It wasn’t in her briefcase, or anywhere.

Jana Berzelius looked at Per Åström, who took the bill from the server at Sing Thai restaurant.

Round lamp shades hung from the ceiling, and there were yucca plants and gold statues and figures in every window.

“Do you remember if I had my scarf on the way here?” she asked, looking around the chair, lifting the white tablecloth and checking under the table.

“No, you didn’t,” he said.

“I had it yesterday, when I went to the police station.”

“You must have forgotten it there.”

Jana looked at her watch.

“Did we have to walk here?” she asked.

“Are you stressed?” Per said. “It’s Sunday.”

“I hadn’t planned on a two-hour lunch. I have to be in court tomorrow.”

“Little bit of prep to do, then?”

“Yes.”

“But can’t you get your scarf tomorrow?” he asked.

“My car is parked there, too, so I have to go back anyway.”

She finished her water and got up. She watched out the window as a car spun its tires trying to get up the hill, finally getting traction and disappearing from view.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Per said.

She turned toward him.

“Impossible,” she said curtly, pulling the belt of her coat tightly around her waist.

“No, seriously,” he said. “I know what you’re thinking. And I agree, we should take a taxi back.”

Before she could answer, he had pulled out his cell phone.

She took her briefcase and stood just outside the door of the restaurant, noticing a cigarette butt lying on the ground outside. The flattened, wrinkled yellow filter and the dirty cigarette paper being gradually dissolved by the wet snow.

“It will be here soon,” Per said when he came out.

“Good,” Jana said, her gaze still locked on the cigarette butt.

* * *

“So you’re saying that Robin Stenberg witnessed an assault last Wednesday?”

Henrik Levin pulled his hand over his chin, feeling the stubble scratch against his fingers. He looked at Ola’s energetic face. Mia was nibbling on a gingersnap and held four more in her hand.

“Yes,” Ola said. “I found Eternal_sunshine on the crime forum Flashback.”

“And you’re sure it’s him? Anyone could call themselves Eternal_sunshine, couldn’t they?”

“No, that’s not right. Forums like this allow only one user to have a certain username. The IP address matches, too—the comment comes from his computer. It is Robin, without a doubt.”

“What does he say?” Henrik asked.

“Here,” Ola said, passing a sheaf of papers to him and Mia. “Read for yourselves.”

Henrik took the papers and sat on a stool to begin reading. The thread had begun at 11:42 p.m. Wednesday night.

Robin had written:

[Anyone know anything about an assault tonight?]

Two minutes later, there was a response from someone who called himself Redflag.

[What assault? By Swedes?]

[Knäppingsborg. Entrance to Järnbrogatan. A man and a woman.]