The Double Silence (Andas Knutas 7)

wreck, out of his mind with worry about Stina. It was lucky that his children were also staying with relatives. His nervous state was hard on the kids, and he didn’t have the energy to deal with their unhappiness on top of his own. It was the same for Andrea. She couldn’t be strong in front of the children, so it was just as well that they were away.
    The doorbell rang. She got up to open the door. There stood Håkan, awkwardly clutching a bunch of flowers in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. He looked as if he might fall apart if anyone so much as blew on him.
    ‘I’m sorry for losing my temper last time.’
    ‘That’s OK,’ she replied, giving him a hug. ‘We’re all feeling a bit off balance.’
    Beata and John appeared a second later. They’d made lamb kebabs and potato salad. John took Håkan outside to put the lamb on the barbecue. Beata started bustling about the kitchen without really doing anything. She knocked a bowl of snacks on the floor, where it landed with a bang.
    ‘I’m so sorry,’ she cried. ‘How clumsy of me.’
    Andrea was already taking the vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard. She cleaned up the mess while Beata perched on a stool at the kitchen island, holding a glass of wine and watching helplessly.
    When Andrea was finished, she took Beata by the hand.
    ‘Come on.’
    They went out to the deck, where Håkan was already seated, looking like a forlorn puppy. Andrea poured more wine for everyone, and John turned the kebabs on the rack. No one spoke for a while. They didn’t have to ask how everyone was feeling since they knew each other so well. The outburst from the last time they’d met was forgotten.
    Then the kebabs were ready.
    ‘Here,’ said John, holding out the serving dish. They each took a kebab and helped themselves to the potato salad and Beata’s freshly baked bread.
    No one commented on the food as they ate. Finally Beata broke the silence.
    ‘What did the police say about that horrible phone call?’ she asked Andrea.
    ‘They came over here, and then stayed all night in a patrol car outside. But they can’t very well give me round-the-clock protection just because of some pervert breathing down the phone.’
    ‘But your husband was just murdered,’ said Beata. ‘Wouldn’t that make the police take this more seriously?’
    ‘I think they
are
taking it seriously. They asked me whether I could stay with friends for a while.’
    ‘Of course you can! You can come and stay with us,’ Beata quickly replied.
    Andrea dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand.
    ‘Thanks, but that’s not necessary. We have a really sophisticated security system. I just have to be better about turning it on when I’m at home.’
    ‘Who do you think made that call?’ asked John. ‘Do you think it’s somebody you know?’
    ‘That seems unlikely. Who would do such a thing? I think it might have to do with Sam’s death and all the media attention. As soon as your name appears in the newspapers, you run the risk of attracting all sorts of loonies.’
    Andrea lit a cigarette. Normally she didn’t smoke, but right now she felt the need for some kind of drug. And she thought it was better to smoke than to resort to consoling herself with food, which would just make her fat.
    ‘Who the hell could it be?’ John glanced around at the others. No one had any suggestions. ‘It’s damned unpleasant, at any rate. Wouldn’t you rather come and stay with us for a while? We have plenty of room for both you and the children.’
    ‘Thanks, but no thanks. I really need to be alone right now.’
    ‘Håkan, what are the police doing about finding Stina?’ asked Beata.
    ‘They’re not saying much. I phone them several times a day to find out how it’s going, but they’re being really secretive about what they’re doing. Of course they’re looking for some connection between Sam’s death and Stina’s disappearance.’
    ‘Who have they interviewed?’ asked Beata. ‘Aside from us, I mean.’
    ‘I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything. But I’ve seen them knocking on doors around here, and I’m sure they’ve talked to all the neighbours.’
    ‘Do you know whether—?’ Beata ventured cautiously.
    ‘No, I don’t think so,’ Andrea interjected before Beata could finish her sentence.

HER TRIP TO Stockholm had to be postponed. With Knutas off sick, and the discovery of the dead man in Latvia, Jacobsson couldn’t possibly take time away from work. The