The Double Silence (Andas Knutas 7)

and my leg hurt like hell. My board was next to me. The mast had come off, but I managed to make my way to shore. It was touch and go. I had to fight like crazy out there. For a while I really didn’t think I was going to make it …’ His voice broke, and he stared blankly into space.
    ‘All right,’ said Knutas. ‘That’s enough for now. We can talk more in the morning.’
    There was a knock on the door, and a nurse stuck her head in.
    ‘Your mother and father are here, Jakob.’
    Knutas stood up.
    ‘Thank you. Your testimony is very important. Good luck with your leg. We’ll be in touch later on.’
    Jakob Ekström nodded but didn’t say a word.

THAT EVENING A strained atmosphere reigned on board the extra ferry that had been brought in to take everyone back to Klintehamn. They had all been looking forward to this holiday with such anticipation, but now it had ended in tragedy. And the police had told them very little, refusing to say whether they thought Sam had died as the result of an accident or because of foul play. The coastguard vessel had taken Andrea back to Gotland where she was transported to Visby hospital. After she’d been asked to identify Sam on the beach, she had collapsed completely.
    Håkan was sitting inside the ferry with Beata and John. Beata had been crying for hours, but now she seemed to have used up all her tears. John was silent and withdrawn. Håkan was nervously fidgeting with his mobile. He hadn’t been able to tell Stina about the terrible thing that had happened. There was still no connection. His mobile had been dead the entire time they were on Stora Karlsö. He’d been able to phone the children from the ranger station, but he hadn’t managed to reach Stina. They had sent text messages back and forth across the ocean as long as his mobile was functioning. But they kept missing each other, and there was never an opportunity to talk on the phone. And now he was getting no answer at all. He was terrified that she’d find out about Sam’s death from someone else. It won’t be long before the press reveals his identity, he thought.
    As soon as Håkan disembarked in Klintehamn and his mobile had coverage, he tried again to get through to his wife, but without success.Frustrated, he tapped in the number for her boss. Luckily, he had her home phone number.
    ‘Elisabeth Ljungdahl.’
    ‘Hi, Elisabeth. This is Håkan Ek, Stina’s husband. I’m sorry to be phoning so late, but I really need to get hold of Stina.’
    ‘Is something wrong?’
    ‘Something terrible has happened, and I’m trying to reach her, but I can’t get through. She’s in Bangkok, and I’m wondering whether you have the number of her hotel or for one of her colleagues. It’s really urgent.’
    ‘Now you’re worrying me. Has something happened to you or the children?’
    ‘No, but a good friend of ours has died. Unfortunately.’
    ‘You said she’s in Bangkok? Are you sure?’
    ‘Yes, she was called in on short notice on Saturday and had to rush off. Apparently some sort of emergency.’
    There was silence on the other end of the line. Then Elisabeth spoke again, this time sounding hesitant.
    ‘Are you absolutely sure about that?’
    ‘Yes, of course I am. She left on Saturday night. We were out on Fårö, and she sent me a text message saying that she had to step in at the last minute for someone who was sick. She flew to Bangkok. I think the plane left Stockholm at five past eleven that night.’
    ‘Could I call you back? I need to check on something.’
    ‘Sure.’
    He ended the call and then waited, his concern growing.
    A few minutes later Elisabeth rang him back.
    ‘Håkan …’ she began, seeming at a loss for words. ‘There must be some sort of misunderstanding. Stina wasn’t called in and she didn’t fly to Bangkok. She’s expected back on the job tomorrow at five a.m. I don’t understand …’
    ‘What are you saying?’
    ‘Well, I’ve checked the schedule and talked to my colleagues, and it seems that …’
    Her voice faded into nothingness. The words formed a jumble ofincomprehensible syllables: echoes of a melody that he couldn’t be bothered to listen to. He stood there in bewilderment, holding the mobile pressed to his ear, and his mind was completely blank. The sound of Elisabeth’s nervous voice disappeared.
    Without thinking, he flung his mobile as hard as he could into the water. Slowly he sank on to the asphalt. He tried to gather all the disparate