“Can I make a note of your address and phone number?” said Josefsson.

There were the sirens again. It sounded as if they were heading east. Chasing the robbers. A couple of thugs from one of the ghettos north of the town, drugged up to the eyeballs. Dangerous as hell.

“OK, thank you very much,” he said, his mind miles away, and hung up. He made his handwriting clearer in a couple of places, then put the page to one side, ready for keying into the computer. Later on he’d put his notes into the file, if he got around to it. Filed under… what? Nothing had happened. A crime waiting to be committed?

There were other things that had already happened, were happening right now.

The phone on his desk rang again, phones were ringing all over the station. Sirens outside, coming from the south. He could see the flashing blue light on the other side of the street, whirling around and around as if the officers in the patrol car were about to take off and fly over to where all the action was.

Jakob, the student, was conscious but very groggy and in a world of his own. Ringmar by his side, wondering what had happened and how. There were flowers on the bedside table. Jakob was not alone in this world.

Somebody entered the ward behind Ringmar. Could that be a flash of recognition in Jakob’s eye? Ringmar turned around.

“They said it was alright for me to come in,” said the girl, with a bunch of flowers in her hand. She seemed to be about the same age as his own daughter. Maybe they know each other, he thought, getting to his feet as she walked over to the bed, gave Jakob a cautious little hug, and then put the flowers down on the table. Jakob’s eyes were closed now; he’d probably nodded off again.

“Even more flowers,” she said, and Ringmar could see that she would have liked to take a look at the card with the other bouquet but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She turned to face him.