Closed Circles (Sandhamn Murders Book 2) by Viveca Sten

be colleagues.
    He felt like an alien in her apartment. It was a feminine place with fluffy, embroidered pillows scattered about and a light-blue sofa, a color he’d never have chosen. It looked more like a girl’s bedroom than an adult’s apartment.
    What was he doing here with a woman who was so much younger—not just in body but also in soul?
    He didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed or flattered that a woman her age wanted him. Perhaps he was unwilling to face the situation—the thrill of infatuation was fading, leaving no deeper feelings behind.
    Nora might have understood, but she’d had so much to think about the last year. She’d always known what he felt before he did, like a little sister.
    This special friendship with Nora had existed for a long time. Pernilla had never questioned it, unlike Nora’s husband, Henrik. But Thomas and Henrik had never been close.
    From the start, Thomas had seen Henrik as a spoiled, upper-class medical student. But Nora had fallen in love with him, and Henrik had reined in his worst behavior. Later, Thomas had figured out how to handle Henrik, but they’d never been comfortable around each other. These days, he often met Nora alone, or together with Simon, Nora’s youngest boy. Simon was also his godson, and Thomas was very fond of him.
    Thomas glanced at his alarm clock. It would be twenty minutes before it went off, but it seemed already bright as midday outside. Carina’s white curtains let in more light than they kept out.
    As Thomas rolled onto his back, his thoughts turned to the investigation. Obviously Oscar Juliander was a strong, virile man who liked the company of women. This meant that both his wife and his lovers had reason to kill him. Or why not some cuckolded husband? Jealousy was a powerful motive.
    On the other hand, why would a wife get rid of the husband who provided everything for her? Apparently she’d put up with his extramarital affairs for years, so why would she take such drastic revenge on this particular day?
    Regardless, they needed to talk to his wife as soon as possible. Thomas hoped she’d recovered enough to speak with them. Last Sunday, in Sandhamn, she’d not been capable of dealing with anything, and her doctor had not allowed them to interview her.
    Thomas thought about the client list the law firm had provided. They’d handled hundreds of bankruptcies in the past few years. Juliander must have made a fortune. How he’d found the time to juggle work, women, and sailing was another question.
    Thomas decided he’d assign Carina to check Juliander’s bank accounts. Money often revealed motive. He wondered if lawyers were generally honest, or if they simply hid illegal funds better since they knew how to work the system.
    Thomas glanced at his alarm clock again. Time to get out of bed and take a shower. First on today’s list: a visit to the Kalling law firm.

C HAPTER 13
    Nora stared at her cell phone. The message in her voice mail was painfully clear, yet she didn’t want to admit what it meant. The man from the Outer Islands Real Estate Agency said he would be in Sandhamn the next day to appraise the property. Would someone be there to meet him on the steamboat landing?
    The property had to be the Brand house! Henrik must have gone behind her back and contacted an agent without speaking to her first. She didn’t want to believe that, but who else could have arranged such a meeting?
    Nora sank into her wicker chair on the glass-enclosed veranda. The Mårbacka geraniums crowded the windowsill, though the pots were dry. The sun had shined on them all morning, and they needed watering.
    How could Henrik do such a thing?
    She let her gaze drift out the windows toward the Brand house. The building towered over theirs, standing on the hill just a stone’s throw away. She could almost smell the roses growing along the outer wall. Aunt Signe had loved those roses like children.
    Last fall, Nora had declined a dream job in Malmö as