His nose is out of joint since I started back here on Monday. He was the sole full-time reporter for a while and Lena reckons he has the potential. Then, yours-truly returns and he’s stuck with the school ice-hockey grand slams and the bread-and-butter elk-hunt quota stories or the hairdresser getting sued because she almost cut someone’s earlobe clean off.

I collect my digital Dictaphone and my pad and we head over to the cop shop.

Thord puts Sebastian in the second row. It’s a small room and they want to give some of the prime spots to the nationals and big regionals. They don’t want those journalists to stop coming. Reporters are reluctant enough to revisit Gavrik as it is.

Noora’s standing by the door and she won’t make eye contact.

Chief Björn walks in from the back and the camera flashes light up to his face. He still has some of his tan from the summer. He stands behind the microphones and clears his throat. He adjusts his tie, but today there is no tie-pin and he looks like he regrets its absence.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to thank you all for coming.’

Someone’s phone rings and the Chief gives them a three-second death stare.

‘Last night at approximately seventeen-hundred hours two local residents discovered a deceased male in the forest of Visberg hill, approximately 45km east from here. The deceased male was found to the north of the main road in dense vegetation. The said male was pronounced deceased at the scene. I can share some information with you today, but as our investigations are ongoing I will be unable to take many questions pertaining to this case.’

We all sit forward a little more in our plastic stackable chairs.

‘The deceased man has been identified as Mr Arne Gustav Persson. Mr Persson was a long-term resident of Visberg town. He was a well-respected local plumber and member of the church choir and chamber of commerce. I can tell you at this time that Mr Persson was the victim of a gunshot wound to the torso area.’

Camera flashes. Hands shooting up.

‘There were other wounds but I cannot go into details at the present time and I’d ask you not to speculate until we release an official statement. I’d like to take this opportunity to appeal for information regarding this crime. If you know anything, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, then I’d urge to you contact the Gavrik police department.’ He runs through the contact details I memorised years ago, and, for the first time ever, gives social-media contact details as well.

I put my hand up.

He points to me.

‘Chief, do you have any suspects for this crime?’

Chief Björn sticks out his lower lip and says, ‘We are following up on multiple leads and keeping an open mind at this time.’