Silver Tears(31)

Faye was curious about what had precipitated the transformation of the previously accommodating Alice. But she already knew that there had been a rebellious streak in her, given that Alice was one of the women to have invested in Revenge without her husband’s knowledge.

“Nothing creates unity like a common enemy,” said Faye. “Although I can’t understand why Henrik is doing this. He’s done well for himself. He’s landed on his feet, and more than clawed back whatever he might have lost.”

Kerstin put a hand on Faye’s shoulder. She squeezed it gently.

“It means nothing to a man like Henrik that he’s made a success of himself again,” she said. “You dragged him into a scandal; you harmed his reputation. For men like Jack and Henrik, that means you wounded their pride—their manhood. That’s why he hates you. That’s why he wants to take Revenge from you.”



Faye nodded.

“You’re probably right,” she said. “But I think you’re underestimating Alice. If there’s anyone who knows his weak points, it’ll be her.”

“Alice. And Ylva,” said Kerstin thoughtfully, reclining on the sofa. “That’s probably not such a bad combination, you know.”

Faye took another sip of wine. Maybe they were on to something. She looked at Kerstin.

“I need to speak to Irene too. I have to find out why she betrayed me.”





Alice and Henrik Bergendahl’s splendid mansion was at the very tip of Liding? and had its own private sandy beach. A jetty ran out into the water and beside it there was a large motorboat bobbing up and down, glittering in the sun.

“I’m glad you called,” said Alice. “I’ve actually missed you.”

They were sitting in a lounge suite on the enormous terrace just six feet from the shoreline. On the table in front of them, Alice had set down four or five bottles from Henrik’s wine cellar. She was wearing a simple red dress and her long blond hair was in a chignon.

When Alice had first opened the door and seen Faye, she had looked shocked. Her embrace had been stiff, but once they had sat down outside, the conversation had begun to flow more easily. Now it almost felt as if she were talking to an old friend.

“It’s pretty lonely some evenings,” Alice continued.

“Where are Henrik and the kids?”

“We’ve got an apartment on Danderydsgatan too—he’s had rooms decorated for them there.”

Alice leaned forward, read the label on one of the bottles, nodded, and then reached for the corkscrew.

“We find ourselves in new times,” said Faye.

“Better times. Well…Sorry. Of course I didn’t mean that.” It took a split second for Faye to realize that Alice was talking about Julienne’s death. “I’m really sorry about what happened, and I think about her every day.”



“Thank you,” Faye said softly, accepting the glass that Alice held out to her. “Let’s talk about something else. Why don’t you tell me what happened with Henrik? The uncensored version, if you don’t mind.”

Alice took a sip and then nodded slowly.

“Well, as you know, I was fine with the fact that Henrik was notoriously unfaithful to me,” she began. “So long as he kept it tidy—on the side—and it didn’t affect me or the kids, I considered it a price I was willing to pay. Successful men are unfaithful. That’s what I thought. Sometimes I told myself it was the very key to their success. You know, the hunger. For money, power, and, well…women. I suppose I wasn’t entirely innocent toward the end either, as you know.”

Her well-shaped lips bent into a knowing smile and Faye remembered the hot young guy with the tattoos who Alice had been seeing once a week, while telling Henrik she was attending Pilates classes.

But then there was a hint of sorrow in Alice’s eyes.

“In August last year we hired a new au pair. She was the daughter of one of Henrik’s childhood friends, one of his biggest financiers and clients. She was seventeen, in her senior year, and needed cash for a trip to Rhodes with her friends. You know the type. She rode a moped. Tossed her hair and was always chewing gum. Probably had Hello Kitty pants from H&M. The thought never even crossed my mind.”

Alice shook her head.

“What happened?”

“I came home one afternoon after she had picked up the kids. I parked, got out of the car, and could hear the kids rampaging around the garden. I came around the corner and discovered they were on their own. The bathroom is downstairs and the window was open. From inside I could hear…well, you know…”

Alice moistened her lips, drained the final drops from her glass, and pushed it away. Faye felt for her. She had walked in and found Jack with someone else, so she knew that nothing in life could prepare someone for that kind of shock. She remembered being frozen to the spot and then storming into the room in tears. Jack had announced he wanted a divorce, and Faye had begged him to stay—while Ylva Lehndorf and Jack were still naked in bed. She had promised to forget. Get her act together. If only he didn’t leave her.



She shivered at the memories welling up.

“I thought I’d be angry, crushed. But instead I realized I had to act. Immediately. I got out my phone and filmed them through the crack in the window.”