ALEXANDRA

2.30 P.M.

Alexandra parked near the train station, right between two other cars on the same little patch next to the rails. She avoided the big parking lot so as not to run into anyone she knew.

There was a lone person sitting in each of the cars. Either they were waiting for someone, or they didn’t want to go home. There was a crushing triviality about it all.

She turned off the engine, but immediately wished she’d kept the air conditioning on.

Her thoughts were flighty, but time passed so terribly slowly. Every time she looked at the clock, the display didn’t seem to have changed.

There was a knock on the window.

‘Bea?’ She rolled down the window.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m just resting a little before I go home. Reading a book,’ was the only thing she could come up with.

‘Yeah? Where’s the book?’ Bea looked around in the car. She smelt of smoke. Couldn’t she just go away?

‘In my bag, I haven’t taken it out yet.’

Bea’s eyes were dark. Alexandra looked down at her lap and took a few deep breaths. ‘Will you leave me in peace,’ she whispered, barely audible.

‘What? You’re sick in the head, just sitting here.’ Bea hit the door with her arm, then she kicked at it.

Alexandra shrank back, and even though Bea wasn’t actually hitting her, it hurt. She gripped onto her arm and watched her daughter as she disappeared between the cars in the big parking lot.

She stuck her head out the window. ‘Bea!’

But she didn’t even turn around.

Just as well, thought Alexandra, even as she wished she could hug her, remove that darkness that had settled between them. Which she had been part of creating. Her mother-in-law’s words reverberated loudly in her head, and her guilty conscience throbbed with the same frequency.

The Stockholm train flew by at the same pace as her thoughts came and went. Ordinary people on their way home from work streamed out onto the platform. She wished she was one of them. Or rather, that she was sitting on the train, pulling away.

It was hot in the car, and it was almost worse to have the window rolled down.

Patrik had texted her after the interview and ordered her to drive down to the station. There was thirty minutes left. Typical of Hanna to be late.

To make the time pass, she took out her phone and went on Instagram. Scrolled down through the pictures of various gardens. Beautiful, peaceful images in various shades of green. She didn’t read the comments; she just let the pictures speak for themselves. She could almost smell the fragrances.

After fifteen minutes, she could hardly breathe in the car. It was starting to look like rain. She was nervous and still disappointed in Patrik. This was not her responsibility, but he still hadn’t come back from his job in Stockholm.

Then she saw Hanna’s car drive up into the big parking lot outside the station. Her heart started beating faster. Before she had time to think about it any more, she got out of the car and walked quickly over to Hanna, who was taking the suitcases out of the car. Fortunately, the children were still in the car and didn’t have to hear what she had to say.

‘You can’t go,’ she said curtly.

Hanna turned around. ‘Alexandra, what are you doing here?’

‘Patrik sent me. You can’t take off with the kids. Come home with me so we can talk this over.’

‘No, I’ve decided. I don’t want to stay here any longer, and you can’t stop me.’

‘I think you have to stay. Patrik will be completely devastated if you take the children with you. And according to him, the police found your fingerprints on Liv’s phone. Patrik sent me a text and told me. Here, look!’ She handed over her phone. ‘Apparently, the police have been trying to get hold of you, and because you haven’t been answering, I was forced to come here.’