Henry Morell emerges from the main door of the police station before she reaches it. Presumably he has been standing inside, watching her. He is a big man, over six feet tall, and he must weigh around fifteen stone. Some of his bulk has settled around his waist, but not as much as in most of his contemporaries. He too is in uniform, which is a relief. Turning up wrongly dressed on her first day would be a bad start. Morell has a slight stoop and carries his weight on the balls of his feet; this stance, combined with the bushy eyebrows and the grey beard, makes him resemble an ageing bear.

‘Henry,’ he says, holding out an enormous paw. His smile is polite, but nothing more. ‘Welcome to Nedanås. It’s a little chilly this morning, but I thought we’d start with a tour anyway. There’s coffee in the car.’ He points to a Volvo; it’s dark blue and unmarked, but it is unmistakably a police car.

The interior smells of aftershave. There is a cardboard cup of coffee in the holder between the seats. Anna takes a sip as Morell manoeuvres the Volvo out into the street. The coffee is lukewarm, the atmosphere strained.

‘Sorry I’m a bit late.’ She makes an effort to speak slowly. ‘My daughter . . .’ She feels the stammer coming, pauses and changes tack. ‘It took longer to drive down from the ridge than I’d thought. The bends are quite sharp, and with the fog . . .’

Morell waves a dismissive hand.

‘You’ll soon get used to it. I believe you arrived on Friday – did the trip from Stockholm go well?’

‘It did, thank you.’

‘And you and your daughter have settled in at Tabor? Got everything sorted?’

‘More or less.’

His tone is neutral, neither friendly nor unfriendly. He has a Skåne accent, but it is easy to understand, not thick and guttural like Mats Andersson’s.

‘It’s a beautiful house, one of the finest on the ridge. Elisabet Vidje has held on to it fiercely for many years – refused to do anything to it, let alone sell it or rent it out.’ Something in his voice suggests that there is more to say on this topic, but Morell changes the subject.

‘So as I said, I thought we’d go for a little tour so that I can tell you what’s what. It will also give us the chance to get to know each other before you meet the rest of the team at the ten o’clock briefing.’

‘Sounds good!’ Her response is too cheerful, which irritates her. Better to remain neutral like Henry Morell rather than trying too hard.