Unwanted by Kristina Ohlsson Read Free Book Online Page A

But she suspected that in the police she was considered supercilious and far too formal.
    Fredrika briefly gave her own impression of Sara and her account of the events in Flemingsberg. She also explained what the files had turned up, and put forward her theory that Sara’s husband was still a big problem for her.
    It was Alex who spoke next, of course.
    ‘Have you talked to her ex-husband?’ he asked.
    ‘His name’s Gabriel, and technically they’re still married, so he’s not really her “ex-husband” but her husband,’ Fredrika began. ‘And no, I haven’t managed to get hold of him. He’s got a small house tucked away in a nice part of Östermalm. I got through to his mother just before the start of the meeting, and she said her son was on a business trip. She thought he’d be in Uppsala all day. I tried ringing, but his phone’s turned off. He had to be informed of what’s happened to his daughter, anyway, so I left a voicemail message.’
    ‘What’s his current situation? Does he live alone?’ asked Alex, jotting something down on his pad.
    ‘I haven’t had a chance to ask Sara or his mother yet. But I shall look into it, of course.’
    Alex pondered in silence. A father who had in all probability abused his ex-wife on numerous occasions, and was perhaps still doing so, was a very interesting person in a missing child investigation. The single most interesting person, in fact. Decades of police work supported that fundamental assumption.
    ‘What were the custody arrangements?’ he asked Fredrika, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
    ‘What Sara herself told me was that it hadn’t been a matter of dispute between them, but on the phone just now, the husband’s mother expressed concern that her son didn’t get to see Lilian more often. I got the impression that she, the grandmother, was well informed about her son’s daily life. She told me, for example, that the time he rang Sara a hundred times on one evening he was, as the grandmother put it, “beside himself with worry for the girl”. She claimed Sara had taken Lilian off on a short trip without telling Gabriel.’
    ‘So they had argued about the girl, in fact, at least earlier on,’ Alex said slowly. ‘Are there any grounds at all for suspecting that Sara Sebastiansson has been lying, and never was abused and harassed by her husband?’
    Fredrika gave an emphatic shake of the head.
    ‘No,’ she said, with some force. ‘I simply don’t see how that could be possible. Not when the injuries are so well documented.’
    ‘But isn’t there something fishy about this whole set-up?’ asked Peder, glancing at Alex, who nodded.
    ‘Yes, there’s something fishy all right. But I can’t quite put my finger on it.’
    He looked at Fredrika.
    ‘Have you spoken to Sara Sebastiansson about the abuse aspect?’
    ‘No, I didn’t see the reports until I got back here. But I’m going to see her later this evening and I’ll bring it up then.’
    A rattling sound filled the silence when Fredrika stopped talking. The ancient air conditioning made a lot of noise considering how little cool air it generated.
    ‘But even so,’ Peder persisted, with another look of entreaty at Alex. ‘The father’s got to be our hottest lead, if he really is such a bastard as Sara claims, that is.’
    Alex saw Fredrika’s face harden at Peder’s insinuation that Sara Sebastiansson might be lying to the police.
    ‘Definitely,’ he said. ‘Regardless of what Sara herself may think, the father is a main lead in this investigation until we have reason to write him off as uninteresting.’
    Fredrika felt relieved, and her shoulders relaxed a little. Alex had often thought how attractive she could be when she smiled and relaxed. Shame she didn’t do it more often, that was all.
    ‘Right,’ said Alex. ‘You said the girl’s mother had a new man. Is he of any interest?’
    ‘I haven’t got a definite ID on him yet. He’s called Anders