the outbuilding eating their lunch, which consisted of thick slices of bread and ham and strong coffee from a thermos. They had taken off their shirts in the warm sun and were all strong, muscular men.

  “Woiciech,” Skarre said, “have you ever seen the red car again?”

  “No, just that once. We went to visit the graves,” he added. “They were good.”

  He had a pair of black-and-yellow suspenders on to keep his sturdy work pants up, and they were all wearing heavy leather shoes. The soles had long since worn down and none of them had the characteristic pattern found on the floor of the trailer.

  “When will you be going back home?” Skarre asked.

  “In November,” Woiciech told him. “My kids are waiting for me. We’re going to build a house.”

  Later, Sejer and Skarre walked down across the fields to where the trailer had stood. Randen had finally towed it away. They wandered around somewhat aimlessly, each lost in his own thoughts. There were other unsolved cases—of course there were—but not that many. Some cases would always gnaw at them.

  “He’ll be following what’s happening,” Skarre said, looking at the inspector.

  “Obviously,” Sejer replied. “And he may not be sleeping at night.”

  When he got back to his apartment on the twelfth floor, he was ambushed by Frank. He knelt down and took one of the dog’s soft paws in his hand. The dog’s eyes, which were barely visible amid all the folds and wrinkles, were black.

  “You need a facelift,” he said affectionately. “But it would cost a fortune.”

  He went into the kitchen and started to rattle around with the pots and pans. Frank immediately trotted in to beg for scraps. Sejer hesitated before giving him a bit of sausage. I never learn, he thought sheepishly. If only Elise had seen that.

  37

  April 2005

  BONNIE WANTED TO TELL anyone who would listen about her inheritance because she was so excited. But something made her hold back. Many of her clients only received a minimum pension and struggled financially just as she had. However, young Alex was let in on the secret. When he heard about Erna’s generosity, he was thrilled.

  “So are you going to take me to Bagatelle?” he asked hopefully. “Or an eleven-course dinner?”

  “Of course,” Bonnie agreed. “In the autumn. And Elisabeth can come too. But first I have to clear my debts.” They were in the middle of a chess game.

  “I wish I had a pawn on wheels with right of way,” Bonnie said with a laugh.

  He immediately responded with a very smart move. He leaned back in his wheelchair and looked at her. He wanted to tell this beautiful woman, who was only three years away from forty, and who came to his door to help him, that she was the highlight of his week. But he was far too proud and shy to show his devotion.

  “I’ve got an old aunt who lives on a small farm,” he said instead. “And her Border collie is named Bonnie, and she’s an impossible dog.”

  Bonnie laughed. “What’s your greate
st wish for the future?” she asked him.

  “To have my own child,” he replied without hesitation. “I want what you’ve got. A son. He would run riot, but he’d also do things for me. And he would of course be a genius at chess. And I would make it perfectly clear that when it comes to bad driving, he has to stay alive.”

  “What’s wrong with a girl?” Bonnie asked.

  “Nothing, I just want a boy.”

  “And you know that you can have children?”

  “Oh yes, we’re planning to. And what’s more, we have you,” he said with a little smile. “I hope that you’ll be around for a long time, and that you won’t desert me, just because you’re rich.”

  “Never,” Bonnie assured him and moved a knight.

  Alex brushed his bangs away from his face. He was clean-shaven and smelled good.

  “You better watch your queen,” he warned her. “Let’s take a break. Put the pizza in the oven.”

  Simon Hayden resembled his father, Olav. He had the same slim body and thin ankles. The same blue eyes and the same restlessness. When he was big, he wanted to work at sea, like his father. Every morning when he sat on the bench under the snail at daycare, he looked up at his mother and said: “Do you think the money will come soon?”

  “Yes,” Bonnie told him. “It won’t be long now.”

  “It will definitely come, won’t it?”

  “Yes, we’ll definitely get it. Because Mr. Falck promised. And he knows things like that because he’s a lawyer.”

  Simon had already told Märta the big news, and about everything he was going to get and the trip to Africa. That he would have to have lots of vaccinations and that he would come home with photographs of lions. Märta retorted that he might get eaten, but then Simon told her that the person driving the safari car had a gun. Kaja noticed that he had blossomed; he opened up to the other children and the desperate scenes when his mother left had stopped. He would now run around and at times couldn’t be stopped. She had to admit that she was a little envious. There was no likelihood of her ever inheriting anything like that amount of money. But she was pleased for Bonnie.