‘Hmm, you’re probably right. So did you find out anything from Kenneth?’

‘No, not much. But I got the feeling that he found all my questions very uncomfortable. There seems to be some sort of sensitive issue here, but I can’t put my finger on what it could be.’

‘How well do they know each other?’

‘I’m not really sure. I can’t see what Christian would have in common with either Kenneth or Erik. Magnus seems a more likely friend for him.’

‘I’ve always thought that Christian and Sanna are an odd couple too.’

Erica paused for a moment, searching for the right response. She didn’t want to sound as if she were bad-mouthing anyone. ‘Sanna just seems a bit young,’ she said at last. ‘I also think she’s terribly jealous. And to a certain extent, I can understand why. Christian is a handsome guy, and their relationship doesn’t seem very equal.’ She’d made a pot of tea and now set it on the table along with some honey and milk.

‘What do you mean by equal?’ asked Anna.

‘I haven’t spent a lot of time with them, but I have a feeling that Sanna adores Christian, while he seems to treat her with a certain indifference.’

‘That doesn’t sound pleasant,’ said Anna, taking a sip of the tea, but it was still too hot. She set down her cup to let it cool off a bit.

‘No, it doesn’t. And maybe I’m making a hasty judgement, based on the little that I’ve seen. But there’s something about their interaction that makes it seem more like a parent and child than two adults.’

‘Well, at least his book is selling well.’

‘Yes, and his success is well deserved,’ said Erica. ‘Christian is one of the most talented writers I’ve ever come across, and I’m so glad that readers like his work.’

‘All the PR has helped a lot too. You should never underestimate the level of people’s curiosity when it comes to a scandal.’

‘That’s true, but as long as they find out about his book, I don’t care how it happens,’ said Erica, helping herself to another spoonful of honey. She had tried to get used to drinking tea without making it so sweet that the honey stuck to her teeth, but she just couldn’t do it.

‘How’s it going with those two?’ Anna pointed at Erica’s stomach, unable to hide the concern in her voice. She hadn’t been around much to help Erica out in the difficult period after Maja was born, since she’d had her own problems to deal with. But this time she was actually rather worried about her sister. She didn’t want to see Erica sink into a fog of depression again.

‘I’d be lying if I said that I’m not anxious,’ replied Erica hesitantly. ‘But I feel more mentally prepared this time around. I know what to expect, and how tough the first few months can be. At the same time, it’s really impossible to imagine what it’ll be like with two babies at once. It might be ten times worse, no matter how prepared I think I am.’

She too remembered how she had felt right after Maja’s birth. She had no memory of any details or any specific moments from her daily life during that time. In that sense, all she saw was blackness when she tried to think back. But the feeling was still very strong, and she panicked at the mere thought of falling once again into the bottomless despair and total obliteration of self that she’d experienced before.

Anna sensed what Erica was thinking. She reached out and put her hand on her sister’s.

‘It won’t be the same this time. Of course it will involve more work than with Maja; I can’t imagine otherwise. But I’ll be here for you, Patrik will be here for you, and we’ll both help you if it looks like you might fall into that deep pit again. I promise. Look at me, Erica.’ Anna forced her sister to raise her head and meet her eyes. When she had her full attention, Anna calmly reiterated: ‘We won’t let you end up like that again.’

Erica blinked away a few tears and squeezed her sister’s hand. So much had changed between them over the past few years. She was no longer like a surrogate mother to Anna. She was hardly even a big sister any more. They were just sisters, plain and simple. And friends.

‘I’ve got a container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie in the freezer. Shall I get it out?’

‘And you waited until now to tell me this?’ said Anna, pretending to look insulted. ‘Bring out the ice cream before I disown you!’

Erik sighed when he saw Louise’s car skid into the parking area in front of the office. She almost never came here, so the fact that she was here now did not bode well. She’d also tried to reach him by phone a little while ago. Kenneth had mentioned it when Erik came back after a quick trip to the shops. For once, he’d been able to tell his colleague the truth about where he’d been.

He wondered why Louise was so determined to get hold of him. Could she have found out about his affair with Cecilia? No, the fact that he was sleeping with some other woman wasn’t enough of a motivation to make her get in the car and go driving through the slushy snow. He suddenly froze. Could she have found out that Cecilia was pregnant? Had Cecilia broken their agreement, even though it had been her idea in the first place? Had her desire to hurt him and to seek revenge turned out to be greater than her wish to receive a monthly payment to support herself and the child?

He saw Louise get out of her car. He was paralysed by the thought that Cecilia might have given him away. He should never underestimate a woman. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that she had sacrificed the money for the satisfaction of destroying his life.

Louise came in the front door. She looked upset. When she got closer, he could smell how the stench of wine enveloped her like a thick miasma.

‘Are you out of your mind? Did you drive here drunk?’ he snarled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kenneth was pretending to be very interested in whatever was on his computer screen. But it didn’t make any difference, because he couldn’t help hearing what was being said.

‘To hell with that,’ replied Louise, slurring her words. ‘I drive better when I’m drunk than you do sober.’ She swayed a bit, and Erik glanced at his watch. Three in the afternoon, and she was already sloshed.

‘What do you want?’ He just wanted to get this over with. If she was going to rip apart his world, she might as well get on with it. He had always been a man of action, never flinching from unpleasantness.

But she didn’t heap accusations upon him about Cecilia and say that she knew about the child; she didn’t tell him to go to hell and say that she was going to take everything he owned. Instead, she put her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out something white. Five white envelopes. Erik knew at once what they were.

‘You were in my workroom? You went through my desk?’

‘Isn’t it obvious? You never tell me anything. Not even who has been sending you threatening letters. Do you think I’m crazy? Do you think I don’t know that these are the same letters they’ve been writing about in all the newspapers? Just like the ones that Christian got. And now Magnus is dead.’ Her anger boiled over. ‘Why didn’t you ever show them to me? Some sick person is sending threats to our house, and you don’t think I have the right to know about it? When I’m home alone all day, unprotected?’

Erik cast a glance at Kenneth, annoyed that his colleague could hear Louise yelling at him. But when he saw Kenneth’s expression, he froze. He wasn’t looking at the computer screen any more. He was staring at the five white envelopes that Louise had tossed on the desk. His face was pale. For a moment he looked at Erik, then he turned away. But it was too late. Erik understood.

‘Have you received letters like this too?’

Louise was startled by Erik’s question. She turned to look at Kenneth. At first he didn’t seem to have heard because he continued to study a complicated Excel chart showing a breakdown of income and expenses. But Erik wasn’t about to let him off the hook.