Red Wolf_ A Novel - Liza Marklund [34]
‘It’s called an overall,’ Kalle said.
On the way home Ellen let out occasional little sobs.
‘We go on the bus with Daddy,’ the boy said as they stood huddled on a traffic island at the traffic lights on Kungsholmsgatan.
‘It’s too crowded and hot on the bus,’ Annika said, feeling suffocated at the very thought of it.
She had to carry Ellen from Bergsgatan. Once they were home, she quickly lit a fire in the stove to force the cold back from the draughty windows, and ran down to the yard with the stinking bag of rubbish, her hands and legs moving without her even being aware of them. Then she put the rice on as she fished her laptop out of her bag and turned it on, switching the cable from the phone in the kitchen, and putting a pack of cod into the microwave to defrost.
‘Can we play on the computer, Mummy?’ Kalle asked.
‘It’s Daddy’s computer.’
‘But Daddy lets us. I know how to start it.’
‘Watch some cartoons instead, they’ll soon be on,’ she said, connecting to the paper’s server.
The boy went off, shoulders drooping. She cut the cod into slices as her laptop signed in, turned the slices in salt and flour, then put them in a heavy pan with a bit of melted butter. She listened to the frying sound as she sent over the three articles, then splashed some lemon juice over the fish, dug out some frozen dill and scattered that over the top, then poured in some cream, warm water, fish stock, and a handful of frozen prawns.
‘What are we having for tea, Mummy?’ Ellen said, looking up at her from under her fringe.
‘Darling,’ Annika said, leaning over to pick her daughter up. ‘Come here, come and sit up here.’
Her daughter cuddled into her lap, put her arms round her neck.
‘Oh, sweetie,’ Annika said, rocking her, breathing into her hair. ‘Are you hungry?’
The girl nodded hesitantly.
‘We’re having fish in cream sauce with rice and prawns. You like that, don’t you?’
She nodded again.
‘Do you want to help me make the salad?’
A third nod.
‘Okay,’ Annika said, putting her on the floor and pulling a chair over to the worktop next to the cooker. ‘Have you washed your hands?’
The girl ran into the bathroom, there was the sound of running water, and Annika suddenly felt giddy with tiredness.
She took out an apron and a fruit knife, tied the strings behind Ellen’s back and showed her how to hold the knife. She let her cut some cucumber while she dealt with the lettuce and a handful of tomatoes. She poured over some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some Italian salad herbs, and let Ellen toss the salad.
‘Brilliant!’ she said, putting the bowl on the table. ‘Can you lay the table? You know how, don’t you?’
‘You’re missing Björne,’ Kalle yelled from the television room, and the girl dropped the cutlery and ran off. Annika noted how filthy her socks were as she ran out.
Then came the sound of the front door being unlocked. She heard the children’s jubilant cries and the noise of Thomas’s briefcase being dropped on the bench in the hall.
‘Hello,’ he said as he came into the kitchen and kissed her on the forehead. ‘Who have you been talking to?’
She reached up on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips, wrapping her arms round his neck and holding him close. For some reason the image of Forsberg, the police officer, popped into her head.
‘I haven’t been talking to anyone,’ she said to her husband’s neck.
‘You’ve been engaged for half an hour.’
She let go of him abruptly. ‘Shit. I’m still online.’
She hurried to the laptop, pulled out all the wires and plugged the phone back in.
‘We can eat straight away,’ she said.
‘I don’t want anything,’ Thomas said. ‘We’ve got a meeting with the department this evening so I’ll be eating with the working group.’
Annika stopped, the pan of fish in her hand.
‘I thought you were playing tennis tonight,’ she said, bewildered.
She was burning her fingers in spite of the oven gloves, and quickly put the pan down.
‘The bloke from Justice wants a quick run-through over a bite to eat.’
‘You could have a bite with us first,’ Annika said, pulling out a chair for Ellen.
She looked