It was in the middle of the summer that would be the longest of all that the first grisly murder was committed. It began on a Saturday, a day that could have passed like any other but was destined to be one that radically changed the lives of a number of people. Henry Lindgren was one of those people, but he didn’t know that.

It was 8.45 in the evening when Henry left his apartment to go and buy a newspaper, one of those with plenty of crosswords in it. There was nothing worth watching on TV, and he always slept well if he completed a crossword before switching off his bedside light. If he’d known what that brief excursion would cost him, he would have stayed home.

It was raining and a little chilly, so Henry put on the autumn jacket he’d been wearing for almost a year thanks to a mild winter, a cold spring and a cool early summer. He also picked up his umbrella. He was heading for the newsagent’s on the corner, and wouldn’t have to go far in the bad weather. Which was just as well – the wind tore at his umbrella as soon as he stepped outside, and his trouser legs were soon soaked through. A bell tinkled as he pushed open the door of the shop.

‘What a summer,’ said Amir, the owner.

‘Could be worse,’ Henry replied. He liked the fact that the summer brought both sun and rain. He paid for his paper and left.

The shadow came from nowhere. Not particularly large or tall, but very clearly in his way. Henry stopped and tried to make out who was blocking the path.

‘I need help with my dog,’ the man said.

Henry looked around. There was no sign of any dog.

‘Oh?’

The man took a step closer.

‘My dog,’ he repeated. ‘It’s not well. Can you help me carry it up the escalator?’

That should probably have rung a warning bell in Henry’s brain, but it didn’t. He assumed the man was on drugs and was hallucinating about both the dog and the escalator.

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do,’ he said, trying to get past.

He hurried back to his apartment block and keyed in the four-digit code. He shook his umbrella and closed it. Too late he discovered that the man had followed him into the building. The outside door clicked shut behind both of them.

Damn. This wasn’t good, but Henry Lindgren kept his composure. It was important not to panic, he’d read that so many times. Never panic when faced with an unpredictable individual.