‘In one case there’s not a shred of doubt.’

‘You’re right, I abducted Dan Johansson and his family. But all the rest . . . no. It wasn’t me.’

Berlin thumped the wall with her clenched fist.

‘So who was it? Don’t you realise how this looks? I gave you Lovisa Wahlberg’s case, and if you didn’t kill her, then you must have taken the job seriously. So what did you find? You’ve had days – how far did you get? Or were you too busy with your kidnapping project?’

Ross sighed. The paper sheet beneath him rustled.

‘What did you find?’ Berlin repeated. And was completely floored when Ross replied:

‘A police officer.’

Berlin stiffened.

‘A police officer?’

‘Think about it. No signs of a break-in at Malcolm Benke’s house, or Lovisa Wahlberg’s apartment, or Henry Lindgren’s. What does that tell you?’

‘Oh, come on! It tells me that all the victims recognised their killer – you. I certainly don’t believe for a second that it was a police officer they’d never seen before, and that they let him in just because of his police ID card. It’s too simple, too naïve.’

‘Too simple? For fuck’s sake, Maggan, it’s always simple. Take a look at the most famous cases in Swedish history and you’ll find the most banal explanations as to how certain things happened.’

Berlin shook her head. This was a bad idea, she should never have come.

‘If your only theory is that it was some unknown colleague who murdered those poor souls, then there’s no reason for me to stay here.’ She turned away, ready to leave.

‘I didn’t say it was some unknown colleague.’

Berlin paused.

‘Who?’

‘Check it out for yourself,’ Ross said. ‘There’s one name that comes up in every single investigation.’

‘I don’t have time to go through every case,’ she snapped. ‘Tell me who you’re talking about.’

Ross took his time.

‘When Beata Benke died, the Met police contacted Stockholm. Since I had a personal relationship with her father, I asked a younger colleague to answer their questions. The same colleague was by my side when Lovisa Wahlberg was accused of drugs offences later that year. And the same colleague worked with Alex when Henry Lindgren was involved in the investigation into Lilian Sebastiansson’s disappearance.’

Berlin’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Who? You have to give me a name!’

Ross’s expression was tortured.

‘He’s called me several times during the spring and summer. Asked for favours in return for his help when I needed a reference to secure the lease on The Sanctuary. His desire for information about our progress has been insatiable.’

Berlin could hardly breathe. She was finding it difficult to hear what Ross was saying, kept missing vital details.