Free The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

unbearable. In her home town so much of life seemed to be about going to church and doing everything right. When the huge Lake Vättern shone like silver without a ripple on the surface, she had believed that God was in a good mood and was stopping the waves. But when there was a storm and waves sputtered against the shore, she was afraid that He was angry and would come and punish her. Her mother and father had said that God would punish her if she did something stupid—and she often did. At the thought of these memories, Christina couldn’t help but smile to herself there in the dark.
    Her parents had run a fabric shop and hoped that she would take over. And perhaps that might have come about if she hadn’t fallen in love with Ollie, the tenor in the church choir. He always wanted them to go to the old Brahehus Castle and look at the view across Lake Vättern. The ruins were fascinating, with their thick walls and empty black eyes for windows. They frightened her and tempted her—as did Ollie. After just a few visits, he pulled her down behind some bushes and she lost her virginity. Just like now, she had been unable to resist doing something new and exciting. But when she became pregnant, her parents forced her to marryhim. Things had admittedly gone well for Ollie and they had a lot of money during all their years together. But the marriage was never a happy one, and after years as a housewife it was a relief when the children grew up and she finally got a divorce. After that, she opened a milliner’s shop with the money from the settlement, and her new life proved much more rewarding. She studied literature and there was the choir and her friends. It had been such fun. Christina closed her eyes and thought about Rake. If he became a criminal, she would too. It was like those outings to the old Brahehus Castle. Something forbidden and exciting …

Thirteen
    The League of Pensioners had finished their morning meeting, at which Martha and Brains had revealed the new plan to the others. Everyone had been supportive of the idea, so now it was time for Martha and Brains to get going. Brains got out his pliers, a length of electrical wire, some silver tape and a tube of quick-drying glue. He put them all into a white plastic bag which fit easily into the spacious pocket of his bathrobe and couldn’t be seen. He looked at his watch. In five minutes he had a rendezvous with Martha down in the spa.
    In the elevator, Martha went over the robbery plans again. The various phases had been carefully thought out, and the only thing that worried her was that Brains might get electrocutedand drop dead when he short-circuited the wires. The receptionist looked up when Martha walked into the spa’s reception area.
    ‘One towel, please,’ Martha said.
    ‘Right. I see you already have a bathrobe,’ the girl said as she turned towards the shelves where the towels lay. That very same moment, Brains slipped past and disappeared into the men’s change room with his bag. The receptionist handed over a large white towel.
    ‘So delightfully soft,’ said Martha, pressing it against her cheek. The girl behind the counter handed over a plastic card for the safe.
    ‘When you’ve put your valuables in the safe, you engage the lock by holding the card against it. And when you want to get your things out again, you just hold the card against the lock, and the box will open.’
    ‘How clever.’ Martha smiled. She hoped that her behaviour was exactly the same as normal and that the receptionist couldn’t detect the nervous beating of her heart.
    The change room was brightly lit and a gentle, sweet aroma hung in the air. A dark-haired woman was getting changed, and a bit further away, Martha saw another woman come out of the shower. Otherwise the room was empty. This early in the morning, only a few of the safes were occupied. Martha showered, put on her bathing suit and went into the pool. But she didn’t have time to swim more than a few