The Ice Child. Camilla Lackberg

a postcard is any more.’

      Gösta snorted. ‘I know that. I’m not that old and decrepit. But who’s to say that the perpetrator is so up on things? Whoever did this might belong to the snail-mail generation. You didn’t think of that, did you?’ With a triumphant smile Gösta leaned back and crossed his legs.

      Patrik reluctantly agreed that his colleague had a point.

      ‘Nothing like that was reported,’ he said. ‘And the police in Strömsholm have been just as thorough in their investigation as we have. They’ve talked to her friends and classmates, searched her room and her computer, and looked into any other contacts she may have had. But they haven’t found anything out of the ordinary.’

      ‘That in itself seems fishy. A teenager who hasn’t got into the slightest mischief?’ muttered Gösta. ‘Sounds unhealthy, if you ask me.’

      ‘Personally, I think it sounds like a parent’s dream,’ said Patrik, thinking with dread about what might be awaiting him and Erica when Maja reached her teenage years. He’d seen too much in his line of work, and he felt his stomach clench at the thought of what lay ahead.

      ‘Is that all?’ Martin cast an anxious glance at the few words written on the whiteboard. ‘Where did she disappear?’

      ‘She was on her way home from visiting a friend. When she failed to return, her parents rang the police.’

      Patrik didn’t have to consult the papers. He’d already read them several times. He placed Sandra’s stack of files aside and moved on to the next one.

      ‘Jennifer Backlin. Fifteen years old. Disappeared from Falsterbo eighteen months ago. As in Sandra’s case, there don’t seem to have been any problems at home. She comes from a wealthy middle-class family; her father owns an investment firm, her mother is a housewife. One sister. Jennifer was an average student academically, but a promising athlete. She’d done well enough in gymnastics to win a place at a sports academy.’ He showed the others a photo of a girl with brown hair, a nice smile, and big blue eyes.

      ‘Did she have a boyfriend? Did Sandra?’ said Gösta.

      ‘Jennifer did have a boyfriend, but he’s been cleared of any involvement. No boyfriend in Sandra’s life.’ Patrik reached for his glass of water and took a sip. ‘The same situation in both cases: no one saw or heard anything. No conflicts in Jennifer’s family or among her circle of friends. Nothing suspicious observed either before or after she disappeared, nothing online …’

      Patrik began writing on the board, and the points were disturbingly similar to what he’d written about Sandra. Most striking of all was the lack of significant information or leads. Usually their enquiries would turn up someone who’d seen or heard something, but these girls seemed to have been swallowed up by the earth.

      ‘Kim Nilsson. A little older than the other girls – sixteen. She disappeared from Västerås about a year ago. Her parents own an upmarket restaurant, and Kim sometimes helped out, along with her sister. No boyfriend. Good marks in school, no particular interests other than school. Like Sandra, she seemed focused on her studies. Her parents said that she dreamed of studying economics at university, and then wanted to run her own business.’

      Yet another photo of a pretty girl with dark hair.

      ‘Could we take a short break? I need to empty my bladder,’ said Gösta. His joints creaked as he stood up, and Patrik was suddenly reminded that his colleague was fast approaching retirement age. To his surprise, he realized that he would miss Gösta. For years Patrik had been irritated by his colleague’s tendency to opt for the course of least resistance and do only what was absolutely necessary. But he had also seen other sides of him, times when the older man demonstrated what a good police officer he really was. And under that gruff exterior of his, Gösta had a big heart.

      Patrik turned to Martin. ‘Okay, while we’re waiting for Gösta, why don’t you tell me about your interview with Marta. Did you find out anything?’

      ‘No, not a thing.’ Martin sighed. ‘She didn’t see anyone and no vehicles passed that way before Victoria came out of the woods. And there were none afterwards, other than the car that struck the girl. Marta and the driver both stayed with Victoria while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. I didn’t learn anything new about her disappearance either. Apparently there have been no developments at the stable since the last time we talked to Marta.’

      ‘What about Tyra?’

      ‘Exactly the same as last time. But I did have a feeling that there was something she didn’t want to share. As if she might have a suspicion, but she didn’t dare tell me about it.’

      ‘Huh,’ said Patrik, frowning as he studied the notes he’d jotted down on the whiteboard, printed in bold letters. ‘If that’s true, let’s hope she changes her mind soon. Do you think we ought to lean on her a bit?’

      ‘I’m back,’ Gösta announced as he sat down again. ‘This damned prostate of mine has me running to the loo every fifteen minutes.’

      Patrik held up his hand. ‘Okay, thanks, but that’s more than I want to know.’

      ‘Are we done with Kim?’ asked Martin.

      ‘Yes. The information is pretty much the same as in the two other cases. Not a trace left behind. Nothing suspicious. Nothing at all. But it’s a little different when we get to the fourth girl. It’s the only instance when an eye witness reported seeing a suspicious individual.’

      ‘Minna Wahlberg,’ said Martin.

      Patrik nodded, wrote down the name, and picked up a photo of a girl with blue eyes. Her brown hair was gathered in a messy topknot. ‘Yes. Minna Wahlberg. Fourteen years old, from Göteborg. Disappeared about seven months ago. Her background is different from the other girls. Raised by a single mother, with lots of reports of trouble at home while Minna was growing up. Her mother’s boyfriends were usually to blame. Minna’s name started appearing in social welfare records for things like shoplifting and smoking hash. Unfortunately, it’s the classic story of a young girl gone astray. She was frequently absent from school.’

      ‘Any siblings?’ asked Gösta.

      ‘No. She lived alone with her mother.’

      ‘You haven’t added any comment about how Jennifer and Kim disappeared,’ Gösta pointed out. Patrik turned to look at the board and realized he was right.

      ‘Jennifer disappeared on her way home from school, after gymnastics practice. Kim disappeared near her home. She had gone out for a walk and planned to meet a friend, but she never turned up. In both cases the police were notified early on that the girls were missing.’

      ‘But that didn’t happen in Minna’s case, did it?’ said Martin.

      ‘No. You’re right. Minna hadn’t been seen at school or home for three days when her mother realized that something was wrong and phoned the police. Clearly she didn’t keep a close eye on her daughter. Minna came and went as she pleased. She would stay with various girlfriends or guys she knew. So we don’t know exactly what day Minna disappeared.’

      ‘What about the witness?’ Martin took another sip of coffee, and Patrik had to smile at his frown when he tasted the bitter brew, which had been sitting in the pot for hours.

      ‘Damn it, Martin. Why don’t you make some fresh coffee?’ said Gösta. ‘I could use a cup, and I’m sure Patrik could too.’

      ‘Why don’t you make it yourself?’ Martin replied.

      ‘Never mind. It’s not necessary.’

      ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as lazy as you,’ said Martin. ‘Maybe it’s your age.’

      ‘Hey, I’m not that old.’ Gösta often joked and grumbled about his age, but he didn’t like it when anyone else alluded to it.

      Patrik wondered what an outsider would think about the banter