Winter is approaching and the light is leaching from the spore-filled skies. Outside in Gavrik town people are discussing how much more firewood they need for the white months. They’re stocking up on snow shovels and de-icer and rock salt in ICA Maxi. Down-filled coats are being taken down from attics. This morning, one woman passed me and Lena on Storgatan and she had a bright-blue plastic sled under one arm and a red-faced toddler under the other. The Grimberg-factory janitor will soon start salting and gritting the area in front of the twin chimneys. He’ll carry on doing that every day for the next six months.

Text on my phone from Noora.

I put my aids in and switch them on and they play the familiar jingle.

I wash my face with cold water and take a deep breath and look at myself. The corners of my mouth are red from the plastic retractor. Aside from that I’m physically okay. I’ll survive.

Noora knocks on my door and I undo both locks and let her in.

She’s wearing her royal-blue fleece and jeans. She holds out her arms and I walk to her and we stand there for a long time. Her soft cheek against my dry cheek. Her arms around my shoulders, but looser than a normal Noora hug. That’s how she is. Noora knows I’ve been strapped down and locked up. So her embrace is lighter than usual. I don’t feel trapped. I feel safe.

‘How are you doing?’ she asks.

Big sigh. ‘I’ll be alright in a few days.’

‘Have you eaten anything?’

I shake my head. ‘Tam’s bringing something over for me. For you as well, if you’re hungry.’

She smiles.

We both sit down at my IKEA kitchen table.

‘Are you okay?’ I ask. ‘Did you get questioned?’

‘There’s always an investigation after you discharge your service weapon,’ she says. ‘Due process. It’s vitally important that these things are looked into.’

‘But it’ll be fine?’ I ask.

She nods. ‘It’ll be fine. Lots of paperwork and I can talk to a police psychiatrist if I choose to. Especially as this was my first. But I’ll be fine.’

I shake my head. ‘It’s like they really believed in their lie. Like they thought they’d set up a dental surgery.’

‘I don’t know,’ she says. ‘He was determined to carry out procedures. From what we’ve seen and heard so far, it’s possible she was obsessed with him and he was obsessed with being a dentist.’

‘Why, though?’