“And how are you supporting yourself right now?”

“My cousin has a little shop, a kiosk, so I help him sometimes. It makes the days pass. It’s hard, but it works.”

Stojan stuffed his hands between his knees.

“It’s sick, you know...” he said. “No matter how shitty it is to be addicted, you still crave it sometimes, wish you were back in that time when you just hung around town. I see users in movies or TV shows and start craving a fix. Know what I mean?”

“We know.” Mia sighed.

“I take it that the market has changed since you got clean,” Henrik said.

“It’s always changing. New networks crop up, they’re strong and fast.” Stojan looked down at his hands.

“But just tell me now,” he said.

“Tell you what?”

“Why you’re here. You want something, right? Pigs always want something.”

“We’ve heard there’s been some talk,” Henrik said. “Can you confirm that?”

“‘There’s been some talk’?” Stojan said, sneering again. “You’ll have to be more specific than that, man.”

Henrik glanced at Mia.

“We know that something’s going on,” Henrik said. “The market is getting nervous.”

“Something’s always going on,” Stojan said. “But don’t think that I know anything about it, ’cause I don’t.”

“But you know what would happen if you knew and didn’t tell us.”

“You can’t make me say anything.”

“But I can make you come down to the station with me.”

Stojan was quiet for a second and then said, “Okay, I’ll save you the work of taking me down to the station. All I can tell you is that there are rumors of a guy, someone who goes by The Old Man, who’s driving things, managing them. But no one knows who he is, no one’s met him. He’s like a shadow, really.”

“And how do you know about The Old Man?”

“I told you, there are rumors.”

“What else have you heard?”

“I know just as much as anyone else. Not much, I mean. And you didn’t hear this from me, either. Right? I’m no snitch.”

That’s exactly what you are, Henrik thought.

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

JANA BERZELIUS WRAPPED a towel around her body and went into her walk-in closet to select clothes for the evening. She cast a glance in the mirror at the bruises and saw that they were still dark.

She dressed quickly, buttoning her blouse with careful fingers in a gliding movement. Her pants were slimming, her jacket cropped.