‘I understand that you have some questions regarding the Refuge,’ said Sven, leaning forward. ‘May I ask why? We’re very careful about keeping tabs on the groups that we liaise with on social welfare matters. So naturally we’re a bit concerned when we receive enquiries from the police. Besides, the Refuge is somewhat unusual in its approach, as you may be aware. And to be honest, we scrutinize their work rather more than we do the activities of other groups.’
‘Are you referring to the fact that both men and women work on the crisis cases?’
‘Yes. That’s not the norm. Leila Sundgren has really put her neck on the line with this experiment of hers, but we support her.’
‘There’s no reason for you to be alarmed. A former employee has been murdered, and we’re trying to find out more about his life. Since he worked for the Refuge up until four months ago, and considering what sort of work is involved, we’re taking a close look at the group. But we have no reason whatsoever to believe that there are any irregularities.’
‘That’s good to hear. So, let’s see now …’ Sven began leafing through the papers on the table in front of him as he quietly hummed. ‘Yes, well … hmm … oh, that’s right.’
He continued to talk to himself as Patrik and Martin waited patiently.
‘Okay, now I have everything clear in my mind. I just needed to refresh my memory. We’ve worked with the Refuge for the past five years, or five and a half, to be exact. And I assume that, since this is a homicide investigation, I should be as precise as possible.’ He laughed. It was a low, chuckling laugh. ‘The number of cases that we’ve referred to them has increased sharply. Naturally, we were cautious at first, because we had to make sure that our collaboration with the group was functioning properly. Over the past year, four women have been referred to them via our office. All in all, I would estimate that the Refuge takes care of some thirty women per year.’ He looked up, apparently waiting for a follow-up question.
‘Can you talk us through the process. What sort of cases do you pass on to the Refuge? It seems rather an extreme measure to take, and I assume that you try other avenues first,’ said Martin.
‘Quite right. We work extensively with a wide range of these cases, and organizations like the Refuge are a last resort. There are times when we find out early on that there are problems in a particular family. But there are other cases when it takes us quite a while to spot the warning signals.’
‘What would be a typical case?’
‘It’s difficult to answer that question. I’ll give you an example. Say we get a call from the school about a child who seems to be in a bad way. Our next step is to follow up with various measures, including a visit to the family, to assess the situation. We would also check for any documentation that hasn’t been brought to our attention earlier.’
‘Documentation?’ asked Patrik.
‘Yes. There may have been several visits to the hospital, and when these are combined with the reports from the school, a pattern starts to emerge. We simply gather as much information as we can. At first we try to work with the family in its current situation, but that’s not always successful. As I said, helping the woman and any children to flee is a last resort. Unfortunately, it’s not as infrequent as we might wish.’
‘How does it work, in practice, when you have to turn to groups like the Refuge?’
‘We contact them directly rather than sending a written report,’ said Sven. ‘Leila Sundgren is our primary contact at the Refuge. We usually meet in person to provide background information and discuss the particular woman’s situation.’
‘Does the Refuge ever turn you down?’ asked Patrik, shifting position. The chair he was sitting on was extremely uncomfortable.
‘That has never happened. Because there are children at the shelter, they won’t accept women who are drug addicts or who have severe psychological problems. But we know that, so we don’t refer those types of cases to them. We find other shelters for those women. So no, the group has never refused to take any of the women we’ve referred.’
‘What happens when the group takes over?’ asked Patrik.
‘First we talk to the woman and set up a contact for her. Naturally, we handle this as discreetly as possible. The point is to make sure that they’re safe and that no one can find them.’
‘And later on? Do things ever get difficult for you at the social services office? I can imagine that some men get very angry when they discover that their wife and children have disappeared,’ said Martin.
‘Yes, but they don’t disappear for good. That would be illegal. We can’t hide a child from its father because he has a legal right to contest such actions. But we do receive our share of threats here at the office, and we regularly have to ring the police. So far, nothing serious has happened, touch wood.’
‘And what sort of follow-up do you do?’ Martin persisted.
‘The case remains with us, and we have ongoing contact with the relevant organization. Our objective is to arrive at a peaceful solution. In most instances, that’s not possible, but we do have some success stories.’
‘I’ve heard of cases where women have received help from these sorts of organization so that they can flee the country. Do you know anything about that? Do any of the women ever disappear?’ asked Patrik.
Sven fidgeted a bit. ‘I know what you’re referring to. I read the newspapers too. There have been a few cases where women we worked with have disappeared, but we’ve no way of saying whether a particular group helped them to do that. We just have to assume that they found a way to leave on their own.’
‘Can we talk off the record for a moment?’
‘Off the record, I do think they receive help from certain organizations. But since we have no proof, there’s nothing we can do about it.’
‘Have any of the women that you’ve referred to the Refuge disappeared in this way?’
For a moment Sven didn’t reply. Then he took a deep breath.
‘Yes.’
Patrik decided to drop the subject. It would probably be more productive to ask staff at the Refuge directly. The social services office seemed to operate on the principle of: ‘the less we know, the better’. And he was doubtful that Sven Barkman could help further.
‘We’d like to thank you for your time. Unless there’s anything else you’d like to ask?’ Patrik glanced at Martin, who shook his head.
On their way back to the car, Patrik felt a sinking sensation in his chest. He’d had no idea that so many women were forced to flee their homes – and the only statistic he’d been given was for cases involving the Refuge, so that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Erica couldn’t stop thinking about Nathalie. She had been the same, and yet not. A paler copy of herself and terribly preoccupied in some way. The golden shimmer that had surrounded her in school was now gone, even though she was just as beautiful, just as unreachable. It was as if something inside of her had vanished. Erica had a hard time describing it. All she knew was that she felt sad after the encounter with Nathalie.
She pushed the pram, stopping several times on Galärbacken.
‘Mamma tired?’ asked Maja as she happily perched on the running board of the twins’ pram. The boys had just dozed off, and with luck they’d sleep for a good hour.
‘Yes, Mamma’s tired,’ Erica told her daughter. She was breathing hard, and a wheezing sound could be heard in her chest.
‘Come on, Mamma,’ said Maja, giving a hop on the running board in order to help out.
‘Thanks, sweetie.’ Erica gathered her strength to push the pram the last part of the way past the fabric shop.
After delivering Maja safely to the day-care centre, Erica was on her way home when an idea occurred to her. Her curiosity had been roused by the visit to Gråskär. The long shadow of the lighthouse and Nathalie’s expression when they talked about the island and its ghosts had set Erica wondering. Why not find out a bit more?