The Ice Child. Camilla Lackberg

is doing the autopsy early tomorrow morning.’ He hesitated again. ‘And her tongue had been cut out.’

      ‘Good Lord,’ said Erica. Now she lost her appetite too. She set a half-eaten bun back on the plate.

      ‘How long ago did it happen?’

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘Were the injuries new or had they healed?’

      ‘Good question. But I don’t know. I hope to get all the details from Pedersen tomorrow.’

      ‘Could it be some religious thing? Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth? Or some horrible expression of hatred for women? She wasn’t supposed to look at him, and she was supposed to keep quiet.’

      Erica waved her hands about as she talked, and as always Patrik was impressed with the shrewdness of his wife’s mind. Such thoughts hadn’t occurred to him when he was trying to speculate about a possible motive.

      ‘What about her ears?’ Erica went on.

      ‘What about her ears?’ He leaned forward, getting crumbs on his hands.

      ‘Well, I was just wondering about something … What if the person who did this, the one who took away her ability to see and speak, also damaged her hearing? If so, she would have been in a sort of bubble, without any means to communicate. Think about what power that would give the perpetrator.’

      Patrik stared at her. He tried to imagine what Erica had just described, but the mere idea made his blood run cold. What a horrifying fate. If that was true, then it might have been a blessing that Victoria hadn’t survived, even though it seemed cold-hearted to think such a thing.

      ‘Mamma, they’re fighting again.’ Maja stood in the kitchen doorway. Patrik glanced at the clock on the wall.

      ‘Oh, it’s time for bed.’ He got up. ‘Shall we do rock, paper, scissors?’

      Erica shook her head and got up to kiss him on the cheek.

      ‘If you put Maja to bed, I’ll take care of the boys tonight.’

      ‘Thanks,’ he said and took his daughter by the hand. They headed for the stairs as Maja chattered about what she had done during the day. But Patrik wasn’t listening. His thoughts were on the girl inside the bubble.

      Jonas slammed the front door so hard that Marta came rushing out of the kitchen, then stood leaning against the doorjamb with her arms folded. He could tell that she’d been expecting this conversation, and her calm demeanour made him even angrier.

      ‘I just talked to Molly. What the hell were you thinking? Shouldn’t we be making decisions like this together?’

      ‘Yes, we should. But sometimes you don’t seem to understand what has to be done.’

      He forced himself to take a deep breath. Marta knew that a disagreement about Molly was the only thing that could make him lose his temper.

      Jonas lowered his voice. ‘She’s been looking forward to this competition. It’s the first one of the season.’

      Marta turned around and went back into the kitchen.

      ‘I’m making dinner. You’ll have to come in here if you want to argue.’

      He hung up his jacket, took off his boots, and swore as he set his feet on the floor. His socks were instantly soaked from the snow he’d tracked in. It was never a good thing when Marta decided to cook. The smell coming from the kitchen did not bode well.

      ‘I’m sorry for yelling.’ He went over to stand behind his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. She was stirring something in a pot, and he looked down to see what it was. He couldn’t tell what was simmering inside, but whatever it was, it didn’t look appetizing.

      ‘Sausage stroganoff,’ she said in reply to his unspoken question.

      ‘Could you just explain to me why?’ he said gently as he continued to massage her shoulders. He knew her so well, knew that it would do no good to shout and scream. So he was trying a different tactic. He had promised Molly that he would at least try. She had been inconsolable when she told him about Marta’s decision, and the front of his shirt was still wet from her tears.

      ‘It would look insensitive if we went to the competition right now. Molly needs to learn that the world does not revolve around her.’

      ‘I don’t think anybody would object if she …’ he ventured.

      Marta turned around and looked up at him. He had always found it endearing that she was so much shorter than he was. It made him feel strong, like he was her protector. But in his heart he knew that was not the case. She was stronger than him and always had been.

      ‘But don’t you understand? You know how people talk. It’s obvious we can’t allow Molly to compete after what happened yesterday. The riding school is barely breaking even, and our reputation is our most important asset. We can’t risk it. So we’ll just have to let Molly sulk. You should have heard the way she spoke to me today. It’s not acceptable. You let her get away with far too much.’

      Jonas reluctantly had to admit that she was right. But that was not the whole truth, and she knew it. Jonas pulled her close, feeling her body against his own and the current that passed between them, as always. He would always feel it. Nothing was stronger. Not even his love for Molly.

      ‘I’ll talk to her,’ he said with his lips pressed against Marta’s hair. He inhaled her scent, so familiar yet still so exotic. He felt himself responding, and Marta did too. She moved her hand down to his crotch and began stroking him through his trousers. He groaned and leaned down to kiss her.

      The stroganoff on the stove was burning, but they didn’t care.

       UDDEVALLA 1967

       Everything had fallen into place so nicely for them that Laila could hardly believe it. Vladek was not only an excellent lion tamer, he also possessed a talent that was more practical for everyday use. He was an expert at fixing things. It hadn’t taken long before word of his skill had spread through town, and people began coming to Vladek to get help with everything from faulty dishwashers to broken-down old bangers.

       In all honesty, he’d probably attracted a large number of such jobs because of the interest his presence had stirred. Plenty of people wanted to have a look at someone as remarkable as a genuine circus performer. But after the initial curiosity had faded, they retained a solid respect for his handyman skills. Everyone soon grew so accustomed to him that it was as if he had always been part of the community.

       His self-confidence grew, and when he saw an advert for a workshop in Uddevalla, it seemed only natural that they should seize the opportunity and make the move, although Laila was sad not to be closer to Agneta and her mother. Yet Vladek was finally going to turn his dream into reality and start his own business.

       Here in Uddevalla they had found their dream house. They fell in love with it on first sight. It was quite plain and a bit run-down, but for a modest sum they were able to do some renovations and make changes so that it was now their paradise.

       Life was good, and they were counting the days until they could hold their child in their arms. They would soon become a real family. Laila, Vladek, and the baby.

       Chapter Four

      Mellberg awoke to find a little person jumping on him. The only person who was allowed to wake him. Or jump on him, for that matter.

      ‘Get