At first she had no idea what he meant.
‘A new job? Do you need me to help out with something before Strid arrives?’
‘No, I mean, you’re changing jobs. Haven’t you noticed what happened to Madeleine? Franz wants you to be his secretary.’
Oh my god! Not on your life!
‘I can’t. What would happen to the library?’
‘Mona Asplund will take over as librarian.’
Mona Asplund was Elvira’s mother. Sofia had never spoken to her. She worked on the farm; she was quiet and shy and mostly kept to herself.
‘How will she manage that? This doesn’t sound like a good idea at all.’
‘Sofia, calm down. Why can’t we ever just talk without you getting all worked up? Think of the priorities. Around here, nothing is more important than supporting Franz. Don’t you get that?’
‘We have to find someone else to be librarian.’
Her voice had risen into a falsetto. She was about to lose control.
‘Franz wants you to spend evenings in the library as long as Strid is here. You can take Mona with you and show her how everything works.’ He was unyielding, and it was too much. The disaster with Ellis and now this. The library was like her rock, and it was about to collapse.
She turned and ran across the yard, angry tears welling in her eyes. Bosse called after her but it only made her run faster. Through the door and up the stairs to her dormitory, where she slammed the door and locked it behind her. She threw herself onto her bed. Working with Oswald every day? It would be hell. All the closeness and energy and that tingle in her belly — and what if he blew up at her like he had at Bosse?
Her rage slowly retreated and was replaced by despair. What would she do? Could a person approach Oswald and say they didn’t want to work for him? She thought about the Ellis situation. Oswald had seemed so sure he could handle it. Would he still help her if she refused to work for him? She considered all her options, but it seemed like she would come out the loser no matter what she did. Her despair gave way to a mute indifference, but the knot in her stomach was gone.
There was a knock at the door. She knew who it was.
‘Come in!’
‘It’s locked, Sofia.’
She rose to turn the key, then sat back down on her bed.
Bosse was in the doorway. He didn’t look angry, only nervous.
‘Sofia, can’t we talk about this?’
‘I’ll do it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ll take the job. I don’t really have a choice, do I?’
‘Of course you do, but it’s important for us to help Franz right now. You understand that, don’t you?’
‘Do you think he’ll help me get rid of Ellis?’
‘Yes, I know he will. He’s already started working on it.’
‘And you promise I can work with Mona until everything is in working order in the library?’
‘Of course.’
‘Okay then.’
The tense lines on Bosse’s face smoothed back out.
‘I knew I could depend on you. Now go to the office and see if Franz needs your help tonight.’
She went to the bathroom to spruce herself up, brush her hair and put on some lip gloss.
She tried to convince herself that this would all work out in the end.
*
Oswald’s door was ajar and the office was empty, so she stepped in and looked around. Madeleine had a small desk in one corner, hardly large enough for a computer.
There were several neat stacks of paper on Oswald’s desk. She sneaked a look at the top one and tried to make out what it said.
She heard his voice behind her.
‘If you ever snoop through my papers, my computer, or anything else that belongs to me, you will be in big trouble, Sofia.’
She turned around and saw an amused smile on his lips.
‘I’m glad you’re here. Go down to the guards and sign all the confidentiality agreements they have. Then we’ll get moving.’
As she was on her way out the door, she heard his voice again.
‘This is going to be great. Really great.’
On the way down to the sentry box she made a decision. It came from deep inside her, a comforting thought that took root and began to grow. She would move in with Benjamin. That way she could handle this new job, because she would have someone to talk to. And have sex with, of course. That tension with Oswald would disappear. And if things got too tough, Benjamin would be there when her long workdays were over.
*
The job wasn’t anything like she’d expected. It seemed like nothing in her life ever turned out as expected, but maybe it was for the best. It wasn’t hard to work for Oswald at first. Magnus Strid had arrived at the manor and Oswald accompanied him everywhere: to the guests’ dining room, the garage (where Oswald showed off his cars and motorcycles), and the classrooms while Strid went through the program. Oswald hardly left his side.
When he wasn’t with Strid he was on the mainland, giving lectures. Since new guests kept arriving on the island, Oswald remained in a good mood.
Sofia began to rearrange the office. She cleaned out Madeleine’s mess and created her own computer system. She spent the first few days of her job anxiously trying to make herself indispensable to Oswald when he was there, running around the office and helping him with every minor task — like immediately fetching and stapling any papers he printed out — and refilling his water glass over and over. She even pulled out his chair for him when he was ready to sit down. But one day he waved her off.
‘Calm down, Sofia. Relax. Don’t get yourself in a tizzy over the goddamn water in my glass again.’
After that she let herself fall into a comfortable routine. When Oswald was home, she made sure he had everything he needed. Breakfast and the morning papers had to be on the desk when he came in. His cars had to be washed by the household staff. She wrote congratulatory cards from him to the guests who completed the program and she typed out his lectures, which he always dictated. And she was expected to make sure that a few private things were on hand — like his cologne, which was specially made in Italy, and the muscle-building protein powder he mixed into drinks. But all she had to do was follow a checklist.
When Oswald was in the office, he always sent her off in the evening, saying, ‘Go find out what’s been accomplished today.’ She reported any updates back to him, and that was the end of their workday.
The job was like child’s play. At first.
She spent the rest of her evenings in the library with Mona, just in case Strid should come by.
There was something about Mona that Sofia couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was the plainest person Sofia had met at the manor, pale and sullen with an evasive gaze. Mona was a nervous woman too. She bit her nails and her lower lip, and her anxious behaviour reminded Sofia of her own mother. Mona and her husband Anders were the only middle-aged people on staff; everyone else was young and presumably hand-picked by Oswald.
One night, Magnus Strid did come to the library. For once he wasn’t in the company of Oswald. Sofia liked him immediately; he was short, hefty, and a little unkempt, with several days’ worth of stubble and a large coffee stain on his shirt. But he had a warm, open smile and kind eyes.
‘Do you have Cleves by Marie Darrieussecq?’ he asked.
Sofia felt her cheeks flush. Cleves was one of the books Oswald definitely wouldn’t have allowed her to purchase if he’d read it. The cover was innocent and lovely: a painting of a girl on a beach. But the contents were extremely erotic.
She helped the journalist find and check out the book. He began to ask her about the computer system, and soon she had shown him every detail of the library.
They started talking about books and must have been going on for hours, because by the time Sofia looked at the clock it was almost eleven. Mona had long since slipped out, and the staff had all gone to bed.
‘I hope I can come by again before I go home,’ Strid said before he returned to the annexe for the night.
‘Anytime.’
When she stepped into the courtyard, the lights were still on in the office window, so she went up to turn them off and lock up for the night. To her surprise, Oswald was still there. African bongo music was streaming from the speakers on the walls, which meant he was in a good mood. He was reading a newspaper. He looked pleased when he looked up.
‘So what did Strid think of the library?’
‘He loved it. We talked for a few hours.’
‘I saw you from the window.’
He looked like he had a secret.
‘I have a little surprise for you, Sofia. You’ll learn more tomorrow. I’ll be on the mainland most of the day, but I’m sure Bosse will tell you.’
She was immensely curious, but she knew he wouldn’t give her more right then.
Suddenly it just slipped out of her.
‘I want to move in with Benjamin.’
Oswald knitted his brow thoughtfully. He studied her for a moment and gave her a cool smile.
‘I know you two hang out, but is it really that serious? Or do you just want to have sex?’
She turned red and hated herself for it; she couldn’t look him in the eye.
‘I mean, we really like each other,’ she mumbled.
‘Well, I guess you can move in together in that case,’ Oswald said and went back to reading the paper.
*
That night she did something she’d never done before. She went to Benjamin’s dormitory and woke him up. She could do that now that she was Oswald’s secretary. She knocked at the door and called in an authoritative voice: ‘Benjamin Frisk. I have a message from Franz.’
Benjamin opened the door, his hair mussed, his eyes sleepy, wearing only boxers. She took his hands and pulled him into the hallway, placing him under the light so she could see his face better.
‘We’re moving in together!’
‘What? Are you serious?’
‘I just got the okay from Franz.’
He hugged her so hard she couldn’t breathe.
*
The next day, she was in a terrific mood. Oswald was away, so she hung out in the office sorting papers, cleaning, and using Oswald’s stereo system for the first time although she wasn’t sure he would approve.
When she saw Bosse in the yard she slipped down to the staff office to get her phone. She wanted to write to Wilma and tell her about Benjamin. While she charged the phone she discovered that she’d received a text from Wilma sent that same morning.
Did you read about Ellis? Awesome! was all it said.
At first she was confused. Then she got a hunch and rummaged through the newspapers on Oswald’s desk for the local paper from Lund — Oswald had gone to the university there and still subscribed to the paper. The article wasn’t long, but it was impossible to miss.
Internet Stalker Arrested
Under the headline was a picture of Wilgot Östling, the police chief, who stated that the police had traced a sexually offensive blog to a man in Lund. He had written his posts in various libraries and cafes, and when they performed a raid on his apartment drugs were found as well. The man was currently in custody. The article concluded with a statement from Östling saying that this was a breakthrough when it came to cracking down on the many sexual harassment cases online.
She read the article again. Word for word. She put down the paper and paced around the office, then read the article once more. She followed the text with her finger as if to reassure herself it was real. It had to be about Ellis. She paced the room again and looked out the window, where she could see the lookout point and the sea. Relief struck her like a warm wave as she stood there. That jerk was only getting what he deserved. All at once she felt tremendous admiration for Oswald. He had made this happen in only a few days. But how on earth had he done it? Would it turn into a trial? Would she have to testify if it did? Did she really hate Ellis so much she wanted him locked up?
Then another thought popped up. A thought she would rather push aside.
Because something wasn’t right.
She knew Ellis had never done drugs.
The light is on in the cottage but I know she’s not there.
The door is unlocked.
The heat strikes me as I step in.
She left the fire burning in the open hearth.
I feel the urge to set the whole cottage on fire, but I have more important things to take care of.
Now that I’m in the light, I discover how filthy I am.
I wipe my feet on the doormat; I can’t leave any traces.
I take off my wet underwear and find a plastic bag in the kitchen to put them in. I have to remember to take them with me.
I walk into my room and close the door.
Look in the wardrobe for something ordinary; she must not notice anything missing.
I put on underwear, socks, a sweater, and pants. I find a jacket I never wear and the backpack is under the bed.
The clothes don’t help; my teeth are still chattering and for an instant I wish I could crawl in bed to warm up. But I smother the impulse.
I sling the backpack over my shoulder on the way out.
Just then, I hear the front door opening.