Page 47 of Hidden in Memories
“Or because the perpetrator touched it,” Hanna interrupts.
“Exactly.”
“Maybe he stole the card earlier?” Hanna seems to be thinking out loud. “If there was already a card in the holder, and he managed to grab it when Charlotte wasn’t there ...”
Daniel understands where she’s going. “We’ll check it out with the hotel.”
There’s a whole series of questions he wants answers to when they return to Copperhill. Apart from the key card, he also wants to investigate possible escape routes, how the killer got away from the scene of the crime without being noticed.
He shuffles uncomfortably on his chair.
The meeting has been going on for an hour and a half. He has things to do; he needs to get on. Anton also seems restless; he is sitting with his arms folded, jiggling his knee up and down. He has already said that he intends to go to the council offices in Järpen to speak to Bengt Hedin as soon as they’re done.
“One last thing,” Raffe says. “We’ve heard from a guest who was staying in the suite on the fifth floor, directly below Charlotte. He has a small child, and happened to be awake late. He says he heard a thud from the room above at around midnight, maybe also a faint scream, but he couldn’t swear to that. He thought the guest must have dropped something heavy on the floor. Then there was silence, and he fell asleep soon after.”
Grip nods. “That fits in with the pathologist’s estimated time of death.”
Midnight. Daniel suppresses a shudder. So the attack happened when the victim was presumably already sleeping.
She went to bed in the belief that she was safe.
Then along came the intruder.
35
There are significantly fewer cars in the parking lot today when Hanna pulls up by the entrance.
Hardly surprising,she thinks. No doubt there have been plenty of cancelations in the wake of the murder. People in the area are afraid, and the murder in Åre has made the national news.
She pushes aside the thought, she doesn’t want to lose focus. As a police officer it is easy to feel the pressure to solve the crime right away. That’s their responsibility. But one thing at a time—they can’t simply conjure up a perpetrator.
Only a few guests are sitting on the chocolate-brown velvet sofas in the foyer when Hanna and Daniel walk in. Espen Lund is waiting at reception. He is talking to a female member of staff, but breaks off as soon as he sees them.
Hanna takes the lead. “We have a few questions about your key cards. We need to double-check a couple of things, and we also need to speak to one of your receptionists.”
Espen looks around anxiously. He pushes back his hair from his forehead, and says quietly, “Maybe we could go somewhere more private? I’d appreciate it if you could be discreet.”
He beckons a tall man who is busy piling suitcases onto a luggage trolley. Hanna recognizes him—he’s the guy who told her about Paul Lehto yesterday. She tries to catch his eye, but he won’t look at her. Presumably he is uneasy at having revealed sensitive information about a colleague. She assumes he doesn’t want to risk being questioned again in front of his boss.
She can respect that.
“Erik, do you know if anyone is using conference room C4?” Espen asks.
“No, it’s supposed to be empty all morning.”
“Thanks—that’s where I’ll be if anyone needs me.”
The manager leads the way up a wide staircase and into an airy room on the western side of the building. There is a podium at the front, with rows of chairs set out.
“This is where Charlotte was supposed to be holding her press conference on Monday,” he explains.
Hanna understands why she chose this particular room. The view from the windows captures the Jämtland mountains perfectly. It’s like a painting in different nuances of white, a composition of snow, ice, and frozen moments.
The early spring sunshine is so bright that it creates a sparkling halo around the Åre valley. The view seems to go on forever.
“Isn’t it odd that Charlotte wanted to meet the press in your hotel?” Hanna asks, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. “Isn’t that”—she pauses briefly—“fraternizing with the enemy?”
She tried to ask Espen about this when they first met, but he avoided answering. Now he frowns, as if he finds the allegation insulting.
