The Silent Girl (Sebastian Bergman 4)

by Michael Hjorth

  ‘Hi, what are you up to?’ Billy realised he was speaking unnecessarily loudly. It was impossible to hold a normal conversation when you were using the car’s built-in microphone. It was one of the laws of nature.

  ‘I have a client arriving in five minutes,’ Maya said; Billy could picture her glancing at her little gold wristwatch. That was the only thing he could picture; he had never been to her office. According to Maya it was nothing special: two very comfortable armchairs facing one another, with a coffee table in between. A desk at the other end of the room, a rug from IKEA, and a fairly basic coffee machine from Nescafé. That was all. She rented the space in an office block, and the room was no more than twelve square metres.

  She referred to her customers as clients. In Billy’s eyes they were more like patients. They fell into two main groups: company directors who needed help with their leadership skills, and ‘Seekers’ who wanted to ‘fulfil their true potential’ and ‘be true to themselves’. Billy knew she was doing something useful, that she made people feel better, gave them a sense of having developed when they had been to see her, but he didn’t know how she could stand it.

  ‘Was there something special, or can we talk later?’ she asked.

  ‘I’ve got bad news and good news,’ Billy went on, pretending he hadn’t realised that she didn’t have time for him. Five minutes to the next client; this would take two.

  ‘Start with the bad news,’ she said with a little sigh, as if she was expecting the worst.

  ‘I’m going to Kiruna tomorrow.’

  ‘Kiruna?’

  ‘Kiruna.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Work.’

  ‘OK.’ A note of resignation in her voice. The fact that he had been in Torsby since Thursday was bad enough. ‘So what’s the good news then?’

  ‘I’m on my way home right now. I’m flying from Arlanda in the morning, so I’ll be at home tonight.’

  ‘You’re coming home?’

  Genuine pleasure. He could hear that she was smiling; so was he.

  ‘I’m on my way – I’m just outside Sunne.’

  ‘I’ve missed you so much! And guess what – I can come with you tomorrow.’

  Billy’s smile stiffened. What did she mean? Was she offering to drive him to the airport? No, her tone made him think she meant something else. Something more.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I can come with you to Kiruna. I have no more clients this week. I was going to take a few days off so that I could really focus on the wedding, but now we can do that together. In Kiruna.’

  He should have been pleased, but this wasn’t the way he had planned things. This wasn’t what he wanted, but he couldn’t tell her that. He had to think fast.

  ‘That’s not a good idea,’ he managed while he tried to come up with a suitable response.

  ‘Why not?’ she shot back as expected.

  Because he was going with Jennifer. Because he had been looking forward to going with Jennifer. Because the plan was to go with Jennifer. He played his safest card: work.

  ‘I’ll be working.’

  ‘Not all the time, surely?’

  ‘Virtually, yes.’

  ‘In the evenings and at night?’

  He sensed that she was beginning to realise he didn’t want her there. She was a skilled listener, adept at picking up nuances, what lay behind the words, what they really meant. That was part of her job, and she was good at her job.

  ‘I’m really sorry, I would have loved you to come up to Kiruna with me, but it’s not a good idea.’ He thought he had achieved the perfect balance of gentleness and regret. ‘I’m being sent there by Riksmord.’

  ‘I’ll pay my own way if that’s what’s bothering you.’

  ‘It’s not that, it’s just … I’m working, and I don’t think I should have my girlfriend with me.’

  There was a brief silence. Billy assumed she was wondering whether to try again, or let it go. She chose the latter option.

  ‘OK, it was just a suggestion.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, but it wouldn’t work,’ Billy said again, sounding genuinely upset.

  ‘Anyway, my client is here, so …’ She didn’t complete the sentence, but she didn’t need to; the conversation was over.

  ‘See you later. I love you.’

  ‘Love you too. Drive carefully.’

  With that she was gone. Billy subconsciously eased up on the accelerator. That hadn’t gone as he’d expected at all. He would be working in Kiruna, more or less all the time, and he didn’t know anyone in the police who took their other half with them when they went away because of the job. Everything he had said to Maya was true, and yet he felt as if he had lied to her.

  He clicked on Spotify and Xzibit carried on from where he had been interrupted. Man vs. Machine. The best album he had ever made, in Billy’s opinion. He turned up the volume and put his foot down.

  ★ ★ ★

  Torkel was standing by one of the cars at the back of the police station waiting for everyone to sort themselves out. The additional staff they had brought in had been briefed and divided into groups, and now they were busy packing the equipment they needed into the vehicles that would take them to the various addresses. Torkel would accompany one team to the Bengtssons, while Vanja and Erik would start with Frank Hedén. Whoever finished first would move on to the Torssons.

  The back door of the station opened and Vanja walked out into the sunshine. She blinked a few times as her eyes got used to the brightness. She looked exhausted, Torkel thought. Dark shadows under her eyes, her hair lank and greasy, her face pale and washed out. Holding her hand up to her forehead to block out the setting sun, she came over to him.

  ‘Nearly ready?’ she asked, glancing around.

  ‘I think so. How are you?’

  Vanja turned to him with an enquiring look.

  ‘I’m fine – why do you ask?’

  ‘You look tired.’

  ‘I’m not sleeping very well, that’s all.’

  ‘Are you eating properly?’

  Vanja hesitated. Torkel didn’t know, she told herself. That wasn’t why he had asked. He didn’t know anything about her old demons, the ones that were sleeping now. No one knew. No one except Valdemar. He had helped her through a tough time, remaining staunchly by her side every step of the way. Just as a father should do. He had never stopped believing that they would make it. Together. And they had. In spite of everything that she had been through over the past few months, she had never felt the need to stop eating. She had never stood in front of the mirror and thought she would feel better if only she looked different. She had never connected her unhappiness and her pain with her body. She had no desire to punish herself. Others, yes, but not herself.

  ‘Absolutely. I’m fine,’ she repeated truthfully. She was fine. When it came to her eating habits anyway.

  ‘You know where I am if you need to talk.’

  Vanja nodded and gave him a little smile. Torkel realised it was a long time since he’d seen her smile.

  ‘Thanks, but it really isn’t necessary. Things have been difficult, but I’m OK.’

  She left him with another smile and went over to join Erik. Torkel watched her go. Things didn’t feel right. Not just with Vanja, but with the whole team. Things hadn’t even felt right at the beginning of this investigation, and they definitely hadn’t improved.

  Sebastian was in Stockholm with their key witness.

  Billy was reluctantly on his way to Kiruna.

  And then there was Ursula, of course.

  Perhaps that was why it was all so difficult. They were a team of four – five if you counted Sebastian, which Torkel did approximately fifty per cent of the times he thought about his group – who had developed together. Grown together. Become a close-knit unit. The sum had become greater than its parts. If one member of the team was missing, the balance was disturbed. That was probably the explanation; that was why it all felt so different
. They were all slightly out of balance. Torkel really hoped this exercise would give them the breakthrough they so badly needed.

  He wanted to get away from here.

  He didn’t often feel that way when he was out on a job, but right now he just wanted to go home. To get away from Torsby, away from FilboCorp, away from dead families and away from Malin Åkerblad.

  After the meeting at the council offices Torkel had called the prosecutor and told her what they were planning to do: re-interview the four landowners who had been affected by the Carlstens’ refusal to sell to the mining company, and carry out a search at all four properties at the same time. He had expected her to agree that this was the logical next step in the investigation, but fru Åkerblad was full of surprises.

  ‘Do you really have enough for a search warrant at this stage?’ she had asked as soon as Torkel had informed her of his decision.

  ‘When the Carlstens said no to the mining company, it cost their neighbours millions. What else do you need?’ Torkel had asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

  ‘I’d like to hear your reasons for undertaking such a major invasion of their privacy.’

  ‘I’ve just told you. The Carlstens turned down the mining company’s offer, which cost these other families millions. That’s my reason.’

  ‘That’s not sufficient to invade their homes.’

  Torkel closed his eyes. A property search was a necessary measure as far as the police were concerned, not an invasion of privacy. He had decided that was the next step in their investigation. My investigation, he corrected himself. It was time to show Malin Åkerblad who was in charge.

  ‘I wasn’t asking for permission,’ he said with such authority in his voice that it was impossible to misunderstand the message even if you didn’t understand the language. ‘I was merely informing you of what we are intending to do.’

  ‘I’m still in charge of the preliminary investigation,’ Malin said in an attempt to regain control, but Torkel interrupted her.

  ‘With respect, I couldn’t give a toss what you think are sufficient grounds for further action.’ He didn’t raise his voice, but there was an added sharpness to his tone. ‘I am the Senior Investigating Officer, and whether or not to carry out a house search is my decision. It would have been nice to have you on our side, but as you have a different view of the situation from mine, I suggest you regard this conversation as an update, nothing more.’

  He had ended the call, and rejected two further calls from her. He then received a text; he saw only the word ‘unacceptable’ before he deleted it. He had heard nothing from her since then. She might cause problems, but he didn’t think so. He could always bring up Jan Ceder; Åkerblad’s insistence on releasing him had made their job considerably more difficult, and had led to a further death. The prosecutor was the least of his worries.

  Torkel looked around; everyone seemed to be ready to go.

  Erik and Vanja set off with two cars following on behind. Fabian waved to indicate that he was all set to follow Torkel, who waved back and got into his car.

  He definitely wanted to get away from here.

  ★ ★ ★

  Erik wasn’t particularly happy either, sitting behind the wheel with Vanja beside him.

  Partly because they were on the way to see Frank Hedén, a man Erik regarded as a friend of the family; now they were supposed to treat him as a suspect. Question him. Search his home.

  That was the second reason for Erik’s unease.

  Torkel had made it very clear that he didn’t just want to talk to the people on the list; every property was to be searched. That would require additional personnel from neighbouring districts; Karlstad and Arvika were the closest.

  Torkel had offered to call and request the extra resources, but Erik had thought it was best to do it himself. Otherwise there was a risk that he would be seen as having lost control, hiding behind Riksmord.

  Arvika wasn’t a problem; Regina Hult was easy to work with. He explained what he needed and why, and she immediately sent over four officers who were suitable for the task. That left Karlstad.

  And Hans Olander.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Olander asked as soon as he heard who was on the other end of the line. A perfectly reasonable question from a senior officer, but to Erik it sounded like I guess things aren’t going too well, then.

  ‘The investigation is moving forward, that’s why I’m calling. I need some extra personnel right away – just for a little while.’

  ‘Extra personnel? What for?’

  Erik hesitated. Torkel had told him not to mention FilboCorp, or to reveal which properties were to be searched, because the more people who knew, the greater the chance of a leak.

  ‘We need to carry out a number of house searches today,’ he said. He had to give Olander that information at least, to ensure that he sent the right officers.

  ‘So you’re close to solving the case?’

  ‘We hope so.’

  ‘I hope so too. We’re not coming over all that well in the press.’

  Erik didn’t respond. He had known that Olander would use this conversation to get at him in some way, and he was about to find out how.

  ‘I’ve been wondering whether to send Per over to give you a hand.’

  Aha. Per Karlsson, the other candidate for Erik’s job, comes up to Torsby when the investigation has been under way for a week; he’s there when the case is closed, and Olander points out that this happened only when Karlsson joined the team. His candidate for Erik’s job. Thus proving that the board had made the wrong choice when they appointed Erik.

  ‘It’s Riksmord’s case – we’re only assisting,’ Erik said without raising his voice. He wasn’t going to give Olander the satisfaction. ‘I don’t know what contribution Per could make.’

  ‘Whatever you’re doing, but hopefully he would do it better.’

  ‘It’s Riksmord’s case …’

  ‘You said that already.’

  ‘They haven’t asked for another DI,’ Erik went on, ignoring Olander’s interjection. ‘They need people who can carry out a number of house searches.’

  ‘I haven’t exactly got officers standing around doing nothing here.’

  Erik couldn’t believe his ears. Was Olander going to refuse? Was his dislike of Erik so strong that he would obstruct the inquiry? Erik was beginning to get angry. Personal antipathy was one thing, but unprofessional behaviour was something else.

  ‘You can’t spare three people?’ he asked, his tone making it clear that he didn’t believe this for a minute.

  ‘Things are difficult, there’s a lot of illness going around,’ Olander insisted.

  Erik closed his eyes. At some point in the future he was going to have to face up to it. Confront Olander. He had hoped he would be more settled by the time the situation arose, have achieved more in his new role so that his words would carry more weight, perhaps have senior officers backing him up, but right now he didn’t have the energy to play Olander’s ridiculous game any longer.

  ‘Hans, I know what you’re trying to do,’ he said calmly and clearly. ‘But this isn’t going to look as if I’ve failed. Everyone will be informed that you have refused to send extra resources. This will come back to bite you, not me.’

  Silence. It went on for so long that Erik wondered if the connection had been lost, or if Olander had hung up.

  ‘Hans?’

  ‘How many bodies do you need?’ There was no mistaking the suppressed rage in Olander’s voice.

  ‘Three, preferably four.’

  ‘On their way.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Erik was about to end the call when he heard Olander’s voice again, low and ominous.

  ‘Listen to me, Erik. I’ll give you the rest of this week, then I am going to take over myself, and then it will look as if you’ve failed. Not even your wife’s friends in high places will be able to do anything about that.’

  Silence again; this
time the superintendent had hung up.

  Erik had slipped his phone into his pocket. There it was. Pia’s friendship with the Chief Constable. Perhaps challenging Olander had been a mistake. A mistake that could affect his future career in the police.

  Those were his thoughts as he pulled up outside Frank Hedén’s house.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said, realising as he heard his own voice that he hadn’t said a word since they left the station. Vanja was peering curiously at the house through the windscreen. Torkel had once told Erik she was the best he had ever worked with; Erik hoped that was true.

  He hoped that the next few hours would give them the breakthrough they so desperately needed.

  He really didn’t want to be removed from Torsby.

  They had more or less avoided talking about Maria’s call from Lex Legali for the rest of the day. It had been difficult at first, but when they noticed how anxious Nicole became when they discussed the matter, they decided to stop. The last thing they wanted was to cause her any further stress. Instead Maria told Sebastian more about her sister and her relationship with Karin and the house in Värmland. They had bought it together; at the time the place had stood empty for many years, and was in quite a state. It would take a lot of work to turn it into the summer retreat they had always dreamt of, but the price was right. The idea was that they would go there to relax and enjoy life in the future. Together. With the families they might one day have – husbands, children, dogs and the Carlsten sisters. Sharing meals at a long table outdoors, summer dresses, bare feet and sunshine. But it had never really become that shared project; it soon became clear that Karin wanted more. She wanted to do more work, get the place sorted out more quickly, put in more effort. Maria just wanted to turn up and relax. It was a summer cottage, it didn’t have to be perfect. Eventually they decided they would go there at different times, divide the best weeks of the summer between them, but that didn’t put an end to the problems. Karin still wanted to invest, and demanded that Maria pay half the cost of any repairs or renovations. The house certainly wasn’t bringing them closer, and when Karin met Emil and asked if they could buy Maria out, she agreed straight away. Karin and Emil decided to make their home in Torsby on a permanent basis, and the geographical distance meant that the emotional distance between the sisters also increased.