The polite façade is still in place, but the tone is insidious, as if he already knows the answer to his question. Henry Morell has literally been a police officer for Anna’s entire life. He must have plenty of contacts all over the place. Does he know about the internal investigation? About Håkan? About her? The logical answer should be no. She isn’t formally under suspicion of having committed a crime, and therefore she shouldn’t be listed on the database. However, she can’t shake off the feeling that Morell knows more than he’s saying. Maybe that’s exactly what he wants her to think? It’s one of the interview techniques she likes to use. I already know everything, so you might as well tell me. There’s only one way to find out.

‘We needed a change of scenery,’ she says firmly. The statement is perfectly true. ‘My h-husband . . .’

She immediately corrects herself, at the same time smoothing over that annoying little stumble. ‘My ex-husband, Håkan, passed away last year. Cancer. It hit our daughter, Agnes, very hard. She had problems in school, got in with the wrong crowd. Stockholm can be tough . . .’

She pauses, lets him fill in the gaps. A good way to avoid entangling herself in lies. Everything she’s just said is accurate. She is simply missing out certain parts of the story. Just like I used to do, Håkan whispers in the back of her mind, with appalling timing as usual. She almost bites her lip, stops herself at the last second.

Morell nods pensively. Sits in silence for a few seconds, studying her face. Is he trying to read her, work out if she’s lying, just as she tried to read him? She keeps the mask in place, doesn’t allow her expression or body language to change.

He knows, Håkan insists. It doesn’t matter how far you travel. You’ll never escape.

Morell clears his throat.

‘I . . . I do understand, Anna.’ He takes a deep breath. ‘The fact is, I myself was in a similar situation many years ago.’ He scratches his beard on the left-hand side. Anna can see that the skin is inflamed and flaking.

‘Eva-Britt and I were only twenty when we had Alexander. The birth was difficult, and unfortunately it turned out that we couldn’t have any more children, so we focused all our attention on him.’ He smiles, looking a little embarrassed, which makes her racing pulse slow down. ‘I was a committed parent – school meetings, training sessions, matches. Then I was offered a really good job in Helsingborg – team leader with the narcotics patrol. Better pay, interesting and exciting work. A dream job for many officers. But when I thought about it, I realised that it would be better for Alexander if we stayed here in Nedanås. We’ll do anything for our kids, won’t we?’