Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(11)

Daniel has promised himself that he will never take out his own fiery temperament, which he sometimes struggles to control, on Alice.

“How was work today?”

Ida is standing in the doorway, her hair freshly blow dried. She seems happy. Daniel slipped away early and was home by four, which gave her time to have a nap, then put up some Christmas decorations in the kitchen.

She looks like her old self again, the attractive ski instructor he met at Bygget just over a year ago, rather than an exhausted new mom.

He shrugs.

“Okay. We had a couple of online briefings with Ume?.

Tomorrow it’s ?stersund as usual.”

Technically speaking he’s with the serious-crimes squad in ?stersund, but his boss is happy for him to work from ?re three days a week. It means he spends a lot of time in the car, but the arrangement suits him very well. It gives him the chance to put down roots in ?re; this is where he belongs now, with Ida and Alice.

His girls.

He picks up his daughter and wraps her in the big towel Ida is holding.

“How about lasagna for dinner?” he says. “With homemade tomato sauce?”

Daniel enjoys cooking; he’s always liked spending time in the kitchen. He often jokes about his Italian heritage, his passion for pasta and Parmesan cheese.

“Sounds good,” Ida says with a smile, reaching out to take Alice. “Come to Mommy, sweetheart,” she coos.

Daniel gives her a kiss on the forehead.

At this moment, with Alice giving them her best toothless smile, he can hardly remember why there have been so many arguments between them recently.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12

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11

Amanda is standing in front of the mirror in Ebba’s bedroom, trying to make a decision.

Should she wear the ribbed yellow top from H&M or the red one she bought online? It’s the evening before Lucia, and red fits better with the Christmas theme, but the yellow one makes her breasts look better.

She examines herself critically from every angle, frowns at her bottom, and eventually settles on yellow.

Ebba is already in the bathroom, doing her makeup.

Avicii’s last album is playing in the background. A man’s voice sings “SOS,” and Amanda does a little dance, smiling at her reflection. Not bad. It’s party time, and she’s really been looking forward to tonight.

She thinks about Viktor, and her smile broadens.

They’ve been seeing each other for a while, but secretly. He’s never going to hit anyone again, especially her. Viktor has been open about his past; he swears the whole thing was an accident, and Amanda believes him.

Plus he’s a fantastic kisser; he takes her mind off everything else. She needs him now. She can’t keep brooding about what happened last week. She’s promised herself that she will let it go, at least for a few hours. She still feels dirty, wishes she’d never accepted the money.

If she could afford it, she’d pay back every single krona.

Her good mood is beginning to fade. Amanda resolutely adjusts her top, chases away the dark thoughts, and joins Ebba in the bathroom. Her friend is busy applying mascara, with a large gin and tonic next to the washbasin.

Amanda picks up the glass and takes several gulps. The darkness recedes as warmth spreads through her body.

That’s better.

Tonight is all about having fun. She has another drink.

Ebba’s parents and her younger brother have gone to a birthday celebration in Stockholm; they’re away all weekend. Amanda wonders if they know about the party.

Probably not, but that’s not her problem.

Ebba nods at the glass. “Leave some for me. The others will be here soon.”

They’ll all be graduating from high school in the spring; this is their last Lucia Eve together. Amanda is sick and tired of studying, but she likes her friends. They’re the ones who’ve kept her in school this year; without them she would almost certainly have dropped out, in spite of her mother’s insistence that she go on to higher education.

“Make room for me,” she says with a smile, squeezing in next to Ebba in front of the mirror.

She sweeps back her crow-black hair and takes out an equally black eyeliner, which she applies with great care.

“Wille texted to say he’s bringing plenty of booze,”

Ebba says as she checks her eyeshadow, then dabs on a little more at the corner of one eye.

“Nice.”

They’ve been in the same class as Wille since primary school. All three of them grew up in the village. Wille is the one who has the best contacts. Not that it’s difficult to get hold of booze, but he always finds the stuff that tastes good and is relatively cheap. Mackan is bringing beer and cigarettes, and so is Viktor. They both have older siblings who are happy to buy more or less anything for a small fee.

Amanda feels a little tingle in her tummy when she thinks of Viktor.

Ebba’s phone pings. She holds it up so that Amanda can read the message:

We’ve arrived! Love Mom x PS—No partying while we’re away!

“Won’t she be furious when she finds out you’ve had people over?” Amanda asks, continuing to apply her makeup.

Ebba grins and pulls down her black top. It’s meant to be off the shoulder, but keeps riding up.