FORTHCOMING IN THE SANDHAMN MURDERS SERIES
Closed Circles
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2008 Viveca Sten
Translation copyright © 2015 Marlaine Delargy
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Previously published as I de lugnaste vatten by Forum in Sweden in 2008. Translated from Swedish by Marlaine Delargy. First published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2015.
Published by AmazonCrossing, Seattle
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ISBN-13: 9781503945708
ISBN-10: 1503945707
Cover design by Kimberly Glyder
For my brave mother
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
MONDAY, THE FIRST WEEK
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
THURSDAY, THE FIRST WEEK
CHAPTER 7
TUESDAY, THE SECOND WEEK
CHAPTER 8
WEDNESDAY, THE SECOND WEEK
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
THURSDAY, THE SECOND WEEK
CHAPTER 11
FRIDAY, THE SECOND WEEK
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
SATURDAY, THE SECOND WEEK
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
SUNDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
MONDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
TUESDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 27
WEDNESDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
THURSDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
FRIDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
SATURDAY, THE THIRD WEEK
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
SUNDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
MONDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
TUESDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
WEDNESDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
THURSDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
FRIDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
SATURDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
CHAPTER 79
SUNDAY, THE SIXTH WEEK
CHAPTER 80
AFTERWORD
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
PROLOGUE
Everything was completely still and peaceful as only winter can be, when the archipelago belongs to those who live there, and the raucous summer visitors have not yet taken over the islands.
The water was dark and shining, the cold of winter lying heavily on the surface. Odd patches of snow rested on the rocks. A few mergansers stood out like dots against the sky, and the sun was low on the horizon.
“Help me,” he yelled. “Help me, for God’s sake!”
Someone threw a tangle of rope out to him, and he rushed to loop it around his body in the ice-cold water.
“Pull me up,” he said, panting as he grasped the side of the boat with fingers that had already begun to stiffen from the cold.
When the anchor attached to the rope was thrown over the rail, he seemed more confused than anything, as if he didn’t understand that its weight would soon drag him to the bottom.
That he only had a few seconds left to live before his body followed the heavy lump of iron.
His hand breaking the surface of the water, tangled in the abandoned fishing net, was the last visible thing. The waters closed over it with an almost imperceptible sigh.
Then there was only the sound of the engine, as the boat turned to make its way back to the harbor.
MONDAY, THE FIRST WEEK
CHAPTER 1
“Here, Pixie! Come here!”
The man gazed irritably at the dachshund as she ran down the beach; she had been cooped up on the boat for several days. He really should have kept her on the leash. Dogs were not allowed to run loose in the summer on Sandhamn, a small island in the Stockholm archipelago, but he didn’t have the heart to observe the rule when the little dog was so happy to run free.
Besides, there was hardly anybody in sight so early in the morning. Those living in the few houses along the shoreline had hardly woken up. The only sound came from the screaming gulls. The air was fresh and clear, the overnight rain had given everything a newly washed feel, and the sun was already warm, promising another glorious day.