Chapter 30
The VIP accommodation has an unimpeded view across the valley. Daniel has heard about the place, but until now he hadn’t realized the scale of the magnificent building hidden behind exclusive slate walls.
“Wow,” Hanna says, rolling her eyes. “This makes Lydia’s house look like a dog kennel.”
Daniel visited Hanna several times when she was living in her sister’s home in Sadeln. Lydia’s place outshines many houses in the area, but it can’t hold a candle to the Villa.
They walk up the stone steps and knock on the front door. There is some kind of Japanese flower arrangement outside, a collection of tall white birch twigs in a slim gray vase.
Daniel isn’t easily impressed, but he can’t help being taken aback when they walk in.
The entire ground floor is open plan, dominated by a nine-foot-high slate fireplace. Modern chandeliers are suspended above a generous dark-brown sofa and armchairs, and farther in there is a dining area with space for a dozen people.
“How can I help you?” Henry asks when they have said hello and taken off their coats.
Yesterday’s dark suit has been replaced by faded jeans and a pale cashmere polo shirt.
He seems to have been working, because a laptop is open on the exclusive dining table, with piles of papers spread out beside it.
Daniel sees the logo of something called Save the Baltic, that must be the foundation Hanna mentioned.
“We have a few more questions,” he explains.
Henry points to the wine refrigerator to one side of the kitchen, which has an industrial look; almost everything is made of glass and stainless steel. It is clearly equipped for a significant number of guests, with double ovens and dishwashers.
“Can I get you anything? There’s an excellent espresso machine, or how about a glass of wine? A Bordeaux, perhaps?”
“Thanks, but we’re on duty.”
It is an unnecessary comment; both Henry and Daniel are well aware of that fact. Daniel interprets the offer of a glass of wine as a demonstration of power, but he tries to suppress his irritation. He can’t allow the conversation to be derailed by his own prejudices.
“Shall we sit down?” Henry suggests, leading the way.
Daniel chooses the nearest sofa, at an angle from Henry. Hanna sits down beside him.
“Can you tell us more about your friend Charlotte?” she begins. “What kind of person was she?”
The financier looks around the room before he answers, his gaze settling on the panorama window with its stunning view of ?re’s snow-covered mountains in the northwest.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how well I knew her,” he replies. “Sometimes I don’t think anyone did.”
“I believe you’re godfather to her son?” Hanna points out.
Henry’s face softens. “I’m very fond of Filip.”
“Why didn’t you tell us he’s your godson?”
“You didn’t ask.”
The evasive response bothers Daniel. They don’t have time for Henry Sylvester’s Stockholm ways.
“You and Charlotte had known each other for over fifty years,” he says. “Plus you’re Filip’s godfather. Surely that means you must have had a close relationship.”
“Certainly, but at the same time, Charlotte was a complex person who kept her cards close to her chest. I don’t think many people really got close to her. She had high standards, and found it difficult to trust those around her.”
“How come?” Hanna asks.
Henry crosses his legs. The open fire is crackling away, with logs piled up decoratively on either side of the hearth.
“I guess it was a survival strategy. Women of her generation who’ve gotten involved in the venture capital industry have had an incredibly tough time.
This was long before the #MeToo debate, the jargon was brutal and ruthless.
To be honest, it was sometimes flat-out misogynistic.
The competition was fierce; it can’t have been easy to stand your ground.
Charlotte had to fight hard to be respected.
The only way to do it was to become the same as her male colleagues—or even worse. ”
“It doesn’t sound like a particularly pleasant working environment,” Hanna remarks.
“It wasn’t. Ask anyone who’s fought their way up in those companies.
On the other hand, when you do make it to the top, the world is your oyster, so to speak.
As a partner in the big venture capital companies, you earn a vast amount of money—much, much more than most people could ever dream of.
But like I said, it’s a matter of surviving until you reach that level. Many fall by the wayside.”
“So Charlotte learned to stick at nothing in order to get what she wanted? Is that what you’re saying?” Daniel asks.
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
“And how about you?” Hanna says. “Have you become like that too?”
“Touché.” Henry winks. “I’m not saying I’ve been an angel when it comes to my business dealings, but I hope I’ve gotten better with age. And maybe I’ve managed to atone for past sins to a certain extent by giving away what I don’t need.”
Daniel gives him a searching look, but Henry seems genuine. There is nothing to suggest that he is having fun at their expense.
Hanna takes a different tack. “What can you tell us about Charlotte’s relationship with Stefan Forsberg?”
“They’ve known each other for a long time. Stefan was an adviser on the Storlien project—he has a lot of useful contacts in the political world.”
There is nothing wrong with Henry’s answer, but Daniel can see that Hanna is not satisfied.
“Did they have a more intimate relationship? An affair?”
“You’re very direct,” Henry says.
“Was he her lover?”
“I couldn’t possibly say.”
He gets up and goes over to the kitchen area. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a coffee, or something else?”
Daniel shakes his head. In fact he would love a decent cup of coffee now he has the chance, but there is something about Henry’s attitude that irritates him.
He seems so convinced that he is part of the elite, a more elevated circle.
The fact that he doesn’t sound remotely humble gets under Daniel’s skin.
Henry presses a button, and the espresso machine gurgles. Then he returns to the sofa with a small silvery cup, and takes a sip before putting it down on the table.
Judging by the aroma, the beans are high quality. Daniel knows his coffee; the Italian tastebuds are part of his DNA.
“Do you really have no idea about Charlotte’s personal relationship with Forsberg?” Hanna persists.
“I would prefer not to speculate on the matter.”
They’re not going to get any further. Daniel signals to Hanna to drop the subject, and she leans back on the sofa.
Daniel moves on.
“We’d like to hear more about your involvement in the company behind the Storlien project. When we spoke before, it sounded as if you were a pretty reluctant investor, and we’re not exactly talking about small sums of money. Why did you really agree to be a partner?”
“As I said, it wasn’t easy to say no to Charlotte.”
“I find it difficult to believe that an experienced businessman like you would invest millions just because you can’t say no to a woman,” Hanna says. Her tone is challenging, and there is a flash of irritation in Henry’s eyes—but it disappears instantly.
“Sometimes we do things for . . . old times’ sake.”
“Oh, please—I don’t believe that. Did she have some kind of hold over you?”
Daniel studies Henry’s reaction. Hanna doesn’t pull her punches; she has a particular ability to find the weak point in the person she is questioning. She knows when to play nice, and when it’s worth taking a tougher approach.
However, this question is borderline. Even if Charlotte did have something over her business partner, or was exercising some kind of blackmail, there is no reason for him to admit it now. Not when Charlotte is dead.
Henry looks somewhat taken aback. “Now you’re just guessing,” he says eventually.
“Look at it this way,” Hanna explains. “If you cooperate with the police, we can eliminate you from our inquiry. If we understand why you were on board, why you invested so much money, and that there was no element of blackmail involved, then we can dismiss the theory that you had a motive for getting rid of your partner.”
“You don’t pussyfoot around, do you?” Henry gives Hanna a look that is hard to interpret, and takes another sip of his espresso. His voice hardens as he continues. “If any of my employees spoke to me like that in the office, they would be out on their ear—just so you know.”
“But we’re not in your office.”
Hanna refuses to give way, which makes Daniel a little tense. She knows from past experience that her persistence can have consequences. It has often been very useful in her work as a police officer, but sometimes it has led to catastrophic results.
Once, she almost died.
It doesn’t seem to matter. Hanna is like a terrier that sinks its teeth in and refuses to let go. Maybe there is something about her personality that appeals to Henry, because his expression softens, almost as if he recognizes himself in her.
Or as if he is charmed by her.
Daniel suddenly sees his colleague from Henry’s perspective.
Her expressive brown eyes capture the attention.
That curious gaze, which can switch between empathy and intellectual analysis in a second, is hard to resist. She has the ability to captivate those around her, and her laugh is infectious when she allows it to come out.
At the beginning of their working relationship, she rarely laughed, but over the past year, she has settled into the job. When she secured a permanent post and a place to live, it was as if her sense of security came back.
Henry puts down his cup, and the sound makes Daniel realize how long he has been lost in thought. However, Henry is fully focused on Hanna. Daniel might as well be on another planet.
“Speaking purely hypothetically,” Henry says, stroking his chin, “if we accept that Charlotte was in fact blackmailing me in order to make me go along with the project, what would the basis for that blackmail be? Do you have a theory?”
Hanna meets his gaze with a smile. In another context Daniel would have called it inviting. He doesn’t like it, but Hanna can use whatever tactics she wants. It’s none of his business as long as she gets the information that will help them move forward.
“I can think of plenty of possibilities,” she replies.
“Name one.”
“Tax evasion?”
Henry laughs. “No chance—I pay far too many conscientious accountants and lawyers to go down for tax-related offenses.”
“How about intimate relationships? For money, maybe?”
“At my age? Don’t insult me. Do I look as if I need to pay for company?”
He sounds more amused than annoyed—in fact he almost seems to be enjoying the cut and thrust. Daniel gets the feeling that something is playing out right in front of him, something he doesn’t really understand, as if he is watching a color movie being shown in black and white.
The action is clear, but the nuances are lost.
It’s frustrating; why can’t Henry Sylvester just get to the point? If he has important information to contribute, he needs to talk.
“What about mutual favors?” Hanna continues. “Did Charlotte have something you wanted, and vice versa?”
“I’m afraid not.” Henry smiles; his teeth are white and even. He leans back on the sofa, and now it’s his turn to give Hanna a challenging look, as if he wants to test her.
This irritates Daniel even more. Time is passing; they can’t sit here all evening playing stupid games.
Hanna also seems to have had enough. Daniel suspects that she is about to change tactics again.
“Then let me ask you this,” she says firmly. “Do you know of any aspect of your joint hotel project that could have led to personal danger for Charlotte? That could be linked to her death?”
Henry stops smiling.
The atmosphere in the room changes.
“This is a murder investigation,” Daniel adds to emphasize the gravity of the situation. “We need all the information we can get, and I hope you realize that.”
“I realize perfectly well that this is not a game.” Henry’s tone is ice cold.
“One of my oldest friends has been murdered, and I’m trying to take care of her son.
This will also have serious consequences for our mutual business project.
Who do you take me for?” He gets to his feet, clearly moved.
“I have to get back to work. Thank you for coming.”
Hanna seems confused by the abrupt dismissal. She turns to Daniel as if to say, What happened?
“If you know something, you must cooperate with us,” Daniel stresses.
Henry is already heading for the door to see them out.
“I’m sorry,” he says over his shoulder. “I have an important Teams meeting shortly.”
“We can’t force him to carry on,” Hanna whispers so that only Daniel can hear.
“I know.” Reluctantly he stands up. “But right now I wish we could.” He gives Henry Sylvester a long look before they leave. He can’t shake the feeling that Henry is hiding something from the police.