Free Dark Secrets by Michael Hjorth Page B

age. I just can’t understand how anyone could…” Ann-Charlotte didn’t finish the sentence. She sat down again. Vanja opened her notebook and jotted down “previous school—bullying.” Then she turned to Lisa, who was shoveling a spoonful of yogurt and muesli into her mouth.
    “If we could just go back to the Friday when he went missing. Can you tell me what you did—if anything in particular happened when Roger was here—everything you can remember, however ordinary or insignificant it might seem.”
    Lisa took her time; she finished chewing and swallowed before answering Vanja, her gaze steady.
    “I’ve already done that. With the other police officer.”
    “Yes, but as I said, I need to hear it as well. What time did he get here?”
    “Sometime after five. Half past, maybe.” Lisa looked to her mother for help.
    “Closer to half past,” Ann-Charlotte supplied. “Erik and I had to be somewhere at six, and we were just on our way out when Roger arrived.” Vanja nodded and made a note.
    “And what did you do while he was here?”
    “We were in my room. We did a bit of homework that had to be in on Monday, then we made some tea and watched
Let’s Dance
. He left shortly before ten.”
    “Did he say where he was going then?”
    Lisa shrugged her shoulders once more.
    “Home, he said. He wanted to know who got voted off the show, and they don’t tell you until after the news and the ads.”
    “And who did get voted off?”
    Vanja saw the spoon pause on its way to Lisa’s mouth with another load of yogurt and muesli. Not for long. It was almost imperceptible, but still: the hesitation was there. Vanja had been only making small talk, a way of breaking the atmosphere of an interrogation. But the question had taken Lisa by surprise, Vanja was sure of it. Lisa carried on eating.
    “I dode—doe—”
    “Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Ann-Charlotte interrupted. Lisa fell silent. She chewed mechanically, her gaze fixed on Vanja the whole time. Was she buying time? Why didn’t she answer before she shoved the spoon in her mouth? Vanja waited. Lisa chewed. And swallowed.
    “I don’t know. I didn’t watch after the news.”
    “What dances did they do? Do you remember that?” Lisa’s expression darkened. The questions were annoying her, for some reason. Vanja was sure of it.
    “I don’t know what they were called. We weren’t watching that closely. We were chatting and reading and listening to music and so on. Flicking through the channels.”
    “I don’t see how the content of a television program can be of any importance when it comes to finding whoever killed Roger,” Ann-Charlotte broke in. She put the cup down in front of her with a slightly irritated bang. Vanja turned to face her with a smile.
    “It isn’t. I was just making conversation.” She turned back to Lisa, still smiling. Lisa didn’t smile back. She met Vanja’s eyes with a stubborn expression on her face.
    “Did Roger mention anything that might have been worrying him during the course of the evening?”
    “No.”
    “No phone calls? No texts he didn’t want to talk about, or that he got upset about?”
    “No.”
    “He wasn’t behaving differently, didn’t seem to find it difficult to concentrate, nothing like that?”
    “No.”
    “And he didn’t say he was going to see anyone else when he left you at… about ten o’clock, was that what you said?”
    Lisa gazed at Vanja. Who was she trying to trip up? She knew perfectly well that Lisa had said Roger left at ten. She was testing her. To see if she would contradict herself. But there was no chance of that. Lisa was well rehearsed.
    “Yes, he left at ten and, no, he said he was going home to see who had been knocked out.” Lisa reached for the bread basket and took a slice of whole-wheat. Ann-Charlotte chipped in again.
    “But she’s already told you all this. I don’t understand why she has to answer the same questions over and over again. Don’t you