‘No,’ Noah interrupted him. ‘No, they won’t look into anything, that decision has already been made. That’s why I called you.’

Once again he heard Alex talking to someone else.

‘I’ll get back to you later,’ Alex said to Noah. ‘Okay?’

‘Okay.’

Noah put the phone down on his desk and sank back in his chair. Then he sat there and waited. And waited.

Chapter 10

There was something about colleagues from overseas, there was no denying it. Above all it was the fact that Alex rarely came into contact with them. He reminded himself of this when he and Fredrika sat down in one of the smaller meeting rooms with the investigator from London. The room was furnished with sofas rather than a table and chairs. Alex had seen the disappointment in Ivan’s eyes when he hadn’t been asked to join them; after all, it was Ivan who’d tracked down Linda Sullivan and arranged for her to come in. However, that couldn’t be helped; the demands of the case had to come first, even at the expense of hurt feelings. Right now he needed Ivan to focus on Malcolm Benke’s social network and any possible threats against him.

Fredrika caught Alex’s eye as they sat down.

‘Everything okay?’ she said quietly in Swedish.

He gave a brief nod. He was okay. Even though he’d just spoken to the man who’d arranged Lena’s funeral, even though someone had left an anonymous letter in his mailbox at home. He was okay, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t brooding over both those things. His blood pressure was rising and his hands felt cold.

‘Who called you?’ Fredrika went on equally quietly, smiling at their British colleague as if to apologise for speaking Swedish.

Linda smiled back politely.

‘Later,’ Alex said.

Or not at all, depending on what Noah Johansson wanted. The conversation had been bewildering in every way. Alex didn’t have a bad word to say about the man, but that didn’t explain why he’d called Alex, talking about a missing brother. The whole thing made Alex uneasy. Something was wrong, and he wasn’t sure he ought to get dragged into whatever it might be.

He turned his attention to their guest. Linda Sullivan appeared to be a few years older than Fredrika. She wore ripped jeans, which Alex hated, and smelled of cigarette smoke.

‘Thank you for making the time to come in,’ he began.

‘No problem – I was in town anyway.’

‘You were involved in the inquiry into the murder of Beata Benke?’ Fredrika said.

‘That’s right. It was a while ago, but I hope I’ll be able to help.’

‘I’m sure you will,’ Alex said. ‘The only information we have comes from Beata’s mother. We were hoping you’d be able to supply us with a more detailed account, and confirm what we’ve already been told.’