‘The three of you? You mean you, Magnus, and Erik Lind?’

‘Yes, that’s right. If we’d first met as adults, I don’t think we would have become friends, but Fjällbacka is so small, and we more or less grew up together, so we’ve always stayed in touch. When Erik lived in Göteborg, we didn’t see much of him, but since he moved back here we’ve seen rather a good deal of each other, getting together with our families. Out of habit, I suppose.’

‘Would you say that the three of you are close?’

Kenneth paused to think, glancing out of the window and staring across the ice before he answered. ‘No, I wouldn’t say that. Erik and I work together, of course, so we have a lot of contact with each other. But we’re not close friends. I don’t think anyone is close to Erik. And Magnus and I were so different. I don’t have a bad word to say about Magnus; I don’t think anyone does. We always got on well together, but we’ve never been what you’d call confidants. In that sense, it was Magnus and the newcomer in the group, Christian, who spent the most time together.’

‘How did Christian come into the picture?’

‘I don’t really know. Magnus was the one who decided to include him and Sanna, right after Christian moved here. After that, he became a regular.’

‘Do you know anything about his background?’

‘No,’ he said and then fell silent for a moment. ‘Now that you mention it… I really know nothing about what he did before he moved to Fjällbacka. We never talked about it.’ Kenneth seemed surprised by what he’d said.

‘How do you and Erik get along with Christian?’

‘He’s a bit difficult to get to know, and he can be really gloomy. But he’s a nice guy, and if he just has a couple of glasses of wine, he loosens up and we usually have a great time.’

‘Do you think he’s seemed stressed lately? Worried about anything?’

‘Christian, you mean?’ Again a flash of something in Kenneth’s eyes, but it disappeared so quickly.

‘Yes. He’s been getting these threatening letters for almost a year and a half.’

‘That long? I didn’t know that.’

‘So you and Erik haven’t noticed anything?’

He shook his head. ‘As I said, Christian is rather… complicated, you might say. It’s hard to know what’s going on inside his head. For instance, I had no idea that he was writing a book until it was just about to be published.’

‘Have you read it? It’s really creepy,’ said Erica.

Kenneth shook his head. ‘I’m not much of a reader. But I heard that the reviews have been great.’

‘Yes, really incredible,’ Erica replied. ‘But Christian didn’t tell you or Erik about the letters?’

‘No, he never mentioned them. But as I said, we’ve mostly seen each other at social events. Dinner parties, celebrations, and at New Year’s and Midsummer. Things like that. Magnus was probably the one person that Christian might have talked to.’

‘And Magnus didn’t say anything to you either?’

‘No, he didn’t.’ Kenneth got up. ‘I’m sorry, but I really need to get back to work now. Are you sure that you and Patrik wouldn’t like to consider a new house?’ He smiled and gestured towards the advertising posters on the wall.

‘We’re very comfortable where we are, but thanks. And your houses certainly are attractive.’ Erica made an effort to stand up, but with the usual awkward result. Kenneth held out his hand and helped her get to her feet.

‘Thank you.’ Erica wrapped her scarf around her neck. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she said then. ‘About your wife, I mean. I hope that…’ She didn’t know what else to say, and Kenneth merely nodded.

Erica shivered as she stepped back out into the cold.

Christian was having a hard time concentrating. Normally he enjoyed his job at the library, but today he was finding it impossible to focus, impossible to keep his mind on anything.

Everybody who came in wanted to say something about The Mermaid. Some had already read the book, some were planning to read it, some had seen him on the TV talk show. And he always responded politely, thanking people for their favourable comments, and offering a brief summary of his novel for those who asked. But in reality, he just wanted to scream.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the terrible thing that had happened to Magnus. The prickling sensation had started up in his hands again, and it was spreading. To his arms, over his torso, down into his legs. At times it felt as if his whole body was itching and burning. He was having a hard time sitting still. That’s why he kept getting up to go over to the shelves, moving books that had ended up in the wrong place and straightening the spines so the books formed nice, even rows.

All of a sudden he stopped. He was standing there with one hand raised, resting on top of some books, and he was incapable of taking it down. That’s when the thoughts came, the ones that had been appearing more and more often. What was he doing here? Why was he here, in this particular place, at this particular moment? He shook his head to push the thoughts away, but they just burrowed deeper into his mind.

Someone walked by outside, going past the library entrance. He caught only a glimpse of the person, sensing a movement rather than actually seeing anything. But the feeling that instantly came over him was the same as when he had driven home the night before. The feeling of something hostile, yet at the same time familiar.

He dashed over to the entrance and peered out in the direction the person had gone. Nobody there. No footsteps or any other sound. No one in sight. Was he imagining things? Christian pressed his fingertips to his temples. He closed his eyes and in his mind he pictured Sanna, seeing again the expression on her face when he told her what was half true and half lies. Her mouth agape, sympathy mixed with horror.

She wouldn’t be asking him any more questions. At least not for a while. And the blue dress was back upstairs in the attic, where it belonged. By revealing a little bit of the truth, he had bought himself a temporary respite. But sooner or later she would start questioning what he’d told her, looking for answers and the part of the story that he hadn’t wanted to tell. That part had to stay buried. There was no other option.

He still had his eyes closed when he heard someone clearing their throat. Christian opened his eyes.

‘Excuse me, but my name is Lars Olsson. I’m a reporter. I was just wondering if we could have a little chat. I’ve tried to reach you by phone, but nobody answers.’

‘I’ve switched off my mobile.’ Christian took his hands away from his temples. ‘What do you want?’

‘Yesterday a man was found frozen in the ice. Magnus Kjellner. He’s been missing since November. As I understand it, the two of you were good friends.’

‘Why are you talking to me about this?’ Christian backed away, retreating behind the library counter.

‘It seems a strange coincidence, don’t you think? The fact that you’ve been receiving threats for a long period of time, and then one of your closest friends is found dead? We’ve also learned that he was most likely murdered.’

‘Murdered?’ said Christian, hiding his hands under the counter. They were shaking badly.

‘Yes, there were wounds on the body that indicate he was the victim of an attack. Do you know whether Magnus Kjellner had also been threatened? Or who might have sent those letters to you?’ The journalist was using an aggressive tone of voice, leaving no doubt that he expected Christian to answer.

‘I know nothing about that. Nothing at all.’

‘But it seems that somebody is fixated on you, and then it’s not a big leap to assume that people close to you might be targeted too. Has anyone in your family been threatened in any way?’

All Christian could do was mutely shake his head. Images began crowding into his mind, and he swiftly pushed them away. He couldn’t allow them to take over.