‘Tell me this – off the top of your head, why would someone do this to your brother and his family? It sounds so deliberate, so strange. Abducting a whole family is an extremely risky undertaking. Why would someone go to such lengths to harm Dan?’

Noah’s breathing was shallow.

‘I don’t know. I mean, I suppose the kidnapper might have been after my sister-in-law, but Dan’s a psychologist. He’s worked with criminals, and he’s certainly failed more than once.’

‘Failed?’

‘I’m not sure how to put it – that’s not my world at all. But he’s worked with deeply depressed individuals, and some of them – maybe two or three – have taken their own lives.’

A bird crashed into Alex’s window, making him jump.

Noah interpreted his silence as an invitation to keep talking.

‘He has a duty of confidentiality, of course; he says very little about his work. He was very upset last autumn though – he actually received threats.’

It was like quietly starting up an engine then allowing it to idle. Alex shuffled uncomfortably, not wanting to acknowledge what he was feeling. A spark had been ignited within him; elements of Noah’s account had captured his interest.

‘What happened last autumn?’

‘It was all over the papers. A man shot his family, then himself. He was Dan’s patient. And Dan didn’t manage to stop him.’

Chapter 13

Malin was moving through the house like an apparition. She was looking for Dan, calling his name.

‘Dan?’

She hated the way her voice seemed to echo, bouncing off the walls. There were curtains and rugs, but it didn’t make any difference. The house was like a sink hole they couldn’t possibly fill.

She remembered with horror what the children had asked in the beginning:

‘How long, Mummy? How long do we have to stay here?’

She’d answered:

‘I don’t know, but Daddy and I want to get out too.’

They’d stopped asking when they were going home. It was as if they’d capitulated, or as if something inside them had broken. They’d stopped – and started – doing so many things. Her daughter had stopped crying and started remaining silent. Her son had stopped talking about his friends and started wetting the bed at night. At her lowest moments Malin thought the decline she was witnessing was irreversible. If the children came out of this house alive (something she doubted more and more with each passing day), they would do so as damaged individuals.

‘Dan?’

She went upstairs, the carpet stifling any sound.