Chapter 53 53

She forgot her rucksack because her mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of revenge and punishment.Ingmar silently drove his old luxury car (Volvo) through the center of Winmobile, apartment after apartment, and then a residential area. After the residential area, there was a forest. Sybylla paid no attention. Cursed are those who unlawfully deprive the innocent of their rights. The words echoed in her head like a premonition. She didn't even notice when the car stopped. It seems that she hasn't come home yet, at least, the car is not here. His voice reached her ears, pulling her out of her focused thoughts, and she found herself sitting in the passenger seat of the plutocratic car, and she looked out the window.They had stopped in front of a yellow wooden house, all the windows shaded by drawn Venetian shutters.

I wait for her. She fumbled for the doorknob to get out. raining. That's true, water trickling down the windshield of the car. I'm her neighbor. I live in the house over there. Why don't you come to my house for a cup of coffee while you're waiting for her? coffee?At this moment, she couldn't care less about coffee. On the other hand, it was not a good idea to refuse nutritious food, not to mention that the two hot dogs only filled a small part of her stomach, which was still more than half empty.She nodded, and he started the car without a hitch, and the car moved on, gliding slowly between the gateposts, to a rough stucco house, painted green, across from Hedlund's house.

So, instead of being next-door neighbors, they live across from each other.Sybil got out of the car and walked out into the rain to wait for Ingmar, who set off on a gravel road leading to his house.As Sybylla reached the top of the stairs, she looked back at Kirsten.Did Hedlund's car come by?There was silence all around, and Ingmar's words dispelled her doubts: You'll hear her when she comes, we're the only family around here. As she stepped into the foyer, the air smelled strongly of solvents.Damn it!I forgot to take the can of turpentine. He disappeared, but returned shortly thereafter with a glass jar in which brushes had been soaking.

The smell dissipates quickly and I'm taking the jar outside now. He opened the front door, put the acrid jar outside, closed the door, and turned the key in the lock.She found an empty hook and hung her coat on it. Do you often draw? It's just my hobby!Do you want to come to the kitchen?Shall we have a cup of coffee? He bent to take off his shoes, she followed suit, and he took a step back to let her step into the kitchen first. After entering the kitchen, she was sure that the man did not live alone.Not only was the place clean and tidy, but it was well looked after.The windows had white lace, and the curtains were neatly drawn back with pale pink ribbons.There were several pots of healthy-looking and rather exotic plants on the windowsill, protected by what might have been a homemade crocheted chute.

He fiddled with coffee or something and filled the coffee pot with water. sit down!Just treat it as your own home! She found a chair with a view of the road and sat down.He measures the coffee out of a beautiful but old tin can.There was something odd about this place, she thought, watching him go about his business slowly: everything was well looked after and orderly, but in a quaint old-fashioned style.The kitchen furnishings looked like an original from the 1950s, and the worktop was so low that it didn't reach the top of his thighs.Whoever lived here was definitely not interested in new-style interiors, but who was she criticizing anyway?

do you live alone? He looked at her almost shyly. yes!After my mother passed away, I lived here by myself. Feel sorry!Did your mother just pass away? The coffee pot starts to boil. oh!no!about ten years ago. But you still use your mother's curtains. Would you like a sandwich? OK, I'm so hungry. He opened the refrigerator door. The door handle was made of black bakelite, and the whole model looked quite old.Some thirty-five years ago, Gombrit had one of these refrigerators in his apartment in Hartley.He hesitated, his hand still on the doorknob of the refrigerator. oh!no!What a shame!I forgot to go shopping, I'm afraid you only have coffee.

no problem. He opened one of the cupboards and took out a beautiful blue-patterned teacup and coaster, which he placed on the dining table and began rummaging in the drawer for coffee spoons.A car was passing the road, and she jumped up to look out, but the car was going so fast that it disappeared around the next bend. Meanwhile, Ingmar was folding napkins, thin napkins folded into elegant little squares with scalloped edges.Except for the afternoon tea parties of those women in Hartley, she had never seen any other similar activities. Perhaps in the countryside where time passed much more slowly than in the city, she might have seen such parties.

The best is reserved only for the guests. She looked at him, he was busy, the table was covered with an unstained wax cloth, and he was carefully smoothing out the creases in the wax cloth, which had been messed up by the movement of taking a napkin from the table drawer.He looked contented, almost enjoying himself. Could it be that he hasn't experienced the pleasure of having guests come to drink coffee for a long time?A female guest lifted his spirits. Before pouring the coffee, he found in a cupboard a small silver plate, on which were placed a sugar bowl and a milk jug in the same china as the teacups.He was obviously very satisfied with everything he had prepared, so he sat down across from her with a charming smile.Lo and behold!Hope you like it.

Thank you! She looked at the empty milk jug, and it would be great if there was some milk, but she knew it was pointless to ask.She lifted the teacup by its slender, fragile stem and sipped her coffee, contemplating the words on the embroidered sample behind Ingmar. The greatest thing in the world is love. Then he suddenly broke the silence. So, what are you going to do when you meet Kirsten? The question stumped her.During this drive, her thoughts had been so focused that she almost thought he would feel the urgency in her heart. At this moment, she suddenly remembered that he didn't know who she was yet.She looks at her coffee mug.

I just want to talk to her. The expression on his face didn't change, as if the smile had been sticking to his face. why are you She felt something like anger gradually welling up in her heart, so maybe he meant well, but she shouldn't rely on him to mediate it. That's between me and her. Ingmar continues to focus on her. Are you sure? The coffee was bland and he put too little coffee.She didn't have the energy to continue chatting with him, so she stood up. Thanks for the coffee and the ride, I want to go out now and take a walk while I wait. He didn't respond, the smile was still on his face.She suddenly felt that there was something wrong with him: it was so stupid to keep smiling like that, so stupid that she had the urge to swear, just to wipe that smile off his weird face.He looked contented, as if recalling an interesting story that he wasn't going to share with her.

She went into the foyer and started putting on her boots.When she straightened up and reached for her coat, he was standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling at her, there was no doubt about that. You are not going to leave, are you? His tone sounded like an order, not a question.To her, it meant the end of good manners. yes!I'm leaving, I can't stand coffee without milk, you know? is that so?I get the impression that you're not very picky. He suddenly bit on it, like a snake, ready to say anything at any time.She suddenly became anxious. She had already taken off her coat and couldn't think of what to say at first. What do you mean? When she finally spoke, she seemed less sure, and her voice must have said it too, for the smile returned to his face. It's obvious, right?People like you should be grateful for what you get. At this moment, she tried her best not to show the shock she felt in her heart.He doesn't look particularly strong, and this is where she miscalculated earlier, so now she has to bear the consequences.If the other party is hungry and thirsty, she has little chance of escape, but she will not surrender without resistance.She backed away from him. Winmobile seems like a damn place, a serial killer and a rapist live next door to each other, maybe there's something nasty in the water? She looked at the front door, the key was gone. The door is locked, if you don't believe it. His voice seemed to convey a message. Well, there is something I should let you know.If there's one thing I haven't thought of doing yet, it's leaving you here for sex. The words didn't convince her, and she backed away from him, bumping her back against the end of the banister. There are other things we have to figure out together, you and me. She swallowed. I do not think so. Now he laughed again. Yes, that's right, we must come together, Sybylla.