Anna threw herself forward at Lucas to protect Emma. But before she reached him she watched in terror as Lucas slammed the little child’s body against the wall. Anna heard a terrible crunching noise and knew that her life had now been irretrievably changed. Lucas’s eyes were covered by a shiny film. He seemed almost uncomprehending as he looked at the child in his hands before he carefully and tenderly set her down on the floor. Then he lifted her up in his arms again, like a little baby this time, and looked at Anna with shining, robot-like eyes.

‘She has to go to the hospital. She fell down the stairs and hurt herself. We have to explain that to them. She fell down the stairs.’

He was talking incoherently and heading for the front door without looking to see if Anna was coming along. She was in a state of shock and vaguely followed after him. She seemed to be moving in a dream, but she could wake up from it at any moment.

Lucas kept repeating, ‘She fell down the stairs. They have to believe us, as long as we tell the same story, Anna. Because we’re going to tell the same story, Anna. She fell down the stairs, didn’t she?’

Lucas rambled on, but all Anna could do was nod. She wanted to tear Emma, who was now crying hysterically in pain and confusion, out of Lucas’s arms, but she didn’t dare. At the last second, when they were already in the stairwell, she awoke from her haze and remembered that Adrian was still back in the flat. She hurried inside to get him and rocked him protectively in her arms the whole way to the emergency room, as the knot in her stomach kept growing bigger and bigger.

‘Will you come over and have lunch with me?’

‘Sure, gladly. When should I come?’

‘I can have something ready in an hour or so. Will that work for you?’

‘Yes, that’ll be perfect. Then I’ll have time to clean up a bit. See you in an hour.’ There was a little pause, and then Patrik said hesitantly, ‘Kisses, bye.’

Erica felt herself blush slightly from happiness at this first little but significant endearment used in their relationship. She replied with the same phrase and they hung up.

As she prepared lunch she was a little ashamed at what she had planned. At the same time she felt that she could do nothing else. When the doorbell rang an hour later she took a deep breath and went to open the door. It was Patrik, and he got a passionate reception, which Erica had to interrupt when the egg-timer rang as a signal that the spaghetti was done.

‘What’s for lunch?’ Patrik patted his stomach to show his appetite.

‘Spaghetti bolognese.’

‘Mmmmm, sounds great. You’re every man’s dream woman, did you know that?’

Patrik sneaked up behind Erica, put his arms round her and began nuzzling her neck.

‘You’re sexy, intelligent, fantastic in bed, but above all, most important of all, you’re talented in the kitchen. What more could a man want…?’

The doorbell rang. Patrik gave Erica a questioning look. She avoided his eyes and went to open the door, first wiping her hands on the kitchen towel. Outside stood Dan. He looked harried and the worse for wear. His whole body drooped and his eyes looked dead. Erica was shocked when she saw him but pulled herself together and tried not to show it.

When Dan came into the kitchen, Patrik gave Erica an inquisitive look. She cleared her throat and introduced them to each other.

‘Patrik Hedström-Dan Karlsson. Dan has something he wants to tell you. But let’s sit down first.’

She carried the pot of meat sauce into the dining room. They all sat down to eat but the mood was oppressive. Erica felt heavy-hearted about the situation but knew it was necessary. She had rung Dan that morning and convinced him that he had to tell the police about his relationship with Alex. And she had proposed that he do it at her house, which might make a tough task a bit easier, she hoped.

She ignored Patrik’s puzzled look and started things off.

‘Patrik, Dan is here today because he has something to tell you, in your capacity as a policeman.’

She nodded to Dan, inviting him to begin. Dan was looking down at his plate, and he hadn’t touched his food. After another moment of embarrassed silence, he began to speak.

‘I’m the man Alex was seeing. I’m the father of the child she was expecting.’

There was a clatter as Patrik dropped his fork onto his plate. Erica put her hand on his arm and explained, ‘Dan is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Patrik. I found out that Dan was the man Alex had been seeing here in Fjällbacka. I invited both of you to lunch because I thought it would be easier to talk about it in these surroundings rather than at the police station.’

She could see that Patrik did not appreciate that she had meddled like this, but she would have to deal with that later, Dan was a good friend, and she intended to do everything she could so that the situation didn’t get even worse. When she spoke with him on the phone he had told her that Pernilla had taken the kids and gone to her sister’s in Munkedal. She needed time to think, she’d said. She didn’t know what was going to happen, and she couldn’t promise anything. Dan saw his whole life falling apart around him. In a way it would be a relief to tell the police. The past few weeks had been so difficult. At the same time he’d been forced to grieve for Alex in secret, he had jumped each time the telephone rang or there was a knock on the door, convinced that the police had figured out that he was the man Alex had been meeting. Now that Pernilla knew, Dan was no longer afraid to tell the police. Nothing could be any worse than it already was. He didn’t care what happened to him, just so he didn’t lose his family.

‘Dan has nothing to do with the murder, Patrik. He’ll tell you everything you want to know about himself and Alex, but he swears that he never hurt her in any way, and I believe him. I hope that the police can try to keep this confidential. You know how people talk, and Dan’s family has already suffered enough. Dan too, for that matter. He made a mistake and believe me, he’s paying a very high price for it.’

Patrik still didn’t look particularly pleased, but nodded as a sign that he was listening to what she had to say.

‘I’d like to talk with Dan alone, Erica.’

She didn’t object but got up politely and went out to the kitchen to wash up. From the kitchen she could hear their voices rising and falling. Dan’s dark, deep voice and Patrik’s somewhat lighter one. The discussion occasionally sounded heated, but when they came out to the kitchen after almost half an hour, Dan looked relieved. Patrik still looked stern. Before he left, Dan gave Erica a hug and shook Patrik’s hand.

‘I’ll let you know if we have any more questions,’ said Patrik. ‘You might have to come in and give a written statement as well.’

Dan only nodded mutely and left after a final wave to them both.

The look in Patrik’s eyes did not bode well.

‘Don’t ever, ever do that again, Erica. We’re investigating a murder and we have to do everything the proper way.’

He scrunched up his forehead when he was angry, and she had to check an impulse to kiss away the wrinkles.

‘I know, Patrik. But you had the child’s father high up on the list of suspects. I knew that if Dan came into the station you’d put him in an interrogation room and probably start getting tough with him. Dan wouldn’t be able to stand that right now. His wife has taken the kids and left him, and he doesn’t know if they’re ever coming back. In addition to that, he’s lost someone who meant something to him, no matter how you may look at it. He lost Alex. And he hasn’t been able to show his grief to anyone or talk to anyone about it. That’s why I thought that we could start by talking here, in a neutral environment and without any other police involved. I understand that you have to interrogate him some more, but now the worst is over. Please forgive me for deceiving you, Patrik. Do you think you can ever forgive me?’