Camilla Lackberg - The Lost Boy

But Erica had other things on her mind. That very morning she had decided that it would be better if someone told Nathalie about Gunnar in person rather than over the phone. And she’d already been thinking of going out to see Nathalie to give her the information that she’d unearthed about Gråskär’s history, as a little surprise. Now that she had a babysitter, she decided to make the trip out to the island.

‘Are you sure that you can manage for such a long time?’ she asked her mother-in-law.

Kristina snorted.

‘With these little angels? No problem.’ She was holding Maja in her arms, and the twins were asleep in their carrycots.

‘I’ll be gone for quite a while. First I’m going to see Anna, and then I’m going out to Gråskär.’

‘You’ll be careful, won’t you? I’m not sure I like the idea of you going out there in the boat alone.’ Maja was starting to squirm, so Kristina set her down. Maja gave her baby brothers a couple of wet kisses and then ran off to play.

‘You don’t need to worry. I know how to handle a boat,’ laughed Erica. ‘As opposed to your son.’

‘You have a point there,’ said Kristina, but she was still looking concerned. ‘By the way, are you sure that Anna is strong enough for this?’

The same thought had occurred to Erica when Anna phoned and asked her to accompany her out to the grave. But she realized that she needed to let her sister make her own decisions.

‘Yes, I think so,’ she said, sounding more confident than she felt.

‘I really think it’s a bit too soon,’ said Kristina, picking up Noel, who had started whimpering. ‘But I hope you’re right.’

I do too, thought Erica as she went out to the car to drive to the cemetery. But no matter what reservations she might have, she’d promised to go with Anna, and she couldn’t very well back out now.

Anna was waiting at the big iron gate near the fire station. She looked so small. Her cropped hair made her seem even more fragile, and Erica had to stop herself from taking her sister in her arms and rocking her like a baby.

‘Are you sure you’re ready for this?’ she asked gently. ‘We can go out there some other day if you like.’

Anna shook her head. ‘No, I’m fine. And I want to go. I was so out of it at the time that I can hardly even remember the funeral. I need to see where his grave is.’

‘Okay.’ Erica took Anna’s arm and they walked along the gravel path.

They couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful day. A muted rushing sound came from the traffic moving past, but otherwise everything was calm and peaceful. The sun shone on the headstones, and many of the graves were well tended with fresh flowers that family members had left. Anna suddenly paused, and Erica nodded in the direction of the grave.

‘He’s next to Jens.’ Erica pointed to a round boulder made of granite, with the name Jens Läckberg etched into the surface. Jens had been their father’s good friend, and they remembered him from their childhood as a man with an impressive paunch who had always been cheerful, sociable, and witty.

‘How lovely it is,’ said Anna. Her voice was devoid of emotion, but grief was evident in her expression. They had chosen a similar headstone, a naturally rounded piece of granite. And the etching had been done in the same manner. It said ‘Little One’ and the year. Just one year.

Erica felt her throat close up, but she forced herself to hold back the tears. For Anna’s sake she needed to be strong. Her sister swayed a bit as she stared at the stone, which was all that she had left of the child she had wanted so badly. She grabbed Erica’s hand and squeezed it hard. Tears ran down her face. Then she turned to face her sister.

‘What’s going to happen? How is it all going to work out?’

Without a word, Erica wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.

‘Rita and I have a suggestion.’ Mellberg put his arm around Rita and pulled her closer.

Paula and Johanna looked at them, wondering what this was all about.

‘Well, we don’t really know what your plans are,’ said Rita, looking a bit more hesitant than Mellberg. ‘You said that you need a place of your own … And, well, the question is, how far away you’d like to move.’

‘What are you two talking about?’ asked Paula, staring at her mother.

‘What we’re wondering is whether it would be enough if you moved to the floor below.’ Mellberg looked at them expectantly.

‘But there aren’t any vacant flats in the building,’ said Paula.

‘There is one. At least, there will be next month. The three-room flat below could be yours as soon as the ink dries on the lease agreement.’

Rita studied the girls carefully to see whether she could work out what they were thinking. She had been overjoyed when Bertil told her about the flat, but she wasn’t sure how much distance the girls felt they needed.

‘Of course we wouldn’t be running in and out of your place all the time,’ she assured them.

Mellberg looked at Rita in surprise. Wouldn’t they be allowed to come and go as they pleased? But he decided not to comment. The most important thing was for the girls to accept the offer.

Paula and Johanna looked at each other. Then they both smiled and began talking at once.

‘That three-room flat is great. It’s filled with light, and there are windows facing in two directions. And the kitchen was recently remodelled. And that little room that Bente uses as a dressing room could be Leo’s room, and …’ They suddenly stopped talking.

‘But where is Bente going to live?’ asked Paula. ‘I didn’t know that she was planning to move.’

Mellberg shrugged. ‘I have no idea. I assume that she’s found another place. Alvar didn’t mention it when I talked to him. But he did say that you’ll have to paint it and make any other changes yourselves.’

‘No problem,’ said Johanna. ‘That’ll be fun. We’ll fix it up really nice, won’t we, sweetheart?’ Her eyes were sparkling, and Paula leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

‘And we can still help out with Leo,’ Rita interjected. ‘As much as you want us to, that is. We don’t want to intrude.’

‘We’re going to need plenty of help,’ said Paula, wanting to reassure her. ‘And we think it’s wonderful that Leo will have you and Grandpa Bertil so close. As long as we have our own flat, everything will work out fine.’

Paula turned to Mellberg, who had lifted Leo on to his lap.

‘Thank you, Bertil,’ she said.

To his surprise, Mellberg felt a bit embarrassed.

‘Oh, it was nothing.’ He pressed his face against the back of Leo’s neck, which always made the boy giggle. Then he looked up and glanced around the kitchen table. Once again Bertil Mellberg felt deeply grateful for this new family of his.

He was wandering aimlessly through the building. People were running around, taking care of all the last-minute preparations. Anders knew that he ought to lend a hand, but the knowledge of what he was about to undertake left him feeling paralysed. He wanted to do it, and yet he didn’t. The question was whether he was brave enough to handle the consequences of his actions. He still wasn’t convinced, but soon he wouldn’t be able to spend any more time mulling it over. Soon he would have to decide.

‘Have you seen Vivianne?’ asked a female staff member as she rushed past. Anders pointed to the next room. ‘Thanks. Everything’s going to be so great tonight.’

Everybody was scurrying and bustling. But Anders felt as if he were moving under water.

‘There you are, my future brother-in-law,’ said Erling, putting his arm around his shoulders. Anders had to fight the impulse to shrug him off. ‘It’s going to be terrific. The celebrities will be here around four, so they’ll have time to get settled in their rooms. At six o’clock we open to the other guests.’