Kerstin did. Karl-Erik had almost been at Madvar when he had called, but she was in no state to say anything about that. She felt the blood draining from her face, and she allowed herself to be conducted—almost carried—to the living room sofa. When she had regained her senses somewhat, a small number of technicalities were presented that were intended to help her form a better understanding of the accident. Slippery, dark, snowfall, no other cars involved—all words and phrases that would in no way ease the processing of the trauma. Then the obvious questions that she couldn’t answer.

“When were you expecting him back home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you talk to each other?”

“Perhaps he wanted to surprise me.”

“So you’re saying you have no idea whether he was supposed to come home last Thursday or today or sometime next week?”

Kerstin shrugged her shoulders and shook her head—playing dumber than she was.

“Why didn’t you report him missing?”

“I didn’t know he was missing.”

Kerstin continued to feed them unclear and strange answers that could easily be punctured with phone records in the event of any suspected irregularities. Which there didn’t seem to be, given that the wrecked car had been emptied of all personal possessions, which were now handed over to Kerstin in an emotionally wary manner.

A wheeled cabin bag was put in front of her on the coffee table. Judging by their looks, she was expected to open it in front of them, but it contained nothing more exciting than clothes and toiletries. They were Karl-Erik’s things, which meant they were of significance to Kerstin. But not to the two police officers, who awaited her reactions while she rooted through the bag. She looked from one to the other, her eyes filled with tears, while they averted their gazes as they handed over some tools, a first aid kit, and a couple of CDs that had miraculously survived the accident.

“That’s everything,” said one of them.

They were completely absent of the vigilance that would have been present if there had been anything else found in the car—anything more interesting that Kerstin might have been aware of. She didn’t ask either—it was obvious that someone had got their hands on the cash before the police had arrived on the scene.

IN FACT, BEFORE, the car had been blanketed in snow. That much became clear the next day. Accompanied by one of the officers who had come to the house, she was shown the body.

“I’d like to see the pictures you took at the scene of the accident,” Kerstin requested afterward.

Despite the shocking news and the grief and the loss that had already firmly taken hold of her, she wanted to bring clarity to exactly what had happened. How Karl-Erik had spent his final moments on earth.