Still Waters (Sandhamn Murders Book 1) by Viveca Sten Read Free Book Online Page A

children. You need to learn how to relax, my dear.”
    Henrik’s parents had spent their entire working lives in the diplomatic corps, since Henrik’s father had worked for the foreign office until his retirement. They had lived in various embassies all over the world, where all the household chores were taken care of by others.
    It had left its mark.
    The first time Henrik’s father, Harald Linde, had met Thomas, he had looked him up and down. Then he had raised one eyebrow and said, in a supercilious tone, “Do I know your father?”
    Even though Harald had come across as unbearably superior, Thomas had simply smiled at him and held out his hand. “I shouldn’t think so,” he had replied. “Unless of course you used to work at Vårby School; he taught math there.”
    Nora had quickly explained that Thomas was one of her best friends from childhood, and then she had discreetly attempted to change the subject. She secretly thought that Henrik’s father was pompous, but she could hardly say that to Henrik.
    However, her father-in-law was marginally better than his wife, who was a rail-thin woman in her seventies whose greatest pleasure was to be seen at social events.
    Monica Linde was a pretentious snob who took every opportunity to prattle on about the latest exclusive dinner party she had attended or the prominent figure she had recently met. She dominated every conversation, never giving anyone else a chance to speak.
    How Henrik’s father had put up with her all these years was a mystery to Nora. And to everyone else. Nora’s own mother simply smiled whenever Monica was mentioned; she would murmur something about how everyone was different and that it was important to look for the best in people.
    Monica Linde also adored her only son and regularly reminded Nora of what a coup she had pulled off in capturing Henrik.
    The fact that the reverse might be true had never occurred to Monica.
    Nora had long since given up any attempt to get closer to her mother-in-law. These days, she maintained a polite but cool relationship, which worked perfectly well for all concerned. They ate Sunday lunch together at regular intervals or met up to celebrate holidays. The rest of the time Nora kept out of Monica’s way as much as she could.
    Fortunately, Nora’s parents could almost always be relied on to pitch in with great enthusiasm when she needed some help with the boys. Without them, she and Henrik would never have managed. But every time the boys saw their paternal grandparents, they were chastised by Monica because they were not sufficiently polite or well brought up.
    The idea of spending all of Monday tap-dancing for her in-laws made her groan.
    “Wouldn’t it be better if they came over one day when you’re home?” she said. “Then they could spend some time with you, too.”
    She looked hopefully at her husband.
    “But they want to watch the sailing.”
    Henrik just didn’t get it. He was blind and deaf to any hint that his mother might not be the best mother-in-law in the world.
    Nora gave in.

T HURSDAY, THE SECOND WEEK

C HAPTER 11
    As was often the case, Kicki Berggren was sitting at the computer. She had bought it secondhand on an auction website, and although it was a few years old, it worked perfectly. Kicki enjoyed being online. She could spend hours on Facebook and Twitter at night; it helped her relax when she came home from the casino.
    Even if she was sometimes so tired that she could hardly stand up, she rarely felt sleepy when she finally got home after a long shift at the blackjack table. Her brain, which had been on high alert in order to keep the cards running all evening, couldn’t be fooled into relaxing right away, so she would sit down at the computer to wind down. Sometimes she would check out celebrity websites, just so she could dream about a life full of possibilities.
    She went to the website for Waxholmsbolaget, the ferry company. She clicked on the “Boat Schedule” link and