The first speaker is Marie Sordi. She talks about how she has known Henry since she was a little girl. How she, Alex, Bruno and Carina used to hang out in the Morell family’s hobby room. Simon is not mentioned in the anecdote. With a faint tremble in her voice she refers to Morell as ‘Uncle Henry’, saying that he deserves to step back and take it easy at long last. She finishes off by giving him a big hug.

The next speech comes from Marie’s father. Bengt Andersson has a lot to say about working with Morell, and how the two of them have steered Nedanås through the difficult years and into the golden age that now awaits their community. Bengt and Marie then present Morell with a plaque bearing the town’s coat of arms and his name. Something rather more unexpected happens next. A large package is handed over; according to Marie, everyone has contributed to the purchase of this present, which turns out to be a robotic lawn mower. Morell’s face lights up like a child’s on Christmas morning.

Jens Friberg has appeared beside Anna. ‘I don’t think that falls within the framework of the council’s present-giving policy,’ he whispers. ‘But of course it’s well-deserved,’ he adds, without a hint of irony.

The police commissioner steps forward. He is a serious little man; Anna has met him only once, when she was interviewed for Morell’s job. They exchanged a few words before the ceremony began, but the only thing she’s learned about her boss is that his personality confirms the general perception that he is a boring bureaucrat. She knows he’s a lawyer with no police background, but he’s good at keeping to a budget, which makes him popular with the administrators at national level. Like most non-police officers within the authority, he is clearly delighted to be wearing the uniform. His shoes are impressively shiny, and his jacket appears to have been taken in at the waist. His buttons and epaulettes are dazzling. No doubt he polishes both them and the badge on his cap – which he insists on carrying tucked beneath his arm like a US marine – several times a month.

In a rasping voice he praises Morell for his immense contribution, and for the trust he has built up with the public. He also mentions all the training Morell has apparently initiated over the years, saying that this has enhanced not only the commissioner’s own competence and skills, but those of many others.