Rites of Spring by Anders Motte (life books to read .txt) 📗

hands in an apologetic gesture.

‘What I mean is, we can’t risk any negative publicity. Not now, with the preview night coming up.’

Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to drive home, Thea thinks, but decides to keep her opinion to herself. To be fair, she could have stopped him, suggested they ring a taxi.

‘So what do we do now?’

David is chewing his thumbnail. ‘I’ll call someone who can help us. Get back in the car and keep warm.’

She does as he says, leaves the door open for a minute or so to get rid of the fumes. She can hear him on the phone, but she can’t work out who he’s talking to.

She finds it difficult to understand why he’s never mentioned Elita Svart. On the other hand, there are plenty of things she hasn’t told him, things she hasn’t even told Margaux. The reason why Elita Svart’s story feels so personal. So close.

She leans her head back and closes her eyes. David’s conversation fades to a faint murmur, before being replaced by her big brother Ronny’s voice.

Jenny, Jeeenny!

She opens her eyes, sees lights approaching, dazzling headlights accompanied by the sound of a powerful engine. A tractor with double front and rear tyres rolls easily off the road and stops a few metres behind their car.

The driver clambers down from the cab and shakes hands with David. Thea gets out of the car. She shades her eyes against the bright lights and waits for David to introduce her, but the tractor driver gets there first. He’s in his early fifties, dressed in a fleece jacket, overalls and heavy boots. His hair and the stubble on his chin are peppered with grey, his eyes so intensely blue that Thea can see them in the darkness. He pulls off one glove.

‘Hi – Per Nyberg. We’re neighbours.’

His hand is surprisingly soft.

‘Thea Lind.’

‘I live over at Ängsgården – my father Erik and I lease most of the castle’s land.’ He smiles broadly. ‘He’s one of your patients – I think you’re due to see him tomorrow. He can be pretty bad-tempered, just so you know, but he doesn’t mean any harm.’ Per winks at her in a way that could almost be flirtatious, then turns back to David.

‘Wild boar, you say – it doesn’t surprise me. The population has exploded since we were young. They do a tremendous amount of damage to the crops.’ He inspects the car. ‘Good job you managed to swerve – you don’t want to crash into a herd of wild boar. It’s like hitting a concrete block.’

Per releases a chain wound around the weights at the front of the tractor and attaches it to the back of their car.

‘If you get behind the wheel, David, I’ll pull you out. Thea, move back so that you’re not too close to the chain, in case it breaks.’

He climbs into the cab, puts the tractor in gear then begins to reverse slowly so that the chain gradually tightens.

Within a couple of minutes they’re back on the road. The car looks somewhat the worse for wear, with only one functioning headlight and the sides covered in mud.

‘Thank you so much for your help,’ David says. ‘And Per . . . It would be good if we could keep this little incident between us.’

‘You’re welcome. And don’t worry, this isn’t the first car I’ve hauled out of a ditch. Out here in the country we help each other. We keep each other’s secrets, don’t we?’

He turns to Thea, winks again in that way that’s so hard to interpret.

‘Good to meet you, Thea. I hope to see you again soon.’

19

Walpurgis Night 1986

Leo has always been afraid of Father. Crept along close to the walls, keeping his gaze lowered. Jumped every time Lasse raised his voice.

‘Leo is a cuckoo in the nest, Elita,’ Father says. ‘An unwelcome little interloper who must be kept in line to stop him taking over completely.’

But Leo is no longer little, neither on the outside nor the inside. Something has been growing within him ever since we were children. Something dangerous that can escape at any moment. It frightens me, yet at the same time I find it attractive. Isn’t that strange?

Arne lingered by the car for quite some time, hoping that Elita would return. He took the opportunity to go around the back of the shed and pee in one of the muddy puddles. Stood among the bracken thinking about her sitting astride the powerful horse, controlling its movements. His shirt was sticking to his back. He loosened his tie, looked over at the house for what must have been the fiftieth time.

Elita had rushed off as soon as she heard the car, called out Leo’s name in a way that still caused Arne physical pain in his chest.

Shit!

He got in the car. The rubber mat was covered in mud, and the smell of the marsh seemed to have seeped into the upholstery. He started the engine and drove slowly up to the house.

The yard was quiet; there wasn’t even any sign of the dogs. Arne waited for a few more minutes before going up the steps. He could hear loud voices from inside; one of them was Lasse’s.

He reached for the door handle, hesitated. He wasn’t sure why. He was a police officer, he could walk straight in, exactly as he’d done only an hour or so ago.

The voices grew louder. Arne briefly considered leaving, but he’d promised Elita a lift, and the thought of having her in the police car with him was still far too tempting. He knocked, opened the door and went in.

Lasse was sitting at one side of the kitchen table in the middle of an arm-wrestling match with a young man in military uniform. There was an open moonshine container on the table, several coffee cups and a half-eaten cake.

Eva-Britt, Lola and Elita were so focused on the contest that they didn’t even notice Arne.

‘Come on, Leo!’ Elita shouted.

Eva-Britt’s son had