The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg

exactly when. She came out of the house and scampered off. That kid could never walk like regular people, she always bounced up and down like a blasted rubber ball.’
    ‘Did you see which direction she went?’ said Ernst, speaking for the first time during their visit. Kaj looked at him with amusement; apparently he found it funny to see his card-playing buddy in his professional role.
    ‘No, I just saw her go down the driveway. She turned and waved at someone before she bounded off, but I didn’t see which way she went.’
    ‘And you don’t recall what time this was?’ asked Patrik.
    ‘Not really, but it must have been sometime around nine. I’m sorry I can’t be more exact.’
    Patrik hesitated a moment before he continued. ‘I understand that you and Lilian Florin are not on a friendly footing.’
    Kaj snorted out loud. ‘No, you could certainly say that. There’s probably nobody who could stay on a “friendly footing” with that hag.’
    ‘Is there any special reason for this …’ Patrik searched for the right word, ‘antagonism?’
    ‘Not that there needs to be any special reason to quarrel with Lilian Florin, but I do happen to have a very good excuse. The trouble began as soon as we bought this lot and were about to build a house here. She had objections to the design and did everything she could to try and stop construction. She stirred up a small storm of protest, I must say.’ He chuckled. ‘A storm of protest in Fjällbacka. Can you hear my knees shaking?’ Kaj opened his eyes wide and pretended to look scared, and then burst out laughing. Then he collected himself and went on. ‘Well, we managed of course to take the wind out of that little commotion, even though it cost us both time and money. But since then, it’s been one thing after another. And I’m sure you know the extremes she’s willing to go to. It’s simply been hell all these years.’ He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other.
    ‘Couldn’t you have sold the house and moved somewhere else?’ Patrik asked cautiously, but the question sparked a fire in Kaj’s eyes.
    ‘Move? Not on your life! I would never give her the satisfaction. If anyone should move, she should. Now I’m just waiting for word from the court of appeals.’
    ‘The court of appeals?’ Patrik asked.
    ‘They built a balcony on their house without checking the building code first. And it sticks out two centimeters onto my property, so it’s against the law. They’re going to have to tear that balcony down as soon as the verdict comes in. It should be coming any day now, and I can’t wait to see Lilian’s face,’ Kaj beamed.
    ‘Don’t you think that they have bigger concerns at the moment than the existence or non-existence of a balcony?’ Patrik couldn’t help interjecting.
    Kaj’s face darkened. ‘Certainly I’m not insensitive to their tragedy, but fair’s fair. And such things are of no concern to Lady Justice,’ he added, looking to Ernst for support. Ernst nodded appreciatively, giving Patrik yet another reason to worry. He was concerned enough even before it turned out that Ernst was mates with one of the persons on their interview list.
    They had split up to cover the houses in the vicinity. Ernst muttered as he trudged through the biting cold. His tall body seemed to catch the wind quite effectively, and his lankiness made him sway back and forth, fighting to keep his balance. He could taste the gall at the back of his mouth. Once again he was being forced to take orders from a snot-nosed kid who was scarcely half his age. It was a mystery to Ernst. Why were his years of experience and skill constantly overlooked? It felt like a conspiracy, though he was fuzzy on who was behind it. Apparently he was regarded as a threat precisely because of the qualities he knew he possessed.
    Knocking on doors was deadly boring, and he wished he were inside where it was warm. People had nothing sensible to say, either. No one had seen the