Chapter 98
When she found out that the police were taking William and Amir to the station, Olivia felt nothing but relief. She doesn’t want to see them anymore. She is afraid of giving herself away, revealing that she was eavesdropping on the stairs when they had their mysterious conversation about Filippa.
Just being in the same room as them makes her shudder.
She had hoped that the police would hold William and Amir for a long time, but then all that business with Pontus kicked off. The two detectives changed their plans, because they had to deal with him and take care of their injured colleague.
So William and Amir remained in the house.
Now they are sitting on the sofa, gaming, while Olivia is in the kitchen making tea. Emil is resting in his room; he still seems to be in shock following the fire and Pontus’s attack.
Twilight is falling, but the beautiful view is hidden by thick cloud. Olivia is so tense that her shoulders are aching. She hopes neither of the boys saw her talking to Hanna outside the sauna. They already seem suspicious, they’ve hardly said a word to her all afternoon.
Through the window she can see the blackened remains of the cabin, a chilling reminder of what happened last night.
Olivia will never forget the sight of Pontus in handcuffs. Or the injured officer with his face covered in blood. She can’t get her head around the idea that Pontus almost killed another person. She had simply stared after him as Daniel, the bearded detective, led him toward a patrol car.
As the water heats up she takes a mug out of the cupboard and drops a tea bag into it. She adds a drop of milk and is about to replace the carton in the refrigerator when she realizes that William is standing by the door.
“How are you doing?” he asks.
She can barely look him in the eye. “Not great. It’s hard.”
He gives her a searching look. “I saw you over by the sauna. What were you talking to that cop about?”
Shit. So he did see her. “Nothing special.”
In order to avoid looking at him, she moves a few things around in the refrigerator—butter, cheese . . . She moves the cucumber onto a different shelf.
William steps forward and closes the door. She has to step back to avoid getting her hand caught. “You must have been talking about something.”
“She was just asking how I was feeling.” Olivia tries to keep her tone light, but she can feel her cheeks beginning to burn. “I told her the truth—it’s really difficult at the moment. What did you think we were talking about?”
Suddenly William is very close. He grabs her arm and tightens his grip. “You wouldn’t accuse me of being responsible for Filippa’s death, would you?” he says quietly. “Like when you went for Amir? Spread lies about me, even though there isn’t a shred of truth in any of them?”
Olivia tries to pull away, but he keeps hold of her forearm. If he doesn’t let go soon, she is going to have a bruise.
His eyes are ice cold without a trace of sympathy as he continues: “You can’t just come out with serious accusations. I hope you understand that.”
His grip tightens even more. He is frightening her, but Olivia can’t escape and dare not protest.
Her arm is hurting.
“I do understand,” she manages eventually. “I won’t, I promise.”
William keeps his eyes fixed on her.
“I know you haven’t done anything,” Olivia whispers.
Suddenly he lets go and is back to his normal self.
“Good.” He smiles and points to the kettle. “I’d love a cup of tea if there’s enough hot water.”