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was. If it wasn’t, my brain has suffered a major short-circuit. That’s why I asked you if you’ve ever been afraid you were going crazy.”
    â€œBut why would he come back now, after twenty-four years? Why would he turn up in Malmö and look at you through a hotel window—how did he know you were there?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Anna got up again, making the same journey to the window and back.

    â€œSometimes I wonder if he really disappeared at all. Maybe he just chose to make himself invisible.”
    â€œBut why would he have done that?”
    â€œBecause he wasn’t up to it, to life. I don’t mean just his responsibilities for me or my mom. He was probably looking for something more. That search drove him away from us. Or perhaps he was only trying to get away from himself. There are people who dream about being like a snake, about changing their skin from time to time. But maybe he’s been here all along, much closer than I realized.”
    â€œYou wanted me to listen to you and then tell you what I thought. You say you’re sure it was him, but I can’t accept it. It’s too close to a childhood fantasy, that he would suddenly turn back up in your life. I’m sorry, but twenty-four years is too long.”
    â€œI know it was him. It was my dad. I’m not wrong about this.”
    They had reached an impasse. Linda sensed that Anna wanted to be left alone now, just as she had earlier craved some company.
    â€œI think you should tell your mom,” Linda said as she got up to leave. “Tell her that you saw him, or someone you thought was him.”
    â€œYou still don’t believe me?”
    â€œWhat I believe is neither here nor there. You’re the only one who knows what you saw. But you have to admit it sounds far-fetched. I’m not saying that I think you’re making it up; obviously you have no reason to. I’m just saying it’s very unusual for a person who’s been gone as long as your dad has to turn up again, that’s all. Sleep on it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow. I can come by around five—is that good for you?”
    â€œI know it was him.”
    Linda frowned. There was something in Anna’s voice that sounded shrill and hollow. Is she making it up after all? Linda thought. There’s something that doesn’t ring true in all of this. But why would she lie to me?
    Â 
    Linda walked home through the deserted town. Some teenagers were standing in a group outside the movie theater on Stora Östergatan. She wondered if they could see her invisible uniform.

6
    The following day Anna Westin disappeared without a trace. Linda immediately knew that something was wrong when she rang Anna’s doorbell at five o’clock and no one answered. She rang the bell a few more times and shouted Anna’s name through the mail slot, but still no one answered. After thirty minutes Linda took out a set of passkeys that a fellow student had given her. He had bought a collection of them on a trip to the United States and given them out to all his friends. In secret they had then spent a number of hours learning how to use them. By now Linda was proficient with any standard lock.
    She picked Anna’s lock without difficulty and walked in. She toured the empty, well-kept rooms. Nothing seemed amiss; the dishes were done and the dish towels hanging neatly on the rack. Anna was orderly by nature. What had happened? Linda sat down on the sofa in the same spot as the night before. Anna believes she saw her father, she thought. And now she disappears herself. Of course these two events are connected—but how? Linda sat for a long time, ostensibly trying to think it through, but in reality she was simply waiting for Anna to come back.
    Â 
    The day had started early for Linda. She had left for the police station at seven-thirty in order to meet with Martinsson, one of Kurt Wallander’s