Buried in Secret (Sandhamn Murders), page 29
Was it really a police helicopter? Had someone realized she was in trouble and sounded the alarm?
It must have come to rescue her!
Nora waved hysterically, both arms high in the air.
A searchlight sliced through the night sky, showing the way through the forest.
Tears of relief sprang to her eyes.
“I’m here!” she shouted, crying and yelling at the same time, knowing perfectly well that they couldn’t hear her. “Over here!”
The helicopter passed low over her head, holding a steady course for the landing area on the western point, where she’d just left the rowboat. Any minute now she’d be safe.
The helicopter lifted into the air.
Nora stared at it, frozen to the spot as it flew away over the trees and disappeared out to sea.
She was alone in the darkness once more. And she’d lost her few minutes of grace.
CHAPTER 99
The pilot had changed her mind at the last second; the helicopter lurched and flew away from the island.
“What happened?” Thomas shouted.
“It looked as if someone was standing in the way.”
“What?”
“I couldn’t risk landing.”
Thomas leaned forward, but he couldn’t see anyone down there. However, there was a considerably larger motorboat moored next to the little rowboat now.
The helicopter sped away so fast that he only got a fleeting glimpse, but he was sure it was Nora’s rowboat.
“I’m going to have to repeat the maneuver—sorry,” the pilot informed him. She’d already had to go around again to try to land on Telegrafholmen instead of Sandhamn; it hadn’t taken long, but Thomas had a feeling that every second counted.
“For fuck’s sake!” Aram snapped. He thought they should be heading straight for Seglarstaden, where Johanna Strand’s body had been found. The maritime police were waiting for them, as were the CSIs. This wasn’t the time to get sidetracked. “We need to get to Sandhamn,” he went on.
Thomas shook his head.
“Telegrafholmen!” he roared in a tone that brooked no opposition. “Look!”
Aram peered into the darkness; it was impossible to see anything.
“What am I supposed to be looking at?”
Thomas swayed as the pilot wheeled around once more. The seat belt dug into his side, and he braced himself with one hand, trying to protect his cracked ribs.
Aram’s skeptical expression made it clear that he didn’t agree with Thomas’s new priority, but the helicopter was making for Telegrafholmen, the searchlight plowing a furrow of brightness through the night.
CHAPTER 100
Nora forced herself to keep going, in spite of her failing strength. The soles of her feet were bleeding; her thin socks had been shredded by the rough ground, and the wounds from the previous evening had opened up. The pain in her knee had become a constant ache, increasing with every step.
She wanted to sink down and weep, but that wasn’t an option. There must be a place on the island where she could hide, but the crevices in the rocks weren’t deep enough, the vegetation wasn’t dense enough.
If only she could keep out of his way until dawn, maybe he’d give up.
Up ahead she saw the construction workers’ trailers. Could she hide in one of them, or would she be walking into a trap of her own making? Would he track her down easily, do what he’d come to her house to do?
The trailers were probably locked anyway, and she didn’t have time to work out how to break in.
Nora’s chest was rasping with every laborious breath.
Please don’t let him hear me.
She tried to breathe more quietly, through her nose, but she couldn’t get enough air without opening her mouth.
Through the wind, she heard the helicopter. There was no chance of it coming back. Whoever was on board hadn’t seen her; it was hopeless.
She was on the point of giving up when she realized that the throbbing was getting louder. She looked up at the sky; unbelievably, the helicopter seemed to be returning to Telegrafholmen.
The searchlight was on.
Nora blinked back her tears. Had they seen her after all?
She followed the flashing lights, heading straight for the concrete jetty.
It was going to land. Nora inhaled sharply. It was actually going to land!
For a second it hovered above the trees, then it disappeared from view and the noise subsided as the rotors slowed.
The police had come to rescue her. She allowed the tears of relief to flow, then began to limp toward the helicopter.
Suddenly someone came rushing at her.
Siri
Siri’s heart was beating fast with joy as she moored the boat on the northern side of Telegrafholmen, the part of the island that couldn’t be seen from Sandhamn.
She was the one who’d suggested the location. It wasn’t the first time; it was too risky to meet on Djurö, where people might recognize them. There were rarely any visitors on Telegrafholmen, and she’d always loved the uninhabited island. Plus it was only twenty minutes from Djurö, and Siri was an adept sailor.
She’d stayed home for the past few days. The nausea had gotten worse; for the first time she’d called in sick and lied about the reason. In Petter’s absence, it was a relief to lie on the sofa and dream about the future. She didn’t often allow herself to simply rest and do nothing.
It was a beautiful, mild evening. The late-summer warmth still lingered, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
She wasn’t the first to arrive; he’d already moored his boat in the usual spot. It didn’t take long to make the crossing from Sandhamn.
Siri patted her belly and whispered, “Let’s go and meet Daddy,” even though she knew it was foolish.
She set off with the picnic basket. She could see him through the trees smoking one of his cigarillos.
“Hi, honey!” she called out as she waved to him. When Nalle turned around, she felt dizzy with love. His smile was the first thing she’d fallen for, the pure joy on his face whenever he saw her.
As if he couldn’t get enough of her.
That was why she hadn’t hesitated when he asked her to stay behind after a late meeting at work.
She loved being with him.
On that first evening his gaze had made her feel hot and cold at the same time. It had gone straight into her heart and awoken a longing for forbidden pleasures, his lips on hers, his fingertips touching her bare skin. They’d kissed as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
He opened his arms and Siri ran to him. He kissed her as intensely as he had the first time, and she felt a rush of desire, as she always did. The picnic could wait. She just managed to spread the blanket so they didn’t have to lie on the ground.
Afterward she lay with her head resting on his chest, tracing a pattern over the smooth skin with her index finger. She’d intended to save her news until they’d eaten, but she couldn’t hold back any longer. Siri propped herself up on one elbow so that she could see his face.
“I’ve got something amazing to tell you,” she said with a big smile. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the mouth. He laughed, misunderstanding the gesture.
“Again?” he murmured in her ear. “So soon?”
“We’re having a baby,” Siri whispered. “I’m almost eight weeks along.”
She caressed her stomach and tried to kiss him again, but Nalle turned his head away. He freed himself from her embrace and sat up.
“That’s out of the question,” he said.
Siri thought she’d misheard.
“It’s definitely yours,” she said, in case he’d misunderstood. “It’s our child.”
“We can’t have a baby together.”
Nalle pulled on his sweater. An irritated frown spoiled his handsome face, and the soft lips she’d just kissed were set in a hard line.
“You must realize it’s totally inappropriate at the moment. What if someone found out, right in the middle of the election campaign? How would that look? The prospective chair of the council having an affair with a political secretary!”
“What do you mean?”
“Besides which, I couldn’t do that to Annie. She’s much too sick.”
The loving gentleness was all gone when he stood up.
“You told me you couldn’t get pregnant. Did you lie to me?”
Ice spread through Siri’s veins. Nalle had never spoken to her in that tone. She didn’t recognize him; it was as if a stranger had taken over the man she loved.
“I thought I couldn’t,” she stammered, feeling an uncomfortable pressure in her chest. “I would never lie to you.”
“No one must know about this. You have to get rid of it—you do realize that, don’t you?”
He pulled on his jeans, tightened the belt without looking at her.
Siri picked up her own sweater and held it to her breasts. She stared at him in total bewilderment. Was he leaving? They were supposed to be having a picnic, toasting the good news with champagne.
“I think it’s best if we don’t see each other for a while,” he went on. “Let things calm down. This has been great, but we need to take a break.”
Siri was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry. She’d risked everything for his sake, cheated on her husband and destroyed her marriage.
He picked up his jacket. “You can organize the abortion—I won’t come with you. We shouldn’t be seen together.”
Siri finally managed to speak. “What are you saying?”
“Take it easy, OK?”
He sounded as if he were at work, dealing with some minor problem at the office. As if she were a difficult colleague.
He glanced at his watch. “I’m sure we can resolve this without getting hysterical. I have to go.”
He turned and walked away. Just like that.
Siri sat there as if she were paralyzed for a few seconds, then rage took over.
She lost control of her body.
She saw herself pick up a stone and hurl it at him with all her strength. She picked up another, and another.
“What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Nalle yelled at her to stop, calm down. Had she lost her mind?
But when he continued to walk away, it was impossible for Siri to stop. She ran after him with another stone in her hand. She lashed out at his back and shoulders, desperate to hurt him.
He turned and grabbed her wrist, but she started biting and clawing at him instead. She wanted to see him bleed, see the pain in his eyes.
They crashed to the ground, rolling in the moss. She was determined to hurt him as much as he’d hurt her.
He was still yelling at her, but she couldn’t stop, even though she knew she ought to think about the baby.
She was almost howling with pain.
Suddenly he was sitting on top of her with his fingers around her throat. He squeezed, but still she couldn’t stop biting and lashing out. It was impossible, her hands refused to obey her, her body did as it wished. Hatred fueled her, drove her on.
He squeezed harder. She didn’t stop.
Not until everything went black and the last of the air was forced out of her lungs.
Then she stopped.
CHAPTER 101
For a second, Nora looked into Björn Johansson’s eyes, then she acted instinctively and pushed him as hard as she could.
The adrenaline made her strong, but he was stronger.
He seized her arm, held on to her. She did her best to pull away, but got nowhere. She kneed him in the crotch, but still he didn’t loosen his grip. Instead he used his free hand to grab her neck and force her down. Nora did her best to stay upright; she knew she would be in real danger if he got her on the ground, but she was no match for him.
She wound up underneath him, kicking and struggling. Johansson locked her arms with his upper body, releasing both his hands. He put them around her throat. She couldn’t get any air.
Everything flickered before her eyes, her field of vision shrank.
The pressure increased.
I’m going to die, she thought, but somehow she managed to turn her head toward one of his forearms. With fresh strength born of desperation, she bit through fabric and flesh and muscle until she struck something hard. Her mouth was filled with the taste of blood. She felt sick, but refused to let go.
Johansson let out a roar and rolled off her.
Nora scrambled to her feet, coughing and coughing. She looked around for something to defend herself with, and saw a large stone.
She gasped for air. Her throat was in agonizing pain, but she was ready to fight.
Far away, she heard faint voices. One of them sounded like Thomas—was that a hallucination, brought on by the lack of oxygen? She couldn’t tell. She tried to shout for help, but all that came out was a hoarse croak.
Björn Johansson was also on his feet now, standing in the middle of the path and blocking the way to the helicopter. He was clutching his injured arm, and his eyes were full of hatred.
“You fucking bitch—you’ll pay for this!”
Nora raised the hand holding the stone. There was nothing she wanted more than to hurt him. He’d broken into her home, terrified her. Anger gave her fresh energy.
“Get out of my way!” she hissed. Johansson circled around her, like a boxer preparing to attack. Nora hunched her shoulders, ready to counter any onslaught.
“You don’t stand a chance,” Johansson said, his voice dripping with contempt. “Do you seriously think you’re a match for me, after what I’ve done?”
Nora tightened her grip on the stone.
Any second now.
She longed to smash his face, destroy that supercilious look.
Suddenly, Thomas’s voice came from behind her.
“Hands in the air or I’ll shoot!” he yelled.
Nora didn’t take her eyes off Johansson. Every muscle was trembling with tension.
“Second warning!” Thomas yelled again; he was only a few feet away.
Time stood still.
Slowly, Björn Johansson took a step back and raised his hands above his head.
“Don’t shoot!”
Nora hesitated for a few endless seconds, then she dropped the stone. It landed on the ground with a thud, between her and Johansson.
The tension left her body as if someone had stuck a pin in a balloon. She fell to her knees and vomited violently.
Astrid
Astrid was lying in the spare bed she used when she stayed the night with Johanna.
Someone tapped on the bedroom window. Astrid opened her eyes, got up, and looked out to see Niklas standing there. He beckoned to her. It was only a few hours since they’d parted company in the boathouse.
Astrid pulled on her robe and crept to the front door.
Niklas’s face was ashen, his expression strained. His eyes were red and swollen; it was obvious that he’d been crying. It wasn’t particularly cold, but he was shaking so much that his teeth were chattering. Astrid made him sit down on the edge of the decking. She grabbed a blanket from one of the garden chairs and wrapped it around his shoulders.
“What’s happened?”
Niklas opened his mouth but looked totally bewildered, as if he’d forgotten how to speak. His breathing was so rapid and shallow that Astrid wondered if he was injured. She looked for signs of bleeding, but his clothes were intact and she couldn’t see any injuries.
“Has someone hurt you?” she asked gently.
Niklas shook his head.
His lips were alarmingly pale, his eyes dull and lifeless. Astrid had no idea what was going on, but she was becoming increasingly worried. Only that afternoon he’d sat quietly with her in the boathouse; it was Niklas who’d given her the courage to get up and walk out of there.
Now he seemed to be as crushed as she was.
What was wrong? Something terrible must have happened during the evening.
Niklas took out a packet of cigarettes and tried to light one, but his fingers were shaking too much. Astrid did it for him. He took a deep drag, then another. He buried his face in his hands.
Astrid sat quietly beside him, hoping he’d be able to tell her eventually. Was it his mom?
“My dad . . .” Niklas said at long last. A shuddering sob passed through his body. Astrid waited patiently.
“I think . . . I think he’s killed someone.”
Astrid’s eyes opened wide. “What?”
“I decided to talk to him this evening. I was going to tell him that I was leaving home, that I wouldn’t be coming back to Tyresö with him when we finish on Sunday.”
Niklas was speaking so quietly that his words were almost inaudible. Astrid leaned closer.
“I’ve sold the Jet Ski, so you and I will be able to afford somewhere to live.”
He took a quick drag, then coughed.
“Someone said Dad was out in the boat, so I took the Jet Ski out for one last run while I waited for him to come back.”
Astrid shivered and drew her robe more tightly around her body. Niklas’s voice was a monotone, as if he were in a trance.
“When I passed Telegrafholmen, I saw my dad’s boat moored in the inlet on the far side of the island. I recognized it right away; not many people have a Targa of that model. There was a Buster next to it. I was curious, so I went ashore.”
Niklas’s hand was still shaking; flakes of ash drifted down.
“As soon as I switched off the engine, I could hear a woman yelling hysterically. Then I heard Dad yelling back at her. It was crazy—they sounded as if they were killing each other.”
His voice almost broke.
“I followed the sound, then everything went quiet. I hid behind a tree. That’s when I realized what he was doing.”
Astrid hardly dared ask the next question.
“What did you see?”
Niklas opened and closed his mouth as if he couldn’t bear to go on.
“I saw my dad sitting on top of a woman who was lying on the ground. She was naked from the waist up, I could see her breasts. He had his hands around her throat. She wasn’t moving.”
