by Viveca Sten
For the first time Jasmina’s voice almost broke.
“They took your uncle,” she said, wrapping her arms around her body.
“What happened to him?” Selma whispered.
“The trucks drove toward the forest. We heard the sound of many shots, then silence. None of them came back. Not one.”
Uncle Adnan. Selma couldn’t hold back the tears. Uncle Adnan, who always had candy in his pockets when she was a little girl. He used to carry her on his shoulders.
“They took Alija and Mehmed, too.” For the first time Jasmina let out a sob. “My fine boys. I never saw them again.” Her face was contorted with pain. “One young man tried to run away, but they caught him within minutes. They dragged him back and lifted him onto the roof of the truck. Then they threw him to the ground—headfirst.”
Jasmina rubbed her eyes.
“I’ll never forget the sound when his skull hit the concrete. It sounded like an egg breaking. They kicked and beat him until he stopped moving. His legs twitched a few times, but that soon stopped. The ground where he lay was sodden with blood. His face was no more than a bloody pulp.”
Selma had no words. Thank goodness Andreis wasn’t home to hear this.
Jasmina groaned. “They raped us all. Little girls, old women, new mothers clutching their babies to the breast. Over and over again, there was no end to it. They slit the throat of anyone who wept or protested. No one escaped.”
“Wasn’t there anyone who could save you? Weren’t there any UN forces nearby?”
The pain in Jasmina’s eyes was replaced by something resembling hatred. “The UN forces were on the other side of the hill, but they did nothing. They must have heard our screams, our desperate cries for help, but no one came. They ignored our suffering when they could have saved us.”
“Couldn’t anyone else do anything? Neighbors with a different background?”
Jasmina looked as if she would have liked to spit on the floor. “They stood behind the soldiers, egging them on. They told them which of us were Muslims and where we lived. Our families have been neighbors for generations, but they pointed out our houses.”
Selma glanced at the silent radio on the shelf. “I heard about the attack on the news, but I didn’t want to believe it. I thought it couldn’t possibly be true—that people could do such things to one another in our country.”
“No one came to help us.”
They heard the sound of a car engine outside the door, and Jasmina got to her feet.
“I have to go.”
Selma inhaled sharply. The time had passed so quickly. Jasmina was her last link to her own family, to her parents.
To life as it was before the war broke out.
“Can’t you stay a little longer? Please?”
“No. I’m sorry.” Jasmina pulled on her grubby jacket, weary but determined.
The car sounded its horn, but she paused, stroked Selma’s hair, managed an exhausted smile. For a moment Selma caught a glimpse of the aunt she remembered.
“Take your children and get away from here,” Jasmina said, fighting to keep control of her emotions. “There is nothing left for us in this country.”
She headed for the door, then turned back.
“Never forget what they did to us. Tell the rest of the world.”
CHAPTER 57
Andreis emerged from the bathroom with a gray towel wound around his hips and disappeared into the bedroom.
“I’m going to get dressed,” he grunted over his shoulder.
Ten minutes later he looked considerably better than when he’d opened the door. He was freshly shaved and had put on a clean white T-shirt under his leather jacket. His hair, still damp from the shower, was swept back.
In fact, he almost looked like his old self.
Dino relaxed; for a few seconds life was back to normal. When Andreis was in a good mood, there was no one better to be with. That was how it had always been, from their days at school together in Nyköping. Andreis energized any gathering; when he wanted to party, no one was bored.
He went into the kitchen and switched on the Nespresso machine, choosing the strongest pod—metallic blue. “Want one?”
Dino nodded.
“What a fucking mess,” Andreis continued, nodding in the direction of the sink and counter. “Looks like a fucking crack den. I’ll have to ask my mom to come over and clean up before long. It’ll give her something else to think about, apart from all the pills she takes.”
He grinned at his own joke and sat down at the table with his coffee. Dino made himself a cup and sat down opposite his boss. The aroma filled the kitchen, going some way toward disguising the smell of dirty dishes, stale pizza, and the overflowing trash can.
Andreis’s cell phone rang. “It’s Mom.” Selma said something, and he answered in Bosnian. “I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”
He had joked about her pills, but his voice changed when he spoke to her. It became softer, more tender. He’d always taken care of his mother. He’d bought her a little dog, a black poodle, when he and Emir moved to Stockholm.
“Lukas is doing great,” he went on, as if everything were OK. “You’ll have to come over and see him soon. He can’t wait to see his grandma. You’ll have to teach him Bosnian so he can talk to you.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to go. Speak to you later.”
He put down his phone and lit a cigarette. Dino tried to read him, to work out if there were any suspicions bubbling away beneath the surface. Andreis could usually tell if someone was scared of him; it was one of his greatest talents. Along with his brutality. That was why he was the boss, unlike Dino.
At least Emir wasn’t there. Always a plus.
Dino pointed to his own watch. “Shall we get going?”
Andreis shrugged. “No rush.” He gave an enormous yawn.
“It can take a while to get to Södertälje,” Dino pointed out.
“I need another coffee.” Andreis got up and inserted another pod in the machine. Dino put his cup in the only available space on the counter. He could see dust motes dancing in the sunlight coming through the window. He turned and found himself eyeball to eyeball with Andreis.
“You look like shit,” Andreis said, draping an arm around Dino’s shoulders. “What’s going on? You haven’t been yourself over the past few days.”
“What are you talking about?” Dino kept his voice casual, even though his guts were churning.
“I know you, my friend. Something isn’t right.” Andreis’s face came even closer. “Don’t give me any fucking bullshit.” The arm tightened its grip on Dino’s shoulders.
“It’s a girl who won’t leave me alone, if you must know.”
Andreis grinned. “You’ve got trouble with a lady! I could tell you had something on your mind!”
Dino tried to look embarrassed. “I met her in a bar last week, and now she keeps calling me, wanting to get together again. She’s driving me fucking crazy!”
Andreis removed his arm and thumped Dino on the back. “Girls, eh?”
He finished his coffee and left the cup on the table next to his cigarette packet.
“OK, let’s go. We have business to attend to. Mustn’t keep our associates waiting.”
Dino swallowed hard, then picked up his keys and went to unlock the car.
CHAPTER 58
Mina got off the bus, pushing the stroller in front of her. The stop was on a street that lay at right angles to Trastvägen, only a five-minute walk away. She stuck close to the trees as she turned into her own road.
They lived at number thirty. She passed number fifteen. She would be able to see her house at any second. She’d loved it from the moment she found it online; she could hardly believe she’d reached the point where she was afraid to go and open the door.
She pulled her baseball cap even farther down and clung on to the handle of the stroller. Lukas had fallen asleep, thank goodness.
Her heart was pounding.
She glanced at her watch—a Rolex, a twenty-fifth birthday present from Andreis. Far too big and ostentatious for her taste, but she’d thanked him profusely as he expected when she opened the elegantly wrapped gift.
Eleven fifteen.
She would just dash in and collect her things. She’d worked it all out on the bus, exactly what she was going to do when she got there. The blue sports bag in the bedroom closet would hold everything she needed, plus it would fit under the seat of the stroller. She would take only the most essential items—her underwear, a few tops, a couple of pairs of jeans, little things she couldn’t bear to be without. Some nice clothes for Lukas, and the yellow sleeper with teddies on it that Grandma had given him.
What about the stroller? She really wanted to take Lukas’s own, but then she’d have to leave behind the one she’d borrowed from the shelter—there was no way she could manage two. Andreis would notice the difference and realize she’d been there. Although of course she’d be gone by then.
It didn’t matter.
There. Her house was only a hundred yards away.
Mina slowed down, squinting against the sunlight to see more clearly. There was no car outside; the street was deserted.
Lukas was sleeping like an angel.
Mina paused for a few seconds to make sure there was no one in the yard. She felt as if a thousand ants were crawling across her skin; the fear was palpable.
She could still turn around and go back the way she’d come.
The house was calling to her.
She was suddenly filled with a deep sense of injustice. Why shouldn’t she go and pick up her things? It was her house just as much as his. Why should Andreis be allowed to drive her away from her home?
Mina set off again at a brisk pace.
CHAPTER 59
Leila appeared in the doorway of Nora’s office, her black hair gathered up in a loose bun instead of a stiff braid for once.
“Can you spare a few minutes?” she said.
Nora beckoned her in. She’d been planning to spend the morning reading up on a new case, but she couldn’t get Herman Wibom’s conversation with Ulrika Grönstedt out of her mind. If there was any way of reporting that woman to the Bar Association, she would do it.
Leila sat down in the visitor’s chair and crossed her legs. A little mud dropped to the floor from the sole of her boot.
“Did you get a hold of Dino Herco?” Nora asked, closing the file in front of her.
“I spoke to him late yesterday afternoon. I asked him to come in, but unfortunately there was no one available to sit in with me, so I interviewed him alone.”
“How did it go?”
Leila looked uncomfortable. “He threatened to kill me.”
“What?” Leila’s cheeks flushed red. Nora had never seen her lose her composure. What the hell had happened in that room?
“Herco made it very clear that he will kill me if I tell Kovač that he called emergency services.”
Threats of violence were commonplace for most police officers, but not usually during the course of a formal interview.
“We’ll have him arrested immediately,” Nora said, turning to her computer.
“There’s no proof.”
“I’m sorry?”
“As I said, I was alone with him.” Leila scratched the back of her hand.
“Surely there should have been two of you?”
Leila’s flush deepened. “Like I told you, I couldn’t find anyone else. I had to go ahead or send him home. I made a judgment call.”
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
“He switched off the tape recorder and immediately made the threat. It all happened very fast. I was so taken aback that I didn’t have time to react. Then he switched it on again, but refused to say another word.”
“And what did you do?”
“Nothing. I just sat there like an idiot. I don’t know what was the matter with me.” Leila slammed her hand down on the arm of the chair. “I thought I’d got him. The interview had gone really well. I was sure he was going to agree to testify against Kovač. He must have seen the assault on Mina, because he made the call. Instead the whole thing turned into a fucking mess.”
Leila didn’t usually swear.
“So what do we do now?” Nora said. “Mina’s too scared to stand up in court, and her father seems to feel the same.”
“I have absolutely no idea,” Leila replied. “I think I’ll just go and shoot myself, if you’ll excuse me.”
CHAPTER 60
A little bird had landed on the drive and was pecking at the asphalt in search of something to eat. There was no one around.
Mina practically ran to the front door. She rummaged in her purse for the key, and eventually found it in the jumble. Her fingers were slippery with sweat, but she managed to insert the key in the lock and turn it.
At last.
The seven-lever dead bolt had been on, which made her feel safer. When someone was home, they usually used only the bottom lock.
She turned and scanned the neighborhood one more time, then she swiftly pushed the stroller into the spacious hallway so that it couldn’t be seen from the street by anyone passing by.
Or by Andreis, if he came home.
She gasped when she saw the state of the kitchen. And the smell . . . her beautiful kitchen, which she always kept spotless. Pizza boxes and leftover food on the counters, crumbs and dirty dishes everywhere. What a mess! How could he have let it get like this, when he demanded perfection from her?
She didn’t have time to think about that. She’d allowed herself half an hour, not a minute longer.
She could see Lukas’s own stroller in the living room, but she didn’t dare transfer him in case he woke up and started yelling. It would be much easier if he stayed asleep while she gathered everything together.
She hurried into the bedroom. The bed was unmade, the sheets in a tangle, dirty underpants on the floor. Fortunately the blue bag was in the closet, just as she’d hoped.
First she had to retrieve the money, the secret fund she’d gradually built up. She didn’t have a bank account of her own—Andreis controlled all their finances—but occasionally she’d managed to squirrel away a little of her housekeeping allowance. Over time she’d saved ten thousand kronor, hidden in a stocking inside a pair of boots in one of the closets.
She opened the door and moved a stack of shoeboxes until she found the black leather boots she’d chosen. She stuck her hand into the left one, praying that the money would be where she’d left it.
Someone up there was looking after her. The bundle of notes was pushed into the toe. She felt a wave of relief, followed by a surge of fresh courage. At least she had her own resources now.
Freedom.
She replaced the shoeboxes and closed the door, then went over to the chest of drawers. There was so much she wanted to take, but she knew it was impossible. She had to choose carefully, ignore the fact that she’d have to leave most of her possessions behind.
She opened the top drawer and gazed at her underwear, neatly folded and arranged according to color. Her fingers shook as she picked up a black lace bra. The material was soft and silky smooth against her skin. It reminded her of the way Andreis used to bring her such beautiful presents. She closed her eyes, remembering happier times.
The sound of a car engine brought her back to reality.
Please, please, don’t let it be Andreis.
He mustn’t find her here. Mina crept over to the window and peered around the curtain. There was no sign of a silver-gray car on the drive, nor Andreis’s black BMW. Had Dino dropped him off and left? If so, she would hear the key in the door at any second.
Panic flooded her body.
She hadn’t thought of that—Dino almost always picked Andreis up and brought him home in the Mercedes. The BMW stayed in the garage, virtually unused. She’d been so busy thinking about what she’d come here for that she hadn’t given Dino a thought, even though he’d b
een a part of their lives ever since she first met Andreis.
She was stupid, just as Andreis so often yelled at her when he was mad.
Mina held her breath, waiting for the sound of the key. She should never have come here. How could she have been so foolish? She reached for her cell phone to call for help, but the back pocket of her jeans was empty. She almost fainted when she realized that the phone was in her purse. Hanging on the handle of the stroller. In the middle of the hallway. Andreis would see it as soon as he opened the door. She might as well have put up a big sign outside, saying she was home.
She couldn’t move. She was paralyzed by the same fear she’d felt just before the ambulance arrived.
He’s going to kill me.
She heard a scraping noise, growing fainter. After a moment her brain figured out what it was.
One of the city road sweepers had just driven past the house. At this time of year they swept the whole area, clearing away the sand and grit from the winter.
She didn’t need to be afraid.
She sank down and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was OK.
She wasn’t going to die today.
Mina didn’t know how long she’d been sitting on the floor when she eventually found the strength to move. She grabbed hold of the windowsill and pulled herself up. Cold sweat trickled down the back of her neck.
She couldn’t give up now. She had to do this, in spite of the fact that her legs felt like jelly and all she wanted to do was to curl up in a dark corner.
She would cry later, when she was back at the shelter and both she and Lukas were safe.
The blue bag was waiting on the bed. She unzipped it, her movements jerky. She had to hurry now, gather up what she needed. Far too much time had passed since she got here.
