Silver Tears(42)

I wondered who had lived here. The cabin looked like it was at least a hundred years old. Had someone been able to live here? Year-round? Probably. I knew that lots of families had lived out on the islands—perhaps this little cabin had been full of children.

Sometimes I had fantasized about living on one of the windswept islands myself. With no company except for the gulls, hollyhocks, honeysuckle, and crabs scuttling into the crevices between the rocks.



I ran my hand along the wooden walls, following the lines of the wood deeper into the cabin. There were two rooms. I went into the innermost one, but the smell of mold was so strong that I immediately stepped out of it again.

“Hello?” I called out. No answer. The boys had gone outside. I went over to the closed door and pushed the handle. A shiver ran down my spine again as I realized the door was locked.





After being picked up by a chauffeur at the airport, Faye, Alice, and Ylva spent the afternoon cooling off in the hotel’s rooftop pool. The heat wave that had hit Sweden was nothing compared with the dry, hot air in Amsterdam. They lay on their sun loungers fanning themselves, drinking margaritas, and discussing how to pass their evening. Faye was still thoughtful. She had notified her police liaison officer that she was going to Amsterdam for the weekend. There was still no news about Jack.

“You still haven’t told us what we’re doing here this weekend, Ylva. Right now isn’t exactly the best time to be away.”

“We’re here for plan B. A safety net. A lifeboat, as it were.”

“I don’t give a shit why we’re here,” said Alice, sipping her margarita. “We’re lying on the roof of a building in Amsterdam. With a pool. And we’re drinking strong margaritas. Who needs a reason?”

“Today, we chill out,” said Ylva, pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes and turning her face toward the sun. “Tomorrow, I’ll explain why we’re here. And it doesn’t matter how much booze you pour down my neck, I won’t say a word until then. So make the most of today.”

“Hear, hear,” said Alice, taking a swig of her cocktail. “But if the plan is just to chill out and have fun today: Has either of you been to an Amsterdam coffee shop?”

“Do you mean one of those places they sell cannabis?”



Faye still couldn’t quite let go of her thoughts about whatever it was Ylva wanted them to do here. But she had insisted and said it was a matter of insurance. In her desperation, Faye had had to be satisfied with that. She didn’t have much choice right now other than to trust the small team she had gathered around her.

Alice smiled. “Exactly.”

“Have you smoked before, then?” Faye said skeptically.

“Everyone did in Djursholm,” said Alice. “It’s not that I was some gangster. Just a teenager like any other.”

“I don’t know…” Ylva said hesitantly. “We need to be alert tomorrow too.”

“Don’t be such a scaredy cat.” Alice waved the hand not holding her margarita dismissively. “Come on, Ylva, how often have you let yourself have some fun in the last few years? How often have you hired a babysitter?”

“I’m so grateful that your au pair was able…”

“That’s not what I meant. Faye—you’re in, right?”

Faye sipped her drink and waggled her toes in the sun.

“I don’t know whether I—”

“Dear God, we’re three stunning women in Amsterdam. What did you have in mind for us to do? Sit in our rooms and watch TV? No, I suggest we hang out here for an hour or two, get a bit of a tan and do some daytime drinking, then head out for some nightclubbing this evening—and on the way there we stop at a coffee shop. Okay?”

Ylva and Faye both muttered something that sounded affirmative, but Ylva looked just as nervous as Faye felt. Alice didn’t waste time, waving over one of the servers and asking him for recommendations for nearby coffee shops. He said the best ones were in the red-light district and suggested they make sure to drink plenty of water. Partly for the heat, but also because newbie hash smokers risked dehydration.

“It’s cool. I’ve smoked a lot of ganja. I’m like the Bob Marley of Djursholm,” Alice said and giggled.

Despite missing David, Faye was pleased she had gotten away. A trip with two funny, smart women in a buzzing city like Amsterdam was just what she needed.



She began to warm to Alice’s plan. She had to dare to live a little. And forget about the problems in her life.

When the server brought them fresh margaritas, she downed what was left of her old one and accepted the new glass. They were in the eye of the storm. A little relaxation from the chaos and anxiety of what was going on back home. As Alice put it: she needed this.



* * *



—

Five hours later, they were in a coffee shop and had eaten almost a whole space cookie each without anything happening. They couldn’t feel anything. They were disappointed, hot, and bored. And since alcohol wasn’t served in coffee shops, they were drinking their third round of dire cappuccinos. The inebriation from the afternoon by the pool was beginning to wear off and Alice grabbed hold of a girl who worked there—for the third time—to ask how long they would have to wait.