The money from her father and mother in Kiruna was late coming through. By now I have learned money always is late coming through, whether it’s a bill paid at last or a loan back or a fee, it always comes later than you expect. It’s a rule of life. But I didn’t know this then and I began to think Håkan Almquist had changed his mind. When eventually it arrived, Silver asked Liv if she would like him to draw it out of his bank account immediately.

“D’you want one of us to get you an air ticket? We could go to the airline and that’d be cheaper than you phoning a travel agent.”

“I am not buying an air ticket, Silver. I am staying here.” It was I who received the look then, the wary elliptical glance so characteristic of Liv at her games. “Mor and Far are not worrying themselves. They know I am here. It is only that I am not going home.”

“Liv, if you’re afraid to go out in the street,” I said, “one of us will go with you. We could go early before anyone’s about.”

“Oh, yes, I am afraid of that but that is not the matter.” Her English naturally got worse at times of stress. “It is that I am not buying a ticket because I am keeping the money. I start saving again with this money, and again I have a little redagg.”

“A nest egg,” Silver said, guessing. “All right. Do as you like.”

He told me later he’d have liked to throw her out but he couldn’t. He hadn’t the nerve or the callousness to put a frightened girl out into the street and leave her there, even though she had £2,000 in old Mrs. Fisherton’s dining room and £200 in his bank account. Liv seemed elated to have a new nucleus for her savings. She asked Silver to draw it out and give it to her. She had a shower and washed her hair, not a very regular proceeding with her, to make herself beautiful for when Wim came. Only he didn’t come and Jonny did, for the first time in three days. She looked very taken aback to see him. I think she had made up her mind that he’d stay away for a long while after the police had been here and searched the place. He took no notice of her but opened one of the bottles he had brought to toast Silver and me in malt whiskey. He was the only one to drink it until Liv reached for the bottle and poured herself a hefty slug into a glass she had been drinking gin from earlier in the day.

“Thanks a million, mate,” he said to Silver. “You’re a pal.”

“What for? You were here.”