Part 40 (1/2)

'It's probably best if you carry on talking to him,' she says.

'I can do that, but-'

'What do you need to make progress?' Margot says.

'That's your decision.'

'We're still trying to hold the media at bay, even if our press officer doesn't think that's sustainable any more,' Adam says.

'It's just that ... We have no idea how the serial killer will react to a load of publicity,' Margot says. 'He might simply vanish, or-'

'So we need to move fast,' Adam says.

'You can have some pictures of the victims to show Rocky,' she says. 'We've done a perpetrator profile, and I can tell you about his modus operandi and specific characteristics.'

'Will you be including any fake information?'

'Of course,' she says.

'As long as I know,' Erik says.

Margot takes a deep breath, then begins to describe the killer's methods and choice of victim.

'So far it's been women who are alone in their homes,' she says quietly. 'First he films them through a window, then he plans his attack, and then, once he's decided to murder them ...'

'He sends the video to us,' Adam says, in a heavy voice. 'The killer finds his murder weapon at the scene and always leaves it behind.'

He leans over and takes three photographs out of his case, and puts them on the table, picture-side down.

'As soon as you've shown these to Rocky, we need you to destroy them.'

Erik looks at the back of the pictures, which are inscribed with the names of the victims: Maria Carlsson, Susanna Kern, Sandra Lundgren.

'Sandra Lundgren?' Erik says, turning the picture over and gasping.

'What is it?' Margot asks.

'She's a patient of ours ... G.o.d ... She's dead?'

'You knew her?'

69.

Erik's mouth is completely dry as he sits in the meeting room and stares at the large colour photograph. It's a recent picture, and he can see that Sandra is struggling to look happy. The light is reflecting off her gla.s.ses, but her green eyes are clearly visible. Her dark blonde hair is slightly longer, settling on her shoulders.

'G.o.d,' he repeats. 'She was in a car accident ... her boyfriend was killed and ... We were a bit late starting her treatment ... she was very badly depressed, survivor's guilt, kept having panic attacks ...'

'She was your patient?' Margot says slowly.

'To start with ... but one of my colleagues took over.'

'Why?'

He forces himself to tear his eyes from Sandra Lundgren's symmetrical face and looks up at Margot again.

'That often happens,' he tries to explain. 'It's to do with different stages of the treatment.'

He turns over the next photograph and his heart starts beating faster when he sees Maria Carlsson. He recognises her too. Before he met Jackie, he had a brief fling with Maria. She used to go to the same gym as him, they started walking to the bus stop together, went to the cinema, and slept together once. He remembers her pierced tongue, and the hoa.r.s.e laugh he found so attractive.

A sudden lump of discomfort makes it hard for him to breathe and he knows that if he hadn't taken a Mogadon earlier his hands would be shaking and he wouldn't be able to hide how upset he is.

'I ... I think I've seen her too, at the gym ... This feels a bit creepy,' he says, and tries to smile at Margot.

'Which gym do you go to?' Adam asks, taking out a notebook.

'SATS, on Mster Samuelsgatan,' he replies, and swallows hard, but the lump of anxiety keeps growing.

Adam looks at him with a blank expression.

'And you'd seen her there?' he says, pointing at the picture of Maria Carlsson.

'I've got a good memory for faces,' Erik says hollowly.

'It's a small world,' Margot says, without taking her eyes off him.

'Have you met Susanna Kern as well?' Adam asks, reaching for the last photograph.

'No,' Erik laughs.

But when Adam turns the picture he's sure he's seen her before somewhere. He doesn't know where. The name Susanna Kern meant nothing to him when he heard it, but he recognises her face.

Erik shakes his head and tries to make sense of this. He was brought in to talk to her husband after her murder. He hypnotised Bjrn Kern and went with him into his memories of the blood-soaked villa, but he never saw a picture of her.

'Are you sure?' Adam says, holding up the photograph.

'Yes,' Erik replies.

The picture of Susanna smiling folds back over Adam's hand. Erik takes it and looks at her face, then shakes his head as his mind races and the room shrinks around him.

He realises that he's on the verge of a panic attack. His mouth is getting drier, and he slowly puts both hands on his lap to stop them shaking.

'Tell me about ... about the perpetrator profile,' Erik says in a voice that sounds like it belongs to someone else.