Chapter 8

Peder Rydh’s mobile rang just as he joined the E4, travelling north. He checked the display, saw Alex’s name and rejected the call. He didn’t want to think about the message Alex had left on his voicemail the previous evening.

Five seconds, and the phone rang again.

‘Fuck.’

Too many things were going on at the same time.

The kids’ school had just called to tell him that Eddie had a temperature. He had no choice but to turn around and pick him up. A few years ago, when Ylva was in the grip of depression, Peder had said he felt like a single parent to their twin boys. He now realised he hadn’t had a clue what he was talking about.

He might as well answer; the fucking phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

‘Peder.’

‘Have you got time to talk?’

The voice belonged to Jussi, a fifteen-stone super-strategist. Founder and boss of the security firm Peder had worked for after leaving the Solomon Community, before he took up his current post. A period of his life he preferred not to think about. Nor did he want to think about how Alex had reacted to Peder’s chequered employment record. As far as Alex was concerned, there was right and wrong, and very little in between.

Peder viewed life rather differently.

‘Not really,’ he said to Jussi. ‘Keep it short.’

‘Of course. Things still the same?’

Peder kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. ‘Yes.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘It is what it is.’

Jussi coughed, as he usually did when he wasn’t sure what to say. Peder wasn’t interested in his ‘sorry to hear that’. It struck a jarring note. Jussi hadn’t understood back then, and he didn’t understand now. That was why he’d judged Peder so harshly.

‘Listen, I’m concerned about a former client,’ Jussi said.

It was a comparatively insensitive transition from one subject to another, but Peder didn’t comment. Jussi got in touch at regular intervals, always because of work, so this came as no surprise.

‘What client?’

‘A guy you dealt with. Johansson – one of your last jobs. Do you remember him? He had a brother who—’

‘I remember.’ Peder didn’t like the way the conversation was going.

‘He seemed satisfied, or at least . . . He went for the less advanced alarm system and the personal-data protection, then said he didn’t need our services any more.’

Peder accelerated, flew past several other cars.

‘I remember,’ he said again.

‘The thing is, I usually follow up on former clients just to check that they’re happy, and I can’t get hold of Johansson.’

Peder passed more vehicles. He remained in the overtaking lane, noticed that the speedometer had climbed above 140 kilometres an hour.

‘Give him a few days,’ he said.