The Preacher

by Camilla Lackberg

  Actually, she didn’t really understand why Jacob had chosen her as his wife. She knew that she’d always had a rather plain appearance, and her personality was quiet and introverted. But he had wanted her, and the day they got married she promised herself never to worry about or question God’s will. The Lord had obviously seen both of them in the crowd and decided that their marriage would be good, and with that she had to let herself be content. Maybe a strong person like Jacob needed a weak partner so as not to be worn down by resistance. What did she know?

  The children were fidgeting restlessly as they sat on the ground beside her. Marita hushed them sternly. She knew that their legs were itching to run about and play, but there would be time for that later. Right now they had to listen to their father as he preached God’s word.

  ‘Faith is tested when we are confronted by difficulties. But that’s also when our faith grows stronger. Without resistance faith grows weak and makes us become sated and lazy. We begin to forget why we should turn to God for guidance. And soon we end up going astray. I myself have had to endure tests lately, as you know. And my family has been tested too. Evil forces are working to test our faith. But they are doomed to failure. Our faith has grown so strong that the powers of evil have no opportunity to reach me. Praise the Lord, who grants me such strength!’

  He raised his hands to Heaven and the congregation burst out in a ‘Hallelujah’, their faces shining with joy and conviction. Marita raised her hands to Heaven and thanked God. Jacob’s words make her forget the difficulties of the past week. She relied on him and she trusted in the Lord, and if both of them were together, nothing could budge them.

  When Jacob finished the service a while later, crowds of people gathered round him. Everyone wanted to shake his hand, thank him and offer support. Everyone seemed to have a need to touch him and in that way take some of his calm and conviction home with them. They all wanted a piece of him. Marita stayed in the background, triumphantly aware that Jacob was hers. Sometimes she wondered guiltily whether it was a sin to feel such a desire to own her husband, to want to have every fibre of him to herself, but she always rejected those thoughts. It was obviously God’s will for them to be together, so it could never be considered wrong.

  When the crowd began to disperse around Jacob, she took the children by the hand and went up to him. She knew him so well. She saw that what had filled him during the service had now begun to fade away, and instead the weariness filled his eyes.

  ‘Come, let’s go home, Jacob.’

  ‘Not yet, Marita. I have something I have to do first.’

  ‘There’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. I’m taking you home now so you can rest. I can see you’re tired.’

  He smiled and took her hand. ‘As usual you’re right, my wise wife. I just have to fetch my things from the office, then we can go.’

  They had started heading up to the house when two men came walking towards them. At first, with the sun in their eyes, they couldn’t see who they were, but when they came closer Jacob let out an irritated groan.

  ‘What do you want now?’

  Marita looked in bewilderment from Jacob to the men, until she realized that, judging from Jacob’s tone of voice, they must be police. She gave them a fierce look. They were the ones who had been causing Jacob and the family so much trouble recently.

  ‘We need to have a little chat with you, Jacob.’

  ‘What more could there be to say that I didn’t tell you yesterday?’ he said with a sigh. ‘All right, we might as well get it over with. Let’s go to my office.’

  The police officers didn’t move. They cast an embarrassed glance at the children, and Marita began to smell a rat. Instinctively she drew the children closer.

  ‘Not here. We’d like to talk to you down at the station.’

  It was the younger officer who spoke. The older one stood a bit to the side and watched Jacob with a solemn expression. Fear sank its claws into Marita’s heart. It was, in truth, the forces of evil that were approaching, just as Jacob had said in his sermon.

  9

  SUMMER 1979

  She knew that the other girl was gone. From her corner in the dark she heard her utter her last breath, and with clasped hands she prayed frantically to God to accept her comrade in suffering. In a way she was envious of the girl. Envious that now her suffering was over.

  The girl had been there before her when she landed in hell. The fear had paralysed her at first, but the girl’s arms around her and her warm body had offered an odd security. At the same time she hadn’t always been nice. The struggle to survive had forced them together but also apart. She herself had retained hope. The other girl had not. She knew that sometimes she was hated for having hope. But how could she abandon hope? Her whole life she had been taught that every impossible situation had its solution, and why should this one be any different? She could see her father and mother’s faces in her mind’s eye and she was convinced that they would find her soon.

  That poor other girl, who’d had nothing. She realized who she was as soon as she felt her warm body in the dark, even though they had never spoken to each other in their lives up there. And by a tacit agreement they did not call each other by name, which would have seemed too normal. Neither of them would have been able to bear that burden. But the other girl had talked about her daughter. It was the only time there was any life in her voice.

  To fold her hands and pray for the one who now was gone had demanded an almost superhuman effort. Her limbs would not obey her, but by marshalling all the strength she had left she had willed her unruly hands into a pose that resembled an attitude of prayer.

  She waited patiently in the dark with her pain. Now it was only a matter of time before they found her. Mamma and Pappa. Soon …

  alt

  Irritated, Jacob said, ‘Yes, I’ll come to the station. But that’ll be an end to it, do you hear me!’

  Out of the corner of her eye Marita saw Kennedy approaching. She had never liked him. There was something nasty in his eyes that was mixed with adoration whenever he looked at Jacob. But Jacob had admonished her when she told him how she felt. Kennedy was an unhappy child who had finally begun to find some sense of inner peace. What he needed now was love and consideration, not suspicion. But the anxiety never really left her. A dismissive signal from Jacob made Kennedy reluctantly turn and go back to the house. He was like a watchdog who wanted to defend his master, Marita thought.

  Jacob turned to her and took her face in his hands. ‘Go home with the children. There’s no danger. The police just want to throw a little extra wood on the fire that will eventually consume them.’

  He smiled to take the sting out of his words, but she held on to the children even tighter. They looked back and forth between her and Jacob with worried expressions. In their own way they could feel that something was upsetting the balance of their world.

  The younger policeman spoke again. This time he looked a bit embarrassed when he said, ‘I would recommend that you not take the children home before this evening. We …’ he hesitated, ‘we’re doing a search of your house this afternoon.’

  ‘What do you think you’re playing at?’ Jacob was so upset that the words stuck in his throat.

  Marita could feel the children fidgeting anxiously. They weren’t used to hearing their father raise his voice.

  ‘We’ll explain everything to you at the station. Shall we go?’

  Unwilling to upset the children even more, Jacob nodded in resignation. He patted the children on their heads, kissed Marita on the cheek and walked off between the two policemen towards their car.

  When the police drove off with Jacob, she stood as if frozen to the spot and watched them go. Over by the house Kennedy also stood and watched. His eyes were as dark as night.

  Emotions were running high at the manor house as well.

  ‘I’m calling my lawyer! This is utterly absurd! Taking blood samples and treating us like common criminals!’
>
  Gabriel was so enraged that his hand trembled on the door handle. Martin stood on the front steps and calmly met Gabriel’s gaze. Behind him stood Fjällbacka’s district doctor, Dr Jacobsson, sweating copiously. His huge body was not suited to the prevailing heat, but the main reason the sweat was running down his forehead was that he found the situation extremely unpleasant.

  ‘You are free to do so, but be sure to tell him the type of document we have, so he can confirm that we are within our rights as stipulated by law. If he cannot be here within fifteen minutes, we have the right to implement the warrant in his absence, in view of the urgent nature of the situation.’

  Martin was consciously speaking in as bureaucratic a manner as he could. He guessed that this was the sort of language that would best reach Gabriel. And it worked. Reluctantly Gabriel let them in. He took the document that Martin showed him and went straight to the phone to ring his lawyer. Martin motioned inside the two policemen who had been sent as reinforcements from Uddevalla and prepared to wait. Gabriel was talking agitatedly on the phone and gesticulating. A few minutes later he returned to where they were standing in the hall.

  ‘He’ll be here in ten minutes,’ said Gabriel sullenly.

  ‘Good. Where are your wife and daughter? We have to take samples from them as well.’

  ‘In the stable.’

  ‘Would you fetch them, please?’ said Martin to one of the officers from Uddevalla.

  ‘Certainly. Where is the stable?’

  ‘There’s a little path past the left wing of the house,’ said Gabriel. ‘Follow that. The stable is a couple of hundred metres from here.’ With body language that clearly showed how distasteful he considered the situation, Gabriel still tried to keep a stiff upper lip. He said guardedly, ‘I take it that the rest of you may come in while we wait.’

  They were sitting in silence on the edge of the sofa, all feeling uncomfortable, when Linda and Laine came in.

  ‘What’s going on here, Gabriel? The officer says that Dr Jacobsson is here to take blood samples from us. This has got to be a joke!’

  Linda, who had a hard time taking her eyes off the young man in uniform who’d fetched them from the stable, had another view of the matter. ‘Cool,’ she said.

  ‘Unfortunately they seem to be quite serious, Laine. But I’ve called our lawyer Lövgren, and he’ll be here any second. There will be no blood samples taken before then.’

  ‘But I don’t understand. Why do you want to do this?’ Laine looked composed but puzzled.

  ‘I’m afraid we can’t divulge that for technical reasons pertaining to the investigation. But everything will be explained in time.’

  Gabriel sat studying the warrant in front of him. ‘It says here that you also have permission to take blood samples from Jacob and Solveig and the boys, is that right?’

  Was it Martin’s imagination, or did he see a shadow pass across Laine’s face? A second later there was a light knock on the door and Gabriel’s lawyer entered.

  When the formalities were completed and the lawyer had explained to Gabriel and his family that the police had all the proper documents, the blood samples were taken from them one by one. First Gabriel, then Laine, who to Martin’s surprise still seemed to be the most composed of them all. He noticed that Gabriel was also regarding his wife with surprised approval. Finally they took a sample from Linda, who had established such eye contact with the young policeman that Martin had to give him a stern look.

  ‘So, that’s that.’ Dr Jacobsson got up from his chair and gathered up the tubes of blood. They were carefully labelled with the name of each of the Hults and placed in a cooler.

  ‘Are you going to Solveig’s place now?’ Gabriel asked. He suddenly laughed. ‘Make sure you have your helmets on and your truncheons out, because she probably won’t let you take any blood without a fight.’

  ‘We can handle the situation,’ said Martin dryly. He didn’t like the malicious gleam in Gabriel’s eyes.

  ‘Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you …’ He chuckled.

  Laine snapped at him, ‘Gabriel, act like an adult.’

  Astounded at being scolded like a child by his wife, Gabriel shut up and sat down. He looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.

  Martin led his colleagues and the doctor outside, and there they split up into two cars. On the way to Solveig’s, Patrik rang on the mobile.

  ‘Hi, how’s it going out there?’

  ‘As expected,’ said Martin. ‘Gabriel flew off the handle and called his lawyer. But we got what we came for, so now we’re on the way over to Solveig’s place. I don’t reckon it will go as smoothly there.’

  ‘No, probably not. Just make sure the situation doesn’t get out of hand.’

  ‘Definitely not, I’ll be very diplomatic. Don’t worry. How’s it going with you?’

  ‘Fine. We’ve got Jacob in the car and we’ll be in Tanumshede soon.’

  ‘Good luck, then.’

  ‘You too.’

  Martin flipped his phone shut just as they turned in at Solveig’s wretched little cabin. This time Martin wasn’t as shocked by its state of disrepair. But he still wondered how people could bring themselves to live like this. Being poor was one thing, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t keep the place neat and clean.

  With some trepidation, he knocked on the door but not even in his wildest fantasies could he have imagined the reception he would get.

  Smack! A hard slap landed on his right cheek, making it sting. The shock took his breath away. He felt rather than saw the officers behind him tense up to enter the fray, but he held up a hand to stop them.

  ‘Calm down, calm down. There’s no need to use force here. Is there, Solveig?’ he said in a soothing voice to the woman standing in front of him. She was breathing hard but seemed reassured by his tone of voice.

  ‘How dare you show yourself here after you dug up Johannes!’ She propped her hands on her hips and blocked the way into the house.

  ‘I understand that this is difficult, Solveig, but we were just doing our job. And we have to do our job now as well. I’d appreciate it if you’d co-operate.’

  ‘What do you want now?’ she spat.

  ‘Could I come in for a moment and talk? Then I’ll explain.’

  He turned to the three men behind him and said, ‘Wait here a minute, I’m going to go in and have a little chat with Solveig.’

  He followed up his words by simply walking inside and closing the door behind him. Startled, Solveig backed up and let him in. Martin mobilized all his diplomatic skills and carefully explained the situation to her. After a while her protests died down, and a few minutes later he opened the door and let in the others.

  ‘We have to fetch the boys too. Where are they?’

  She laughed. ‘They’re probably outside behind the house, lying low until they know why you’re here. I’m sure they’re as sick of looking at your ugly mugs as I am.’ She laughed and opened a grimy window.

  ‘Stefan, Robert, come on inside. That cop is here again!’

  There was a rustling in the bushes and then Stefan and Robert came slouching in. They cast a wary glance at the group that was squeezed into the kitchen.

  ‘What’s this all about?’

  ‘Now they want to take our blood too,’ said Solveig, a cold statement of fact.

  ‘What the hell, are you nuts? The fuck if I’m giving you any of my blood!’

  ‘Robert, now don’t make a fuss,’ Solveig said wearily. ‘The police and I have talked it over, and I said we wouldn’t try to interfere. So sit down and shut up. The sooner we get rid of them the better.’

  To Martin’s relief they decided to obey her. Sullenly they both let Dr Jacobsson draw a blood sample. When he’d also taken a sample from Solveig, the doctor put the marked tubes away and announced that his part of the job was done.

  ‘What are you going to do with the blood?’ asked Stefan, more curious than anything else.

  Martin
gave him the same answer he’d given Gabriel. Then he turned to the younger officer from Uddevalla. ‘Go pick up the samples from Tanumshede, and see to it that they’re taken to Göteborg ASAP.’

  The young man who’d been flirting too much with Linda at the manor house nodded. ‘Okay, I’ll take care of it. Two more officers are on the way from Uddevalla to assist you …’ – he lowered his voice and cast a wary glance at Solveig and her sons, who were listening intently to the conversation – ‘regarding the other matter. They’ll meet you …’ again an awkward pause, ‘at the other location.’

  ‘Good,’ said Martin. He turned to Solveig. ‘Then I’ll thank you for your co-operation.’

  For a moment he considered telling them about Johannes, but didn’t dare go against Patrik’s direct order. Patrik didn’t want anyone to know yet, and so he refrained from saying anything.

  Outside the cabin Martin paused for a moment. Ignoring the dilapidated little house and the wrecked cars and other junk lying about outside, they actually lived in an incredibly beautiful spot. He hoped that they occasionally managed to raise their eyes from their own misery to see the beauty all around them. But he doubted it.

  ‘All right, now to Västergården,’ said Martin, striding off towards the cars. One task was completed, another waited. He wondered how it was going for Patrik and Gösta.

  ‘Why do you think you’re here?’ said Patrik. He and Gösta sat next to each other facing Jacob in the little interrogation room.

  Jacob regarded them calmly, his hands folded on the table. ‘How should I know? There hasn’t been any logic to the way you’ve been harassing my family, so I suppose all I can do is lean back and try to keep my head above water.’

  ‘Are you saying in all seriousness that the police think their primary task is to persecute your family? What motive would we have for doing that?’ Patrik leaned forward with interest.