The Disappeared Read Online Free PDF Page A

sunshine after a long winter.
    She returned to the old lady’s room with a vase.
    ‘Aren’t they lovely?’ she said.
    The old lady leaned forward to inspect the flowers.
    ‘I don’t like the yellow ones,’ she said firmly.
    Malena found it difficult to suppress her laughter at the emphasis on the word don’t .
    ‘Oh, dear,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. What would you like me to do with them?’
    ‘Chuck the lot.’
    ‘Oh, no, they’re so pretty! And from such an elegant young man.’
    ‘Stuff and nonsense, he’s only after my money. Take the flowers away – give them to Egon. He never has any visitors.’
    The glass vase was cool against her palms as Malena carried it into the kitchen.
    ‘Doesn’t she want them today either?’ asked her colleague, who was busy emptying the dishwasher.
    They both laughed.
    ‘She told me to chuck the lot.’
    Malena’s colleague shook her head.
    ‘I don’t know why he keeps on turning up week after week, when she’s so unpleasant.’
    ‘She says it’s because of his inheritance.’
    ‘And I say it’s love.’
    Malena put down the vase on one of the tables.
    ‘Do you think she’ll recognise the flowers by dinnertime?’ she asked.
    ‘No chance. Her memory seems to be getting worse and worse. It’s almost time to see if they’ve got room for her upstairs.’
    Upstairs. The abstract paraphrase for the secure unit on the upper floor where those suffering from dementia were cared for. Many residents seemed to end up there sooner or later. The heavy doors of the unit frightened Malena. She hoped to God that she would never be affected by some form of dementia.
    The television was on in the kitchen. Malena’s attention was caught by a news item about a woman’s body that had been found in an area of forest in Midsommarkransen. The police hadn’t released many details, but the man who had found the body was happy to be interviewed.
    ‘It was the dog that found her,’ he said, standing up very straight. ‘Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to tell you any more than that.’
    ‘But what did she look like?’ the reporter asked.
    The man looked confused.
    ‘I’m not allowed to say.’
    ‘Can’t you tell us if she was wearing any clothes?’
    The man’s earlier self-confidence had completely disappeared.
    ‘I’ve got to go,’ he said. ‘Come along, Svante.’
    He walked away from the cameras, dragging the dog behind him.
    Malena’s mobile rang in the pocket of her overalls. The ugly uniform with which the care home provided its employees had just one advantage: the big pockets where you could keep a mobile phone, throat lozenges and other unnecessary items.
    She stiffened when she saw who was calling. So long ago, and yet the memory hadn’t faded at all. He just kept on ringing, making his demands. Threatening and saying those foul things.
    ‘Hello.’
    ‘Hi, Malena. How are you?’
    She left the kitchen and moved down the corridor, hoping her colleague wouldn’t overhear the conversation.
    ‘What do you want?’
    ‘The same as before.’
    ‘We had an agreement.’
    ‘Yes, and we still do. I can only apologise if you thought otherwise.’
    She was breathing heavily; she could feel the panic rising like the bubbles in a bottle of cola.
    ‘Nobody has been here.’
    ‘Nobody?’
    ‘Not a soul.’
    ‘Good. I’ll be in touch when I need more information.’
    She remained standing in the corridor for a long time after the conversation was over. She would never be free. Certain debts could never be paid off, it was that simple.

5
    ‘Aren’t we meeting in the Lions’ Den?’
    Peder stopped dead when he heard Fredrika’s question.
    ‘We can’t use it at the moment; the air conditioning system broke down and the whole corridor smelled of shit. We’re borrowing the others’ room for the time being.’
    The others, Fredrika thought. An interesting way of describing the colleagues who were on the same corridor, but who didn’t belong to