Silver Tears(46)

FJ?LLBACKA—THEN

I hammered and shouted, but they ignored me. Their voices penetrated the wooden walls, as did the smell of grilled hot dogs. They were in a good mood. Laughing loudly. I sank to the floor with my back to the door. I pictured Tomas’s face before me—the friendly smile, the sparkling eyes. Had I understood any of it?

What was Sebastian thinking? Had this been his idea? Why had he wanted to bring me? Had this been the plan from the beginning, or had I done something wrong?

Time passed. Although I had no watch, I thought at least two or three hours had elapsed. I stood up and tried again. Pounded on the door.

“Please, let me out,” I pleaded. “I’m thirsty.”

They didn’t answer.

“Sebastian? I want to come out. I want to go home.”

The conversation outside continued. They laughed. I assumed it was at me for sounding pathetic. I felt pathetic and stupid. Light shone through the crack at the bottom of the door—it was still daytime.

I was like a dog. A mad, repressed dog. A lovesick, stupid mongrel. A little kindness and I had rolled onto my back and dropped all suspicion. Tomas’s sparkling eyes and deep smile lines had made me abandon everything I knew. The knowledge that no one could be trusted.

The rage inside me slowly began to awaken. Above all, I was angry at myself for being so na?ve. I pounded my fists against the door again. I could feel small splinters digging into the skin of my hands. I welcomed the pain. I hit even harder. Roared until my throat ached. Eventually, I sank down with my back to the door again.



More time passed, I lost track of how long.

They were talking in lower voices now. Their voices were hoarse, whispering. There was something unnerving about that.

I got up again and pressed my ear to the door, trying to hear what they were saying. Now the panic began to hit me. What was I going to do if they left me here? I would die of thirst. No one would find me. The panic increased and I pounded on the door again.

To my surprise, it sounded as if they were heading for the cabin. I stepped back and stood there with my arms hanging by my sides. The key turned in the lock. Sebastian stepped inside.

Roger and Tomas came behind him.

None of them said anything—they simply stared at me with their dead, inebriated eyes. I took another step back, pressed myself against the wall, and tried to make myself small.

But there was nowhere to escape to.





Someone had tried to get into the apartment at ?stermalmstorg. The marks showed clearly in white, like huge scars on the dark wood of the front door. Faye put down her cabin bag, bent forward, and examined them. Her heart was pounding violently in her breast. Her father? No, more likely Jack. He must have been here and tried to get in, clearly without success. It was like a warning—a message that he was after her. Faye quickly glanced over her shoulder, put her keys in the lock, turned them, opened the black security grille, stepped into the hallway, and locked the door behind her.

She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and tried to gather her thoughts. It was better that he was after her rather than Julienne.

Indeed, the fact that Jack had showed up could be seen as advantageous. He had shown his hand and demonstrated that he had no intention of staying away.

Faye rooted in her handbag for her phone, dialed the number for her liaison officer with the police, and explained what had happened. Ten minutes later, two uniformed officers arrived. They inspected the door, took notes, and asked a series of questions that Faye answered to the best of her abilities.

“You have to find him,” she said when they had finished asking their questions. “He’s going to hurt me. He’s already killed my daughter.”



The policeman looked at her calmly.

“We know the background. We haven’t got the resources to protect you twenty-four/seven, but we’ll make sure we do everything we can to catch him. Now we know he’s in Stockholm. And you’ve got your liaison to check in with daily.”

“How am I supposed to go to my office and carry on living my life when he’s stalking me?”

“Do you have anywhere else you can stay for the time being? Until we catch him?”

A sound from the doorway made Faye turn around. When she caught sight of David, she rushed to him and flung her arms around him.

“I saw the door. Has Jack been here?” he asked, pulling her into an embrace.

Faye nodded, tears forming in her eyes as she smelled his familiar scent. David turned to the policeman.

“What can you do about it?”

“Not much. As I just explained to Ms. Adelheim, we can’t protect her around the clock. Maybe you should check into a hotel instead?”

The policemen departed, leaving them alone. For the first time since Faye had met him, David seemed really worked up. He paced back and forth by the kitchen island with a glass of apple juice in his hand.

“He can’t be allowed to ruin things for you—to shut you down like this. I know a man with a security company. We can sort out some bodyguards. You have to be allowed to keep working as usual without having to look over your shoulder. That fucking idiot. Who does he think he is?”

“I can’t have bodyguards, David.”

“I’ll pay. He can’t stop you from living. He’s done that enough. Jesus, I hate guys like him.”