When he came outside, Patrik hurried over to the couple. They were standing next to Paula and talking to the ambulance medics, who had just arrived. A blanket had been draped over the woman’s shoulders, and she was crying so hard that she shook. Patrik chose to start with the husband, who looked more composed even though he too was crying.
‘Are we needed up there?’ asked one of the medics, nodding towards the building.
Patrik shook his head.
‘No, not for a while, at least. The techs are on their way.’
For a moment no one spoke. The only sound was the heart-wrenching sobs of the elderly woman. Patrik went over to her husband.
‘Could I have a few words with you?’
‘We want to help as much as we can. We just don’t understand who would …’ The man’s voice broke, but after casting a glance at his wife, he followed Patrik over to the police vehicle. The woman didn’t seem aware of what was happening around her.
They sat in the back seat of the car.
‘It says “Mats Sverin” on the door of the flat. Is that your son?’
‘Yes. Although we’ve always called him Matte.’
‘And your name is …?’ Patrik took notes as they talked.
‘Gunnar Sverin. My wife’s name is Signe. But why—’
Patrik placed his hand on the man’s arm to calm him.
‘We’re going to do everything in our power to catch whoever did this. Do you think you could answer a few questions?’
Gunnar nodded.
‘When did you last see your son?’
‘Thursday night. He came over to have dinner with us. He’s been doing that a lot since he moved back to Fjällbacka.’
‘What time did he leave your place on Thursday?’
‘He drove home shortly after nine, I think.’
‘Have you heard from him since then? Have you talked to him on the phone, or had any other sort of contact?’
‘No, nothing. Signe is the worrying kind, and she tried to call Matte all weekend without reaching him, but I … I told her she was being an old worryguts and she should stop bothering the boy.’ Tears welled up in his eyes again. Embarrassed, he wiped them away on the sleeve of his jacket.
‘So no one answered the phone at your son’s flat? And he didn’t answer his mobile either?’
‘No, we just got his voicemail.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘Yes, I think so. Signe calls him up a little too often, in my opinion, but Matte has the patience of an angel.’ Gunnar again wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
‘Is that why you came over here today?’
‘Yes and no. Signe was getting really upset. I was too, even though I pretended not to be worried. But then I got a call from the council saying that Matte hadn’t turned up for work … And that’s not like him, not at all. He has always been very conscientious about being on time and so on. He gets that from me.’
‘What sort of work did he do for the town?’
‘He’s been the finance officer for the past couple of months. That was after he moved back here. He was lucky to get the job. There aren’t many positions available for economists.’
‘How did he happen to move to Fjällbacka? Where did he live before?’
‘In Göteborg,’ said Gunnar, answering the second question first. ‘We don’t really know why he decided to make the move. But he was involved in a terrible incident not long before he came here. He was assaulted by a gang in the city, and he spent several weeks in hospital. That sort of thing can make a person re-evaluate his life. At any rate, he moved back here, and that made us very happy. Especially Signe, of course. She was overjoyed.’
‘Did they find the gang who assaulted him?’
‘No. The police never caught them. Matte had no idea who they were, and he wouldn’t have been able to identify them afterwards either. He was really badly beaten. When Signe and I went to Sahlgrenska Hospital to see him, we could hardly recognize our son.’
Patrik drew an exclamation mark on the page next to his note on the assault. He needed to find out more about that ASAP. He’d have to contact his colleagues in Göteborg.
‘And you and your wife don’t know of anyone who might want to harm Matte? Any individual or individuals who might have had a score to settle with him?’
Gunnar shook his head emphatically.
‘Matte never quarrelled with anyone. Everybody liked him. And he liked everybody.’
‘So how was his new job going?’
‘I think he enjoyed it. He did seem a bit worried when we saw him on Thursday, but that was just a vague impression I got. Maybe he was feeling overworked. In any case, he never mentioned having fallen out with anyone. His boss Erling can be rather difficult, from what I understand, but Matte said that he was basically harmless, and he knew how to deal with him.’
‘And when he was living in Göteborg? Can you give me any details of his life there? Friends, girlfriends, work colleagues …?’
‘No, I can’t say that we really know anything. He didn’t discuss personal matters much. Signe tried prodding him to tell her what was going on in his life, regarding girls, and that sort of thing, but he never went into details. A few years ago he’d occasionally tell us about some of his friends, but from the time he started at that last job he had in Göteborg he seemed to retreat from socializing and all his time was devoted to his work. Matte could get very immersed in his job.’
‘So what happened when he came back to Fjällbacka? Didn’t he contact any of his old friends?’
Again Gunnar shook his head.
‘No, he didn’t seem at all interested in doing that. Besides, not many of his old friends still live here. Most have moved away. But he seemed to want to keep to himself. And that worried Signe.’
‘He doesn’t have a girlfriend?’
‘I don’t think so. But of course, we wouldn’t always know about such things.’
‘Didn’t he ever bring anyone home to meet you?’ asked Patrik with surprise. He wondered how old Matte was. When Gunnar told him, he realized that Matte was the same age as Erica.
‘No, he never brought anyone home, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything,’ the old man added, as if he’d read Patrik’s thoughts.
‘Okay. But if you happen to think of any other details that might help us, you can call me at this number.’ Patrik handed Gunnar his card. ‘Anything at all. We’re going to want to talk to your wife too. And we’ll need to talk to you again. I hope you understand.’
‘Of course,’ said Gunnar, taking Patrik’s card.
He peered out of the window to look at Signe, who seemed to have stopped crying. Presumably the medics had given her a sedative.
‘I’m very sorry for your loss,’ said Patrik. Then silence settled between them. There really wasn’t much more to say.
As they got out of the car, Torbjörn Ruud and his team of crime techs pulled into the car park. Now the meticulous process of collecting evidence would begin.
With hindsight, it was hard to understand why Nathalie hadn’t seen through Fredrik. But maybe that wouldn’t have been so easy. Outwardly, he seemed very polished, and he had courted her so ardently that at first she had laughed at him. That had merely goaded him on, and he increased his efforts until she eventually gave in. He had pampered her, taken her on trips abroad where they had stayed in five-star hotels, offered her champagne, and sent her so many bouquets of flowers that they practically filled her whole flat. She deserved luxury, he said. And she believed him. It was as if he spoke to something that had always been inside of her. An insecurity and a desire to hear that she was special, that she deserved more than other people. Where had all the money come from? Nathalie couldn’t remember ever asking that question.