‘Plus of course I am still responsible for this police district,’ he adds, his tone not quite so warm now. ‘Until Monday morning this is my station, and every officer here works for me. Including you, Anna.’ His face stiffens, then breaks into that paternal smile once more. ‘But of course I hope we can sort this out between us – between good friends.’

Anna shuffles uncomfortably. On several levels she feels sorry for Alex Morell, not least because of what his father has just told her. And she likes him. Or rather liked him, until about half an hour ago. But he assaulted both her and the poor DJ.

‘So, what do you say, Anna? Are we in agreement?’ Morell is still smiling, but there is a sharpness in his eyes. A no would probably end their friendship and make her situation considerably more difficult.

Håkan has woken up. She already knows what he’s going to say, and as so often, she wishes he would keep quiet. But of course he doesn’t, because not even death can shut Håkan up. Sometimes, darling Anna, he whispers, you just have to roll with the punches.

*

She slips out the back way so that she doesn’t have to face DJ Kristian. Call-me, Erik and Agnes are waiting in the car park. Both teenagers are excited; they’ve already heard rumours about what happened, and want Anna to tell them how she flattened two fully grown men. She has no desire to go over it all again. Call-me seems to realise how she feels, and gives a quick summary without too many details. She gives him a grateful look, and promises herself that she will be nicer to him in the future.

As they drive into the yard at Tabor it has started to rain. The headlamps light up the front of the house. There is something on the top step. Two rabbits with dead eyes and empty bellies.

Chapter 28

28

Autumn 2017

She sleeps badly. The dream about the painting, the quarry and the body comes back, but this time it is neither Simon Vidje nor Håkan floating out there beneath the water. It is Alexander Morell.

‘Help me, Anna!’

The rain comes down harder and harder, transforming the whole picture into a thick, acrid fog, and suddenly, in less than a second, everything has changed to a completely different scene, the way that can only happen in a dream. She is sitting in the small interview room with her solicitor on her left, and the two Internal Affairs investigators opposite. One of them places a photograph on the table. ‘Do you know what this is?’