She puts down the piece of paper on the desk between them. He's still looking directly at her, then he carelessly puts down the gun on the table in front of him and looks at his watch. He leans forward and picks up the piece of paper.

"Give me the phone, will you?"

He nods at the phone that's still balancing on the edge of the table where it landed when he threw it. She carefully picks up the phone, walks around the table, and places it in his hand.

"Here you are."

They're still looking at each other, so he turns his chair around and looks out the window. He starts dialing the numbers on the piece of paper. There's a voice on the other end. He stares out the window and picks up the gun and places it in his lap. The secretary turns around but James takes her hand and stops her.

"Marc, you don't know me but I'm Stuart Pettersson's brother. I need you to watch someone for me. Can you meet me tonight at ten by the waterfront? By the old cannon, you know?"

He listens.

"I realize that it's a short notice and I'll gladly double your fee... If you lose another job, I will of course also pay you for that. It's important to me that it's you because the job has something to do with Stuart, and I know you two worked well together."

He stops talking for a little while.

"Stuart told me that. Not many people knew that we owned the company together. So I know about most of Stuart's business."

James looks at the business card in front of him.

"That's great, thanks. See you at ten."

James disconnects the call and dials the number on the card. It takes a long time before someone picks up.

"I need a special service at ten at the waterfront by the old cannon. Tonight. Payment as usual."

Two clicks from a tongue are heard on the other end and then the connection is gone. James throws the phone back on the desk.

"Then I just have to wait until ten. Are you afraid of the dark?"

He puts the gun on the table and tilts back his chair so he's lying almost horizontally in front of the large windows of the office building. He's still holding her hand.

Chapter 32.

She looks at her sneakers. The dry dirt has left a brown layer of dust on top of the white leather. The light from her phone illuminates her face while her fingers move quickly over the screen as she texts.

"Wait for me. Thinking of you. Don't contact me no matter what. I'll contact you. I promise."

Evy reads the words carefully, but then deletes them one by one. "I've only known him for one night. How can I ask him that?" She pushes off with her feet and feels the motion. A faint creaking sound reaches her every time the swing moves. Darkness has fallen around her. She remembers the playground as full of light, but now it's almost completely in the dark. Only a faint light from the street lamps can be seen through the leaves on the four old trees. She can't decide if that's a good thing or not, and then she hears a phone ringing in the darkness not far from her. She recognizes the voice and then James steps out of the shadow of one of the trees.

"How long have you been standing there?"

James stops just a few feet away from her.

"This call might interest you. You're going to need a new private investigator soon."

"What do you mean?"

"A playground. Why a playground, Evy? "

Evy looks at him.

"What has happened?"

"I don't have to repeat myself, Evy. You already know what I mean. But if you're not sure, then maybe the name Marc can help. This is so unlike you."

He walks closer and looks at her more carefully.

"I think you've put on a little weight."

She shakes her head.

"Still weigh the same."

He sends her a crooked smile.

"Then maybe you've just gotten older."

He looks up and down her.

"One year more or less."

"At least you've gotten a lot richer."

She tries hard to control her breathing.

"You've been smart, Evy."

"Were you trying to kill me?"

"Maybe I was a little rough."

"Rough?! A piece of gla.s.s against my throat? I'll call that rough."

James takes another step closer to her and the light falls on his face. She can see how he squeezes his eyes shut and then opens them as if he had just remembered something. Evy moves around nervously, and finally jumps down from the swing. James sends her a smile a smile she knows only too well. She has seen it many times before and knows that it's followed by a blow to the face. She shakes her head and takes a step back.

"Not this time."

He steps closer.

"I'm your father."

Evy stops and the blow hits her unexpectedly and throws her to the ground.

"Denize gave you my last name. I loved her in the short time we were together, but she ruined everything when she fell in love with Nathan Wilkins. You have become an insult to me."

Evy tries to get up but is struck by another blow.

"I should have figured it out but I didn't. Stuart has been blackmailing me with our little..."

Evy gets up.

"Well, relationship. Every time we disagreed about our business you have cost me so much money you can't even imagine. I still don't understand how I trusted Stuart enough to come here and to go to the flat that evening."

His voice fills the air and his eyes are narrow almost black.

"I have often wished that the both of you were dead, so I could be free again."

"Why did you keep coming to the flat?!"

"It was better to know what you were doing. In case you..."

Evy feels one chill after the other running along her body as she stares at him.

"Evy."

He steps forward quickly and before she knows what happened he's holding both her arms in a tight grip. She can feel his breath against her face. He looks into her eyes. Then he looks at the scar on her neck. The memories from that night come back to her at once. Then she feels the first blow and then the next. There's something familiar about it and she relaxes like she has done so many times before. "It's over now." But this time he doesn't stop. She screams and feels another hard blow and lands on her back on the hard ground again. James isn't stopping and he mumbles something she can't understand. She can't focus and in the distance she hears his voice again. Then it disappears and everything goes black. Then it's back and she sees him put his hand into his pocket. The only thing she registers is a scream inside her "NOW!!!"

There's a loud sound and everything stops. James looks at her in disbelief before his eyes gradually change. She sees how his body slowly starts to sway before it falls toward her. He's heavier than she would have thought and pain surges through her when he lands on her. She doesn't move a muscle, but James' gla.s.s like eyes are staring at her. She feels a sudden cold on the right side of her body. She tries to move, but James' weight makes it almost impossible. She puts down the gun and, using both her hands, she finally manages to roll him away from her.

A woman outside the playground is screaming as she runs down the street frantically tapping at the screen of her cell phone. Evy lifts her head and looks down at herself. The entire right side of her body is covered in blood. She feels no pain only from her face, but her body is getting colder and colder. The cold from the ground covers her back and the flashing lights light up the golden leafs of the trees and the naked branches of the shrubs. Then everything becomes calm and quiet. She sees different faces staring down at her, but she can't hear what they are saying before everything goes dark.

Evy moves a little when she can feel hands that are holding her down.

"Let go of me!"

She screams as loud as she can and tries to focus. She tries to get up but is pushed back down again.

"Calm down. Just stay there until we have examined you."

Evy screams again and they hold on tighter. She starts to focus and sees two paramedics exchanging glances and nodding at the young police officer with the perfect eyebrows who's standing by the fence surrounding the playground. He turns to face his colleague and they talk a little before he walks over to the paramedics. They both look up at him and so does Evy, but she doesn't recognize him. He looks at her driver's license in his hand and then down at Evy.

"She has received some bad blows to her face."

The paramedic looks at Evy before looking back up at the police officer.

"But nothing is broken."

"The blood?"

The officer nods at the rights side of Evy's body. The paramedic shakes his head.

"It's not hers."

The officer nods and looks over at the body lying next to Evy. It's covered with a white sheet. The officer looks at her.

"Are you OK?"

He smiles a little.

"As OK as one can be after the blows you've received."

Evy turns her head so she can see the white sheet. She recognizes the outlines of the face and knows that it's James. The blood has started to seep through and she feels sick.

"Does she have to go to the hospital?"

The officer looks at the paramedic who looks down at Evy.

"She doesn't really need to, but we can take her just to make sure she's OK."

The officer nods.

"I think you should."

A car pulls over to the sidewalk next to them and a man gets out. He looks at her for a long time.

"Is she OK?"

The officer looks back down at Evy, then he looks at the man and nods. The man gets back in his car and comes out again holding a cup of coffee. He nods at the officer next to him and walks over to Evy.

"Fredericsson."

The officer next to Evy smiles.

"I thought I recognized the voice."

Fredericsson smiles.

"And this time fresh from a shave."

Fredericsson turns his head a little and scratches his neck as he looks at the officer with the very curvy eyebrows. Fredericsson looks down at his shoes that are still dirty from the rain the day before. He looks at the officer.

"We met when Nathan Wilkins was reported missing, right?"

The officer smiles.

"I still remember those croissants. I think I need to contact the secretary and ask where she got them."

A smile slowly spreads on Fredericsson's face.

"They're from that place right over there."