The driver went along the coast the 160 kilometres to Larnaca airport while Nikki looked at the beautiful sea until it got dark. During the difficult years with the children’s father she had often fled to the sea, screaming and crying out all her despair to the waves. Somehow the water had calmed and comforted her scarred soul. Of course the terrifying years had left their mark and Nikki knew that she could never have managed to overcome it without her therapist.
Her thoughts continued on to Patrik and Linn. With a deep sigh she looked back in time when it had been natural and easy to associate with them both. Their mandatory weeks of sailing between Marstrand and Fjallbacka felt like just a memory and when had she and the kids really spent a relaxing week-end last in their house in the archipelago? She couldn’t remember. It was a long time ago that we spent time together like that, Nikki sadly thought and promised herself to call Linn when she had read the letter at home, even if it contained bad news. Strangely enough she didn’t miss Patrik as her lover, which was a healthy sign and a confirmation on having acted in the right way.
People from all kinds of different countries were crowding with hand luggage of different sizes in the queue in front of the gate. The man dressed in a suit standing in front of Nikki smelled of both cigarette smoke and old sweat and she was crossing her fingers that he wouldn’t sit next to her during the flight. She smiled happily when she saw that the smelly man sat down in the front of the cabin. She had her seat in the back and sat down next to a woman dressed in bohemian style. Pleased, she picked up the magazine from the pocket in front of her and started turning pages sporadically while the stewardess’ monotonous voice reminded her to switch off her electronic devices. With ease Nikki opened the zip on her handbag and took out her mobile when the picture of Hogstrom came up. What did she want? She thought and sighed as she pressed the green button.
”Can I call you later? I’m in the airplane and we’re about to take off.”
”Get off the plane, Nikki. Trust me and do what I tell you. Call me when you are inside the airport again.”
Nikki thought she had heard wrong but noticed the desperation in her boss’ voice. ”Get off the plane, are you kidding? Why?”
”Karl Hofvenskold has been murdered in Cyprus and I need you there now. Not in Gothenburg. Get off the plane!” Hogstrom had now raised her voice which had a military ring to it.
Nikki stared at her mobile and wondered if she really had heard correctly. Karl Hofvenskold murdered?
Saturday June 8th
Patrik and Linn had just had breakfast outside in the shade and there was still tension between the two of them. After a forced meal Linn had gone ahead to lay down by the hotel’s inviting swimming pool while Patrik had ordered another espresso. He needed to be in peace to think. His gaze went to a long slim girl with dark curly hair. Her gestures reminded him of Nikki’s. He felt pain in his midriff and knew that he missed her even though he didn’t want to admit it. Three secrets were gnawing at Patrik’s bad conscience and Nikki was one of them. Of course he knew that he had behaved badly when he had invited his wife’s best childhood friend to a flirt. But now the fun was over and he knew that he had to get a grip of his life and his marriage.
Then there was Anna. Was she really his daughter? He would find out during the day. He couldn’t chicken out any longer, there was no time for that. And then there was his disease, his Parkinson’s, which he was hiding from his surroundings. It was probably time to grow up and put all his cards on the table. Thoughtfully, he lifted the cup of espresso to his mouth and slowly drank it while his thoughts changed direction. Petros. Patrik knew that he couldn’t trust his accountant any longer. He hoped to get the translation of the Articles of Association delivered to the hotel during the afternoon so he could get the answer to his thousands of questions. He hated the thought of having been tricked even though he himself had fooled his wife. But soon he would know. The young girl in the reception had given Patrik a tip of a good translation service in Nicosia which her uncle owned. With the right payment they were willing to do a quick and careful job. Of course, Patrik had sent the Articles of Association over there with a taxi and now there wasn’t so much he could do but wait. The anxiety was boiling under his skin. Before breakfast Patrik had asked Johan’s accountant George if he could think of taking over the work as accountant for his ten holding companies. Since George had lost a number of Swedish clients due to the financial crisis, he happily accepted.
With a heavy weight in his stomach Patrik changed into swimming trunks, took his mobile and sat down on the balcony. ”It’s now or never”, he said out loud while scrolling through the latest dialled numbers. Four rings later and with his heart in his throat he heard the same pleasant voice answering as last time.
”Vingresor, Anna Fransson.”
Patrik cleared his throat. He was nervous but at the same time a nice feeling of warmth was spreading through all his body’s muscles.
”Eh, hello…my name is Patrik Kroona. I had a letter from you…”
The phone went all quiet.
”Daddy?” Anna whispered silently.
Patrik hesitated, he didn’t quite know what to say. Although his mouth was completely dry he swallowed several times. ”I thought that we should sort this out since I happen to be in Cyprus right now. Do you happen to have time to meet me today?”
Patrik felt a little bit more at ease when he took his iPad under his arm and went down to Linn who was sunbathing by the hotel’s pool. But as soon as he saw his wife he felt the irritation over her presence here come over him again. How will we ever find each-other again? Patrik wondered when he came down to the cliff with a view over Konnos Bay. Or maybe the two of us are not meant to live together anymore? He pondered this last question and couldn’t really catch the feeling of what he wished. That Linn would be sober and that the children would be fine was the most important thing right now. With quick steps he hurried to the oval pool which more or less covered the back of the hotel. Quiet as a mouse Patrik put his towel on the empty deck chair next to his wife’s and opened the sun-umbrella. There was no chance in the world that he could stay in the burning hot sun like Linn did.
”So, you could finally tear yourself away from the computer”, Linn said sarcastically while turning over to lie on her back.
”What do you mean? I’m here to work. Do you think I’m on a bloody pleasure trip or what?” Patrik felt he was about to explode. Why had Linn come here at all when she only wanted to make things sour?
”Of course it’s a pleasure trip. Who are you really trying to fool? Cyprus, sun and warmth, it can’t be anything else. And a suite on top of that. How come you have a suite by the way? Maybe you don’t want to answer that question, is it sensitive?” Linn couldn’t help sounding sarcastic. She felt how the jealousy welled over her like a wave while she anxiously chewed on her lower lip.
”Now you have to give up. I’d think it’s rather me who should be asking you what you are actually doing here. If I had wanted you to come from the start I would have asked, but maybe you are such an alcoholic that you don’t get that?”
Linn gave Patrik an ice-cold look and waved at the Swedish waiter with spite.
”Ah, so the alcoholic bitch has come back to life?” Patrik wrinkled his nose with dislike and clenched his jaws.
”Hey you, I’ll make something clear to you. I’m not even close to being an alcoholic so don’t try saying that again.” Linn was almost shouting. Offended she sat up, pulled her legs up under her and dug her nails hard into her knees. The wound started bleeding again.
”So you believe yourself when you say that you’re not an alcoholic? You are so good at denial. Continue with that and you’ll see your life will be perfect. A lonely life without either me or the kids.” Patrik quickly stood up. He felt dizzy and almost lost his balance. With his free hand he managed to get hold of the umbrella and took some deep breaths. Th
en he collected his stuff and frustrated returned to the room. The looks from the hotel guests burnt in his back and he felt really ashamed.
The door closed behind Patrik. He was tense and reminded himself to book time for a massage in the hotel’s SPA before going to Ayia Napa. There were two hours left before he would meet up with Anna at the juice bar and he didn’t feel like staying in the room until then. He tried sorting his thoughts out but however much he tried they kept bouncing around. Finally he put the iPad in its leather cover, put the mobile phone in his front pocket and left the suite, full of anguish.
It wasn’t hard to find the juice bar. It was in the heart of Ayia Napa, mingled with the other restaurants, bars and cafés. The smell of something spicy, rich and delicious which came from the kitchen next door made Patrik’s stomach rumble as he reached the counter. Behind the cashier there was an enormous menu with innumerable combinations of both juices and smoothies and finally Patrik ordered ”The Day’s Red” which was made of red berries and vegetables. The sun was scorching and the winds far too hot. Even the small birds were sitting with their mouths open in the shade, gasping for air. Curiously he looked around the outdoor restaurant but couldn’t see any girl of Anna’s age. With the cold juice in his hand he sat down at a table in the shade, took out the iPad and logged in to the juice-bar’s network. His thoughts were roaming around Anna, Linn, Nikki and Petros while he was surfing at random. He was overwrought. Automatically he put his hand in the back pocket of his shorts where the letter was. He took it out even though he knew every single word by heart and didn’t know what he was hoping for. To have another daughter or for it all to be one big mistake. Over and over again he looked at his wristwatch. Anna should be here any minute now. Patrik nervously pulled his hand through his hair when his eyes fell on a pretty blond girl who had her hair put up in a Dutch plait. A badge on the chest of her yellow orange polo t-shirt showed that she belonged to the staff at Vingresor. Patrik stood up and hesitantly waved his hand and got a nod and a big friendly smile back.
”Hi.” Patrik was staring at Anna who was a picture of himself when younger. No doubt she is mine he thought.
”Hi Daddy.”
They stood there silently looking closely at each-other. Finally they started giggling between the tears and the hugs. Patrik reached out for a few napkins and gave Anna some while drying his own wet eyes. Hand in hand they then sat down at the table and nervously started trying to fill in the gaps in their lives -
”By the way, have you eaten?”
”No, I thought of ordering a juice and a bowl of yogurt for lunch. Would you like something?”
”A bottle of water, please. I had a juice while waiting for you.” Patrik found a ten-euro-note in his shorts and pushed it across the table. ”This one’s on me.”
Anna lightly touched Patrik’s hand and had a warm smile in return. A few minutes later she was back with a colourful tray and Patrik gave her a fatherly look. In silence he studied Anna’s profile which was timelessly beautiful. Her skin was kissed by the sun and as perfect as that of a porcelain doll. The eyes and the mouth were his but the nose he didn’t recognize. She was tall and athletic, radiating a confidence which he recognized within himself.
”You are staring.”
Patrik laughed and shrugged. ”We look alike.”
”Mm, more than I thought actually. Thank you for getting in touch. It means everything to me that we could meet today.” Anna stretched out her hand and her eyes got damp.
Patrik grabbed her hand and shook his head. ”Why wasn’t I told until now? Do you understand how many years…” His voice cracked and his eyes overflowed.
Anna smiled between the tears, leaned over the table and hugged her newly found daddy. She buried her face by his neck and a fresh scent of after shave found its way up to her nostrils. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t know it either. My mother....”
Patrik lifted up his daughter’s face and looked into her beautiful eyes.
”You have to excuse me but when your letter arrived I had a minor shock. I got paralyzed and didn’t know how to cope with the new thought that I might have another daughter.” Patrik’s voice was coarse, as if he hadn’t used it for a while. He cleared his throat and continued asking. ”As you might understand I have no idea of who your mother is, what’s her name?”
Anna thought about the question, leaned back in the chair and dried the tears from her cheeks.
”So you have no idea?”
Patrik shook his head and tried finding some references of anybody but himself in Anna’s face and body.
”No, if I had known I would naturally have taken my responsibility, but unfortunately I never had the chance.”
Through a fog Patrik heard the name and at the same time everything went black. He clasped the table with both hands while his thoughts were buzzing around like a wasp nest in his head. Suddenly he remembered. The flashbacks started rolling in front of his eyes and he wondered how on earth he would be able to explain this. What would Linn say? And how could he tell Nikki?
Flustered by all the stormy feelings Patrik stumbled in to the foyer of the hotel. He sat down in the cool lobby feeling sweaty and trying to sort out his thoughts. He absolutely did not want to bump into his wife but needed some time alone.
”Mister Kroona. Mister Kroona.”
Patrik turned around and saw how the man behind the reception was waving with something large in his hand.
”There’s a package for you”, the receptionist dressed in a suit told him in a friendly manner.
”Oh, that’s good.” Patrik smiled weakly and got up.
The tall man handed him a thick brown envelope. ”Here you are, sir. Have a nice day.”
”Thanks.” Patrik immediately understood that the envelope was from the translation company and his stomach turned with excitement.
The hot stuffy air outside made Patrik’s throat go dry. The drops of sweat started up again and the polo t-shirt stuck to his wet back. He wished he had ordered a Coke from the bar before returning to his Mercedes at the hotel’s parking. He started the engine and soon afterward the cool air started to reduce the temperature in the hot car. Without hesitation Patrik tore open the envelope. He quickly glanced through the text and his sea blue eyes got large like pool balls when he read the statutes of the companies, which he unfortunately had signed.
”Bloody damn it!” Patrik was shouting loudly and hitting his palm with full force on the wheel. ”Damn it, damn it, damn it! What a bloody idiot I’ve been!” The sound of his scream echoed in the rented car and Patrik thought he would explode into millions of atoms. His throat got tight and the anguish gripped hard on his sweaty body. Over and over again he read the same lines and the tears slowly started dripping down his cheeks. The fortune he had built up during all those hard year was suddenly gone. He had planned on early retirement and now could only look for that in the stars. Full of fear Patrik knocked his head hard on the headrest until he saw a passerby worriedly staring at him through the window.
After having shown them the finger and a loud ”fuck you”, he put the car in the gear and aimlessly drove away from the hotel’s parking lot. He couldn’t possibly gather his thoughts which were flying here and there in his overheated head. Pictures of the children, Linn, and the summer retreat in Marstrand quickly passed by. With fear Patrik saw how the family had to move from their penthouse in Vasastan to some little place in a less popular suburb of Gothenburg. ”What the hell have I done?” Patrik couldn’t control himself any longer. He felt as if he was suffocating. His body was shaking and he felt as if somebody had put a sprinkler inside his clothes. His arms had started going numb so he had to stop by the roadside. He took off his sunglasses, tiredly wiped his eyes and wondered why just about everything was having a go at him. After a few minutes Patrik picked up his mobile, dialled the number to Petros while starting the car with a screech and drove
up to the highway again.
”You’ve bloody tricked me!”
”Excuse me, who is speaking?”
”You know very well who I am you leech. You and I are going to meet again. Then you will change my statutes so that I am the sole owner of all of my companies. Understood?”
”I’m at my office in Pafos until six. You’re welcome to come but unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to help you”, Petros calmly answered.
”It’s not a question of thinking. It’s your bloody duty to make sure I’m the 100% owner of my companies. These are my companies and my money which I have earned.” Patrik was shouting so much saliva was gathering on the side of his mouth.
”I already have your signature on every single document. What do you actually think you can do?”
Patrik was breathing heavily, dried the saliva off his mouth with the back of his hand and then held the wheel so hard his knuckles went white. ”You’re bloody criminal.”
”As I said, you’re welcome at my office in Pafos. I’ll be here until six tonight.”
When Patrik heard the click in his ear he furiously threw the phone on the passenger seat. ”Damn it, damn it, damn it.” With a swift move he picked up the mobile again. He looked through the contacts until he found the number to Johan’s accountant, swept his finger over the green phone and let the signals go through. Three times he dialled the number without getting an answer. The panic was growing and Patrik felt how he once again was losing his grip on the situation.
Blue Blue Eyes: Crime Novel Page 12