A lovely day out with a picnic on the beach. Today it didn’t have quite the same appeal.
She turned her head and gazed at Henrik, who was still fast asleep.
She had been furious and disappointed when she’d gotten home last night. In spite of the fact that she was still awake when Henrik arrived soon after her, she’d pretended to be asleep. She hadn’t had the slightest desire to speak to him.
A trip with the Lenanders would mean they wouldn’t have the opportunity to sort out last night’s argument. Instead they would have to keep up the pretense all day, acting as if everything were fine. That didn’t feel right.
“Come on, Mom, when are we leaving?”
“Sweetheart, do you know what time it is? Come and cuddle and try to sleep for a bit longer. It’s much too early to go anywhere.”
Nora drew Simon close and pulled the covers over him. She could already feel the beginnings of a headache, but she couldn’t work out whether it was due to the lack of sleep or her anger at Henrik.
“Just for a little while,” she said.
Nora closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. It was easier said than done. Simon was wide awake and incapable of keeping still. If he wasn’t kicking her in the kidneys, he was pushing his little face up against her ribs. At around eight o’clock she gave up.
“OK, come on. We’ll get dressed and cycle down to the bakery for some fresh bread.”
At the bakery, they were met by the aroma of freshly baked bread and warm cakes. Other summer visitors who were up bright and early stood around in small groups, waiting for the shop to open. Nora chatted with several people she knew while waiting in line.
She bought fresh rolls and a loaf of bread. Simon was allowed to choose which cakes they should take with them to Alskär. He settled for two Sandhamn knots flavored with cardamom and two flaky Danish pastries with a generous dollop of vanilla in the center.
With Simon on the luggage rack, she carried on to the kiosk to buy a morning paper. There was no line when she got there, just a dog racing around with his tail in the air in spite of the fact that his owner was calling to him. A few hungry gulls circled overhead, searching for some discarded delicacy on which they could feast.
“Morning,” Nora greeted the woman in the kiosk, whose family she had known ever since she was a little girl. “Could I have a nice fresh morning paper, please?”
She held out her money and was met with a wry smile.
“I should think so. If you want to read the paper, that is. There seems to be no end to the nonsense they can come up with about the Sandhamn murders. And then there are the evening papers. We’ll see what nonsense they’ve made up after lunch.”
Nora took the paper and tucked it under her arm. “Have the deaths made a difference in your sales?”
“I’m afraid so. We usually have a line here in the afternoons at this time of year, but it’s been much quieter, and I should think it’ll get worse now that the regatta is over. I hope the police catch the killer soon. Otherwise businesses out here are going to be in trouble. We make our living in the summer.”
Nora stayed and chatted for a little while, then she lifted Simon back onto the luggage rack and cycled home. She hoped Henrik was still asleep. She almost wished he were still out sailing. She needed to think things through before she spoke to him.
As soon as breakfast was over, Nora started packing for their day out.
It was quite a task. Four beach towels, a picnic blanket, a mountain of beach toys in various colors, a big basket of sandwiches, pastries, juice, and a thermos of coffee. At the last minute she remembered to put in a roll of toilet paper; it always came in handy. Sunscreen and four life jackets, and she was ready.
The cordless phone rang, and she answered it.
“Nora, my dear.” Her mother-in-law’s domineering voice filled the receiver. Nora stiffened; the harsh sound of Monica Linde filled her entire body with distaste. “I want to speak to Henrik. Bring the children, and come over to Ingarö right now. I’ve already prepared the guesthouse. You can’t stay on that island while there’s a murderer on the loose.”
Nora sighed and forced herself not to lose her temper. She would rather stay on Sandhamn with ten murderers than spend one night with Monica at their country house on Ingarö. The long tradition of spending Christmas there with the entire Linde clan was more than enough. Monica ruled the roost, and Nora made such an effort to keep her mouth shut that her jaws ached. Henrik didn’t notice a thing, as usual. Once he was back in the home where he grew up he reverted to a spoiled teenager, letting his mom do everything. Meanwhile, Nora ran around trying to keep the boys in order and helping out as best she could. Her father-in-law usually fled to the sauna with an enormous drink, but she didn’t have that luxury.
“I’m sorry, Monica. Henrik is already down at the jetty. We’re going out for the day. I’ll ask him to call you when we get back.”
She quickly ended the call in spite of Monica’s protests. Henrik had in fact gone down to the boat to get everything ready and check that there was enough fuel in the tank.
Nora slipped on her life jacket and turned the key in the door. She didn’t usually bother to lock up; on the contrary, she often left the veranda door open, both to let in some fresh air and to show that they were home. But at the moment it just didn’t feel safe, particularly as they were going to be out all day.
As she was passing Signe’s house, the kitchen window opened, and a familiar face appeared.
“Are you going sailing?”
“It looks that way,” Nora said. She really was fond of her neighbor. “We’re going to Alskär; the kids love it. We’re going with the Lenanders—you know, Fabian’s parents.”
“What a good idea—Alskär is a wonderful place.”
Nora smiled at Signe. Just the thought of a boat trip made her feel more cheerful.
“Take these for the boys.” Signe passed a bag of jam tarts out of the window. “I know they love them, and I expect even you and Henrik might manage one or two.”
“That’s so kind of you—thank you!” Nora took the sweets, placed them carefully in her beach bag, and waved her grateful thanks to Signe before heading down to the jetty.
Henrik had already cast off, and the boys were sitting in the prow. As usual Adam had been pestering Henrik, demanding to steer; Henrik had promised that he could have a try as soon as they were out in open water.
Nora sat down in the middle of the boat, at a safe distance from Henrik.
They had maintained a polite and neutral tone all morning and had discussed only practical matters. Neither of them had mentioned the previous night’s argument. Fortunately the boys had been jumping around, full of excitement about the day’s outing, and it had been easy to hide behind their eager chatter.
The Lenanders were already there when they arrived. Henrik maneuvered in among the rocks and dropped anchor. Alskär had a natural harbor, so it was just a matter of finding a suitable place to moor the boat. Everyone tried to avoid dragging the boats up onto the shore so that the little beach was left free for the children to build their sandcastles.
After their picnic Nora went for a walk with Eva. On the other side of the island there was an area of completely flat stones, worn so smooth by wind and water that it felt like a baby’s bottom when you ran a hand over the warm rock. Nora and Eva sat down for a while.
It was a beautiful spot. Far away they could just see the tower of the lighthouse on Korsö, with lots of yachts in the distance. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, with the odd wispy cloud here and there. They looked like little scraps of the finest cotton wool, dotted across the sky. A herring gull swooped after food on the surface of the water.