The Chosen by Kristina Ohlsson Read Free Book Online Page B

she involved in his criminal activities?’
    As Alex spoke Fredrika could see that he might just as well have punched the parents in the face.
    ‘What the hell are you insinuating?’ the father said. ‘Of course she wasn’t!’
    ‘Had she had similar boyfriends in the past?’ Fredrika asked, trying to draw attention away from Alex’s question.
    ‘Never.’
    Parents were always parents. They rarely said anything about their children in a way that reflected how things actually were, rather than how they wished they were. The distance between these
two realities could be significant.
    Fredrika looked at her watch, then at Alex. There was no reason to continue interviewing the parents. Their answers were mechanical, their tragedy incomprehensible. It was Fredrika and
Alex’s duty to leave them alone.
    Fredrika had been spared the loss of those who were near and dear to her. Once she had almost lost Spencer in a car accident; she didn’t even want to think about what
it would have cost her mentally if he had died. She had been expecting their first child at the time, and at long last he had been ready to give up his marriage in order to live with
Fredrika.
    And now he wanted to go off to Jerusalem for two weeks. What a brilliant idea. Fredrika didn’t know what bothered her most: the fact that he seemed to think it ought to be achievable in
spite of the short notice, or that she herself would never have considered such a thing.
    ‘One last question,’ Alex said. ‘What did Josephine do before she qualified as a teacher and started working at the pre-school?’
    A pale smile shimmered across her mother’s face.
    ‘She was lost back then, our Josephine. She tried just about every job you could think of.’
    ‘And a few you wouldn’t think of,’ her father muttered. ‘But nothing illegal,’ he added quickly.
    ‘I presume she liked children?’
    ‘I’m not so sure about that,’ her mother said. ‘But she loved her job, so I suppose she did.’
    Fredrika and Alex got to their feet, both feeling relieved at the thought of leaving the apartment. No one wants to visit the province of grief with a one-way ticket.
    ‘Did she have any enemies?’ Fredrika said as they stood in the doorway.
    ‘Not that we knew of.’
    ‘No conflicts or arguments? Not necessarily in the recent past?’
    Both parents shook their heads. They looked so abandoned standing there, so desperately lonely.
    ‘Is there anyone we can call for you?’
    ‘Thank you, but some close friends are on their way.’
    ‘In that case, thank you for your time, and once again, our condolences on your incomprehensible loss.’
    She felt Alex stiffen as she uttered the last three words.
    Your incomprehensible loss.
    It sounded so artificial, like something out of a bad play.
    ‘We’ll be in touch,’ Alex said, opening the door. ‘Please don’t hesitate to call us at any time if anything occurs to you, or if there’s anything we can
do.’
    Seconds later they were out in the street, and Fredrika thought that Josephine’s last day had been an unusually cold one.

A n unusually long day. An unusual start to the new year, in fact. Alex Recht was exhausted; he just wanted the day to end so that he could go home. His mobile rang as soon as he dropped Fredrika
off outside her door.
    Diana.
    The second great love of his life, the fresh start he hadn’t believed was possible after the death of his wife Lena.
    He longed to hear her voice.
    But it wasn’t Diana. It was his boss.
    ‘How did it go with the parents?’
    ‘I don’t really know what to say, except that we’re none the wiser.’
    His boss starting coughing, a rattling, smoker’s cough. As far as Alex knew, smoking was his only vice, but it was remarkable to think that one wrong choice could bring a person so much
closer to the end of their life.
    ‘We’ve had another call from the Solomon Community.’
    Alex waited, hoping this wasn’t more bad news. But it was. First of all came