Page 36 of Hidden in Memories
Hanna nods. This fits with what Henry told them yesterday. He admitted he’d never had anything to do with the hotel industry. What was it he’d said when they asked why he’d gone along with Charlotte’s plans?
That it wasn’t easy to say no to her.
Which still doesn’t explain why he got involved with a high-risk project that contradicts his usual business strategy.
Hanna wonders if Charlotte had some kind of hold over him, something that meant he was more or less forced into the investment.
From the little she has read about him, she knows that Henry is a year or so younger than the victim, fifty-five, and single. He has three grown-up sons from a previous marriage. During the last decade he seems to have made a habit of going out with significantly younger women who all look the same. He is very rich, and has an apartment on Strandvägen in Stockholm, one of the capital’s most desirable addresses.
The description of Henry is something of a cliché, but one thing stands out. He has publicly stated that after his death, the lion’s share of his fortune will go to a foundation he has started in order to keep the Baltic Sea clean, and to combat the destruction of the environment.
A wealthy man with a conscience, in other words. Someone who wants to use his millions to make a difference.
To be honest, Hanna is finding it difficult to form a clear perception of Henry Sylvester. He seems to be a man with contradictory qualities. On the one hand he is a philanthropist, on the other a hardheaded businessman. He comes across as willing to cooperate, but it is impossible to penetrate beneath the surface.
He also seems to be a thoughtful godfather to Filip, although he failed to mention their relationship yesterday.
What else has he chosen to keep to himself?
“Anyway,” Raffe continues, “Henry Sylvester’s company owns thirty percent of the Storlien company, Charlotte twenty-five, and the rest is divided between various investors.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Grip wants to know.
“In total we’re looking at between three and five hundred million kronor.”
A collective gasp sweeps through the meeting.
“Are you kidding?” Hanna says. “That’s unbelievable—for a hotel in a place like Storlien.”
Raffe looks pleased, as if he was looking forward to their reaction.
“There was a piece about the sale in the local paper,” Anton says. “The owners had been trying to sell for quite a while, although at the time it sounded as if they were only asking twenty million.”
Grip joins in. “I think it was sold for over three hundred million ten years ago.”
“That’s right,” Raffe confirms. “But then the complex was bought back after three years because the buyer at the time hadn’t secured the investments that had been agreed to in the contract.”
“And then it was put on the market for a pathetic twenty million?” Hanna says.
“Correct. But the problem isn’t the purchase price; it’s all the rest that burns money. It’s a huge construction project, and the demolition costs alone are astronomical,” Anton explains.
“Demolition? Won’t there be anything left?” Daniel asks.
Raffe holds up a photograph of the mountain hotel, showing five rectangular buildings in a snowy landscape. Hanna recognizes it from the Facebook page she visited earlier. The picture was taken in brilliant sunshine against a clear blue sky, but even though the image was obviously intended to show the hotel to its best advantage, it looks dated. There is a kind of tired 1960s vibe about the place.
“The current hotel consists of a main building and four attached annexes,” Raffe explains. “I spoke to the site supervisor, who told me that most of it is very run down, with seventies or eighties standards. You can imagine—dirty carpets, peeling wallpaper, bathrooms that would need replacing, and so on. It would need a huge amount of renovation.”
Hanna is impressed by the amount of information Raffe and Anton have come up with in such a short time.
“So the plan is to flatten the whole lot?” Daniel says.
Anton nods. “Seems that way. It would cost far more to renovate than to demolish, if I’ve understood correctly. And they have soaring ambitions. Charlotte had engaged an overseas architect who is known for his spectacular buildings.”
“You should see the drawings in the planning application we got from the council,” Raffe adds. “Enormous windows, dramatic lines. I’ve never seen anything like it. With that kind of vision, you’d have to start again from square one.”
Anton reaches into his bag and gets out a bottle containing something green. He is a fitness fanatic, and often brings in protein drinks and homemade smoothies. The smell of raw spinach and broccoli spreads through the room when he unscrews the cap.
“I don’t understand how they got permission,” Daniel says.
