as possible.”
Britta nodded in agreement. She took another sip of champagne and discovered her drink had grown warm. But the thought that Hans would soon be done with all of this cheered her up. She smiled as she imagined never having to attend another function like this again.
T HURSDAY, THE FIRST WEEK
C HAPTER 23
“Take a look at this,” Kalle said. He pulled some sheets of paper from the fax machine.
It was almost four in the afternoon, and they were the last people left on the floor. So many had left on vacation or were off working on the Juliander case.
As Erik looked over the pages, he recognized the logo of the National Forensic Laboratory in the top corner.
“So, Linköping sent their autopsy analysis.”
“Yep,” Kalle said.
Erik sat in a chair near Kalle’s desk and quickly read the three-page report.
“I see,” he said. He scratched his head. His dark hair was combed back with a touch of gel, and his white short-sleeved shirt rode up in the back, revealing a patch of suntanned skin above the waist of his jeans.
“Not much doubt about it.” He held out page two.
“Not much.”
“Traces of cocaine in Juliander’s blood.”
“So Winbergh’s suspicions were correct.”
“But does it mean anything?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?”
“That’s such wonderful news, Nora! Just think how great it will be!”
Monica Linde sounded so excited that Nora had to hold the phone away from her ear for a moment.
“Henrik told me! Now you can buy that big house in Saltsjöbaden. All I can say is congratulations. Something good came out of that woman’s despicable behavior. Every cloud has a silver lining!”
Nora’s snobby and tactless mother-in-law knew exactly how to irritate her daughter-in-law.
Nora had never been fond of Henrik’s mother; Monica tended to boast about all the important friends she’d made during her long stint as a diplomat’s wife, and name-dropping was not one of Nora’s favorite pastimes.
Nora took a deep breath and managed to control herself.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What did Henrik tell you?”
“That you’re selling the Brand house, of course! And you’ve gotten a fantastic offer!”
“That’s what he told you?”
Monica ignored Nora’s chilly tone.
“That town house you have—it always felt so dull. So boxed in. And your neighbors have neither class nor style.”
Monica paused to catch her breath.
“Henrik has always enjoyed spacious living quarters, ever since he was a child. I could never understand how he deals with that little house of yours. It’s absolutely wonderful that you can buy something bigger now.”
“We like where we live just fine,” Nora said.
She wanted to end the call, but she’d hear about it for years if she hung up on her mother-in-law. She considered pretending her battery was dying.
“I’m so upset about Oscar’s death,” Monica continued. “So upset! What’s this world coming to? Have you seen the evening papers?”
“Yes, I have.”
“How can such a handsome man be killed like that? It’s incomprehensible. And the police aren’t doing a thing about it, of course. No matter how much tax money they spend. They’re so incompetent.”
Her son Simon came running through the doorway, and Nora seized her chance to escape.
“Simon wants to say hi to you,” she said. She pushed the phone into her son’s hand without saying good-bye.
After he’d hung up, Nora gave her son a quick peck on the forehead to thank him for being patient with his grandmother. She knew she needed to talk to someone besides Henrik about selling the Brand house, and she needed someone who would understand. Thomas. He knew the whole story of the house and Aunt Signe.
Nora wrote a text message:
Call me when you have a chance to talk.
He responded right away:
On Sandhamn already. Something happen?
Nora smiled. Quick and efficient. Typical Thomas.
How about a beer at the Divers
Britta nodded in agreement. She took another sip of champagne and discovered her drink had grown warm. But the thought that Hans would soon be done with all of this cheered her up. She smiled as she imagined never having to attend another function like this again.
T HURSDAY, THE FIRST WEEK
C HAPTER 23
“Take a look at this,” Kalle said. He pulled some sheets of paper from the fax machine.
It was almost four in the afternoon, and they were the last people left on the floor. So many had left on vacation or were off working on the Juliander case.
As Erik looked over the pages, he recognized the logo of the National Forensic Laboratory in the top corner.
“So, Linköping sent their autopsy analysis.”
“Yep,” Kalle said.
Erik sat in a chair near Kalle’s desk and quickly read the three-page report.
“I see,” he said. He scratched his head. His dark hair was combed back with a touch of gel, and his white short-sleeved shirt rode up in the back, revealing a patch of suntanned skin above the waist of his jeans.
“Not much doubt about it.” He held out page two.
“Not much.”
“Traces of cocaine in Juliander’s blood.”
“So Winbergh’s suspicions were correct.”
“But does it mean anything?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?”
“That’s such wonderful news, Nora! Just think how great it will be!”
Monica Linde sounded so excited that Nora had to hold the phone away from her ear for a moment.
“Henrik told me! Now you can buy that big house in Saltsjöbaden. All I can say is congratulations. Something good came out of that woman’s despicable behavior. Every cloud has a silver lining!”
Nora’s snobby and tactless mother-in-law knew exactly how to irritate her daughter-in-law.
Nora had never been fond of Henrik’s mother; Monica tended to boast about all the important friends she’d made during her long stint as a diplomat’s wife, and name-dropping was not one of Nora’s favorite pastimes.
Nora took a deep breath and managed to control herself.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What did Henrik tell you?”
“That you’re selling the Brand house, of course! And you’ve gotten a fantastic offer!”
“That’s what he told you?”
Monica ignored Nora’s chilly tone.
“That town house you have—it always felt so dull. So boxed in. And your neighbors have neither class nor style.”
Monica paused to catch her breath.
“Henrik has always enjoyed spacious living quarters, ever since he was a child. I could never understand how he deals with that little house of yours. It’s absolutely wonderful that you can buy something bigger now.”
“We like where we live just fine,” Nora said.
She wanted to end the call, but she’d hear about it for years if she hung up on her mother-in-law. She considered pretending her battery was dying.
“I’m so upset about Oscar’s death,” Monica continued. “So upset! What’s this world coming to? Have you seen the evening papers?”
“Yes, I have.”
“How can such a handsome man be killed like that? It’s incomprehensible. And the police aren’t doing a thing about it, of course. No matter how much tax money they spend. They’re so incompetent.”
Her son Simon came running through the doorway, and Nora seized her chance to escape.
“Simon wants to say hi to you,” she said. She pushed the phone into her son’s hand without saying good-bye.
After he’d hung up, Nora gave her son a quick peck on the forehead to thank him for being patient with his grandmother. She knew she needed to talk to someone besides Henrik about selling the Brand house, and she needed someone who would understand. Thomas. He knew the whole story of the house and Aunt Signe.
Nora wrote a text message:
Call me when you have a chance to talk.
He responded right away:
On Sandhamn already. Something happen?
Nora smiled. Quick and efficient. Typical Thomas.
How about a beer at the Divers
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