Read Closed Circles (Sandhamn Murders Book 2) Online
Authors: Viveca Sten
Closed Circles (Sandhamn Murders Book 2)
ALSO BY VIVECA STEN IN THE SANDHAMN MURDERS SERIES
Still Waters
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 © 2009 Viveca Sten
Translation copyright © 2016 Laura A. Wideburg
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 den innersta kretsen
in Sweden in 2009. Translated from Swedish by Laura A. Wideburg. First published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2016.
Published by AmazonCrossing, Seattle
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and AmazonCrossing are trademarks of
Amazon.com
, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781503953888
ISBN-10: 1503953882
Cover design by Kimberly Glyder
To the kindest Alexander in the world
C
ONTENTS
S
UNDAY
C
HAPTER
1
The woman’s voice slowly counted down over Channel 16 on the marine radio: “Ten, nine, eight
. . .
”
The water churned with boats. Several large racing sailboats, meant for the open sea with their enormous sails and shining hulls, crowded the starting line a few nautical miles from Sandhamn. Beyond the starting area, observers maneuvered their boats to get the best view, prepared to follow the spectacle with binoculars.
The starting vessel, a minesweeper on loan from the navy, was positioned to the starboard of the starting line. Everywhere, large sails ballooned to capture the slight breeze.
The scene was perfectly set for an exciting race.
The voice continued: “Seven, six . . .”
It was a miracle that the competing boats didn’t collide as they navigated into position. At times, they were only a few inches apart as they jockeyed for the closest position to the orange windward flag.
“Five, four . . .”
The start pistol would go off with three seconds to spare to account for the time it would take for the sound to reach the boats.
The first vice chairman of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (RSYC), well-known business lawyer Oscar Juliander, stood confidently, his knees slightly bent, behind the wheel of his beautiful Swan, an elegant beauty called
Emerald Gin
. She measured sixty-one feet and had a crew of fifteen. She’d cost a small fortune—over ten million kronor—when he’d purchased her from the Nautor yard in Finland.
But she’s worth it,
Oscar Juliander thought.
She’ll definitely be the first across the starting line today.
This was the summer when he’d finally be victorious in the Round Gotland Race, no matter what the cost.
Adrenaline pumped through his veins.
Dear Lord, how I love sailing!
he thought.
He glanced out over the water and noticed with satisfaction that there was a TV helicopter circling overhead. There’d be great pictures of the
Emerald Gin
as she headed across the starting line in the lead.
As usual, he didn’t mind being in the media, and the media didn’t mind turning their cameras on him. All he had to do was make sure he maintained his coveted position high on the windward side, the position everyone was jockeying for right now.
He clenched his fists. Soon, very soon, they’d be off on their way to Gotland.
The water churned as they closed in on the last few feet from the starting line. They were not allowed to cross the line ahead of time, or they’d be forced to turn around and start over—a shame that would not only cost them in terms of lost minutes but might also determine the outcome of the entire race.
He held his breath as the last seconds were counted down. They were so close now he could almost reach out and touch the start buoy.
Then smoke from the starting pistol could be seen in the sky. A moment later, the sound of the shot reached them across the water.
First vice chairman of the board Oscar Juliander slumped forward. His hands released the wheel, and blood streamed from a wound in his chest. His unseeing eyes never even had a chance to register that the race had begun. He was unconscious before his body landed heavily on the deck.
The shot that killed Oscar Juliander was timed perfectly to coincide with the one signaling the start of the race.
The
Emerald Gin
was the first boat in her class to cross the starting line.