One Step Behind: A Kurt Wallander Mystery by Henning Mankell

Author:Henning Mankell [Mankell, Henning]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary
ISBN: 1565846524
Amazon: B005GX1OZ6
Publisher: New Press, The
Published: 2002-02-02T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Linda screamed.

She was somewhere close by. Her scream forced its way into his dreams. When he opened his eyes he had no idea where he was. But there was a faint scent from the kerosene light and then he knew it couldn’t have been Linda who had screamed. His heart was pounding. It was quiet outside, just the whisper of the wind in the trees. He listened. Had he just dreamed it? He sat up and fumbled for the matches he had placed beside the lamp on the table. He turned it on and got dressed. He was putting his shoe on when he heard it. The sound of something banging against the side of the house. Maybe the sound of a washing line hitting a gutter. But it was coming from downstairs. He got up, still with one shoe in his hand, and went over to the door. He opened it carefully and the sound came more clearly. The kitchen. He suddenly realized the kitchen door must be open and banging in the wind. His fear came back with a vengeance. He hadn’t been dreaming or imagining anything. The scream had been real.

Instead of putting his shoe on, he kicked off the other one. He walked downstairs with the lamp in his hand. He stopped in the middle of the staircase and listened. The light of the flame flickered over the walls. His hand was shaking. He had nothing to defend himself with. At the same time he tried to gather his thoughts. Nothing could really happen out here. They were alone on the island. Maybe a bird had cried outside his window. And there was another possibility. That he wasn’t the only one who had nightmares.

He went all the way downstairs and stopped by her door. He listened, then knocked. No answer. It’s too quiet, he thought. He felt the handle. It was locked. Now he didn’t hesitate. He banged the door and rattled the door handle. Then he walked out to the kitchen. The back door was open and he closed it. He looked in the kitchen drawers and found a big screwdriver and he used it to open her door. The bed was empty, the window open without being fastened. He tried to think what might have happened. He reminded himself that he had seen a big flashlight in the kitchen. He got it out as well as a hammer that he had seen in the same drawer as the screwdriver, opened the back door, and shone the light out into the darkness.

Once he was outside he realized he was barefoot. A bird flew away suddenly from somewhere close by. The sound of the wind was stronger. He called Isa’s name but got no answer. He went over to her window and shone the light on the ground. There were footprints but they were so faint that he couldn’t see where they led. He shone the light out into the darkness and called out again without getting an answer.

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