The thoughts Theodor was struggling with seemed to hurt so badly he could fall apart any second. But instead, he dried his eyes and nodded. ‘Okay, then let’s do that,’ he said. ‘We’ll go tomorrow and have that dinner after I take a shower.’

Fabian wanted to hug his son and say something encouraging about how it was all going to work out, but he only managed a smile and a nod.

78

Exhausted as she was when she went to bed, Lilja had been convinced she’d be wide awake the moment Hampus stuck his key in the lock and opened the front door. Then she would lie awake, listening to every step he took outside her bedroom door.

Moving quietly wasn’t his strong suit. Especially after a wet night at Pallas. On those nights, he was more like a badger that had just found its way into the bins.

But this time, she hadn’t woken up. Maybe she’d been too tired after all. Or maybe he’d been so incredibly careful not to wake her he’d actually succeeded. In that case, it was on account of his guilty conscience, and if she knew him at all, there would be no trace of that left once he’d sobered up.

But… She was awake now. Wasn’t she? Or was she in fact still asleep?

She reached for her phone on the bedside table to check the time but found she couldn’t get to it; it was as though someone had pulled the table away from the bed. Or was it just that her arm wasn’t moving? It was hard to say.

Either way, both her wrists and ankles hurt, and her mouth of all places. As though she were tied up, but she wasn’t. At least, not as far as she could make out. And what was that smell? It was so overpowering she was starting to feel dizzy and was finding it increasingly difficult to focus her eyes.

That must have been what had woken her. What the fuck was he up to? She didn’t understand and tried to get up but couldn’t; it was as if something was holding her down.

Then she heard laughing. Or maybe it was more like snickering and whispering. And that hissing sound. Yes… What the fuck. Suddenly, she understood.

It was the smell of spray paint.

But why?

She tried again to sit up but only managed to lift her head a little. That was enough, however, to see that Hampus and two of his mates were busy spraying a giant swastika across one of the bedroom walls. She yelled at them to stop, but only indistinct mumbling came out.

One of the two other blokes turned around and pointed at her. ‘Look, she’s awake.’