Silver Tears(29)

She raised the cup toward the waitress.

“You’ll end up with a stomachache,” Kerstin said dryly.



“I can’t end up with more of a stomachache than the one I’ve already got. I’ve made so many mistakes, Kerstin. That’s what gives me a stomachache. I underestimated Henrik’s hatred of me. I underestimated Revenge’s vulnerability. And I overestimated the loyalty of our shareholders.”

“Both you and I made mistakes in that case. I didn’t see this coming either.”

“True. But to be perfectly honest, that doesn’t make it any easier to take.”

Faye was uneasy within her own skin and she stood up. Behind her, the waitress set down a new cappuccino on the table, but Faye just carried on—away from everything.

Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked at it. The number wasn’t saved in her contacts, but she still recognized it. It was Yvonne Ingvarsson.

“Yes, what do you want?” Faye said abruptly.

The woman on the other end took a deep breath. Faye thought that she almost sounded expectant.

“I’m afraid I have to notify you that there was an escape from a prison transport earlier today. One of the prisoners who escaped was your ex-husband, Jack.”





PART TWO


Aftonbladet can now reveal that one of the two escaped prisoners is the convicted murderer and former financier Jack Adelheim. He was found guilty two years ago of the murder of his daughter. Prior to his conviction, he was the CEO of the scandal-hit investment company Compare, which he founded. He was previously married to businesswoman Faye Adelheim.

The police still have no trace of Jack Adelheim and the second prisoner who disappeared from a prison transport. The Swedish Prison and Probation Service remains reticent about how the escape took place.

“We have identified shortcomings in our procedures—that much I can say. But we want to investigate this fully before I offer any comment,” says Malm, press spokesperson for the service.

Aftonbladet, 10 June





Faye was reclining on her terrace with her feet on the table. She slipped her fingers into the inside pocket of her Chanel bag and took out the photograph that she kept there. It was a picture that she had taken herself of her mother and Julienne on a beach in Sicily. The sea behind them was like a mirror, and Julienne, with her long blond hair tangled and damp, was curled up in her grandmother’s arms. It was the only existing photo of the two of them together. Faye didn’t dare take or keep photos of Italy. Instead, she had to keep their memories in her heart.

She gazed at the photo for a while before replacing it in her bag. She had to find somewhere better for it. Somewhere more secure. Her entire body ached with longing for Julienne—it was so strong that for a moment it even outweighed the worry she had been feeling around the clock since she had heard the news.

Jack had been on the run for five days. Yet despite the authorities’ reassurances to both Faye and journalists that they had assigned significant resources to the search, they hadn’t caught him.

The panic of the first few days had begun to dissipate. The police called her daily to check that she was okay and it seemed improbable—not to mention insane—that Jack would turn up here. Even if he did turn up at the apartment or the office, she was certain she could handle it. What kept her awake at night was his insistence throughout the trial that Julienne was alive, that Faye had hidden her somewhere.

She had done everything she could to ensure that Julienne and Ingrid were safe in Italy. Apart from the photo that Faye kept in her bag, she’d eliminated all traces of their continued existence. Though she knew she was taking a huge risk in carrying the photo with her, she needed to look at it sometimes and remind herself about what mattered and why she was doing what she was doing.



Her train of thought was interrupted by the ringtone on her mobile. She felt a wave of warmth when David’s name appeared on the display. He was due to come over in an hour or so and she wandered over to the wine rack to uncork a bottle to let it breathe.

“Hi baby, I miss you,” she said.

There was silence for a moment and she realized that something was up. For an instant, she thought she might hear Jack’s voice. Hear him say that David was dead.

“I’m going to struggle to make it tonight,” David said. His voice was tense, almost a whisper. “Johanna is kicking up an almighty fuss. She’s shouting and screaming. The girls are very upset. And scared.”

Faye sighed and made an effort not to get annoyed. It wasn’t his fault.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go so well, telling her you’d met someone…”

“I didn’t even have time to. Some acquaintance saw us together in town. It’s mayhem here.”

“So what does she want? You’ve already decided to get divorced. Surely it’s none of her business if you’re seeing someone?”

“I wish things were that simple. She thinks it’s too soon and she’s angry that she heard it from someone else. What picture we show to the outside world is something that really matters to Johanna. And we haven’t told anyone else that we’re getting divorced.”

“But can’t you come anyway? Surely it won’t help for you to stay there and mess around trying to appease her?”