‘Rune? Well, what choice does he have? If Erasmus finds out about his wolf, he’s going to claim it. So I guess we’re going to have to threaten him, between the lines. It’s in his interest, too, to have Skabram turn.’

‘Where does he live?’

‘In Dorotea.’

‘Then let’s make for Dorotea.’

When I walked out onto the square…

When I walked out onto the square, I spotted Roland at one of the long tables lined up outside the beer tent. He was all alone.

‘Fancy finding you here,’ I said and sat down across from him.

‘They’ve raised a flag,’ he said and nodded to the flagpoles outside the Cultural Centre. ‘The rainbow flag.’

‘This won’t do,’ I said.

‘What?’

‘We can’t have you sitting here. Outside.’

‘I’m crashing the festival,’ he said and tilted his plastic cup of beer as if to examine the viscosity of the liquid.

‘Honestly, it feels more like the festival’s crashing us.’

He laughed and I seized the opportunity to go on the offensive.

‘I ran into Susso’s childhood friend the other day. Diana. She’s a doctor at the hospital. And I asked her to go visit Susso. Because I’m afraid to. That’s the truth.’

Roland took a small sip from his cup and then sat staring at the stage as though someone were performing on it.

‘And now I feel guilty.’

‘Why?’

‘What if something happens to her?’

‘You’re thinking about the cult leader?’

I shook my head. Then I changed my mind.

‘Well, yes, of course I am. But not just him. You know it’s not actually Susso I’m afraid of. There’s a reason why she turned out the way she did.’

I glared at him until he caught my meaning. Then he grinned at me, as much as he dared to. He had shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and was moving his sandals about restlessly under the table.

We had never made it past this point. The reluctance to take this conversation further was so intense I was breaking out in a cold sweat. My fingertips went numb and I was overcome with a powerful urge to change the subject. Just then, they turned on music: clattering rock started streaming out of the speakers and when I raised my voice to make myself heard, I somehow seemed to break through the barriers that stymied me whenever we tried to talk about the trolls.

‘You’ve seen it for yourself,’ I shouted. ‘She’s had it for ten years. And Barbro had it for twenty-five before that. Would you say that’s normal?’

‘But we don’t know if that’s true.’

He looked away with a cocksure, indifferent expression; I leaned across the table.