What safer place than in the centre of town, surrounded by people?

Liz glared at Leo. “How is it that the journalist Denny’s got his passport back and we’re still here? That’s not very fair.” “I don’t know anything about his passport,” Leo said, tugging at his hair. “Maybe the press didn’t have to surrender theirs.” But the police hadn’t let the press leave. They were around when Harry was murdered, so they were now marooned like the rest of us.

Liz’s glare had intensified. “Look, Leo, Denny can’t possibly have left the hotel without his passport, so he must have had it returned. Either that or he’s still here somewhere.”

“He had more than one,” Jane said timidly. We stared at her.

“From the way he said it, I think at least one of them was a forgery.” She smiled nervously, as though this were somehow her fault.

“He bragged about being able to get out of trouble faster than he got into it.”

Mike grinned. “The sly dog. But in this case I don’t think it’s trouble that’s made him do a runner. He’s legged it to avoid paying his bar bill. I saw how much he put away.”

Investigations

He shook his head. “That man’s got Irish blood in him somewhere.”

“About our passports, Leo,” Liz said wearily, “is there really nothing you can do to persuade the Inspector to let us go home? He can’t keep us here much longer.

“Murder investigations can go on for months, can’t they? What about all that awful paperwork he’ll have to keep filling out if we stay?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that. When I next see the Inspector, I’ll put the question to him.”

“Do you know how far they’ve got with catching Harry’s killer?” said Mike.

“We may learn something at the next press release.”

“Which will be when?” Liz said, running a hand over her hair.

“Can’t tell you, I’m afraid.” Leo glanced at his watch. “Sorry, but I’ve got to run.”

After they’d gone, Mike said: “Well then, ladies? This afternoon?”

“I need to go into Kiruna to the coroner’s office,” Liz said. “There are some final things that need doing.” It was Liz who’d been dealing with the paperwork over Harry’s body. “But they must be closed on a Sunday?” Mike said. “They told me they’d open the office. I rather think they want to get it over with as quickly as I do. They gave me a time, 4.30pm.

“I thought of going now and doing a spot of shopping. What about you, Mags? How are you feeling?”

They were watching me.

“Look, you don’t need to keep tiptoeing round me,” I said. “We should make an effort. It’s what Harry would have wanted. So tonight we’re going to see the play. The Scottish play.”

There was an awkward pause. “And Kiruna, Mags? Is that something you’d like to do?”

I was tired and about to decline when I remembered Hallengren’s warning about not being alone. What safer place than in the centre of town, surrounded by people?

“Let’s go,” I said firmly. “Now.”

She looked surprised at this show of assertiveness. “Fine, then, we can take the courtesy bus. Are you coming, Mike?”

He was peeling an orange. “I’ll give it a miss, I think.” A slow smile spread across his face. “I know what it’s like when girls go shopping.”

“What are you going to do instead?” I asked lightly. He was arranging the orange segments into a star pattern. “I haven’t decided. I went ice climbing this morning. I may try snowshoeing, then I can cross it off my list of winter sports.”

“Let’s go then, Mags.” Liz drained her espresso. “We’ll need snowsuits.”

At the mention of snowsuits, I glanced at the black suit draped across Mike’s chair. He saw me looking and stared back silently, eating the orange segments, one by one.

Magnificent

We were leaving the Excelsior when I saw the notice.

“Liz, there’s another aurora tonight.” I scanned the text. “It’s supposed to be magnificent. The best yet.”

“You really can’t be serious, Mags. After your escapade last night, do you think anyone will let you back on to that river?”

“Pity there’s nowhere else.”

“Can’t you watch it from your window?”

“The trees get in the way.” I gazed at the photograph of the ice-cream colours swirling into the velvet sky.

“There’s the church tower,” she said hesitantly. “It’s awfully high. But think of the view.” She shook her head firmly. “It’s out of the question, though.”

“Too right. Only a lunatic would climb up there when there’s an axe murderer running loose.”

I took her arm. “Come on. Let’s go to Kiruna.” A queue had formed at the bus stop; the cancelled excursions and the realisation that this might be the last opportunity for shopping must have accounted for Kiruna’s sudden popularity.

Jonas and his friends were there, dressed in black, larking about and shoving each other. They wore ski masks but there was no mistaking their voices. I pulled my hood up and turned away, not wanting them to see me.

The bus dropped us at the park on the outskirts of town. Kiruna had been built on several hills, a strange decision for a town snowbound for most of the year.

The trees had been brushed clean and strings of fat lanterns, like miniature Cinderella carriages, hung from the branches.

A shock

I studied the map; the quickest way to the centre was through the park itself. We found the exit, clinging to each other, losing our footing despite the tread in our snow-boots.

After a while, we came to a residential area. “We’ve gone wrong somewhere,” I said, scrutinising the map. “We should be in town by now.”

I swung round to get my bearings and saw a figure in a black snowsuit step smartly out of sight.

Liz took the map from me. “We turned too soon, Mags. It should have been the third left, not the second.”

I decided to say nothing. As we retraced our steps, I glanced down the side road. It was empty.

We reached the town centre and strolled down the high street, taking in the shops.

But the black figure had given me a shock, and I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling we were being stalked.

Every so often, I glanced over my shoulder. After a while, I saw him again, sauntering a respectable distance behind us, looking into shop windows.

I told myself I was being ridiculous. Many people wore black snowsuits. It might be Mike, having changed his mind, coming to join us. Except Mike wouldn’t be dawdling. He’d have caught us up by now.

More tomorrow.