Карин Фоссум - Hell Fire

“How awful for you, Eddie,” he said. “What’s going to happen to you now? Will you manage alone, or will you have to go into care?”

The temperature started to rise at the end of June; people had been waiting for the summer and looking forward to the best time of year. It was what they dreamed of during the long, cold winter months. One day, Bonnie received an important phone call. Christian Falck called to say that the inheritance money had finally been transferred. He wished her all the best and Bonnie lifted Simon up and swung him in the air.

“Finally,” she said and danced around the living room. “Tomorrow we’ll go to the travel agent and book our trip to Africa.”

She opened the doors and windows. She couldn’t resist calling the bank to hear her balance. Then she went into the bathroom and stared at the happy Bonnie in the mirror. She thought that she might even tell Olav — her newfound wealth appeased her, and she could forgive everything. But then she changed her mind. I can manage without you, she thought, just you wait and see.

They booked their trip to Africa for the middle of August, so she only took the first week off in July. She went to the bank and paid off all her debts. She bought a bike for Simon and an expensive dress for herself, which was white with ladybirds on it. In the autumn, she would go to the car dealership and buy a new Opel. She went to the hairdresser and had her long fair hair styled. Olav had always liked her hair, and whenever she wore it in a braid, he would pull off the band so that it tumbled down over her shoulders. Now it was her turn to shine.

Eddie got into the car and drove to Blåkollen. He had been given the exact address when he inquired. A short distance from the house, he pulled over to the side and stopped. It was a small yellow house with green window frames, and it looked old. There were two bikes leaning against the wall and an old Opel parked in the driveway. I’m here, he thought. You didn’t expect this, did you? He didn’t let go of the steering wheel. He could hear his own shallow breathing. As he sat like this, thinking, a little boy came out of the house with a helmet under his arm. He went over to the bikes and put on his helmet. Then a beautiful blond woman appeared in the doorway.

She stood there. Like an angel. She was a harp, she was a flame, she was a jewel. She came down the steps and walked over the gravel, swaying as she went. She put her hand on the boy’s head with the same love and reverence as a priest would bless a baby. It looked as though she was giving the boy instructions on where he could cycle. So he did have a brother, a little brother. Who now had something that was his. Bonnie Hayden.

The two of them, close as close can be; they would always be together. She would never give away that little boy. She went back indoors. The boy pushed his bike out onto the road, and just as he was about to get going, Eddie got out of the car. He walked over and looked him up and down.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Simon.”

“And your mom is named Bonnie?”

“Yes.” The boy looked as though he was about to cycle off, but Eddie put one of his big hands on the handlebar.

“And how old are you?”

“Nearly five.” He turned and stared back at the house as if he wanted his mother to come and rescue him, but Eddie kept his hand there. He glared down at the anxious little face and took in every detail, the curls, the blue eyes. He was blond like his mother. Eddie shook the handlebar. The boy struggled to keep his balance, his face white with fear. Eddie continued to shake the bike, looking at the boy with black eyes. Then suddenly he let go and went back to the car to sit there and watch him. The bike wobbled a bit as the boy hurried away.

He went back again the same night. He parked some distance away and walked to the house, imagining them both lying asleep, maybe cuddled up together in the same bed. Just as he had cuddled up with Mass when he was little. He went up the steps and read the nameplate. It looked handmade. Bonnie and Simon live here. Then he walked around the house. There was a rabbit cage at the back with two tiny rabbits in it. They looked just as scared as the boy had been, and he hit the chicken wire with his hand a couple of times. The rabbits huddled together in a corner. He looked up at the dark windows and wondered which one was her bedroom. It was impossible to see in. Then he went back around and sat down on the steps. He felt he had a right to sit here; this house should have been his. He sat there until it started to get light, and they would soon be up. Then he drove to the end of the road and waited. At seven o’clock, the pale blue Opel drove by. He caught sight of them as they passed, and he followed the car at a safe distance.

It wasn’t far to Simon’s daycare. He stopped right by the gate and watched Bonnie get out of the car; she undid the seat belt and Simon clambered out of his child seat and they went in together. Mass had always stayed at home, he thought. She looked after me.

Five minutes later, she came back out. It was warm and she was wearing a white dress and sandals. He followed her into the center of town where she disappeared into a house. After waiting for an hour, he drove home again. He went into Mass’s bedroom and opened her wardrobe. He stared at the coats and dresses and the neat row of shoes at the bottom. He stood for a while breathing in the smell of the clothes, and when he’d had enough, he closed the wardrobe door. Her bed had been left as it was since she went into the hospital, and he decided to make it up. He did the best he could, smoothing the sheet and puffing the pillow. Then he put the quilt on. He would never go into the room again, never. He concentrated on Bonnie and his brother, Simon. He followed them for several days, learning their habits and routines. He always made sure to park at a distance, even though he was not afraid of being discovered. He could stand in front of her and tell her the truth, that he was her son. And he could ask her why she had given him away, and he would see the confusion in her eyes. The shame and embarrassment. Just like Adelina-Susann’s mother by the River Ravi.

He soon understood that she was some kind of helper, as she went from house to house. Maybe she was a cleaner, he thought. When she finished for the day, she went to collect Simon from daycare, and then they went to the store to buy food. Simon often came out with a bun in his hand. It was just the two of them. Bonnie was always touching Simon: ruffling his hair, stroking his cheek, and sometimes lifting him up to give him a hug. There was something caring and sincere about her that made him bitter and sad. His cheeks burned constantly. It was worse than ever. The fire had spread to his head and heart.

It was Sunday and Bonnie had the day off. She drove up to Geirastadir with Simon. He had a little backpack on and they disappeared up toward Svarttjern. Eddie sat in the car and watched them go.

One day toward the end of the month, Randen appeared in the outbuilding and wanted to talk to Woiciech. The sexton from Haugane had called because he needed someone to paint the long fence around the graveyard. The man who had originally agreed to do the job had put his back out and was on sick leave, and the wood was drying out and needed some attention. Woiciech immediately accepted the job. He needed every krone he could get, and he liked it up at Haugane Church. He liked working outdoors as well, and he started right away. The fence was to be painted white like the church. He got down on his knees in the green grass and worked hard, as he always did when he took on a job. Woiciech was a happy man; his life was good. He was strong and healthy and had a family. There were no obstacles as far as he could see.