The Girl in the Woods (Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck, Book 10)

by Camilla Lackberg

  Again his voice broke. Patrik saw him clench his jaw so as not to lose control. He curled his hands into fists, not sure how to ask the next question.

  ‘We’ve had some reports from the Uddevalla police.’

  Peter gave a start. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘About your violent outbursts when you … when you were drinking.’

  Peter shook his head.

  ‘That was years ago. When I was having … problems at work.’

  He looked at Patrik and shook his head even harder.

  ‘Do you think that I …? No, I would never do anything to hurt Nea. Or Eva. They’re my family. Don’t you understand? Nea was my family.’

  He hid his face in his hands. His shoulders shook.

  ‘What is this? Why are you asking me about things I got up to years ago? Why are you asking so many questions about the barn? What did you find in there?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you that at the moment,’ replied Patrik. ‘We may have to ask both of you more questions. As you know, Gösta is speaking to Eva, asking her the same questions I’ve asked you. We’re grateful for your cooperation, but right now you’ll just have to trust me when I say we’re doing everything we can.’

  ‘Are you positive it wasn’t … him?’ Peter wiped his eyes. ‘I know my father has strong opinions, and it’s easy to get swept up … Everybody has been talking about it too. About the refugee centre. And after a while, well …’

  ‘The man you’re talking about was definitely not involved in any way. Someone stole Nea’s knickers from the clothes line after she disappeared, and then tried to frame the man.’

  ‘How are they doing?’

  Peter avoided looking at Patrik.

  ‘Not great, to be honest. The doctors aren’t sure whether the wife will recover, and Karim – that’s his name – suffered serious burns to his hands.’

  ‘What about the children?’ asked Peter, finally raising his eyes.

  ‘They’re fine,’ Patrik assured him. ‘They’re staying with one of my colleagues until their father is discharged from the hospital.’

  ‘I’m sorry that we …’

  He couldn’t finish the sentence.

  Patrik nodded.

  ‘It’s okay. People have different opinions. And, unfortunately, the refugees are convenient scapegoats at the moment. For all sorts of things.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have …’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. We can’t change what happened, but we’re trying to find out who set the fire at the refugee centre at the same time as investigating your daughter’s murder.’

  ‘We need to know who did it,’ said Peter, desperation shining in his eyes. ‘Otherwise we can’t go on. Eva won’t be able to go on. Not knowing will break us.’

  ‘We’re doing everything we can,’ said Patrik.

  He consciously chose words that would not imply any promises. Right now he wasn’t convinced they would solve this case. He declared the interview over and switched off the tape recorder.

  Nausea was the first thing she noticed. Then the lumpy surface underneath her. Her eyelids felt glued shut, and it was a struggle to open her eyes. She didn’t recognize the ceiling spinning overhead, and the nausea got worse. The room had blue-and-white striped wallpaper that she couldn’t remember ever having seen before. The nausea was making her shake all over. Panicked, she turned her head to the side. Vomit splashed on to the floor next to the bed. It tasted disgusting and stank of alcohol.

  Jessie whimpered. When she touched her chest, she realized she had already thrown up on herself.

  Her panic grew. Where was she? What happened?

  Slowly she sat up. She was shivering, and the nausea nearly overwhelmed her again, but she was able to stop from vomiting. She looked down at her body and at first couldn’t process what she saw. She was naked, but covered with black lines. It took a few seconds for her to understand she was looking at words written on her body. One by one she read what they said.

  Whore. Slut. Fatso. Slob.

  Her throat closed up.

  Where was she? Who had done this to her?

  A memory slowly surfaced. She was sitting in an armchair. Drinking cups of alcohol.

  Basse’s party.

  She wrapped a blanket around her and surveyed the room. It seemed to be his parents’ bedroom. A framed photo on the bedside table showed a smiling family. And there was Basse, grinning as he stood between a man and a woman with very white teeth.

  The nausea surged again as she realized this had been their plan from the beginning. It was all a con: Vendela knocking on her door and wanting to hang out with her, the rest of them pretending to be her friends. None of it was genuine.

  It was the same crap she’d fallen for in England – and she’d let herself be taken in again.

  She drew her knees up. She no longer noticed the stink. The only thing she was aware of was the feeling of a gaping hole in her chest.

  She felt an aching sensation between her legs and reached down to touch herself there. Something was sticky, and even though she had no experience, she knew what it was. Those bastards.

  With an effort she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. When she stood up, she swayed, and this time she couldn’t hold back the vomit.

  Then she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and stepped over the mess on the floor. She managed to make it to the bathroom adjoining the bedroom.

  Tears filled her eyes when she saw herself in the mirror. Her make-up was smeared, and there were traces of vomit on her neck and chest. And it said ‘whore’ across her forehead. Her cheeks were also covered with ugly words.

  Tears ran down her face. Sobbing, she leaned over the sink, standing there for several minutes. Then she went over to the shower and turned on the water full blast. When steam started forming, she stepped in and let the hot water pour over her. It was so hot that her skin was turning bright red, making the black letters stand out even more.

  The words screamed at her, and her abdomen felt tender and raw.

  Jessie found a bottle of liquid soap and poured it over her body. She washed between her legs until all trace of the foul stuff was gone. She vowed never to let anyone touch her there again. It was tainted, ruined.

  She rubbed and rubbed at her skin, but the words refused to come off. She was marked, and she was determined to mark those who had done this to her.

  Standing there under the scalding water, Jessie came to a decision. They were going to pay. Every single one of them. They were going to pay.

  Erica realized that taking care of children while hungover should be relegated to the same level as punishments for aggravated assault. She had no idea how she was going to make it through the day. The kids, sensing her weakness, were taking the opportunity to act up. Well, Maja was her usual calm self, but the twins shrieked, they fought, they climbed on all the furniture, and if Erica admonished them in any way, they responded with ear-splitting howls that made her head feel as if it would explode.

  When her mobile rang, she hesitated to take the call because the noise level in the house precluded any sensible conversation. But then she saw on the display that the call was from Anna.

  ‘Hi! So how are you feeling today?’

  Anna sounded so alert and cheerful, Erica immediately regretted taking the call. The contrast with her own situation was too great. She consoled herself with the thought that if Anna wasn’t pregnant, she would be in even worse shape.

  ‘Did you get home all right? You were still there when I left, and I was a little worried about how you were going to get home.’

  Anna laughed, and Erica sighed. Yet another family member who would be teasing her about this until her dying day.

  ‘Of course I got home okay, though I can’t remember how I got here. Judging by my feet, I seem to have walked home barefoot.’

  ‘My God, what a night! Who would have thought the old ladies could party like that! What stories they told! For a while I thought my ears
were going to fall off!’

  ‘I know. I’m never going to look at Kristina in the same way again!’

  ‘The dancing was fun too.’

  ‘Uh-huh. Apparently I tried to teach Patrik the cha-cha when I got home.’

  ‘Really?’ said Anna. ‘I’d give anything to have seen that.’

  ‘And then I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder in the middle of the dance lesson, so he had to put me to bed on the sofa. And now I admit I’m suffering the consequences. And naturally the boys can sense my weakness, so they’ve been on the attack.’

  ‘You poor thing,’ said Anna. ‘I could babysit them for a while if you need a rest. I’m just sitting here at home, doing nothing.’

  ‘No, that’s okay,’ said Erica.

  Tempting as the offer was, the self-critic inside her thought she had only herself to blame for landing in this situation.

  Erica had roamed about the room as she talked to her sister, but now she stopped in front of the portrait of Leif. Viola had truly captured her father, judging by the photograph Erica had seen. But the painting added something more. It portrayed his personality and gave the impression that he was peering back at her. Straight-backed and proud, he sat at his desk, where everything was neatly stacked. A pile of papers in front of him, a pen in his hand, a glass of whisky nearby. Erica stared at the painting. Suddenly the fog lifted. She knew exactly what it was she’d discovered before she fell asleep on Patrik’s shoulder.

  ‘Anna, can I take you up on that offer after all? Could you possibly come over here for a while? I need to go to Tanumshede.’

  Karim turned his head towards the window. The loneliness here in hospital was numbing even though he’d had several visitors. Bill had dropped by along with Khalil and Adnan. But Karim hadn’t known what to say. Even with them in the room, he’d felt so alone and abandoned. With Amina at his side, he’d always felt at home no matter where he was. She was his whole world.

  At first he had been reluctant to allow the children to stay with the police officer, since it was the police who had started this whole business. But Paula had such kind eyes. And she didn’t really belong either.

  This morning he’d talked to the children on the phone, and he could tell they were doing okay. They were anxious to know how their mother was and how long he’d have to stay in hospital, but then they’d told him about their new playmate named Leo and all the toys he had. They also told him there was a baby in the family and that Rita was a very good cook, although the food didn’t taste like their mother’s.

  Their happy voices made him happy, but their anxiety made him sad. The doctors looked more and more worried each time he asked about Amina. He’d been allowed to visit her once. Her hospital room was so hot, about 32 degrees Celsius, he was told. A nurse explained that the body temperature of badly burned patients goes down due to loss of fluids, so the room temperature had to be kept very high.

  The smell had brought tears to his eyes. This was his beloved Amina who smelled so awful. She lay motionless in the bed. He had reached out his hand towards her, wanting to touch her, but he didn’t dare. Her head had been shaved, and he couldn’t hold back a sob when he saw the exposed, burned skin. Her injured face glistened with Vaseline, and much of her body was swathed in bandages.

  Amina was being kept in a medically induced coma, and she was hooked up to a respirator to help her breathe. People had moved about the room the whole time he was there. Their focus was on Amina, and almost no one even glanced at Karim. He was grateful for that, grateful that they were doing everything possible for Amina.

  All he could do was wait. And pray. Swedes didn’t seem to believe in prayer, while he prayed for Amina day and night, asking that she might stay with him and the children, and that God might be willing to let them keep her for a little while longer.

  Outside the window the sun was shining, but it was not his sun. This was not his country. Did that mean he had also left behind his God when he fled?

  When he heard the doctor’s footsteps slowly approaching his room, Karim knew what the man was about to tell him. One look at the doctor’s face was enough for him to realize that now he was all alone.

  ‘There are several new developments we need to consider,’ said Patrik, who had remained standing in order to get everyone’s attention.

  Annika had arranged for a morning snack. On the table was a loaf of Skogaholm rye bread, butter, cheese, slices of tomato, and coffee.

  This was exactly what Paula needed, since she’d had time to grab only a piece of crisp bread, and then only because Johanna insisted she eat something. Paula glanced at Martin as he made himself a sandwich. He looked tired, as if he’d hardly slept at all, though not in that ‘I tossed and turned all night’ kind of way. It was more like ‘I’ve been rolling in the hay all night’. She gave him a knowing grin, and his face turned bright red. She was happy for him, but she also hoped this new love of his wouldn’t lead to angst and heartache. He’d had enough of both.

  She turned her attention to Patrik.

  ‘As all of you know, we made several important discoveries yesterday when we were searching the Berg family farm,’ said Patrik. ‘In the barn the tech team found a Kex chocolate bar wrapper, stuck in a gap between the floorboards. We don’t know how or when it got there, but Nea had the remains of chocolate and biscuit in her stomach, so it’s likely there’s a connection. Especially considering what else we found.’

  No one said a word. The news of their discovery had hit his colleagues like a bomb yesterday. It had given them hope and blown fresh life into the investigation, which had begun to feel so hopeless.

  ‘When will we know whether it’s Nea’s blood?’ asked Martin.

  ‘Mid-week, according to Torbjörn.’ Patrik took a sip of juice and went on. ‘But now I’m coming to something that none of you has heard yet. Torbjörn just phoned to tell me they’ve made another discovery. I left the farm after the techs were finished with the barn. They were about to go over the whole property. Torbjörn thought it would take them the rest of the afternoon and evening. Neither of us thought the search would turn up anything more, but we were wrong.’

  Patrik paused for effect.

  ‘In the tall grass outside the barn, one of the techs found a watch. A child’s watch with a Frozen illustration. I didn’t know about this when I interviewed Peter this morning, but I rang their home, and Eva confirmed that Nea had a watch like that. She wore it almost every day. Even though her parents haven’t yet identified the watch as hers, I think we can assume it belonged to Nea.’

  Paula took a deep breath. Like her colleagues at the station, she realized what this meant.

  ‘The strap was broken, the glass was smashed, and the watch had stopped at eight o’clock. As always, we need to be careful about jumping to conclusions, but it seems likely that we have now discovered both the primary crime scene and the approximate time of death.’

  Mellberg scratched his scalp.

  ‘So she died at eight in the morning and was then transported to the site where she was found?’

  ‘That seems the most likely scenario, yes,’ replied Patrik.

  Martin raised his hand. ‘Does this change anything with regard to Marie’s alibi or Helen’s?’

  ‘No, not really,’ said Patrik. ‘Helen has never presented an alibi that can be substantiated, either for Sunday night or Monday morning. She says she took a sleeping pill and slept soundly until nine a.m., when she went out for a run. But no one has been able to confirm this; her husband was out of town, and her son didn’t see her until lunchtime. Marie has consistently maintained that she has an alibi for both the night and morning, but this morning Erica told me she happened to run into Marie on Friday, when the film crew were shooting on location in town. As she was passing by the film set after her chat with Marie, the make-up artist told Erica that Marie’s alibi was a sham. Apparently she was the one who spent Sunday night with the film director. Not Marie.’

  ‘Oh, sh
it,’ said Martin.

  ‘Can that be true?’ said Paula. ‘Do you think the make-up artist made up the story out of jealousy?’

  ‘We’ll have to ask Marie. And we need to speak to the director again, as well as this woman. If what she told Erica turns out to be true, then Marie certainly has a lot of explaining to do. For instance, why did she feel the need to lie about her alibi?’

  ‘Jörgen confirmed that Marie was with him,’ said Martin. ‘Why would he do that if she wasn’t?’

  Paula looked at him and sighed. He was a good police officer, but sometimes he seemed terribly innocent and naive.

  ‘Marie is the star of a film with a multimillion kronor budget. A film they’re hoping will be a commercial success. I think Jörgen would be prepared to say anything rather than put the film in jeopardy.’

  Martin stared at her. ‘Oh, shit. I didn’t think of that.’

  ‘You’re a little too nice to think of something so devious,’ said Paula.

  Martin looked deeply insulted at this, but no one challenged Paula’s assessment. Not even Martin himself. In his heart he knew Paula was right.

  ‘We’ll begin by finding out what Marie has to say about this,’ said Patrik. ‘Gösta, I’d like you to come with me. We’ll go as soon as this meeting is over. But since Marie was already sitting in make-up in Tanumshede by nine o’clock, I don’t see how she could have committed a murder at eight.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Paula. ‘Let’s go back to the chocolate wrapper. When will we get the lab results? There may be fingerprints and saliva on the wrapper.’

  ‘That’s what we’re hoping,’ said Patrik. ‘Torbjörn has assured me they’ll treat this case as a priority, but you know how these things go.’

  ‘So as of now, we’re looking at mid-week before we get the results, right?’

  ‘I’m afraid so.’

  ‘Did you find anything else? Footprints? Fingerprints? Anything at all?’

  Paula finished eating her sandwich and began making another. She hadn’t slept much last night, and lack of sleep was making her hungry.

  ‘No. It looks as if the barn had been thoroughly cleaned. Torbjörn found the chocolate wrapper only because it had slipped into a crack. Presumably, whoever did the cleaning missed it.’