That was why she put on her shoes, pulled on her thin padded jacket, and stole out into the summer night. It was a magnificent, starry night, the moon making little fuss as it made its shy retreat. Nature was giving off the scents of saturation, and the deluge of water that had fallen from the sky to Erik’s benefit over the last few days had already been sucked up into the natural circulatory system. Everything was beautiful: the grass, trees, and bushes shimmered in various shades of green and immediately put her in a better mood.

She considered what there was to be happy about—not least for Jeanette. The fact that Kerstin and Jeanette had managed to get their hopeless project across the finishing line—despite their limited resources in every respect—and that they had managed to find the money was frankly verging on miraculous. The fact that they had also saved the life of Sandra’s three-year-old was even more worthy of celebration, even if it wasn’t really a proper celebration since they had simply been lucky to be in the right place at the right time. And they’d had the presence of mind to take the necessary action demanded in that situation, just as anyone else would have done.

Kerstin saw Jeanette before her, radiating with joy when Kerstin had praised her for the initiative she had demonstrated in rescuing the boy from the cellar. She remembered the roguish look in her eyes when they had managed to wriggle free from the grasp of the police, when they had retrieved those two bags and cycled away from the hunting cabin with three million kronor each slung over their shoulders. Together, the two of them had managed to do all this, and while they had been doing it they had become closer than ever before.

Kerstin had finally decided to forget old injustices—putting it mildly, of course, but effectively offering forgiveness. She would put all the infected memories behind her and look ahead. This was a day when life had smiled broadly at both of them; Jeanette and Kerstin had every reason to be happy together. Yet, their day together had ended in emotional catastrophe—a teary darkness from which Jeanette seemed unwilling and unable to extricate herself.

But she reminded herself of all the beautiful things around her: the sky, the dazzling scents, and colours of nature. She wanted to believe that Jeanette could appreciate all that too. That the fresh night air and all it carried on its currents would make her feel more lighthearted too. Kerstin would try to get her into a better state of mind, and despite what awaited her she was convinced she was doing the right thing.

There was a pling on her mobile, but that wasn’t going to change anything.

69. Sandra

69

Sandra