And then he thought about Robin Stenberg.

He pulled out the pictures and the list that Anneli had compiled after going through Stenberg’s apartment. He skimmed through the neatly written list, everything from bed linens to the contents of the refrigerator, thinking that there should be a clue in it somewhere. Something that should tell them what this was all about.

He heard a quiet knock and looked toward the door. There stood Mia, her jacket hanging over one arm. She stepped into the room, leaned against the wall with her head cocked to one side.

“You look deep in thought,” she said.

“I’m thinking about Robin. It’s strange that there’s not a single trace of a perpetrator,” he said. “It must mean that it was a premeditated murder. And if it was premeditated, there must have been a clear motive. And if there was a clear motive, we should be able to figure it out. I don’t get it...”

“I agree,” Mia said. “But I’m sure it has to do with his drug addiction.”

“Yeah...”

It was quiet in the room for a moment.

“And then there’s the Thai girl...” he continued.

“The one who died from an overdose?”

“Yes, her, too, but I’m thinking more about her friend, the one who disappeared from the train. We really needed to find her. But I think, as I’ve said before, that it’s too late now. She’s probably already delivered the goods and gone home to Thailand...” Henrik sighed.

“Not yet,” Mia said. “I think she’s sitting on a toilet somewhere here in Norrköping and trying to shit.”

Henrik sighed again.

“I hope you’re right and that we can find her, because I think something bigger is going on.”

He nodded toward the window.

“What do you mean, ‘bigger’?”

“It just feels like something different is happening now...and our sources haven’t cracked it yet.”

“We have the National Crime Squad here.”

“I know, but still, I’m a little scared...”

“Scared?” Mia said. “What are you scared of?”

“That there’s something insidious going on that we don’t understand. We don’t have all the pieces yet.”

* * *

Pim ran as fast as she could into the forest, toward the darkness where the trees stood close together. The snow had covered the paths and the stones and had erased all contours of the landscape. Every step she took created a deep, revealing footprint.

She jumped over a fallen branch, slipped and fell. She stood quickly and listened. Her heavy breathing tore apart the silence and formed small clouds in the cold air. She tried to muffle her breath, but the sound was replaced by that of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.