‘Martin, you wait here for Mellberg and Paula. We won’t count on Mellberg for any sort of help; he’ll just wander about and get in the way of the crime techs. But take Paula with you and start knocking on the doors of all the houses near the entrance to Badholmen. Most of them are empty this time of year, so it shouldn’t take long. Gösta, I’d like you come with me when I talk to Sanna.’

Gösta’s expression darkened, but he said, ‘Fine, when do you want to go?’

‘Right now,’ said Patrik. He just wanted to get it over with. For a moment he considered ringing Annika to find out why she’d been trying to reach him the day before. But that would have to wait until later. He didn’t have time for it now.

As they left Badholmen, both Patrik and Gösta made an effort not to turn around to look at the figure still swaying in the wind.

‘But I don’t understand. Who could have sent these to Christian?’ Sanna was staring in bewilderment at the drawings that lay on the table in front of her. She reached out her hand to pick up one of them, and Erica was glad that she’d had the presence of mind to put each drawing in a separate plastic bag so they could be handled without destroying any potential evidence.

‘I don’t know. I was hoping that you might be able to come up with some sort of explanation.’

Sanna shook her head. ‘I have no idea. Where did you find them?’

Erica told her about her visit to Christian’s old flat in Göteborg, and about Janos Kovács, who had saved the letters all these years.

‘Why are you so interested in Christian’s life?’ Sanna gave her an enquiring look.

For a moment Erica pondered how to explain her actions. Even she was hard-pressed to understand why she had become so involved.

‘Ever since I heard about the threatening letters, I’ve been worried about him. And since I’m the kind of person that I am, I couldn’t let it go. Christian wouldn’t tell me anything, so I started digging around a bit on my own.’

‘Have you shown these to Christian?’ asked Sanna, picking up another drawing to study it more closely.

‘No. I wanted to talk to you first.’ She paused for a moment and then said, ‘What do you know about Christian’s background? About his family and childhood.’

Sanna smiled sadly.

‘Almost nothing. You have no idea. I’ve never met anyone who is so unwilling to talk about himself. There’s so much I’ve wanted to know about his parents, how they lived, what he did when he was a kid, what sort of friends he had… all those questions people ask when they’re getting to know someone. But Christian has never been willing to discuss his past. He told me that his parents are dead, that he has no brothers or sisters, and that his childhood was just like everyone else’s, so it’s not really worth talking about.’ Sanna swallowed hard.

‘Didn’t that seem strange to you?’ asked Erica, and she couldn’t help letting a trace of sympathy slip into her tone of voice. She could see how hard Sanna was fighting to hold back the tears.

‘I love him. And he always got annoyed if I pestered him with those kinds of questions, so I stopped. All I wanted… All I ever wanted was for him to stay with me.’ She whispered the words, her eyes fixed on her lap.

Erica had an urge to sit down next to Sanna and put her arms around her. She suddenly looked so young and vulnerable. It couldn’t be easy to live in that kind of relationship, always feeling at a disadvantage. Because Erica understood what Sanna was hinting at: the fact that she loved Christian, but he had never loved her.

‘So you don’t know who that small figure standing next to Christian might be?’ asked Erica gently.

‘I have no idea, but a child must have made these drawings. Maybe he has kids that I don’t know about.’ She attempted to laugh, but the laugh lodged in her throat.

‘Now don’t go jumping to conclusions.’ Erica was suddenly worried that she might be making things even worse for Sanna, who was clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

‘I won’t, but I have to admit that I’ve been wondering too. I’ve asked him a thousand times since the letters started arriving, and he just says that he doesn’t know who sent them. But I’m not sure that I believe him.’ She bit her lip.

‘So he has never mentioned any old girlfriends or anything like that? Nothing about a woman who might have been part of his life before?’ Erica realized that she was being a bit pushy, but maybe Christian had said something once, something that might be buried deep in Sanna’s subconscious.

Sanna shook her head and laughed bitterly. ‘Believe me, I would remember if he’d ever mentioned another woman. I even thought…’ She stopped herself, looking as if she regretted starting the sentence.

‘What did you think?’ asked Erica, but Sanna retreated.

‘It’s nothing. Just foolishness on my part. I have problems with jealousy, you might say.’

And no wonder, thought Erica. Living with a stranger for so many years, and loving someone without being loved in return. It was no wonder that Sanna was jealous. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she chose to steer the conversation towards what had been on her mind since the day before.

‘You talked to one of Patrik’s colleagues yesterday, didn’t you? Paula Morales?’

Sanna nodded. ‘She was really nice. And I liked Gösta too. He helped me get the children washed up. Tell Patrik to thank him for me. I don’t think I remembered to do that yesterday.’

‘I will,’ said Erica, and then paused for a moment before going on. ‘There was one thing in your conversation that I don’t think Paula caught.’

‘How would you know that?’ asked Sanna in surprise.

‘Paula taped your conversation, and Patrik was listening to it at home last night. I couldn’t help overhearing.’

‘Oh,’ said Sanna, seeming to accept the white lie. ‘What was it you…’

‘Well, you said something to Paula about Christian not having an easy time of it. And it sounded like you were thinking about something specific.’

Sanna’s expression froze. She avoided looking Erica in the eye and started plucking at the fringe of the tablecloth.

‘I don’t know what -’

‘Sanna,’ Erica pleaded. ‘This isn’t the time for secrets or keeping quiet in order to protect someone, to protect Christian. Your whole family is in danger, and others too, but maybe we can prevent anyone else from sharing Magnus’s terrible fate. I don’t know what you’re not saying, or why. It might not even have anything to do with this, and maybe that’s what you’re thinking. Otherwise I’m sure that you would have mentioned it. Especially after what happened to your children yesterday. But can you be absolutely sure about that?’

Sanna looked out of the window, staring at a spot far away, beyond the buildings, out towards the frozen water and the islands. She didn’t speak for a long time, and Erica didn’t either, allowing Sanna to fight the battle with herself.

‘I found a dress up in the attic. A blue dress,’ said Sanna at last. Then she proceeded to tell Erica everything. About how she had confronted Christian, about her anger and her uncertainty. About what he had finally told her. The whole horrible story.

When Sanna was finished, she seemed to shrink, looking utterly drained. Erica sat motionless, trying to digest what she’d just heard, but it was impossible. There were certain things that the human brain just couldn’t fathom. All she could do was reach out her hand and place it on top of Sanna’s.

For the first time Erik felt panic overwhelm him. Christian was dead. He was swaying in the wind like a rag doll, hanging from the diving tower at Badholmen.

A female police officer had phoned to tell him the news. She told him to be cautious, and not to hesitate to call the police. He had thanked her, saying he didn’t think that would be necessary. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand who could be after them. But he had no intention of just sitting around, waiting for his turn. This time he was determined to take control, to hold on to his power.