Hell Fire by Karin Fossum Read Free Book Online

select heavy boxes of Cherry Coke and carry them out to the car. He was on row number three but had still not started to slope the walls in. Now that he was making a lantern, it was going to be a big one. He worked without stopping, and every now and then his mother appeared by the open window.
    â€œGoodness, you’re good at this; that’s the best one I’ve seen.”
    Eddie brushed the hair from his brow. He liked it when his mother praised him. He couldn’t get enough of it. The snow had never been so good! Strange that he hadn’t thought of it before—the snow had been on the ground for a long time and it would soon be Christmas. Roast ribs and candles and presents. Having worked long and hard, he took a few steps back to admire the lantern. The top was still open, of course, because he had to put in the candles. It was already getting dark, but he worked in the light from the window. Then he waded back to the door, opened it, and shouted into the house: “A candle! Matchsticks!”
    He could hear his mother opening the drawer. Seconds later she appeared with the things he had asked for.
    â€œActually,” he added, “I need more than one. It’s a big lantern.”
    She disappeared inside and returned with two more candles. He stuck the three candles in at the bottom of the lantern. He checked that they were steady, being careful not to touch the walls when he put his arm in, because they might topple. Then he lit the candles one by one, made the last snowballs, and held his breath as he closed the lantern. If the snow drizzled down, it might extinguish the candles.
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    They stood side by side at the window and admired Eddie’s incredible handiwork. It was a big beautiful snow lantern, and the light from the candles flickered and shimmered on the surrounding snow. They said nothing as they stood there; it was hard to pull themselves away. Throughout the evening, Eddie checked that the candles were still burning.
    Mass made spaghetti and meatballs, and while they ate, they chatted about this and that. Eddie was good and put the plates in the dishwasher—it was the only thing he could do. Afterward he took Shiba for her evening walk. On his mother’s advice, he wore a hi-viz vest and put a flashing blue light on Shiba’s collar. They saw the odd car as they walked, and each time he pulled back to the edge of the road and waited until the car passed. He thought about his mother’s promise that he could have the rest of the cinnamon rolls. He loved the white doughy inside, spread with cinnamon. Later on in the evening, he would watch
Tracker Tore.
It was just as overwhelming every time someone found their lost relatives. Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, often in different countries, sometimes even on the other side of the world. Some only found a grave that they could visit, but that in itself was something. This led his thoughts once more to his father, who was buried in Copenhagen. He had never been there.
    After Shiba had lifted her leg a few times, he turned around and walked back to the house. The dog immediately padded into the kitchen and lay down in the corner.
    â€œThose clay layers you were talking about,” Eddie said. “In our blood vessels. That can come loose and go to your heart. Do you think I’ve got a lot of them? I mean, I am fat.”
    Mass shook her head. “No, let’s just hope that everything’s OK. It’s a good thing you don’t smoke. And you don’t drink either, so you’re actually very healthy.”
    Eddie leaned his elbows on the table. “And what about you?” he asked. “Have you got any of those layers? Can you see them on x-rays?”
    â€œI don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe. Why do you ask?”
    He gave it some thought. “Well, because if you did, we could do something about it. There are medicines that thin the blood so that it flows better. You