ELLEN

12.00 P.M.

Ellen walked along the shore path that led to the harbour. She passed the canoe racing course and walked out onto the long pier.

She wished she had something calming with her, anything at all. Her anxiety was throbbing like a pulsing sore, and she was in a cold sweat.

I can’t take any more, she thought. I can’t take any more.

Some things had been repetition, things she’d read before, various speculations and conspiracies that had followed them throughout their lives. She’d gone through many of the articles from that time, and it hadn’t escaped her that something terrible could have happened to Elsa. But she had worked hard to downplay that and try to repress it.

She’d been the one who’d wanted to go swimming, even though she knew that Elsa couldn’t swim that well. That was exactly why she’d suggested it. Because swimming was the only thing she was better at, compared with Elsa.

She remembered Elsa disappearing. She got angry and ran off to the house. She went to bed.

Ellen rubbed at her forehead and continued walking down the pier, which was narrow and had no railing on either side. She was nervous of taking a wrong step and falling into the water.

When she’d walked out a short way, she sat down, pulled off her espadrilles, and put her feet in the water.

If Ellen had called for help in time, perhaps they would have found her alive. If Ellen hadn’t forced her to go swimming. If Ellen …

She hit herself on the thigh and lay back with her hands over her eyes. No one was walking past so far out on the pier, so she could lie there in peace.

She counted to a hundred and then sat up again, took the phone out of her handbag, and called her brother. She was almost surprised that she still had his contact information, considering how long it had been since they’d last spoken.

He didn’t pick up.

She called again.

On the third try, he answered. ‘Has something happened?’

‘Why don’t you pick up when I call?’

‘Because I’m working.’

Couldn’t he try to be a little nice? ‘How are you all doing?’

‘Fine, thanks. Was it anything important?’

‘I thought maybe I could stop by this evening, after you’ve finished work.’

‘What?’

‘Well, I’m staying with Mum and I’m in town now, so I thought it might be fun to see you, Vera, and Irma.’

‘I don’t know if that will suit us.’

‘Why not?’ She was trying not to feel hurt. Why did she bother?

‘Yeah, well, you know, there’s school tomorrow, and the kids have a slight fever. I feel quite out of sorts myself, actually. I had a temperature of almost thirty-eight degrees this morning.’

Who checks their own temperature? she thought. As if he needed to have his illness validated.

‘It can’t be that bad, considering that you’re at work. I don’t have to stay long. Just say hello. Hug them and drop off a present.’ In which case, she’d have to get them something.

‘Not today, Ellen. Some other day, maybe.’

His indifference was total.

‘I need to talk to you.’

‘Of course. We’ll just have to do it another day.’

‘What, at Christmas then?’

‘No, but can’t we just talk next week?’

‘I saw Didrik the other day, it’d been a while. He said that you two don’t see each other any more.’

‘No, and you shouldn’t either. Stay away from him.’

‘How come?’

‘Because he’s an untrustworthy person. I have to hang up now, Ellen.’

‘I just went to see Kjell Thulin.’

There was silence on the phone.

‘He doesn’t think it was an accident. He thinks that Elsa was murdered.’

Still silence. It sounded as though Peder went into a room and closed a door. ‘Are you completely out of your mind, Ellen? What are you doing? How can you be so selfish?’

‘Maybe I saw him because I needed to.’

‘Is this never going to end?’ He sighed audibly. ‘Do you think you’re the only person who suffered? Huh? Is that what you think?’

‘I don’t remember — apparently Mum drugged me.’ Ellen was still in shock after the conversation with Thulin and hadn’t processed the information. ‘Which friends did you have over? I know your girlfriend was there, and that you were making out in your room all evening, and I know that Didrik was there — who else? Is there something I don’t know? Did you lie to the police?’

‘Ellen, I cannot go over this with you. It was a long time ago. It’s over.’

‘Sorry.’ She stared down at the water and held her feet completely still.

‘Don’t tell Mum that you’ve seen Kjell Thulin, please. It’s hard enough for her as it is.’

‘She’s actually the one who’s encouraged me to deal with it. As if you care about her. I hear you’re moving to Australia. She appreciates that a lot. Really.’ He had no right to criticise her. ‘Nice talking. Say hi to the girls.’

Ellen hung up and let the phone drop onto her lap as she kicked her feet in the water to get rid of the mirror image of herself.