“I work for Demokratisk Dagblad,” Heloise said. “I’m here because I’ve reason to believe that your son’s killer is trying to contact me.”

Ellen looked at her in shock and sat down. She opened and closed her mouth several times without making a sound, but Heloise registered no reaction in the face of Johannes Mossing.

“It would be very helpful if you could tell me everything you know about the night he was murdered,” she went on. “Anything that can help me track down Anna Kiel.”

With the exception of Billie Holiday’s tormented voice, there was silence in the room.

Ellen reached out for her husband’s hand, but he snatched it away. “Johannes, I think we have to—”

“We don’t have to do anything,” he said, without breaking eye contact with Heloise. “Good-bye, Miss Kaldan.”

“Call me if you change your mind,” Heloise said, and left the conservatory.

The Ford beeped twice when Heloise unlocked it. She got into the driver’s seat and looked in the rearview mirror. Ellen Mossing was standing in one of the big drawing room windows looking out at her. Heloise could see that she was crying again.

What the hell was going on?

There was something about the story of Christoffer Mossing that didn’t add up. Were his parents trying to hide the truth about him? Was there anything to hide, or did they genuinely not know anything? You could live a lifetime with someone without ever truly knowing them; Heloise knew that all too well. But was there a secret here? Had Christoffer Mossing lived a parallel life alongside his impressive legal career, a life his parents knew nothing about? What about Anna Kiel—where did she fit in? And last but not least: what did any of it have to do with Heloise?

She started the car, drove along the drive, and turned left down Vedbæk Strandvej. She had decided to swing by Christoffer Mossing’s house in Taarbæk on her way home. She knew that the property had probably been sold since the murder and that she was unlikely to discover anything significant, but she needed to see the scene of the crime. She wanted to see it.

She got out her cell phone to find the address and saw that she had yet another missed call from Martin. There was also an Instagram notification. When she stopped at a red light, she could see that she had been tagged in a photo eight minutes ago. The notification said @Anna_kiel has mentioned you in a comment: “Your door was open, @heloisekaldan, so I took the liberty of going in.”

The light changed to green, but Heloise stayed put and clicked the link.

“I don’t fucking believe it,” she said through clenched teeth, while the cars behind her started sounding their horns.

She pulled over and slammed on the brakes as the skin tightened across her knuckles.