In Bad Company (Sandhamn Murders)

by Viveca Sten

  Mina stared at him. “What?”

  “I spoke to his lawyer yesterday, and she’s demanding that you return Lukas within three days, or they’ll file a police report.”

  “Return Lukas to Andreis?” Mina groped for the arm of the chair. “He’s not having my son,” she whispered.

  Nora couldn’t keep quiet. “I’ve already spoken to Herman about this. It’s just a clumsy trick on the part of your husband. He wants to scare you into keeping quiet, and he’s trying to force you to go back home. This is about preventing you from testifying against him, nothing else.”

  “I can’t go home. He’ll kill me. I realized that today.”

  Her voice was dull, almost as if she were commenting on the weather forecast. And yet this was the father of her son, a man she must once have loved deeply.

  Maybe she still loved him.

  “If your husband and his lawyer go ahead and file a report to the police, I’ll fight it every step of the way,” Wibom assured her. “There’s something called ‘mitigating circumstances,’ a kind of excuse for the alleged crime. That will be my argument in your case.”

  Mina blinked.

  “The way things stand, I can’t imagine the police stepping in to forcibly remove Lukas from you and return him to your husband,” Wibom added.

  “Forcibly remove . . . ?” Any remaining scrap of color had drained from Mina’s face. Leila squeezed her hand, but Mina didn’t react.

  “If the court should decide, against all odds, that the father has grounds for his allegation, then social services would be brought in.”

  Nora wanted to tell Wibom to build up his client’s self-confidence instead of frightening her to death. She desperately needed support and encouragement. It was his job to help her stand up to Kovač. He ought to be making it clear that he was on her side, that he would guide her all the way through the legal proceedings, be a fixed point in the chaos. Instead he was doing exactly the opposite. His timing to deliver Grönstedt’s ultimatum could not be worse.

  Nora had to intervene. “That’s all hypothetical—pure scare tactics on their part. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Defense lawyers come up with all kinds of crap,” Leila said, ignoring the fact that Wibom was also a lawyer. “Believe me, I’ve heard it all.”

  It didn’t help; Mina shrank before their eyes.

  “I would strongly recommend that you don’t give in to this kind of pressure,” Nora said firmly. “I’ll fight for you every step of the way.”

  “As long as you stay at Freya’s Haven, he can’t get to you,” Leila assured Mina. “You or Lukas. You’re safe here—you can rely on us.”

  “Herman will help you, too,” Nora added, as Wibom still hadn’t responded.

  Mina wrapped her arms around her body. “I thought the worst that could happen was Andreis finding our hiding place.” She began to rock back and forth on the sofa.

  Enough, Nora thought.

  “I think we should call it a day,” she said to Wibom, even though he was Mina’s counsel. “Mina needs to rest; she’s been through a great deal.”

  She got to her feet, and Mina did the same.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it,” Wibom said. “We don’t need to give them an answer just yet.”

  Nora could have wrung his neck.

  Bosnia, April 1993

  Andreis was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when his father came home. He’d been out since breakfast time, and they’d had dinner without him, as they often did nowadays.

  Andreis ran out to say good-night.

  His father was trying to hang his jacket on a hook, but he missed and it fell on the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, and he wobbled on his bad leg. He lurched at Andreis and hugged him much too tightly. His breath smelled of booze; Andreis didn’t like it.

  His mother emerged from the kitchen. She stopped dead in the doorway and folded her arms. Her lips narrowed to a thin line. Andreis knew she was furious.

  “We’ve got hardly any money—how can you spend it on drink?”

  Dad waved a dismissive hand. “Not now.”

  “I’m doing everything I can to make sure your children have some food in their bellies, and you do nothing to help!”

  “Shut up, woman!”

  “This has to stop—I can’t do this anymore!”

  “Shut your mouth!” Dad staggered into the living room and sank down on the sofa in front of the TV, but Mom followed him.

  “Please, Zlatko.” She didn’t sound angry now, just desperate. “We’re all going to die if we stay here. Blanka was here today. Things are getting worse and worse, the shells rain down almost every night now. The Serbs are advancing—the Croats, too.”

  Dad switched on the television and turned the volume up so high that the sound filled the room. Mom went and stood in front of the screen so that he couldn’t see.

  “This can’t go on,” she sobbed.

  “Move.”

  “We have to leave!”

  “I’m warning you.”

  “We’re going to die if we don’t leave!”

  Dad got up from the sofa, his face dark with anger. Andreis curled up in a corner and closed his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to see. When he opened them again, Dad was leaning over Mom, who was lying on the floor, staring up at him with something close to hatred. One cheek was dark red, the mark of Dad’s palm standing out against her pale skin.

  “Not another word!” Dad yelled. “I’m doing the best I can!” He grabbed his jacket and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

  Mom started sobbing. Andreis ran over and tried to comfort her as best he could.

  “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “He’s drunk, he didn’t mean it.”

  “We’re all going to die because of your father.”

  CHAPTER 74

  When Nora got home, dinner was almost ready. Jonas had cooked Julia’s favorite—spaghetti Bolognese.

  Nora took off her coat and shoes and went into the kitchen. The previous year they’d knocked down the living room wall, creating an open-plan apartment. She loved the feeling of space, but could do without the smell of food spreading everywhere.

  Jonas was standing at the island. “Hi, sweetheart—how was your day?”

  Nora perched on a high stool opposite him. “Do we have any red wine?”

  Jonas reached for a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir they both enjoyed. “You look like you need this.”

  Nora rested her chin on both hands. “To be honest, I’ve had a horrible day.”

  Jonas poured her a drink while she told him about Mina and the unplanned trip to Runmarö. He handed her the glass and was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek. She really wanted to feel his arms around her.

  “What the hell is wrong with Andreis Kovač?” she said, taking a deep swig of her wine. It tasted soft and fruity, and her tense muscles began to relax as the alcohol spread through her body.

  Julia came running in and gave her mother a quick hug before settling down in front of the TV. There were only the three of them for dinner; Simon was with Henrik this week, and, as usual, it wasn’t entirely clear where Adam was. Presumably with his girlfriend, Freya. They’d been together for two years, with a short break in the middle, and they’d both graduated from high school. Freya’s parents lived in a house with a separate apartment on the ground floor, where the teenagers spent most of their time.

  Her little boy had grown up.

  “I wish I’d never taken this case,” Nora said, sipping her drink. “I can’t maintain a professional distance as I should.”

  “I’m sure you’re doing wonderfully.”

  Jonas couldn’t possibly know, but it was nice to hear him say it anyway. “Over twelve thousand women are abused by their husbands or partners every year,” Nora said. “Seriously enough to have to go to the hospital.”

  The figure was shocking, and in all probability, the real tally was much higher. There were far to
o many who had “just” been given a slap or two and didn’t report it.

  Jonas tasted the sauce with a wooden spoon, then put the messy spoon down on the counter. Nora decided not to say anything, even though she knew who’d be cleaning up after dinner.

  “Between thirty and forty women a year are killed by their husbands or partners,” she went on. “That’s a third of all murders committed in Sweden.”

  “In that case I’m grateful that you’re brave enough to come home,” Jonas said. He was trying to be funny, but Nora found it difficult to respond. If he’d seen Mina’s face, he would never have expressed himself so clumsily. She didn’t have the energy to embark on that particular discussion. Instead she took another sip of wine and wondered how Thomas was. He’d seemed so down the last time she saw him. Exactly the way she was feeling right now, in fact.

  When did life get so depressing?

  CHAPTER 75

  There was a sound from the door. Mina raised herself up on one elbow and turned her head. The handle was slowly being pushed down. The room was in darkness, apart from the glow of a night-light. It was almost midnight, and the house was silent. Everyone had gone to bed long ago.

  Someone was trying to get into her room.

  Before she had time to react, the door opened to reveal Andreis standing there. He was wearing his black leather jacket and holding a gun in his hand.

  He’d found her.

  It was impossible. The police had promised she’d be safe at the shelter, and yet here he was.

  They’d lied to her.

  Andreis took a step forward and closed the door behind him. Mina couldn’t move, couldn’t even shout for help, even though she knew why he’d come looking for her.

  He was going to kill her.

  She managed to shuffle backward on the bed and pressed her spine to the wall, but the distance between them increased by only a few inches. There was nothing she could do to get away from him.

  She stared at the barrel of the gun pointing straight at her face, saw the finger squeezing the trigger.

  “You knew I’d track you down before long.” Andreis parted his lips, exposing his teeth in a smile that reminded Mina of a predator.

  The walls of the room bellied out.

  “Did you really think you could escape?” he whispered. “You ought to know me better than that.” The childhood scar beneath his lip glowed white in the darkness.

  Lukas woke up, but Mina didn’t dare glance in his direction. He started to whimper, but there was no way she could pick him up. If Lukas was in her arms when Andreis fired, the bullet might hit him, too.

  Her son must live, even if she died.

  “Please, Andreis. Think of Lukas . . .”

  Andreis didn’t react in any way.

  “Think of your son . . . ,” she pleaded.

  Lukas began to cry, and Mina held up both hands, palms outward, in a silent prayer.

  “You knew this would happen,” Andreis said.

  He was enjoying her terror, her suffering. She had loved him once, but now it was impossible to understand how.

  “You have only yourself to blame.”

  Those were the last words she registered. Mina closed her eyes and heard herself screaming until she woke up.

  CHAPTER 76

  Dino was sitting at the table in his apartment with a half-full glass of vodka in front of him. He’d opened a bottle of Smirnoff as soon as he arrived home, and had slowly and methodically begun to drink himself into a stupor.

  The level in the bottle had fallen as his intoxication increased, but he didn’t feel any better. His nerves were in shreds.

  By this time the sun had long ago disappeared over the waters of Lake Magelungen. The last rays had colored the sky pink. The apartment was in darkness; he hadn’t even bothered to switch on a light.

  The only source of illumination was the red glow of his cigarette. The ashtray, which was actually an old saucer, was piled high with stubs. The air was thick with smoke, and his throat hurt. Tomorrow he’d feel like crap, but that didn’t matter.

  For the first time he seriously wondered whether Andreis was losing control. Whether he’d actually crossed a line.

  If that was the case, what would happen?

  Dino had been deeply shocked when Andreis pulled a gun in front of a bus full of passengers. Andreis had always been hot tempered, but the rage he’d displayed today had been verging on suicidal. If he’d gotten hold of Mina and shot her, with all those witnesses looking on, he’d have been jailed for life. Not even his fancy lawyer would have been able to keep him out of Kumla.

  Dino had never imagined that Andreis would be prepared to take such a risk just to punish his woman. He couldn’t grasp the fact that Andreis hated her so much. She was the mother of his child; they’d built a life together. He remembered how happy and proud Andreis had been when Lukas was born.

  It didn’t make sense.

  However hard Dino searched for an explanation, there were no mitigating circumstances. Andreis hadn’t been under the influence of either booze or drugs; he’d known exactly what he was doing.

  They’d grown up together, but Dino felt as if he no longer knew his childhood friend.

  As the bus drove off, Andreis had looked at Dino with hatred in his eyes, as if Dino were to blame for the fact that Mina had managed to get away yet again. He’d decided to forget the meeting in Södertälje, and had told Dino to drive him straight to Ulrika Grönstedt’s office in the city center instead.

  After he’d seen her, he was even more furious.

  He’d ordered Dino to take him home. On the way he’d called Emir and told him to come over with something to drink. He hadn’t asked Dino to stay, thank God. Dino just wanted to get out of there before Andreis decided to take his anger out on him.

  He emptied his glass and refilled it. The condensation on the chilled bottle had long since disappeared, and the vodka had almost reached room temperature, but he couldn’t be bothered to go and fetch ice.

  The doorbell rang.

  Dino looked up. It was late; he wasn’t expecting anyone.

  The bell rang again, more insistently now.

  He pushed the glass away and slowly got to his feet. He was more drunk than he’d realized, and had to lean on the kitchen counter for support. His feet dragged as he headed for the door.

  The bell rang again, and this time the visitor kept his finger on the button.

  “I’m coming!”

  If it was one of those kids from the other apartments, he would soon find out what Dino thought of little fuckers who disturbed their neighbors in the evenings.

  He breathed through his nose and tried to peer through the peephole, but it was hard to focus. The walls were moving; everything was kind of blurred. He blinked over and over again, but it didn’t help.

  “Open up!” someone shouted.

  The familiar voice penetrated the boozy fog. What the hell was he doing here?

  Dino fumbled with the security chain, but his fingers felt fat and clumsy and refused to obey. Eventually he managed to unhook the catch. The door opened, revealing what Dino had been unable to see through the peephole.

  Three against one.

  “You’re coming with us,” Emir informed him.

  CHAPTER 77

  Anna-Maria came into the room.

  Mina blinked, utterly confused. Her cheeks were wet with tears. She’d been so sure that Andreis had shot her.

  Anna-Maria came and sat on the bed. She stroked Mina’s damp hair, which was plastered to her scalp with sweat. “You had a bad dream. I heard you screaming.”

  “It was Andreis . . . he found me . . . he . . .”

  Mina looked around. She was lying on top of the covers, and she was fully dressed.

  Lukas wasn’t crying.

  Anna-Maria shook her head. “This hasn’t been an easy day for you. It’s hardly surprising that you’ve had a nightmare.” She drew Mina close and stroked her back with long, soothing movement
s. “How are you feeling now?”

  Mina began to cry. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “It’s OK, honey, you’re exhausted. I’m going to give you a sleeping tablet. I’ll stay overnight and watch Lukas. I’ve missed the last boat anyway.”

  “I’m too scared to go home, and I’m too scared to stay,” Mina whispered. “I’m too scared to sleep.”

  “You’ll never get away if you go back to him now,” Anna-Maria said firmly. “I’ve seen so many women in your situation. These men never change, because they don’t know how. Eventually they go too far. Almost always.”

  Mina couldn’t stop crying. Anna-Maria carried on stroking her back as if she were comforting a small child. “Why does he treat me this way?” Mina sobbed.

  Anna-Maria sighed. “There are no excuses. Presumably he has so many demons eating him up from the inside that he couldn’t even explain it himself.”

  “I’d never do that to someone I loved.”

  “It’s not about you—it never is. It’s hard to accept, but it’s important to understand that.”

  Anna-Maria got up and fetched some wet wipes from Lukas’s changing table. Mina wiped her face; it was nice to feel the coolness against her skin. Her eyes were swollen from weeping. Anna-Maria lingered by the crib and adjusted the baby’s blanket before sitting down again.

  “These men kill the very people from whom they should be accepting help and support,” she said. “The only way they can handle their emotions and their frustration is to take it out on those closest to them.”

  “I should be able to help him.”

  “No!” The sharp reply was instant. “You can’t help him. He needs years of therapy, plus he has to want to change. He has to be receptive to the professional support that’s offered, otherwise it’s pointless.”

  “What am I going to do?”

  Anna-Maria’s tone softened. “Don’t give him the opportunity to kill you. That’s all you can do in this situation.” She looked away. “My daughter was with a man like yours. She was pregnant with their first child . . .” Her voice died away. She gathered up the used wet wipes and threw them in the trash can.