He had managed to slip away in a stolen orange Volvo 240 right in front of her. Eleven minutes later, which was to say at 11.46, that same orange car had been caught on CCTV by a camera belonging to an OKQ8 petrol station in Åstorp, just north of Bjuv, which in turn had led to the assumption that the perpetrator wasn’t a Bjuv local but had either arrived in his own car, which for obvious reasons he’d been forced to leave behind, or by train.

They had been able to rule out the car alternative with the help of one of Molander’s assistants, who had still been at the scene. He had been tasked with walking around, noting down the licence plates of all the cars parked in the vicinity. Then Molander had found the address of each and every owner, who had all, without exception, turned out to be registered in Bjuv and to look nothing like the smiling man in the composite sketch.

The door was opened and Klippan entered. ‘I’ve talked to the Sunflower Nursery and they confirm Björn Richter was at work at seven in the morning the day Moonif died.’

‘Is that the neighbour with the dolls?’ Molander asked.

‘Exactly. I’ve also been in touch with some of the parents, and they all say he was there when they dropped off. They are also unanimous in the opinion that he is the best thing to have happened to the Sunflower in years. According to them, no one has a better way with the children than Björn.’

‘Does that mean we’re dismissing the paedophilia theory?’ Molander said.

‘At least for now. And how are you getting on?’

Lilja was hoping Molander would answer, so she could carry on undisturbed. But he said nothing, and Klippan came over to stand behind her like an old schoolmaster making sure her handwriting was correct. Granted, on paper he was temporarily in charge of the investigation while Tuvesson was away. But the way he’d been trying to boss her around all morning was nothing short of pathetic.

‘Irene? Hello? I asked you a question.’

Was he actually tapping her shoulder right now, or was she imagining it? Jesus, he really was. What was next? Patting her on the head and asking her to fetch him coffee? It took some effort to suppress the urge to turn around and slap him.

‘Don’t you worry,’ she said instead, without looking away from the screen, even though there was nothing much to see just then. ‘I promise I’ll let you know if I find him.’

It was best not to care, to just shrug it off and keep her head down. Whatever he said and no matter how much he relished playing the big man, she wasn’t going to give up until she’d found the man with the taunting smile.