“Answer me now. How long does she have to stay with us?” he asked.

“Forever.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“You don’t want me to tell your wife why you have the girl living with you, do you?”

“I don’t like your tone.”

“I just want to be sure you’re aware that there is no alternative.”

Jana clenched her legs together, no longer listening to the conversation. The only thing she felt was panic over the possibility of peeing her pants.

“Listen now, Karl. We have an agreement.”

“What happens if I break it?”

When she heard the scornful laughter, she pressed her lips together, closed her eyes and wished she hadn’t hidden there. Now she felt nothing other than the pain in her gut, heard nothing other than her soundless whimpering, thought about nothing other than her desire to get up and run to the bathroom.

“Listen, you have to take care of her now. That’s the best thing you could do. For all parties,” the other man said.

“You don’t understand. She’s wild,” said her father.

“Rein her in, then.”

“She’s violent.”

“I should fucking think so, with what she’s been through. But she doesn’t know why she’s that way. She has no idea, Karl, and the violence will dissipate over time. You simply have to learn to like her. She’s yours now. Your daughter.”

She heard her father gripping the leather of the chair.

“And the boy?”

“We have him under control.”

“What will happen to him?”

“We haven’t decided that yet.”

“And she remembers nothing about what she’s been through? Not even him?”

“As I said, she doesn’t remember anything, Karl.”

“But if they meet?”

“They’ll never meet. Believe me, their paths will never cross.”

She made a last attempt to hold it, but she couldn’t any longer. She wanted to run, run from the living room to the bathroom, away from here, away, away.

“I think we need a stiff one,” her father said, getting up and going to the cocktail cabinet.

She took that opportunity to leave, slipping quickly away, not wanting to be seen, keeping her eyes on the floor and not looking back, not even once. She didn’t even know who her father was talking to.

She’d never really thought about it.

Until now.

* * *

Anneli Lindgren looked out the window of the backseat of Henrik’s car. Henrik and Mia sat in front of her.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted after working in the cell with Axel Lundin’s body for two hours. Now she was on her way to Arkösund, to another shift with yet another dead body. But this time it was a young woman found drowned in a fishing net.