Unknown by Mari Jungstedt Read Free Book Online

shots in the best way she knew how. That was exactly how he wanted a cameraperson to work. The danger of worrying about offending the police was that you could start being too considerate. Then the focus shifted from looking out for the best interests of the viewers to staying on good terms with the authorities. That was not at all where he wanted to end up. He was aware that he had to look out for himself. The irritation that had flared up inside him gave way to gratitude. Pia was a damn good camerawoman.
    When she was finished, they stopped by the nearby farms. No one was willing to be interviewed. Johan suspected that they'd all been given instructions by the police. Just as they had decided to give up and were about to drive off, a boy about ten or eleven came walking along the road. Johan rolled down the window.
    "Hi! My name is Johan, and this is Pia. We work for the TV station, and we've been here filming the pasture where the horse was killed. Did you hear anything about what happened?"
    "Of course I did," said the boy. "I live right over there."
    He nodded at the road behind them.
    "Do you know the girls who found the horse?"
    "A little. But they don't live here. They're just visiting their grandmother and grandfather."
    "Do you know where their house is?"
    "Yes, it's right nearby. I can show you."
    The boy declined their offer to let him ride along in their car. He led the way down the road, and they drove behind at a snail's pace.
    They quickly reached the home of the girls' grandparents.
    A well-trimmed hedge surrounded the house, and outside sat the two girls on a big rock, dangling their legs.
    Johan introduced himself and Pia, who was right behind him.
    "We're not allowed to talk to reporters," said Agnes. "That's what Grandpa said."
    "Why are you sitting out here?" asked Johan, ignoring her comment.
    "No reason. We were thinking of picking some flowers for Mamma and Pappa. They'll be here tonight."
    "How lovely for you," said Pia sympathetically. "After such an awful thing happened. I can't understand how anyone could do something like that to a horse. To such an innocent animal. And he was so adorable, a real sweetheart from what I heard."
    "The world's sweetest horse, that's what he was. The world's most adorable pony..."
    Agnes's voice faded away.
    "What was his name?"
    "Pontus," said the girls in unison.
    "We're going to do our best to help out so that the police will catch the person who did this. I promise you," Pia went on. "Was it horrible when you found him?"
    "It was disgusting," said Agnes. "The whole head was gone."
    "I wish we'd never gone into that pasture," added Sofie.
    "Now wait a minute—just think about it. You were the ones who went in, and it was actually a very good thing that you did, because otherwise it might have taken much longer before Pontus...Was that his name?"
    The girls nodded.
    "Otherwise it might have taken much longer before Pontus was found, and for the police it's really important to investigate these sorts of matters as quickly as possible."
    Agnes looked at Pia in surprise.
    "I guess that's right. We didn't think about it like that," she said, looking relieved. Sofie also looked happier.
    Johan pondered for a few seconds the appropriateness of interviewing such young girls without first obtaining permission from their parents. He was always particularly cautious about interviewing children. This was a borderline case. He decided not to interfere. He would let Pia carry on with the conversation.
    "Our job, mine and Johan's," said Pia in a soft voice, "is to make TV reports when something like this happens. We'd like to be able to give the viewers a story, but of course we would never force anyone to be on TV. Although it's best when we have eyewitnesses who can describe what happened, because that might prompt other people to come forward with tips for the police. We think that if people watching TV saw the two of you talking about how you found Pontus, they'd be more