Chapter 108
Daniel has never seen Hanna so focused.
They have brought in the motor home that is often used as a mobile police station; today it is operating as the command center.
Hanna is sitting at the far end so that she can continue talking to Mogren in peace and quiet.
She is linked to a group that allows others to listen in, which means that Daniel is able to participate, but Mogren won’t hear any comments he might make.
The conversation between Hanna and the killer is volatile to say the least. One minute he is yelling at her; the next he is weeping with fury. It is as if he has no filter; he is so wound up that he can barely express himself coherently.
Daniel finds what Mogren is saying deeply unpleasant. The way he rationalizes what he has done.
A sane person doesn’t say that kind of thing.
How is Hanna going to get to a point where it is possible to reason with him, when he is so hysterical and unpredictable? Daniel has no idea.
But Hanna keeps her composure. She asks brief questions and listens to the responses, with measured pauses.
She acknowledges whatever Mogren says with a well-judged reply or comment.
Daniel notices how skillfully she uses Mogren’s own words; instead of simply saying that she understands or agrees, she repeats what he has just said.
This is a way of providing affirmation, while at the same time building trust between them.
Daniel would never be able to do this. He is far too quick to judge; he doesn’t have the patience necessary to assure a violent killer that everything is going to be all right.
Not when he knows what the man has done.
The SWAT team has just arrived from ?stersund.
If it weren’t for Filip, Daniel would give the order to storm the building.
Their black bus is parked by the general muster point.
A sniper in a snowsuit is in position in case it becomes possible to take a shot at Mogren, while the rest of the team are covering what is known as the “white side”—the main entrance.
The remaining facades have also been given color-coded designations to avoid any confusion over which section of the hotel they are talking about.
In his earbuds Daniel hears Hanna mention Filip’s name.
“How’s Filip?” she ventures. “How’s he doing?”
Silence. Daniel breaks out in a sweat as they wait for an answer. Has Hanna gone too far? Was it too soon to ask the question?
Timing is key, saying the right thing at the right time. Otherwise the fragile relationship she has worked so hard to achieve could come crashing down. Daniel tries to make eye contact with her, but she is concentrating so hard that she doesn’t even notice.
“I don’t want to talk about Filip.”
“It sounds as if you’re very angry with him,” Hanna says.
“Too fucking right.”
She ignores his aggressive tone. “Can you tell me more about that? What has he done to you?”
Mogren’s breathing is ragged and shallow.
“You know perfectly well what his grandfather did to my mother!” he bellows. “I don’t want that rapist’s genes passed on!”
“Tell me what’s upsetting you so much.”
Mogren talks about blood vengeance going back through the generations.
He is insane.
If Daniel were on the other end of the phone, he would be telling Mogren what a sick bastard he is, having ruthlessly murdered two innocent women. Or he might sarcastically point out that Mogren carries the same DNA profile as his first victim.
“I can’t bear the thought of him getting away with it,” Mogren says more quietly.
He is talking about his father, Curt Wretlind, as if he were still alive.
As far as Daniel is concerned, this is yet another sign of his distorted perspective, but he can’t help feeling contempt when the man refuses to accept responsibility for his actions. There has to be a limit on the extent to which you can blame your own misfortune on your parents.
The last year’s therapy sessions have made Daniel realize that.
There is no such thing as original sin.
In the middle of this tragedy, he feels a fresh insight begin to form.
Each person creates their own life.
In the end we always have a choice.
“I understand how you might feel that way, but Curt has been dead for many years,” Hanna says gently.
“Someone has to pay for what he did! None of this is my fault.”
Once again Daniel feels sheer contempt, but Hanna’s tone is sympathetic.
“It’s perfectly natural for you to be so angry, given what happened. But have you thought about where you are directing your anger?”
Mogren continues to spew out fury and hatred.
Daniel checks the time; it is almost four o’clock. They still have no confirmation that Filip is alive.
He scribbles How’s Filip? on a Post-it and pushes it across to Hanna. There is already a pile of notes with different questions in front of her. It’s Daniel’s way of helping without speaking—he doesn’t want to distract her.
She takes it without reacting, and Daniel is so proud of her. She is so strong; she is managing to sound both empathetic and engaged without asserting her authority.
Other negotiators are on the way, but there has been a delay. Colleagues from Sundsvall have had to be brought in because some staff in ?stersund are on Easter leave.
“Are you near Filip? How is he doing?”
“He’s upstairs.”
“Where?”
“In the bar. I can’t stand looking at him.”
Daniel leans forward. It definitely sounds as if Filip is alive.
“Of course. In that case it’s probably wise not to be in the same place.” Hanna’s voice carries just the right amount of sympathy. “Young men can be hard work sometimes. And he’s only twenty-three, much younger than you. In fact you’re old enough to be his dad.”
She keeps chatting, sneaking in references to Filip from time to time.
Daniel knows what she is doing. She is trying to get Mogren to regard Charlotte’s son as flesh and blood. A real person, not a symbol of old injustices.
This will increase the chances of persuading him not to harm Filip.
“I’ve got an idea,” Hanna says a few minutes later. “If you find it too difficult to speak to Filip, maybe I could do it instead?”
Daniel notices that her knee is jiggling up and down, even though her tone remains calm and steady.
“Not now,” Mogren says unexpectedly. “My battery is about to die.”
Hanna gives Daniel an agonized look. They have to keep the conversation going, or there is no hope.
“What do we do?” she whispers.
“Burner phone,” he whispers back.
They can send in a new phone to keep the lines of communication open.
“Okay, this is what we’re going to do,” she says, without a trace of anxiety in her voice. “If you just wait a little while, we’ll get you another phone.”
Mogren says nothing. There is a scraping noise in the background.
“Tell him where we’re going to put it,” Daniel whispers.
“How about if we open the door to the left of the main entrance, and leave a box containing a new phone? Then you can call me when you’ve got it. How does that sound?”
There is no response for some time. Hanna’s shoulders are hunched. Daniel can hardly breathe.
Eventually Mogren grunts.
“If you’re lying to me, then it’s Filip who will pay.”
“I promise we’re not going to try anything,” Hanna assures him quickly.
And then, before he can reply, the connection is broken.