They greeted each other politely.

‘Come in. We can sit in my office. You said this was about Matte?’ There was a slight nervousness in her voice.

‘Let’s wait until we get to your office,’ said Patrik.

Leila nodded and led the way to a small but bright room. The walls were covered with children’s drawings, and the desk was neat and tidy. Not at all like Patrik’s. He and Paula sat down.

‘How many women do you help each year?’ asked Paula.

‘About thirty come to live with us. There’s a tremendous need. Sometimes it feels as if it’s just a drop in the sea, but unfortunately it’s a matter of limited resources.’

‘How is the organization financed?’ Paula was genuinely interested, so Patrik leaned back and let her ask the questions.

‘We get money from two sources: social services contributions and individual donations. But as I mentioned, money is in short supply, and we always wish we could do more.’

‘How many employees do you have?’

‘We have three paid staff members, plus an ever-changing number of volunteers. The salaries aren’t substantial; I want to emphasize that. All of us who work here have taken pay cuts, in comparison with our previous jobs. We’re not in it for the money.’

‘Mats Sverin – was he one of the paid employees?’ Patrik interjected.

‘Yes. He was hired as the financial officer. He worked here for four years and did a fantastic job. In his case, the salary was laughable if you consider what he’d been earning before. He was a truly dedicated staff member. And it didn’t take much to persuade him to participate in this experiment.’

‘Experiment?’ said Patrik.

Leila paused, looking as if she needed a moment to formulate what she wanted to say.

‘The Refuge is unique,’ she said at last. ‘Normally there are no men in women’s crisis organizations. I’d go so far as to say that it’s completely taboo for a man to work for this type of group. But when Mats worked here, we had an equal number of men and women on staff – two women and two men – and that was exactly what I had in mind when I started the Refuge. It hasn’t always been easy though.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Paula. This was all new to her; she’d never had any real contact with crisis services for women.

‘It’s an extremely controversial issue, and each side of the argument has its staunch supporters. The ones who insist that men should be kept out are of the opinion that women need a male-free zone after everything they’ve endured. Others, like myself, think that’s the wrong way to go. I believe that men have a role to play in women’s groups. There are men in the world, after all, and keeping them out creates a false sense of security. Moreover there’s tremendous value in showing that there are other kinds of men than the ones these women have had to deal with all their lives. It’s important to show that good men do exist. That’s why I’ve gone against the flow and chosen to be the first women’s crisis group to have both male and female employees.’ She paused for a moment. ‘Of course this means that the men we take on must undergo a thorough background check. We need to have total confidence in them.’

‘And you had confidence in Mats?’ asked Patrik.

‘He was the good friend of my nephew. For a couple of years they spent a lot of time together, so I met Matte on many occasions. He told me he was dissatisfied with his job and that he was looking for something more. And when he heard about the work of the Refuge, he got all fired up and succeeded in convincing me that he was the right person for the job. He really wanted to help people, and he had that opportunity here.’

‘Why did he quit?’ Patrik asked, looking at Leila. He registered a flicker in her eyes, but the next second it was gone.

‘He wanted to move on. And after he was assaulted, he started thinking about returning home. That’s not uncommon. He was badly injured. You know that, don’t you?’

‘Yes. We talked to the doctor at Sahlgrenska Hospital,’ said Patrik.

Leila took a deep breath. ‘Why have you come here to ask questions about Matte? It was months ago that he left.’

‘Has anyone been in touch with him since then?’ asked Patrik, ignoring her question.

‘No. We didn’t socialize outside of work, so we lost touch after he left. But now I really want to know why you’re asking all these questions.’ Her voice rose slightly, and her hands were clasped on top of her desk.

‘Mats was found dead the day before yesterday. Shot.’

Leila gasped. ‘That can’t be true.’

‘I’m afraid it is,’ said Patrik. Leila’s face had turned white, and he wondered whether he ought to go and get her a glass of water.

She swallowed hard, trying to pull herself together, but her voice shook as she asked ‘Why? Do you have any idea why?’

‘At this point we’re dealing with an unknown perpetrator.’ Patrik heard himself, as usual, switch to dry police jargon, which he did whenever the situation became emotionally charged.

‘Is there any connection to …?’ Leila was too shaken to complete the sentence.

‘At the moment we don’t know,’ Paula told her. ‘We’re simply trying to find out more about Mats. To find out whether there was anyone in his life who had a motive for killing him.’

‘Running an organization of this kind,’ said Patrik, ‘I assume that you’re accustomed to receiving threats.’

‘Yes, we are,’ said Leila. ‘Although the threats are usually directed at the women rather than at us. Besides, Mats dealt primarily with the financial side of things, so he was the contact staff member for only a handful of women. And as I said, he left more than three months ago. I have a hard time seeing why …’

‘You don’t recall any incidents from the time he was working here? Was there any situation that stands out, any threat directed specifically at him?’

Again Patrik thought he saw a flash in her eyes, but it vanished so swiftly that he assumed he must have imagined it.

‘No, not really. Matte mostly worked in the background. He took care of the account books. Debits and credits.’

‘How much contact did he have with the women who sought help from your group?’ asked Paula.

‘Very little. He mainly dealt with administrative issues.’ Stunned by the news of Mats’s death, Leila could only stare at Patrik and Paula in bewilderment.

‘Then I don’t think we have any further questions at this time,’ said Patrik. He put one of his business cards on Leila’s orderly desk. ‘If you or anyone else happens to think of anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call.’

Leila nodded and picked up his card. ‘Absolutely.’

After they said goodbye, the heavy steel door fell shut behind them.

‘What do you think?’ asked Patrik quietly as they went down the stairs.

‘I think she’s hiding something,’ said Paula.

‘I do too.’

Patrik had a grim expression on his face. They were going to have to take a closer look at the Refuge.

FJÄLLBACKA 1871

A strange mood had hovered over the house all day long. Karl and Julian took turns tending to the lighthouse, but the rest of the time they had been avoiding her. Neither of them would look her in the eye.

The others also seemed to sense something ominous in the air. They were more present than usual, suddenly turning up, only to vanish just as swiftly. Doors slammed, and she heard footsteps overhead that stopped as soon as she went upstairs. They wanted to tell her something, she realized that, but she couldn’t work out what it might be. Several times she felt someone breathing against her cheek and someone touching her shoulder or arm. A feather-light touch on her skin, but as soon as it disappeared, she thought she must have imagined it. Yet she knew it was real – just as real as the feeling that she needed to flee.

Emelie stared at the ice with longing. Maybe she ought to venture out on it. As soon as that thought occurred to her, she felt a hand on her back that seemed to be nudging her towards the front door. Was that what they wanted to say? That she should leave while she still could? But she lacked the courage. Aimlessly she wandered through the house. Cleaning, tidying up, and trying not to think. It felt as if the absence of those malevolent glances from the two men was more foreboding and frightening than their stares.