They’re around her now, the police officer with handcuffs and two more. It’s so fast, so surreal, Klara can’t even take in the details, can barely distinguish them. She hears Gabriella shout again and sees the police change their tactics; they no longer appear as individuals, just fast and violent movements. They scream: ‘Get down! Don’t move!’

They grab hold of Gabriella, two of them at least, forcing her down onto her knees and then pushing her entire body onto the sidewalk. Onto her stomach with her face to the street. They sit on top of her, pressing her to the ground.

Klara opens her mouth, takes another step towards the barricade, feels her whole body pulsing, shaking with doubt and adrenaline.

‘I’m not gonna tell you again: go back to your car!’ The officer in front of her is screaming now. He’s in her face, and she stops. She looks at him with her eyes wide, then takes a step back, then another, holding up her hands.

‘What…’ she begins. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I’ll arrest you if you don’t get in your car immediately!’ the officer says.

He’s young, Klara notes as she stumbles backwards. Probably no older than twenty-five. Her hands tremble. What does that matter? She can feel the car door against her back, see one police officer sitting on Gabriella and forcing her arms behind her back to handcuff them. She hears Gabriella shout and scream, hears her upset and confused voice.

‘That’s my friend!’ Klara screams at the police officer, forcing her eyes away. ‘What are you doing to her?’

The officer doesn’t say anything, just stares at her with those dark, nervous eyes.

‘She’s a fucking lawyer!’ Klara continues. ‘You can’t just do whatever the fuck you want, do you understand? There are rules and laws and…’

The policeman’s fingers move to the handcuffs hanging from his belt. It’s clear he won’t tolerate much more from her, and she reconsiders, holds up her hands again and backs around the car door.

Behind the barricades, the policemen are lifting Gabriella to her feet and putting her into a waiting black van. It slowly rolls away down Skeppsbron.

Klara sits down in the car, her head pounding, the whole world vibrating around her.

What the hell is going on? She dropped off Gabriella ten minutes ago, and now she’s been arrested at her own office?

Behind the barricades, the police have started to relax and take off their helmets, a police car is slowly rolling away in the same direction as the van, towards Slussen. Another van rolls out from one of the side streets and stops in front of the entrance to the law firm. Two people in white overalls jump out. They wait on the street outside the door, chatting with the police.