In spite of his anger, Bernhard must understand the seriousness of the situation. He was smart enough not to admit in a police interview that he’d wanted to kill his brother-in-law. If that was the case.

Fredrika tried a softer approach.

‘It doesn’t really matter what was in your mind back then. As far as we know Richard is alive and well, and he’s never made a complaint against you or Malcolm for threatening or violent behaviour. All we’re interested in right now is the conflict between you and your father.’

And whether you killed him, Alex added silently.

To his great surprise, Bernhard said exactly the same thing.

‘You forgot to ask the obvious question – you want to know whether I killed him, or had him killed. The answer is no, I didn’t. The idea never even crossed my mind. He could rot all alone as far as I was concerned; that was a far better punishment than death.’

He seemed pleased. Pleased that his father had been alone, that his life had been empty.

Alex broke out into a cold sweat. All these splintered families, all these parents and children who couldn’t stand one another. Fate could be more than cruel when she brought together people who were doomed to be a ‘family’.

‘Do you know what happened to your sister’s wedding ring after her death?’ Fredrika asked.

‘No.’

‘Did she usually wear it?’

‘Yes – her husband went crazy if she didn’t have it on.’

Fredrika and Alex exchanged glances.

‘Do you recognise the name Lovisa Wahlberg?’ Alex said.

‘No.’

Alex opened his folder and showed Bernhard the photograph they’d found at Benke’s house.

‘Have you seen this before?’

Bernhard gave a snort of derision.

‘Yes, but it was a long time ago.’

‘So it belonged to your father? It wasn’t given to him by someone else?’

‘No, it was his.’

‘Where did he keep it?’

‘How should I know? When he showed it to me he took it out of the tin box on the drinks trolley.’

Alex had a vague memory of seeing a metal box on the trolley. So Malcolm had taken out the picture before he died – to look at it himself, or to show it to someone else? His killer?

‘You don’t seem to like what you see,’ Fredrika said.

‘No, I don’t. My father’s pathetic attempts to fix things, his ridiculous efforts to help Beata. Useless. Plus I think he did it with the aim of repairing his relationship with me, rather than to change Beata’s situation.’

Alex put down the picture.

‘Do you blame your father for your sister’s death?’

‘I believe he could have saved her,’ Bernhard said, the strain clearly audible in his voice. ‘But the only person to blame for her death is her husband.’