Another sad-old-bear shake of the head.

‘He’d got a place at the Music Academy in Malmö, although that was just the beginning. Everyone knew he was going to be something great, but then the accident happened. The death of such a young person is obviously tragic, but the fact that it was Simon made it even more shocking. Shortly afterwards the post office and the bank closed down, and the following year the jam factory went the same way. It was as if Simon’s death knocked all the stuffing out of Nedanås. Unemployment shot up, people started to move away, and property prices slumped. It took many years for the community to recover, and Bengt Andersson was a big part of that recovery. He was the one who attracted new employers to the area, and brought the inter-urban trains here. He’s also made Glarea profitable once more, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for the long-distance trains. If you add in Marie and Bruno’s conference centre up on the ridge, you can see that the community is about to enter a new golden age, not unlike the 1960s.’

He puts down the cup and brushes a few imaginary crumbs from the table. His body language is different now, more relaxed. The little discrepancy Anna thought she sensed is gone.

‘That’s what makes it somehow doubly tragic that Elisabet insists on clinging to the past,’ Morell says in conclusion. ‘It’s as if she’s constantly reminding everyone of a difficult time that the rest of us have worked hard to put behind us.’

He empties his cup and puts it down with a little bang.

‘So – shall we get back to it?’

Anna would really like to continue the conversation. She knows that four other people were present when Simon died: Alex, Bruno Sordi, Marie Andersson, and another girl whose name Elisabet mentioned yesterday – Catrin? – whom Morell seems less inclined to talk about. She wants to ask why, dig into what it is about his story that doesn’t quite fit, but Morell’s tone makes it clear that he has finished discussing Simon Vidje’s death. Reluctantly she decides to let it go – for the time being.

*

After work she picks Agnes up at the railway station and drives to the bike shop as agreed. She has promised Agnes a moped, one of many bribes aimed at softening the blow of the move.

The shop turns out to be a large yard on the outskirts of the village, with two converted barns full of bicycles and mopeds. The strong smell of rubber, oil and grease has replaced the odour of animals. Agnes immediately spots a white Vespa very similar to the one Audrey Hepburn rode in Roman Holiday. Needless to say, it’s one of the most expensive models.