process.’
That smile again, the cool one.
‘That might be more difficult. You won’t be able to find them.’
‘Maybe you could ask them to call me?’
The dainty woman nodded.
‘Of course, that would be a possibility. But they know nothing about our procedures. We don’t tell them anything, just so they won’t be able to give themselves away.’
‘I wasn’t going to ask your clients about your methods. I want to meet a woman who will say: “Paradise saved my life.” ’
For the first time, Rebecka smiled so that Anika could see her teeth. They were small and pearly white.
‘That I can do,’ she said. ‘There are lots of them around. Anything else?’
Annika hesitated.
‘Only one thing,’ she said. ‘Exactly why do you do this?’
Rebecka quickly folded her arms across her chest and crossed her legs: classic defensive body language.
‘I can’t tell you that.’
‘Why not?’ Annika asked calmly. ‘Your organization is very unusual, to say the least. Something must have inspired you.’
They sat in silence for a while, Rebecka’s foot swinging rhythmically back and forth.
‘I don’t want you to put this in,’ she said. ‘This is private, just between you and me.’
Annika nodded.
The woman leaned forward, wide-eyed.
‘Like I said,’ she whispered, ‘I’ve been threatened too. It was a terrifying experience, terrifying! In the end I wasn’t able to function, I couldn’t eat or sleep.’
Rebecka looked over her shoulder, glancing at the other guests at the bar, then leaned closer.
‘I made up my mind that I would survive. That’s how I began to set up this method of protection. While I was working on it, I encountered lots of people in similar circumstances. I decided to do something, to shoulder the responsibility that the authorities couldn’t deal with.’
‘Who threatened you?’ Annika asked.
Rebecka swallowed, her lower lip quivering.
‘The Yugoslav Mafia,’ she said. ‘Have you heard of them?’
Annika blinked in surprise.
‘How are you involved with them?’
‘I’m not!’ Rebecka shot back. ‘The whole thing was a misunderstanding. It was awful, just awful!’
Suddenly she got up.
‘Excuse me,’ she said and ran off to the restroom. A small heap of twisted and crumpled paper napkins remained on the table.
Annika looked after her for a long time. What the heck was going on? Had she run into more cigarette thieves?
She sighed, drank her tepid water and read through her notes. Despite the considerable amounts of information there were holes in the story, she just couldn’t pinpoint them yet. And what did the Yugo Mafia have to do with it all?
The porcelain figurine was taking her time. Feeling impatient, Annika checked her watch and saw that it was almost time to take the train to Flen. She paid the bill and had put her jacket on by the time Rebecka returned, looking clear-eyed and unperturbed.
‘I’m sorry,’ the woman said and smiled. ‘The memories are so painful.’
Annika studied her; she might as well ask her question and be done with it.
‘Do you have anything to do with the missing cigarettes?’ she asked in a strained voice.
Rebecka smiled and blinked with a blank expression in her eyes.
‘Have you lost your own cigarettes? I don’t smoke.’
Annika sighed. ‘I won’t be able to write a thing until I have that list of authorities,’ she said. ‘It’s important that I get it as soon as possible.’
‘Of course,’ Rebecka said. ‘You’ll be hearing from me shortly. If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave first so no one sees us together. Could you wait a few minutes?’
Mission Impossible , Annika thought. The subject has left the building.
‘Sure,’ she said.
The rhythmic thumping of the train plunged Annika into a state of calm concentration before she had got as far as Årstabron. Tanto slipped past on the left, large houses with picture windows facing the waterfront. Soon the view was nothing but greenery:
That smile again, the cool one.
‘That might be more difficult. You won’t be able to find them.’
‘Maybe you could ask them to call me?’
The dainty woman nodded.
‘Of course, that would be a possibility. But they know nothing about our procedures. We don’t tell them anything, just so they won’t be able to give themselves away.’
‘I wasn’t going to ask your clients about your methods. I want to meet a woman who will say: “Paradise saved my life.” ’
For the first time, Rebecka smiled so that Anika could see her teeth. They were small and pearly white.
‘That I can do,’ she said. ‘There are lots of them around. Anything else?’
Annika hesitated.
‘Only one thing,’ she said. ‘Exactly why do you do this?’
Rebecka quickly folded her arms across her chest and crossed her legs: classic defensive body language.
‘I can’t tell you that.’
‘Why not?’ Annika asked calmly. ‘Your organization is very unusual, to say the least. Something must have inspired you.’
They sat in silence for a while, Rebecka’s foot swinging rhythmically back and forth.
‘I don’t want you to put this in,’ she said. ‘This is private, just between you and me.’
Annika nodded.
The woman leaned forward, wide-eyed.
‘Like I said,’ she whispered, ‘I’ve been threatened too. It was a terrifying experience, terrifying! In the end I wasn’t able to function, I couldn’t eat or sleep.’
Rebecka looked over her shoulder, glancing at the other guests at the bar, then leaned closer.
‘I made up my mind that I would survive. That’s how I began to set up this method of protection. While I was working on it, I encountered lots of people in similar circumstances. I decided to do something, to shoulder the responsibility that the authorities couldn’t deal with.’
‘Who threatened you?’ Annika asked.
Rebecka swallowed, her lower lip quivering.
‘The Yugoslav Mafia,’ she said. ‘Have you heard of them?’
Annika blinked in surprise.
‘How are you involved with them?’
‘I’m not!’ Rebecka shot back. ‘The whole thing was a misunderstanding. It was awful, just awful!’
Suddenly she got up.
‘Excuse me,’ she said and ran off to the restroom. A small heap of twisted and crumpled paper napkins remained on the table.
Annika looked after her for a long time. What the heck was going on? Had she run into more cigarette thieves?
She sighed, drank her tepid water and read through her notes. Despite the considerable amounts of information there were holes in the story, she just couldn’t pinpoint them yet. And what did the Yugo Mafia have to do with it all?
The porcelain figurine was taking her time. Feeling impatient, Annika checked her watch and saw that it was almost time to take the train to Flen. She paid the bill and had put her jacket on by the time Rebecka returned, looking clear-eyed and unperturbed.
‘I’m sorry,’ the woman said and smiled. ‘The memories are so painful.’
Annika studied her; she might as well ask her question and be done with it.
‘Do you have anything to do with the missing cigarettes?’ she asked in a strained voice.
Rebecka smiled and blinked with a blank expression in her eyes.
‘Have you lost your own cigarettes? I don’t smoke.’
Annika sighed. ‘I won’t be able to write a thing until I have that list of authorities,’ she said. ‘It’s important that I get it as soon as possible.’
‘Of course,’ Rebecka said. ‘You’ll be hearing from me shortly. If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave first so no one sees us together. Could you wait a few minutes?’
Mission Impossible , Annika thought. The subject has left the building.
‘Sure,’ she said.
The rhythmic thumping of the train plunged Annika into a state of calm concentration before she had got as far as Årstabron. Tanto slipped past on the left, large houses with picture windows facing the waterfront. Soon the view was nothing but greenery:
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