‘I invited Stanley to Sweden when I realised where you were but the idiot couldn’t leave the country,’ her mother says. ‘He’s got criminal convictions pending.’
Despite her pain, the news makes Kristin feel better. Only a bit, but still, it’s something to hang onto. He’s not here. Nor can he get here, by the sounds of it. She’s finally free of him.
‘I saw pictures of your new boyfriend, Niklas. Your father had a file made on him. Not the best-looking guy but then you’ve never been picky.’
Don’t bite, Kristin.
‘I’m glad you picked Helsingborg,’ she continues. ‘I wanted to see my mother again but her soul is still as foul as it used to be.’
Kristin lifts her head and looks at her mother, ignoring the gun, which the bejewelled fingers seem to have loosened their grip on slightly.
‘You saw Beata?’
‘Yes, you’re not the only one to sneak off and see the witch. The neighbour girl took me. Nice girl, she’s got potential, although I worry that she might be a bit too strong-headed for my new venture. Anyway, we’ll see.’
Kristin doesn’t want to hear about any of that.
‘I’m out,’ she says.
Eventually she did exit her mother’s business but it was like breaking away from the Mafia. Threats were followed by more threats. Brandon and his gang saved her.
‘You’re out when I tell you you’re out. Remember when you had no money for your precious studies? Who provided you with an income?’
‘You said I would be helping you with the accounts for your coaching business.’
‘And you did. You were always good with details. I mean, you fretted about getting everything right, but what you completed was of excellent quality,’ she says. ‘And I paid you handsomely.’
‘You lied to me!’
‘It doesn’t matter. I made a lot of people happy. That’s what’s important.’
‘At the expense of those women.’
‘They had nowhere else to go,’ she says. ‘I helped them too.’
Her mother makes it sound innocent, but it wasn’t. The amount of cash being circulated and people like Stanley who carried guns. The women were not there willingly and once, in an attempt to impress her, Stanley brought her to a party where they worked. He wanted to prove what power he had.
‘I don’t normally attend,’ he said. ‘But I wanted to show you. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Imagine how much these people pay to be here.’
‘I don’t want to know.’
They stayed for a drink but she felt completely out of place, with everyone either dressed up, in lingerie or naked. She didn’t know where to look; people were repulsively carnal. Stanley became someone else while he was there: cocky and smarmy, and he revealed enough that evening for the full picture to form. Her mother was perhaps running a life-coaching business as a front, but all this other activity… it was criminal. By her own involvement, she was tainted too. That evening she told her mother she quit, but resignations were not accepted.
‘I’ll tell my father what you’re doing,’ she threatened her mother.
That didn’t scare her.
‘He’s too busy with his own business to care about my little venture, which he’s never taken seriously anyway.’
Kristin never told him. Having witnessed what her mother was capable of, she worried what she would do to him if he found out. It was too dangerous to involve him. No matter how much she detests how controlling he is, she doesn’t want him to get hurt.
‘He must have suspected something,’ Kristin says. ‘My father.’
‘He’s checked my phone records from time to time, only because he thought I was cheating, but other than that, no. He’s always been too full of his own self-importance and I’ve played the dutiful wife all along. I’m not stupid. I’ve been careful. And look at me.’ She points to her pearl earrings and necklace. ‘No one would suspect me, not even him. He might be clever at construction but he’s dumb as a nut when it comes to women. He didn’t even work out my disability wasn’t real.’
She laughs.
‘The wheelchair?’ Kristin says. ‘It wasn’t real?’
She should have known since here she is, not using it.
‘All fake.’ Her mother sniggers. ‘And your father lapped it right up.’
Kristin is momentarily shocked until she reminds herself of the people she came across in the so-called business, how easily her mother had manipulated them. They adored and feared her in equal measure.
‘You never needed it?’ Kristin asks. ‘Not even before?’
‘No. It’s been fun though, pushing your father to his limits. He hasn’t dealt with my handicap very well.’
‘You really did set me up,’ Kristin says, stunned. ‘You know, there are people who are disabled for real and you…’
‘Drastic measures were needed. I had to get your father to give his precious house up and leave the US.’
‘But why move? Why follow me?’
Couldn’t you just leave me alone?
The question seems to astound her. ‘Dear, I didn’t trust you. The phone calls to the trailer were supposed to scare you into silence but you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.’
‘I keep telling you, I didn’t say anything!’
‘You obviously thought you were safe, hiding behind your precious Brandon even though he continuously bashed your head in. He clearly couldn’t put up with you…’
She won’t bite, she won’t.
‘I thought by removing him, you would fall into a bottomless pit from which you would leave me alone, but then there was the insurance money. I knew you would use that money to seek legal assistance. Anything to put your old mother behind bars.’
She portrays the face of a victim.
‘I would be too ashamed to tell anyone anything,’ Kristin says. ‘All I wanted was to get away.’
She never should have agreed to the job in the first place. Her mother had made it sound simple, and innocently, she had agreed, hoping it would bring them closer. That maybe, on some level, it was possible for them to create a relationship similar to the one Ursula had with her mother.
‘What you might not understand,’ her mother says, her voice harder, ‘is that I never lose.’
‘The phone calls?’ Kristin asks. She needs each piece in the past to fall into place. It makes it easier to exist. ‘The robot voice.’
‘Oh, yes.’ Her mother looks as if she’s recalling a fond memory. ‘I arranged those, and the letter. Did it throw you off course?’ Dark eyes meet Kristin’s. ‘It’s great to have people on your list who will jump when you tell them to. I spoke to Brandon’s mother too, convinced her that if she sent enough emails your way, you would eventually crack and confess.’
Kristin presses a palm to her chest. Breathe. She struggles not to cry, thinking about how scared those phone calls made her, making her doubt her sanity. She thought she was a killer. Pinching her arm, Kristin holds back the tears. She can’t afford to show any weakness. There is nothing her mother hates more.
‘You could have continued to harass me from the US,’ Kristin says quietly. ‘Why follow me here?’
‘I wish it were that simple,’ her mother says. ‘I had it all set up. It was a well-oiled machine and you leaving should have been a blessing. If only you had left it alone. Did you think you were stronger from here? That I couldn’t get to you? You had to go and contact the police, didn’t you?’
‘I didn’t,’ she says, finding new strength. ‘Although I do believe those people deserve to be free, which means not having you in their lives.’
She did return to release Desire, an escape plan having formulated through her painful evening with Stanley, but she was already gone. Finding the office empty, Stanley was pissed off and scared about losing his job.
‘The only other person who has a key to that room is your mother,’ he said. ‘She will kill me!’
But her mother must have found there was still
use for him. He unfortunately lived. Later, she went back to that room on her own to look for signs of Desire. Where could her mother have taken her? But all she found were the papers Desire had filled with scribbles. She had had the sense to put them back into the filing cabinet. Those notes were useful in their own right.
‘The police were getting closer,’ her mother says. ‘Sniffing around…’ She inhales deeply. ‘I didn’t think they were serious enough to look for me here, but the FBI called your father.’
‘How did you find me?’ Kristin asks. ‘I changed my name.’
How could anyone know that?
‘Brandon’s friend who arranged your new passport,’ her mother says. ‘He could be bought for the right price. That’s the advantage with low lifes. I also managed to get hold of your number and PO Box address from Ursula’s mother. Lovely woman. I told her I was a doctor with some urgent test results and that Ursula was the emergency contact. It didn’t take long to find you after that. Not sure why your father couldn’t have been more efficient, but then again I didn’t want him to find you. I just wanted him to move here. That’s why I arranged for someone to take photos of you this side of the pond and send them to us.’
She suddenly stares at Kristin. ‘Do you honestly think I would willingly leave the US, with the network I had created? You forced me to abandon my life. And for that you will pay.’
She raises the gun and terror paralyses Kristin.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ she pleads.
‘No one else knew as much as you did. That was my mistake, putting my faith in you,’ her mother says, standing up. ‘Despite what I may have fed your father over the years about your mental instability we both know you’re not completely insane. The police will think of you as a reliable witness and you are the only one who’s willing to speak against me.’
You’re not completely insane.
Both her mother’s hands are holding the gun and taking aim. Kristin looks her in the eye.
‘Please…’ she begs.
Her hand is hiding under the pillow, gripping the knife. Brandon used to say that the element of surprise is crucial. She needs to overpower her mother somehow. Holding a sharp object makes her anxious but maybe the fear is good now that she doesn’t need to worry about not using it.
‘There’s something I need to say first,’ Kristin says and with slow, careful movements, she stands up, her hands hidden behind her back.
‘Yes? Your final last words,’ her mother mocks. ‘Make them quick.’
Yes, I’ll be quick, Kristin thinks as she leaps at her mother, the knife firmly in her right hand, ready to attack.
There’s a loud noise, like a crash followed by a gunshot. Kristin sees blood but isn’t sure where it’s coming from.
Chapter 53
Gabriella
Two hours earlier
‘I submitted my findings to the police and there was going to be a local investigation, but she disappeared,’ Peter says. ‘It’s harder for them to get to her now that she’s left the country. I need the police to turn to the FBI for a UFAP.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. It gives the federal government permission to apprehend a fugitive.’
They’re both dressed and sitting on the sofa, the conversation growing heavier but at least he’s opening up.
‘This is your mother we’re talking about,’ she states, pouring them both another shot.
‘I know it sounds odd, but she was never a parent. All she wanted was to escape us. She’s selfish and self-serving and… well, as awful as it sounds, pure evil.’
His jaw is clenched.
‘Don’t hold back on my account,’ Gabriella says, although she fails to see a helpless woman in a wheelchair as evil. Still, parental relationships are complicated. If that’s how he feels, he’s entitled to it.
‘She’s ruined many people’s lives including her own children’s,’ Peter says. ‘I’ve been conducting my own investigation on her for some time and the deeper I dig, the more disturbing it becomes.’
There’s clearly more to be vented but she doesn’t push it.
‘I went back to that house to look for Amanda,’ he says. ‘I knew she had lied to me. She told me the guys were boyfriends of the other girls and that clearly wasn’t true. Those men were guarding them, that was obvious from the first time I went round. Otherwise, why would they have tackled me?’
‘But she told you she was happy there.’
‘I know, but I didn’t believe that either. I could tell that behind those made-up eyes was still the girl I had fallen in love with. So after our forced conversation, I went back. I thought if I harassed them enough times at the house, they would let her go, that it wouldn’t be worth the drama to keep her there.’
‘You’re assuming she was held there against her will?’
He scoffs. ‘Why else would they guard her? Would you willingly live in a dilapidated house not worth guarding, to have men with guns keep an eye on you? No, you wouldn’t. The only reason for that would be because those girls were for sale.’
She understands now. ‘She was a prostitute?’
‘She was forced to be.’
‘Of course, and was she there when you went back?’
‘No. The next time they were all gone. If I had any doubts before then, that’s when I knew for sure that something wasn’t right. I went to the police but there wasn’t much they could do. They couldn’t raid an empty house.’
Gabriella protectively places a hand on his arm, recognising that those are painful memories.
‘Why do you think your mother had something to do with it?’ she asks.
‘At first, I didn’t. Why would I? Yes, she was a terrible mother, but I never suspected she would take my girlfriend away from me, especially not in such a cruel way. That was … I mean, who would do such a thing? That never crossed my mind. But I realised that I had seen one of the guys before, I just couldn’t place him.’
‘You knew him?’
‘No, but I eventually worked out that I had seen him outside my sister’s place. Sofia and I were still meeting up from time to time back then, so I went round and told her what was going on, but she would only admit that the guy was creepy and hanging around her too much. She wouldn’t connect the dots for me.’ He leans back on the sofa and stares at the ceiling, exhaling. ‘I started to follow my sister after that,’ he says, ‘and I realised that she was employed by my mother. I knew she needed the money because she refused to live at home and my father had cut her off for not studying business.’
‘Wait, your sister worked at your mother’s coaching business?’
He looks at her. ‘Well… my mother was supposedly running individual and group coaching sessions out of an apartment downtown. But this guy also seemed to work with them and that didn’t make sense. Why would she have anything to do with a guy like that?’
‘Your mum told me about her work. I was suggesting she sets it up here too.’
‘That’s a terrible idea.’ He shakes his head. ‘She’s not who you think she is, Gabriella.’
‘Okay, I’m starting to get that now.’
‘I basically quit my job to get to the bottom of it and financed myself through various investments. It wasn’t easy and it took time.’
‘What’s your sister like?’ she asks.
‘My sister? Well, she’s complicated in her own way. After her husband died, I followed her here. Remember the number you found? This girl, Ebba, was attending a group therapy meeting with my sister and I asked her to become her friend so that I could keep tabs on her.’ He pauses, as if to recharge. ‘I also found out my parents had sold their house and had bought one here.’ He looks at her sheepishly. ‘It’s how I found you. But honestly, Gabriella, I didn’t mean to fall for you.’
Right now, she’s not sure what to believe but she’s not going to judge him just yet. She will let him speak first.
‘My sister Sofia, who ch
anged her name to Kristin to escape my mother, no doubt, was seen with Amanda shortly before she died.’
‘You think she killed her?’
‘She might as well have done. Apparently she locked Amanda up and after that she was never seen. Then her husband dies and our brother drowns. Coincidences? I think not.’
‘You clearly harbour animosity towards your sister.’
‘More importantly,’ he says, ignoring her remark, ‘I knew my mother would find her. No one who has ever worked with her gets away. She’s surrounded by a powerful group of people, who she intimidates and bribes in order to get what she wants. There is literally nothing she can’t do and that scares me.’
‘You make her sound ruthless and not at all like the woman I’ve met.’
It’s a case of who to trust, but Peter has grown closer for sure.
‘That’s what she does,’ he says. ‘She portrays one face to the world and another to the people who she controls. She used my sister’s disorder to her own advantage.’
‘So don’t you feel sorry for your sister? I mean, if what you’re saying is true about your mother, is your sister safe over there?’
‘I’m sure she is,’ he says. ‘Even though my father was tough with her financially, he very much cares about her and will protect her.’
‘Wait…’ Is she detecting bitterness in his voice? ‘Are you jealous of your sister?’
He looks uncomfortable. ‘Of course not.’
She pulls away slightly, aware that she’s hit a raw nerve.
‘What about your brother?’
‘He didn’t deserve to die but we were never close.”
The frostiness surprises her.
‘He was my dad’s business partner’s son,’ Peter explains. “But he grew up with us. I tried to like him but we were too different. Also, our parents didn’t even have time for my sister and I so why take on someone else’s child?’
‘So is this beef with your parents and your sister?’ she asks, trying to understand.
‘My mother and my sister, yes.’
‘And the plan is for me to get closer to your mother until we have more evidence?’
What Did I Do? Page 25