Never End by Åke Edwardson Read Free Book Online

herself,” said Winter.
    “You mean the father of the child?”
    “Exactly.”
    The father, thought Halders. Probably some pale nineteen-year-old without a clue where his life is taking him. Unless he’s something much worse, and the one we’re looking for.
    Winter thought about the father. They had so many people they could cross-question—friends, acquaintances, classmates. Family. Relatives. Witnesses. All kinds of witnesses. Taxi drivers who used to be good witnesses but were now useless because they’d seen nothing and heard nothing—because they shouldn’t have been on that road that evening because they shouldn’t have been driving at all because they were being employed illegally. And so on and so on.
    “Perhaps he doesn’t know,” Winter said. “If she didn’t know herself, then he can’t know either. Or maybe she did know . . . had just found out, but kept it to herself, and was intending to keep it that way. If you get my meaning.”
    “Abortion,” Halders said.
    Winter nodded.
    “But in any case, he knows she’s dead,” said Halders. “That couldn’t have been kept a secret. He couldn’t have missed hearing about that.”
    “Assuming he’s in Sweden.”
    “Well, then he’ll come to us when he gets back. If we don’t get a name before then.” He looked at Winter. “We need a name. We’re going to get a name.”
    “Yes.”
    “If he doesn’t come forward, he’s in serious trouble.”
    Maybe more trouble than we realize right now, Winter thought.
    Halders’s mobile rang in his breast pocket. Winter glanced at the clock: just after four in the afternoon. He suddenly had the feeling he wanted to get away from there, longed to be with Angela and Elsa, yearned for a hot bath and something to give him hope. He wanted to get away from all these hypotheses about death and lives cut short. Angelika Hansson’s life was like the first chapter in a book, and her unborn child was—
    “I’m having trouble hearing you,” said Halders in a loud voice, rising to his feet. His forehead was striped white when he frowned. “Say that again, please.”
    Winter could see Halders’s expression change as he began to understand what the voice was telling him.
    “Wh—” said Halders. “What the hell . . .”
    His face twitched as if he’d lost control of his muscles. It was unnerving. Winter could tell that something serious had happened. Something unconnected with the investigation.
    “Yes . . . Yes, of course,” said Halders. “I’ll go there right away.” He hung up and looked at Winter with a new expression on his red face, which had turned pale. Almost gray.
    “It’s my ex-wife,” he said in a voice Winter had never heard before. Halders was still staring at him. “My ex-wife. Mar—Margareta. She was run over and killed an hour ago. On the sidewalk.”
    He ran his hand over his head, scratched the red patch on his brow again; it was as if the last time he did it had been in another age. Nothing would be the same again.
    “On a goddamn sidewalk. On a sidewalk outside a supermarket in Lunden.” He gestured toward the window. “That’s just down the street.” His face muscles were twitching again, out of control.
    “What happened?” asked Winter. He had no idea what to say.
    “Run over,” said Halders, still in the strange voice. “Hit and run.” He stared past Winter into the beautiful afternoon light. “Of course, it would be hit and run.”
    “Is it . . . definite? That she’s . . . dead?” Winter asked. “Who called?”
    “What?” said Halders. “What did you say?”
    “Where are we going?” said Winter, getting to his feet. Halders stood motionless. His face still twitching. He tried to say something, but no words came. Then he looked at Winter, his eyes became fixed.
    “East General,” he said. “I’m going now.”
    “I’ll drive,” said Winter.
    “I can manage,” Halders said, but Winter was already halfway out the door. They jumped into the