Chapter 122
Lake ?re shimmers in the moonlight as Daniel drives toward Solbringen, where Hanna lives.
There is no one else on the road, it is almost midnight, and a myriad of distant stars sparkle in the dark sky.
Hanna is sitting beside him, curled up and in a world of her own.
Her forehead is resting on the side window; she has hardly said a word since they left the police station.
After the resolution of the hostage drama, everyone gathered for a debrief.
It is an established rule: No one is allowed to go home after an incident like this without talking it through first.
Filip has been taken to the hospital in ?stersund, and all suspicions against Paul Lehto have been dismissed.
Bengt Hedin, however, is still missing—he has a lot of explaining to do, but that can wait.
Right now Daniel is enormously relieved that the murderer was arrested without anyone else being hurt.
He glances at Hanna—her eyes are closed. She didn’t say much during the debrief. It is clear that the long hours of negotiation have taken their toll.
He turns into her street.
“Would you like me to come in?” he asks when he pulls up outside her house.
She gives him a wan smile.
“It’s okay. It’s probably best if you go home to your family. It’s late.”
Daniel feels a sudden pang in his chest.
His family.
Ida and Alice are waiting for him.
That is where he belongs.
But Hanna looks so small in the passenger seat. He doesn’t want her to be alone after what she has been through. Her input today was huge—she saved not one but two lives. It’s hardly surprising that she is completely drained; she gave so much of herself that there is nothing left.
“What you did today . . .” He places a hand on her arm. “It was incredible.”
If he could, he would hold her close and never let her go.
“Thanks.”
She sounds utterly exhausted.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in for a little while? We could have a cup of tea and talk.”
He doesn’t want to be parted from her, every minute together suddenly feels precious.
Hanna shakes her head. “I’ll be fine. And I’ve got Morris.”
“Morris?”
“My new cat.” She is about to explain, then changes her mind. “I’ll tell you about him some other time.” She gets out of the car. “Thanks for tonight.”
Just before she goes into the house, Daniel glimpses a gray-and-white cat in the doorway. She picks the animal up before disappearing from view.
He really wants to jump out of the car and go after her. Spend the night talking, promising Hanna that nothing bad will ever happen to her again.
He has never been so scared as when she went into the hotel.
The world stopped turning, time stood still.
What would he do if she didn’t exist?