There wasn’t one. Hallin was certainly a rapist, but there was nothing to suggest that he made light of life and death in the same way. He had let Sandra live even though she could report him. He hadn’t bothered to threaten or punish the blackmailer. And not raising the alarm when passing the scene of an accident wasn’t punishable, especially not if you were acting in good faith.

Kerstin’s subdued rage would probably be directed in a different, unknown direction, while Sandra was henceforth alone in her aversion towards Hallin. His only crime was a rape almost four and half years ago, of which no trace remained. Except for her son, who no one except Sandra could claim had been conceived in circumstances that weren’t consensual.

She shivered when she thought about that afternoon and about that dreadful wretch who had taken the liberty of turning her body and integrity into his temporary plaything. She wanted to torture him, crush him—a feeling that had grown stronger than the unwillingness to hear his voice, perhaps even meet him. She hadn’t felt that way before she had known who he was, when she had stoically plodded on in resigned ignorance.

And she could do something small to Hallin, it occurred to her. Even if it was out of proportion to the crime he had committed. She could shake him up, drive a wedge into the idyll of family life.

She could demand child support.

That ought to be straightforward and painless. All he had to do was cough up a one-off fee to cover the years that had passed and what remained of Erik’s school years. Without getting the authorities involved, of course, which he would probably want to avoid—as would Sandra, on reflection. She had no other intentions other than claiming what was rightly hers. It would be a welcome addition to her limited funds, while also functioning as an acknowledgment from Hallin. And it was definitely better than nothing.

But did she dare?

Sandra remembered how during a previous call she had told Kerstin off for putting herself in danger by attempting blackmail against a man with a lack of respect for human life. But now there was no longer anything to suggest that Hallin had such a careless disregard for life. And a demand for a sum equal to the state-regulated child support levels wasn’t extortion.

SHE WAS IN such turmoil that she had felt like she needed beta blockers ahead of this conversation. But she didn’t really understand what those were—she suspected they were some sort of prescription drug that was difficult to obtain unless you had some kind of heart problem. Instead, she helped herself to two glasses of red wine to dampen her anxiety, and it helped a little.

It’s just one phone call, Sandra, she told herself. Show your best side. He can’t see you—don’t show your uncertainty.

She was carefully prepared, had written down all the points that were to be ticked off, and had gone over the list several times so that she knew it by heart. She had practiced her tempo and tone and tried out various phrases, but her mind still went blank when he picked up.