Anna shrugs. ‘I don’t know. The bike isn’t mentioned in the police report either; I just wanted to check whether you knew where it had gone.’

*

One of the stricter nurses has discovered Milo in Agnes’s room, so it is decided that Mats will keep him for a few more days. He clearly thinks this is a brilliant idea, but Anna hates the idea of going home to an empty house.

Lisa calls in a while later. She has been discharged, and tentatively asks if she can have a lift back to Nedanås.

‘Are you going home?’ Agnes asks.

‘Tomorrow – I just need to rebook my train ticket. I hope I can stay at the hotel for another night; I was supposed to check out yesterday.’

‘Why don’t you stay at our place?’ Agnes suggests. ‘My room’s empty, and Mum doesn’t like being alone.’

‘What do you think, Lisa?’ Anna says.

‘That would be great – if you’re sure it’s no trouble.’

*

After lunch Agnes feels tired, and it’s time to leave. Lisa gives her a goodbye hug, and promises to get in touch later in the week.

On the way home they stop off at the shopping centre outside the village, and Anna buys herself a phone like the one she got Agnes recently. With the help of the sales assistant she manages to transfer her old numbers to the new phone. During the rest of the drive they talk about Simon Vidje. Lisa has worked out who Klein and Elisabet are, and wants to know more about the visit to Karl-Johan.

When they reach Nedanås Anna drops Lisa off at the hotel, then continues to the police station. The storm over the sound hasn’t yet made landfall, but the wind is stronger now. The smell from Glarea is noticeable; presumably they’re burning as much as they can before they have to close down.

Her pass card still works, so she doesn’t have to go through reception to reach her office. She unlocks the bottom drawer and takes out all the documentation relating to the Simon Vidje case, the garage fire at Änglaberga, and Joe Rylander’s death. She photocopies everything, then places the originals in a neat pile on her desk. She folds the copies and puts them in her pocket. She’s about to leave when she notices a fat envelope in her pigeonhole.

Anna Vesper, Police, Nedanås, it says on the outside in spidery handwriting. She slips it into her pocket as well.

At the bottom of the stairs she almost cannons into Jens Friberg. She swears silently to herself; he was the one person she’d hoped to avoid.

‘Oh, hi,’ he says. He is clearly embarrassed and doesn’t know where to look.

‘I’m guessing you’ve already heard?’ Anna says.

He nods.

‘And the commissioner has asked you to take over?’