‘I know, I know,’ said Patrik. ‘But things aren’t that bad. I’ve just had a lot of work to do.’ He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ‘So what did you need to talk to me about?’

‘I finished looking into Christian’s background.’ She fell silent. Only now did she remember where Patrik had been all morning. ‘How did it go, by the way?’ she asked quietly. ‘How did Sanna take it?’

‘How would anyone take it?’ said Patrik. He nodded for her to go on, indicating that he didn’t want to discuss the news he had just been forced to deliver.

Annika cleared her throat. ‘Okay, first of all, Christian is not listed in our own police records. He has never been charged with a crime or even suspected of anything. Before he came to Fjällbacka, he lived for several years in Göteborg. He was studying at the university there, and then online to get his library degree. The library school is in Borås, you know.’

‘Uh-huh…’ said Patrik a bit impatiently.

‘Furthermore, he has never been previously married, nor does he have any children other than the two sons with Sanna.’

Annika fell silent.

‘Is that all?’ Patrik couldn’t hide his disappointment.

‘No. I haven’t told you the interesting part yet. I discovered very quickly that Christian was orphaned when he was only three years old. He was born in Trollhättan, by the way, and that was also where he was living when his mother died. The father was never in the picture. I decided to dig a bit deeper into the past.’

She picked up a paper and began reading. Patrik was now listening intently. Annika could see that thoughts were swirling around in his mind, attempting to link this new information with the little they already knew.

‘So it was his mother’s last name that he took back when he turned eighteen,’ said Patrik. ‘Thydell.’

‘That’s right. I also found out quite a bit about her.’ She handed a paper to Patrik, who quickly read through it, eager to learn more.

‘It looks like we’re getting closer to untangling a few threads,’ said Annika when she saw Patrik’s reaction. She loved digging up information, combing through the public records and researching small details that could be later connected to form a whole picture. Especially when her work turned up a lead that could move the investigation forward.

‘Yes, and now I know where to start,’ said Patrik, getting to his feet. ‘I’m going to begin with the blue dress.’

Annika looked at him in astonishment as he left her office. What in the world was he talking about?

Cecilia was not surprised to see who was standing outside when she opened the door. She had actually been expecting this. Fjällbacka was a small town, and secrets could never be kept for long.

‘Come in, Louise,’ she said, stepping aside. She had to resist an impulse to place her hand over her stomach, which was something she’d started doing often, now that her pregnancy had been confirmed.

‘I hope Erik’s not here,’ said Louise. Cecilia could hear how she was slurring her words, and for a moment she felt a pang of sympathy. Now that the love affair was over, she realized what a hell it must be to live with Erik. In Louise’s place, she probably would have taken to drink as well.

‘No, he’s not here. Come in,’ she repeated, leading the way to the kitchen. Louise followed. She was elegantly dressed, as usual, wearing an expensive outfit classically tailored, along with discreet gold jewellery. Cecilia felt slovenly in her casual attire. The first customer wasn’t due at the salon until one o’clock, so she was allowing herself a relaxing morning at home. Besides, she was also suffering from morning sickness and couldn’t keep up her usual pace.

‘There have been so many women in his life that I’m finally feeling worn out.’

Cecilia turned to look at Louise in surprise. This was not the opening that she’d been expecting. Instead, she was prepared for anger and accusations. But Louise merely looked sad. And when Cecilia sat down across from her, she noticed some cracks in the elegant facade. Louise’s hair was dull-looking, and the polish was chipping off her fingernails. She had buttoned her blouse wrong, and one end was sticking out of the waistband of her trousers.

‘I told him to go to hell,’ said Cecilia, noticing how wonderful it felt to say the words out loud.

‘Why?’ asked Louise, listlessly.

‘I got what I wanted from him.’

‘What do you mean?’ Louise was staring at her with a vacant, distracted expression.

Cecilia suddenly felt such a tremendous sense of gratitude that she had to gasp for breath. She would never be like Louise; she was a much stronger person. But maybe Louise had also been strong at one time. Maybe she had been filled with expectations and a will to make things good. Those hopes were now gone. All that remained were the years of lies and the wine.

For a moment Cecilia considered lying to Louise, or at least holding back the truth for a while. It would come out soon enough. But then she realized that she had to tell her. She couldn’t lie to someone who had lost everything she had ever held dear.

‘I’m pregnant. It’s Erik’s child,’ she said. For a moment neither woman spoke. Then Cecilia went on: ‘I made it very clear that the only thing I want from him is financial support. And I threatened to tell you everything.’

Louise snorted. Then she started to laugh. Her laughter got louder and shriller. Tears began running down her face, and Cecilia looked at her in fascination. This was not the reaction she had expected either. Louise was certainly full of surprises.

‘Thank you,’ said Louise after her laughter subsided.

‘Why are you thanking me?’ wondered Cecilia. She had always liked Louise. She just hadn’t liked her enough to stop fucking her husband.

‘For giving me a good kick up the backside. This is exactly what I needed. Good Lord, just look at me.’ She glanced down at her mis-buttoned blouse and almost tore off the buttons in her eagerness to fix it. Her fingers were trembling.

‘You’re welcome,’ said Cecilia, and she couldn’t help laughing a bit at the situation. ‘What are you planning to do?’

‘What you’ve already done. I’m going to tell him to go to hell,’ said Louise firmly, and she no longer had a vacant look in her eyes. The feeling that she still had power over her own life had triumphed over her former mood of resignation.

‘Make sure you have your finances in order first,’ said Cecilia drily. ‘I have to admit that I was infatuated with Erik for a while, but I know what kind of man he is. He’ll strip you of everything if you leave him. Men like Erik refuse to be dumped.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to get the most out of him that I can,’ said Louise as she tucked her blouse, now properly buttoned, inside the waistband of her trousers. ‘How do I look? Is my make-up running?’

‘A little. Wait a minute and I’ll fix it.’ Cecilia got up, held a piece of kitchen roll under the tap, and then came back to stand in front of Louise. Carefully she wiped off the mascara from under her eyes. She stopped abruptly when she felt Louise’s hand on her stomach. At first neither of them spoke. Then Louise whispered:

‘I hope it’s a boy. The girls have always wanted a little brother.’

‘My God,’ said Paula. ‘That’s one of the most horrifying stories I’ve ever heard.’

Patrik had told her what Erica had found out from Sanna. Paula now gave her colleague a surreptitious look as he sat next to her in the passenger seat. After the near-death experience on the road the day before, she wasn’t planning to let him get behind the wheel again until he started looking more rested.

‘But what does it have to do with the investigation? That happened so many years ago.’

‘Thirty-seven years ago, to be exact. And I don’t know whether it has anything to do with the case, but everything seems to be linked to Christian. I think the answer has to lie in his past; it’s there we’ll find some sort of connection with the other events. If there is a connection, that is,’ he added. ‘Maybe they were just innocent bystanders and were targeted because they were close to Christian. But that’s what we need to find out, and we might as well start from the beginning.’