Page 107 of Hidden in Memories
He leans back, stretches out his left arm so that it rests on the decorative velvet cushions. Once again Hanna gets the feeling that he isn’t taking this particularly seriously.
“I said that mainly to get you here.” He gives her a disarming smile. “You’re an attractive woman. Single, I believe. Just like me.”
Hanna frowns. Has he lured her here under false pretenses? And had the nerve to check out her marital status?
She slams her notebook shut. There is no point in staying—this is a waste of time. He is toying with her, even though he knows she is in the middle of a case involving horrific crimes.
What a jerk.
And so is she, falling for the sentimental crap about taking care of his godson.
But something holds her back.
She really does want to hear more about Charlotte’s background. Henry is their best source, and she trusts her intuition—she believes he has valuable information. So instead of getting up to leave, she gives him a casual smile. He isn’t the only one who can play this game.
“You can think what you like. I’m here to work. And given that I’ve come all the way here, the least you can do is offer some information about your business partner.”
“I wanted to offer you champagne,” he says, elegantly turning her words back on her. His tone is amused, almost intimate. All hisattention is focused on her. Hanna shuffles uncomfortably—it’s been a long time since anyone looked at her like that.
Henry’s gaze is kind of hypnotic.
“Maybe you can do both.” She attempts to sound worldly wise. “Let’s talk about Charlotte; then we’ll see.”
“Ask away. I am at your disposal.”
Henry winks at her. She ought to be annoyed, but his indisputable charm is winning her over. She forces herself not to smile as she opens her notebook at a clean page and picks up her pen.
“Why do you think Charlotte was murdered?”
Henry’s face closes down. “Trust me, I really wish I knew the answer. What’s your theory?”
He has no idea that he has touched a sore point. The problem is that they don’t have a credible hypothesis at the moment, just a whole lot of loose strands leading in different directions.
Hanna is pretty sure that Charlotte overstepped the mark in her determination to push through the Storlien project. The question is whether that was the reason for her death.
Bengt Hedin seems to have had a motive to get rid of her, but the circumstances suggest that two people were involved—one instigator and one killer.
Hanna thinks Hedin might have been the brains behind the crime, perhaps in collaboration with Paul Lehto. But they can’t exclude the possibility that Lehto acted alone, that Charlotte’s murder was an impulsive act that had nothing to do with Hedin.
Lehto also has a history of harassing his ex-wife, which means he has a past that indicates violent tendencies.
On the other hand, the threatening text message exchange between Hedin and Charlotte is incriminating.
She can’t make the pieces fit together.
“Hanna?”
She realizes she was lost in her own thoughts. Henry is waiting for an answer.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a clear idea,” she admits. “That’s why I’m asking.”
Henry puts down his glass. She notices that he has beautiful hands. One is resting on his right thigh; he has long fingers with well-manicured nails.
Christian, her ex, had short, stubby fingers. She never learned to like them in the five years she and Christian lived together.
“Charlotte was a complicated person,” Henry begins. “As I’m sure you’ve realized. She didn’t always make herself popular; she often came across as extremely goal oriented when she wanted something.”
This matches the impression Hanna has formed of the dead woman. Charlotte wasn’t especially likable. Then again, driven women who work in the top echelons of the business world are often painted as ice-cold bitches. It is no secret that women are judged more harshly than men in public contexts. Hanna isn’t surprised that Charlotte has been described as someone who would stick at nothing to achieve her goals.
