Peter Norling and Karl-Erik Barbenius: your roles were decisive in this story. You were already gone when I began to take an interest in the events that tie us all together. This means that sadly, I have not been able to depict you in a way that is entirely true to life. I regret some of your choices, but I am genuinely sorry for all that you have been subjected to. No person deserves that. I would like to think I have brought you justice, and I hope you rest in peace.

Jan Hallin: you set the ball rolling; you sowed the seed for all that I have depicted, which is deeply unfortunate. You are a better person than that, which you were given the opportunity to demonstrate. You are repentant, and instead of fleeing from your responsibilities, you chose to stay in the country and cooperate with the police. For reasons I’m sure you’ll understand, I don’t intend to thank you for giving me a son, despite this being one of the greatest of gifts there is. But you also have many fine qualities—human traits, if you like—that I hope to see in Erik too. Last but not least, I want to thank you for putting my life above your own future. It was a heroic gesture, and I will always hold you in high esteem for it.

Above all, I want to thank my very dear friend Kerstin Barbenius. Without you, this book would never have been written. Without you, I would also have lost the light of my life—my son, Erik. Your sincerity and your big heart gave rise to this story, and I’m deeply thankful for your substantial input in terms of fact-checking. I cannot find words to express my feelings in relation to your and Jeanette’s resourcefulness—and tenderness—when you found my son, but you will always be a significant person to me and I hope you will be a presence in our lives.

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Christoffersson.