Women Without Mercy Read online

  He collapsed on the floor. Ingrid stopped stabbing and contemplated the lifeless body. What was she meant to do now? She had stabbed another person to death.

  She heard weak groaning noises. They were from the room with the closed door.

  ‘He’s dead,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’

  Silence.

  Ingrid repeated her question.

  ‘I’ll manage,’ the woman replied.

  Ingrid wanted to go in there to hug her, to comfort her, to explain that her personal hell was over.

  ‘Stay where you are,’ said Ingrid. ‘We can’t see each other’s faces.’

  She thought for a moment.

  ‘What happened tonight was a burglary gone wrong. You both discovered the thief, and he killed your husband. I’m going to take the knife with me. I have to go now – call the police as soon as I’m gone.’

  ‘Oh God, thank you.’

  Ingrid looked around, and her eye caught sight of the belt lying a little way from the man. That must have been what had caught her on the cheek. She picked it up and stuffed it into her pocket.

  EPILOGUE

  Around a year later

  The air was warm and even though the sun was setting the temperature in southern Florida was well over thirty degrees Celsius. Two women were sitting at a round table at a beachside bar with ocean views. They could occasionally hear the sound of engines or car horns from the road. Ingrid Steen and Victoria Brunberg had never met before, but they shared each other’s darkest secrets. Conversation between them was faltering, cautious and polite.

  ‘You said you’d been to Barbados?’ Ingrid asked.

  ‘Yes, for New Year. I was there last year too – with my fiancé,’ Victoria Brunberg replied.

  ‘Is he kind?’

  ‘Very kind.’

  Victoria raised her drink to her lips and drained what remained in the glass.

  ‘And you?’

  Ingrid shook her head.

  ‘No, I live alone with my daughter.’

  She gestured towards the beach, where a blonde girl was playing in the waves.

  They hadn’t revealed their names to each other. It was safest that way. They were still waiting for a third person. She was another woman they had never met before and they didn’t know what she was called, but she was also part of the way they had freed themselves.

  Around them were mostly tourists. Couples were photographing each other or gazing at the turquoise sea. The women both jumped when a police cruiser drove past with its sirens blaring. Once it had disappeared they laughed uncertainly.

  ‘Where can she be?’ Ingrid Steen asked.

  ‘Maybe she’s not coming.’

  ‘Let’s wait a bit longer.’

  They called the waiter over and ordered another mojito each. The server returned with them on a tray. The glasses were misted, the mint bright green under the layer of ice. An older woman appeared, looked around and then approached their table.

  The chair legs scraped as she pulled it out from under the table. Her hair was white and she was rather skinny. Her face was pale and didn’t quite fit in with the other sun-kissed tourists.

  She stared at the older of the two women at the table. Victoria Brunberg’s gaze flickered questioningly from one to the other.

  ‘Do you know each other?’

  Ingrid Steen and Birgitta Nilsson continued to contemplate each other before bursting into laughter.

  Keep Reading …

  If you enjoyed Women Without Mercy, why not try these books from Camilla Lackberg …

  A woman who has everything …

  People would kill to have Faye Adelheim’s life. She lives in a beautiful apartment, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world.

  Or does she?

  So how is it, then, that Faye now finds herself in a police station?

  The truth is about to come out …

  The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?

  Click here to buy The Gilded Cage

  She is safe …

  Faye Adelheim deserves the life she has. After fleeing from a violent marriage, she has built her business into a global brand and is living in a beautiful villa in Italy with her daughter.

  Or so she thought …

  But Faye’s life is turned upside down when her murderous ex-husband escapes from prison. Faye has no choice but to return home to confront him.

  This will be the fight of her life …

  Faye will do anything to keep her family safe. But when the dark secrets of her childhood come back to haunt her, she will have to battle like never before to stop her deepest fears from coming true …

  Click here to buy Silver Tears

  Acknowledgements

  Above all, I’d like to thank my family. Without them there would be no books. Simon, Wille, Meja, Charlie and Polly: not only do you inspire me, but you also give me goals and lend meaning to what I do.

  I should add that, despite the common misconception, books come into being through collaboration. And I have many people to thank! The whole team at Forum, my publisher Ebba Östberg and my freelance editor Olivia Demant. Thanks to everyone at Nordin Agency – especially my agent Joakim Hansson. Lili Assefa, my publicist and manager, has also been a tremendous pillar of support. I’d also like to thank my good friend and über-talented colleague Pascal Engman, who has been my rock and my sounding board in the genesis of these books.

  About the Author

  Camilla Lackberg is a worldwide bestseller renowned for her brilliant contemporary psychological thrillers. Her novels have sold over 28 million copies in 60 countries with translations into 43 languages.

  www.camillalackberg.com

  Also by Camilla Lackberg

  The Ice Princess

  The Preacher

  The Stonecutter

  The Stranger (previously titled The Gallows Bird)

  The Hidden Child

  The Drowning

  The Lost Boy

  Buried Angels

  The Ice Child

  The Girl in the Woods

  The Gilded Cage

  Silver Tears

  Short stories

  The Scent of Almonds & Other Stories

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