Åke Edwardson - Sail of Stone

“She’s not answering,” he said.

“Where could she be?”

“What actually happened?” asked Lindsten.

“We don’t know.”

“Was anything stolen?”

“We don’t know that either,” said Aneta. “I swung by here on my way home from Vallda and saw that the glass from the veranda door was broken.”

“And Anette wasn’t home then?”

What kind of question is that? thought Aneta. Would I have called and said what I said if she were?

“Is there any evidence?” asked Lindsten.

Evidence of blood. But I won’t tell you that. And not before I know what it is. And not before I know what you were doing this afternoon.

“Did you leave a message for your daughter?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, not much. I said she should call as soon as possible. That we were worried.”

“We want to speak with her too. As soon as possible,” said Aneta.

“We’re coming home right away,” said Lindsten.

“Good.”

She hung up and Halders came back.

“A guy is on his way. Reluctantly.”

“Doesn’t matter how he gets himself here.”

Halders let out a short laugh.

“Did you tell him that we’re talking about a disappearance here that might involve violence?”

“Yes,” he said, “but maybe I didn’t sound so convincing.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said.

“I guess I do too,” said Halders after a bit.

“Have you called Susanne Marke?”

“Yes. No reply.”

“Try again.”

Halders took a deep breath.

“Well, we have to wait to hear what forensics says anyway.”

“We should go there now.”

“One of us can go,” said Halders. “No, wait. There have been enough solo trips.” He seemed to be listening for the sound of a motor from the road. “We can ask for a car there. In the meantime.”

“I’ll call dispatch,” said Aneta.

They drove across the bridge. The river was lit up as though by torches on both sides all the way to the sea to the west and up through the land to the east. Ferries came and went.

“They say that Gothenburg is a dead harbor, but that’s hard to believe when you’re looking down from here,” said Halders.

“Doesn’t it have to do with the shipbuilding industry?” said Aneta. “It must.”

“The hammers have become silent,” answered Halders.

“You sound sad about it.”

“There’s always a reason to be sad,” he said. “Who doesn’t light up to the sound of hammering?”

“They’re lighting up here, anyway,” she said as they parked in the new residential area. The attractive houses glistened and seemed to preen in the light from the torches.

“Can’t be cheap to live here,” said Halders.

“Obviously not.”

“How can Marke afford it? What was it she does?”

“Clerk at the district court.”

“Financial crime?”

“No,” said Aneta.

“Then I don’t get it,” said Halders.

“Her ex probably has money. We’ll have to check.”

“If we need to,” said Halders.

Aneta took three steps to the left.

“Her car is home,” she said.

Susanne Marke opened the door after the first ring, as though she had been waiting just inside.

She doesn’t look as cocky anymore. Aneta could see an uncertain expression on her face, or maybe it was a puzzled one.

Susanne invited them in with a gesture. She told them to keep their shoes on.

The living room window had room for all the lights on the other side of the river. Halders could see the illuminated Seaman’s Wife. She looked him in the eye.

A woman was sitting in one of the two white leather easy chairs. She had a bandage on her left hand. Aneta recognized her face.

“What really happened?” she asked straight out.

“When?” said Anette Lindsten.

“At your… at your parents’ house.”

“What do you mean?”

“The glass in the veranda door is broken.”

“Oh, that. I ran into it.”

She held up her hand. The bandage was starting to fall off. It was only a few loops of cheap gauze.

“I was trying to open it-it sticks-and suddenly the glass broke and I… I cut myself.”

“Down by the doorstep?” said Halders.

“That’s where it… stuck,” she said, darting a look at Susanne.

Is this a lesson she’s reciting and checking with Susanne? thought Aneta. Is this a threat, too? But then why did she come here?

“Why did you come here?” asked Halders.

“She can go where she wants, can’t she?” said Susanne.

“Shut up!” said Halders.

“I got-”

“We’ve tried to contact you, Anette.” Halders interrupted Susanne, but without taking his eyes from Anette. “Why have you been avoiding us?”

“I haven… haven’t been avoiding you.”

“According to several reports from your neighbors in Kortedala, you have been subjected to violence,” said Halders. “Violence and threats. We would like to talk to you about that. We don’t like violence and threats in general, and especially not against women.”

“What do you call your coming in here and harassing me?” said Susanne.

Her uncertainty seemed to be gone. Aneta tried to read something in her face. Had Anette come here? Just come here, just shown up? Or had Susanne asked her to come?

“Why did you come here, Anette?” Aneta asked gently.

Anette didn’t answer. Was she trying to catch the eye of the Seaman’s Wife? Or was she studying the shining church steeple all the way up to hea-

“I have nothing more to say,” she said. “You mu… must leave me alone.”

“And I must ask you both to leave, ” said Susanne.

“We can give you a ride wherever you’d like to go,” said Aneta.

How did she get here? Did she get a ride here? A taxi?

“I’ll drive Anette when she wants to go,” said Susanne.

“Do you want to go home?” asked Aneta.

Anette shook her head.

“We can drive you down to your parents’ in Vallda,” said Aneta.

“They’re on their way he… on their way home,” said Anette.

“Have you spoken with them?”

She nodded.

Halders looked at Aneta.

“We can go somewhere and talk for a bit,” he said.

Anette shook her head.

I feel helpless, thought Aneta. Something is very wrong here, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We can’t take her with us. We can’t force her to tell us what’s happened to her, no more than we can ask her to write everything down and sign it while we stand here tapping our feet on this damn parquet floor.

“Where is your brother?” said Aneta, turning to Susanne.

“I don’t actually know,” she said.

Aneta tried to look at Anette’s face. It was averted.

“Isn’t he staying here anymore?”

“No.”

“We need to have a rather long conversation with him,” said Halders, looking at Anette, who was still sitting with her face averted.

“We can actually bring him in for questioning,” said Halders to the averted face. “We have that right whether Hans Forsblad likes it or not. Anette? Can you hear me? Just so you know.”

“He isn’t here,” said Susanne.

“And we’re going to do it,” continued Halders.

“Where did he move to this time?” asked Aneta.

“He didn’t actually say.”

The darkness of Indian summer was outside. Aneta could smell lingering scents from the summer gone by. It must be sixty degrees. She heard voices from a sidewalk café on the other side of the building. A laugh bounced across the river.

“Pure continental,” said Halders.

“Aren’t you furious?” she said.

“I was about to become really angry at Forsblad’s sister,” said Halders.