Svend kept reading, and Anette ate a spoonful of cereal. It expanded in her mouth into a pasty mass that was hard to swallow. Maybe he was just tired. She really couldn’t blame him. Tomorrow morning it would have to be her turn to get up with Gudrun.

“We should take that weekend in Paris, shouldn’t we? We’ve been talking about it for ages. Once I’m done with this case? Just you and me and a bottle of red wine in the hotel bed? Your parents would be happy to watch Gudrun.”

Svend made a smiling, humming sort of sound but didn’t look up.

Anette set down her spoon and watched her reading husband with a growing sense of worry.

“He still hasn’t been found, the missing boy.”

That made him lower his newspaper. “That’s terrible! Those poor parents. How long has he been missing now?”

“Since Friday afternoon, so three full days and a night. I was out looking for him myself yesterday. At Trekroner Sea Fortress. With the fort caretaker out there.” Anette bit her tongue. What kind of sick need made her tell Svend about the man who was haunting her nighttime fantasies?

“Trekroner Sea Fortress? That would be a stupid place to hide. Way too many people go there. If you really wanted to hide in Copenhagen Harbor you’d choose someplace else like Fort Middelgrund or Prøvestenen.” Svend buried his nose in the paper again.

“Prøvestenen? What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s another one of the old sea fortresses, just not so well known. It’s on Petroleum Island, surrounded by heavy industry. You know, back behind the ARC incineration plant. Unless you work there the only way to get to it is by boat.”

He yawned and went back to his reading.

Anette gave up on her cereal, cleaned up after both herself and Gudrun, and got out the DUPLO blocks for her daughter.

“I have to run to work now. Will you be a good girl for Daddy?” She kissed her toddler’s peach-fuzz cheek and turned to Svend to say goodbye. He still sat, engrossed in his article, and let her hug him without much response.

“I’m slipping off to work, honey. Gudrun is in the living room, I’ll keep the door open so you can keep an eye on her. I’m meeting Kørner at Vesterbro in half an hour. I’ll text you if I can’t make it home for dinner. Have a good day, you two!”

The kiss Anette blew from the doorway still hung in the air as she got into the car. Svend was tired. That was probably all that it was. Her guilty conscience over the unwanted thoughts was probably playing tricks on her.