Closed Circles (Sandhamn Murders Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

regattas we’ve attended over the years.”
    “Could we see your photos?”
    Britta looked unhappy.
    “I would have brought them with me today, but I must have misplaced my camera.” She smiled apologetically. “I’m forgetful sometimes. But it has to be here at the hotel. We’re on the third floor, in one of the suites facing the harbor. It’s probably there with all of our other things.”
    “Britta,” Thomas said softly. “We definitely need to borrow your camera for a while. Or, I should probably say, the memory card, as soon as you find it.”
    Britta Rosensjöö smiled at them as if begging forgiveness. “I’m sorry, but it’s not one of those modern digital ones. It’s an old-fashioned camera that uses film. You see, I’ve never bothered to learn about many of these newfangled technologies.”
    “That’s all right. But we do need that film. It could definitely help us. Can you search again as thoroughly as possible?”
    Britta nodded but didn’t say anything.
    “Was there anything else you took pictures of that day?” asked Margit.
    “Quite a few of the magnificent racing boats, actually. It’s always such a wonderful sight. It was this year, too . . . until we realized Oscar was dead.”
    She fell silent and sighed deeply.
    “I can’t stop thinking of poor Sylvia. What is she going to do now?”
    Tears returned as she looked down at her lap, her handkerchief now completely damp.
    “I know Oscar had his faults, but I’ve known him and Sylvia for thirty years.”
    “How was their marriage?” Margit asked.
    “They’ve been married a long time. They have three children.”
    Britta’s voice died away as she looked out the window.
    “I believe Oscar neglected Sylvia sometimes.”
    “Neglected her how?” Margit asked.
    “He was gone a lot. And he wasn’t the kind to stay within the bonds of marriage, if you know what I mean.”
    Britta smiled at Margit, embarrassed.
    “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but Oscar had a roving eye. It was no secret. He’d probably visited greener pastures many times.”
    “Did Sylvia know?”
    Britta looked away.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “I assume she did.”
    So jealousy could be a motive, Thomas thought. How angry does a woman need to be to kill the man she loves? And how common would it be to shoot him? Especially with a gun across the open sea.
    Thomas knew that on average about one hundred fifty murders occurred in Sweden each year, and women usually committed no more than ten of those. The most common weapons were handguns or knives. These crimes were often impulsive or acts of self-defense.
    Most of the murders women committed were rooted in abusive situations that continued for years before they became unbearable. Such cases were seldom premeditated. They were desperate last resorts.
    The known details about this murder did not point to a spurned lover or a betrayed spouse.
    This looks like a well-thought-out operation, Thomas thought. The killer would need a great deal of experience in marksmanship, familiarity with the sea, and access to a boat and a gun.
    Only a damned good motive would drive someone to go to so much trouble.

C HAPTER 9
    Thomas vanished for ten minutes after they’d finished with Britta Rosensjöö, and returned with a long roll of paper.
    “Where did you go?” Margit asked. She looked at the roll of paper. “And what’s that?”
    “It’s a nautical chart.”
    Thomas unrolled the blue-and-yellow chart on the conference table. He took four bottles of mineral water and placed one on each corner to keep it from rolling back up.
    Margit leaned forward for a better look. She wasn’t much of a boat person and certainly wasn’t familiar with navigational charts.
    “What are we looking at?”
    “This is the area where the Round Gotland Race began. I got it from the woman down at the harbor. Look here.” Thomas pointed to a spot on the upper half of the chart. “Here is Sandhamn. Southeast of Sandhamn we