And Peder was still curious about Rebecca’s supervisor, Gustav Sjöö.
Alex had decided that Nilsson was definitely to be brought in for questioning. They needed to talk to him about the child, and about the assertion that he was the one who had started the rumours about Rebecca selling sex.
Peder parked outside the firm where Håkan worked, then went inside with one of his colleagues while the other remained outside, keeping an eye on the door. Brightly coloured signs directed them to Reception on the second floor. Peder and his colleague took the stairs two at a time, strong and agile after many hours in the gym and out running. Black shoes, blue jeans. To the trained eye it wasn’t difficult to see that they were police officers.
However, the receptionist failed to spot it.
‘How may I help you?’ she asked in a friendly tone of voice.
Peder and his colleague showed their ID and quietly explained why they were there. The receptionist went pale and directed them to Håkan’s desk in the open-plan office. He was sitting with his back to them wearing headphones, and was busy writing a report, his eyes glued to the screen. He didn’t hear them approaching from behind.
Håkan gave a start when Peder placed a hand on his shoulder.
‘Could you come with us, please? We’d like to talk to you again.’
The interview room was too small – at least that was how it felt. Peder called Ylva before he went in.
‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Has something happened?’
The anxiety in her voice was testament to how rarely Peder contacted her during working hours.
‘No, no, I just wanted to ring and say hello. Hear your voice.’
He could sense her smile on the other end of the line.
‘That’s sweet!’
Don’t underestimate the simple things, the gestures that cost nothing.
The therapist Peder had been seeing the previous year had told him that.
‘It’s the little things that go to build up the whole, and that’s what will save you when you have to work late or over the weekend.’
In the end, Peder had started listening to the therapist, realising where he had gone wrong.
‘I can’t become a completely different person,’ he had said.
‘Nobody wants you to do that. However, you can improve on the things that you’re screwing up at the moment. Like your close relationships, for example.’
Peder’s stomach hurt as he recalled the time when he had lived apart from Ylva, and had found it difficult to fill his days. But he had made a real effort, and they were back on track; they had started to rediscover a balance in their lives.
‘By the way, Jimmy rang,’ Ylva said. ‘He wants to come over at the weekend; I said that was fine.’
Jimmy was Peder’s brother; because of a childhood accident, he would never be an independent adult. Sometimes, Peder felt that he actually envied some aspects of his brother’s life. The ability to be totally carefree that epitomised Jimmy’s approach could make anyone consider what was important in life. Jimmy’s world was limited to the assisted living complex, and it suited him perfectly. Peder knew for certain that in Jimmy’s world there were no young women who had been chopped in half with a chainsaw. He ended the conversation with Ylva and went into the interview room with Alex.
Håkan Nilsson was waiting with a legal representative who had been brought in on his behalf. His expression was nervous; he looked tired. It was obvious that he had slept badly for several nights in succession. His hands twitched like the wings of a wounded bird, sometimes resting on the table, sometimes in his lap. Sometimes he sat there picking at his face.
Alex took the lead, outlining the specific issues which led the police to suspect him.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Håkan. ‘I mean, I’ve been in here several times. I’ve always co-operated fully. Why would I do that if I was the one who killed her?’
‘That’s exactly what we’re wondering,’ Alex replied. ‘And that’s what I’d like to clarify right now. Perhaps the whole thing is a misunderstanding, in which case it would be good to get it all sorted out.’
Alex’s expression didn’t change as he spoke; he was implacable and utterly focused.
You’re not leaving here until you’ve told us the truth, Håkan.
‘Tell us about the child,’ said Peder.
‘What child?’
‘The child you and Rebecca were expecting. Were you happy?’
‘I’ve already told you, I didn’t know she was pregnant! And if she was, it definitely wasn’t mine.’
Initially, he sounded very sure of himself, then suddenly the doubt crept in.
‘Was it mine?’
‘The child was yours, Håkan. When did she tell you she was pregnant?’
Håkan began to cry.
‘Would you like some water?’
Peder poured a glass of water from the jug on the table and pushed it across to Håkan. Waited. They had plenty of time, which was essential if they were to get a result. Most criminals could cope with a short interrogation, but the longer it went on, the more uncertain they became, and sooner or later they would make a mistake.
‘Why are you crying?’
Alex’s tone was matter-of-fact without being cold.
When Håkan didn’t reply, Peder spoke:
‘Do you miss her?’
Håkan nodded.
‘I always believed she’d come back.’
Not if you strangled her and hid her in the forest, Håkan.
He snivelled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
‘How come?’
‘It just didn’t seem possible that she could be gone forever, that she would never come back. I didn’t think that could happen. Not really.’
The tears had turned Håkan into a child. A little boy, talking as if he had the same grasp of reality as a nine-year-old.
‘Oh, come on, Håkan,’ Alex said. ‘She’d been gone for two years. Where did you think she’d gone?’
‘She might have gone away.’
He dried his tears, took a sip of the water.
‘Where to?’
‘France.’
Had that been the issue all along? The trip to France that Håkan had never been able to forgive her for?
‘Did she say anything about taking off like that?’
‘No, but you never know.’
Alex straightened up and looked deep into Håkan’s eyes.
‘Yes, you do,’ he said. ‘There are certain things that you do know.’
Håkan swallowed. Drank some more water.
‘Now tell us about the child.’
‘I didn’t know anything about the child!’
His voice grew louder in the little room.
‘She didn’t tell me she was pregnant! She never mentioned it!’
A lie has many faces, both Alex and Peder knew that. But it was impossible to work out what secrets Håkan was hiding.
‘Tell us about the time you slept together.’
Håkan blushed.
‘Like I said before, it wasn’t planned. I think she’d been seeing someone else, and she was upset because he’d dumped her. She came round to mine one evening and I opened a bottle of wine. Then we started on some vodka that I’d bought in Finland. And… it just happened.’
‘How did you feel afterwards?’
Håkan’s eyes shone as if he had a temperature.
‘I felt as if we were much closer.’
‘Did Rebecca feel the same?’ Peder asked.
‘I think so.’
‘Did she actually say it?’
‘No, but I could tell just by looking at her. She tried to play it down afterwards, but I knew what was really going on. She thought it was too early to have found the right person before she had even turned twenty-five.’
All at once, Håkan looked much more confident.
‘That was what I liked about her, the fact that she was clever. And mature. Not like other girls who mess around.’