Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(68)

The police asked if Harald had any enemies and Harald said no, not that he was aware of. Fredrik is the only person who actually has a motive to harm him and his family.

His mouth goes dry.

Would Fredrik do something so terrible as to kill Amanda? In order to punish Harald?

Controlled, taciturn Fredrik, who loves J?mtland and frequently goes off to the mountain on his snowmobile to find peace and quiet.

Whichever way Harald looks at it, he keeps reaching the same conclusion. There is no one else who would wish him so much harm.

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71

Restlessness drives Hanna out of the house. She can’t stay indoors with all those thoughts whirling around in her head.

All she is doing is waiting for a call from Daniel.

The minutes had crept by all day as she’d sat there worrying about Manfred Lidwall badmouthing her.

She takes Lydia’s car and drives down to the village.

She needs to be around people, do something; otherwise she’ll go crazy. Should she check out the cleaning company Zuhra works for? When she opened her laptop this morning, the page she’d shown Daniel yesterday evening was still on the screen. The office is on ?rev?gen—it can’t be far.

She has decided to trust her instincts. After all those years with the City Police and the extensive contact she has had with vulnerable women, she can feel that something is wrong.

It is surprisingly easy to find a parking space. She leaves the car opposite the ?reg?rden Hotel and looks around in the fading afternoon light.

The Advent atmosphere is irresistible. The stores around the square all have beautiful festive displays in their windows, glowing invitingly. Every tree is decorated with strings of tiny white lights that catch the rime frost in the treetops, making it sparkle.

The shimmering snow crystals create an over-the-top Christmassy feeling, as if Walt Disney himself had passed through, sprinkling the entire village with glitter.

It has stopped snowing, but it is still so cold that the dry snow crunches audibly beneath Hanna’s feet.

She makes her way to ?rev?gen 100B, which turns out to be a brown-painted three-story building a short distance up the hill. She finds the entrance around the back. The name of the company, Fj?ll-st?d AB, is printed on a slim metal sign above the door.

It isn’t locked. Hanna steps into a dark hallway with linoleum flooring and a shabby doormat. There is a coat stand with a lone jacket on it in one corner.

“Hello?” she calls out tentatively.

She moves forward and sees that the hallway leads into a larger, sparsely furnished room. A desk and computer are positioned by the window. Several prints with mountain-landscape motifs are displayed on the walls. Buckets containing cleaning equipment are lined up along one side of the room, with a row of mop handles standing to attention.

Piles of papers are spread out across the desk.

A door opens behind Hanna, and a brown-haired woman wearing glasses emerges from a bathroom. She is wearing a knitted sweater and jeans and is holding a phone. A name badge reveals that she is called Linda.

She looks at Hanna in surprise as Hanna quickly searches for something to say.

“Oh hi, great, I was just wondering where everyone was” is the best she can come up with.

“Do you have an appointment?” Linda sounds a little suspicious.

Hanna takes a couple of steps back.

“Not exactly.” She needs a credible explanation for her visit. “My name is Hanna Ahlander. Is this Fj?ll-st?d’s office?”

“Yes.” Linda sits down behind the desk, takes off her round glasses. “What can I do for you?”

“One of your cleaners was at my place yesterday, and she left something behind. Could you give me her number so I can call and let her know?”

Linda shakes her head. “I’m afraid we can’t give out our employees’ contact details.”

“I understand.”

Hanna runs a finger around the inside of her collar. The room is warm, and she is already sweating in her thick padded jacket. She doesn’t know Zuhra’s surname, so she can’t look up the number for herself. However, she can’t shake off the feeling that it’s important to get a hold of her.

“I can leave her a message if you like?” Linda offers.

Hanna hesitates. Obviously, Zuhra hasn’t left anything behind, so what reason can she give for contacting her?

“It doesn’t matter. She can pick it up next time she comes.”

“Up to you.”

Linda puts her glasses back on and points apologetically at the computer. “I really need to . . .”

She couldn’t make it any clearer that it’s time Hanna left.

“Thanks anyway,” Hanna says. Thanks for nothing. She pauses in the doorway. “Give Zuhra my best—she’s very good.”

Linda looks up. “Who?”

“Zuhra. My cleaner.”

“We don’t employ anyone by that name.”

“Sorry?”

“We’re a small company. I know everyone.”

“But she was at my house yesterday.”

“You must have the wrong company.”

Lydia is rarely wrong, but Linda has no reason to lie to Hanna.

“Are there other cleaning companies in the area with a similar name?” Hanna asks, just to be on the safe side.