Unspoken

beginning of the end for everyone involved.
    No one had any doubts that Leif was the perpetrator. It was his fingerprints that had been found in Dahlström’s darkroom, in his apartment, and on the murder weapon. His hair and saliva were on Dahlström’s clothes, and on Fanny’s.
    Several weeks had now passed since that fateful day out at Gnisvärd, which had ended with Leif perishing in the flames. The reason for the powerful explosion was the cylinders of gas that were kept in the storeroom next to the sauna. They could have blown up the boathouse, too; only a few yards separated the two buildings. A nasty chill spread through Knutas’s body as he thought that his friend of twenty years might have been planning to blow him up. And what about Karin? The thought was inconceivable, but it was just as unbelievable that Leif could have murdered two people.
    Leif’s remains had been found in the ashes under the burned-out sauna. Whether he had committed suicide, they would never know. Knutas’s thoughts turned again to Ingrid and the children. What sort of life was in store for them after all this? Was it even possible for them to go on?
    And Fanny—she was just a child. Knutas felt a deep sorrow when he thought about the fourteen-year-old girl. She hadn’t even had a chance to begin her adult life. At the same time he was weighed down by feelings of guilt. He wondered how much his friendship with Leif had interfered, and to what extent it had blinded him. He was fully aware that in his position as head of the homicide team, he was ultimately responsible for the investigation.
    Outside the chapel the local press had gathered along with a number of curiosity seekers. Knutas declined to answer any questions. He slipped away and stared out at the horizon.
    Three seagulls were flying low over the surface of the water. The sea was unusually still, and the new year had begun.
    THE END

AUTHOR’S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    This story is entirely a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters in the book and real individuals is unintentional. Occasionally I’ve taken the liberty of changing certain things to suit the narrative. This includes the TV news division of Swedish TV on Gotland, which is very much alive, although in the book it has been closed down so that the responsibility for Gotland was moved to Stockholm. I have done this simply in order to tell the story in my own way. I have the greatest admiration for the existing team in Visby and for Swedish TV’s regional news program Östnytt, which is responsible for covering Gotland in real life.
    Any errors that may have slipped into the book are solely my own.
    First and foremost, I want to thank my husband, the journalist Cenneth Niklasson, who is my greatest inspiration, my biggest supporter, and my most persistent critic.
    Many thanks also to:
    Gösta Svensson, former detective superintendent of the Visby police for his invaluable assistance with the police work.
    Johan Gardelius and Bo Ekedahl, crime techs, the Visby police.
    Martin Csatlos, the forensic medicine laboratory in Solna.
    Neng Wanlayaphol, trotting-horse trainer, Visby Racetrack.
    Mats Wihlborg, district prosecutor, Visby.
    Jenny Ingårda and Eva Waltré, BRIS—Children’s Rights in Society.
    Il-nam Kroon, social worker.
    Mikaela Säfvenberg, archaeologist and authorized guide, Gotland.
    My mother, Kerstin, and my sister Ewa Jungstedt for their assistance on research trips to Gotland.
    Tove Wiklander—for her constant positive support during our speed walks.
    I would also like to give a warm thank-you to my publisher, Jonas Axelsson, for his faith in me, and to my editor, Ulrika Åkerlund, for all her help with this book.
    And to my advance readers for their valuable opinions:
    Anna-Maja Persson, journalist, Swedish TV.
    Lena Allerstam, journalist, Swedish TV.
    Lilian Andersson, editor, Bonniers Educational Books.
    Bosse Jungstedt, my brother, and Kerstin Jungstedt, my sister-in-law.
    Last, but not least, thanks to my beloved children, Rebecka and Sebastian Jungstedt, for their good humor, love, encouragement, and genuine patience with their mother’s writing.
    Älta, July 2004
    Mari Jungstedt

About the Author
    Mari Jungstedt has worked as a radio and television journalist for fourteen years. This is her second novel in a series set on the island of Gotland off the coast of Sweden. She lives in Stockholm with her family. Her first novel, Unseen , and the third novel in the series, Unknown