After one more dance they went out onto the veranda to get some fresh air and cool down. The packed dance floor created an almost sauna-like heat.

Outside, it was pleasantly warm, with hundreds of masts silhouetted against the dark-blue sky. One or two boats were still flying their ensigns, in spite of the ancient custom that dictated that all flags should be lowered at nine o’clock in the evening in the summer. Many sailors were still on board, enjoying the beautiful evening.

Over by the pool, they could see motorboats whose owners had gathered to celebrate this Saturday evening, untroubled by the dramatic events of recent weeks.

The biggest motorboats, the Storebro and the Princess, lay side by side at the Via Mare jetty. There was a fine line between what constituted a boat and what was actually a floating summer cottage. Some of the boats were so enormous they could only berth in Sandhamn or Högböte, the harbor that was home to the Royal Motorboat Club.

Nora had once asked one of Henrik’s sailing friends how much a vessel like the Storebro would cost. He had given her a look and said, “Don’t worry about what the boat costs—worry about what it costs to fill her up!” She hadn’t asked any more questions after that.

Henrik interrupted Nora’s thoughts. “Did you enjoy dinner?”

He put his arm around her shoulders as she shivered in the evening breeze.

“I did. Johan is easy to talk to, even if his account of the qualities of your new mainsail did take up most of the main course.” Nora smiled at him. “But it’s lovely to have a pleasant evening together for a change. I’ve missed this.” She snuggled a little closer and gently stroked his cheek. “Have you given any more thought to the idea of moving to Malmö? It all sounds very exciting, doesn’t it? It would be a terrific opportunity for me.” The sense of pride at having been asked to apply for the post gave her a warm feeling. She gazed up at her husband, smiling.

Henrik looked back at her, surprise written all over his face. “I thought we’d finished talking about this. We can’t move the entire family to Malmö just because somebody offers you a job there.”

Nora was shocked. “What do you mean? Why can’t we move to Malmö just because somebody offers me a job there?”

“I can’t move, and I have no desire to do so. I’m very happy at the hospital in Danderyd. I have absolutely no wish to start again somewhere else.” He half turned and waved to a passing acquaintance. “Shall we go back inside? The others will be wondering where we’ve gone.”

Nora was at a loss for words. Then she furiously shook off his arm. The happy atmosphere was gone in a second; suddenly the gala and all those people laughing and dancing seemed a long way off.

“How can you possibly say we’ve finished talking about this? We haven’t even discussed it properly!” She pushed a strand of hair back from her face and continued. “Have you even heard what I’ve been trying to tell you?” To her surprise, her voice was shaking. “I thought we had a modern relationship, an equal marriage, where both our jobs were important, not just yours.”

“Calm down,” Henrik said. “Let’s not get carried away. I just meant that you need to be a little more realistic about the future. After all, I’m the main breadwinner. Our family and friends are in Stockholm. And I’ve got the boat here, of course.” He took a step back and looked at her. “There’s no need to be so melodramatic when I don’t agree with you.”

Henrik sounded exactly like the clinical practitioner he was. His voice was cool and distant, and he was looking at her as if she were a small child.

“I’m not being melodramatic.”

Nora blinked away a tear, even more angry because she was starting to cry. The injustice of it all took her breath away. She swallowed, partly to get rid of the lump in her throat and partly to prevent the tears from falling.

Henrik was expressionless. He took a few steps toward the door. “Yes, you are. Now pull yourself together so we can go back inside.” He took another step.

Nora clenched her fists in rage. Every time Henrik wanted to go away for a competition, the family simply had to make it work. His training sessions and sailing competitions already took up most weekends during the spring and autumn, and their entire summer vacation was arranged according to the various regattas. But when her job happened to be in the spotlight for once, she was being melodramatic.

Henrik was leaning impatiently against the doorframe. “Come on, Nora. Surely you don’t have to make a scene tonight of all nights. Can’t we just go back inside and enjoy ourselves? Is that too much to ask?”

Nora glared at him. “Yes,” she said. “It is.” She dashed away another tear. “I’m going home. This evening is over as far as I’m concerned.” She ran down the steps. The night was ruined. Henrik could come up with some explanation for his friends—she really didn’t care.

It had been a terrible week. Perhaps it was only fitting that it had ended with a terrible evening.

SUNDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK

CHAPTER 41

The attempt to clear his mind by going over to Harö hadn’t exactly been a success. By the time Thomas got there on Saturday afternoon he was far too pumped up on adrenaline to unwind completely. Instead he had gone out for a long run, followed by a refreshing dip from the jetty.

He had gone to bed early to try to catch up on the sleep he had lost during the week, but it had been a waste of time. He found it impossible to stop his mind from dwelling on the case. Fragments of conversations with potential witnesses and disjointed images of the victims whirled around in his head.

At about two o’clock in the morning he gave up, grabbed a beer, and went to sit on the jetty. The sun had already begun to rise; it didn’t stay below the horizon for very long at this time of year.

Thomas sat there thinking about the murders, and eventually he nodded off in his chair. His mother woke him when she came down for her morning swim.

“Have you been out here all night?” she asked, looking puzzled.

Thomas blinked at her, still only half-awake. “I couldn’t get to sleep, so I came down here.”

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, then stretched to ease the muscles in his back, stiff from sitting in an awkward position in the chair.

It was a beautiful, still morning, with gentle ripples on the surface of the water. A little family of eider ducks with three ducklings came swimming along; one little ball of fluff almost got tangled up in a piece of floating yellow seaweed.

His mother shook her head, looking concerned. “You need to take things easy. You sleep badly and you eat badly. I’m going to make you a proper breakfast after my swim.”

Thomas smiled at her. He knew that his parents worried about him. Emily’s death had hit them hard. They had so looked forward to their first grandchild and had been utterly devastated by what had happened.

It suddenly struck him that they were both over seventy. Two living, healthy parents was no longer something he could take for granted.

He got up and gave his mother a great big bear hug. She almost disappeared in his embrace.