‘Anna, darling, was that really necessary?’ said Dan wearily. Emma and Adrian had also witnessed the confrontation and were standing in the hall, staring at them in bewilderment.

‘Oh, go to hell,’ said Anna, grabbing her jacket. For a second time the front door closed with a bang.

‘Hi, where have you been?’ Patrik met Erica at the door, giving her a kiss on the lips. Maja wanted a kiss from her too and came toddling over, holding out her arms.

‘I’ve had two very interesting conversations, I can tell you that much,’ said Erica, hanging up her jacket and going with Patrik into the living room.

‘Oh, really? About what?’ he asked. He sat down on the floor and went on with what he and Maja had been doing when they heard Erica come in. They were building the world’s tallest tower out of blocks.

‘I thought Maja was supposed to be the one learning to use building blocks,’ laughed Erica, sitting down next to them. She watched with amusement as her husband, with great concentration, attempted to place a red block on top of the tower that was now taller than Maja.

‘Shh…,’ said Patrik, sticking out his tongue as he steadied his hand to put the block on top of the rather rickety construction.

‘Maja, can you give Mamma the yellow block?’ Erica whispered to her daughter, pointing at a block at the very bottom. Maja’s face lit up at the thought of doing her mother a favour. She leaned down and swiftly pulled out the block, causing Patrik’s carefully stacked structure to collapse.

Patrik sat there, holding the red block in the air. ‘Thanks a lot,’ he sulked, glaring at Erica. ‘Do you have any idea what skill it takes to build a tower that tall? What a steady hand it requires?’

‘I see somebody is finally starting to understand what I’ve been saying for the past year about feeling understimulated,’ laughed Erica as she leaned forward to kiss her husband.

‘Hmmm, well, yes. I get it,’ he said, kissing her back with a flick of his tongue. Erica returned the invitation, and what had started out as a kiss developed into some light groping, which didn’t stop until Maja, with perfect aim, threw a block at her father’s head.

‘Ow!’ He put his hand to his head, and then raised his finger to warn Maja. ‘What on earth do you think you’re doing? Throwing blocks at Pappa just when he has a chance to do a little groping with Mamma?’

‘Patrik!’ Erica slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Is it really necessary to teach our daughter the word “grope” at her age?’

‘If she wants a little brother or sister, she’ll just have to put up with the sight of her mother and father groping,’ he said, and Erica saw that he had that gleam in his eye.

She stood up. ‘I think we’ll wait for a while with the little brother or sister. But I guess we could get in some practice tonight…’ She winked and went out to the kitchen. They had finally managed to resume that part of their life together. It was unbelievable what a negative effect the arrival of a baby could have on a couple’s sex life, but after a rather lean year in that respect, things had begun to improve. Although after spending a whole year at home, she couldn’t yet imagine doing anything about a sibling for Maja. She felt as if she needed to settle into being a grownup again before she could contemplate a return to the world of babies.

‘So what were these interesting conversations you had today?’ asked Patrik, following her out to the kitchen.

Erica told him about her two excursions to Uddevalla and what she’d found out.

‘But you don’t recognize those names?’ asked Patrik, frowning after she told him what Herman had said.

‘Well, that’s the strange thing. I can’t remember ever hearing them before, and yet there’s something… I don’t know. Paul Heckel and Friedrich Hück. Somehow they sound familiar.’

‘So you and Kjell Ringholm are going to join forces to track down this… Hans Olavsen?’ Patrik looked sceptical, and Erica could tell what he was getting at.

‘Okay, I know it’s a long shot. I have no idea what role Hans might have played, but something tells me it’s important. And even if this has nothing to do with the murders, he seems to have meant something to my mother, and that was how I got started on all this in the first place. I wanted to find out more about her.’

‘Well, just be careful.’ Patrik put a saucepan of water on the stove. ‘Would you like some tea, by the way?’

‘Yes please.’ Erica sat down at the kitchen table. ‘What do you mean “be careful”?’

‘According to what I’ve heard, Kjell is a very slick journalist, so just watch out that he doesn’t exploit you.’

‘I don’t see how he could. The worst that could happen is that he might take the information I dig up and not give me any in return. And I’m willing to take that risk. But I actually don’t think he’d do something like that. We agreed that I would talk to Axel Frankel about the Norwegian and also check whether he’s listed in any official Swedish records. And Kjell is going to talk to his father. Although he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the prospect.’

‘No, those two don’t seem to get along very well,’ said Patrik, pouring boiling water into two cups, each supplied with a teabag. ‘I’ve read a number of articles that Kjell wrote where he really let his father have it.’

‘Sounds like it’ll be an interesting conversation, then,’ said Erica, taking the cup that Patrik handed her. She looked at him as she sipped the hot tea. They could hear Maja prattling with some imaginary playmate out in the living room. She was probably talking to the doll, which she’d refused to let out of her sight the past few days.

‘How does it feel not to be part of the work they’re doing at the station right now?’ she asked.

‘I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult. But I realize what an opportunity this is to stay home with Maja, and my job will still be there when I go back. That’s not to say that I hope there will be more murder investigations, but, well… you know what I mean.’

‘And how is Karin doing?’ asked Erica, trying to keep her tone of voice as neutral as possible.

Patrik paused a second before answering. Then he said, ‘I don’t know. She seems so… sad. I don’t think things have turned out the way she imagined, and now she’s stuck in a situation that… no, I don’t really know. I feel a little sorry for her.’

‘Does she regret leaving you?’ asked Erica, and then waited tensely for his reply. They hadn’t ever talked about his marriage to Karin, and the few times that she had asked about it, he had given her curt, one-word answers.

‘No, I don’t think so. Or rather… I don’t know. I think she regrets doing what she did, and that I caught them in the act the way I did.’ He gave a bitter laugh as he pictured the scene he’d put out of his mind for so long. ‘But I don’t know… I realize now that she did what she did largely because the two of us just weren’t getting along.’

‘But do you think she’s forgotten about that?’ asked Erica. ‘Sometimes we have a tendency to only remember the good stuff.’

‘True, but I think she does remember how things really were. Of course she does,’ said Patrik, although he sounded a bit doubtful. Eager to drop the subject, he asked: ‘So what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?’

Erica knew exactly what he was up to, but she let it go. ‘I was thinking of having a little chat with Axel. And I’ll make a few calls to the civil registry and tax authorities, see if I can dig up anything about Hans.’

‘Wait a minute, don’t you have a book to write too?’ Patrik laughed, although he still sounded nervous.

‘There’s plenty of time for that, especially since I’ve already done most of the research. And I’m going to have a hard time concentrating on my book until I get this out of my system, so just let me…’

‘Okay, okay,’ said Patrik, holding up his hands. ‘You’re a big girl, and you know how to organize your time. Maja and I will take care of our own schedule, and you can take care of yours.’ He got up, kissing Erica on the top of the head as he walked past.