Chapter 58
Hanna and Olivia are sitting on the sofas in the cabin. Olivia is still wearing her toweling robe, and she grimaces when she tucks her legs beneath her.
“Are you hurt?” Hanna asks.
“I twisted my knee in the Western—I fell at the end.”
“You skied the West Ravine today? In this weather?”
“It was such a stupid idea—we should never have done it. And it was my suggestion. Well, it was William who came up with it first, because he always has to make the decisions, and then I got mad and . . .”
She breaks off. Hanna gets the impression that some kind of power struggle has been going on within the group. Olivia doesn’t seem like the kind of girl who gives in easily, but now she is the only female, along with four boys.
Filippa is gone.
The balance has shifted.
“Do you mind if I take a look?”
Olivia stretches out her leg, and Hanna gently presses the kneecap and the joint. It doesn’t look particularly swollen, so it’s probably nothing to worry about.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine in a couple of days. If I were you, I’d wrap some ice cubes in a towel and put it on your knee for fifteen minutes or so. If it still hurts tomorrow, you could go down to the medical center and ask them to check it over.”
“Thanks.” Olivia tucks her leg beneath her body again, then grabs one of the cushions and presses it to her stomach.
“When I arrived, you asked if it was Amir. What did you mean?” Hanna asks gently.
Olivia takes several deep breaths. “Sorry, it just came out.”
Her response sounds both apologetic and angry. Hanna wants to know more. She can’t ignore those words.
“But you must have said it for a reason?”
Olivia looks down, clutches the cushion with both hands.
“You can tell me anything,” Hanna adds. “You don’t need to worry about Amir.”
Olivia’s fingers dig deeper into the fabric. “The thing is . . . I think Amir did something to Filippa on Saturday. It can’t have been just an accident, the fact that she died in the snow. She would never have fallen asleep outdoors, with hardly any clothes on. It doesn’t make sense.”
Hanna gazes at the girl. She sounds convinced, but Hanna has read the transcript of the interview with Amir. What Olivia is saying doesn’t match the information he gave; he claimed he went to bed and left Filippa on the sofa.
She might as well tell Olivia about Ylva’s observations and see how she reacts.
“We’ve found out something about Filippa that affects the picture of what happened. It seems she had sex late in the evening—in the hours before she died. We’re trying to work out who with.”
Olivia’s eyes widen. “It must have been Amir! He and Filippa were making out like crazy when we were playing games on Saturday evening.”
“But he insists that she was still in the living room when he went to bed. He says he slept alone, not with Filippa.”
“In that case he’s lying.” Olivia’s expression is determined now. “Who else could it have been?”
“What about the other boys? Wasn’t Filippa interested in any of them?”
“She’d never look at Pontus. She didn’t even like him.”
“And William?”
Olivia shakes her head. “It can’t be him. We’ve had a thing going on for a while. He’d never go with Filippa. The two of them didn’t really get along—he thought she was kind of pathetic.”
“How about Emil?”
For the first time Olivia gives a faint smile. “Emil isn’t interested in girls. Haven’t you worked that out yet?”
Hanna feels kind of dumb. No, she hadn’t worked that out. But in some ways it makes matters simpler, provided that what Olivia says is true.
The young woman’s face hardens, and her eyes narrow. “It’s all Amir’s fault. If he hadn’t come with us, Filippa would still be alive.”
Hanna considers this assertion. Olivia seems utterly convinced, and there is no mistaking her antipathy toward Amir. But it’s a big step, accusing a friend of murder.
Even if Amir did have sex with Filippa, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he was involved in her death. On the other hand, he might well have been the last person to see her alive.
Or maybe Olivia is right.
Something went wrong between Amir and Filippa on Saturday night, which is why he is lying to the police. Maybe Filippa didn’t want to have sex with him, and he forced himself on her. Then he had to hide what he had done.
Suddenly Olivia seems to run out of energy. She buries her head in her hands, panting audibly.
“I can’t be here any longer,” she whispers between her fingers. “When can we go home?”
Hanna wishes she had a satisfactory answer.
In the best-case scenario the autopsy on Filippa will be completed tomorrow, which should give them the cause of death, and they will know if they are dealing with a crime.
Until then they need the group of friends to remain together, even though it can’t be easy for them to stay in the place where Filippa died.
At the same time, there is a limit to how long they can keep them in ?re. William’s father is on their case, and it won’t be long before the other parents join in. Which would play havoc with the investigation.
Irate moms and dads are the last thing they need.
“Soon,” Hanna says, against her better judgment. “You’ll all be able to go home soon.”