Lars Kepler - The Sandman

‘Yes, why did he do that? He must have heard her yesterday, when she told the guard she wanted to see a lawyer,’ Pollock says. ‘That’s why Jurek can’t allow the doctor to become scared of her, because then she wouldn’t be allowed any visits from—’

‘He’s new,’ Joona interrupts. ‘Jurek says the doctor’s new.’

‘So what?’ Johan Jönson asks, open-mouthed.

‘When I spoke to Brolin, the Senior Consultant... on Monday, he said there hadn’t been any changes in the secure unit.’

‘That’s right,’ Pollock says.

‘It might be nothing,’ Joona says. ‘But why did Brolin tell me they had the same staff they’d always had?’

Joona Linna is driving north up the E4 motorway. A gentle Max Bruch violin sonata is playing on the radio. The shadows and falling snow in front of the cars merge with the music. As he’s passing Norrviken, Corinne Meilleroux calls.

She quickly informs him that out of all the doctors that have been added to the payroll of Löwenströmska Hospital over the past two years, only one of them works in the field of psychiatry.

‘His name’s Anders Rönn, fairly recently qualified, although he had a temporary post at a psychiatric unit in Växjö.’

‘Anders Rönn,’ Joona repeats.

‘Married to Petra Rönn, works in recreational administration for the council... they’ve got a daughter, mildly autistic, apparently. I’m not sure if that’s at all useful, but you might as well know,’ she laughs.

‘Thanks, Corinne,’ Joona says, turning off the motorway at Upplands Väsby. He drives past Solhagen, where his dad used to go for lunch when he was still alive.

The old road to Uppsala is lined on one side by black oaks. The snow-covered fields beyond the trees slope down towards a lake.

Joona parks the car outside the main entrance to the hospital and walks in, turning left and hurrying past the unmanned reception desk towards the department for general psychiatry.

Joona passes the secretary and heads straight for the Senior Consultant’s closed door. He opens it and walks in. Roland Brolin looks up from his computer and takes off his bifocal glasses. Joona lowers his head slightly, but still manages to nudge the low ceiling lamp. He takes his time pulling out his police ID, holds it in front of Brolin for a minute or two, then starts to ask the same questions as before.

‘How is the patient?’

‘I’m afraid I’m busy right now, but—’

‘Has Jurek Walter done anything unusual recently?’ Joona interrupts in a harsh tone of voice.

‘I’ve already answered that,’ Brolin says, turning back towards his computer.

‘And the security routines haven’t changed?’

The thickset doctor sighs through his nose and looks at him wearily.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Is he still getting intramuscular Risperdal?’ Joona asks.

‘Yes,’ Brolin sighs.

‘And the staffing in the secure unit remains unchanged?’

‘Yes, but I’ve already told—’

‘Is the staff in the secure unit unchanged?’ Joona interrupts.

‘Yes,’ Brolin says with a hesitant smile.

‘Is there a new doctor called Anders Rönn working in the secure unit?’ Joona asks in a voice hoarse with persistence.

‘Well, yes—’

‘So why are you saying the staff is unchanged?’

A slight blush appears below the doctor’s tired eyes.

‘He’s only a temp,’ Brolin explains slowly. ‘Surely you understand that we have to bring in temps sometimes?’

‘Who is he standing in for?’

‘Susanne Hjälm, she’s on leave of absence.’

‘How long has she been gone?’

Brolin answers as he breathes out:

‘Three months.’

‘What’s she doing?’

‘I don’t actually know – staff don’t have to give reasons for leave of absence.’

‘Is Anders Rönn working today?’

Brolin looks at his watch and says coldly:

‘I’m afraid he’s finished for the day.’

Joona gets his phone out and leaves the room. Anja Larsson answers just as he’s walking past the secretary.

‘I needs addresses and phone numbers for both Anders Rönn and Susanne Hjälm,’ he says curtly.

Joona has just pulled out of the hospital grounds and is accelerating along the old main road when Anja calls back.

‘Baldersvägen 3, in Upplands Väsby,’ she tells him. ‘That’s where Anders Rönn lives.’

‘I’ll find it,’ he says, and puts his foot down as he heads south.

‘Would you convert for my sake?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘When we get married... I was just thinking, if I happened to be Catholic or Muslim, or—’

‘But you’re not.’

‘No, you’re right... there’s nothing stopping us, we could have a proper summer wedding.’

‘I’m not sure I’m mature enough to take a step like that,’ laughs Joona.

‘Me neither, but I’ve got a feeling I might be getting there,’ Anja whispers over the phone.

Then she clears her throat, changes tone and says coolly that she’ll check out Susanne Hjälm.

Joona heads back to the Upplands Väsby junction on the E4 and has just turned into Sandavägen to look for Anders Rönn’s house when Anja calls again.

‘This is a bit weird,’ she says in a serious voice. ‘Susanne Hjälm’s phone is switched off. As is her husband’s. He hasn’t shown up at the insurance company where he works for the past three months, and their two children haven’t been at school either. The girls are both off sick, with doctor’s certificates, nevertheless the school has been in touch with Social Services...’

‘Where do they live?’

‘Biskop Nils väg 23, in Stäket, on the way to Kungsängen.’

Joona pulls over to the side of the road and lets the lorry behind him drive past. Snow is blowing off the back.

‘Send a patrol to the address,’ Joona says, then does a U-turn.

The front right wheel goes up on the kerb, the car’s suspension lurches and the glove compartment pops open.

He’s trying not to think too far ahead, but his speed is increasing the whole time. He ignores the red traffic lights, races through the junction and onto the roundabout. By the time he reaches the slip road to the motorway he’s already going at a hundred and sixty kilometres an hour.

Route 267 is covered in snow, and the car leaves a great white cloud behind it. Joona overtakes an old Volvo and the tyres roll softly over the ridge of snow between the carriageways. He turns the headlights on full-beam and the deserted road becomes a tunnel with a black roof over a white floor. To begin with he drives through a landscape of fields, where the snow takes on a blue tone in the deepening darkness, then the road passes through thick forest until the lights of Stäket are flickering ahead of him and the landscape opens up towards Lake Mälaren.

What’s happened to the psychiatrist’s family?

Joona brakes and turns right, driving into a small residential area with snow-covered fruit trees and rabbit hutches on the lawns in front of the houses.

The weather’s been getting worse, and the snow is blowing in from the lake, thick and slanting.

Biskop Nils väg 23 is one of the last houses; beyond it there’s nothing but forest and rough ground.

Susanne Hjälm’s home is a large white villa with pale-blue shutters at the windows and a red tiled roof.

All the windows are unlit, and the driveway is thick with untouched snow.

Joona stops just beyond the house and barely has time to put the handbrake on before the patrol car from Upplands-Bro police pulls up a short distance away.

Joona gets out of the car, grabbing his coat and scarf from the back seat, and walks over to his uniformed colleagues as he does his coat up.