‘Plans? What plans do you have, baby?’ Alex sounded amused.

‘Interrailing, waitressing in Ibiza, maybe even working as an au pair if I can find a job. Anything that will get me away from this place as soon as possible.’

‘But baby,’ Alex said. ‘We’ve already talked about this. You go full-time at the care home until I’ve finished my military service. If everything goes well we should be able to manage a couple of weeks in Crete next summer, as long as it doesn’t clash with my competition schedule.’

‘Or I go without you. Right now. Away from Kalle and my mother, from your parents and everybody else who gives me funny looks. Away from this awful fucking place.’ Carina flicked her cigarette stub into the fire.

‘Whatever you say, baby.’ Alex’s tone was patronising as he patted Carina’s head. She pushed his hand away, then sat up straight.

‘Did you hear that?’

‘What?’ Marie and Bruno said at the same time. Simon stopped playing.

‘What is it this time?’ Alex laughed. ‘Another killer deer?’

‘Quiet!’ Carina got up and peered down at the turning area. The beam of a single headlamp was approaching through the trees, followed by the dull roar of an engine. For some reason the sound made Marie shudder.

Chapter 7

7

Autumn 2017

Anna’s first day in uniform was 25 June 1994. She can still remember how nervous she was, the scratchy shirt collar, the gun belt sitting uncomfortably over her hips. The realisation that everyone else in the briefing room knew one another inside out, knew their colleagues’ strengths and weaknesses, knew exactly what was required to do the job. Everyone except her.

Today she is not sitting quietly at the back, but standing at the front with all eyes upon her, and yet the feeling is more or less the same. Twenty-six people in total, which is virtually the entire team. She is not a natural leader like Håkan. Her strong point is listening, not talking, which is why she’s been practising her speech for weeks.

‘So let me introduce our new chief of police and my successor, Anna Vesper. Welcome to Skåne and Nedanås, Anna.’ Henry Morell turns to her.

‘Good morning, everyone,’ she begins, trying to make eye contact with as many people as possible. ‘As Henry said, my name is Anna Vesper, I’m forty-five years old, and as you can hear I’m from Stockholm, where I’ve been working as head of the Violent Crimes Unit for the past seven years.’ She is deliberately speaking slowly. She pauses, takes a deep breath.

‘But don’t worry, I spent several summers with relatives in Österlen when I was little, so I understand the Skåne dialect even if I don’t speak it.’

Her smile is returned by a couple of the younger officers, but most of her new colleagues look distinctly unimpressed.