by Viveca Sten
He was on his way. Mina wouldn’t have to face her demons by herself.
CHAPTER 127
Nora was standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
Things seemed better in daylight. Yesterday’s fear had abated slightly; she no longer jumped at every sound. However, she was so restless that she couldn’t sit still for more than a few minutes. She’d tried to do some work on her computer, but her concentration was poor.
From the window she could see her old house across the way.
She’d spoken to Leila several times during the morning, and the only other option for Mina and Lukas remained an impersonal hotel room. It looked as though they’d be staying for another night, but that was fine. Thomas had seemed pretty sure that Kovač would soon be under arrest. She had to stay positive.
It was raining, with a cold north wind whistling around the Brand villa.
After breakfast Mina had said she wanted to rest, so Nora had decided to leave her in peace during the day. She knew where Nora was if she wanted to talk. Sometimes it was nice to avoid the company of others.
Nora had sent her several texts to be on the safe side, and each time Mina had replied that everything was fine.
There had been no word from Thomas, in spite of his promise to keep Nora informed. She picked up her phone and called him.
“Have you found him?” she asked as soon as he answered.
“No.”
Why couldn’t they track him down, set her mind at rest?
“We thought he was at his younger brother’s apartment, but we were wrong.”
Nora grabbed a cloth and wiped down the already spotless counter.
“However, we have had a breakthrough in the investigation into Dino Herco’s murder,” Thomas continued. “We’ve found a fingerprint on Herco’s shoe that belongs to Emir Kovač, so we’ve brought him in.”
If Emir was anything like his brother, he wouldn’t say a word. No doubt Ulrika Grönstedt would provide him with a legal representative cut from the same cloth as her, who would do his or her best to make life as difficult as possible for the police.
“What about the search of Kovač’s house?” Nora asked.
“No sign of him.” Thomas sounded stressed. “It’s only a matter of time, though. We’ve got people in all his usual haunts.”
“OK.” Nora ended the call, then went onto the veranda with her coffee. The windows were streaked with raindrops, and the gray rocks below the house were treacherously slippery.
If Mina was staying tonight, Nora would have to call Jonas and explain why she couldn’t come back to town.
She could already hear his objections.
CHAPTER 128
Mina stared at her cell phone on the kitchen table. She could hardly believe the text her father had just sent.
He would soon be here. She and Lukas wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. He’d asked for the address.
Mina couldn’t help laughing. She suddenly found it funny that there were no street names here on Sandhamn, just like on Runmarö. Andreis would never be able to find her here, even if he tried. He hadn’t sent another message after last night, but Mina still gave a start every time her phone buzzed. She consoled herself with the thought that he was on the run and didn’t have time for her.
I’ll meet you on the jetty, she wrote quickly, grabbing her jacket. The boat was due in at seven o’clock—in fifteen minutes.
She pulled on her boots, then got Lukas into his snowsuit. She was going to have to carry him; the stroller had been left behind on Runmarö. That didn’t matter, as long as she could see her father again.
Nora had told her not to leave the house, but it wouldn’t take many minutes to run down to the harbor to meet him. That was easier than trying to explain where the house was in a text message.
She locked the front door behind her, hoping that Nora wouldn’t notice she’d gone missing for a little while. Nora had been so kind, and Mina didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. She was only going to show her dad the way.
A cold rain was falling, but Mina didn’t care. Soon they would be together again.
CHAPTER 129
Thomas was back at the police station. They’d had another tip-off about Kovač’s whereabouts, but it had turned out to be another false alarm.
This wasn’t good. Thomas had been convinced that they’d arrest him during the course of the day; now he had to reevaluate Mina and Lukas’s safety. Nora had informed him that they would be spending a second night on Sandhamn.
He rubbed his eyes and drank a cup of cold coffee that was sitting on his desk. The day had been full to bursting point, but he felt somehow inadequate. He went over to Margit’s office; she was absorbed in something on the screen.
“Do we have Kovač?” she asked without looking up.
“No.”
“He can’t stay under the radar for long.” She turned her chair in Thomas’s direction. “Don’t you think you should go home and get some sleep? You look as if you need it.”
Thomas considered telling her that Mina was still in Nora’s house, but decided against it. They should have been able to provide round-the-clock protection for Mina, but the resources just weren’t there. They’d already blown the overtime budget, and the staffing situation was at the breaking point as a result of the reorganization.
The murder of Dino Herco and the intensive search for Kovač on Runmarö hadn’t improved things.
He knew exactly what Margit would say if he told her that he’d offered to look after Mina on Sandhamn—no point in bringing it up now.
He didn’t think Mina was in any immediate danger. Even Kovač couldn’t be so dumb as to stay in the Stockholm area when every cop in town was looking for him. However, he didn’t want to leave Nora and Mina on their own. He had no intention of taking any risks at this stage.
He yawned; he wasn’t looking forward to another sleepless night.
“Go home, Thomas,” Margit said. “You look like shit.”
CHAPTER 130
Mina couldn’t take her eyes off her father. He was sitting opposite her at the kitchen table, with Lukas on his lap. Mina was so happy that they were together again.
And yet tears lurked just below the surface. She wished she could sit on her daddy’s knee and have him tell her that everything was going to be all right.
At some point she would ask him to tell her about her mother’s final hours, when he’d sat by her side—but not now.
Mina had made them both an omelet. She’d texted Nora, saying she was going to have an early night. She knew she ought to tell Nora that her father was here but didn’t quite know how to explain it. It was easier to make an excuse, although of course the cat would be out of the bag when Thomas arrived later.
Lukas gave his grandfather a big, toothless smile, and Mina felt a lump in her throat. He was the image of her dad, with that same crooked grin.
He was hers and hers alone.
She would never let Andreis have him.
She reached across the table and squeezed her father’s hand. The smell of his aftershave reminded her of the home she’d grown up in on Körsbärsvägen, the bathroom she and Mom had quarreled about when she was a teenager.
Mom.
“Thank you for coming,” she said quietly.
Stefan kissed Lukas on the forehead and bounced him up and down. “You have nothing to worry about now,” he said. “I’m staying right here, and everything will be fine.”
Mina really wanted to believe him.
Lukas yawned, showing his pink gums. It was almost nine o’clock—high time he was in bed.
Tiredness was making Mina’s eyelids droop, too; she’d lain awake until the early hours. Maybe she’d be able to sleep tonight, knowing that her father was in the room next door.
A sound outside the house made them both jump.
Someone was tugging at the front-door handle.
Stefan frowned. “What was that?”
The handle mov
ed again.
CHAPTER 131
Thomas wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his plate away.
“Thank you,” he said. “It was good to have a hot meal. I really needed it.”
He looked even worse than the previous evening, if that were possible.
“You must eat,” Nora had said. “If I know you, you’ve had nothing all day.”
She’d made a beef stew and laid the dining room table, candles flickering in the old silver candelabra. She wanted to create a cozy atmosphere, but the light made Thomas look even paler; his face had a greenish tinge.
Mina had texted to say that she was going to have an early night, and didn’t want any dinner. Nora hadn’t insisted.
She put down her knife and fork and shivered. There was a draft from the windows when the wind blew from the north. The halyard lines on the flagpole were clattering angrily in the storm.
It was the kind of evening when it was best to curl up indoors.
“Do you have to go into work tomorrow?” she said. “Can’t you stay here and catch up on your sleep?”
“You know we’re in the early stages of an investigation.”
“Yes, but you need to take care of yourself.” There was so much she wanted to say to Thomas. Life was short and fragile, and he looked worn out.
Wrong time, wrong place.
“By the way, what did Jonas say when you told him Mina was staying in your old house?”
Nora wished he hadn’t asked. Jonas had been just as angry as she’d feared. They’d quarreled, and he’d accused her of being irresponsible and putting others before her own family.
No point in going into all that now.
“He reacted more or less the way you did at first,” she said, turning her glass around in her fingers. “I’ll talk to him later.”
She’d allowed herself a glass of red wine with dinner. Thomas had decided to stick to water, but now he was looking longingly at the cupboard from which Nora had produced the bottle of whisky the previous evening.
“Would you like something?” she asked.
“Maybe a small one.” He rubbed the back of his neck and blinked several times. “I know I shouldn’t, but I’m so tired . . .”
Nora glanced at her watch. “I’m sure you can stay for a few minutes. Mina’s already gone to bed.”
Thomas had told her that both he and Aram were convinced that Kovač had left the country by this stage, and that Mina was in no immediate danger.
“Everything’s under control,” Nora added with an attempt at a smile.
CHAPTER 132
“Are you expecting anyone?” Stefan said quietly.
“No.”
Nora had texted Mina to say that Thomas was going to eat with her before he came over—and he had a key.
Mina stared at the door.
The handle moved again.
Stefan stood up and passed Lukas to her. He went to the kitchen door, then stopped and listened.
A sound from the window made Mina turn her head. It was pitch-dark outside, and she hadn’t closed the curtains.
Anyone could see in.
Nora had told her to be careful, but she hadn’t thought about the fact that the sun had gone down and the lights were on in the house.
As if he’d read her mind, Stefan switched off the kitchen light.
“What are you doing?” Mina whispered.
“Trying to see who it is.” He crept over to the front door and peered through the pane of glass. “There’s no one there.”
“Shh!”
Mina heard footsteps on the gravel. There was no lawn in the small yard surrounding Nora’s house.
Someone was moving around out there. Her father remained in the hallway, while Mina focused on the other door. The kitchen had two entrances, one of which led onto the small glassed-in veranda. She’d sat there with a cup of tea in the afternoon, gazing out at the village’s empty houses. The veranda had beautiful windows that had presumably been there since the place was built in the 1920s. Narrow strips of wood divided the glass, letting in light from floor to ceiling.
The front door was locked, but the veranda doors were old and far from robust. It wouldn’t be difficult for a strong, fit man to kick them open.
A strong, fit man like Andreis.
Mina kept her eyes fixed on those doors as the seconds ticked by. Lukas sensed her unease and began to whimper. She held him tight; she couldn’t let go.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel again.
A shadow grew before Mina’s eyes. Someone dressed in black climbed the steps to the porch and met her eyes.
By the light of the streetlamp, she saw who it was.
She could hear her heart pounding.
He had found her.
“He’s here!” she tried to yell.
Bosnia, May 1993
Andreis was woken by the sound of the gunshot. He sat up sleepily, wondering what was going on.
Mom didn’t notice that he was awake. Her face was ashen, and she was gabbling incoherent prayers to herself. Emir was in her arms, still sleeping.
Dad was on the other side of Andreis, tense and on full alert. His shirt was wet with sweat.
Uncle Dario wound down the window. A bearded soldier had come up to the car and was shouting at him to get out. He swore and struck the hood with his gun.
“He’s going to kill you, too,” Aunt Blanka wept, reaching out to stop Dario.
“Stay here,” Dario said as he opened the door. Andreis saw that he’d left the keys in the ignition.
The soldier pointed to Andreis’s father. Mom was slumped in her seat, her lips still moving. Dad kissed Andreis on the forehead and whispered, “Look after Mom,” before getting out of the car.
Through the open door Andreis could hear a girl screaming, but he couldn’t see her. The noise seemed to be coming from a grove of trees a short distance away.
Then he saw the man lying on the ground, his chest covered in blood. His eyes were staring blankly into space, and his mouth was half-open. Andreis had seen dead bodies on TV and during their journey; they frightened him, but not as much as Dad’s words.
A gust of wind carried the smell of blood and metal into the car, making him feel sick.
“Show me your papers!” the soldier yelled to Dario and Dad, who were standing in front of him.
Emir woke up and started to cry, which roused Mom from her paralysis. She began to rock Emir back and forth, trying to soothe him, but the child was having none of it. She pushed her finger into his mouth, hoping he would suck on it and settle down.
Another soldier reacted to the noise and leaned forward to peer into the car. Mom bent over Emir and put him to her breast to shut him up.
Out of the corner of his eye, Andreis saw the soldier walk away.
The man with the gun slowly read through Dario’s papers and gave them back to him without a word.
Then he held out his hand for Dad’s documents.
CHAPTER 133
Mina couldn’t take her eyes off the tall figure outside the veranda doors. Andreis had found her. It ought to have been impossible, and yet he was standing just a few feet away.
“Dad,” she whispered, clutching Lukas tightly. “He’s here.”
Lukas began to cry.
Andreis’s eyes locked onto hers. His lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Time stood still.
Then he drew back and kicked in the door. The sound of breaking glass was shockingly loud. The wooden framework shattered like matchsticks, and yet it wasn’t until the cold air struck her face that Mina realized Andreis was in the house.
She knew she ought to get out, take Lukas and run for her life, but she couldn’t move.
Her muscles refused to cooperate.
Andreis was breathing heavily. “Did you really think I’d let you have my son?”
“Please, Andreis . . .”
“You know me better than that.” He held out his han
ds. “Give him to me.”
Mina backed away. “No.”
His voice hardened. “Give him to me and I won’t hurt you.”
“You’re not having him.”
Lukas stopped crying and whimpered against her breast, as if he, too, understood the danger.
“I’m leaving the country. Give me my son.”
“No.”
Andreis reached into his pocket and pulled out a black, gleaming gun, which he pointed at Mina. “I’m warning you,” he said quietly. He came toward her, and Mina backed away even more, until she bumped into the kitchen counter. The room was in darkness, but she could see his face by the light of the streetlamp.
Eyes without mercy.
He raised the gun. “I’ll shoot both you and the boy if you don’t give him to me right now.”
Mina closed her eyes as the shot was fired.
CHAPTER 134
The sudden bang made Thomas leap to his feet. He reacted instinctively, running for the door without thinking.
The noise could only have come from Nora’s old house.
He raced across the road, yanked open the gate, and tugged at the front door. It was locked, and the place was in darkness.
Nora caught up with him. “The veranda doors!” she yelled.
They ran around the back. There was broken glass everywhere, and the wooden frames were smashed to pieces.
Where was Mina?
“Oh God,” Nora gasped, dropping to her knees. “Kovač must have found them. He’s shot her!”
Thomas pulled her to her feet. “Go and get your phone and call Leila—quickly! We need backup if Kovač is here.”
Nora stared at him in shock, incapable of taking in what he was saying.
“Don’t do this to me, Nora. Go and get your phone and call for backup!”
He pushed her toward the gate and turned back to the house. He could see something—someone?—lying on the floor inside the doors.
Was it Mina’s body?
He removed the safety catch from his gun. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he’d been hunting for Kovač on Runmarö. The adrenaline was pumping just as hard now.
