Box 21 aka The Vault

He didn’t catch it.

‘She isn’t in her room.’

He stopped. In the time it took for her to draw breath before continuing, he felt all that he had felt back then. He died. Again.

‘She’s with the others on the terrace for Sunday afternoon coffee. We try to get everyone outside in the summer. Even when it rains, the parasols are big enough.’

He didn’t hear what she was saying. Her lips were moving, but he didn’t hear.

‘Go out and see her. She’ll be pleased.’

‘Why isn’t she in her room?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Why isn’t she in her room?’

He felt dizzy. A chair. He took off his jacket and sat down.

‘Are you all right?’

The young woman knelt in front of him. He saw her now.

‘On the terrace?’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

Most of the decking outside was protected from the rain by four large parasols, emblazoned with an ice-cream manufacturer’s logo. Ewert recognised some of the staff and all of those who were sitting about in wheelchairs or with Zimmer frames parked next to their chairs.

She was sitting in the middle of the group, with a cup of coffee beside her, a half-eaten cinnamon pastry in her hand. He heard her childish laugh above the patter of rain on the umbrellas and the sporadic singing. He waited until the group of singers had finished their tune and then joined the crowd on the terrace. His jacket was already wet.

‘Hello.’ He greeted one of the white-coated women, who had a familiar face.

She smiled pleasantly.

‘Mr Grens, how nice to see you. And on a Sunday too!’

She spoke to Anni, who stared blankly at them. ‘Anni, look! You’ve got a visitor.’

Ewert went to her. As usual he put his hand on her cheek. He turned to the care assistant.

‘Do you mind if I take her inside? I’ve got something to tell her. Good news.’

‘Of course. We’ve been here for quite a while. Anyway, Anni, you don’t want all of us around when you have a gentleman visitor.’

She released the brake on Anni’s wheelchair and he took over.

Anni was wearing a different dress today, a red one. He had bought it for her a long time ago. It was still raining, but only lightly, and she barely got wet as they dashed from the parasols to the side of the building. He steered the wheelchair in through the door and down the long corridor to her room.

They sat as they always did. She in the middle of the room. He, on a chair at her side.

He caressed her cheek again, kissed her forehead and took her hand in his. For a moment he thought she squeezed his hand in return.

‘Anni.’

He tried to make sure that she was looking at him before continuing.

‘It’s over now.’

It was one o’clock and Dimitri had promised her an hour’s rest. She had been working non-stop since the morning, since the first customer came and spat on the floor and she had to lick it up with a smile.

She was crying.

That man. Then seven others. Four more later. Twelve a day. The last one was coming just after half past six.

One hour’s rest. She lay on the bed in the room she thought of as hers.

It was in a pleasant flat, on the fifth floor in a nice block.

A couple of the men had called her Lydia. She had told them that that wasn’t her name, but they insisted that for them, that was what she was called. She knew now that Lydia was the woman who had been there before her and a lot of the men had been Lydia’s customers. She had inherited them from her.

Dimitri didn’t beat her so much these days.

He had said she was learning the ropes, she had to make more noises, that was what was missing, she had to groan when they pushed inside her, and whimper a little, with pleasure, of course. The customers liked noises; it made them feel they weren’t paying her to do it.

She only cried when she was alone. He hit her more if he saw her cry.

One hour. She had closed the door and would cry in peace for an hour. Then she had to smarten up and smile in the mirror and cup her hand over her genitals, as the two o’clock man wanted.

Ewert Grens had been back in his office for only an hour or so, but already he felt restless. He couldn’t concentrate on anything. He went to the toilet, got a coffee from the machine and asked reception to fix a pizza delivery for him, but that was that. Now, all that was left to him was his office.

It was almost as if he were waiting.

He listened to Siw Malmkvist’s warm voice and held her close, dancing with her in the tight space between his desk and the sofa.

He had no idea where Sven was and Еgestam hadn’t been in touch.

He turned up the volume. Soon it would be evening once more and he could hardly figure out how. His room was warm after a day of summer sunshine and he sweated as he moved to the rhythms of the Sixties.

Bengt, I miss you.

You pulled a fast one on us.

You see that, don’t you?

Lena knows nothing.

Not a thing.

You, who had her.

You, who had the children.

You, who had something!

He switched off the tape recorder and put the tape back in its box.

He looked around. No, not this place, not tonight.

He left, walked along the empty corridors and stepped outside into the fresh air, to the car left unlocked as usual. Settling in the seat, he decided to go for a drive. He hadn’t done that for a long time.

It was half past six and she had spread her legs for the twelfth and last time today.

He had been quite quick and he hadn’t wanted to hit her or anything, and no spitting. He had only penetrated her anally, but barely, and told her to whisper that it turned her on, so it hadn’t hurt much at all.

She showered for a long time, even though she had washed several times already. It was the best time for crying, when the water was pouring over her.

Dimitri had told her that she was to be fully dressed and smiling by seven o’clock, sitting on her bed. The woman who called herself Ilona, the one who had met them when they came off the ferry, was coming to see them, to check that they were all right. Dimitri explained that the woman still owned a third share of them, so her approval was important. For another month, anyway.

The woman arrived punctually. The kitchen clock: thirty seconds to seven. She was wearing her tracksuit with the hood up, just as before. She didn’t take it down as she passed the electronic locks and came into the flat.

Dimitri said hello, asked if she wanted a drink. She shook her head. She was in a hurry, just wanted to give the girls a quick once-over. After all, she did still have a stake in them.

When the woman popped her head round the door, the girl looked as happy as she could, just as Dimitri had instructed her. The woman asked how many men she had seen today and she replied twelve. That pleased her and she said that was good going for such a young Baltic pussy.

She lay down on the bed and cried again. She knew that Dimitri didn’t allow it and that he would soon come in and hit her, but she couldn’t help it.

She thought of the men who had forced themselves on her, the woman with the hood and that Dimitri had said