Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(23)
Now he’s in a relationship with Valérie Ohlin.
Hanna goes cold all over.
She stares at the screen for several minutes, digging her nails into the palm of her hand to prevent herself from crying. He’s not worth it. Christian is no different from all the other idiots out there. He has lied and been unfaithful, gone behind her back with this Valérie.
He doesn’t think about anybody but himself.
The tears are burning behind her eyelids. She forces herself to shut down his profile. Checks out the local weather, goes back to surfing aimlessly.
She finds herself on a group page called ?re Local.
Someone has posted a photo of a girl in her late teens with black hair. The caption catches Hanna’s attention: Have you seen Amanda?
She reads on and learns that the girl disappeared in the early hours of Friday morning. Her scarf has been found by the side of the E14, not far from the VM8. Any information could be useful.
The post was placed by a woman—Lena Halvorssen.
When Hanna checks out Lena’s own page, she sees the same picture and the same caption. Suddenly she sees the resemblance and realizes what the connection is: they are mother and daughter.
So sad. She hopes the missing girl isn’t yet another young woman who has fallen victim to a brutal man.
The memory of Josefin is never far away; Hanna has brooded about her for months. Her body was found at home, with severe head injuries. Five-year-old Lisa lost her mother. Her violent father, Niklas Konradsson, worked in narcotics, three floors above Hanna in the same building.
The City Police didn’t want to put a colleague behind bars, so instead everything was swept under the carpet. The official version was that Josefin had slipped in the bathroom and banged her head on the edge of the bathtub. The forensic examination wasn’t worth the paper it was written on, and the verdict was accidental death.
The only person who dared to question the mishandling of the investigation was Hanna. She fought for the case to be reopened, for Josefin’s death to be looked into properly.
Maybe the investigating officers should report themselves for gross misconduct? The assertion that Josefin had died as a result of an accident was clearly an invention. Why had no one questioned Niklas’s behavior toward his wife? Why was his version of events simply accepted?
Her boss grew tired of her complaints and accused her of being difficult to work with.
It still hurts.
Hanna returns to the group page. The request was posted only a few hours ago, but there are already lots of supportive comments.
As she reads through them, a fresh update appears, this time from Missing People. Anyone who wants to help search for Amanda is asked to gather in the town square at eight o’clock this morning—the more the better.
Hanna glances at her watch—seven o’clock. She hasn’t set foot outside the house since she arrived on Tuesday. She has drunk wine, cried, and moped over Christian. Lydia told her she could use the Mitsubishi in the garage.
Hanna has some knowledge of professional searches, how to go about looking for a missing person.
She would like to help.
She didn’t manage to get justice for Josefin, but maybe she can make a useful contribution to the search for Amanda?
And maybe she would feel better if she had something else to think about?
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25
When Daniel arrives in the square shortly before eight, about twenty warmly dressed people have already gathered. He recognizes quite a few and nods to them but avoids getting drawn into their conversations.
It wasn’t Daniel’s idea to contact Missing People— Amanda’s parents called them. He doesn’t have anything against the organization, given their excellent volunteer base and usefulness on many occasions in the past. But since there is so little to go on, he would have liked more time for the police to get further in their investigation first.
Anyway, it’s too late to change things now. The police already made the decision to issue a request for information about Amanda last night after discovering her scarf. Her photograph and description are now on the police home page.
Should he have brought in Missing People right away?
Impossible to answer.
Daniel yawns; he has been awake nearly all night. He tossed and turned for a few hours while Ida and Alice slept.
The adrenaline is temporarily compensating for his lack of sleep, but it’s only a matter of time before his body demands rest.
Anton is approaching from the upper parking lot on Stationsv?gen. He is carrying two coffees, and hands one to Daniel.
“You look like shit,” he observes. Daniel doesn’t bother replying; Anton doesn’t look that good either. He gratefully sips the black coffee, feeling its heat spread through his body.
“?stersund sent up two more dog teams,” Anton informs him. “Jarmo is here too—they’re waiting in the parking lot.”
A man in his fifties, wearing a wool hat and holding a blue megaphone, positions himself on the steps of the black building that houses a restaurant above the Stadium Store.
“Good morning!” he shouts. “Can I have your attention?”
Bosse Lundh is a local businessman whom Daniel knows in passing. He owns one of the smaller hotels and a few gas stations. His partner, Annika, stands beside him; she is about the same age, dressed in a dark-green padded jacket, its high collar partly covering her face. Her expression is serious.