Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(97)
The lower part of her green coat is marked with patches of rusty red. “I’m sure we can find you somewhere to rest if you want to stay at the hospital overnight. I think it could be a while before your wife wakes up.”
Harald reads between the lines, hears the words she doesn’t want to say out loud.
If your wife wakes up.
He sees Mimi and Kalle in his mind’s eye. They have just lost their beloved big sister; are they going to lose their mom too?
Lena is lying unconscious in that room, and he has let her down in the worst way imaginable. Lena, the mother of his children, the woman who has been by his side ever since they left school.
If only he had realized what the consequences of his affair with Mira would be . . .
He feels a burning sensation right behind his brow bone, a single point of distilled hatred for the man who has caused his family so much pain. He loathes himself for what he has done, but he hates Fredrik even more.
If it weren’t for Fredrik’s destructive actions, Lena would never have attempted suicide.
The thought that the man is wandering around out there enjoying life makes Harald want to vomit.
The doctor’s expression is sympathetic. Harald notices tiny lines around her eyes in the harsh fluorescent light.
“Would you like me to help you find somewhere to rest?” she asks, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
Harald shrugs it off and gets to his feet so abruptly that the doctor takes a couple of steps back. “I have to go home,” he mumbles.
He knows he sounds rude, but he hasn’t got the energy to apologize. Instead he makes for the elevator and goes straight down to the parking lot.
He is clutching the car keys so tightly that they are cutting into his skin, but the pain helps him to focus.
The twins can stay over with his mother tonight.
Fredrik has not only murdered Harald’s eldest daughter and the family’s beloved dog; he has also driven Lena to the brink of death.
How many more must be sacrificed before Fredrik is stopped?
OceanofPDF.com
106
There are lights showing in the windows when Hanna parks her car a few hundred yards from Albins v?g 11. It is five thirty. She was on her way home after speaking to Ebba when she changed her mind. Instead of turning off for Bj?rnen, she continued toward Unders?ker and Kristina Risberg’s home.
It might be madness to act on her own yet again, but she is sure she is onto something.
On the way she called Daniel and reported back on the conversation with Ebba. She mentioned that there is a woman called Linda in Fj?ll-st?ds’s office; it is clear that the company needs to be investigated further. She and Daniel have arranged to meet at the station first thing in the morning.
She still hasn’t told him about Kristina Risberg and Zuhra but is hoping to find something in the next few hours that might link them to the investigation.
A firm piece of evidence that does not rest on her illegal entry into Risberg’s house.
She takes a bite of her apple. Her thoughts turn briefly to Christian; she’s supposed to be calling him now. She can’t face it. She will do it later, before she talks to Lydia as arranged.
She starts to go through her notes on Fj?ll-st?d. On the surface it looks like a legitimate company. The annual accounts wouldn’t be available online if they hadn’t been submitted according to the legal requirements. However, Ebba confirmed that some of the cleaners are being paid cash in hand, and Hanna has seen Zuhra being ferried around between different houses. The fear Hanna saw in her eyes was real—she was terrified.
Ebba said that Amanda had complained to Linda, but Linda had blamed her male boss. Which means there is a man higher up in the organization who knows that Zuhra has revealed her vulnerable position to Amanda.
This increases Hanna’s determination. All these fucking men, exploiting vulnerable women.
Presumably Zuhra was punished for talking to Amanda.
That was why she didn’t dare to tell the truth when Hanna offered to help her.
Hanna stares out at the whirling snow as she puts the pieces of the puzzle together. It is already so cold inside the car that her breath is visible. She starts the engine, directs the heater at her feet, and turns it up to maximum. She mustn’t get too cold, or she won’t be able to stay put.
The risk of Fj?ll-st?d’s illegal activity being revealed is probably pretty low. The plethora of second homes and rental properties creates an excellent market for anyone with access to illicit workers. No one is going to react when there is a constant flow of new tenants, or owners who use their homes in the resort for only a few weeks in each season.
If anyone does show up while the cleaner is working, there is no real danger. Hanna has seen for herself that Zuhra was too scared to talk to her. Refugees or immigrants with no papers can neither protest nor turn to the authorities.
The whole thing is cynical but refined.
The legal part of the company is open to the tax authorities and also acts as a front for the clients.
Meanwhile there is a parallel operation going on, where an underpaid workforce is exploited to earn more money. Plus they have used teenage girls, no doubt at peak times when the usual staff can’t keep up.
Hanna can’t help wondering whether the entire management team is in on the deal, or whether it’s shadowy figures in the background who are responsible.
Many board members in small companies don’t really have a finger on the pulse; friends and acquaintances are often recruited in exchange for a decent fee—so why would they scrutinize the finances?