The Disappeared Read Online Free Page A

arranged to meet Rebecca that evening. No one had seen her. Until now – if it was Rebecca’s body in those plastic bags.
    The discovery had been made on the outskirts of Midsommarkransen. Was there anyone in the original investigation who had a connection with that part of the city? It was a long shot, but worth checking.
    The case had been short on suspects. The analysis of Rebecca’s mobile phone traffic had been of no help; the last link to a mast merely confirmed that she had been in the vicinity of Radiohuset, after which all activity ceased. They hadn’t managed to find any enemies, but that didn’t necessarily mean they didn’t exist. Rebecca’s mother had mentioned a dispute with a colleague at the swimming baths, but that particular trail had quickly gone cold. The colleague had reacted with surprise, referring to the argument as nothing more than a trifle. In addition, he had had an alibi for the evening when Rebecca was reported missing.
    Peder stopped in his tracks. Who misses a single girl the same evening she disappears? The first report showed that a male friend had called the police at eleven o’clock that night. Rebecca hadn’t turned up at the party as agreed, and she wasn’t answering her phone. The reaction from the police had been cool to begin with. Her parents were contacted as a matter of routine, but they hadn’t heard from her either. Her mother hadn’t been worried at first; her daughter was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. By two o’clock, the situation had changed. According to her mother, Rebecca still hadn’t been in touch with any of her friends, and her phone was switched off. Early in the morning, she was officially logged as missing, and the investigation was under way.
    The person who had first called the police was one Håkan Nilsson. Why the police rather than Rebecca’s parents? Perhaps he didn’t know them. But why didn’t he wait? Why was he worried? Peder flicked through one document after another. Håkan Nilsson had gone out of his way to assist the police throughout the investigation: a friend who thought her disappearance was terrible, and wanted to help out. But why had Nilsson been more helpful than any of Rebecca’s other friends? He had printed posters, given an interview to the student newspaper. He kept on saying that ‘we’ were concerned, but there was no indication as to who ‘we’ might be.
    Peder decided to mention it to Alex. He opened the database of residential addresses on the computer and ran a quick check on Håkan Nilsson. He had previously lived in the same student hostel as Rebecca, and his current address was Tellusgatan. In Hägersten. Which was in Midsommarkransen.
    Peder stared at the screen. If it really was Rebecca Trolle in those plastic bags, then Håkan Nilsson had some explaining to do.
    When Fredrika Bergman knocked on Alex’s door, he was slumped in his chair, his brow deeply furrowed. Fredrika had seen him only a few times since he was widowed, and she could have wept when she saw how much he had aged in just a few months. Although it went against the grain to admit it, she had noticed the same thing with Spencer. Both men had recently gone through difficult times, which had left their mark. She forced herself to smile.
    ‘Fredrika,’ Alex said as soon as he saw her.
    His face broke into a warm smile that put her at ease. After a brief hesitation he got up and came around the desk to give her a hug. Strong arms around her body; she felt herself blushing.
    ‘How’s it going?’ she asked.
    Alex shrugged. ‘Not too bad,’ he replied.
    They sat down.
    ‘How’s your daughter?’
    ‘Saga’s fantastic. She’s almost walking.’
    ‘That’s early, isn’t it?’
    ‘Not really; she’ll soon be one.’
    Fredrika glanced around the room. He had several photographs on the wall behind him. Photographs of his family. Of the wife who no longer existed.
    Life’s a bitch and then you die.
    ‘We were talking about