Fabian nodded. He did remember now. The album was called From Langley Park to Memphis, and he’d found it a bit too poppy for his tastes when it first came out. But Sonja had loved it, and it had put her in a good mood whenever he played it. And in hindsight, he had to admit there wasn’t a single bad track on it.

But that wasn’t what he was thinking about now; he was wondering at the fact that it was the first time in years Sonja had turned on any music at all. Normally, he was the one who turned it on and she was the one who asked him to turn it down or, even better, turn it off altogether. Now, she’d turned it up to a pretty decent volume. When she also handed him a glass and raised her own in a toast, he felt the evening couldn’t have started better.

Only a few days had passed since he’d saved Theodor from taking his own life, but the events above the tracks in Pålsjö Forest were already beginning to feel like an increasingly hazy memory from a different lifetime. It was as though they’d hit rock bottom and turned and were now finally starting to find their way back to some kind of peace and harmony.

They’d cooked together every night, played board games, watched films or just spent time together. Sonja had also found a therapist she wanted Theodor to meet the following week, even though he already looked like he was feeling much better.

Granted, he still spent large parts of every day in his room. But at least he’d given it a thorough clean and he’d gone back to reading books instead of just playing computer games. And right in the middle of dinner on Midsummer’s Eve, he’d told them he was following the reporting on the trial of the four members of the Smiley Gang and had decided to head over to Helsingør after the weekend and tell the Danish prosecutor the truth.

Neither he nor Sonja had mentioned it. The decision had been entirely Theodor’s own, and even though no one could say for sure what lay ahead, he seemed to have acknowledged that he had no other options.

‘How about a music quiz tonight after the children go to bed?’ Sonja smiled and walked towards him, glass in hand.

‘You don’t stand a chance.’ He bent down towards her.

‘Blimey, is this a bad time? We were wondering if you needed help with anything?’

They turned to Matilda, who had just come down from upstairs with Theodor.

‘Of course it’s not a bad time. Why would it be a bad time?’ Sonja shrugged.

‘Why’s Dad’s face all red?’ Theodor said, making everyone burst into laughter.