The Ice Child Read online

  ‘I did the best I could, but I was never meant to have a child.’

  It was strange that their first honest conversation was taking place when it might be too late. But there was no reason to keep anything hidden any longer, and maybe that was what was needed so they could stop pretending.

  ‘How can you be so sure that we’ll be rescued?’ Molly was freezing as she sat on the cold floor, and the wind was starting to seep inside. She was filled with panic at the thought that she might have to pee right where she was sitting.

  ‘I just am,’ said Marta. As if in reply to her confident words, they suddenly heard a door open.

  Molly pressed her back against the wall. ‘What if it’s him? What if he’s coming to hurt us?’

  ‘Take it easy,’ said Marta. And for the first time since Molly woke up here in the dark, she felt Marta’s hand on her arm.

  Martin and Gösta stood as if paralysed at one end of the room. They didn’t know how to deal with the incomprehensible evil staring them in the face.

  ‘My God,’ said Gösta. Martin had no idea how many times he’d said that, but he had to agree. My God.

  Neither of them had really believed Patrik when he came out of Einar’s room and said there was something in the barn. But they’d helped him to search the place again, making a more thorough job of it this time. And when he found the trap door in the floor under one of the cars, all their objections vanished. Eager to find Molly and Marta, Patrik had yanked open the trap door and dashed down the narrow ladder into the dim light below. Patrik had a hard time seeing anything, but he was able to determine that no one was there. So they decided to call in Torbjörn and his team. In the meantime, they’d wait up above in the barn.

  Now that the tech experts had arrived, spotlights lit up the entire space like a stage set. After the team had secured prints from the ladder and sections of the floor, Patrik went down, with Gösta and Martin following.

  Martin heard Gösta gasp for breath when he entered the room, and he was still in shock at the sight before them. The cold walls and the hard-packed dirt floor, the filthy mattress covered with dark patches that were most likely dried blood. In the middle of the room a metal pole had been stuck in the ground and a couple of rough ropes were fastened to it, also spattered with blood. The air was heavy, making it hard to breathe, and the stench of something rotting filled the space.

  Torbjörn’s voice roused him from his horrified thoughts.

  ‘Something stood over there. Mostly likely a camera tripod.’

  ‘Are you saying that somebody filmed what went on in here?’ Patrik craned his neck to see where Torbjörn was pointing.

  ‘I think so. Have you found any films or videos?’

  ‘No,’ said Patrik, shaking his head. ‘Maybe over there.’

  He walked over to a dirty bookcase against the wall. Martin followed. The dust on one shelf had been cleared away in one spot, and next to it was an empty DVD case.

  ‘He must have come down here to get them so he could take them along,’ said Martin. ‘The question is, where did he go?’

  ‘Yes. And did he take Molly and Marta with him?’

  Martin could feel the nauseating atmosphere taking a toll on his strength.

  ‘Where the hell could they be?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ said Patrik. ‘But we need to find him. And them.’

  Martin saw Patrik’s jaw clench as he tried to control his anger.

  ‘Do you think that he …’ He couldn’t finish the sentence.

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t know anything any more.’

  The resigned tone of Patrik’s voice almost made Martin lose hope, but he understood how he felt. They had made a real breakthrough in the investigation, but they hadn’t succeeded when it came to the most important task: to find Molly and Marta. And after what they’d found down here, they were probably in the hands of a very sick man.

  ‘Come and look at this!’ called Torbjörn from up in the barn.

  ‘We’re coming!’ Patrik called in reply.

  All three of them climbed back up the ladder.

  ‘You were right,’ Torbjörn told Patrik as he hurriedly led the way to the far end of the barn where the horse transport van was parked. It was bigger and sturdier than many others Martin had seen on the roads. On closer inspection it seemed unnecessarily spacious for anyone, such as the Persson family, who needed to transport only one horse.

  ‘Look. The van was reconfigured. That side wasn’t used for a horse. Instead, the floor was raised to create an empty space underneath, big enough to hold a person if they weren’t too big. You’d think someone would have noticed, but there was hay on top, and maybe the mother and daughter had other things to think about.’

  ‘How the hell did …?’ said Gösta, looking at Patrik in surprise.

  ‘I was wondering how Jonas was able to bring the girls here. It would have been impossible in the car if Molly and Marta were with him. So the horse van was the only option.’

  ‘Of course.’ Martin felt stupid that he hadn’t thought of that, but everything had happened so fast and he’d hardly been able to take it all in. Now he was seeing the details, and a clearer picture began to emerge.

  ‘Secure all the evidence you can find to prove the girls were inside there,’ said Patrik. ‘We’re going to need to be on our toes. Jonas must be one clever bastard to have managed all this without anybody noticing.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ said Torbjörn, but with no trace of a smile.

  None of them felt like joking. In fact, Martin felt close to tears, thinking about all the evil people in the world. How could they live so close, and yet do such horrific things under cover of their seemingly normal behaviour?

  He squatted down to look inside the space. It was dark outdoors, and the lights in the barn were dim, but the spotlights that Torbjörn had brought along made it possible for him to get a good look.

  ‘Imagine waking up inside there.’ He felt his chest tighten with claustrophobia.

  ‘He probably kept them sedated the whole time. Partly for practical reasons, and partly so Molly and Marta wouldn’t hear anything.’

  ‘So he took his own daughter along when he kidnapped girls the same age?’ said Gösta. He stood a short distance away, his arms folded. It was clear from his expression that he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  ‘We need to find the films,’ said Patrik.

  ‘And Jonas,’ Martin added. ‘Do you think he suspected we were on his trail, and he left the country? If so, where are Molly and Marta? And Helga?’

  Patrik shook his head. His face was grey with exhaustion as he stared at the small space inside the horse van.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said again.

  ‘You finally came,’ said Marta when the light went on and footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘I got here as fast as I could.’ Jonas knelt down to put his arms around her. As always, it felt as if they merged into one.

  ‘Jonas!’ cried Molly, but he didn’t move. After a moment he let Marta go and turned to his daughter.

  ‘Calm down. I’m going to get both of you out of here.’

  Molly started sobbing hysterically, and Marta had an urge to slap her. Everything was fine now. They were going to be freed. That was what her daughter had been wailing about. Marta herself had never been worried. She knew that Jonas would find them.

  ‘What is Grandma doing here?’ Molly asked.

  Marta exchanged a glance with Jonas. During the hours they’d sat here in the dark, she’d worked it all out. The sweetened tea that Helga had offered them, and the way everything had suddenly gone black. She was impressed that her mother-in-law had been able to lug them into her car and then drag them down here. But women were stronger than men thought, and after living so many years on the farm, Helga had the strength that she’d needed.

  ‘Grandma had to come with me. She has the keys. Isn’t that right?’ Jonas held out his hand towards his mother w
ho was standing silently behind him.

  ‘It was the only way,’ Helga said. ‘The police were after you, and I had to do something that would make you seem less suspicious.’

  ‘So you were willing to sacrifice my wife and my daughter?’ said Jonas.

  After a slight pause, Helga put her hand in her pocket and took out two keys. Jonas tried to unlock Marta’s shackle with one of the keys. It didn’t work, but with a little click the other one did. She massaged her ankle.

  ‘Shit. That really hurts,’ she said, grimacing. She looked up at Helga and was pleased to see the fear in her eyes.

  Jonas went over to Molly and squatted down. He had a hard time getting the key in the lock because Molly was holding on to him so tight, sobbing against his shoulder.

  ‘She’s not yours,’ said Helga quietly.

  Marta stared at her. She wanted to throw herself at the woman to shut her up, but she didn’t move. She waited to see what would come next.

  ‘What?’ Jonas pulled away from Molly without taking off the shackle.

  ‘Molly isn’t your daughter.’ Helga could no longer hide the fact that she was enjoying saying those words out loud.

  ‘You’re lying!’ he said, standing up.

  ‘Ask her. She’ll tell you.’ Helga pointed at Marta. ‘You don’t need to believe me. But ask her.’

  Marta quickly weighed her options. Various strategies and lies raced through her mind, but it was futile. She could lie to anyone without so much as blinking and without arousing the slightest suspicion. But it was different with Jonas. She’d been forced to live with the lie for fifteen years, but at this moment she couldn’t lie to him.

  ‘It’s not a hundred per cent certain,’ she said, her gaze fixed on Helga. ‘She could be Jonas’s daughter.’

  Helga snorted. ‘I can count. She was conceived during the two weeks when Jonas was away taking a course.’

  ‘What? When?’ said Jonas, looking from his mother to Marta.

  Molly had fallen silent and was staring at the grown-ups in bewilderment.

  ‘How did you find out?’ asked Marta, standing up. ‘Nobody knew.’

  ‘I saw you,’ said Helga. ‘I saw the two of you in the barn.’

  ‘Did you see that I fought against him? Did you see that he raped me?’

  ‘As if that makes any difference.’ Helga turned to Jonas. ‘Your father slept with your wife while you were away, and he is Molly’s father.’

  ‘Tell me she’s lying, Marta,’ said Jonas.

  She felt a stab of annoyance that he was so upset. What did it matter? It had only been a question of time before Einar assaulted her. Even Jonas must have realized that, since he knew his father so well after everything that had happened. It was unfortunate that she got pregnant, but Jonas had never wondered. He had never counted up the weeks, even though he was a veterinarian. He had simply accepted Molly as his own.

  ‘What Helga says is true. You were away, and your father could no longer resist the temptation. That shouldn’t surprise you.’

  She looked at Molly, who was listening in silence, her eyes wide and slowly filling with tears.

  ‘Quit blubbering. You’re old enough to hear the truth, even though it would have been better if no one ever found out. But what’s done is done. So what are you planning to do now, Jonas? Are you going to punish me because your father raped me? I kept quiet because it was best for everyone.’

  ‘You’re sick,’ said Helga, curling her hands into fists.

  ‘You think I’m sick?’ Marta felt laughter bubbling up inside of her. ‘In that case I’d say that I’ve simply become like everyone around me. You’re not exactly well yourself, considering what you’ve done.’ She pointed to the shackle that still held Molly captive.

  Jonas didn’t speak as he looked at her. Molly grabbed hold of his leg.

  ‘Please, please get me out of here. I’m so scared.’

  Brusquely he stepped away so she had to let go. She sobbed loudly, holding out her hands.

  ‘I don’t understand what you’re all talking about. I’m scared. Get me out of here.’

  Jonas went over to stand close to Marta, and she looked into his eyes. Then she felt his hand caress her cheek. What they shared had not been broken. It was still there and always would be.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ he said. ‘Nothing was your fault.’

  He stood still for a moment with his hand on her cheek. She felt the strength radiating from him, the same wild and unbridled power that she’d instinctively known he possessed the very first time she saw him.

  ‘We have a lot to do,’ he said, looking deep into her eyes.

  She nodded. ‘Yes, we do.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  For the first time in ages Anna had slept soundly and without dreaming, although it was late by the time she finally fell asleep. She and Dan had talked for hours, deciding to let the wounds heal, even though they knew it would take time. They wanted to stay together.

  She rolled on to her side and stretched out her arm. Dan lay next to her, and instead of turning away, he took her hand and placed it on his chest. Smiling, she felt his warmth spread through her body, from her toes and up to her stomach and … She leapt out of bed and ran for the bathroom, getting there just in time to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

  ‘Sweetheart, what is it?’ said Dan, sounding worried as he came to stand in the doorway. In spite of her misery, Anna couldn’t help tears of joy from welling up because he’d called her ‘sweetheart’.

  ‘I think it’s some sort of stomach flu. I’ve had it for a while.’ She stood up shakily and ran water into the sink to rinse her mouth. She could still taste the vomit, so she decided to brush her teeth.

  Dan stood behind her, looking at her in the mirror. ‘How long has this been going on?’

  ‘I’m not sure. But I’ve felt sick to my stomach off and on for a couple of weeks. It feels like it just won’t stop,’ she said with the toothbrush in her mouth. She felt Dan’s hand on her shoulder.

  ‘That doesn’t sound like stomach flu. Have you considered another possibility?’ Their eyes met, and Anna abruptly stopped brushing her teeth. She spat out the toothpaste and turned around to stare at him.

  ‘When was your last period?’ he asked.

  Frantically she tried to remember. ‘I guess it was a while ago. But I thought that was because of … all the stress. Do you think that …? We only did it once.’

  ‘Once is enough, as you well know.’ He smiled and put his hand on her cheek. ‘Wouldn’t it be great if it’s true?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said as tears spilled from her eyes. ‘Yes. That would really be great.’

  ‘Shall I drive over to the chemist’s shop and buy a pregnancy test?’

  Anna mutely nodded. She didn’t want to get her hopes up if it turned out she merely had the stomach flu.

  ‘Okay. I’ll go right now.’ Dan kissed her on the cheek.

  She sat down on the bed to wait. She touched her breasts. They were a bit tender and swollen, and her belly was a little swollen too. Was it possible that something had been able to grow inside the barren landscape that her body had become? If it was true, she promised never to take anything for granted. She didn’t want to risk losing something so rare and precious again.

  She was roused from her thoughts by Dan coming back into the bedroom, out of breath.

  ‘Here,’ he said, handing her a paper bag from the chemist.

  With trembling fingers she opened the little package. Casting a panic-stricken glance at her husband, she went into the bathroom. She sat on the toilet and stuck the stick between her legs, trying to aim properly. Then she set the stick on the edge of the sink and washed her hands. They were still shaking, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the tiny window on the stick, which would show her if their future was about to change, if they were going to welcome a new life or not.

  She heard the door open. Dan came in, stood behind her, and put his
arms around her. Together they stared at the stick. And waited.

  Erica had slept restlessly, and only for a few hours. She would have liked to set off at once, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to see Laila until ten o’clock at the earliest, since she hadn’t phoned in advance to make an appointment. Besides, she needed to take the children to the day-care centre.

  She stretched out her arms as she lay in bed. Fatigue made her body feel stiff and sluggish. She put her hand on the empty place next to her. Patrik had still not come home, and she wondered what had happened out there on the farm. She wondered whether they had found Molly and Marta, and what Jonas had said. But she didn’t want to bother Patrik by phoning him, even though she had something new to tell him. She hoped he would be pleased with her efforts. Sometimes he was annoyed if she got involved in his work, but that was only because he worried about her safety. This time he had specifically asked her for help. And there was no possibility that she’d get in any sort of trouble. She simply wanted to talk to Laila, and after that she’d give all the information to Patrik so he could use it in the investigation.

  Wearing her nightgown and with her hair tousled, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and went downstairs. She loved having a little time to herself so she could drink a cup of coffee in peace and quiet before the children woke. She’d brought some of the printouts with her to the kitchen so she could read through them again. It was important to do her homework before the visit. But she didn’t get very far before she heard shouts from upstairs. With a sigh she got up to see to her children, who were now wide awake.

  After taking care of all the morning chores and dropping off the kids at the day-care centre, Erica still had some time left, so she decided to double-check a few things. She went into her study and again stood in front of the map. She stared at it for a long time without seeing any sort of pattern. Suddenly she squinted her eyes and smiled. Why hadn’t she seen that earlier? It was so simple.

  She reached for the phone and rang Annika at the station. Five minutes later, after having ended the conversation, she was even more convinced that she had guessed right.