The Unlucky Lottery (35 page)

When he came to visit her in a state of near nervous collapse that Saturday in October, he had declared that he was going to do it – he had just discovered all the horrors that had
happened in the past, and was on his way to Maardam to give his father what he deserved. To take horrific revenge for their ruined youth and kill him without mercy. She had asked him why on earth
he had come to her first, and then it was only a few minutes before he had collapsed in a heap on her sofa. Lay there, sniffling and shaking.

It was when she saw that pitiable performance that she made up her own mind. Decided to carry out the deed herself. He didn’t even try to protest. Simply gaped at her with eyes shining in
gratitude. Gratitude and desperate, desperate weakness.

That was also the image she had in her mind’s eye when she did the deed. That damp-eyed, naked helplessness on the face of her brother. That pent-up hatred of their father.

And now he was in prison. For a number of crimes. It was remarkable, no doubt about it. When she spoke to him a few hours ago, he had seemed just as calm and collected as he had been for the
past few days.

Reconciled, perhaps. Ready to take his punishment for the crime it had been his duty to commit, but which he hadn’t dared do. And for what he had done on the spur of the moment when in a
confused state. Come to think of it, she couldn’t recall ever having heard him sounding as secure and harmonious as he did now. Not as a child, or as a youth, or as an adult. That was the
fact of the matter.

Perhaps there was a sort of meaning after all, Ruth thought. A point to it all. If her mother hadn’t managed to protect her daughter as she had intended – simply because Mauritz
hadn’t been able to go through with the pretence – then perhaps there was no reason to prevent him from doing it. To take the blame as the vicarious murderer. If that’s what he
wanted to do.

Poor little Mauritz. Poor little brother.

She shook her head. That was the fact of the matter. And there was quite a lot in what Elaine had said. All the cards were the wrong way round.

Now she appeared in the doorway. Ruth observed her slim, naked body in the mirror. Her hot, slightly intoxicated gaze. Her black, almost bluish hair.

I love her, she thought. Love, love, love. At least there is one member of the family left who is capable of doing that.

In her own way.

She smiled. Let the bath towel fall to the floor.

Also by Håkan Nesser

BORKMANN’S POINT

THE RETURN

THE MIND’S EYE

WOMAN WITH A BIRTHMARK

THE INSPECTOR AND SILENCE

First published in Great Britain 2011 by Mantle

This electronic edition published 2011 by Mantle
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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ISBN 978-0-230-76069-1 EPUB

Copyright © Håkan Nesser 1998
English translation copyright © Laurie Thompson 2011

The right of Håkan Nesser to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Originally published in 1998 as Münsters Fall by Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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