Silver Tears(20)

“You can rest assured that I won’t sell in any case. And I’ll keep my ear to the ground. Perhaps I can find something out, and if I do then of course I’ll get in touch.”

Faye felt her shoulders relax. It was only now that she realized how tense she had been.

She clinked glasses with Irene. Around them, the lunch guests continued to murmur while the two women attacked their main courses with pleasure.





The water was delightfully warm against her body. Faye took long, powerful strokes and reminded herself to take deep breaths. The pool at the Grand H?tel resembled a cave, with beautiful vaults and subdued lighting. If you spoke, it was in a low voice, and in the background there was nothing but discreet music of the kind that was typical of spas the world over.

Kerstin was sitting on the wide step halfway into the pool. Faye swam over and slid into place beside her. She straightened herself and leaned back, her elbows against a step, gently splashing with her legs.

“How many are on your list today?” Faye said.

“I’ve got five to seven that I think I can get through, depending whether I can get hold of them and how long each conversation takes.”

“Well, as I said, there’s no need to worry about Irene. She’s promised us she won’t sell.”

“Good. Not that I thought she would, but then again, I didn’t think some of the people who have sold would either.”

Faye looked down into the water at the ripples created by her legs as she shifted on the step. She thought about the dark water. She remembered screams. Saw terrified faces in front of her.

“Faye, how are you feeling?”

Kerstin’s voice brought her back to the present and Faye shook her head slightly.



“There’s a lot that needs doing if the American expansion is to go ahead. I need to spend the day working on that,” she said. “I can’t afford to devote all my time to managing this crisis—daily operations must go on, otherwise we’ll end up with nothing left to lose.”

“Focus on your things and I’ll keep ferreting away.”

Kerstin closed her eyes, savoring the water. She had been in the spa for an hour before Faye had arrived and had swum a decent amount despite the pool really being too small for swimming lengths.

“I know you’ve got a lot to do, but can you help me check up on one other thing?”

“Of course,” said Kerstin, opening her eyes. “Something in particular?”

“Can you find out a bit more about a man called David Schiller? He’s an angel investor.”

“Of course I can,” said Kerstin with an amused smile. “Something tells me that it’s the man here at the Grand who was definitely not your type?”

Faye splashed some water at her.

“Are you being sassy?”

Kerstin grinned.

“Not sassy. Just pointing out the fact that you want to find out more about a man that you claim to be completely uninterested in.”

Faye looked down at her feet in the water again.

“Well, let’s just say that he’s proven himself to have some plus points. And that makes it even more important to find out all I can about him.” She turned toward Kerstin. “I’m determined never to let anyone catch me unawares again.”

Kerstin got up, wrapped her white bathrobe with the hotel logo on it around herself, and tied the sash at her waist.

“I’ll dig up everything I can find. And you should take the opportunity to get some rest. It won’t do any of us any good if you hit the wall. Have an hour here.”

“You’re right. I’m actually going to let myself have that.”



Faye got out of the pool too and reached for her robe.

When Kerstin had left, Faye lay down on one of the loungers and enjoyed the tranquility. The lunch with Irene had dispelled much of her anxiety, and the fear she had felt after her encounter with Detective Yvonne Ingvarsson had begun to dissipate. There was a blurry image of someone who looked like her. So what? Jack had been convicted of Julienne’s murder. He wouldn’t be released for years. The media had helped by drumming in the message that Julienne was dead. It was now an accepted truth. Even though there was no body.

She reached for the glass of freshly pressed orange juice on the floor beside the lounger and took a sip while her thoughts wandered off to her beloved daughter, who was probably splashing about in another pool right now. Today was the first day of June and there was apparently a heat wave across Italy.

Footsteps on the tiles made her look around. David, who had come down from the gym on the second floor, glanced around without spotting her. He took off his black shorts and T-shirt, revealing an unexpectedly well-toned back, and dived into the shimmering green water wearing nothing but underpants. Faye smiled. It was probably strictly prohibited. He swam a couple of lengths and Faye discreetly craned her neck. Eventually, she grew bored of watching, got to her feet, and approached the pool.

David swam up to her and flashed that smile that changed his appearance and made him almost handsome.

“Good morning,” she said. “How was the full day with your daughters?”

A flicker of darkness crossed his face. He heaved himself out of the pool and gratefully accepted the towel that Faye passed to him.

“They couldn’t come,” he said abruptly.