Mari Jungstedt - The Dead Of Summer

‘Yes, and it turns out that all of them have an alibi for the time of the murder. The couple from Göteborg drove straight over to their rented cabin, where they sat and drank their morning coffee with the female owner until eight o’clock, when she left for work. Upon arrival at Fårö the pregnant woman was apparently met by her husband, and they spent the whole morning together. And when the man with the horse trailer arrived home with the horse, he was greeted by his son. None of them noticed anything unusual.’

‘OK, so that’s that. How’s it going with the interviews of people who spent the night in summer cabins on Fårö? Is the report ready?’

‘Nothing noteworthy so far, but we haven’t finished all the interviews yet. We still have to go looking for people who have left the area, you know.’

‘Sure. I understand.’

KNUTAS WOKE UP alone in the big double bed in his house on Bokströmsgatan, which was located just outside Visby’s ring wall. The rays of the sun were shining right in his eyes. He always slept with the window open, in both summer and winter, but right now that wasn’t helping matters much. It was hotter outside than in the house. He got up and went out on to the patio. The grass needed mowing, and the garden furniture was looking shabby; the white paint was chipping off, and he’d promised himself to do something about it this summer. But so far, nothing had come of his good intentions. He didn’t even dare think about everything else that needed attention out at their summer house in Lickershamn.

Until the murder of Peter Bovide was solved, he probably wouldn’t have time to go out there.

He took a shower and got dressed. In the kitchen he put on the coffee and then went to get the morning newspaper from the letterbox.

It was strange to be home alone; that hardly ever happened. Lina had two more weeks of her summer holiday, so she and the kids had gone out to the summer house. Although they weren’t really kids any more. In the autumn they would be starting college. Knutas couldn’t understand how time had flown by so fast.

For the past six months Nisse, as his son now insisted on being called, had had a steady girlfriend, and their relationship seemed both sweet and grounded. Knutas had dreaded the conversation he realized he would be forced to have with his son. Of course, both he and Lina had previously talked to their children about the birds and the bees and how babies were made, but when Nisse began staying over at Gabriella’s house, Knutas could see they were going to need to have a more serious talk. Even though he was reluctant to bring up the subject, the conversation had actually gone better than he’d anticipated. Nisse had promised to be careful and always use a condom, and afterwards he gave his father a hug. Knutas was both astonished and pleased by his son’s reaction. It was as if the boy appreciated the concern behind his father’s clumsy attempt at a man-to-man talk.

Unlike her twin brother, Petra hadn’t yet focused her affections on any particular person, which, naturally, didn’t make her parents feel any more secure. Knutas tried not to worry too much. Fortunately, Lina and Petra were very close, and Lina talked about everything with her in the same open and easy way as always.

He made himself a sandwich for breakfast and sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the Gotlands Allehanda . It was still only six thirty, since Knutas was an early riser. He didn’t need much sleep, and he appreciated both the late-night hours and the early morning.

The murder was no longer a front-page story as nothing new had surfaced over the past few days. He suddenly pictured Karin’s face. He thought about how the investigation had been run while he was away. He couldn’t see that any outright mistakes had been made, but Karin was new at taking charge, and this was the first homicide investigation she’d had to initiate. He was extremely aware of how crucial the preliminary stage was in this type of investigation; everything had to be done right from the very beginning. The time aspect was often decisive in terms of whether the killer would be caught or not. By now almost a week had passed, and they were getting nowhere. The perp already had a big head start, and if nothing new happened soon, there was a risk that he might get away. It was unlikely that he was still on the island.

Knutas leafed distractedly through the newspaper and downed the last of his coffee. He was ready to leave for the office and go through all the material in peace and quiet.

He didn’t have far to go to work, just a fifteen-minute walk, but after only a few yards he was soaked with sweat. Even though it was still so early in the day, it was already very hot. He rang Lina, but she didn’t answer. She and the kids were probably still asleep. Sometimes he forgot that not everybody was a morning person like he was.

Knutas was deeply immersed in the ME’s report when Jacobsson stuck her head round the door.

‘Good morning. How’s it going?’

‘Morning – good, thanks,’ he replied. ‘How about you?’

‘So so. I didn’t sleep well last night.’

‘No?’

‘I just kept going over everything in my mind about the investigation.’

Jacobsson sighed as she ran her fingers through her short dark hair, and then dropped on to the visitor’s chair in Knutas’s office.

‘Have you made it all the way through yet?’ she asked, casting a glance at the papers piled up on his desk.

‘Yup, I’m just about finished.’

Knutas took his pipe out of the desk drawer and begin filling it with tobacco.

‘So what do you think? Have I made a total mess of things?’ Jacobsson gave him a crooked smile. She had on a white linen summer dress with polka dots.

‘I can’t believe you’re wearing a dress. You hardly ever do.’

‘I just felt like it today, since it’s so hot – OK? And why are you focusing on what I’m wearing when I’m trying to discuss the investigation? Talk about changing the subject…’

‘That wasn’t what I intended to do.’

‘But seriously – do you think I made any major mistakes during the first twenty-four hours, while you were away?’

‘Absolutely not. On the contrary. It looks like you handled everything in an exemplary manner.’

‘Does that surprise you?’

‘No. I know that you’re perfectly capable of leading a murder investigation on your own.’

‘Then why did you rush back here?’

Her question made Knutas uncomfortable. He fidgeted with his unlit pipe and then starting plucking at the tobacco in it.

‘I’m sorry, Karin. Did that upset you? If so, that certainly wasn’t my intention. How stupid of me. I should have called you first.’

‘My dear Anders, of course you don’t have to ask my permission to interrupt your holiday. But I’d like to know why you did it.’

Red blotches had appeared on her throat. A sure sign that she was upset.

‘It had nothing to do with you or your capabilities. I just couldn’t stay away. It’s such an unusual murder investigation.’

Karin sighed and looked at her boss with resignation. ‘Are you ever going to be able to give this job up?’

‘Yes, sure, of course I’ll be able to one day. You know I will. It just might take some time.’

‘I dread the day you retire. You’ll be ringing up headquarters every other day and trying to meddle.’

‘Hey, slow down a bit. I’m not even fifty-three yet.’

‘Sorry,’ she said with a grin. ‘It’s actually great to have you back. If only you’ll let me handle some of the work on my own.’

‘Of course I will.’

The last thing Anders wanted was to have a falling-out with Karin.