The Ice Princess (11 page)

A murmur spread through the room. It began in the group closest to the front door and rippled through the rest of the guests. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the door, where a highly unexpected guest was making a grandiose entrance. When Nelly Lorentz stepped through the door, the others held their breath from sheer astonishment. Erica thought of the newspaper article she’d found in Alex’s bedroom. She could feel how all the apparently disconnected facts were spinning round in her head without making any sense.

Since the early fifties, the continued livelihood of Fjällbacka had waxed or waned with the Lorentz cannery. Almost half of the able-bodied residents of Fjällbacka were employed at the factory, and the Lorentz family was; regarded as royalty in the little town. Since Fjällbacka wasn’t exactly a hotbed of high society, the Lorentz family were in a class all by themselves. From their elevated position in the enormous villa at the top of the hill they looked down on Fjällbacka with guarded superiority.

The factory was started in 1952 by Fabian Lorentz. He came from a long line of fishermen and was expected to follow in his forefathers’ footsteps. But the stock of fish was running out, and young Fabian was both ambitious and intelligent, with no intention of scraping by on the same meagre earnings of his father.

He started the cannery with his two bare hands, and when he died in the late seventies he left his wife Nelly both a robust business and a considerable fortune. Unlike her husband, who was very well liked, Nelly Lorentz had a reputation for being haughty and cold. She never showed herself in town anymore, but like a queen held audiences for those specially invited. So it was a sensation of a high order to see her step through the door. This was going to provide grist for the gossip mill for months to come.

It was so quiet in the room that you could have heard a pin drop. Mrs Lorentz graciously allowed Henrik to help her off with her fur coat, and she entered the living room on his arm. He led her over to the sofa in the middle where Birgit and Karl-Erik were sitting, as she briefly nodded a greeting to a select few of the other guests. When she reached Alex’s parents the conversation finally started up again. Small talk about this and that as everyone strained to hear what was being said over by the sofa.

One of those who had graciously been granted a nod was Erica. Due to her quasi-celebrity status she had apparently been found worthy, even prompting an invitation to come to tea with Nelly Lorentz after her parents’ death. Erica had politely declined, giving as an excuse that she was still in mourning.

With curiosity, she now regarded Nelly as she formally offered her deepest sympathies to Birgit and Karl-Erik. Erica doubted that there was even a scrap of sympathy in her skinny body. She was very thin, with knotty wrists that stuck out of her well-tailored dress. She must have starved herself her whole life to be so fashionably slender, not realizing that what can be lovely with the natural roundness of youth is not as attractive once age has taken its toll. She had a sharp and angular face that was surprisingly smooth and free of wrinkles, which made Erica suspect that the scalpel had helped to put nature on the right track. Her hair was her most handsome attribute. It was thick and silvery grey, done up in an elegant French twist, but combed back so tightly that the skin of her forehead was pulled up a little, giving her a slightly surprised look. Erica estimated Nelly’s age to be a bit over eighty. It was rumoured that in her youth she’d been a dancer, and that she’d met Fabian Lorentz when she was part of a ballet company at a theatre in Göteborg where no upper-class girls would dare show their face. Erica thought she caught a glimpse of a dancer’s training in the graceful way she still moved. But according to the official story, she’d never been near a dance school but was the daughter of a consul from Stockholm.

After a few minutes of hushed conversation, Nelly left the grieving parents and went out on the veranda to sit with Julia. No one gave the slightest indication that they found this quite strange. They went on with their conversations, keeping a watchful eye on the odd pair.

Erica once again stood alone in the corner after Francine left to continue mingling. From there, she could watch Julia and Nelly undisturbed. For the first time that day Erica saw a smile spread across Julia’s face. She hopped down from the windowsill and sat next to Nelly on the rattan sofa, and there they sat with their heads close together, whispering.

What could such a mismatched pair have in common? Erica cast a look in Birgit’s direction. The tears had finally stopped streaming down her cheeks. She fixed her gaze on her daughter and Nelly Lorentz with a look of naked horror on her face. Erica decided to accept that invitation from Mrs Lorentz after all. It might be interesting to have a little chat with her in private.

With a great sense of relief she finally left the house on the hill, glad to breathe in the invigorating winter air once more.

Patrik felt a little nervous. It was a long time since he had made dinner for a woman. A woman, moreover, for whom he felt a strong attraction. Everything had to be perfect.

He hummed as he sliced cucumbers for the salad. After much agony and pondering, he had finally decided on fillet of beef. Now it was trimmed and in the oven, almost done. The gravy was sputtering on the stove, and he could feel his stomach growling from the aroma.

It had been a hectic afternoon. He hadn’t been able to leave work as early as he had hoped, so he had to clean the house in record time. He hadn’t really been aware of the extent to which he had let the house go to pot since Karin left him, but when he saw it with Erica’s eyes, he realized that it was going to take a serious effort.

It felt a little embarrassing to have fallen into the typical bachelor’s trap with untidy surroundings and nothing in the fridge. He hadn’t really understood what a big burden Karin had carried at home. He took the neat, well-kept home for granted and didn’t give a thought to how much work it required to keep it in order. There was a lot he had taken for granted.

When Erica rang the doorbell he flung off his apron and glanced in the mirror to check his hair. Although he’d put gel on it, it was as unruly as ever.

Erica looked fantastic, as always. Her cheeks were a warm pink from the cold, and her blonde hair curled thickly over the collar of her down jacket. He gave her a brief hug, allowing himself to shut his eyes for a moment and inhale the scent of her perfume. Then he let her into the warm house.

The table was already set, and they started in on the appetizer while they waited for the entree to be done. Patrik surreptitiously watched as she tasted with pleasure the avocado stuffed with shrimp. Not really a difficult dish; hard to ruin.

‘I never would have thought that you could rustle up a three-course dinner,’ Erica said as she took another bite of the avocado.

‘No, I can hardly believe it myself. But—
skål
and welcome to Restaurant Hedström.’

They clinked glasses and sipped at the chilled white wine. Then they ate for a while in companionable silence.

‘How have you been?’ Patrik peered at: Erica from under the hair hanging into his eyes.

‘I’ve probably had better weeks.’

‘Why did you come with them to the interview? It must have been quite a few years since you’ve had any contact with either Alex or her family.’

‘Yes, it’s probably been about twenty-five years or so. I’m not quite sure why I came. I feel as though I’ve just been sucked into a whirlpool, and I don’t know whether I can escape, or whether I even want to. I think Birgit sees me as a reminder of better days. Plus I’m an outsider, so maybe I represent some sort of security.’ Erica paused. ‘Have you made any progress?’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t say anything about the case.’

‘No, I understand. Pardon me, I wasn’t thinking.’

‘No problem. But I thought you might be able to help me. You’ve seen the family a good deal now, plus you know them from before. Could you tell me a little about your impressions of the family and what you know about Alex?’

Erica put down her silverware and tried to sort out her own impressions in the order she wanted to present them to Patrik. She told him everything she’d found out, along with her impressions of the people in Alex’s life. Patrik listened attentively even as he got up and cleared away the appetizer and brought out the entree. Now and then he would interject a question. He was astonished at all the information Erica had uncovered in such a short time. And after she also told him what she knew about Alex from the past, the woman who until now had been merely a murder victim was suddenly transformed into someone with a face and personality.

‘I know that you can’t talk about the case, Patrik, but can you tell me if the police have any leads? Any ideas at all about who could have murdered her?’

‘No, I have to say that we haven’t got very far in the investigation. A minor breakthrough, anything at all, would be extremely welcome about now.’ He sighed and circled his finger around the edge of his wine glass.

Erica hesitantly said, ‘I may have something that could be of interest.’ She reached for her handbag and began digging around in it. She pulled out a piece of paper which she handed to him across the table. Patrik took it and unfolded it. He read what it said with interest, but raised a questioning eyebrow when he was done.

‘What does this have to do with Alex?’

‘That’s what I was wondering too. I found this article in a bureau drawer, hidden beneath Alex’s underwear.’

‘What do you mean, you “found” it? When did you have a chance to go through her bureau drawers?’

He saw her blush and wondered what she was hiding.

‘Well, one night I went to the house and snooped around a little.’

‘You did what?’

‘Yes, I know. You don’t have to say it. It was really stupid, but you know how I am. Act first and think later.’ She was talking fast in order to ward off any additional reproaches. ‘In any case, I found this paper in Alex’s drawer and managed to take it with me.’

He refrained from asking how she could ‘manage’ to take the item with her. It was better not to know.

‘What do you think it could mean?’ asked Erica. ‘An article about a disappearance twenty-five years ago. What connection could that have with Alex?’

‘What else do you know about this?’ asked Patrik, waving the article.

‘Factually, no more than what’s in the article. That Nils Lorentz, son of Fabian and Nelly Lorentz, disappeared without a trace in January of 1977. No body was ever found. On the other hand, there has been a good deal of speculation over the years. Some people think that he drowned and the body washed out to sea. Other rumours say that he embezzled a large amount of money from his father and then fled the country. What I heard was that Nils Lorentz was not a nice person, so most people leaned towards the latter alternative. He was the only son, and Nelly apparently spoiled him rotten. She was inconsolable after he disappeared, and Fabian Lorentz never got over the loss. He died of a heart attack about a year later. The only heir to the fortune is now a foster son they took in about a year before Nils vanished. Nelly adopted him a couple of years after her husband died. Well, that’s just a small sampling of the local gossip. I still don’t understand how this could have any bearing on Alex’s death. The only dealings the families ever had with each other were when Karl-Erik worked in the office at the Lorentz cannery when Alex and I were little, before they moved to Göteborg. But that was over twenty-five years ago.’

Erica suddenly remembered one other link. She told Patrik about Nelly’s appearance at the funeral reception and how she had devoted almost all her attention to Julia.

‘I have no idea how any of this could be connected to the article. But there must be something. Francine, Alex’s partner in the gallery, also mentioned that she thought Alex wanted to come to terms with the past somehow. That was as much as Francine knew, but I think it makes sense. Call it woman’s intuition or whatever you like, but I have a feeling that there’s a connection.’

She was a little ashamed because she knew she hadn’t told Patrik the whole truth. There was one more small but very strange piece of the puzzle that she was keeping to herself. At least until she knew more.

‘Well, I certainly can’t argue with a woman’s intuition. Would you like a little more wine?’

‘Yes, please.’ Erica looked around the kitchen. ‘A nice place you have here. Did you decorate it yourself?’

‘No, I can’t take credit for that. It was Karin who was the decorating talent.’

‘Oh right, your wife Karin. What happened between the two of you, actually?’

‘Well, it was really the same old story. Girl meets dance-band singer in a waist-length jacket. Girl falls in love. Girl divorces her husband and moves in with the dance-band singer.’

‘You’re kidding!’

‘Unfortunately I’m not. It was bad enough that she dumped me. But she left me for Leif Larsson, popular singer and heartthrob in “Leffes” the most famous dance band in Bohuslän. The man with the prettiest hockey girlfriend on the west coast. Yep, there’s not much you can do to compete with a man in tasselled loafers.’

Erica looked at him wide-eyed.

Patrik smiled. ‘Well, that’s probably a somewhat exaggerated version, but something along those lines.’

‘But that must have been terrible. It couldn’t have been easy for you.’

‘I felt sorry for myself for quite a while, but it’s okay now. Not good, but okay.’

Erica changed the subject. ‘The news about Alex’s pregnancy was like a bomb going off.’ She stared hard at Patrik, and he had a feeling that there was something more behind her apparently innocent remark.

‘In any case, it seemed she hadn’t shared the good news with her husband,’ Erica said.

Patrik waited silently for her to go on. After a moment Erica appeared to have decided to continue down that path, but she spoke in a low voice, still sounding hesitant.

‘According to her best friend, Henrik isn’t the father of the child.’

Patrik raised an eyebrow and whistled, but still said nothing in the hope of more information from Erica.