She spends the rest of the afternoon putting together her conclusions in the Rylander case, then sends them to the commissioner as agreed. She stresses the importance of the blackmail message, the incorrect position of the driver’s seat in the Saab, the missing mobile phone and the recently bandaged wound on Rylander’s leg – all reasons why his death shouldn’t be written off as a suicide, in her opinion. She knows that Morell will have contacted the commissioner on his way home; she is on tenterhooks waiting for another call, but nothing happens.

At exactly five o’clock she leaves her office and drives to the train station in an attempt to intercept Agnes when her train gets in. The Vespa isn’t parked among the other mopeds, which means she is too late. As she drives into the yard at Tabor she sees that the Vespa isn’t there either, and as Milo is eagerly waiting to be let out, it’s clear that Agnes hasn’t been back since they left the house this morning. So where is she?

Anna tries her mobile again, but as before it goes straight to voicemail. The Find My iPhone app is no help either, because Agnes seems to have deactivated it. When six o’clock comes and goes and dusk begins to fall, Anna is on the verge of panic. Even Milo knows that something is wrong; he keeps whimpering and wandering restlessly back and forth in the hallway. She wonders whether to contact the duty officers to check if there’s been an accident, but instead she takes Milo with her and goes out in the car to conduct her own search. She has just reached the main road when her phone rings. She slams on the brakes and grabs it. The screen is displaying a landline number that she doesn’t recognise.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello – is that Anna? It’s Elisabet Vidje.’

‘Hi.’ She peers through the windscreen, looking for Agnes’s Vespa.

‘Agnes is here with me. At Änglaberga.’

It takes a little while for the words to sink in.

‘With you?’

‘Yes, she’s in the kitchen. She’s pretty upset, poor soul. She read the article about you. And her father.’

Anna feels the icy hollow in her stomach open up again.

‘Anyway, we’ve had coffee and a chat. She’s a little calmer now, so I thought I’d better give you a ring. Can you come over?’

*

Anna parks in the same place as last time. She leaves Milo in the car and hurries along the gravel path. Elisabet is waiting for her by the arbour with the angel fountain. She is wearing a thick coat with a shawl draped around her head; it makes her look even thinner than usual, if that were possible.