Marked for Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

slightly in discomfort, which evidently made the solicitor realize that he should remove his hand. Peter pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her. Kerstin gratefully accepted, and she blew her nose in it audibly.
    â€œSorry,” she said.
    â€œThat’s all right,” said Henrik. “So if I’ve understood you correctly, your husband had a difficult job.”
    â€œNo, I mean...yes, but I don’t know. I can’t really say exactly... I think...it would be best if you were to speak with my husband’s secretary.”
    Henrik wrinkled his brow. “Why is that?”
    â€œIt would just be for the best,” she whispered.
    Henrik sighed and leaned forward over the table.
    â€œWhat’s his secretary’s name, then?”
    â€œLena Wikström. She has been his assistant for almost twenty years.”
    â€œOf course we’ll speak with her.”
    Kerstin’s shoulders sank and she clasped her hands.
    â€œMay I ask,” said Henrik, “if you and your husband were close?”
    â€œHow do you mean? Of course we were close.”
    â€œYou didn’t have a disagreement about anything? Argue a lot?”
    â€œWhat are you getting at, Chief Inspector?” interjected Peter, leaning across the table.
    â€œI just want to be sure we get the full picture for this investigation,” said Henrik.
    â€œNo, we rarely argued,” Kerstin answered slowly.
    â€œApart from you, who else was close to him?”
    â€œHis parents have been dead a long time, unfortunately. Cancer, both of them. He didn’t have any real friends, so you could say that our social life was rather limited. But we liked it like that.”
    â€œSister? Brother?”
    â€œHe has a half brother who lives in FinspÃ¥ng. But they haven’t had much contact with each other in recent years. They are very different.”
    â€œIn what way?”
    â€œThey just are.”
    â€œWhat’s his name?”
    â€œLars Johansson. Everyone calls him Lasse.”
    Mia Bolander had been sitting with her arms crossed, just listening. Now she asked straight out, “Why don’t you have children?”
    Kerstin was surprised by the question and hastily pulled her legs back under her chair. So hastily that one shoe came off.
    Henrik turned around and looked at Mia. He was irritated, but she was pleased that she’d asked. Kerstin bent down and groaned as she stretched to reach her shoe under the table. Then she sat up straight again and put her hands on the table, one atop the other.
    â€œWe never had children,” she said briefly.
    â€œWhy not?” said Mia. “Couldn’t you conceive or what?”
    â€œI think we could have. But it just sort of never happened. And we accepted that.”
    Henrik cleared his throat and started talking to prevent Mia from asking more questions along this line.
    â€œOkay. You didn’t mix with many people, you said?”
    â€œNo, we really didn’t.”
    â€œWhen did you last have visitors?”
    â€œThat was a long while ago. Hans was working all the time...”
    â€œNo other visitors to the house? Repairmen, for example?”
    â€œAround Christmas a man knocked on the door selling lottery tickets, but otherwise there haven’t been...”
    â€œWhat did he look like?”
    Kerstin stared at Henrik, surprised by the question.
    â€œTall, blond as I remember. He seemed nice, presentable. But I didn’t buy any tickets from him.”
    â€œDid he have any children with him?”
    â€œNo. No, he didn’t. He was alone.”
    â€œDo you know anybody with children?”
    â€œWell, yes, of course. Hans’s half brother. He has an eight-year-old son.”
    â€œHas he been to your house recently?”
    Kerstin stared at Henrik again.
    â€œI don’t really follow your question...but, no, he hasn’t been in our house for ages.”
    Jana Berzelius drew a ring around the