Disappointed, she turned back to her car, unrolled the nautical chart and looked at it again, hoping that she would find a boathouse somewhere on it.

* * *

Per Åström saw his shadow against the outer door as he waited outside the large villa in Lindö. He straightened his spine when the door opened.

“Hello, my name is Per Åström and...”

“I know who you are,” Karl Berzelius said.

“I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

“Even so, I know who you are.”

Per combed his hand through his blond hair.

“Excuse me,” he said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but...”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here because of your daughter. May I come in?”

Per heard Karl’s heavy breaths quicken, intensify.

“May I come in?” he repeated.

The words hung in the cold air. Karl didn’t answer, and Per had the feeling he intended to leave him standing in the cold.

“Have you heard anything from your daughter?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m beginning to think something has happened to her.”

“What reason do you have to think that?”

“I’ve tried to find her at her apartment. She hasn’t been to the office or court, any of the places she usually is.”

“She may simply not want to see you.”

Per met his gaze, but didn’t answer.

“I just want to try to find out where she could be. She has talked about a summerhouse and I thought... Do you know if she could be there?”

“It is called a summerhouse for a reason.”

“I understand that. But I just thought...”

“Goodbye,” Karl said as he began to shut the door.

“So you have no idea where she is?” Per asked, sticking his foot between the closing door and the frame.

“Jana lives her own life, without my interference.”

“Strange,” Per said. “Because I was just talking with Torsten Granath, and according to him, you like to check up on your daughter.”

Karl’s eyes narrowed.

“He said that, did he?”

Per drew his foot back and stood with his legs slightly farther apart, collecting his thoughts. “When Jana was here...” he began.

“I have no idea what you’re getting at with your questions,” Karl interrupted. “The last time I saw her was on Tuesday, May 1 at seven o’clock in the evening.”

“It’s December now,” Per said.

“Thank you for informing me,” Karl retorted.

“So you mean you haven’t seen her...”

“No, we don’t see each other often. There’s no reason for it. My wife, on the other hand, prefers more contact. That’s why, because you’re so curious, Jana was here the other day. But you knew that already. Is there anything else?”

“If you hear something from her, would you let me know?”

“Don’t count on it,” Karl said, closing the door.

* * *