Arson by Eva Holmquist

Author:Eva Holmquist [Holmquist, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ordspira förlag
Published: 2022-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The hallway, with its green plants in black pots and painted landscapes on the walls, smelled of cinnamon and ginger spices, reminding her of home. Jela’s cooking made its imprint. Danka loved it.

Jela opened the door and pulled Danka inside the tan colored dining room. Jela hadn’t brought up any furniture yet. Her embrace was warm and smelled of a safe haven. Her long black hair hid the truth of the vicious attacks. If only Danka could remain here, ignoring the threat.

But she couldn’t. Her mind wouldn’t let it go and she would never forgive herself if the arsonist hurt Jela.

After a long while, Jela caressed her cheek. Her brown eyes were deep wells of sadness.

“My poor darling,” she said. “Why didn’t you come home?”

“I need to solve this,” Danka said, grasping Jela’s hands. “You’ll never be safe if I don’t.”

“We need to solve this,” Jela said, emphasizing the word we.

“I’m not sure we can trust anybody else,” Adanna said.

She had closed the door.

“Have you eaten anything since I brought you supper?”

“Some grilled beetles, just before the attack.”

“You’ll be the death of me.”

Two red spots appeared on Jela’s cheeks, and her eyes were moist. With a wave of her hand, she brought out their brown dinner table with matching chairs. It was round, with room enough for four. They never used the larger table with space for twelve. Danka had never time for dinner parties, so all their gatherings were small and spontaneous.

Adanna sat down with a sigh. She leaned her head backward, closing her eyes. Jela left the room. Probably getting some food from the kitchen. Danka couldn’t relax. She paced the room.

Her head spun, thoughts tumbling around. Who could it be? Who was responsible? Who wanted her dead? The questions twirled in her head.

There was no shortage of options. With so many years under her belt, there were a lot of criminals she’d put in prison. Some of them had been released. Maybe they held a grudge.

It could also be someone who was planning a takeover, who wanted her out of the way. Or it could be an act of terror, aimed to fling the space station into chaos. They had had no attack on security personnel since she started. It may not be directed at her personally. It could be the first of many attacks. A chill trickled down her spine.

She shuddered. Her head hurt. Her skin felt like body suit that was several sizes too small. She jumped when Jela took her hand.

“Let’s eat,” she said, and led her to the table.

A large bowl of breakfast soup steamed in front of her. It smelled of lime and coriander. Another one was placed in front of Adanna, who opened her eyes and immediately picked up her spoon.

The soup warmed Danka from the inside. She wasn’t shivering anymore. It was just right. Jela’s breakfast soup was mild but rich in flavors.

Jela sat down across from her, clasping her hands.

“This was not your normal culprit,” Jela said. “Those thugs haven’t got the brains for this.

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