“I’m here to ask you if you know where Jana Berzelius is. I was just at her apartment and knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer. And I haven’t seen her in a while. She also hasn’t answered my phone calls, which is a little strange because she’s leading an investigation right now and is usually much more available than she has been. So I’m wondering, have you talked to her?”

Per shook his head.

“I don’t know how I should say this,” Henrik continued, “but we’ve received some information in the murder of Robin Stenberg and I really have to get ahold of her. Because you’re in charge of that investigation, I thought...”

He fell silent, turning his gaze out through the window again.

“I get the feeling that this is something that not many should know about,” Per said, trying to catch Henrik’s eyes.

“What makes you say that?” he said.

“Otherwise you wouldn’t have come to my home so early.”

“Okay... Ida Eklund says she saw a woman who fits Jana Berzelius’s description outside Robin Stenberg’s apartment on Friday, at the exact time of the murder,” Henrik said slowly, watching Per’s reaction. But he didn’t react at all how Henrik had anticipated. He began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“We’re talking about a colleague here, not a suspect!”

“I know,” Henrik said, wearily.

He sat on the sofa, leaned back and studied the blond prosecutor sitting directly across from him. His different-colored eyes looked simultaneously sharp and friendly.

“Besides,” Per said. “She has an alibi.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I was with her on Friday.”

“Are you...” Henrik began. “I mean, do you...and she have a relationship?”

Per laughed again, loudly and long this time.

“Jana isn’t really the relationship type. I’ve never seen her with a man, or even heard her mention one.”

“A woman, then?”

“Haven’t seen her with a woman, either. She prefers men, I know that much.”

“So you’re just friends?”

“That’s probably a good way to say it. We’ve talked a lot, had dinner together and such. We are colleagues, as I said.”

Henrik sighed.

“Okay,” he said. “But I still have to talk to her.”

“Don’t you believe me?”

“Yes, of course. You had dinner together. At what restaurant?”

“Ardor. You can call them. We had a reservation.”

“You know I have to.”

Per was quiet for a moment.

“May I ask...” he said. “Has this Ida Eklund actually identified Jana, picked her photo out of a lineup?”

“No, not exactly. But her description of the woman could very well be of Jana...”

“But have you shown Ida pictures of Jana?”

“No.”

Per looked puzzled.

“Has more come out in the investigation? Something that actually points to her having anything to do with Robin Stenberg?”

“No.”

“So why are you investigating her?”