Chapter 49
Anton is on his way to the kitchen to get himself a coffee when he sees the email from the IT department in ?stersund. They’ve finished with Charlotte’s phone, and have sent over a list of her text messages.
He quickly scrolls through the file and immediately focuses on the exchanges between her and Bengt Hedin. Anton’s vague theory was correct—it’s almost too good to be true.
Tucking his laptop under his arm, he goes back to Raffe, who is still in the conference room.
“Look at this,” he says, bringing up the data. Incoming messages are marked in gray, her replies in blue. Above each one is the day, date, and time.
Raffe reads the first two, which begin with a text from Hedin.
Saturday, March 27 20:15 (Hedin)
We need to talk about the land purchase. The opposition is asking questions and I don’t know if it’s going to go through.
Saturday, March 27 20:17 (Charlotte)
That is not my problem, it’s yours. The press conference is on Monday and it is too late to postpone.
Raffa inhales sharply. “Wow.”
“Keep reading,” Anton says, pointing to the exchange that took place on Sunday evening, the day the murder took place.
Sunday March 28 19:32 (Hedin)
The purchase of the land will have to be postponed. I can’t make tomorrow’s press conference.
Sunday March 28 19:34 (Charlotte)
It’s too late to back out.
Sunday March 28 19:35 (Charlotte)
Everything you have accepted is documented. If you ruin this for me, I will ruin you.
Sunday March 28 19:36 (Hedin)
Are you threatening me?
Sunday March 28 19:37 (Charlotte)
You can interpret it however you like. I will see you tomorrow.
Raffe lets out a low whistle, and Anton exhales slowly. So there was nothing wrong with his instincts. He knew something wasn’t right about Hedin. If only he’d had access to the text messages before he went to the council offices—the conversation would have been very different, then.
Instead Anton’s visit has acted as a warning. Hedin knows the police are interested in him.
“What’s the land purchase they refer to?” Raffe wonders.
“I need to check—hold on.”
Anton goes back to his office to fetch the documents relating to the planning permission for Storlien. It’s a substantial pile.
He spreads everything out on the table in the conference room so they can go through them together.
Raffe sees it first. He points to the architect’s drawing of the new hotel complex.
“There. The planned building is significantly larger than the current footprint, and it’s facing in a different direction. In order to realize these plans, they needed to secure more land.”
“Do you think Charlotte’s company paid too low a price?”
“The question is how they managed to buy it at all. The council is usually pretty cautious on these matters, and in a case like this, which has led to so many protests in the area, it would be extra sensitive.”
Anton studies the drawings again. Raffe is right. They clearly show the need for more land. If their theory is correct, Charlotte Wretlind managed both to push through a remarkable land purchase and to obtain planning permission that should perhaps never have been granted.
How did she do it?
“Let’s see if there were any suspect financial transactions between Charlotte and Bengt Hedin. If she paid him any money, possibly under the table. I think that would be a lot more useful than digging around in Copperhill’s accounts.”
Raffe has already started making notes.
“The text message exchange is a strong indication that Hedin has been paid for helping Charlotte,” Anton continues. “Even if it sounds as if he wanted to pull out.”
“I agree.” Raffe looks up from the screen. “But how does that fit with the murder?”
Anton pictures various scenarios. Could it be Bengt Hedin who got into the hotel on Sunday in order to attack Charlotte? He didn’t exactly give the impression of a man with violent tendencies, although he did seem nervous during their meeting earlier today.
Could more than one person be behind the killing?
“I think he’s involved in some way,” he replies eventually. “The question is how.”