“Are you saying that Erik was being held captive at the hunting cabin? And that a car showed up to release him?”

“I’m saying that the car showed up to fabricate the suggestion that Erik had made his own way into the root cellar and then been unable to get out.”

Thoughts whirled around Sandra’s head. Erik—what on earth did he have to do with the treasure hunt at the cabin?

“Was . . . Was he locked in?” Sandra stammered.

“He was locked in without any food or drink,” Kerstin confirmed. “The kidnapper had probably been counting on him having died after such a long time, but the heavy rain meant he was able to drink rainwater.”

“And of all people it was you who rescued him?”

It was incomprehensible. Sandra couldn’t understand how it all fit together.

“It was Jeanette and me who found him,” Kerstin clarified. “And if you think about it, it’s not entirely illogical. Hallin didn’t know anything about the money, but he knew that Peter Norling’s hunting cabin was empty, and probably knew about the cellar too.”

Sandra let Kerstin’s words sink in. The questions she wanted answers to were countless, her gratitude to Kerstin knew no bounds, and yet she had talked to her earlier that evening without the subject being raised. And without Sandra saying a single word of thanks.

“I’m absolutely speechless, Kerstin. I had no idea . . . Thank you. What can I say?”

“We just did what anyone else would have done,” Kerstin said dismissively.

“Tell me,” said Sandra. “I want to hear every detail.”

So Kerstin told her. She accounted in depth for every moment after she spotted the car on the drive leading up to the cabin. When she was finished, there were still questions that were unanswered.

“Your blurry photo is actually evidence against Erik’s kidnapper?” Sandra said. “Do the police know about it?”

“The way I look goes against me,” Kerstin admitted. “They didn’t take anything we said seriously, and I think it would have suited them best if it had been us who had held Erik captive. I showed them the photo, but they just waved me away.”

“And who is in the photo?” Sandra asked.

“Hallin, of course,” Kerstin said with conviction. “But since it was bucketing down and we were both hiding, neither of us got a good look at him. With regard to the car, I’m pretty sure, even if cars aren’t my specialty. I would say it was a blue Audi. But with the right tools, a pro must be able to improve the photo, right?”

“I’ve put a colleague to work on it,” Sandra said.