The Drowning

by Camilla Lackberg

  Of the other wives, Sanna liked Lisbet best. She was a quiet person with a droll sense of humour, and she always treated Sanna as an equal. Besides, Nils and Melker worshipped her. It seemed so unfair that she and Kenneth had no children of their own. But Sanna had a guilty conscience because she couldn’t bear to visit Lisbet. She had tried at Christmastime, going over there with a poinsettia and a box of chocolates. But as soon as she saw Lisbet lying in bed, looking more dead than alive, she wanted to back out and run as far away as possible. Lisbet noticed her reaction. Sanna could tell by her expression, which was a combination of understanding and disappointment. She couldn’t stand to see that disappointed look again, couldn’t stand to meet death disguised as a person and then pretend that it was still her friend lying in that bed.

  ‘Hey, how come you’re home already?’ Sanna looked up in surprise as Christian came in the front door and mutely hung up his coat. ‘Are you sick? Aren’t you supposed to work until five today?’

  ‘I’m just not feeling well,’ he muttered.

  ‘You don’t look so good, either,’ she said worriedly as she studied his face. ‘What did you do to your forehead?’

  He dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. ‘It’s nothing.’

  ‘Did you scratch yourself?’

  ‘Let’s just drop it, okay? I’m not in the mood for an interrogation.’ He took a deep breath and then said in a calmer tone of voice, ‘A reporter came over to the library today, asking about Magnus and the letters. I’m sick and tired of the whole thing.’

  ‘They’ve been phoning here too, like crazy. What did you say to him?’

  ‘As little as possible.’ Then he cringed. ‘There’s probably going to be something in tomorrow’s paper anyway. They just write whatever they want.’

  ‘At least Gaby will be happy,’ said Sanna acidly. ‘How did your meeting go with her, by the way?’

  ‘Fine,’ said Christian curtly. But something about his tone told her that he wasn’t being completely truthful.

  ‘Really? I can understand if you were mad because of the way she threw you to the wolves like that …’

  ‘I said it went fine!’ snapped Christian. ‘Do you always have to dissect everything I say?’

  Anger surged up inside him again, and Sanna could only stand there and stare. His expression was thunderous as he came closer and kept on shouting.

  ‘For God’s sake, can’t you just leave me alone! Don’t you understand? Stop poking your nose into something that’s none of your bloody business!’

  She looked into the eyes of her husband, whom she ought to know so well after all the years they’d spent together. But the person staring back at her was now a stranger. And for the first time, Sanna was afraid of him.

  Anna squinted her eyes as she rounded the curve just past the Sailing Club and headed towards Sälvik. The person she saw in the distance bore a striking likeness to her sister, judging by the hair colour and clothing. And the body was rather reminiscent of Barbamama on TV. Anna slowed to a stop as she rolled down the car window.

  ‘Hi! I was just on my way over to your house. Looks like you could use a lift the rest of the way.’

  ‘That would be great,’ said Erica, opening the door on the passenger side and sinking on to the seat. ‘I severely overestimated my ability to walk. I’m completely done in and soaked with sweat.’

  ‘So where have you been?’ Anna shifted into first and drove towards the house that had once been her childhood home but now belonged to Erica and Patrik. The house had almost been sold out from under them, but Anna quickly pushed aside all thoughts of her former husband Lucas and the past. Those days were over. For ever.

  ‘I went over to have a little chat with Kenneth. At Ocean View Development, you know.’

  ‘Why? You’re not going to sell the house, are you?’

  ‘No, no,’ Erica hastened to reassure her. ‘I just wanted to talk to him about Christian. And Magnus.’

  Anna parked the car in front of the beautiful old house. ‘But why?’ she asked, almost instantly regretting that she’d asked. Her big sister’s inquisitive nature had occasionally landed her in situations that Anna preferred not to know about.

  ‘I realized that I know nothing about Christian’s background. He has never said a single thing about his past,’ replied Erica, climbing out of the car with a groan. ‘And besides, I think the whole thing is a bit odd. Magnus has presumably been murdered, and Christian has been threatened. Considering that the two of them were close friends, I don’t really buy the idea that it’s just a coincidence.’

  ‘Yes, but did Magnus get any threatening letters?’ Anna followed Erica into the front hall and hung up her coat.

  ‘Not that I’ve heard. I’m sure Patrik would know about it if he had.’

  ‘And do you think Patrik would have told you if something like that came to light during the investigation?’

  Erica smiled. ‘You mean because my dear husband is so good at keeping things to himself?’

  ‘You have a point there,’ laughed Anna, sitting down at the kitchen table. Patrik never held out for long, especially once Erica had decided to finagle some piece of information out of him.

  ‘Besides, I could tell that Christian’s letters came as a surprise when I showed them to Patrik. If he’d found out that Magnus had received something similar, he would have reacted differently.’

  ‘Hmm, you’re probably right. So did you find out anything from Kenneth?’

  ‘No, not much. But I got the feeling that he found all my questions very uncomfortable. There seems to be some sort of sensitive issue here, but I can’t put my finger on what it could be.’

  ‘How well do they know each other?’

  ‘I’m not really sure. I can’t see what Christian would have in common with either Kenneth or Erik. Magnus seems a more likely friend for him.’

  ‘I’ve always thought that Christian and Sanna are an odd couple too.’

  Erica paused for a moment, searching for the right response. She didn’t want to sound as if she were bad-mouthing anyone. ‘Sanna just seems a bit young,’ she said at last. ‘I also think she’s terribly jealous. And to a certain extent, I can understand why. Christian is a handsome guy, and their relationship doesn’t seem very equal.’ She’d made a pot of tea and now set it on the table along with some honey and milk.

  ‘What do you mean by equal?’ asked Anna.

  ‘I haven’t spent a lot of time with them, but I have a feeling that Sanna adores Christian, while he seems to treat her with a certain indifference.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound pleasant,’ said Anna, taking a sip of the tea, but it was still too hot. She set down her cup to let it cool off a bit.

  ‘No, it doesn’t. And maybe I’m making a hasty judgement, based on the little that I’ve seen. But there’s something about their interaction that makes it seem more like a parent and child than two adults.’

  ‘Well, at least his book is selling well.’

  ‘Yes, and his success is well deserved,’ said Erica. ‘Christian is one of the most talented writers I’ve ever come across, and I’m so glad that readers like his work.’

  ‘All the PR has helped a lot too. You should never underestimate the level of people’s curiosity when it comes to a scandal.’

  ‘That’s true, but as long as they find out about his book, I don’t care how it happens,’ said Erica, helping herself to another spoonful of honey. She had tried to get used to drinking tea without making it so sweet that the honey stuck to her teeth, but she just couldn’t do it.

  ‘How’s it going with those two?’ Anna pointed at Erica’s stomach, unable to hide the concern in her voice. She hadn’t been around much to help Erica out in the difficult period after Maja was born, since she’d had her own problems to deal with. But this time she was actually rather worried about her sister. She didn’t want to see Erica sink into a fog of depression again.

  ‘I’d be lying if I said that I’m no
t anxious,’ replied Erica hesitantly. ‘But I feel more mentally prepared this time around. I know what to expect, and how tough the first few months can be. At the same time, it’s really impossible to imagine what it’ll be like with two babies at once. It might be ten times worse, no matter how prepared I think I am.’

  She too remembered how she had felt right after Maja’s birth. She had no memory of any details or any specific moments from her daily life during that time. In that sense, all she saw was blackness when she tried to think back. But the feeling was still very strong, and she panicked at the mere thought of falling once again into the bottomless despair and total obliteration of self that she’d experienced before.

  Anna sensed what Erica was thinking. She reached out and put her hand on her sister’s.

  ‘It won’t be the same this time. Of course it will involve more work than with Maja; I can’t imagine otherwise. But I’ll be here for you, Patrik will be here for you, and we’ll both help you if it looks like you might fall into that deep pit again. I promise. Look at me, Erica.’ Anna forced her sister to raise her head and meet her eyes. When she had her full attention, Anna calmly reiterated: ‘We won’t let you end up like that again.’

  Erica blinked away a few tears and squeezed her sister’s hand. So much had changed between them over the past few years. She was no longer like a surrogate mother to Anna. She was hardly even a big sister any more. They were just sisters, plain and simple. And friends.

  ‘I’ve got a container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie in the freezer. Shall I get it out?’

  ‘And you waited until now to tell me this?’ said Anna, pretending to look insulted. ‘Bring out the ice cream before I disown you!’

  Erik sighed when he saw Louise’s car skid into the parking area in front of the office. She almost never came here, so the fact that she was here now did not bode well. She’d also tried to reach him by phone a little while ago. Kenneth had mentioned it when Erik came back after a quick trip to the shops. For once, he’d been able to tell his colleague the truth about where he’d been.

  He wondered why Louise was so determined to get hold of him. Could she have found out about his affair with Cecilia? No, the fact that he was sleeping with some other woman wasn’t enough of a motivation to make her get in the car and go driving through the slushy snow. He suddenly froze. Could she have found out that Cecilia was pregnant? Had Cecilia broken their agreement, even though it had been her idea in the first place? Had her desire to hurt him and to seek revenge turned out to be greater than her wish to receive a monthly payment to support herself and the child?

  He saw Louise get out of her car. He was paralysed by the thought that Cecilia might have given him away. He should never underestimate a woman. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that she had sacrificed the money for the satisfaction of destroying his life.

  Louise came in the front door. She looked upset. When she got closer, he could smell how the stench of wine enveloped her like a thick miasma.

  ‘Are you out of your mind? Did you drive here drunk?’ he snarled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kenneth was pretending to be very interested in whatever was on his computer screen. But it didn’t make any difference, because he couldn’t help hearing what was being said.

  ‘To hell with that,’ replied Louise, slurring her words. ‘I drive better when I’m drunk than you do sober.’ She swayed a bit, and Erik glanced at his watch. Three in the afternoon, and she was already sloshed.

  ‘What do you want?’ He just wanted to get this over with. If she was going to rip apart his world, she might as well get on with it. He had always been a man of action, never flinching from unpleasantness.

  But she didn’t heap accusations upon him about Cecilia and say that she knew about the child; she didn’t tell him to go to hell and say that she was going to take everything he owned. Instead, she put her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out something white. Five white envelopes. Erik knew at once what they were.

  ‘You were in my workroom? You went through my desk?’

  ‘Isn’t it obvious? You never tell me anything. Not even who has been sending you threatening letters. Do you think I’m crazy? Do you think I don’t know that these are the same letters they’ve been writing about in all the newspapers? Just like the ones that Christian got. And now Magnus is dead.’ Her anger boiled over. ‘Why didn’t you ever show them to me? Some sick person is sending threats to our house, and you don’t think I have the right to know about it? When I’m home alone all day, unprotected?’

  Erik cast a glance at Kenneth, annoyed that his colleague could hear Louise yelling at him. But when he saw Kenneth’s expression, he froze. He wasn’t looking at the computer screen any more. He was staring at the five white envelopes that Louise had tossed on the desk. His face was pale. For a moment he looked at Erik, then he turned away. But it was too late. Erik understood.

  ‘Have you received letters like this too?’

  Louise was startled by Erik’s question. She turned to look at Kenneth. At first he didn’t seem to have heard because he continued to study a complicated Excel chart showing a breakdown of income and expenses. But Erik wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

  ‘Kenneth, I asked you a question!’ It was Erik’s voice of command. The same as it had always been for all the years they’d known each other. And Kenneth reacted in the same way as he had when they were boys. Still the compliant one who always followed, submitting to Erik’s authority and need to control. Slowly he spun his chair around until he was facing Erik and Louise. He clasped his hands in his lap and said in a low voice:

  ‘I’ve received four. Three in the post and one that was left on my kitchen table.’

  Louise turned pale. Her anger towards Erik had just been given more fuel, and she turned to face him. ‘What is this all about? First Christian, then you and Kenneth? What have the three of you done? And what about Magnus? Did he get letters like this too?’ She glared at her husband, then at Kenneth, and then back at Erik.

  None of them spoke for a moment. Then Kenneth looked at his colleague and shrugged.

  Erik shook his head. ‘Not that I know of. Magnus never mentioned it, but that doesn’t really mean anything. Do you know?’ He directed his question at Kenneth, who also shook his head.

  ‘No. If Magnus ever told anyone about something like this, it would have been Christian.’

  ‘When did you get the first one?’ Erik’s mind had started working through the new information. Twisting and turning it, trying to come up with a solution and then take control.

  ‘I don’t really recall. But before Christmas, at any rate. Sometime in December.’

  Erik reached for the letters lying on his desk. Louise had retreated into herself, all her anger gone. She was still standing in front of her husband, watching him sort through the letters according to the date they were sent. He put the earliest one on the bottom and then picked it up to peer at the postmark again.

  ‘December fifteenth.’

  ‘So that’s about the same time as the one I got,’ said Kenneth, his eyes on the floor.

  ‘Do you still have the letters? Can you check the dates on the ones that were delivered in the post?’ asked Erik, speaking in his most efficient and businesslike voice.

  Kenneth nodded and took a deep breath. ‘When the fourth letter was delivered, it was lying next to one of our kitchen knives.’

  ‘Are you sure you didn’t put the knife there yourself?’ Louise was no longer slurring her words. Fear had sobered her up, lifting the fog from her brain.

  ‘No, I’m positive that I cleared everything away, and there was nothing on the table when I went to bed.’

  ‘Was the front door locked?’ Erik still sounded cold and matter-of-fact.

  ‘No, it wasn’t. I don’t always remember to lock up at night.’

  ‘Well, all of the letters I got came with the post,’ said Erik, riffling through the envelopes. Then h
e happened to recall something he’d read in the articles about Christian.

  ‘Christian was the first one to get threatening letters. They started arriving a year and a half ago. You and I didn’t get any until three months ago. So what if this whole thing has to do with him? What if he’s the real target of whoever is sending these letters, and we’re just mixed up in this mess because we know him?’ Erik’s voice took on an indignant tone. ‘Damn him if he knows something about this and isn’t talking. Subjecting me and my family to some lunatic without warning us.’

  ‘But he doesn’t know that we’ve received letters too,’ Kenneth objected, and Erik had to admit that he was right.

  ‘No, but he’s going to find out now, in any case.’ Erik gathered up the envelopes in a neat stack and slapped them against the desktop.

  ‘So you’re thinking of going to talk to him?’ Kenneth sounded anxious, and Erik sighed. Sometimes he really couldn’t stand his colleague’s fear of any sort of conflict. He’d always been that way. Kenneth always went with the flow, never said no, always said yes. Which had actually worked to Erik’s advantage, since there could only be one person in charge. So far he had been that person, and that’s the way it was going to stay.

  ‘Of course I’m going to talk to him. And to the police too. I should have done that long ago, but it wasn’t until I read about Christian’s letters that I started taking the whole thing seriously.’

  ‘And it’s about time,’ muttered Louise. Erik glared at her.

  ‘I don’t want to upset Lisbet.’ Kenneth raised his chin, and there was a defiant glint in his eye.

  ‘Someone went into your house, put a letter on the kitchen table, and set a knife next to it. If I were you, I’d be more worried about that than about whether Lisbet might get upset. She’s home alone for a large part of the day. What if someone gets in while you’re not there?’