‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. You haven’t done anything wrong.’

He brushed the breadcrumbs from his shirt and stood up. That made her afraid. Afraid to be alone, afraid of what people might say and what would happen now. Perhaps Hassan noticed, because he put his head on one side and looked worried.

‘Do you want me to get your mother?’

Meja bit her lip so hard it hurt.

‘No. But maybe give Lennart a call?’

They had exhumed her remains from the clearing, but occasionally he went there, in the summertime. Svartliden was like an abandoned fort now, in the middle of the ancient forest. Fallen branches and pine needles covered the ground and graffiti spread like ugly sores over the rotting walls. The animals had been auctioned off to farmers in the neighbouring villages and a sour smell of forgotten hay rose over the empty stalls. Lelle smoked cigarette after cigarette and left the ash where it fell.

Meja was living with him now. They drove along the Silver Road with the windows down and let the scent of the forest fill the space between them, while Lelle pointed out the places where he had searched. They stopped at lay-bys only for a breather, and when the rain pattered on the roof she switched off the radio. She didn’t like it when there was too much noise.

Silje phoned on Sundays. She had a room in an institution by a lake, where she could paint as much as she wanted. She was done with self-medication and was getting proper help. She would learn to look after herself, without a man and without Meja. That was what she had said and Lelle could see her daughter’s shoulders relax with relief now that she no longer had to bear the responsibility.

Lina had been strangled to death. Göran denied it, but his mother and brothers had been witnesses. He had strangled her and left her in the bunker to rot. When Birger found out he insisted on a burial. But no one said anything about raising the alarm.

Lelle and Meja didn’t talk much about Svartliden or the Brandt family. Göran and Anita were waiting for their trials. Meja had received a few letters from Carl-Johan that she hadn’t answered. He had been sent to stay with a family far away in Skåne. The prosecutor had decided not to charge him or the other brother. Their upbringing was considered mitigating circumstances, which gave the evening press a field day. Lelle avoided mentioning him, because that made Meja withdraw. She found it hard to forgive herself for voluntarily going to stay with a family that had blood on its hands, as she put it. And she hated herself for not having picked up on anything. She imagined she could have rescued Hanna earlier if she hadn’t been so naive.