Free Lifetime by Liza Marklund Page B

they published nude photos of her and a man who was claimed to be an escaped convict. Michelle Carlsson was offended by the inference that she would have anything to do with a criminal. And to make matters worse, the paper had got the man’s identity all wrong – he was a Norwegian film star, and he decided to sue the paper as well. The film star was a married man with children and he claimed that the nude pictures had violated his privacy. The paper’s strategy in the two different cases was somewhat schizoid.
    With regard to Michelle, they claimed that her companion was clearly identifiable as being the Norwegian film star, which meant there was no reason for her to take offence even if the paper had happened to infer that the man was a criminal.
    With regard to the film star, the paper claimed that the photos did not depict the star at all, that the man in question was alleged to be an escaped convict, a criminal, which meant that they could not possibly constitute a violation of the film star’s privacy in any way.
    Anders Schyman sighed and rubbed his forehead.
    The third court case, which was almost settled, concerned Michelle Carlsson’s mother. A reporter had found the TV star’s lush of a mother at a hotel in Riga where she, with limited success, supported herself as a prostitute.
    ‘These days there are too many young and good-looking girls in the business,’ the woman complained on the front page of Kvällspressen.
    She had also been allowed to beg Michelle to get in touch with her, since she missed her little girl so much and their falling-out had pained her to such an extent that she had succumbed to drink and drugs. Schyman’s cheeks burned with shame when he remembered the headline: ‘Help me, my beloved Michelle!’
    The fact that Michelle Carlsson’s mother had abandoned her husband and daughter when the girl was three was never mentioned. The only reason they had been able to reach a settlement at all was because of Michelle’s reluctance to discuss her mother publicly. Naturally, this was an expedient solution for the paper, and one that was cheaper than paying a lawyer for a protracted court case. The reason they hadn’t settled the other cases out of court in a similar way was because Michelle Carlsson had refused to do so, and now it was too late.
    The managing editor stacked the summonses. The poor air quality of the room had left him feeling sluggish. He knew he would have to remain at his desk for hours to come. Every single word about Michelle Carlsson destined for tomorrow’s paper would have to be closely reviewed by him. The last thing they needed was another court case, and this time the charge would be the defamation of a deceased person’s character.
    The mechanism groaning under his weight, Schyman leaned back in his chair. His wife was celebrating Midsummer with friends out in Vikinghill. He closed his eyes and pictured her there, seated on a patio under an awning, with flowers in her hair, singing and indulging in a schnapps or two.
    Why the hell did he take this lousy job?
    Because he was tired of superficial pursuits. Frustrated by the limited financial and expressive scope provided by Sweden’s public service television network back when he produced and hosted shows that reviewed society in a critical manner. He was fed up with the celebrity that came with the job. When he accepted the position as managing editor at Kvällspressen , he was shooting for something bigger, something more hands-on, responsible and well conceived. Many times he’d wondered if he’d made the right choice.
    The show he had walked out on was doing just fine. Mehmed was a better host than he’d ever been.
    Schyman got up and restlessly paced the floor.
    Well, he had a fire to put out, so he’d better get down to it.
    The rain was driving Annika crazy. Bertil Strand was a regular poster boy for geniality as he sat in the car belonging to the competition, laughing and being amusing. She would