Camilla Lackberg Crime Thrillers 1 and 2: The Ice Princess, The Preacher

She gave him a quick hug and settled down on the black leather sofa. She too put her feet up on the glass coffee-table, feeling quite at home. They watched the news on channel 4 for a while in cosy silence, and Erica wondered, not for the first time, whether she and Dan could have had a life like this together.

Dan was her first great love and boyfriend. They were together all through high school and had been inseparable for three years. But they wanted different things out of life. Dan wanted to stay in Fjällbacka and work as a fisherman like his father and grandfather before him, while Erica could hardly wait to move away from the little town. She had always felt she was being asphyxiated here; for her the future lay elsewhere.

They had tried to stay together for a while, with Dan back in Fjällbacka and Erica in Göteborg, but their lives went in totally different directions. After a painful break-up, they had slowly managed to build a friendship that almost fifteen years later was still strong and close.

Pernilla came into Dan’s life like a warm and comforting embrace when he was trying to get used to the idea that he and Erica had no future together. Pernilla was there when he most needed her, and she adored him in a way that filled part of the emptiness Erica had left behind. For Erica it had been a painful experience to see him with someone else, but she gradually realized that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Life went on.

Now Dan and Pernilla had three daughters together, and Erica thought that over the years they had built up a warm love for each other, even though she sometimes thought she noticed a restlessness in Dan.

At first it had not been entirely friction-free for Erica and Dan to continue their friendship. Pernilla had jealously watched over him, regarding Erica with deep suspicion. Slowly but surely Erica had managed to convince Pernilla that she wasn’t after her husband, and even though they never became best friends, they had a relaxed and warm relationship with each other. Not least because the girls obviously adored Erica. She was even Lisen’s godmother.

‘Dinner is served.’

Dan and Erica got up from their slouched position and went to the kitchen, where Pernilla had placed a steaming casserole on the table. Only two places were set, and Dan raised his eyebrows quizzically.

‘I ate with the kids. Go ahead and eat while I put them to bed.’

Erica felt ashamed that Pernilla had gone to so much trouble for her sake, but Dan shrugged his shoulders and began nonchalantly shovelling down an enormous serving of what turned out to be a rich fish stew.

‘How have you been, anyway? We haven’t seen you in weeks.’

His tone was concerned rather than accusatory, but Erica still felt a pang of guilty conscience that she had been so poor at keeping in touch recently. There had just been so much else to think about.

‘Well, things are getting better. But now it looks as though there’ll be a row over the house,’ said Erica.

‘What do you mean?’ Dan looked up from his plate in surprise. ‘You and Anna both love that house; you should be able to reach an agreement.’

‘Sure, we can. But you forget that Lucas is involved too. He smells money and probably can’t stand to miss such an opportunity. He’s never paid any attention to Anna’s opinion before, and I don’t understand why it should be any different this time.’

‘Damn it, if I could only get hold of him some dark night, he wouldn’t be so bloody cocky afterwards.’

He pounded his fist emphatically on the table and Erica didn’t doubt for a moment that he could give Lucas a real thrashing if he wanted. Dan had been powerfully built even in his teens, and the hard work on the fishing boat had built up his muscles even more, but a gentleness in his eyes belied his tough image. As far as Erica knew, he had never raised a hand to any living creature.

‘I don’t want to say too much yet, I don’t really know what the situation will be. Tomorrow I’ll ring Marianne, a lawyer friend, and find out what possibilities I have to prevent a sale, but tonight I’d rather not think about it. Besides, I’ve been through a lot in the past few days, and thoughts of my material possessions seem a bit petty.’

‘Yes, I heard about what happened.’ Dan paused. ‘What was it like to find someone dead like that?’

Erica contemplated what she should say.

‘Sad and terrible at the same time. I hope I never have to experience anything like that again.’

She told him about the article she was writing and about her conversations with Alexandra’s husband and colleague. Dan listened in silence.

‘What I don’t understand is why she closed out the most important people in her life. You should have seen her husband, he absolutely adored her. But that’s how it is with most people, I suppose. They smile and look happy but actually they feel burdened with all the worries and problems in the world.’

Dan interrupted her abruptly.

‘Erica, the game is starting in about three seconds and I would prefer an ice hockey match to your quasi-philosophical exegesis.’

‘No risk of that. Besides, I brought a book along in case the game is boring.’

Dan had mayhem in his eyes before he noticed the teasing glint in Erica’s eyes.

They made it back to the living room just in time for the face-off.

Marianne picked up at the first ring.

‘Marianne Svan.’

‘Hi, it’s Erica.’

‘Hi, it’s been ages. How nice of you to call. How are you doing? I’ve been thinking a lot about you.’

Once again Erica was reminded that she hadn’t been paying enough attention to her friends lately. She knew that they were worried about her, but the past month she hadn’t even managed to stay in touch with Anna. Yet she knew that they understood.

Marianne had been a good friend since their university days. They had studied literature together, but after almost four years of study Marianne realized that becoming a librarian was not her vocation in life, so she switched to law. Successfully, as it turned out, and she was now the youngest partner ever in one of the largest and most respected law firms in Göteborg.

‘Well, under the circumstances I’m doing okay, I suppose. I’m starting to get a little order back in my life, but there are still plenty of things to deal with.’

Marianne had never been much for small talk, and with her unerring intuition she could hear that Erica hadn’t simply called to chat.

‘So what can I do for you, Erica? I can hear there’s something on your mind, so let’s hear it.’

‘I’m really ashamed I haven’t been in touch for so long, and now that I am calling it’s because I need your help.’

‘Don’t be silly. How can I help you? Is there some sort of problem with the estate?’

‘Yes, you could certainly say that.’

Erica was sitting at the kitchen table fidgeting with the letter that had come in the morning post.

‘Anna, or rather Lucas, wants to sell the house in Fjällbacka.’

‘What do you mean?’ Marianne’s usual composure exploded. ‘Who the hell does he think he is? You love that house!’

Erica felt something suddenly snap inside her, and she burst into tears. Marianne instantly calmed down and started showering Erica with sympathy over the phone.

‘So how are you really doing? Do you want me to come over? I could be there by tonight.’

Erica’s tears flowed even harder, but after a few moments of sobbing she calmed down enough to wipe her eyes.

‘That’s incredibly nice of you, but I’m okay. Really. It’s just all been a bit too much lately. It was very traumatic to sort through Mamma and Pappa’s things, and now I’m late with my book and the publisher is after me and then all this with the house … and to top it all off, last Friday I discovered my best friend from childhood, dead.’

Laughter began bubbling inside her and with tears still in her eyes she began to laugh hysterically. It took her a while to recover.

‘Did you say ‘dead’, or did I hear you wrong?’

‘Unfortunately you heard right. I’m sorry, it must sound terrible that I’m laughing. It’s just been a bit too much. She was my best friend from when I was little, Alexandra Wijkner. She committed suicide in the bathtub of her family’s house in Fjällbacka. You probably knew her, didn’t you? She and her husband, Henrik Wijkner, apparently moved in the best circles in Göteborg, and those are the sorts of people you hobnob with these days, right?’