Page 37 of Hidden in Memories
“They seem to have had good contacts on the council,” Anton replies, taking a swig. “Apparently Bengt Hedin, the chair of the planning committee, gave the project his personal backing.”
Hanna remembers that Hedin was supposed to have been participating in Monday’s press conference—she’d read about it earlier.
“I was thinking of checking him out,” Anton adds, putting down the bottle. “I’ll go over to Järpen first thing tomorrow and have a chat with him.”
Time to change the subject. Grip flicks through her papers and looks up.
“How about the CCTV cameras at the hotel? Any luck there?”
A younger colleague in Östersund shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. It turns out they have hardly any cameras. The few they do have aren’t working. They wanted to put up cameras by the staff exit a couple of years ago, but they weren’t allowed for reasons of integrity.”
Hanna groans silently. She understands that there are arguments in favor of regulation, but in this case a single functioning camera would have been a big help. She holds up her hand to indicate that she has something to say, and tells the team about the Facebook group she found.
“We need to look into that,” Grip says. “I’ll ask IT to track down the administrator, see what they can find out.”
It is almost four o’clock and Hanna is getting hungry. She wishes she’d brought a snack, like Anton. The hot dog she had for lunch didn’t really cut it.
“Anything else before we finish?” Grip asks.
“We’ve checked Espen Lund’s alibi for Sunday,” says one of the investigators in Östersund. “There are witnesses who can confirm that he was at home in Undersåker from 5:00 p.m. that day. His brother-in-law and sister-in-law were visiting, and it was a late night—they didn’t leave until after midnight.”
At least we can eliminate him from our inquiries,Hanna thinks. Which is something at least.
Grip looks around.
“So to summarize: We have a hugely expensive hotel project, the profitability of which is dubious. We have the murder of the individual who was most passionate about the project, a reluctant fellow investor, and possibly a secret lover. And there may be questions regarding the planning permission.” She pauses. “Have I missed anything?”
No one has any suggestions.
The meeting comes to an end, and Hanna stays where she is as Anton and Raffe leave the room. She is still brooding over Henry Sylvester’s involvement in Storlien.
Daniel has stood up, but notices that she hasn’t moved. “What is it?”
She weighs her pen in her hand while she works out what to say.
“I just don’t understand why Henry agreed to invest. The amount of money is staggering. If he owned thirty percent of the company, we’re talking about huge sums, even if the majority should have been financed through loans.”
Daniel leans on the table while Hanna continues her train of thought.
“A commitment of three to five hundred million is a hell of a lot, even for a businessman on his level.”
Daniel seems to understand.
“So why don’t we go back to the hotel and have another chat with Henry Sylvester?” he suggests.
29
When Hanna and Daniel walk into the foyer at Copperhill, a woman in her early thirties is at reception. Daniel goes over to ask about Henry, and Hanna notices that she asks to see his police ID before she answers.
Sharp lady.
It seems that the receptionist needs permission from her boss before she can give out the information, which will take a few minutes. Hanna sits down on one of the sofas by the fireplace.
While she is waiting she can’t help glancing up at the sixth floor, where Charlotte’s body was found. From here it’s impossible to see anything except the colossal copper wall reflecting the sun. Even from this angle, diagonally below, the corridor leading to the Silver Suite is well hidden.
A hotel employee would have known that.
A man wearing a shirt with the hotel logo approaches Hanna, looking hesitant. According to his badge his name is Erik, and he works in the concierge department.
