Chapter 62
Hanna isn’t happy with the interviews they have just conducted; Daniel recognizes the irritated look on her face.
“One of those boys is lying to us,” she says, as if she has read his mind.
“And if we’re to believe Olivia, it’s Amir.
” She breaks off to adjust her seatbelt, which is twisted over her chest. “Most of what we’ve heard suggests that he was the one who had sex with Filippa.
If we can just get him to admit it, then maybe we can crack the big question—why she died a few hours later. ”
“He wasn’t particularly cooperative,” Daniel agrees.
There was definitely something truculent about Amir.
He was on his guard the whole time. However, Daniel isn’t prepared to focus on one person right now.
“If we assume that Emil is gay, then we’re looking at Amir, William, or Pontus. It could be any of them.”
“We should start by pushing Amir harder,” Hanna says.
Daniel can see the trees along the road already bending in the wind; there is a strong possibility of a storm blowing in overnight.
“Let’s leave it until tomorrow. We can’t simply rely on Olivia’s perceptions. Meanwhile we need to check with the houses nearby, see if anyone else was up during the night, like Karin Carlsson. If we’re lucky, other people might have seen something.”
“We’ll send a patrol up there as soon as possible,” Hanna agrees. “If there’s anyone available who isn’t taking care of students who’ve had too much to drink.”
Daniel gives a wry smile. Yesterday there was a drunken brawl in one of the houses on the square, where lots of student groups often stay. Several young people found themselves sobering up in the cells; the neighbors had complained about the noise.
The exit for Solbringen appears on the right. Daniel turns off and continues up the hill.
“Thanks for the ride,” Hanna says when he stops outside her little house. “Time for me to collect Morris.”
“Give him a cuddle from me,” Daniel says, raising his hand to say goodbye. “See you tomorrow.”
He has met Hanna’s big, fluffy cat on a number of occasions, and every single time he has left with a considerable amount of cat hair attached to his clothes.
Morris makes a point of greeting every visitor by jumping on their lap.
He is a sociable cat who loves close contact.
He is also convinced that Hanna lives in his house, rather than the reverse.
Daniel watches her as she unlocks the front door. He would love to go in with her. After today he wouldn’t have minded sitting down at her kitchen table with a beer, talking through the various witness statements in peace and quiet to get some perspective.
Maybe let Morris have a little sleep on his knee.
Instead he has to hurry over to Ida’s place; she is bound to be in a bad mood. Daniel had promised to collect Alice an hour ago, and he knows exactly what Ida will say as soon as he shows up.
His ability to become absorbed in an investigation, to put his work before his personal life, has always been a bone of contention between them. Ida hated it when they were together. He kept promising that things would change, but they never did.
With one final, wistful look at Hanna’s kitchen window, he puts the car into gear and drives away.