The Preacher

by Camilla Lackberg

  ‘What? Oh, sure.’ Patrik looked up absentmindedly from his desk.

  Gösta slouched in and sat down in the visitor’s chair. He said nothing, and after a moment Patrik had to give him a nudge. ‘Yes? Was there something you had on your mind?’

  Gösta cleared his throat and studied his hands in his lap. ‘I got the list yesterday.’

  ‘What list?’ Patrik frowned quizzically.

  ‘The one with the rapists from the district who were released from prison. There were only two names on it, and one of them was Mårten Frisk.’

  ‘And why the long face because of this?’

  Gösta looked up. The anxiety felt like a big hard ball in his stomach.

  ‘I didn’t do my job. I thought I’d check out the names, where they were, what they were doing, have a talk with them. But I just didn’t have the energy. That’s the honest truth, Hedström. I couldn’t be bothered with it. And now…’

  Patrik didn’t reply. He just waited for the rest.

  ‘Now I realize that if I’d done my job, maybe that kid wouldn’t have been attacked, almost raped today, and we would have also had a chance to question him about Jenny a whole day earlier. Who knows, it might have made the difference between life and death for her. Yesterday she might have been alive, and today she might be dead. And all because I’m so damned lazy and didn’t do my job!’ He pounded his fist on his thigh for emphasis.

  Patrik sat quietly for a moment but then leaned across the desk and folded his hands. The tone in his voice was encouraging, not reproachful as Gösta had expected. He looked up at his colleague in amazement.

  ‘It’s true, your work does leave something to be desired at times, Gösta. Both you and I know that. But it’s not my job to have this discussion; that’s something for our chief to handle. With regard to Mårten Frisk and the fact that you didn’t check him out yesterday, you can forget about it. First of all, you could never have tracked him to the campground that fast; it would have taken at least a couple of days. Second, I’m afraid he wasn’t the one who abducted Jenny Möller.’

  Gösta gave Patrik a surprised look. ‘But I thought it was as good as solved?’

  ‘I did too. And I’m still not completely convinced, but during the interrogation neither Martin nor I got the impression that he was the abductor.’

  ‘Shit.’ Gösta thought about this in silence. But his anxiety had still not abated. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

  ‘As I said, we’re not completely certain, but we took a blood sample from Frisk, which will definitively determine whether he’s the right man. It’s already been sent off to the lab, and we told them it was a rush. I’d appreciate it if you could lean on them a little. If Frisk is the one after all, every hour could be crucial for the Möller girl.’

  ‘Sure, I’ll take care of it. I’ll be on them like a pit bull.’

  Patrik smiled at the reference. If he were to compare Gösta with a breed of dog, it would probably be a tired old beagle.

  Now eager to please, Gösta leapt out of his chair and with a speed never seen before, he dashed out of the room. His relief over not being to blame for a big mistake made him feel like he was flying. He promised himself that he would work harder than ever, maybe even put in a little overtime tonight. No, he almost forgot, he had a tee time booked at the golf course for five o’clock. Oh well, he could work late another day.

  Laine detested having to go in among all the filth and junk. It was like stepping into another world. She cautiously picked her way around old newspapers, trash bags, and God knows what.

  ‘Solveig?’ No answer. She pressed her handbag against her body and went further down the hall. There she saw her. The repugnance she felt was a physical sensation in her whole body. She hated this woman more than she’d ever hated anyone, including her father. At the same time she was dependent on her. That thought always turned her stomach.

  Solveig broke out in a smile when she saw Laine.

  ‘Well, would you look at that. Punctual as ever. You’re certainly dependable, Laine.’ She closed the album she was fussing with and motioned to Laine to have a seat.

  ‘I’d rather just drop it off. I’m in a bit of a rush …’

  ‘Look, Laine, you know the rules of the game. First, a cup of coffee in peace and quiet and then the payment. It would be awfully rude of me not to offer some refreshment when I have such a high-class visitor.’

  Scorn dripped from her voice. Laine knew better than to object. This was a dance they had danced many times over the years. She carefully brushed a few crumbs off the kitchen bench, unable to help grimacing with distaste when she sat down. Every time she came here, she felt dirty for several hours afterwards.

  Solveig slowly got up from her straightbacked chair and carefully put away her albums. She set out two chipped coffee cups, and Laine had to resist the urge to wipe hers off. Then a basket of crumbled Finnish rolls appeared, and Solveig urged Laine to serve herself. She took a small piece of pastry, silently praying that the visit would soon be over.

  ‘How pleasant this is, don’t you think?’

  Solveig dipped a pastry in her coffee and peered at Laine, who said nothing.

  Solveig went on, ‘It’s hard to believe that one of us lives in a manor house and the other in a crappy shack. Yet here we sit like two old friends. Am I right, Laine?’

  Laine closed her eyes and hoped that the humiliation would soon be over. Until next time. She knotted her hands under the table and reminded herself why she subjected herself to this torment, time after time.

  ‘Do you know what bothers me, Laine?’ Solveig spoke with her mouth full of pastry. Little crumbs spilled out of her mouth onto the table. ‘The fact that you sent the police after my boys. You know, Laine, I thought we had an agreement, you and I. But the police came here and claimed something absurd. They said you told them that my boys smashed some windows at your place. So it’s no surprise I start to wonder.’

  All Laine could do was nod.

  ‘I think I deserve an apology, don’t you? Because as I explained to the police, the boys were here all night. So they couldn’t have been throwing rocks at the manor.’ Solveig took a swallow of coffee and motioned towards Laine with her cup. ‘Well? I’m waiting.’

  ‘I apologize,’ Laine muttered down at her lap, humiliated.

  ‘Pardon me, I didn’t quite hear what you said.’ Solveig demonstratively cupped her hand behind her ear.

  ‘I apologize. I must have made a mistake.’ Her eyes were spiteful when she met Solveig’s gaze, but her sister-in-law seemed satisfied.

  ‘So, now that’s out in the open. That wasn’t so hard now, was it? Should we see about getting that other little matter out in the open too?’

  She leaned across the table and licked her lips. Laine reluctantly lifted her handbag from her lap and took out an envelope. Solveig reached for it greedily and expertly counted the contents with her greasy fingers.

  ‘Right on the nose. As usual. Yes, as I always said, you certainly have all your ducks in a row, Laine. You and Gabriel, you’re both so conscientious.’

  With a feeling of being trapped like a hamster inside a wheel, Laine stood up and headed for the exit. Once she was outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh summer air. Behind her she could hear Solveig yelling before the door slammed, ‘Always pleasant to see you, Laine. We’ll have to do this again next month!’

  Laine closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe calmly. Sometimes she wondered whether it was all really worth it.

  Then she remembered the stench of her father’s breath in her ear and why the life she had made for herself had to be preserved at any cost. It simply had to be worth it.

  As soon as Patrik came in the door he saw that something was wrong. Erica was sitting on the veranda with her back to him, but her whole posture told him that something wasn’t right. Anxiety overpowered him for a second, before he realized that she would have rung on his mobile if there was anything amiss with the bab
y.

  ‘Erica?’

  She turned to him and he saw that her eyes were red from weeping. In a couple of strides he reached her and sat down next to her on the wicker sofa.

  ‘What is it, my dear?’

  ‘I had a fight with Anna.’

  ‘What is it this time?’

  He knew about all the twists and turns in their complicated relationship, and all the reasons why they kept ending up on a collision course. But ever since Anna had broken loose from Lucas, the two sisters had seemed to enter some sort of temporary ceasefire. Patrik wondered what had gone wrong this time.

  ‘She never reported Lucas to the police for what he did to Emma.’

  ‘What the hell?’

  ‘Right, and now that Lucas has initiated a custody battle for the children, I thought that would be her trump card. But now there’s nothing in the police records on him, while he’s going to dream up as many lies as he can about why Anna is not a suitable mother.’

  ‘Okay, but he doesn’t have any proof.’

  ‘No, we know that. But imagine if he throws so much shit her way that some of it sticks. You know how cunning he is. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he managed to charm the court and get the judge on his side.’ Erica leaned her face on Patrik’s shoulder. ‘Imagine if Anna loses the children. That would be the end of her.’

  Patrik put his arm round her and pulled her tight. ‘Now let’s not let our imagination run wild. It was stupid of Anna not to file a report, but I can understand why she didn’t. Lucas has always shown that he won’t be trifled with, so it’s not so strange that she’d be afraid of him.’

  ‘You’re probably right. But what made me saddest was the fact that she’s been lying to me this whole time. Now I feel deceived too. Every time I asked her about that police report, she would just give a vague answer about how the police in Stockholm are so busy that it takes them a long time to work through all the reports they receive. But it was all a lie. And somehow she always manages to make me out to be the villain.’ Erica burst into tears.

  ‘Come on, dear. Just calm down. We don’t want the baby to get the impression that he’s coming into a vale of tears.’

  Erica couldn’t help laughing after that, and she dried her eyes on her sleeve.

  ‘Now listen to me,’ said Patrik. ‘Sometimes you and Anna act more like mother and daughter than like sisters. You took care of Anna when your mother wouldn’t. And that made Anna need you to take care of her, at the same time that she needs to liberate herself from you. Do you understand what I mean?’

  Erica nodded. ‘Sure, I know. But it feels so damned unfair that I have to be punished because I took care of her.’ She started sobbing again.

  ‘You’re probably just feeling a little sorry for yourself, aren’t you?’ He stroked back a curl from Erica’s forehead. ‘You and Anna will work this out just as you’ve always worked things out sooner or later. Besides, I think you could be the generous one this time. Anna seems to be having a rough time right now. Lucas is a tough opponent, and I can honestly understand that she’d be worried. So cut her some slack and stop feeling sorry for yourself.’

  Erica freed herself from Patrik’s embrace and gave him a dirty look. ‘Aren’t you going to back me up?’

  ‘That’s what I’m doing, dear, that’s what I’m doing.’ He stroked her hair but looked as if he were miles away in his thoughts.

  ‘Forgive me,’ said Erica. ‘Here I sit bawling about my personal problems. How’s it going for you guys?’

  ‘Jeez, don’t even mention it. Today was really the shits …’

  ‘But you can’t give me any details,’ Erica finished his sentence.

  ‘No, I can’t. But it was a really crappy day.’ He sighed then straightened up. ‘So, why don’t we have a cosy evening together? It sounds like we both need a little cheering up. I’ll run down to the fish market and buy something good while you set the table. How does that sound?’

  Erica nodded and turned up her face for a kiss. Patrik was basically an optimist, her baby’s father.

  ‘Get some chips and dip too, if you would. No need to watch my weight when I’m already so fat!’

  He laughed. ‘Will do, boss.’

  Martin was tapping his pen on the desk. He was annoyed with himself. Yesterday’s events had made him completely forget to ring Tanja Schmidt’s father. He could have kicked himself. His only excuse was that he hadn’t thought it was important any longer, after they had Mårten Frisk in custody. Now he probably wouldn’t be able to get hold of the father before this evening, but at least he could try. He looked at the clock. Nine. He decided to see whether Herr Schmidt was at home first, before he rang Pia and asked her to interpret.

  It rang four times, and he was just about to hang up. But on the fifth ring, a groggy voice picked up. Embarrassed at having woken him, Martin managed to explain in his broken German who he was and that he would call right back. He was in luck. Pia answered the phone at the tourist information bureau. She promised to help him out one more time, and a few minutes later Martin had both parties on the line.

  ‘I want to start by expressing my condolences.’

  The man on the other end thanked him quietly for his thoughtfulness, but Martin could feel his grief spreading over the conversation like a heavy pall. He was unsure how to continue. Pia’s soft voice translated everything he said, but while he was pondering what to say, nothing was heard but their breathing.

  ‘Do you know who did this to my daughter?’ The father’s voice quavered a little, and Pia didn’t really have to translate. Martin understood.

  ‘Not yet. But we’re going to find out.’

  Just like Patrik when he met Albert Thernblad, Martin wondered if he was promising too much, but he wanted to assuage the man’s grief in the only way he could.

  ‘We spoke with Tanja’s travelling companion, and she said that Tanja had a reason for coming to Fjällbacka here in Sweden. But when we asked Tanja’s ex-husband, he had no idea why she wanted to come here. Do you know anything about it?’

  Martin held his breath. An excruciating silence followed. Then Tanja’s father began to speak.

  When Martin finally ended the conversation with Herr Schmidt, he wondered if he had really heard right. The story seemed way too fantastic. But it did have an unmistakable ring of truth to it, and he believed Tanja’s father. Just as he was about to put down the phone, he realized that Pia was still on the line.

  Hesitantly she asked, ‘Did you get everything you needed? I think I translated it all correctly.’

  ‘I’m sure it was fine. And yes, I found out what I needed to know. I know I don’t have to point this out, but …’

  ‘I know, I can’t tell anyone. I promise not to disclose a word.’

  ‘That’s great. By the way …’

  ‘Yes?’

  Did he hear right? Was her tone hopeful? But his courage failed him, and he also felt that this wasn’t the time.

  ‘No, nothing. Some other time.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Now she almost sounded disappointed, but his self-confidence was still much too low after his latest failure on the love front. He must be imagining things.

  After he thanked Pia and hung up, his thoughts turned elsewhere. He quickly typed up his notes from the conversation and took the transcript over to Patrik’s office. Finally, they had a breakthrough in the case.

  They were both on their guard when they met. It was the first time since the disastrous meeting at Västergården, and both expected the other to take the first step towards reconciliation. Stefan was the one who rang, but Linda was actually feeling guilty for her part in the fight, so she spoke first.

  ‘You know, I said some stupid things the other day. I didn’t mean it. I was just so damn mad.’

  They were sitting in their usual meeting place up in the hayloft of the barn at Västergården. Stefan’s profile looked like it was carved from stone. Then Linda saw his features relax.

>   ‘Oh, let’s just forget about it. I probably reacted a little strongly too. It was just –’ He hesitated and turned away, searching for the right words. ‘It was so bloody difficult to go there with all the memories and everything. It really had nothing to do with you.’

  Still a bit cautious, Linda crept up behind Stefan and put her arms round him. Their quarrel had prompted an un expected result. She had gained a certain measure of respect for Stefan. She had always viewed him as a little boy, someone who hung on his mother’s apron-strings and clung to his big brother, but on that day she had seen a real man. That made him more attractive. Incredibly attractive. She had also seen a dangerous side to him, and that too had increased his attraction in her eyes. He had actually been close to striking her, she had seen it in his eyes. Now as she sat with her cheek pressed against his back, the memory made her tingle inside. It was like flying near a candle flame, close enough to feel the heat, but controlled enough not to get burned. If there was anyone who had mastered that sort of balancing act, it was her.

  She let her hands wander forwards. Hungry and demanding. She could still feel some resistance from him, but she felt secure that she was still the one who had the power. In spite of everything, their relationship had been defined from a purely physical perspective, and in that respect she felt that women in general, and she in particular, had an advantage. An advantage that she was now using. With satisfaction she noticed how his breathing got deeper and how the resistance inside him melted away.

  Linda moved to his lap, and when their tongues met she knew that she had won this battle. She held on to that illusion until she felt Stefan’s hand take a firm grip on her hair and bend her backwards until he could look into her eyes from above. If his intention was to make her feel small and helpless, it worked. For a moment she saw the same gleam in his eyes as during the fight at Västergården. She found herself wondering whether her cry for help would be heard all the way to the main building. Probably not.