Chapter 88
Anton turns into Nedre Svedjev?gen so fast that the car almost skids and ends up in the ditch. With a silent curse he slows down and manages to stay on the road.
He is still upset following the conversation with his mother; he is so tired of being the one who always has to explain himself and apologize.
He has sent yet another text message to Carl, asking—almost begging—to meet up with him this evening.
But now he must focus on the job. He will soon be level with the Lowengrens’ house, but that’s not where he’s heading this time.
Anton has another idea.
There have been no reports of Pontus, even though every cab firm and bus company has been contacted and given his description.
And he can hardly have sneaked on board a train, but the station is under close surveillance.
However, bearing in mind how cold and windy it was overnight, Anton wonders whether Pontus would have strayed very far from the house.
He has no car, no other form of transport.
His skis were still in the storage rack—they checked.
Maybe he’s still somewhere nearby?
If Anton’s theory is correct, then Pontus acted in a panic. Nothing of which he stands accused seems to have been premeditated; everything seems to have happened spontaneously rather than as the result of a carefully thought-out plan.
So if Pontus disappeared in the middle of the night, then maybe he didn’t get very far. It’s possible that he’s hiding somewhere, scared and desperate, not knowing where to go.
Anton would love to be the one who finds him.
He parks the Toyota by the side of the road and gets out. It is still breezy this high up, but the wind has dropped considerably over the past few hours. It is still very cold, though, probably around minus fifteen or sixteen degrees.
Which is another reason for suspecting that Pontus hasn’t left the area, especially if he was on foot.
When Anton looks around, he sees several empty driveways in front of houses where there is no sign of life. January is low season, and most students prefer to rent accommodation down in the village, within walking distance of bars and restaurants.
Admittedly officers were sent out this morning to conduct door-to-door inquiries, but Anton wonders about the properties where no one is home?
It can’t hurt to check them out.
The snow on the road has been churned up by passing cars, but it doesn’t look as if the snowplow has gotten here yet.
Which is exactly what he was hoping for, because that means the snow on the driveways of the empty houses is untouched. Therefore, it will be possible to see footprints left by anyone who shouldn’t be there.
Like Pontus, if he tried to get inside somewhere.