WEDNESDAY

Chapter 1

Grass tennis courts. What a ridiculous idea. That was what Gustav’s father had said when he heard about his son’s latest little earner. Cutting the grass on the new tennis courts out in Saltsjobaden.

‘Absolutely lunacy,’ he’d said. ‘We’re getting like the British – so conservative that we’d rather allow tennis players to break their legs than provide them with a modern surface to play on.’

Gustav knew nothing about either tennis or British traditions (and neither did his father, to be honest), but he knew how to earn money. He’d been the same ever since he was twelve years old, never letting an opportunity pass him by. He looked after babies, dogs, cats, sold Christmas magazines, ran errands for old Agnes who lived across the street. Gustav loved earning money. The more he earned, the closer he got to his goal: to pass his motorcycle test when he was eighteen. His parents would never agree to finance such nonsense; they’d made that very clear the first time he’d mentioned it at the age of ten.

The ride-on mower was waiting for him in the garage. It started at the first attempt and moved smoothly out of its hiding place. It was a glorious summer day, and Gustav was very happy. Above all he was delighted that the weather was good enough for him to be able to cut the grass. He also had a new girlfriend, and plenty of work. Sven at the ICA supermarket a hundred metres from Gustav’s home had offered him a few hours on the checkout, which Gustav had gratefully accepted. It was wonderful to be on holiday from school. It was wonderful that everything was going so well.