The Fourth Victim: Anders Knutas series 9, page 22
‘Hi, this is Karin, Anders’s colleague from work.’
‘Oh? Hi.’
Lina’s voice changed a bit, taking on a worried tone.
‘I’m calling because Anders has got concussion. But maybe you already know that?’
‘No. I had no idea. What happened?’
‘It’s just slight concussion, and he’s been to hospital to have it looked at, so it’s not serious. I thought you knew, and that somebody would be at home with him. But when I rang him from work tonight, I found out he was here alone. The children are with you in Copenhagen, is that right?’
‘Yes. They’ve taken a few days off from school to come over and visit my mother, who has just turned seventy. There was a big birthday party for her this weekend,’ she explained apologetically.
‘Well, Anders didn’t sound very good, so I phoned the hospital, and they said he shouldn’t be left alone overnight. So I’m wondering if there’s someone I could call. Otherwise, I’m fine with staying here and sleeping on the sofa.’
‘Can I talk to him?’ said Lina.
‘I’m afraid not. He’s totally out of it.’
‘My god. When did he get concussed? How did it happen?’
Karin explained the whole series of events, and Lina gasped in dismay just as the noise in the background got even louder.
‘Oh, poor Anders. I can’t understand why he didn’t phone us. If you could stay overnight, I’d be very grateful. There are sheets in the big white linen closet on the upstairs landing.’
‘OK,’ said Karin. ‘Now I’d better see to your husband. Bye.’
She ended the conversation and couldn’t help feeling a certain glee because Lina was obviously feeling guilty. She managed to wake Knutas up enough so that he could make his way upstairs, use the toilet and then crawl into bed. In the meantime, she cleaned up in the kitchen and filled the cat’s food dish and water bowl. The minute she did that, the cat appeared. Then Karin turned off the lights downstairs and went up to look in on Knutas. She had no intention of spending the night on the sofa.
He was already in bed and sleeping soundly. She used the toilet, then took off her clothes, except for her knickers and vest. After that, she got in next to Knutas, lying down on Lina’s side of the double bed. She gently stroked his forehead and cheeks as she listened to his steady breathing. She felt so safe.
And then she fell asleep.
THE SEPTEMBER EVENING was unusually warm, and Degen slowed his pace as he left the town behind and strolled along the deserted harbour. He lit a cigarette. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about returning to the hotel room. All Terese did was cry. He had tried his best to comfort her, but he was sad, too. It was a relief to get away for a while; out here he could almost relax. The ferry terminal was closed, and not a soul was visible on the inside of the enormous glass windows.
They had missed the last boat, which left at four forty-five. Now they would have to wait until seven in the morning, if they dared take the ferry at all. They had already discussed what might be the best alternative. There was a risk the police might be watching the first departure of the morning. They could always bide their time and stay at the hotel for a few days until things had settled down a bit. The police had limited resources, so they couldn’t very well spend several days checking out every ferry passenger. Yet it would also be risky to stay here. They knew no one on Gotland who might help them with as simple a matter as getting food. The hotel restaurant was open only for lunch. There wasn’t even a bar or anywhere to buy cigarettes. That was why Degen had decided to go out, even though they were both aware of the danger. But there was nothing else to do. Neither of them could make it through the night without cigarettes.
Finally, they had agreed it would be better to leave in the morning, taking a chance that the ferry would not be under surveillance. That was their decision. They would have to check in at least half an hour before departure. It was going to be a sleepless night but, luckily, they’d brought along some whisky.
Degen thought about the disaster at the church. That had been a very close call. They had known that the police were hot on their trail and might turn up at the funeral. An officer had already been to the Thai boxing club, but Degen’s trainer, Amanda, who was also one of his girlfriends, had phoned to say that she’d erased all his information from the club records.
But none of that had really mattered. They had to go to the funeral, even though they both knew it was a reckless thing to do. They couldn’t let Jocke down and not turn up when he went to his final resting place. They had simply had no choice.
Degen lit up again when he came to the last pier. A few boats bobbed about at their moorings. The place was deserted and quiet. Then his mobile rang. It was Terese.
‘Where are you? Why is it taking so long?’ she asked, sounding worried.
‘It’s OK. I got the cigarettes. I had to make a detour to another hotel to buy them. Everything’s closed in this bloody place.’
‘What are you doing now?’
‘I was taking a walk along the harbour, but I’m heading back now. I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
‘Promise? You shouldn’t be walking around town. What if the cops see you?’
‘I know. I’ll hurry. Just take it easy.’
When he reached the most remote section of the harbour area, where the big containers were lined up, he noticed that someone was following him.
Twenty metres behind him he saw a solitary man whose face was hidden by a dark baseball cap. He was tall and brawny and seemed to be quite young, maybe around thirty. It was hard to determine his age because by now it was pitch dark, with only an occasional street lamp casting patches of light in the harbour. The man was not a cop; that much was clear. But what was he doing here? Degen looked about for a dog, thinking the man might be a dog owner who was out for a late-night walk.
He started going faster but noticed the man did the same. Now he was getting nervous. What the hell was going on?
He ducked behind a container to see if the man would keep walking. Maybe this was all just a coincidence. But when Degen slipped out of view, the stranger paused to look around, as if he’d lost sight of his quarry. Degen’s heart was pounding hard. What the fuck should he do? Try to overpower the guy with some Thai boxing kicks? He thought about what had happened to Jocke and began to shake.
Tentatively, he peeked out from behind the container and saw the back of the man, who had stopped very close by but had then decided to walk around the container. As the man turned, light fell on his face and Degen got a good look at him in profile. There was something familiar about the man. Then the stranger disappeared, and Degen realized that he needed to move or he would be discovered. Slowly, he crept around the container and ended up behind the man who had been following him. For several seconds he considered pouncing on him and hoping for the best, but he decided against it.
Degen then took a chance and ran over to the next container. He pressed his body against the side, caught his breath and tried to collect his thoughts. He was one step closer to the hotel; that was where he needed to go. Back to Terese. This was crazy. How was he going to get away from this guy? And where had he seen him before? He searched his memory. Then he peered around the corner and saw the stranger coming straight towards him. He turned around and ran for the next container. Maybe someone else would turn up. He was almost hoping to see a police car.
For an insane moment he contemplated stepping forward into full view and asking the man what he wanted. Instead, he cautiously crept over to the corner of the container, listening for any sound. Was the man back where he’d left him, or had he moved over here, too? Degen squinted into the dark. Nothing. He waited. No movement. Not a sound. Then he set off running but suddenly found the stranger right in front of him. He turned in panic and raced out on to the pier where the boats were moored.
Too late, Diego González discovered that there was no way back.
1994
The minutes crawled by. The temperature quickly dropped, and it was cold inside the van. Terese regretted not having brought along a proper jacket. They smoked and drank Coke to keep themselves awake. They’d finished the coffee long ago. Every so often they would take turns sneaking over to the house to find out if Palle and Susanne had gone to bed. Not until three in the morning was the last light switched off. They decided to wait at least an hour to be sure that everyone was asleep.
At four thirty, Degen started up the van and slowly drove towards the house. They wanted to park as close as possible so they could get away fast, but they didn’t want to wake the family. He parked the car down on the road, facing the right direction for their escape. The outdoor lights at the front of the house and lining the driveway had been turned off, so it was pitch dark when Degen stopped the van. Jocke was no longer sober enough to be entrusted with the driving. He’d managed to smoke several joints and was noticeably high, but there was nothing to be done about that now.
They’d planned their gear down to the smallest detail. They got out the torches and pulled on the black ski masks before leaving the van, the key ready in the ignition.
With all their senses on full alert, they moved through the dark. Terese tapped in the code to disarm the security system. She prayed silently it would be the same code they’d had when she lived here, but nothing happened. She tried again, but the alarm didn’t switch off. What the hell? She was seized with panic. The house was equipped with an alarm which immediately summoned the police, and it wouldn’t take long for the cops to make it out to Högklint, which was only about five kilometres from Visby.
‘What the hell is happening?’ hissed Jocke impatiently. ‘Don’t you know the code?’
‘No. They must have changed it. I need to think for a minute.’
Degen and Jocke looked annoyed as they surveyed the property. Not a sound came from the dark. In the distance, they could hear the waves striking the shore. Terese was thinking frantically. So many times she’d searched every nook and cranny of this house when no one was at home and she was trying to find some cash. That was how she’d come across the place where Palle had hidden the combination to the safe. But she also recalled a note on the inside of a kitchen cabinet. The note listed the names of each family member, which had something to do with the alarm code. The family was very strict about turning on the alarm whenever they left the house. Palle brought large sums of money from the restaurant and kept the cash in his home office – not that anyone had actually told her about this, but she had often seen him arrive home carrying a special cash bag, which he would then take into his office. Then he would close the door and stay there for a while.
When Terese lived with the family, she was told to memorize the code then in use. It was 520502. She once asked Kristoffer what the names on the note inside the kitchen cabinet meant. Three were written in red and one in green. Then he told her in great secrecy that the green name was the current code, and they changed the colour of the name every time they changed the code. She had to promise, cross her heart and hope to die that she would never tell anyone that he’d explained the system to her. She promised. To make the code easier to remember, it was always the birthdate of one of the family members. 520502 was Susanne’s birthdate. But now it had obviously been changed. So she just needed to remember the birthdates of the other family members. Palle had celebrated his birthday while she lived with them. It was in July. But what day and what year? She remembered that he was a little older than Susanne. Maybe by three years.
She tried various combinations without success. Degen kept looking at his watch. He was clearly itching with impatience. What about the kids? She remembered their birthdate because they were born the day before Christmas Eve. Kristoffer had told her that. How old were they now? They must be twelve. She did a quick calculation to work out the year of their birth. Even though it was so cold that her breath came out in a big cloud, she could feel drops of sweat on her forehead. Finally, she decided that they must have been born in 1981. With trembling fingers, she tapped in the code. The alarm switched off.
She took a deep breath and pressed the door handle down.
MALIN AND SOFIA had been taking power walks together ever since they first met on the day they happened to drop off their kids at the nursery at the same time. By now, their children were teenagers, but they had still kept up the routine. Three times a week they would meet, always early in the morning, an hour before breakfast and before their families awoke. All year round, no matter what the weather, they would walk briskly as they discussed all sorts of topics: job situations, parenting problems, general gossip and their marital relationships. The latter was a favourite subject, and they kept returning to it again and again, especially lately. Maybe this had something to do with their age. The children were growing up fast, so they now had more space and time to think about their own needs.
They crossed Almedalen and walked down towards the harbour. It was only a little past six o’clock on a beautiful, quiet morning.
‘If you’ve been together as long as we have, everything gets to be so predictable,’ complained Sofia as they strode along the dock. ‘You know exactly what’s going to happen at all times. You know your husband better than a pair of old shoes. Our marriage fell asleep years ago and has gone stagnant. So what do we do to inject some life into it? Buy more expensive wine for dinner or take a trip to a more exotic destination and convince ourselves that we’re happy? But don’t you think we’re just fooling ourselves? Life goes on, the days come and go, but nothing happens. It’s really getting to me. I think I’m going to go mad with boredom.’
Malin was listening with only half an ear. She’d heard this same complaint many times before. Suddenly, she stopped.
‘Look. What’s that?’
On the ground in front of them were several dark patches.
‘Is that blood?’ exclaimed Sofia. She stepped down on to the boat pier, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. The patches continued on past the moored pleasure boats.
‘It must be from a fishing boat,’ said Malin, who was still standing on the dock. ‘Just forget about it.’
‘But there aren’t any fishermen around here. We need to find out where the blood came from.’
A mixture of fear and excitement was audible in Sofia’s voice. Malin stayed where she was while Sofia went on alone. The bloodstains led to a big motorboat at the very end of the pier. Without hesitation, Sofia climbed on board.
‘What are you doing?’ shouted Malin.
‘The blood came from the boat! I just need to find out if anyone needs—’
She fell silent abruptly.
On the deck she saw a man whose head had been practically severed from his body.
Sofia was no longer bored.
IT WAS VERY dark in the bedroom. The pain in his head was almost gone, his mouth was dry and his tongue felt thick. Knutas reached over to the nightstand for his glass of water, which was half full. The water was lukewarm, but it tasted fine. Then he noticed that something was different. He could hear someone breathing. For a microsecond he thought that Lina had come home, and his first reaction was relief.
He turned over and discovered a small figure curled up on the edge of the bed. On Lina’s side. The hair sticking up from the covers was dark, the cheek suntanned. On the shoulder he saw a butterfly tattoo. That was something he’d never seen or even known about. Cautiously, he reached out, wanting to stroke that shoulder. But he stopped in mid-air and drew back his hand. What was Karin doing in his bed?
He sank back against the soft, downy pillow and stared up at the ceiling. He tried to recall what had happened last night. He’d been chasing Degen, who had hit him over the head. Then he’d been taken to hospital. The diagnosis was concussion. After that he’d been sent home in a taxi. The children were visiting Lina in Copenhagen. He could vaguely remember that Karin had come over sometime later in the evening. But after that he drew a blank.
He turned on to his side to check the time. Five thirty. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep. His head felt heavy but no longer throbbed.
He crept out of bed and went into the bathroom. He took a long shower and washed his hair. Then he dabbed on some aftershave before returning to the bedroom. Karin still seemed to be sleeping. He put on clean underwear and crawled back into bed. He didn’t want to give up the unreal feeling of lying in the same bed as Karin.
When he lifted the covers he saw that she had on only knickers and a vest. She was turned away from him. Her body was so small, her limbs so slender. The complete opposite of Lina. He wondered why she had decided to sleep in his bed. What did she mean by doing that?
He turned on to his side, keeping his distance as he looked at her shoulder and her hair. He wanted to reach out and touch her but didn’t dare. At that moment she stretched, yawned and turned over. In the dim light her face was now right in front of his.
He wanted to see how she looked, so he switched on the bedside lamp. She grunted and quickly disappeared under the covers.
‘Good morning,’ he whispered.
She peeked out. Only her brown eyes were visible.
‘Good morning.’
‘May I ask what you’re doing in my bed?’
‘I’m taking care of you. You’re ill.’
‘I don’t feel ill.’
‘That’s great. I must have cured you.’
Her eyes sparkled. Knutas now reached out his hand to pull back the covers, which hid half her face.
‘Hello,’ he said gently. ‘Mind if I have a look at you?’
She smiled, revealing the familiar gap in her teeth. He’d never seen it so close before. He moved nearer, until his face was only centimetres away from hers. He wanted to kiss those soft lips and put his arms around her. The strong attraction he now felt made him dizzy. He noticed that he was shaking. She lay there motionless, without saying a word. As if she were waiting.
