Fabian nodded and stepped on to the protective transparent plastic covering the hallway floor. Of course it was just the two of them. ‘You wouldn’t happen to have a hazmat suit for me, too, would you?’

‘Nah, as long as you stay clear of the bedroom, you’ll be fine. That’s where we’re still working. But we’re all done in here, so feel free to walk around.’

Silence fell. Fabian took the opportunity to take a step back. Arm’s length felt like a minimum requirement. ‘What have you found?’

Molander lit up. ‘Come over here. I’ll show you.’ He backed into the hallway and beckoned him over with a wave.

Why couldn’t he just tell him? If it wasn’t so typically Molander to drag these situations out, he would have refused to go any further. As it was, he had no choice but to obey.

‘You asked me to keep my eyes extra peeled, remember?’

Fabian nodded, though he had no earthly idea what Molander was talking about.

‘Don’t look so surprised. Don’t you remember? When you called me up and went on and on about that key deposit.’ Molander pointed towards the front door. ‘To be honest, I didn’t understand why you insisted on yammering about it and about potential handymen who might have had access to her home keys. But it just goes to show.’ Molander took a step towards him. ‘We’re not always supposed to understand things right away. Or like someone once said: When you choose to be puzzled, life works out in mysterious ways.’

‘Ingvar,’ Fabian said and backed up another step. ‘Why am I here?’

‘Well, well, aren’t we cranky today.’ Molander shot him a smile over the top of his glasses, which looked like they might slip off the tip of his nose at any moment. ‘You see, it’s unusual for me to be in this position. Only the second time ever, to be precise.’ He held up two fingers. ‘Which makes the whole thing especially sensitive.’

Fabian thought he understood his meaning all too well. A couple of months ago, Hugo Elvin discovered Molander's secrets. And now it was his turn to confront Molander. The problem was that he found himself unable to pull out his gun and take charge. After all, Molander hadn't said or done anything so far that warranted an arrest.

‘But, luckily, it’s just the two of us here, which actually makes this easier for a proud man like myself,’ Molander continued. ‘Because the truth is that if you hadn’t insisted on me paying extra close attention to that particular object, I would very likely have missed it.’

Fabian was thrown back into confusion, fumbling around for something to hold on to. Maybe that was exactly what he was trying to do. Confuse him and make him lose focus.