The ice child by Camilla Läckberg

Author:Camilla Läckberg [Läckberg, Camilla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Novela, Policial
Publisher: ePubLibre
Published: 2014-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

Erica leaned back in the visitor’s chair. She had driven directly from Wilhelm’s house to the prison. She needed to speak to Laila again. Fortunately, Laila seemed to have calmed down since the morning and agreed to meet with her. Maybe she hadn’t been as upset as Erica thought.

They’d been sitting in silence for a while now, a hint of concern in Laila’s eyes as she studied Erica.

‘Why did you want to see me again today?’

Erica was debating with herself. She wasn’t sure what to say, but she could tell that Laila would close up like a clam if she mentioned the newspaper clippings and revealed her suspicions about a connection.

‘I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said earlier,’ she replied at last. ‘You said it was a house of horrors, but not in the way everybody thought. What did you mean by that?’

Laila turned to look out of the window.

‘Why would I want to talk about that? It’s not something I want to remember.’

‘I can understand that. But seeing as you’ve agreed to meet with me, I have a feeling you do want to talk about it. And maybe it would be a relief to share it with someone.’

‘Talking is overrated. People go to therapists and psychologists and discuss things over and over with friends. They have to analyse every little detail. But certain things are best left alone.’

‘Are you talking about yourself now, or about what happened?’ said Erica gently.

Laila turned back from the window and looked at her with those strange icy blue eyes of hers.

‘Maybe both,’ she said. Her cropped hair looked even shorter than usual. She must have just had it cut.

Erica decided to change tack.

‘We haven’t talked much about the rest of your family. Could we do that now?’ she asked in an attempt to find a crack in the wall of silence that Laila had built around herself.

Laila shrugged. ‘I suppose so.’

‘Your father died when you were very young, but were you close to your mother?’

‘Yes. Mamma was my best friend.’ A smile appeared on Laila’s face, making her look several years younger.

‘What about your older sister?’

Laila paused before replying. ‘She’s lived in Spain for many years,’ she then said. ‘We’ve never had much contact, and she cut off all ties with me when … it happened.’

‘Does she have a family?’

‘Yes. She’s married to a Spaniard, and they have a son and a daughter.’

‘Your mother stepped in to take care of Peter. Why Peter but not Louise?’

Laila uttered a harsh laugh. ‘Mamma could never have handled the Girl. But things were different with Peter. He and Mamma were very close.’

‘The Girl?’ Erica gave Laila an enquiring look.

‘Yes. That’s what we called her,’ Laila said quietly. ‘It was Vladek who started it, and the name stuck.’

Poor child, thought Erica. She tried to restrain her anger and focus on the questions she wanted to ask.

‘So why couldn’t Louise, or the Girl, live with your mother?’

Laila stared at her defiantly. ‘Because she was a very demanding child.

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