Buried Angels (50 page)

‘Did you find anything?’ asked Ebba.

‘No, not yet.’

Anna forced herself to search through the second chest, and when she was done, she sank to her knees. There was nothing. They would never get out of here. They were going to die.

Then she made herself stand up again. There was one chest left, and she refused to give up, even though she shuddered at the thought of another search. Resolutely she moved over to the final chest. Ebba was huddled against the wall, crying. Anna glanced in her direction before she stuck her hand inside the chest. She swallowed hard as she reached for the wooden bottom, letting her fingertips move back and forth. She touched something. It felt like a stack of papers, although they seemed smoother on one side. She pulled out the bundle and held it up to the light.

‘Ebba,’ she said.

When she didn’t get an answer, she went over to sit on the floor next to Ebba. Then she held out what she now saw were photographs.

‘Look,’ said Anna. Her fingers were practically itching to leaf through the pictures, but she suspected they were from Ebba’s past. She should be the first one to see them.

With trembling hands Ebba took the Polaroids.

‘What does this mean?’ she said then, shaking her head.

She and Anna stared at the images, though they would have preferred not to. And they both realized that here was the explanation for what happened on that Easter weekend.

Tobias’s attention was fading. His eyelids were heavy, his head drooped, and Erica saw that he was on the verge of falling asleep. She didn’t dare look at Gösta. Tobias was still holding the gun in a tight grip, and it could be fatal to make any sudden move.

Finally his eyes fell closed. Slowly Erica turned her head towards Gösta as she held a finger to her lips. He nodded. She cast an enquiring glance at the doorway behind Tobias, but Gösta shook his head. No, she didn’t think that would work either. If Tobias woke up as they crept past, there was a risk that he’d start shooting.

She paused to think. They needed to get help. Again she caught Gösta’s eye and pretended to hold a phone to her ear. Gösta instantly understood and began rummaging through his jacket pockets, but then he gave her a resigned shrug. He hadn’t brought his mobile. Erica scanned the room. Anna’s handbag was a short distance away. Slowly she slid closer. Tobias twitched suddenly, and she froze for a moment, but he went on sleeping, his head bowed towards his chest. Then her fingers touched the bag, and she slid a few more centimetres to the side and managed to grab the handle. She held her breath as she picked up the bag without making a sound. Cautiously she searched the contents as Gösta watched. He suppressed a cough, and she frowned at him. They didn’t need Tobias to wake up now.

Finally she found Anna’s mobile. She made sure that the ringer was turned off, but then realized that she didn’t know the four-digit code. All she could do was guess. She tapped in Anna’s birth date. The word ‘error’ appeared on the display, and she silently swore. Anna might not have changed the code that came with the phone, but she couldn’t think about that. She had two more attempts. Erica thought for a moment and then tried Adrian’s birthday. ‘Error’ again. Then she had an idea. There was one other date that was significant in Anna’s life: the fateful day when Lucas died. Erica tapped in those four digits, and a green light miraculously welcomed her into the phone’s world.

She glanced at Gösta, who sighed with relief. She had to act fast. Tobias could wake up at any moment. Thank God she and Anna had the same type of phone, so she easily located the menu. She began typing a text message, brief but with enough information so that Patrik would understand the danger. Tobias stirred restlessly, and just as she was about to send the message, she stopped and added a few more recipients. If Patrik didn’t see it at once, someone else would and take action. She pressed the ‘send’ button and then put the bag back where she’d found it. She hid the mobile under her right thigh so she could get to it if necessary, but Tobias wouldn’t be able to see it when he awoke. Now all they could do was wait.

Kjell leaned against the car, staring at one of the police vehicles as it drove off. The raid had failed. They had only John Holm’s wife in the back seat.

‘Where the hell is John?’

The area surrounding the house was still bustling with activity. The police were checking every nook and cranny, and the
Expressen
photographer was frantically trying to capture it all. He wasn’t allowed to get too close, but with the lens he had at his disposal, that didn’t bother him.

‘Do you think he fled the country?’ said Sven Niklasson. Sitting in Kjell’s car, he’d already written the first version of his article, which he’d sent off to his editor.

Kjell knew that he too should be writing up his report. In fact, he should already be on his way over to the
Bohusläningen
office, where he would no doubt be heralded as the hero of the day. When he rang to tell them what had happened, the editor-in-chief had cheered so loudly that he nearly burst Kjell’s eardrum. But he didn’t want to leave until he’d found out where Holm had gone.

‘No, I don’t think he would leave without Liv. And she seemed surprised to see the police. If she didn’t know about it, then John didn’t either. They’re said to be a very tight team.’

‘But in a small town like this, rumours must spread faster than the wind, so even if he hadn’t already taken off, there’s a big risk he’ll do that now.’ Sven turned to gaze at the house with a grim expression.

‘Hmm …’ said Kjell, not really paying attention. In his mind he went over everything he knew about Holm, speculating where he might have gone. The police had already checked the boathouse without finding him there.

‘Have you heard anything more about how things went in Stockholm?’ asked Kjell.

‘For once the Säpo security forces and the police seem to have successfully collaborated, and the raid went off like clockwork. All of the responsible parties were taken into custody without incident. Those guys aren’t so tough when the shit hits the fan.’

‘I guess not.’ Kjell was thinking about the battle cries that would fill the newspapers over the next few days. And not just in Sweden; the rest of the world would once again voice incredulity that something like this could happen in Sweden, the country that so many people regarded as almost absurdly orderly.

His mobile rang.

‘Hi, Rolf … Well, there’s a bit of confusion here. They don’t know where Holm is … What did you say? Gunshots? Okay, we’ll be right over.’ He ended the conversation and nodded to Sven. ‘Hop in. There are reports of gunshots at Leon Kreutz’s house. Let’s go.’

‘Leon Kreutz?’

‘One of the boys who went to school with Holm on Valö.’

‘I don’t know. Holm might turn up here at any moment.’

Kjell leaned his arm on the roof of the car and looked at Sven.

‘Don’t ask me why, but I think Holm is at Kreutz’s house. So make up your mind. Are you coming with me or not? The Tanum police are already there.’

Sven opened the passenger door and got in. Kjell got behind the wheel, slammed the door, and drove off. He knew he was right. The boys from Valö had been hiding something, and now it was going to be revealed. He definitely didn’t want to miss it when the news exploded.

Inez felt as if someone was always watching her. That was the only way she could describe it. She’d had that feeling ever since the morning when her mother was found dead. Nobody knew why Laura had gone outside in the middle of that cold November night. The doctor who came to examine her body concluded that her heart had simply given out. He had warned her that something like that could happen.

But Inez had her doubts. Something changed in the house after Laura died, and she could feel it, no matter where she was. Rune had become even more aloof and stern, and Annelie and Claes started defying her more openly. It was as if Rune wasn’t paying attention, and that made them bolder.

At night Inez could hear crying in the boys’ dormitory. Not loud, barely audible in fact. Someone seemed to be doing his best to muffle his sobs.

She was scared. It had taken several months for her to identify the emotion she had long been trying to put into words. Something was terribly wrong. They were all circling around it, yet she knew that if she mentioned her concern to Rune, he would merely grunt dismissively. But she could tell that he too was aware that things were not as they should be.

Fatigue was also taking its toll on her. She was worn out from all the work she did in the school in addition to caring for Ebba, and it was proving to be such a strain to keep silent about something that was supposed to remain a secret.

‘Mammaaaaa,’ whined Ebba from her playpen. She was holding on to the railing, her eyes fixed on her mother.

Inez ignored her. She had no energy left. The child demanded so much that she simply couldn’t give her, and besides, she was a constant reminder of Rune. Ebba’s nose and mouth were just like Rune’s, and that made it hard for Inez to love the little girl. Inez tended to her needs, changing her nappies, feeding her, holding her and comforting her, but that was as much as she could do. Fear occupied too great a place in her heart.

Fortunately there was something else. Something that gave her the strength to hold out a little longer, that prevented her from running away, taking the boat to the mainland and leaving everything behind. In those dark hours when she toyed with the idea of fleeing, she never dared ask herself whether she would take Ebba along. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know the answer.

‘Can I pick her up?’ Johan’s voice made Inez jump. She hadn’t heard him come into the laundry room where she was folding sheets.

‘Of course you can,’ she said. Johan was another reason why she stayed. He loved her, and he loved his little sister. And the feeling was mutual. Whenever Ebba caught sight of Johan, her whole face would light up. Right now she was holding out her arms to him as she stood in her playpen.

‘Come on, Ebba,’ said Johan. She put her arms around his neck and allowed him to lift her out. Then she pressed her face close to his.

Inez stopped folding the laundry to watch them. She was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy. Ebba never looked at her with the same sort of unconditional love. Instead, there was always a mixture of sorrow and yearning in her eyes.

‘Let’s go out and watch the birds,’ said Johan as he rubbed his nose against Ebba’s, making her laugh. ‘Can I take her outside?’

Inez nodded. She trusted Johan and knew that he would never let anything happen to Ebba.

‘Of course, you go ahead.’ She went back to folding the laundry. Ebba began laughing and babbling merrily as they left the room.

After a while Inez couldn’t hear them any more. The silence echoed between the walls, and she sat down on the floor, resting her head on her knees. The house held her in such a tight grip that she could hardly breathe. The feeling that she was a prisoner grew stronger with every day that passed. They were heading for a precipice, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

Patrik wasn’t going to answer his mobile when it started ringing. Percy looked as if he might fall apart at any moment, and since he still held a gun in his hand, that might be disastrous. At the same time, they were all mesmerized by Leon’s voice. He was talking about Valö, about how the boys had become friends, about the Elvander family and Rune, and about how everything slowly but surely began to go wrong. Ia stood next to him, stroking his hand. After giving them the background for his story, Leon seemed to hesitate, and Patrik realized that he was approaching the event that had ended the boys’ friendship.

Soon they’d hear the truth. But Patrik was so worried about Erica that he couldn’t help glancing at his mobile. An incoming message from Anna. He quickly tapped on the display. When he read what it said, his hand started shaking uncontrollably.

‘We have to go out to Valö! Right now!’ he shouted, interrupting Leon in mid-sentence.

‘What’s happened?’ asked Ia.

Martin nodded and said, ‘Calm down and tell us what’s going on.’

‘I think Tobias was the one who set the fire and shot at Ebba. And now Gösta and Erica are out there with him. Anna and Ebba have disappeared. Nobody’s heard from either of them since yesterday …’

Patrik could hear that he was babbling, so he made an effort to regain his composure. If he was going to be of any help to Erica, he needed a clear head.

‘Tobias has a gun, and we think it’s the same one that was used on that Easter weekend. Does that tell you anything?’

The men exchanged glances. Then Leon held out a key.

‘He must have found the air-raid shelter. That’s where the gun was. Right, Sebastian?’

‘Yes. I haven’t touched anything since the day we locked the door. I don’t understand how he could have got inside. That’s the only key, as far as I know.’