“I agree. I actually do think that the murders were premeditated, but we still need to keep all avenues open. It’s too easy to get locked into one idea. The whole thing is damned unpleasant,” said Knutas, shaking his head. “Do you have time for a quick cup of coffee?”
“Sure, thanks. With milk. No sugar.”
“I know.” He rolled his eyes. They had had countless cups of coffee together.
Johan didn’t care anymore. Even though he knew full well that he shouldn’t do it, he was going to call her. Contrary to all expectations, he was back on Gotland, and he had spent too much time thinking about Emma to be able to ignore his desire to call her. His feelings were too strong. He sat on the bed in his hotel room, torturing himself. It doesn’t have to mean anything, he thought. We could just talk for a while. That can’t be so dangerous. Soon he would have to leave for the press conference, and after that he’d be working full steam for the rest of the day and night. He knew that.
He picked up the phone and punched in her number.
It rang once, then twice.
Shit, he thought. To hell with the whole thing. What if her husband answers? But he didn’t hang up the phone.
“Emma Winarve.”
A joyous warmth spread through his body when he heard her voice.
“Hi, it’s me. Johan Berg. From Regional News. How are you?”
Three seconds of silence. He clenched his teeth so as not to panic.
“I’m okay. Are you here on Gotland?” she asked.
He thought he detected a touch of happy surprise in her voice.
“I’ve just come back. The second murder, you know. What are you doing right now? Am I disturbing you?”
“Not at all, don’t worry. Olle took the children to the swimming pool. How are things with you?”
“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said, and held his breath.
“Really?” she said hesitantly.
He could have bitten his tongue off. Shit.
“I’ve been thinking about you, too,” she added.
He could breathe again.
“Could we get together?” he suggested.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Just for a short time?”
Now that a hope had been lit, he was his usual self again, persistent and single-minded. “How about later tonight?”
“No, I can’t. Maybe tomorrow. I have to go into town anyway.”
“Tomorrow would be great.”
The room where the press conference was going to be held was full to bursting when Anders Knutas and Karin Jacobsson entered several minutes before it was scheduled to start. This time not only the local media was represented but also the morning papers that covered national news, the evening papers, the TT wire service, Eko radio news, several commercial TV channels, and the state-run Swedish TV. Johan Berg and Peter Bylund from Regional News were there as well.
The air was buzzing with voices. The reporters settled into the rows of chairs, clicking their ballpoint pens and rustling the pages of their notebooks. Some of them were outfitted with radio gear. The guys with their big TV cameras took up strategic positions and adjusted their equipment. Microphones were set up, one after another, along the dais.
The onslaught of journalists had forced the investigative team to change rooms at the last minute. They were now sitting in the big conference hall in a different section of police headquarters. Eva Eriksson, the county governor, had called to say that she would attend.
I wonder what she’s doing here? thought Knutas as he made his way through the crowd. Already seated on the dais were Martin Kihlgard and the county police commissioner.
The murmuring in the room ceased as Knutas welcomed everyone. He introduced himself and his colleagues seated next to him and then started off with a brief report about the latest murder. The police were trying to be generous with the amount of information they would share. At the same time, it was important not to release any details that might hamper the investigation. It was a difficult balancing act.
When he was done, he opened the floor to questions.
“Are there any similarities between this homicide and the murder of Helena Hillerstrom?” one reporter asked.
“Yes, there are certain similarities, but I’m afraid I can’t go into any further detail about that now.”
“Obviously the same weapon couldn’t have been used,” said the reporter from one of the local papers, sounding very sure of himself. “But was the same type of weapon used this time? Was the latest victim also killed with an axe?”
“No. The latest murder was committed with a sharp instrument.”
“You mean a knife?” asked Johan.
“As to what type of sharp instrument, it’s too soon to say.”
“Are there any witnesses?” wondered the reporter from Gotlands Tidningar.
“At this time, it appears that no one saw or heard anything. We’re still in the process of interviewing a large number of people.”
“Do you suspect that it’s the same perpetrator as before?”
“Both yes and no. There are certain things that indicate it might be someone else-for example, the fact that the killer used a different kind of weapon. Other circumstances point to one perpetrator, so at the present time we don’t know. Of course we can’t rule out that possibility.”
“Have you found any connection between the victims, other than that they’re both women about the same age?”
“I can’t go into that right now, for the sake of the investigation, but I can tell you this much: Both women had ties to Stockholm and to Gotland.”
“Could the killer have come over from Stockholm?”
“Certainly.”
“Why aren’t you looking for him there?”
“We are.”
“Where?”
“I can’t answer that. I’m sure you’ll understand why.”
“Are there any similarities in the MO of the killers?” asked Johan.
“I can’t comment on that.”
There was a great deal of frustration among the reporters, but Knutas was unyielding. The investigative team had decided not to reveal anything about the way in which Frida Lindh was killed. That left the field wide open for speculation.
“Are we dealing with a serial killer here?” asked the woman from Radio Gotland.
“It’s much too early to say. We have no idea,” said Knutas.
“But you wouldn’t rule it out?”
“Of course not.”
“What’s going to happen to the boyfriend of the first victim?” the reporter from the local radio station continued.
“He’s going to be released from custody. He’s no longer a suspect.”
A murmur spread through the room.
“Why not?” the radio reporter asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t comment on that.”
“How can you be so sure he’s innocent?”
“We can’t divulge anything about our reasons for letting him go. The only thing I can tell you is that the boyfriend is no longer suspected of having anything to do with the murder in Frojel,” repeated Knutas, whose face was starting to flush with annoyance.
“That must mean that you think the same person committed both murders,” Johan ventured. “The murder of the woman in the cemetery couldn’t have been committed by Per Bergdal, since he was being held under arrest in Visby.”
“As I’ve said several times, we can’t go into any further details about the circumstances,” said Knutas, forcing himself to remain calm.
Johan dropped the matter of the perpetrator.
“What about the murder weapon? Was it found?” he asked instead.
“No.”
“What are the police doing now?” asked the reporter from Eko.
“We’ll be getting additional reinforcements from the National Criminal Police. We’re conducting extensive searches and trying to come up with any points of connection between the two victims.”