The homeless man was Ulf, a character known to pretty much everyone in Fredheim. He walked about the town a lot, occasionally begging for pennies here or there. He was completely harmless, and despite being only in his thirties, he always looked like he was two months away from retirement. His tatty clothes seemed about to fall off him, and it didn’t look as though he’d had a proper meal or a wash in months, which probably wasn’t too far from the truth.

‘Hey, Ulf,’ Yngve said as he approached him. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll let you go soon enough. Just wanted to know when you got here?’

Ulf blowed gently into the cup and took a sip. ‘I don’t know,’ he said in a weary voice. ‘It might have been close to one.’

‘And which direction did you come from?’

Ulf pointed to the tracks that led under the bridge to the train station a few hundred yards further on. It was possible to walk along the tracks, but not more than six feet on any side, as there were shrubs and trees everywhere.

‘Did you see any cars in the parking lot in front of the train station?’ Yngve asked.

‘A couple,’ Ulf said. ‘I know for sure that there was a taxi sitting there. A couple of normal-looking cars, too.’

‘Did you see anyone inside any of them?’

‘No, sir.’

‘No one moving away from the station as you got here?’

‘There are always people around,’ he said. ‘But I didn’t notice anyone special.’

Ulf took another sip. The smell of coffee reached Yngve’s nostrils.

‘Has he been here before?’ Yngve pointed towards the body, now, thankfully, covered with a white blanket.

‘Plenty of times,’ Ulf replied. ‘He doesn’t drink or get high or anything like that. He just likes to hang out with us.’

‘Alright,’ Yngve said. ‘Thanks for calling us out so quickly. And thank you for your patience.’

‘Where the hell am I going to go now?’ Ulf whimpered. ‘You’ve cordoned off the whole area.’

‘You don’t have somewhere else you can stay tonight?

‘I was going to stay here,’ he said. ‘My sleeping bag is just around the corner.’ He wiped his lips and looked up at Yngve with an open mouth. There were more black teeth than white inside.

‘I’m sorry,’ Yngve said. ‘I really can’t help you with that right now.’

Once again he thanked Ulf for his help. Ulf got to his feet and retrieved his sleeping bag, before staggering up to the pavement. He began to walk slowly towards the town centre. It looked as if he was carrying the weight of the town on his shoulders.

Yngve went back to Therese, whose teeth were now chattering in the cold.

‘Let’s get it over with,’ he said. ‘Let’s go and see his mum.’