Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(43)

“Of course,” he assures Birgitta. “No problem.”

Anton and Raffe nod in agreement. Even though they are stationed in ?re and the case is technically within the jurisdiction of Serious Crimes in ?stersund, there is no doubt that they are part of the task force.

“Okay,” Birgitta says. “In that case you need to get in the car and drive down here for the press conference. It starts at two.”

Is she joking?

She wants him to drive over an hour each way to attend a press conference, when every minute counts? The whole day will be gone by the time he gets back.

Daniel stares at his boss. “I’m needed here.”

“If you’re going to lead the preliminary investigation, then you have to step up. You also need to speak to the prosecutor—Ahlqvist has taken the case.”

Daniel has worked with Tobias Ahlqvist before. He’s a conscientious prosecutor and not a man who makes quick decisions. However, it’s better to have the prosecutor on board from the start than to have him jump in halfway through the investigation after they’ve identified a suspect.

Birgitta’s expression makes it clear that there is no room for discussion.

Daniel sighs to himself. “I’ll be there.” He can’t help asking sourly, “Who’s going to do my work while I’m away?”

The screen has gone blank. ?stersund has ended the meeting and disconnected ?re.

Daniel suppresses a curse.

“Drive carefully,” Anton says with a grin.

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42

It takes Daniel an hour and sixteen minutes to drive on the icy roads from ?re to ?stersund. Occasionally he gets stuck behind a slow truck. Every time, he itches to overtake, but he sticks to the speed limits. He can hardly claim he’s on an emergency call if a speed camera catches him.

As soon as he got in the car, he called Ida. She sounded tired; she probably had Alice in her arms. Daniel could hear gentle gurgling in the background and could almost smell the baby scent of his daughter.

He’s hardly seen her since Friday. All he has done is press his lips to her sleeping forehead before leaving again.

Ida couldn’t hide her disappointment when he told her he’d almost certainly be late home again this evening. He doesn’t know how long the press conference will go on, and then he has to meet with the prosecutor to go through the case.

“I’m so sorry about this,” he said, overwhelmed with feelings of guilt as he ended the call.

When he reaches ?stersund, the streets are deserted.

Police HQ is on Fyrvallav?gen, in a pale-yellow building east of the town center that also houses the customs service, SOS Alarm—the operator of the emergency call service— and the fire and rescue department.

The press conference will take place on the second floor. Daniel arrives fifteen minutes before it is due to begin and goes to see his boss, who is changing into her uniform.

She is just about to put on her jacket when he knocks on the door.

Birgitta Grip is unimpressed by his thick sweater and jeans.

“You look as if you’ve come straight off the mountain.”

Daniel attempts to smooth down his hair with one hand.

It didn’t occur to him to change his clothes. He rarely attended press conferences in Gothenburg; they were dealt with by the communications department or senior officers.

He already feels uncomfortable, and Birgitta’s comment doesn’t help.

“Come with me,” she says, leading the way along a narrow corridor to a closed dark-brown door. The faint hum of conversation can be heard inside the room.

Tobias Ahlqvist appears with Ulrika Berge, the press officer. She is wearing a dark-purple jacket with black pants and boots, her high heels tip-tapping on the floor.

She greets Daniel and tucks her short blond hair behind her ears.

“We’ve had so many inquiries,” she says. “Including from the overseas press. A young girl found murdered and half-naked on a chairlift—it’s a juicy story. The phone is ringing off the hook, and public interest is very high.”

Daniel rarely gets nervous, but he is perspiring now. He keeps his sweater on; he doesn’t want to sit in front of the cameras with dark patches under his arms.

To be honest, he doesn’t want to sit there at all.

Speaking to the mass media isn’t his thing. It’s not a question of shyness; he just doesn’t like being center stage.

He’s never enjoyed the limelight.

Tobias checks his phone. He’s wearing a gray tweed jacket and looks perfectly calm.

“Shall we have a chat afterward?” he says to Daniel. It sounds like a question, but it’s more of an order.

“SkiStar’s head of marketing called a little while ago,”

Ulrika says. “She’s concerned about all the pictures of VM6

that are appearing in the press. She’s asking us to keep the reporters away.”

Daniel nods, even though he’s finding it difficult to focus.

Birgitta looks at her watch.

“Okay, let’s do this.” She opens the door and marches in. Daniel lets both Ulrika and Tobias go before him, out of sheer self-preservation rather than politeness.

The feeling of being thrown to the wolves is overwhelming.

Birgitta takes the middle seat at a rectangular table on the podium. Ulrika and Tobias sit down on one side of her, Daniel on the other. He keeps his eyes down for as long as possible, and when he eventually has to look up, he sees a dozen or so unfamiliar faces. Both SVT and TV4 have cameras in place. Little red flashing lights indicate that they are broadcasting live.