FABIAN PUT THE glass jars filled with different kinds of pasta back in the pantry, stepped off the stool and looked around. He’d already checked the cookbooks on the shelf and the ceiling lights. He’d even taken apart and cleaned the kitchen fan without finding anything.
But the hidden camera in the bathroom couldn’t be the only one. Something told him they must be everywhere in the house. And yet he hadn’t managed to find a single one.
Maybe Molander had only had time to do the bathroom. Maybe he’d figured it was the only place he needed one. Knowing that Fabian was going to stand in front of the mirror and dig around his back. Or maybe he was just looking in the wrong places.
‘Hi, sweetheart. You’re still here.’
Fabian turned to Sonja, who was coming in from the hallway.
‘How are you feeling?’ she went on. ‘You look terrible. I tried to—’
‘I’m fine.’ He cut her off and tried to compose himself. ‘I overslept and was just on my way out.’ There were so many things he should tell her, he didn’t know where to start.
‘Fabian.’ She walked up to him and took his face in her hands. ‘I understand if you have a lot of questions and are wondering what I’m up to. And I promise, I will tell you. But first, I want to know what’s going on.’
‘Not now, Sonja. I can’t. I have to—’
‘Fabian,’ Sonja broke in. ‘The only thing we have to do is talk to each other.’
‘I know. But it’s going to have to wait until I—’
‘Until you what? Get back? If you ever do. You were out all night. I know it’s just work. That’s not the issue. When I saw you this morning with deep gashes in your thigh and back, I obviously knew something had happened and I’m worried. Really worried. I tried to wake you, but I couldn’t. It was like you were drugged. And now,’ – she took a step back and looked him up and down – ‘you look like you’re about to collapse.’
‘Sonja, I can’t do this right now. Not now. It’ll have to wait. Okay?’
‘Is it Theodor? Did he call, does he want us to—’
‘No. All I know is that he has a good lawyer now, who will be with him when they interview him while they wait for the trial to resume.’
‘I think about him every second.’
‘Me too. But all we can do right now is wait and hope for the best. Anyway, we’ll have to talk more later, sweetheart.’ He kissed her on the forehead and started to walk towards the front door.
‘I’ve decided to exhibit my work again.’
He stopped and turned to look at her.
Sonja sighed. ‘I know. It’s not what I’ve been saying these past few weeks. But Dunkers called yesterday to ask if I wanted to take part in an exhibition. The thing is, it opens on Thursday. Apparently one of the artists pulled out.’
‘Thursday this week? Tomorrow?’
Sonja nodded. ‘I’m not sure how I’m going to make it. But I have an idea, at least.’
‘That’s great.’ He tried to squeeze out a smile. ‘Congratulations.’
‘I’m not sure it’s all that great. But I believe it’s the only way for me to – how do I put it? – process and come to terms with everything that has happened. But who knows?’ She shrugged. ‘I might die attempting it.’
Fabian walked over and put his arms around her. But though he’d only intended to give her a quick hug of support, she held on to him as though she were in fact supporting him.
He didn’t know whether it was the hug or the fact that the last of the drugs had finally left his system. Either way, balance had been restored and for the first time in a long time, he felt firm ground under his feet. Maybe they’d both fallen so far it was finally time to hit rock bottom.
‘I actually declined at first,’ she said over his shoulder. ‘But they didn’t need a final answer until today. That’s why I brought the box home, to see how I felt about it, and when I woke up this morning, all my doubts were gone. I’m supposed to say hi from Ingvar, by the way.’
‘Molander?’ He let go of her. ‘Was he the one who helped you get the box up the stairs?’
‘Yes, why? Someone had to help me and you obviously weren’t—’
He cut her off. ‘How long was he here for?’
‘First, I want you to tell me what you’re—’
‘Sonja, how long? Are we talking minutes or hours?’
‘I don’t know what you think happened. But I promise. You have nothing to worry about.’
‘Were you with him the whole time? Or did you let him wander about on his own?’
‘Fabian, this is Ingvar Molander we’re talking about. Your colleague. What do you think—’
‘Please, just answer the question.’
Sonja heaved a sigh. ‘I don’t know exactly how long he was here for. And no, I wasn’t with him the whole time. He helped me get the box upstairs and then he needed to use the bathroom. I don’t know if he had stomach problems or what. He was in there a long time, and in the end, I had to get going.’
‘What, so you left him alone in our house?’ Only now did it occur to him, and as it did, the ground disappeared from under him once more.
‘Yes. He just had to put the extra keys in the letter box when he was done.’
The basement. He’d obviously been down in the basement and seen all his ideas and clues. Granted, he’d handed most of it over to Stubbs, but…
‘Fabian, why aren’t you picking up?’
‘What?’
‘Your phone. Can’t you hear it ringing?’
He pulled out the Nokia, declined the call from Stubbs and fired off a text.
Can’t talk now.
‘Why didn’t you pick up? And why are you using your old phone?’
Stubbs texted back:
Ok. When and where can we meet?
‘Sweetheart, I don’t have time to explain.’
Just finished with Öhman, who has agreed to testify against M, which means we have enough to make an arrest.