‘We know about Madeleine,’ Patrik repeated calmly. Gösta had taken the chair next to him, but he was staring at the floor.

‘I see. But what …’ said Leila, looking nervous.

‘You said that you were willing to cooperate with us, and that you’d told us everything. We now know that’s not entirely true, and we’d like an explanation.’ He made his voice sound as stern as he could, and it seemed to work.

‘I didn’t think …’ Leila swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t think it was relevant.’

‘I don’t believe that. Besides, it’s not your job to decide what might be relevant or not.’ Patrik paused, then said, ‘What can you tell us about Madeleine?’

For a moment Leila sat in silence. Then she abruptly stood up and went over to the bookcase. She stuck her hand behind a row of books and took out a key. Taking her seat behind her desk again, she bent down and unlocked the bottom drawer.

‘Here,’ she said curtly, placing a folder in front of them.

‘What’s that?’ asked Patrik. Gösta leaned forward, equally curious.

‘That’s Madeleine’s file. She’s one of the women who needed the kind of help that goes beyond what society can offer.’

‘What does that mean?’ Patrik began leafing through the documents.

‘It means that we gave her help that isn’t considered legal.’ Leila stared at them resolutely. All sign of nervousness was gone, and it looked as if she were challenging them to object. ‘Some of the women who come to us have tried everything. And then we try everything. But these women and their children are threatened by men who don’t give a damn about the law, leaving us helpless. We have no way of protecting these women legally, so we help them to escape. To leave the country.’

‘What was the relationship between Madeleine and Mats?’

‘I didn’t know about it at the time, but afterwards I found out that they were having an affair. We spent a long time trying to resolve the situation for Madeleine and her kids. During that time, they must have fallen in love, which was strictly forbidden, of course. But as I said, I wasn’t aware of it then …’ She threw out her hands. ‘When I found out, I was terribly disappointed. Matte knew how important it was for me to prove that men are needed in this type of organization. And he knew that everyone’s eyes were on the Refuge, and that a lot of people hoped that we’d fail. I couldn’t understand why he’d betray the Refuge like that.’

‘What happened?’ asked Gösta. He took the file from Patrik.

The air seemed to go out of Leila. ‘Things got worse and worse. Madeleine’s ex-husband kept finding out where she and the kids were staying. The police got involved, but that didn’t help matters. Finally Madeleine couldn’t take it any more, and we realized that the situation was intolerable. If she and her children were going to stay alive, they would have to leave Sweden. Leave their home, their family, their friends, everything.’

‘When did you make this decision?’ asked Patrik.

‘Madeleine came to see me right after Matte was attacked and asked us to help her. We had already come to more or less the same conclusion.’

‘What did Mats think about this?’

Leila looked down at her desk. ‘We didn’t tell him. Everything was arranged while he was in hospital. When he came back to work, she was gone.’

‘Was that when you found out that they were having an affair?’ Gösta placed the file back on the desk.

‘Yes. Matte was inconsolable. He begged and pleaded for me to tell him where they’d gone. But I couldn’t do that. It would have put her and the children in danger if anyone found out where they were.’

‘Did you ever suspect that there was a connection between this and the assault on Mats?’ Patrik opened the folder and pointed to something written on one of the pages.

Leila fidgeted with a paper clip before answering.

‘Of course the thought occurred to me. But Matte claimed there was no connection. And there wasn’t much we could do.’

‘We need to talk to her.’

‘That’s impossible,’ said Leila, shaking her head. ‘That would be much too dangerous.’

‘We’ll take all necessary precautions. But we have to talk to her.’

‘I’m telling you that’s impossible.’

‘I understand that you want to protect Madeleine, and I promise not to do anything that might put her at risk. I’m hoping that we can resolve this easily and quickly so that this,’ he pointed at the folder on the desk, ‘can remain just between us. If not, we’ll have to take up the matter with someone else.’

Leila clenched her teeth, but she knew that she had no choice. With a single phone call Patrik and Gösta could bring down all the work that the Refuge was trying to accomplish.

‘I’ll see what I can do. But it will take time. Maybe until tomorrow.’

‘That’s all right. Just give us a call as soon as you know anything.’

‘Okay. On one condition: we do things my way. The lives of many other people are involved here – not just Madeleine and her children.’

‘We realize that,’ said Patrik. He and Gösta stood up and once again left the building to drive back to Fjällbacka.

‘Welcome, welcome!’ exclaimed Erling, beaming as he stood in the doorway. He was glad that Bertil Mellberg and his girlfriend Rita were able to come over to celebrate the occasion. He really did like Mellberg, whose pragmatic attitude towards life was very close to his own. The man was such a reasonable person to deal with.

Having enthusiastically shaken Mellberg’s hand, he kissed Rita on the cheek. Then, just to be safe, he kissed her on the other cheek too. He wasn’t quite sure what the custom was in the southern lands, but surely he couldn’t go wrong with a double kiss. Vivianne came to greet their guests and help them hang up their coats. Mellberg handed their hostess a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine, and she thanked him as effusively as courtesy required, and carried both out to the kitchen.

‘Come in,’ said Erling, motioning them forward. As always, he was looking forward to showing off his home. He’d been forced to fight hard to keep the house after his divorce, but it had been worth all the trouble.

‘What a lovely home,’ said Rita, looking around.

‘You’ve certainly done well for yourself.’ Mellberg slapped Erling on the back.

‘I can’t complain,’ said Erling, handing a glass of wine to each of his guests.

‘So what’s for dinner?’ asked Mellberg. The lunch he’d had at Badis was still fresh in his mind, so if a meal of seeds and nuts was in store for them, they could always stop at the sausage stand on the way home.

‘Don’t worry, Bertil.’ Vivianne winked at Rita. ‘I’ve made an exception this evening and planned a high-carb meal just for your sake. But a few vegetables may have slipped in as well.’

‘I suppose I’ll survive,’ said Bertil, his laugh a little too hearty.

‘Shall we sit down?’ Erling put his arm around Rita and ushered her into the big, bright dining room. He couldn’t deny that his ex-wife had had good taste when it came to the decor. On the other hand, he was the one who had paid for everything, so the result could be considered his doing – which was what he often claimed.

The appetizer was quickly dispatched, and Mellberg’s face lit up when he saw that the main course was a sizable portion of lasagne. Not until they were having dessert, and after a few pokes under the table from Erling, did Vivianne show off the ring on her left hand.

‘Oh my, is that what I think it is?’ exclaimed Rita.

Mellberg squinted in an attempt to see what all the fuss was about. He finally noticed the shiny object on Vivianne’s ring finger.

‘Are the two of you engaged?’ Mellberg took Vivianne’s hand and studied the ring carefully. ‘Erling, you old rascal, you must have coughed up a small fortune for this.’

‘You can’t get something for nothing. But she’s definitely worth it.’