Patrik shook his head. ‘Maybe he was scared too. Maybe it’s as simple as that. But these biker gangs aren’t known for attacking random people on the street, so there must be a reason for the assault.’

‘Did the neighbour recall any identifying marks?’ asked Paula.

‘An eagle,’ said Martin. ‘The neighbour said that he saw an eagle on their jackets. So it should be easy enough to find out which gang it was.’

‘Get in touch with our colleagues in Göteborg. I’m sure they can help you with that,’ said Mellberg. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying all along. An ugly customer, that Sverin. If he was mixed up with those types, it’s no surprise that he ended up in the morgue with a bullet in his skull.’

‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ said Patrik. ‘We have no idea whether Mats was mixed up with them, and so far there’s no indication that he was involved with any sort of criminal activity. I thought we should start by asking the director of Refuge whether she recognizes this particular biker gang, and whether her organization has had any contact with them. And, as Bertil suggested, we should also talk to our colleagues in Göteborg. Yes, Paula?’

Paula had raised her hand.

‘Well, the thing is,’ she began hesitantly. ‘I decided to speed things up a bit today. Instead of sending the paper bag to the lab, I took it straight to Torbjörn Ruud. You know how long it can take to get lab results. Things end up at the bottom of the pile, and …’

‘Yes, we know. Go on,’ said Patrik.

‘I had a chat with Torbjörn, and I sort of asked him for a favour …’ Paula shifted uncomfortably, not sure how Patrik was going to react. ‘To be blunt, I asked him to do a quick comparison between the fingerprints on the bag and Sverin’s prints.’ She took a deep breath.

‘Go on,’ Patrik said again.

‘He found a match. Mats’s fingerprints were on the paper bag containing the cocaine.’

‘I knew it!’ Mellberg pumped his arm in triumph. ‘Narcotics and associating with a criminal gang. I knew all along he had something to hide.’

‘I still say that we should proceed with caution,’ said Patrik, although he didn’t sound as sure of himself as before.

Thoughts were whirling through his mind, and he was trying to make sense of them. To a certain extent, he had to agree with Mellberg. But the image that he’d formed of Mats Sverin after talking to his parents, his co-workers and Nathalie, did not fit with this new information. For all that Patrik had consistently had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right, he couldn’t accept Bertil’s assessment of Mats.

‘Was Torbjörn quite sure?’

‘Yes, one hundred per cent sure. The bag will now be sent on, and his conclusion will be formally confirmed. But Torbjörn is positive that Mats Sverin held that bag in his hands.’

‘That changes things. We need to find out from the known local drug dealers whether they had anything to do with Mats. But I have to say this doesn’t seem …’ Patrik shook his head.

‘Rubbish,’ Mellberg snorted. ‘I’m convinced that once we start nosing around, we’ll soon have our killer. A good old-fashioned drug-related murder. That shouldn’t take much effort to solve. He probably owed somebody money.’

‘Hmm …’ said Patrik. ‘In that case, why would he toss the bag in a litter bin near his flat? Or maybe somebody else did that? Either way, we need to check this out. Martin and Paula, could you have a talk with the usual suspects tomorrow?’

Paula nodded as Patrik began writing on the flip-chart. He knew that Annika always took notes at their meetings, but writing on the chart gave him a feel for the big picture.

‘Gösta and I will talk to Mats’s colleagues, and this time we’ll ask more specific questions.’

‘Specific?’

‘Such as whether they heard or observed anything that might explain why Mats would be holding a bag of cocaine.’

‘You mean we’re going to ask them whether he was a drug addict?’ Gösta didn’t seem too enthusiastic.

‘We don’t know that yet,’ said Patrik. ‘We won’t have Pedersen’s report until the day after tomorrow. Until then, we have no idea what kind of substances may have been found in Mats’s body.’

‘We could ask his parents,’ suggested Paula.

Patrik swallowed hard. It wasn’t a task he relished, but he knew she was right.

‘Yes, we need to talk to them too. Gösta and I will handle it.’

‘What about me?’ asked Mellberg.

‘I’d really appreciate it if you, as the chief of police, could hold down the fort here,’ said Patrik.

‘Right. That’s probably best.’ Mellberg stood up, visibly relieved, and Ernst followed close on his heels. ‘We all need to get our beauty sleep now. It’s going to be a busy day tomorrow, but we’ll solve this case soon. I can feel it in my bones.’ Mellberg rubbed his hands together but didn’t receive much of a response from his subordinates.

‘Okay, you heard what Bertil said. Go home and get some sleep. We’ll start fresh in the morning.’

‘What about the Göteborg lead?’ asked Martin.

‘We’ll start at this end first. Then we’ll review it when we have more information. Not tomorrow, though. That means we’ll probably make another trip to Göteborg on Wednesday.’

They ended the meeting, and Patrik went out to his car. He spent the whole drive home lost in thought.

FJÄLLBACKA 1871

It was early autumn before she was allowed to leave Gråskär for the first time. The boat pitched alarmingly, just as it had when she came to the island, but this time she didn’t feel panicked. She had been living so close to the sea and had become familiar with the sounds and shiftings of the water. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the sea had kept her imprisoned on the island, she would probably have learned to appreciate it. And now the waves were carrying her to the harbour.

The surface of the sea was as smooth as a mirror, and she couldn’t resist the temptation to lower her hand and trail her fingers alongside the boat. She had to lean over the railing to reach the water as she held her other hand protectively over her stomach. Karl stood at the helm. He seemed so different now that he was away from Gråskär and the shadow of the lighthouse. He looked so handsome. She hadn’t thought about that in a long time. The spiteful glint in his eyes had made him seem ugly. But if she looked at him now, as he stood facing forward, she was able to recall what she had once found so attractive. Maybe it’s the island that has changed him, thought Emelie. Maybe there’s something about the island that has unleashed the evil inside of him. She immediately pushed any such thoughts away. What a fool she was. But Edith’s words of warning still echoed in her mind.

For today, at least, they were leaving the island behind, if only for a few hours. She was going to see other people, help to buy the groceries they needed, and have coffee with Karl’s aunt, who had invited them to her home. She also had an appointment to see the doctor. She wasn’t worried. She knew that everything was as it should be with the child, who kicked so eagerly inside of her stomach. Nevertheless, it would be a blessing to have this confirmed.

She closed her eyes and smiled. The wind felt lovely against her skin.

‘Sit down properly,’ said Karl, making her jump.

She remembered again that first boat trip. She had been newly married and filled with anticipation. Karl had still treated her kindly back then.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, lowering her gaze. She didn’t really know why she was apologizing.

‘And no unnecessary chatter.’ His voice was cold. He was once again the same Karl as on the island. The ugly man with the malevolent eyes.

‘Yes, Karl.’ She kept her eyes lowered, staring at the deck of the boat. The child inside of her kicked so hard that she gasped for breath.