‘We have to go back!’

‘I’m not going back.’

I braced for an outburst, but it didn’t occur to me she might threaten him. I heard her fiddling with the rifle, then I saw the black barrel out of the corner of my eye, gliding into my field of vision.

‘Turn the car around.’

Roland slowed down and pulled over. He said nothing, just sat here. After a while, he turned off the engine.

‘You can’t stop here,’ Diana said. ‘There were people at the cabin. If you stop here, they’ll find us.’

‘Can’t you see,’ I said, ‘that he’s a monster?’

‘Turn around.’

‘No, Susso. We won’t. We’re not going back.’

‘I’ll shoot you. I swear. I’ll shoot you.’

Now the little girl burst out crying.

‘That you would go so far as to shoot Roland only proves I’m right. He’s a monster. And I don’t want monsters in my car. Nor in my flat.’

Susso opened the door. But she couldn’t climb out. Because Diana had grabbed the rifle.

‘No, Susso. Stay here. Stay here with us.’

‘Do you know what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there when they came? You don’t want to know. We wouldn’t be here if not for him.’

‘No, we wouldn’t,’ Diana said. ‘Because we would have been home. And you would have still lived in Kiruna and none of this would’ve happened. It’s his fault we’re here.’

‘You don’t get it.’

‘That Kiruna is terrified and crying. I get that.’

‘You don’t get anything.’

‘Can you see that she’s crying?’

‘He,’ I said and turned around, ‘is the root of all evil.’

‘You know what? I feel sorry for you.’

‘You shouldn’t feel sorry for us. We feel sorry for you. And I know it was my fault. I haven’t been strong enough. But I’m trying to be now. So I’m not giving in.’

‘He saved my life. And your life too.’

‘I know he saved your life. He saved your life only to destroy it. He’s destroying you, Susso. You’re not yourself. We don’t recognise you. None of us recognises you.’

‘You think it’s going to stop?’ She turned to Diana. ‘You think it will? If you do, you’re sorely mistaken. They will never stop. Not until they get what they want. And I’m not who they’re after. It’s someone else in this car. Why don’t you tell them what they said they were going to do to her? Or should I?’

We said nothing because she clearly had a point.

‘The only one who can protect her is him. Don’t you see that? Diana, don’t you see that?’

‘Yes,’ Diana said.

‘The police are powerless. And the only thing we can do is hide.’