Read Online Silenced by Kristina Ohlsson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kristina Ohlsson
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indicate it could have been a deliberate criminal act?’
‘No,’ said Fredrika. ‘At least, not according to the doctor who did the preliminary report, but there’ll be a full autopsy later.’
Alex nodded.
‘But that’s hardly going to take all afternoon, knowing you. How about going into the Ahlbin daughter’s death a bit more and trying to write a summary of what happened, so we’re all clear on the sequence of events? Not because I think we’ll unearth anything revolutionary, but it would be good to know we’d checked it out thoroughly.’
Fredrika gave a cautious smile, hardly daring to look at Joar. Maybe he was like Peder, one of those who hated to be passed over. She had not had time to form any proper opinion of him, but her first impression had been a good one. Really good. A quick glance in his direction reassured her. He looked completely unperturbed. Yes, she was impressed.
‘I’ll be glad to follow up the daughter’s death,’ she said, ‘but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay very long this afternoon.’
‘It doesn’t matter. You can carry on tomorrow morning,’ Alex added quickly.
Peder tried to catch his eye across the table, wondering what was going on.
Alex felt anger bubbling up inside him, and swallowed several times.
‘Joar and I are going to pay a visit to the parish where the Ahlbins worked,’ he went on. ‘I had a call from the vicar there, earlier on today, and he was very keen to sound cooperative. We’ll interview him before we decide how to take it from there – see if there’s any reason to think anyone else was involved, or if we can assume Jakob was the sole perpetrator. And we’ll all offer up a prayer that we find their other daughter, Johanna, by the end of the day.’
Peder was staring at Alex.
‘And what am I going to do?’ he asked, trying not to sound as if he was whining.
He failed.
‘You are going to see the head of HR at two o’clock,’ Alex said dully. ‘And if I were you, I wouldn’t be late.’
Peder’s heart leapt with anxiety.
‘Was there anything else?’ said Alex.
Joar hesitated, but then went ahead.
‘We got the feeling the flat wasn’t their proper home,’ he said.
‘How do you mean?’ asked Alex.
Joar looked sideways at Peder, but found his colleague was sitting staring at the wall, his face immobile.
‘As I say, it was just a feeling,’ said Joar. ‘But it seemed so impersonal, almost as though the whole place was designed just for entertaining.’
‘We ought to investigate that angle,’ said Alex. ‘Summer cottages and the like won’t necessarily be in the parents’ names; one of the daughters could just as well be the registered owner. Fredrika, can you look into that, too, while you’re at it?’
Then Alex declared the meeting closed.
Peder, full of foreboding, went to see the head of HR, Margareta Berlin, at exactly two o’clock. He could not get Alex’s stern look out of his mind. He had to wait outside her door for a few minutes, before she asked him in. What the hell was this about?
‘Come in and shut the door,’ said Ms Berlin in her inimitable husky voice, very probably the result of high whisky consumption and lots of shouting at subordinates as she climbed her way to the top.
Peder did as he was told. He had enormous respect for the tall, powerfully built woman behind the desk. She wore her hair cut short, but still looked very feminine. Her large hand waved to indicate he was to take a seat on the other side of the desk.
‘Does the name Anna-Karin Larsson say anything to you?’ she asked, so brusquely that Peder jumped.
He shook his head and swallowed.
‘No,’ he said, embarrassed to find he had to clear his throat.
‘No?’ said Margareta, suddenly less abrasive, though her eyes were still dark with anger. ‘Hm, that’s rather what I thought.’
She paused before going on.
‘But maybe you do know whether you like a croissant with your coffee?’
Peder almost sighed
‘No,’ said Fredrika. ‘At least, not according to the doctor who did the preliminary report, but there’ll be a full autopsy later.’
Alex nodded.
‘But that’s hardly going to take all afternoon, knowing you. How about going into the Ahlbin daughter’s death a bit more and trying to write a summary of what happened, so we’re all clear on the sequence of events? Not because I think we’ll unearth anything revolutionary, but it would be good to know we’d checked it out thoroughly.’
Fredrika gave a cautious smile, hardly daring to look at Joar. Maybe he was like Peder, one of those who hated to be passed over. She had not had time to form any proper opinion of him, but her first impression had been a good one. Really good. A quick glance in his direction reassured her. He looked completely unperturbed. Yes, she was impressed.
‘I’ll be glad to follow up the daughter’s death,’ she said, ‘but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay very long this afternoon.’
‘It doesn’t matter. You can carry on tomorrow morning,’ Alex added quickly.
Peder tried to catch his eye across the table, wondering what was going on.
Alex felt anger bubbling up inside him, and swallowed several times.
‘Joar and I are going to pay a visit to the parish where the Ahlbins worked,’ he went on. ‘I had a call from the vicar there, earlier on today, and he was very keen to sound cooperative. We’ll interview him before we decide how to take it from there – see if there’s any reason to think anyone else was involved, or if we can assume Jakob was the sole perpetrator. And we’ll all offer up a prayer that we find their other daughter, Johanna, by the end of the day.’
Peder was staring at Alex.
‘And what am I going to do?’ he asked, trying not to sound as if he was whining.
He failed.
‘You are going to see the head of HR at two o’clock,’ Alex said dully. ‘And if I were you, I wouldn’t be late.’
Peder’s heart leapt with anxiety.
‘Was there anything else?’ said Alex.
Joar hesitated, but then went ahead.
‘We got the feeling the flat wasn’t their proper home,’ he said.
‘How do you mean?’ asked Alex.
Joar looked sideways at Peder, but found his colleague was sitting staring at the wall, his face immobile.
‘As I say, it was just a feeling,’ said Joar. ‘But it seemed so impersonal, almost as though the whole place was designed just for entertaining.’
‘We ought to investigate that angle,’ said Alex. ‘Summer cottages and the like won’t necessarily be in the parents’ names; one of the daughters could just as well be the registered owner. Fredrika, can you look into that, too, while you’re at it?’
Then Alex declared the meeting closed.
Peder, full of foreboding, went to see the head of HR, Margareta Berlin, at exactly two o’clock. He could not get Alex’s stern look out of his mind. He had to wait outside her door for a few minutes, before she asked him in. What the hell was this about?
‘Come in and shut the door,’ said Ms Berlin in her inimitable husky voice, very probably the result of high whisky consumption and lots of shouting at subordinates as she climbed her way to the top.
Peder did as he was told. He had enormous respect for the tall, powerfully built woman behind the desk. She wore her hair cut short, but still looked very feminine. Her large hand waved to indicate he was to take a seat on the other side of the desk.
‘Does the name Anna-Karin Larsson say anything to you?’ she asked, so brusquely that Peder jumped.
He shook his head and swallowed.
‘No,’ he said, embarrassed to find he had to clear his throat.
‘No?’ said Margareta, suddenly less abrasive, though her eyes were still dark with anger. ‘Hm, that’s rather what I thought.’
She paused before going on.
‘But maybe you do know whether you like a croissant with your coffee?’
Peder almost sighed
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