Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(32)

The chocolate has warmed Hanna up. Her fingers and toes hurt as they begin to thaw out. She grimaces in pain as her feet come back to life, and she has to massage her soles to ease the agony.

There is nothing else on Harald Halvorssen, so she decides to google the World Downhill Skiing Championships in ?re instead. The screen is immediately filled with news headlines. The event was clearly controversial, just as Karro had said. There was no shortage of criticism afterward, and some local businesses even demanded compensation from the council.

Hanna finishes her chocolate and looks out of the window. Darkness is already falling, Renfj?llet is barely visible now, and ?reskutan is enveloped in clouds. The sun sets at twenty past two; the five hours of daylight pass quickly.

She can’t find anything interesting online about the Halvorssen family, but Karro mentioned a boyfriend—Viktor Landahl. He didn’t sound like much of a catch. It’s unusual for such young men to commit serious crimes like kidnapping or homicide, but it does happen.

Once again she thinks about poor Josefin.

Hanna can’t help wondering whether the investigating officers know about Viktor’s background; it’s information they should have. If he really was given a caution, then it should be on record. It is reasonable to assume that the local police have already discovered this and questioned the boy.

Unless of course Viktor has time on his side. A caution is struck from the records after three years; if he’s lucky, it might just have vanished. Karro said he was fifteen when it happened.

Hanna shakes her head. It’s not her responsibility to follow it up.

She adjusts the steel-gray sheepskin over the back of the chair. The soft, curly fleece makes her feel warm and cozy; her fingers and toes are almost back to normal, but it has taken her almost an hour to reach this stage. If Amanda is outdoors, there is no chance that she is still alive.

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31

Ida shakes Daniel by the shoulder.

“Wake up, darling.”

He doesn’t want to, his whole body aches from the lack of sleep, but finally he opens his eyes. Ida is holding his phone.

“It’s work,” she says, sounding worried. “They’ve tried to get a hold of you several times.”

Daniel’s brain isn’t working properly. “What time is it?”

he mumbles.

“Almost seven o’clock in the evening.”

That means he’s slept for three hours. When he got back to the apartment, he was so exhausted that he went straight to the bedroom and collapsed next to Alice, who was snoozing away contentedly.

He realizes she’s not there anymore, and tries to blink away the drowsiness. He takes the phone from Ida. “Okay.”

Anton answers when Daniel calls back. Anton had been allowed to go home and sleep last night, so he took over station duties when Daniel went off to get some rest.

“You need to come in,” he says immediately. “We’ve found something interesting.”

“What?”

A voice says a few words in the background.

“Just get here as soon as you can.”

The call ends, and Daniel sits there with the phone in his hand. When he glances up, Ida is still there, looking anxious. She isn’t used to this kind of activity; there has never been an investigation like this since Daniel moved to ?re.

Things were different in Gothenburg, of course.

Sometimes everything else had to be put to one side while he worked day and night on an urgent case. He’s gotten used to working in a different way up here, in a calmer environment.

He hasn’t told Ida that he was in considerable danger following a serious homicide down south. During the eighteen months they’ve been together, he has come home and eaten dinner with her almost every evening.

“I have to go.”

“You’re going back to work?” Ida fingers the long braid hanging over one shoulder.

Daniel holds up his hands, palms outward.

“I’m sorry, but I really do have to go.”

“But you were out all night.”

“It’s an emergency. An eighteen-year-old girl is missing.”

She nods and takes a step closer, strokes his cheek. “I understand. It’s terrible.” She takes a deep breath, exhales through her nose. “I’m kind of ashamed to say this when you’re under so much pressure, but it’s not easy being alone with Alice all the time. It drives me crazy when she just cries and cries and you’re not here. I don’t know if I can do this on my own.”

Ida’s eyes well up with tears.

Daniel can’t help feeling stressed. The last thing he wants is to upset her, but she ought to understand the seriousness of the situation.

“Listen, I promise things will get better. I’ll help out more in the future. As soon as this case is over.”

He really doesn’t want a quarrel. He flares up easily when they fight, and he doesn’t have time for that right now. He knows from bitter experience what can happen when he loses control. His damned temper has caused so many problems. The legacy of his Italian ancestors, especially his maternal grandfather, is much too near the surface.

He pulls Ida close, kisses her forehead. At first her body is rigid; then she relaxes.

“I really hope you find her,” she murmurs into his chest.