‘I’ll take care of it.’ Gösta sounded tired.

‘Good.’

Martin raised his hand.

‘Yes?’

‘Paula and I talked to Lennart about the documents that were found in Mats’s briefcase.’

‘What did he say?’

‘Unfortunately, everything seems to be in order. Although I suppose that’s actually good news, depending on how you look at it.’ Martin blushed.

‘Lennart couldn’t find any irregularities,’ Paula clarified. ‘That doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t any, but according to the documents in Mats’s possession, everything seems to be above board.’

‘Okay. What do we know about the laptop?’

‘That’s going to take another week,’ said Paula.

Patrik sighed. ‘It looks as though we’re going to do a lot of waiting, but we need to continue working on what we have. I’m going to sit down and go over everything that we’ve learned so far. Then I’ll have a feel for where we stand and whether we’ve overlooked anything. Gösta, you deal with the boat. Martin and Paula …’ He paused for a moment. ‘I’d like both of you to start digging up whatever information you can find on the IE’s activities, and also Fredrik Wester. Our colleagues in Göteborg and Stockholm have promised to help. You can get the contact information from me, then you can request all the background material that they’re able to share. The two of you can divide the workload however you see fit.’

‘Okay,’ said Paula.

Martin nodded agreement and then raised his hand again.

‘What about the Refuge? Are we going to report them?’

‘No,’ said Patrik. ‘We’ve decided not to. As we see it, there’s no reason to do so.’

Martin looked relieved. ‘By the way, how did you find out about Sverin’s girlfriend?’

Patrik cast a glance at Gösta, who looked down at the floor.

‘Meticulous police work. And a gut feeling.’ Then he clapped his hands. ‘Okay, let’s get to work.’

FJÄLLBACKA 1875

Days became weeks, and months became years. Emelie had settled in, adapting to the calm rhythms of Gråskär. She felt as if she were living in harmony with the island. She knew exactly when the hollyhocks would bloom, when the heat of summer would change to the chill of autumn, when the ice would form, and when it would break up. The island was her world, and in that world Gustav was king. He was a happy child, and every day she was amazed at how much joy he found in the restricted setting that framed his life.

Karl and Julian hardly spoke to her any more. They lived separate lives, even though they all shared such a confined space. The harsh words had also diminished. It was as if she was no longer a person, and subsequently there was no use harbouring any rancour towards her. Instead, they seemed to regard her as an invisible being. She took care of everything that needed tending, but otherwise she required none of their attention. Even Gustav accepted this strange arrangement. He never tried to approach Karl or Julian. They were less real to him than the dead. And Karl never called his son by name. On those few occasions when he mentioned him, he always referred to him as ‘the boy’.

Emelie knew precisely when the hatred in their eyes had become indifference. It was just after Gustav turned two. Karl had come back from a trip to Fjällbacka with an expression on his face that she had a hard time deciphering. He was completely sober. For once he and Julian hadn’t gone to Abela’s – and that in itself was unusual. Several hours passed with not a word out of Karl, and Emelie had tried to guess what was going on. Finally he placed a letter on the kitchen table.

‘My father died,’ he said. And it was as if in that moment Karl was finally free. Emelie wished that Dagmar had told her more about Karl and his father, but now it was too late. There was nothing to be done about it, and she was grateful that Karl at least left her and Gustav in peace.

As each year passed, it became clearer to her that God was present in everything on Gråskär. She was filled with gratitude that she and Gustav were allowed to live in this place where they could feel God’s spirit in the movement of the water and hear His voice in the rushing of the wind. Each day on the island was a gift, and Gustav was such a lively boy. She knew that it bordered on sinful pride to hold such a high opinion of her son, who was made in her own image. But according to the Bible, he was also made in God’s image, so she hoped that she might be forgiven this sin. Gustav was so lovely, with his fair, curly hair, his blue eyes, and those long lashes that rested on his cheeks when he slept beside her at night. He talked all the time, both with her and with the dead. Sometimes she would eavesdrop on him, a smile on her face. He said so many wise things, and they were so patient with him.

‘Can I go outside, Mamma?’

He tugged at her dress and peered up at her.

‘Yes, all right. You go ahead.’ She leaned down and kissed his cheek. ‘But be careful not to fall into the water.’

Emelie watched as he raced out the door. She wasn’t really worried. She knew that he wasn’t alone. Both the dead and God were keeping watch over him.

21

Saturday arrived with the most beautiful weather imaginable. Radiant sunshine, a clear blue sky, and only a slight breeze. All of Fjällbacka bubbled with anticipation. Those who were fortunate enough to have received an invitation to the evening’s dedication festivities had spent a large part of the week agonizing over their attire and hair. Everyone who was anyone in the local community was going to be there, and rumour had it that several celebrities would be coming from Göteborg.

But Erica had other things on her mind. That very morning she had decided that it would be better if someone told Nathalie about Gunnar in person rather than over the phone. And she’d already been thinking of going out to see Nathalie to give her the information that she’d unearthed about Gråskär’s history, as a little surprise. Now that she had a babysitter, she decided to make the trip out to the island.

‘Are you sure that you can manage for such a long time?’ she asked her mother-in-law.

Kristina snorted.

‘With these little angels? No problem.’ She was holding Maja in her arms, and the twins were asleep in their carrycots.

‘I’ll be gone for quite a while. First I’m going to see Anna, and then I’m going out to Gråskär.’

‘You’ll be careful, won’t you? I’m not sure I like the idea of you going out there in the boat alone.’ Maja was starting to squirm, so Kristina set her down. Maja gave her baby brothers a couple of wet kisses and then ran off to play.

‘You don’t need to worry. I know how to handle a boat,’ laughed Erica. ‘As opposed to your son.’

‘You have a point there,’ said Kristina, but she was still looking concerned. ‘By the way, are you sure that Anna is strong enough for this?’

The same thought had occurred to Erica when Anna phoned and asked her to accompany her out to the grave. But she realized that she needed to let her sister make her own decisions.

‘Yes, I think so,’ she said, sounding more confident than she felt.

‘I really think it’s a bit too soon,’ said Kristina, picking up Noel, who had started whimpering. ‘But I hope you’re right.’

I do too, thought Erica as she went out to the car to drive to the cemetery. But no matter what reservations she might have, she’d promised to go with Anna, and she couldn’t very well back out now.

Anna was waiting at the big iron gate near the fire station. She looked so small. Her cropped hair made her seem even more fragile, and Erica had to stop herself from taking her sister in her arms and rocking her like a baby.

‘Are you sure you’re ready for this?’ she asked gently. ‘We can go out there some other day if you like.’