It was his fault they were early. He was the one who was afraid she would miss the bus and arrive late for her first day at work. Lina hadn’t complained, because the June morning warmed and was alive with the chorus of birds. All alone she had stood there at the bus shelter, with the sun reflected in his old aviator sunglasses she had nagged him to give her, even though they covered half her face. She had waved, possibly. Maybe even blown a kiss. She used to do that.

The young policeman had been wearing similar sunglasses. He pushed them up on to his head as he stepped into the hall and fixed his eyes on Lelle and Anette.

‘Your daughter didn’t get on the bus this morning.’

‘That can’t be right,’ Lelle said. ‘I dropped her off!’

The police officer shrugged and his pilot sunglasses slipped.

‘Your daughter wasn’t on the bus. We’ve spoken to the driver and the passengers. No one has seen her.’

They had looked at him knowingly, even then, the police officers and Anette. He could feel it. The reproach in their eyes pierced him and all his strength oozed away. After all, he was the last person to see her. He was the one who had given her the lift, the one who was responsible. They asked the same detestable questions over and over again, wanting to know the exact time he’d left her and how Lina was feeling that morning. Was she happy at home? Had they quarrelled?

In the end it got too much for him. He had grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and hurled it fiercely at one of the officers, a spineless bastard who raced out and called for backup. Lelle could still feel the cool, wooden floor against his cheek as they held him down and fastened the cuffs, still hear Anette crying as they took him away. But she hadn’t come to his defence. Not then, not now. Their only child was missing and she had no one else to blame.

Lelle started the engine and reversed the car away from the solitary bus shelter. Three years had passed since she stood there, blowing him kisses. Three years, and he was still the last person to have seen her.