Preacher

by Camilla Lackberg

  ‘Did something happen?’

  Jacob slowly put down his eyeglasses.

  ‘Tell me, what did he say?’ Kennedy couldn’t hide the fact that his heart was aching with anxiety and concern.

  ‘That was my father. The police were there asking my sister questions. My cousin Stefan rang the police and claimed that he and my sister saw the murdered girl at my farm. Just before she disappeared. God help me.’

  ‘God help you,’ Kennedy whispered like an echo.

  They had gathered in Patrik’s office. It was crowded, but with a little effort they had all managed to squeeze in. Mellberg had offered his office, which was three times the size of the other offices, but Patrik didn’t want to move everything he had put up on the bulletin board behind his desk.

  The board was full of notes and scraps of paper, and in the middle were the photos of Siv, Mona, Tanja and Jenny. Patrik was sitting on the edge of his desk, partially turned away from the others. For the first time in ages, they were all gathered in the same place: Patrik, Martin, Mellberg, Gösta, Ernst and Annika. The entire brain trust of the Tanumshede police station. All with their eyes focused on Patrik. Suddenly he felt the weight of responsibility drop onto his shoulders, and tiny beads of sweat began to form at the small of his back. He had always hated being the centre of attention, and the thought that everyone was waiting for what he had to say made his skin crawl. He cleared his throat.

  ‘Half an hour ago I got a call from Tord Pedersen at Forensic Medicine, who told me that the exhumation this morning was not wasted effort.’ Here he paused and permitted himself a moment of satisfaction over what he’d just said. He had not been looking forward to being the butt of jokes from his colleagues for a considerable time to come.

  ‘The post-mortem on Johannes Hult’s body shows that he did not hang himself. Instead it looks as though he received some sort of hard blow to the back of the head.’

  A gasp went through the room. Patrik went on, aware that now he had everyone’s undivided attention. ‘So we have yet another murder, even though it’s not fresh. I thought it was time we had a meeting to go over what we know. Any questions so far?’ Silence. ‘All right. Then let’s get started.’

  Patrik began by going over all the old material they had about Siv and Mona, including Gabriel’s testimony. He continued with Tanja’s death and the medical evidence showing that she had the exact same type of injuries as Siv and Mona. He also mentioned another connection that Tanja turned out to be Siv’s daughter, and then went on to discuss Stefan’s account of having seen Tanja at Västergården.

  Gösta weighed in. ‘But what about Jenny Möller? I, at least, am not convinced that there’s any connection between her disappearance and the murders.’

  Everyone’s eyes sought out the photo of the blonde seventeen-year-old smiling at them from the bulletin board. Patrik looked at it too. He said, ‘I agree with you there, Gösta. It’s only one theory among many right now. But the search parties didn’t turn up anything, and our scrutiny of known violent offenders in the area gave us only the blind alley of Mårten Frisk. So our only hope is that the public will come to our assistance and that somebody saw something. At the same time we need to working on the possibility that the same person who murdered Tanja also abducted Jenny. Does that answer your question?’

  Gösta nodded. Basically it meant that they didn’t know a thing, and it pretty much confirmed what he was thinking.

  ‘By the way, Gösta, I heard from Annika that you and Ernst went to check up on that fertilizer lead. Did it produce anything?’

  Ernst replied instead of Gösta. ‘Not a damn thing. The farmer we talked to has nothing to do with all this.’

  ‘But you took a look around, for safety’s sake?’ Patrik was not convinced by Ernst’s assurances.

  ‘Yes, of course we did. And as Isaid, not a thing,’ Ernst replied sourly.

  Patrik shot Gösta a questioning glance, and he nodded in agreement.

  ‘All right then. We’ll have to do some thinking about whether anything useful will result if we proceed along that track. Meanwhile, as I mentioned, we’ve received a report from someone who saw Tanja just before she vanished. Johannes’s son, Stefan, rang this morning and reported that he saw a girl he swears was Tanja at Västergården. His cousin Linda, Gabriel’s daughter, was with him. Martin and I drove out there and spoke with her today. She confirmed that they had seen a girl, but she wasn’t as convinced as Stefan that it was Tanja.’

  ‘Can we trust this witness, though? Stefan’s police record and the rivalry within the family seem to make it extremely doubtful how much credence we can give to what he says, don’t you think?’ said Mellberg.

  ‘Yes, that worries me too. We’ll probably have to wait and see what Jacob Hult says. But I think it’s interesting that we keep coming back to that family, one way or another. Wherever we turn, we run into the Hult family.’

  The temperature was rising fast in the cramped office. Patrik had opened a window, but it didn’t help much since there wasn’t any cool air outside either. Annika tried fanning herself with her notebook. Mellberg wiped the sweat from his brow with his hand, and Gösta’s face had turned an alarming grey beneath his suntan. Martin had unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, which made Patrik enviously note that at least some people managed to put in time at the gym.

  Only Ernst looked completely unaffected. He said, ‘Yep, in that case I’d put my money on one of those bloody bastards. They’re the only ones who’ve been in trouble with the police before.’

  ‘Except for their father,’ Patrik reminded him.

  ‘Exactly, except for theirfather. It only goes to show that there’s something rotten in thatbranchof the family.’

  ‘And what about the information that Tanja was last seen at Västergården? According to the sister, Jacob was at home at that time. Doesn’t that seem to point to him?’

  Ernst snorted. ‘And who is it that says the girl was there? Stefan Hult. No, I wouldn’t believe a word that guy says.’

  ‘When do you think we ought to talk to Jacob?’ asked Martin.

  ‘I was thinking that you and I should go over to Bullaren right after the meeting here. I rang to check, and he’s working today.’

  ‘Don’t you think Gabriel might have called to warn him?’

  ‘Sure, but there’s nothing we can do about that. We’ll have to see what he says.’

  ‘What are we going to do with the information that Johannes was murdered?’ Martin went on stubbornly.

  Patrik didn’t want to admit that he didn’t really know. There were too many things to keep track of right now, and was afraid that if he took a step back and looked at the big picture, the overwhelming nature of the task would make him powerless to act. He sighed. ‘We’ll have to take one thing at a time. We won’t mention anything about it to Jacob when we talk to him. I don’t want Solveig and the boys to be tipped off.’

  ‘So the next step is to talk to them?’

  ‘Yes, I think that would be best. Unless someone else has a better suggestion?’

  Silence. Nobody seemed to have any other ideas.

  ‘Whatshould the rest of us do?’ Gösta was breathing heavily, and Patrik suddenly worried that he might be having a heart attack in this heat.

  ‘Annika said that information from the public has trickling in since we posted the pictures of Jenny on the flyers. She arranged them according to what seemed the most interesting, so you and Ernst can start browsing through the list.’

  Patrik hoped that wasn’t making a mistake by allowing Ernst back into the investigation. He would give his colleague one more chance. That was what he’d decided after Ernst seemed to have toed the line when he and Gösta followed up the lead about the fertilizer.

  ‘Annika, I’d like you to contact the company again that sold the fertilizer and ask them to widen the area in their search for customers. I have a hard time believing that the bodies were transported very far, but it would still be a go
od idea to check.’

  ‘No problem.’ Annika fanned herself even harder with the notebook. Beads of sweat had formed on her upper lip.

  Mellberg was given no, assignment. Patrik knew that he had a hard time giving orders to the chief, and so he preferred not to have him involved in the daily work of the investigation. Although he had to admit that Mellberg had done astonishingly good work by keeping the politicians out of his hair.

  There was still something unusual about him. Normally Mellberg’s voice was the loudest of all, but right now he was sitting quietly, looking like he was in a foreign country. The cheerfulness that had bewildered them all for the past couple of weeks had been replaced by an even more worrisome silence.

  Patrik asked, ‘Bertil, do you have anything you’d like to add?’

  Mellberg gave a start. ‘What? Pardon me, what did you say?’

  ‘Do you have anything to add?’

  ‘Oh, I see,’ said. Mellberg, clearing his throat when he noticed that all eyes were directed at him.‘No, I don’t think so. You seem to have the situation under control.’

  Annika and Patrik exchanged glances. Normally he was as sharp as an eagle about everything that went on at the station, but now he simply shrugged and raised his eyebrows to show that he had no better ideas to offer, either.

  ‘Any questions? No? All right. Let’s get back to work.’

  Gratefully they all exited the hot office to try and find somewhere cooler.Only Martin remained behind.

  ‘When do we leave?’

  ‘I thought we should have lunch first and then leave right afterwards.’

  ‘Okay. Should I run out and buy something for us? Then we can eat in the lunchroom.’

  ‘Sure, that would great. Then I’ll have time to ring Erica first.’

  ‘Say hi from me.’ Martin was already on his way out.

  Patrik dialed the number at home. He hoped that Jörgen and Madde weren’t boring her to death …

  ‘This is certainly a rather isolated spot.’ Martin looked around but saw only trees. They had driven for fifteen minutes on narrowforest roads, and he was starting to wonder if they were lost.

  ‘Don’tworry, I’ve got it covered. I was out here once before when one of the boys got a bit out of hand, so I can find the place.’

  Patrik was right. A couple of minutes later, they turned in towards the farm.

  ‘Looks like a nice location,’ Martin said.

  ‘Yes indeed, and they have quite a good reputation. Or at least they’ve managed to keep up a good façade to the outside world. I myself get a little sceptical as soon as there’s too much hallelujah, but that’s just me. Even if the initial purpose of these free-religious societies is good, sooner or later they always seem to attract a lot of strange people. They offer a strong sense of community and family which appeals to people who don’t feel that they belong anywhere.’

  ‘It sounds like you know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘Well, my sister was once enticed into a rather strange situation. You know, during that searching period in her teens. But she came out of it with her skin intact, so it wasn’t all bad. But I learned enough about how things worked to develop a healthy scepticism. But as I said, I’ve never heard anything negative about this specific group, so there’s probably no reason to suspect otherwise.’

  ‘Yes, well, it doesn’t really have anything to do with our investigation,’ said Martin.

  It sounded like a warning, and that’s partially what he intended. Patrik was usually so together, but there had been a tone of contempt in his voice that made Martin a bit concerned about how his personal feelings might affect their interview with Jacob.

  Patrik seemed to read his mind. He smiled. ‘Don’t worry. It’s just one of my pet peeves, but it has nothing to do with the case.’

  They parked and got out of the car. The farm was seething with activity. Boys and girls seemed to be working everywhere, both inside and out. A group was swimming down at the lake, and the noise level was high. It looked so idyllic. Martin and Patrik knocked on the door. A boy in his late teens opened it. They both gave a start. If it hadn’t been for his glum expression they wouldn’t have recognized him.

  ‘Hello, Kennedy.’

  ‘What do you want?’ His tone was aggressive.

  Neither Patrik nor Martin could help staring. Gone was the long hair that he always had hanging in his face. Gone, too, were the black clothes and the unhealthy complexion. The boy standing before them now was so clean and well-groomed that he fairly shone. But the aggressive look was something they remembered from the many times they had booked him for car theft, drug possession and more.

  ‘Looks like you’re doing well, Kennedy,’ Patrik said in a friendly tone. He had always felt sorry for the boy.

  Kennedy didn’t deign to reply. Instead he repeated, ‘What do you want?’

  ‘We’d like to speak with Jacob. Is he in?’

  Kennedy blocked their path. ‘What do you want with him?’

  Still friendly, Patrik said, ‘It’s nothing to do with you. So I’ll ask again, is he in?’

  ‘I’ll be damned if you’re going to come here and harass him. Or his family. I’ve heard what you’re trying to do, and you should know that I think it’s fucked. But you’ll get your just deserts. God sees everything, and He can see into your hearts.’

  Martin and Patrik exchanged a look. ‘Okay, that’s fine, Kennedy, but now it’s best that you move aside and let us in.’

  Patrik’s tone was threatening now, and after a moment of this test of wills, Kennedy backed off and reluctantly let them in.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Martin curtly and followed Patrik down the hall. Patrik seemed to know where he was going.

  ‘His office is at the end of the corridor, as I recall.’

  Kennedy followed a couple of pacesbehind them, like a silent shadow. Martin shivered in spite of the heat.

  They knocked on the door. Jacob was sitting behind his desk when they entered. He didn’t look surprised to see them.

  ‘Well, look who we have here. The long arm of the law. Don’t you have any real crooks to catch?’

  Behind them, Kennedy stood in the doorway with his fists clenched.

  ‘Thank you, Kennedy, you can go now. And close the door.’

  Silently but reluctantly, he obeyed the order.

  ‘So you know why we’re here, I presume,’ Patrik said.

  Jacob took off his computer glasses and leaned forward. He looked harried.

  ‘Yes, I had call from my father about an hour ago. He told me a crazy story that my dear cousin claimed he’d seen the murdered girl at my house.’

  ‘Is the story true?’ Patrik scrutinized Jacob.

  ‘Of course not.’ He was tapping his glasses on the desk. ‘Why would she have come to Västergården? From what I understand she was a tourist, and the farm hardly on the tourist route. And as far as Stefan’s so-called testimony is concerned … well, you know by this time what our family situation is like. Unfortunately Solveig and her sons take every opportunity to paint our family black. It’s very annoying, but some people do not have God in their hearts. What they have is something entirely different …’

  ‘Be that as it may,’ said Patrik, smiling courteously, ‘we actually have an idea why she might have had business at Västergården.’ Did he see a worried glint in Jacob’s eyes? He went on, ‘She wasn’t in Fjällbacka as a tourist, but to look for her roots. And perhaps to find out more about her mother’s disappearance.’

  ‘Her mother?’ said Jacob, bewildered.

  ‘Yes, she was Siv Lantin’s daughter.’

  Jacob’s glasses clattered onto the desk. Was the surprise feigned or genuine? Martin wondered, leaving Patrik to carry on the interview. In the meantime, he devoted himself to watching Jacob’s reactions as they talked.

  ‘Well, that’s big news, I must say. But I still don’t understand what sort of business she would have at Västergården.’

 
‘As I said, she seemed to be trying to find out more information about what happened to her mother. And considering the fact that your uncle was the prime suspect in the case …’ He didn’t finish the sentence.

  ‘I must say that this all sounds like wild speculation to my ears. My uncle was innocent, and yet you drove him to his death with your insinuations. With him gone, you apparently want to try and put another one of us in prison. Tell me, what sort of splinter is in your heart that gnaws at you and makes you feel such a need to tear down what someone else has created? Is it our faith and the joy we find in it, that sticks in your craw?’

  Jacob had switched to sermonizing, and Martin understood why he was such an esteemed preacher. There was something spellbinding about the rising and falling cadence of his gentle voice.

  ‘We’re just doing our job.’

  Patrik’s tone was curt and he had to stop himself from showing his distaste for all that he regarded as religious drivel. But he too had to admit that Jacob had a certain power when he spoke. Weaker people thanhimself might easily give in to that voice and be tempted by its message. He went on, ‘So you’re saying that Tanja Schmidt never came to Västergården?’

  Jacob threw out his hands. ‘I swear that I never saw the girl. Is there anything else?’

  Martin thought about what they had from Pedersen, the pathologist. The fact that Johannes did not commit suicide. That information would probably shake up Jacob quite a bit. But he knew that Patrik was right. They would hardly be out of the room before the phones would probably start ringing at the homes of the rest of the Hult family.

  ‘No, I think that’s all. Butit’s possible that we’ll return later on.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be surprised.’

  Jacob’s voice had lost its preaching tone and was again mild and calm. Martin was just about to reach for the door handle when the door quietly swung open. Kennedy had been standing silently outside, and he opened it precisely the right moment. There was no doubt that he’d been eavesdropping. A black fire was blazing in his eyes. Martin shrank from the hatred he saw there. Jacob must have been teaching him more about ‘an eye for an eye’ than ‘love thy neighbour’.