Back then, neither she nor anyone else had raised an eyebrow at the nudity or indeed reacted to it in any way at all. It had seemed perfectly natural and completely unrelated to sexuality. Today, it was impossible to watch it without feeling like a paedophile, and there was talk of censoring it along with other, similar scenes in the Astrid Lindgren oeuvre.

But no one was watching. The TV was playing the DVD in front of an old red sofa that was as stained as the carpet in the passage. The coffee table was littered with a pile of Astrid Lindgren DVDs: Pippi Longstocking, Lotta on Troublemaker Street and Emil of Lönneberga – all of which contained nude scenes that would never have been included if the films had been made today.

‘Looks like you were right,’ she said, as she scanned the room for other doors. ‘The motive’s paedophilia.’

‘Given that swastika out there, I’d say we were both right,’ replied Klippan, who was on his way over to an open bureau on which lay several document folders.

Had he seen them coming and made his escape? Was that why he’d left the house with the door unlocked and a film playing?

Through the glass back door, which was slightly ajar, she could see the two uniformed officers secure the garden behind the house.

‘Come and take a look at this,’ said Klippan, who had laid his gun down and put on his reading glasses. He handed her one of the documents from the folders, and as soon as she started reading, she realized why he found it so interesting.

… After an initial examination, the patient is judged to be psychologically deficient… clear paedophiliac characteristics… closed ward… medication and therapy… Claims to hear voices…. Mental illness…

It was excerpts from Assar Skanås’s medical records, and they seemed to indicate that he had been in and out of the closed psychiatric ward of Malmö Hospital for years.

… With his current medication and regular therapy, the patient’s level of awareness about his own mental state is deemed sufficiently high for him to successfully maintain equilibrium in his home environment…

The document was dated 8 June 2012, which suggested Assar Skanås had been discharged only five days before the events in Bjuv. Cutbacks and lack of beds and resources were likely the official explanation. Incompetence was the real one.

27

Apart from his first visit to Tivoli, this had without a doubt been the best day of his life. Even though it was several hours ago now, his adrenaline was still pumping. Not even in hindsight could he think of any way it could have gone better. Possibly it had taken the dice slightly longer than expected to pick its victim in the supermarket that morning. Other than that, everything had worked out beautifully.