On the other hand, there were no witnesses, and probably enough drugs floating around to make it look like an overdose. Besides, Jacobsén was there under a false name and had quite possibly prepared an alibi. But it would never be enough. His colleagues in Helsingborg would see through it and arrest him the moment he set foot in Sweden.

The lack of oxygen was making his lungs burn, and for the first time in his life, he could feel himself contemplate just giving up. He probably would have, too, had it not been for the round metal disc he could feel against his fingertips on the edge of the jacuzzi.

A gentle push on the perforated circle was enough to start the massage jets, which turned the water frothy with air bubbles. Having nothing to lose, he opened his mouth and sucked the air in.

It worked, though he breathed in quite a bit of water too, which made him cough and suck in even more water. Then the hand around his throat suddenly let go and disappeared.

A second later, Fabian resurfaced and saw Jacobsén on the floor with two SWAT officers on top of him.

‘Wow!’ Kim Sleizner exclaimed as he entered the room. ‘Wowee wow-wow-wow! I have to say, it’s not every day you see two men having such a good time together. That’s what I call true love.’ Sleizner smiled broadly and held out a hand to help Fabian out of the jacuzzi. ‘I apologize for not waiting for your signal. I’m only human, and who doesn’t want to go to a party like this one?’ He winked and threw him a dry robe.

83

The wooden exterior had clearly not been looked after properly for years. The ends of the boards were dry as a bone and absorbed the petrol like sponges. The wood was dry again within a minute, which meant it took four five-litre cans to drench the façade on all four sides. But that wasn’t the problem. There were three more in the car if need be.

What she was running out of was time.

Having studied the farm from afar for an hour and a half, she knew the recent fires had resulted in increased security. Partly in the shape of two dogs, which were running around loose, partly in the shape of one and sometimes up to three security guards, who did a lap around the building every fifteen to twenty minutes.

The dogs had been surprisingly easy to deal with. They’d happily scarfed down a piece of meat laced with Propavan each and wouldn’t be waking up until the fire department was wrapping up the salvage and overhaul. The security guards were a different story. They could come out at any moment and realize something was wrong.

*