Heloise stared straight ahead for several seconds. Then she said, “If Johannes Mossing really is the person you suspect him of being, and if Ulrich was murdered because he got too close, then what are the chances that Christoffer Mossing’s murder was a random incident?” she asked. “Maybe Anna also found out about something she wasn’t supposed to know. Maybe Mossing’s people threatened her too?”

The room was quiet for a moment, and Heloise had the strange sense that there was something Schäfer and his colleague weren’t saying.

“What?” she asked. “What am I missing?”

“Maybe it’s you,” Augustin said. She had gotten up from her chair and was now leaning against the wall in the back of the room.

“Maybe what is me?” Heloise looked confused and glanced over at Schäfer, who remained silent.

His eyes were calm, attentive.

“What ties you to this case?” Augustin continued. “A murder suspect sends you letters and seems to know personal things about you. And now Ulrich Andersson is dead, probably because he talked to you. And yet you claim that you’ve never met Anna Kiel and that you have no idea why she’s reaching out to you.”

“Claim?” Anger trembled in Heloise’s body. “I’m not making this shit up. I’ve never met Anna Kiel, and I have no idea why she sent me those letters. Besides, we still don’t know they’re even from her. Maybe someone is—”

“Her DNA is on the envelopes,” Schäfer said.

Heloise didn’t know why she was so surprised. Maybe because up until this point it had been only a theoretical possibility and now it was real. Her collar felt tight at her throat, and she reached for the glass of water sitting on the table in front of her.

“We also got the results back on the fingerprints,” Schäfer said.

Heloise looked at him.

“Who is Martin Duvall?”

The question hit her like a wrecking ball.

“One of the fingerprints we lifted in your apartment belongs to him,” Schäfer continued.

It took Heloise a few seconds to collect herself. “Why do you have Martin’s fingerprints in your database?” she asked.

“He has a conviction from last year.”

“A conviction?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

“For assault.”

“Assault?” Heloise repeated, stunned.

“He received a thirty-day sentence for knocking out four teeth of the victim in the case.”

“So, he’s been to prison? Is that what you’re telling me?” Heloise leaned back in her chair.

Schäfer nodded slowly. “I take it you know him?”

“Yes.”

“What is the nature of your relationship with him?”

“I’ve used him as a source for a few different stories, and we’re, um … sort of seeing each other.”

“You’re dating?”

“No. No, not exactly.”

“Have you ever known him to be violent?”

Heloise hesitated.