He turned his coffee cup gently.
On one occasion we were despatched to protect a Turkish Cypriot village which was coming under constant fire from superior and considerably better armed Greek Cypriot forces.
Unfortunately our presence didnt put a stop to hostilities and we were forced to watch as the Turkish Cypriot village was blown to pieces. Erland was a man of firm principles He along with a couple of his colleagues had great difficulty accepting that we had no mandate to intervene in order to protect the weaker party.
She nodded.
Well, unfortunately their frustration led to them loading up two of our UN-marked vehicles with a couple of heavy machine-guns and several boxes of ammunition, with the intention of driving them over to the Turkish Cypriots. The idea was presumably to even out the fight, if only slightly. It wasnt a declaration of political intent, and even if they had succeeded in delivering the arms, I doubt they would have made much difference …
He shook his head slowly.
But they were stopped at a Greek Cypriot roadblock, and all hell broke loose … There was a thorough investigation, your father and his colleagues were relieved of duty immediately and the whole Swedish contingent of UN forces was reallocated at once to the southern part of the island. Erland took the whole thing very hard. He believed that he had merely been acting to protect the weaker party, according to orders. I cant pretend that I didnt sympathize with him, but the regulations were crystal-clear and not only had he broken them, but he had also damaged confidence in the whole UN mission.
So what happened?
He shrugged his shoulders.
Instant dismissal from both the UN and the Swedish Army. As his immediate superior I was forced to sign the papers. A sad day. A very sad day …
He paused for a few seconds as he went on toying with his empty coffee cup.
You see, Rebecca, your father liked being an officer, part of a larger context, surrounded by peers. He had been looking forward to a long and successful career in the military. And when this was suddenly taken away from him, he became …
Bitter …
He looked up.
I was thinking of saying a different man, but of course youre right. Erland was never quite himself again …
Empty!
The bastard lift had been fucking empty! He still couldnt work out how it had happened.
Not in the lift, not in the corridor, not in the entrance to the museum. So where the hell had the bloke gone? After all, he couldnt have pulled some magic trick and disappeared in a puff of bloody smoke, could he?
But he knew what was going on. The bastards were fucking with his head! Not content with keeping track of his every move and listening through the walls, now they were playing mind games on him. Getting him to chase a ghost halfway across Södermalm. Sneaking into the flat when he was out, planting the phone and with it the clear message that whoever put it there had police connections; most likely the Player was a cop.
Well, they werent going to break him that easily! Hed started piling furniture against the door at night, and on the few occasions he went out, he stuck strands of hair across the crack of the door so he could see if theyd been in. But hed much rather just not go out.
The whole of his living-room floor was covered with pizza boxes and newspapers and magazines. Hed pretty much stripped the newsagents shelves, and the signs were unmistakable. Weird shit was going on all over the place: people going out to buy cigarettes but never coming home; computer systems shutting down for no reason, closing the barriers in the tunnel network of the Southern Link Road, switching off the landing lights at Arlanda Airport, preventing chemists from issuing prescriptions; things simply vanishing – like that flag out at Kastellholmen thats always supposed to fly in peacetime. The newspapers seemed to think it was great fun. An innocent prank ahead of the royal wedding … but yesterday Stockholms pensioners blocked the Armys telephone exchange with worried calls.
As usual, the world full of average Swedes had no idea.
No flag – no peace.
In other words, war!
Well, if it was war they wanted, they could have it!
BIG TIME!!
He got up from the floor and scratched his beard as he marched over to the fridge. Time to check his supplies: four low-strength lagers, six Gorby pies, half a tube of fish roe.
The top shelf of the larder increased his assets by three slices of crispbread and a tin of frankfurters. The second shelf was full of silver duct tape. Sixteen rolls, to be precise. He did a quick calculation on his fingers. Another three days, possibly four, before he needed to go out again.
Good!
He had a lot to sort out, things to do …
So where do the passports come in?
He took a deep breath, then slowly let the air out again.
What Ive told you so far isnt particularly sensitive. You can find it all on the internet or in various books about the history of the UN. But what Im about to say is strictly confidential. I hope you understand that?
She nodded.
After the Cyprus mission I continued my career in the military. We were in the middle of the Cold War and the army was larger and far more influential than it is today. Erland and I kept in touch, mostly at my initiative because I felt a certain degree of guilt about what had happened. I had been both his friend and his commanding officer, yet I still hadnt been able to help him. But as my career in the military developed, I realized that there was always a need for loyal, decisive men like Erland. I began to use him for a number of … small consultancy tasks, I suppose you could call them. Would you like anything else to drink, by the way? Some mineral water, perhaps?
He waved the waitress over and ordered two bottles of Ramlösa, which she brought over at once.
These consultancy jobs, what did they involve? Rebecca asked after taking a drink.
Im afraid I cant go into the details …
You mean he was some sort of spy?
No, no, absolutely not.
He held his hands up in front of him.
Nothing of that sort, it was mostly courier work. The exchange of services and information. I really cant say any more than that … Its still covered by the Official Secrets Act …
But if he needed fake passports … ?
I know it must sound strange, but you have to understand that times were very different. The Cold War was raging and Sweden was caught between the two superpowers. Im sure you remember the Swedish DC-3 that was shot down over the Baltic by the Soviet union , followed by one of the Catalina planes that was sent to search for survivors. Even the most innocent activities were liable to be misinterpreted by the enemy, so it was important to take whatever precautions were available, especially once Erland had a family …
B-but Dad had a job, he worked as a salesman, for … for …
She tried in vain to remember the name of the company – something beginning with T, she was pretty sure of that. He let her think.
Id be surprised if any of you knew very much about Erlands work … If he ever told you anything, it was probably only in very general terms, no specifics. Something to explain his absences and long trips abroad, perhaps … ?
She picked up her bottle to refill her glass, but her right hand suddenly twitched a couple of times, making her spill water on the table. She used some napkins to wipe it up as discreetly as she could.
If anyone had suggested that her dad had been anything but a perfectly ordinary citizen only a few days before, she would probably just have laughed. But that was before she opened his safe deposit box …
I realize that this must all feel a little … unreal, Rebecca.
He leaned forward and put his hand on hers.
Believe me, I would rather not have had to tell you any of this …
She looked at him carefully, trying to find any indication that he didnt mean it. But he seemed to be completely genuine.
S-so, what do we do now … ? she managed to ask. With the things in the box? she clarified, dropping her right hand to her lap in an attempt to stop it shaking.
Leave that to me. Ill make sure that everything disappears. The passports, the safe deposit box, any documentation that could connect them to your father. Just give me all the keys, codes and anything else necessary, and all your worries will be over.
She tensed up involuntarily.
Naturally, I shall make sure that no shadows fall across your fathers memory … He smiled warmly and she paused for a few moments while she considered.
Im not sure thats what I want, Uncle Tage, she said eventually. Handing over everything, I mean …
He frowned and gave her a long look.
Then he slowly pulled his hand back and straightened up in his chair.
In which case I cant help wondering why not, Rebecca?
The expression on his face had suddenly changed, becoming harder.
He went on looking at her for a few seconds, as his eyes slowly narrowed and his mouth grew thinner.
There was something else in the box, wasnt there? Apart from the passports and that photograph …
She didnt move a muscle, but he slowly nodded as if she had nonetheless somehow confirmed his suspicion.
You found something else, something much more troubling …
Her hand was still trembling in her lap, and she could feel her heart beating faster. She made a determined effort not to show the slightest sign that might give her away.