“But...” he said, “the problem is that new constellations are appearing all the time. People group themselves according to a certain gang membership, ethnicity or family tie. The configuration of the gang becomes incredibly complex, and here in town there are, as we’ve talked about, indications that a new leader is on the verge of rising to the top—it’s tense out there right now.

“I think we would have had a good bird’s-eye view of all of it if we’d been able to keep Gavril Bolanaki alive,” Gunnar said.

“Bolanaki?” Per asked.

“Jana’s case,” Henrik said. “Bolanaki was the brains behind one of the narcotics syndicates that we as yet knew nothing about...”

“...that was using child soldiers. Now I remember,” Per said. “He was murdered, right?”

“We still don’t know what happened to him,” Henrik said. “The National Crime Squad claims that he committed suicide. But regardless, he’s dead.”

“What happened to the market when he was gone?” Per asked.

“And why isn’t more being done to stop the development of the market? Why aren’t more people being prosecuted?” Mia said.

“You probably know the answer to your own questions,” Gunnar said. “No one wants to say anything. They’ve got each other’s backs. You can ask, but no one knows anything.”

“Exactly what’s happening with The Old Man,” Henrik said.

“Yes, exactly,” Gunnar said. “You’ve mentioned him before. What do we know about him?”

“I’ve already told you,” Henrik said.

“But you haven’t said anything,” Gunnar said.

“That’s just it,” Henrik said. “That’s because there isn’t anything to say. Everyone’s keeping their mouths shut. And why do people keep their mouths shut?”

“Because they’re scared,” Mia said.

“Exactly,” Henrik said.

“Okay,” Gunnar said. “But if we’re going to focus on Robin, how are we going to find the perpetrator? Who should we talk to?”

“Mia and I will start by questioning Robin’s mother, Sussie Anander. She wasn’t in any condition to answer questions this morning.”

“And I’ll take the computer, like we said,” Ola said.

“And you guys keep me updated about what you find,” Per said.

Henrik and Ola nodded.

“Good,” Gunnar said. “We have to be effective. We’ll learn everything we can about Robin. It’s probably like you already said, Henrik, that the murderer was close to him. Check out all of his friends, enemies, girlfriends, parents, relatives, everyone. I want this to end up in the pile of quickly solved cases.”

* * *

“Excuse me, can I get you anything else?”

The server focused her large blue eyes on Jana Berzelius, who sat with her gaze fixed on a point far outside the window. Her salad was still untouched. Per’s plate and mineral water were still there even though he had left more than an hour earlier.

She saw the young woman out of the corner of her eye.