‘No. It’s the day after. The month after. The year after.’

Stava nodded.

‘Splendid.’

*

The girl’s name was Moa and the boy’s Lukas and they were lying on their backs in bed, their faces illuminated by a computer screen. Anders stood in the doorway with sweat trickling down his face. The laptop was closed. When they noticed the rifle in his hands, they crawled up against the wall.

‘You’re supposed to come downstairs,’ he said. ‘And bring a pillow.’

‘What?’

‘Bring a pillow.’

They walked ahead of him, half naked. Moa hugged the pillow. When they reached the patio, they sat down and Torgny said everything was going to be all right and reached out and squeezed his daughter’s arm, and Stava studied them with an enigmatic smile.

They sat there, around the table, for a long time. No one said anything and no one moved. The person who finally broke the silence was Moa. She had discovered the crouching figure over by the geraniums.

‘Oh my God, what is that!’ she sobbed.

‘Something horrible is going to happen here tonight,’ Stava said. ‘You see, your boyfriend is planning to rob your parents and if they don’t do exactly as he says, he’s going to kill them. And you too, if you’re not careful.’

‘No, I’m not,’ Lukas objected.

‘You’re going to go into the study and empty the safe.’

The boy looked at Torgny, who nodded.

‘Do as she says,’ he said.

‘Do you know your girlfriend’s birthday?’

He was completely dazed, so she had to repeat the question, then he nodded and looked around with a stunned look on his face.

‘The code,’ Stava said, ‘is the year after, the month after, the day after. Six digits.’

‘Other way around,’ Torgny said. ‘It starts with the day.’

‘Naturally. It starts with the day. Is that clear?’

‘I think so,’ he said and looked down at his underwear. He had wet himself, and he pulled on the fabric and wiped his hand on his thigh.

‘What’s her birthday?’

‘The nineteenth. Isn’t it? Moa?’

Moa nodded.

‘So what are the first two digits?’

‘Twenty.’

‘Put anything valuable in the pillowcase. If there are binders or passports or papers in the safe, you will leave them there. The only thing you’re after is valuables. Cash and jewellery are the only things you care about. I don’t suppose you have a weapon in that safe, do you, Torgny?’

‘The stunner’s in there.’

‘The stunner?’

‘Well, I mean, it’s one of those bolt guns. With cartridges. And they’re in the safe. The gun and the cartridges.’

‘That sounds exciting. You’ll obviously take that. We’ll be here when you’re done. Can we trust you not to go looking for a phone or try to escape or some other foolishness?’

He nodded.

‘Good. Then you can go.’

‘Should I do it now?’

Stava nodded.