Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(110)
Bosse reacts much faster than Amanda thought possible. She just has time to feel surprised before he hurls himself at her and grabs her upper arms. At first she can’t move, but then she manages to free one hand and scratches his forehead, by the hairline.
Suddenly his hands close around her throat.
He tightens his grip, she can’t breathe.
“You will do as I say!” he hisses.
Amanda tries desperately to prize his fingers away. She twists and jerks her body in an attempt to free herself, but Bosse is much too strong.
She doesn’t have a chance.
He is so close that she can see his wide-open eyes, a tiny amount of saliva at one corner of his mouth.
Then she runs out of oxygen and everything goes black.
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
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124
The sunlight is dancing across the ice on Lake ?re when Hanna’s hospital transport reaches the turn-off toward Bj?rnen. Stj?rnbacken and Hummelbranten can be seen up above the village, two clear pistes following the slope of the mountain. All the lifts are open, and the tiny figures of enthusiastic skiers are swishing downhill.
?reskutan is majestic as always, the top station highlighted against the clear blue sky.
Hanna is sitting in the back seat. She is still tired and weak, but very happy to be out of the hospital.
The car begins to climb the hill to Bj?rnen. On the sharpest bend a frozen waterfall hangs from the rock face.
The gray-green cascade has been halted by the intense cold, as if time has stopped for a moment. Layer upon layer of ice shimmers in the sun.
The fir trees, weighed down with snow, form a fairy-tale landscape as the driver continues toward Sadeln.
Hanna pulls her jacket more tightly around her body.
Did she do the right thing, investigating Kristina Risberg on her own initiative? She can’t help wondering. She’d promised herself that she would keep a low profile in her new job; instead she did the exact opposite.
Will they still want her?
It had sounded that way when she spoke to Daniel. He told her about the arrests, and Lundh’s confession. He called this morning to see how she was before she was discharged.
Without Hanna’s research, they would never have found the connection. Daniel underlined that point several times, and she is desperate to believe him. She doesn’t want to lose the chance of working with him in the future.
She remembers how safe she felt when he arrived at the hospital and sat by her bed.
Things seem to be working out with Christian too.
Lydia called earlier and said that she’d told him what had happened and why Hanna hadn’t been in touch. When he heard about the accident, all his anger melted away. He won’t be reporting her to the police.
She can relax.
As the car turns into Sadeln and stops in front of the house, she sees her sister in the doorway. Lydia insisted on flying up to welcome her, even though she will shortly be off on a cruise with her family. As usual, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was adamant that Hanna shouldn’t come home to an empty house after the car crash. She is staying until tomorrow and has shopped for Christmas food and everything else Hanna might need.
Hanna’s eyes fill with tears at the sight of Lydia. The situation with her parents is what it is, but Lydia is there for her.
In two days it will be Christmas Eve. Hanna had almost forgotten.
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?STERSUNDS-POSTEN, JULY 7, 2020
Today the verdicts were delivered in the case of the human trafficking operation that was exposed in ?re during the winter. Bo Lundh, Annika Risberg, Kristina Risberg, and Linda Edén were convicted of the exploitation of three young women from Uzbekistan, who were lured to Sweden on false premises.
The situation came to light when eighteen-year-old Amanda Halvorssen disappeared under mysterious circumstances on the night before Lucia last year.
After an extensive investigation, Bo Lundh was charged with a number of serious crimes, including the attempted homicide of a female police officer after fol owing her car at high speed and forcing her off the road.Bo Lundh was sentenced to sixteen years’
imprisonment for homicide, attempted homicide, and human exploitation. His partner, Annika Risberg, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. Kristina Risberg was sentenced to eight years, and Linda Edén to two years and six months.
Amanda Halvorssen’s father, the former chair of the council, has declined to comment. He was recently given a suspended sentence for arson in a tragic aftermath to his daughter’s death.
Al the defendants have signaled their intention to appeal.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There is a deep connection between the mountains and the archipelago. It is something to do with the power of nature, the uninterrupted horizon, and the magnificent beauty that makes it easy to feel at home in both landscapes.
When the Coronavirus pandemic struck, I happened to be in ?re, and I remained there due to travel restrictions.
Inspiration grew as time passed, and in the end I had written a crime novel set in the mountains of J?mtland, which became Hidden in Snow.
As an author writing the first book in a new series in a completely new environment, I relied heavily on help from kind people in the area.
Two individuals who have been invaluable during the writing process are Ulrika Baumann Edblad and Anders Edblad. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and providing various contacts to facilitate my research. I would also like to thank Tuva Edblad, who helped me with background information about school and the lives of young people in ?re and J?rpen.