The Intruder (12 page)

“I hardly think I know anyone in Gothenburg,” said Henrik.

“Perhaps you know someone, or have worked with someone, who moved there?”

Fredrik looked at both of them.

“Don’t worry if it seems farfetched. Anything that in the slightest way might seem to be a breeding ground for a conflict is interesting. And that applies whether or not it has a connection to Gothenburg.”

17.

Malin turned out of the police station parking lot. It could not be more than a mile to the locksmith on Söderväg. She had checked on the Internet.

She made a jerky start when the light turned green and took a left onto Norra Hansegatan. She felt like she was trembling all over, but her right hand was steady and firm as it moved between the steering wheel and the gearshift. The trembling was inside.

When she took the photograph out of the envelope and saw what it depicted it was as if someone had struck her full force. It made something inside her start vibrating, and the vibrations were still going on. A little core of weakness that threatened to spread. She was surprised that she could still think clearly, make decisions, drive a car, talk with people, as if everything was almost normal.

The shaking, the fragility, was a tone, a kind of warning that only she could hear.

She did not want to wait; the alarm should be in place today. She hoped they could install it themselves. If it required an installer coming up from Visby it would surely take several days, maybe a week. It said on the Internet that the alarm was easy to install yourself, but she was not sure that this locksmith sold that one in particular.

“Just so we don’t have to wait for delivery, too,” she said. “Then who knows how long it will take.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t count on them having any in stock,” said Henrik, looking out over the Östercentrum shopping center.

“Do you have to be so negative?”

She drove faster.

He sounded like her dad.

“I’m not negative. I just mean that maybe it’s not an item they have in the store.”

“Why not? A TV dealer has a lot of TVs in stock. Can’t a locksmith have an alarm in stock?”

“Yes, of course.”

“If they don’t have any in stock, we’ll order it on the Internet. Then we can get exactly what we want and it will presumably not take more than one or two days. The only reason to buy here is that we’ll get it right away.”

“Why don’t we take one thing at a time?” said Henrik.

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean let’s start by seeing what they have and then take it from there.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having a Plan B, is there?” she said, irritated.

“No, sure.”

Henrik looked away. Malin realized that she was doing seventy in a fifty zone and let up on the gas.

It was hard for her when Henrik got so rigidly reasonable like that. Like a bloody anchor slowing them down. What bothered her most was that it wasn’t even particularly like him. He was never like that with clients or with his friends. Not with her friends, either, for that matter. It was as if she was the one who brought out this side of him. When she got eager and enthusiastic, it kicked in like a brake in him. Sometimes maybe it was good that both of them didn’t fire on all cylinders, but today it was almost making her furious.

She turned left across the street and carelessly parked at a diagonal outside Gotland’s Glass & Locks. There was plenty of room on the big asphalt lot in front of the store.

She studied the display window while they walked from the car. Heavy chain locks for bikes and mopeds were crowded in with cash registers and an advertising sign for wrought-iron gates.

False name. It sounded so ugly. And serious. Someone had really exerted themselves to be able to get into their house without leaving any traces. To scare them, get revenge, mess with them? Malin had felt certain that it was one of Henrik’s sisters, or one of their husbands or relatives who was behind all of it. But now … Of course it could be one of the sisters who rented the house and called herself Kvarnbäck, but Fredrik Broman sounded as if they were not suspects at all. Or almost, in any case. So who was? A wild strange lunatic from Gothenburg who had chosen them for God knows what reason? No, that sounded too crazy.

She had not said anything about the woman who was standing outside the school staring at her. Nor about the whispering inside Nyström’s. She could still not say for certain whether it really was a whisper or if it was just the sound from the doors.

Shouldn’t she tell the police about it? Yes. In any case, about the woman by the school. As soon as they were home again with the alarm she would call Fredrik Broman. What if it was that simple? That it was her.

But why?

18.

Ellen was good at finding her way, although she was only seven. Mommy had said so. Of course she knew where the ferry pier was. It was really close. Just go straight from the school, out onto the big road past the ICA grocery store, and then a little bit more and then there it was.

Even so, the lady in the car did not understand when Ellen said how to get there. Maybe she wasn’t so good at explaining, even though she was good at finding her way. Or else it was the lady in the car who was not good at understanding.

When Ellen explained for the third time the lady asked whether Ellen couldn’t ride with her in the car and show which way she should go instead. Then she would be sure to find it.

Ellen did not know whether she would have time before lunch period was over and looked around for Lisa, who had just been with her. She could not see her anywhere.

“It’s not that far, is it?” the lady asked.

She smiled broadly at Ellen and brushed back the long light hair from her face with one hand.

“No, it’s super-close,” said Ellen.

“But then you might as well ride along and show me. Then I’ll drive you back.”

Ellen did not know whether she wanted to. She looked around toward the school.

“I can’t ride to the ferry,” she said. “We’re starting soon.”

“No, you don’t need to. I’ll drive you back at once. Just show me, then I can drive myself to the ferry.”

Ellen thought about it. That would work, of course, but she was still not sure she wanted to.

“I’m going to buy a kitten,” said the lady, “but I’ve gotten lost. I’m a little worried that they’ll sell it to someone else if I get there too late. Does the ferry take very long?”

“No, not very long,” said Ellen. “The ferry goes slow but it’s not very far.”

“So you can show me then?” said the lady, opening the door for Ellen.

Ellen thought that she could. It would not take long and she would get a ride back. She thought about the kitten. It would be sad if it was sold when the lady got there. And then in some way it was as if the lady thought that she had already said yes, so it was strange to say no, too.

Ellen got into the car.

“Don’t forget the seat belt,” said the lady.

“No,” said Ellen, reaching for the seat belt.

“Do you need help?” asked the lady.

“No, I know how,” she said.

The lady drove off before Ellen clicked the belt into the buckle. Mommy never did that.

Ellen looked at the lady while the car drove away from the school. She had fine long hair that the sun shone in. She was more like a big girl than a lady. Ladies didn’t usually have long hair, not fine like that. And then she didn’t have a ladies’ name. Her name was Ellen, just like her. That was strange and a little exciting. When she stopped the car and asked about the way to the ferry, she had asked Ellen what her name was. When Ellen said it, she looked at her with big eyes and said, “You don’t say, that’s my name, too.” “Is your name Ellen?” Ellen had asked. “Yes,” she said, and Ellen laughed and then the big Ellen in the car laughed, too.

“Are you hungry?” big Ellen asked.

“No,” said Ellen.

“Would you like some gum then?” said big Ellen.

She put her hand in her jacket pocket and took out a little plastic container that she handed over to Ellen. Ellen looked at the container and understood after a while that there must be gum in it. She opened it, but then she happened to think, “I only get to have candy on Saturdays.”

“But this is sugar-free. That doesn’t count as candy. It’s good for your teeth.”

Big Ellen took two pieces herself and put them in her mouth. She held out the container to Ellen again. Ellen put her index finger in and poked up two pieces of gum. It crackled a little when she started chewing. It tasted different, not bad, but a little more boring than regular gum.

Big Ellen smiled at Ellen. She had fine, white teeth. Maybe it was because she chewed that kind of gum.

“Yes, where should we go now?”

Ellen looked out over the road. It was strange, but she didn’t recognize it at all. She didn’t understand. They drove there every school day, the road straight from school, then to the right on the big road past ICA and then you got to the ferry. Ellen knew right and left. She didn’t even need to think the hand you shake with or the hand you hold your pencil with when you write. But now she didn’t know her way around at all. Had she forgotten the way over summer vacation? How could she have? She did not understand and did not know how she should answer the question.

She looked at big Ellen, at the lady. Ellen no longer thought that she looked as much like a big girl.

“Okay, my friend, where shall be go? Last chance now.”

Ellen lowered her eyes. She felt empty and hungry, even though she had just eaten. Her head was completely empty, too. She had no idea how she should respond. The sun was no longer shining in Big Ellen/the lady’s hair and her cheek was chapped. She was no longer as pretty. Ellen sobbed.

“What do you mean, last chance?” she peeped.

“No, excuse me, I didn’t mean it that way at all,” said the lady. “It was just a game I played when I was little. A computer game. There was a little troll that drove a train. He used to say that. Excuse me. I’m sure you’ll find the ferry. You’ll get as many chances as you want.”

Ellen snuffled and wiped away a tear. It felt a little better, but still not good. She wanted to go back to the school, but she did not dare say that. She had promised to show the way to the ferry.

“What do you think? Shall we turn here?”

Big Ellen had stopped the car at a road that went to the right. Ellen did not recognize it, but in any case it was to the right. She nodded twice without saying anything.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Big Ellen turned onto the road.

“Have you ever played that game with the troll?” she asked.

“No,” Ellen answered quietly.

“Maybe it doesn’t exist anymore,” said big Ellen. “Too bad, it was fun.”

Ellen tried to imagine a troll driving a train. It sounded fun. Big Ellen turned the car onto another road. This time she did not ask Ellen whether she thought it was right or not, but Ellen did not know the way here, either, so she thought it didn’t matter.

“There’s a DS in the glove compartment,” said big Ellen.

Ellen did not answer. She did not know what a glove compartment was.

“If you open that compartment,” said big Ellen, pointing at a small handle right in front of Ellen.

When Ellen did not move, big Ellen opened the compartment herself. She took out a white Nintendo DS and handed it to Ellen.

“I thought maybe you would want to play.”

Ellen took it, but held it without opening it.

She thought that there was no point in starting to play during the short ride to the ferry. Besides, she was going to show the way. She did not understand how she could show how to get to the ferry if she was playing. Although it was obvious, she had already lost her way. She had no idea how they would find the ferry from where they were now.

“Do you think they’re selling the kitten now?” she asked.

“I hope not. No, they probably won’t. I think it will work out.”

She no longer sounded worried. It was almost as if she no longer cared about the cat. Ellen felt empty and hungry again. Everything was constantly changing. The lady wanted to go to the ferry, then she didn’t seem to care whether they made it there or not. It was the same with the kitten. She asked about the way, wanted Ellen to help her find it, but then she should chew sugar-free gum and play Nintendo. Everything felt wrong and strange and she realized that she was the one who had made a mistake. Every conceivable mistake. That was the sort of thing she had heard, like both Mommy and Daddy had said. Many times for sure. Don’t ride in a car with someone you don’t know. Don’t take candy from someone you don’t know. The lady had said that it wasn’t candy, but maybe she was being tricked.

Ellen fingered the DS game. Big Ellen smiled at her. They came out of the shadow, the sun hit her hair, and she almost looked like a big girl again. Ellen opened the game and started it. The empty feeling disappeared a little when she heard the familiar melody. The game was one of her favorites. Nintendogs. She chose Chihuahua and started to play. She knew that she would not be able to find the way to the ferry if she sat there and played, but thought that even so it was best that way. That it was the point. She sensed that the lady would be pleased if she played.

19.

They were en route with
Bodilla
across the sound and in the backseat were parts for an alarm for six thousand five hundred kronor. It was wireless and would be easy to install themselves. The locksmith had shown them the brochure with instructions and said that they could just call and ask if there was anything they didn’t understand.

Malin rolled down the side window and set her arm in the open window. She squinted toward the sun. She had gotten what she wanted and Henrik’s misgivings had been unfounded.
Bodilla
puffed out diesel steam and her yellow plates shone brightly in the sunlight. Malin felt relieved, actually really satisfied. Whoever was behind this would see that they could take up the fight. It was not that easy to chase them away from the island. And if this lunatic tried anything else they would have him or her downloaded on the alarm’s hard drive.