In Bad Company (Sandhamn Murders)

by Viveca Sten

  Nora showed Mina into the large bedroom upstairs, the one that used to be hers. This place was much smaller than the nineteenth-century Brand villa and nowhere near as elegant, but she’d always loved it.

  Mina gently laid Lukas down on the double bed, then she went over to the window and looked out over the village. “It’s pretty desolate,” she said.

  “Most of the houses are unoccupied at this time of year. There are only about ninety permanent residents on the island.”

  Mina ran her finger along the sill. “Is that all?”

  “During the summer we have something like three thousand visitors; the harbor area is packed. Hard to believe on a night like this.”

  Nora opened a drawer and took out towels, sheets, and pillowcases. The faded floral pattern reminded her of Henrik and another life.

  “You’ll be fine here,” she said. “I’m sure they’ll have found you a new safe place by tomorrow.”

  Mina was still gazing out of the window.

  “They’ll have picked up Andreis long before that,” Nora added as she began to make the bed. When she’d done one side, she moved Lukas across and made the other side. He was still fast asleep, with his pacifier in his mouth and fingers spread like starfish.

  He was so beautiful. Nora gently stroked his cheek. “I promise we’ll take care of you and your son,” she said.

  Mina let out a sob. “Why are you being so kind to me?”

  Nora searched for an answer. “Sometimes you just have to . . . do the right thing.”

  Mina’s gratitude embarrassed her. Mina thought Nora was doing this out of the goodness of her heart; she didn’t know that the real reason was Nora’s failure, the guilt she couldn’t shake off.

  “Anyway,” Nora said. “I hope you can get some sleep.” She slipped the pillow into its case and smoothed down the covers. “Don’t worry about a thing. No one knows you’re here, and Thomas will be sleeping in the other room. You won’t be alone tonight.”

  Mina shook her head. “There’s no need. I’ll be OK.”

  “It’s for the best.”

  “I’m sorry to be so much trouble,” Mina whispered.

  Nora had a lump in her throat. “You’re no trouble. Thomas will be over soon. He’s just making a couple of phone calls.”

  CHAPTER 122

  Mina locked the front door behind Nora, but left the light on in the hallway. She almost changed her mind; maybe it would have been better to stay with Nora in the big house? And yet she longed to be alone, not to have to encounter a stranger every time she left her room.

  The stairs creaked as she went back to Lukas. There were three bedrooms, and she’d been given the largest.

  She switched on the lights in the other rooms, including the bathroom, which made her feel better.

  Then she got into bed, curled up in the fetal position next to Lukas, and closed her eyes. She filled her lungs with air, but she still couldn’t breathe properly. Her chest seemed to have shrunk, as if something heavy were crushing it.

  This morning she’d thought that life was getting better, that all the bad stuff had already happened. Then disaster struck.

  Mom.

  She longed for her mother. There was no one left now, except for Dad. She had to take care of Lukas, but who would take care of her?

  I can’t do this, she thought, but she knew that wasn’t an option. She had to find the strength from somewhere.

  Her eyes were so swollen from crying that the skin around them was throbbing. Even though she was under the covers with an extra blanket, she was shivering so much that her whole body was shaking.

  Dad.

  Nora had stressed that she mustn’t tell a single person where she was, but Anna-Maria had said that Dad was coming to Freya’s Haven tomorrow to see her and Lukas. She couldn’t let him make the trip in vain.

  Mina slid out of bed and fetched her cell phone from the pocket of her jacket. It had been off all afternoon. She switched it on and keyed in the code. Then she sent a short text message to her father, explaining where she’d gone. Maybe he could come here instead?

  She missed him so much that it hurt. It wouldn’t take him much longer to travel to Sandhamn than to Runmarö. She’d do anything to see him tomorrow.

  Just for a little while.

  Mina went back to bed and drew Lukas toward her. He whimpered, but she had to feel the warmth of his small body.

  Hold the only good thing in her life.

  Her phone beeped; Dad must have answered right away. She immediately felt better.

  The letters on the screen faded in and out before her eyes as she read the message from Andreis. She couldn’t breathe.

  I will find you, you fucking whore. You can’t hide from me.

  CHAPTER 123

  When Nora got back to the Brand villa, Thomas was sitting on the glassed-in veranda with a cup of coffee in his hand. He seemed to have finished making his calls; his phone was on the table.

  He’d lit the old kerosene lamp that had been there for as long as Nora could remember. It made her think of her beloved Aunt Signe.

  The flame flickered.

  Thomas was staring blankly out of the window, but turned his head when she joined him. “How’s Mina?”

  “What can I say? She’s devastated.” Nora sank down on the sofa. She was so tired that she felt as if her legs couldn’t hold her any longer, yet the adrenaline was still coursing through her veins. “I think I’ll have a whisky—would you like one?”

  “I would, but I’d better not,” Thomas said with a weary smile. “I need to keep a clear head, since you got your own way. I’ll go over to the house in a few minutes.”

  He was right, unfortunately. Nora didn’t want to be reminded that Thomas needed to stay sober in case anything happened during the night. She’d convinced herself that Mina was safe now.

  The alternative was too awful to think about.

  She went over to the big cabinet in the dining room where she kept her china and glasses. One shelf was set aside for Jonas’s modest stock of booze. She found a half-full bottle of whisky and poured a measure into one of Signe’s fine crystal glasses, then rejoined Thomas. The alcohol burned on her tongue, but she began to feel warm again.

  Thomas was sitting in the wicker chair with his eyes closed. He was as exhausted as she was. “It would have been much better if Mina had been moved straight into a safe house,” he said after a while.

  “Well, she’s here now.” Nora tucked her feet under her body and reached for a cushion, which she pressed to her stomach. She took another sip of whisky to chase away her unease. “So how’s the search going?” she said, changing the subject. “Have they found Kovač?”

  “Not yet.” Thomas ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve just spoken to Aram. The dog teams have been all over the island, but there’s no trace of him. The theory is that he left Runmarö before they arrived. He probably couldn’t find the shelter—he didn’t have much time. He’s not stupid; he must have realized that someone would find Anna-Maria and call the police.”

  “At least he didn’t kill her.” Nora hugged the cushion more tightly. Kovač hadn’t shown the same mercy to Dino Herco. “I wonder why he let her live.”

  “Perhaps someone was coming down the lane, or maybe that car turned up and frightened him off.”

  “He didn’t kill Herman Wibom either. They’re both potential witnesses.”

  “It’s impossible to understand why he’s done what he’s done.”

  “I wonder whether nothing else mattered once he’d gotten the information he wanted,” Nora speculated. “Or has he lost control to the extent that he can only think about Mina? Everything else is irrelevant. He’s incapable of taking a tactical approach at this stage.”

  Thomas shrugged and reached for his phone. “I’m sure he knows he’ll do less jail time for assault than homicide.”

  “Where do you think he’s gone?” Nora gazed out toward the sea. It was dark now, but she knew exactl
y what was beyond the windows: the islands she’d known since she was a child, the old jetties in a line. She’d always felt safe in this environment, never been afraid of the night.

  “If he’s smart, he’ll be on his way out of the country,” Thomas said. “He might try and get to the Balkans—he has both money and contacts there.”

  Nora was still mortified that Kovač hadn’t been held in custody, but the net was tightening around him. He wasn’t going to escape. “I just hope they pick him up soon.”

  Thomas was sitting with his face turned away. In the glow of the lamp, his profile cast a long shadow on the wall. “I hope so, too.”

  Friday

  CHAPTER 124

  Thomas’s phone rang just as he closed the front door of Nora’s old house behind him.

  It had been a quiet night; he’d even managed a few hours’ sleep on top of the covers. This morning the adrenaline was keeping him going. He wasn’t as tired as he should have been under the circumstances.

  It was only seven o’clock; Mina and Lukas were still asleep. It wasn’t raining yet, but the sky was overcast.

  He glanced at the display: Aram.

  “A patrol has seen a guy matching Kovač’s description outside his brother’s apartment.”

  Of course Kovač wasn’t dumb enough to go anywhere near his own home, but he should have realized that Emir’s place would also be under surveillance. Or maybe not. A man on the run wasn’t always on top of things.

  “We’re getting ready to go in,” Aram continued. “With a bit of luck, we’ll arrest him by lunchtime.”

  Thomas switched his phone to the other hand. If they were about to pick up Kovač, then he didn’t need to worry about Mina or Nora. He could safely leave them for a few hours.

  “I’m on my way over,” he said.

  “OK.”

  Thomas ended the call, and his phone immediately rang again. This time it was Leila Kacim.

  “We have forensic evidence linking Kovač to the attack on Herman Wibom,” she began. “The CSIs have found his fingerprints on a shard of glass, and on the front-door handle.”

  “Any news on Wibom?”

  “He’s not doing too well. He’d lost a lot of blood, and he’d also had a stroke.”

  “When will we be able to question him?”

  “It’s impossible to say. He’s in intensive care, and he’s unconscious.”

  Thomas set off toward the jetty without knocking on Nora’s door. He would call her from the boat.

  Bosnia, May 1993

  The blue Volkswagen had stopped a few yards ahead of them. Selma could hear one of the soldiers yelling at the driver, telling him that everyone must get out. After only a few seconds he brandished his gun, fired it up into the air, then pointed it at the man in the driver’s seat.

  “What’s happening?” she whispered to Zlatko.

  “I don’t know.”

  Zlatko’s forehead was beaded with sweat, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. The children were sleeping, thank goodness.

  Selma craned her neck, trying to get a better view. They’d already paid out so much in bribes at every roadblock; she hoped there was enough money left.

  The Volkswagen driver got out, arms outstretched, palms upward. He was in his early forties, and had a thick black mustache. A woman of a similar age climbed out of the other side, along with a pretty girl who looked about thirteen. Her light-brown hair was gathered up in a ponytail, and she was clutching her mother’s hand.

  The soldier, who couldn’t have been more than twenty, made a vulgar gesture; there was no mistaking its meaning. Then he waved his gun at the women, ordering them to go over to the other soldier. The girl began to cry, and flung her arms around her mother.

  “Please, no,” the father said, producing a wad of notes out of his pocket. “This is all we have. Take it, but please leave my wife and daughter alone. Be merciful.”

  The soldier took the money as if this were the accepted procedure. He turned and smiled at his fellow soldiers. The mother looked uncertainly from him to her husband, perhaps wondering whether they were allowed to get back in the car and continue their journey.

  The soldier turned back and shot the man in the chest.

  “Oh God,” Selma gasped.

  The woman screamed and dropped to her knees beside her husband, but one of the soldiers grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off in the direction of a grove of trees.

  The girl stared at the blood pumping from her father’s chest. She let out a howl like a wounded animal.

  Another soldier dragged her away.

  Blanka was weeping silently in the front seat, pressing Nermin’s face to her breast so that he wouldn’t see.

  “We have to do something,” Selma sobbed.

  “Keep quiet—don’t say a word,” Zlatko whispered.

  The first soldier began to walk toward their car.

  CHAPTER 125

  Nora knocked on Mina’s door with some breakfast and a bag of groceries that she’d bought from Westerberg’s, the local store.

  Mina didn’t look much better than she had the previous evening. The color hadn’t returned to her cheeks, but she did manage a shaky smile when Nora asked how she was feeling.

  They went into the kitchen; Nora made coffee and set out breakfast. Mina took a few tiny bites of the sandwiches Nora had brought.

  The gray morning outside did nothing to lighten the atmosphere.

  Mina tugged at her sleeves, even though she was wearing a thick woolen sweater that reached down over her thighs.

  “Are you cold?” Nora asked. “I can turn the heat up if you like.”

  “Yes, please. I’m so sorry, I can’t stop shivering.”

  “No need to apologize.” Nora turned up the kitchen radiator. “Feel free to do the same in all the other rooms,” she said, pointing to the thermostat before she sat down again. “How did you sleep, by the way?”

  “Not very well.”

  Nora hadn’t gotten much sleep either. She’d woken up several times, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding. Vague figures had chased her through her dreams.

  She’d just been given an update on Herman Wibom’s condition by Leila. Thomas had called to say he’d gone into town first thing and would be back later, if Mina was still there.

  “They haven’t tracked down your husband yet,” she said to Mina, “but it’s only a matter of time. Thomas will be in touch as soon as he has any news. They’re expecting to pick him up today.”

  Mina nodded but didn’t say anything. Nora’s reassurances didn’t seem to have helped much. Should she tell Mina about Anna-Maria? They’d operated on her broken fingers overnight, and she was in severe shock. However, she had managed to identify Andreis Kovač as her attacker.

  Nora decided not to mention Anna-Maria unless Mina brought up the subject. She got up and began to unpack the food. Bread, milk, eggs, cheese.

  “It’s probably best if you and Lukas stay indoors today,” she said over her shoulder. “Just to be on the safe side. You know you can’t tell anyone you’re on Sandhamn, don’t you?”

  Mina took another tiny bite of her sandwich but didn’t answer.

  “Mina?” Nora closed the refrigerator door and turned around. “Have you already told someone?”

  “No. Yes.” Mina ran her index finger around the rim of her coffee cup.

  “Who?”

  Mina couldn’t look Nora in the eye. “I sent a text to my dad so he’d know where we were.” She tugged unhappily at her sleeves again. “Sorry.”

  There was no point in berating the poor girl. What was done was done; telling her off wouldn’t help.

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” Nora said, against her better judgment. “But don’t tell anyone else until your husband has been arrested. You have to be careful.”

  “I promise.”

  CHAPTER 126

  Stefan Talevski closed the front door behind him and headed for the car. He’d hoped to get away much ear
lier, but there had been so many formalities to deal with before he could set off for Sandhamn.

  Time passed both quickly and slowly. He was exhausted, but hadn’t been able to sleep.

  Today the funeral director was going to the morgue to collect Katrin’s body.

  The thought of her death knocked the air from his lungs once again. Everything flickered before his eyes, and he had to stop, put down his bag, and lean on the wall for support.

  He punched the palm of one hand with his fist until his hands hurt more than his heart. It was several minutes before he was able to pull himself together sufficiently to pick up the bag and put it in the car.

  He could hardly see through his tears when he got into the driver’s seat. He wiped them away with the back of his hand, started the engine, and reversed onto the road. His progress was jerky, and he missed the first stop sign on his way out of the residential development.

  His little girl was all alone in the archipelago. This time he was determined not to let anything stop him from seeing her and Lukas. She wouldn’t have to struggle by herself anymore.

  He’d made a promise to Katrin on her deathbed, and he was going to keep it. Whatever happened, he would be there for Mina and Lukas. He would protect them from Andreis.

  What else did he have to live for?

  Katrin was gone. Nothing he could say or do would change that. She was never coming back.

  Stefan took the on-ramp to the freeway and continued toward Gustavsberg. There was very little traffic, thank God. The last ferry of the day was due to leave at six; he mustn’t miss it.

  Soon he would see his darling daughter and grandson.

  He reached Mölnvik and dropped his speed to thirty miles per hour. In the rearview mirror, he noticed a black BMW pull in behind his Passat.

  Stefan signaled right and joined the correct lane for the exit for Stavsnäs. It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes from here.