The Golden Cage by Camilla Lackberg

Author:Camilla Lackberg [Läckberg, Camilla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780525657972
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2020-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

The red, two-story house dated back to the 1920s, and lay in an idyllic residential area in Enskede. Faye opened the green-painted gate, walked through the neatly tended garden, and rang the doorbell.

The woman who answered had high cheekbones, white hair pulled into a bun on top of her head, and was wearing a black collared top. Her posture was upright, almost militaristic. She held out a bony hand.

“Kerstin Tellermark. Come in,” she said, stepping aside.

Faye followed her through a hall lined with black-and-white photographs into a comfortably furnished living room. Old paintings of landscapes and maritime subjects adorned the brown wallpaper, there were a couple of rather saggy armchairs and a sofa by one wall, and an old piano in the corner.

“What a lovely room,” Faye said. And meant it.

“It’s a bit old-fashioned,” Kerstin replied apologetically, but Faye could see she was flattered. “Would you like some coffee?”

Faye shook her head.

“In that case . . . so it would be you and your daughter living here?”

“Yes, Julienne. She’s four.”

“Divorce?”

Faye nodded.

“The good sort?”

“No.”

Kerstin raised her eyebrows.

“Do you have a job?”

“Not yet. But I’m working on it. I . . . I studied at the School of Economics. I just need to get back on my feet first.”

Kerstin stood up and showed Faye up the stairs. The upper floor contained a smaller living room and two bedrooms. It was perfect, exactly what she was looking for.

“Five thousand kronor per month.”

“I’ll take it.”

—

Two days later Chris helped her to move in. Kerstin stood on the steps with her arms folded, looking on as they carried in the three boxes that contained everything Faye owned. She had sold most of the clothes from the apartment in one of the smarter second-hand boutiques on Karlavägen. All to get a bit of money.

She no longer wanted Jack to give her anything. She wanted to take it instead. It was more fun that way.

When Chris had gone, Kerstin knocked on the door. Faye was unpacking her clothes as she asked her to come in, but Kerstin stopped in the doorway.

“The daughter you mentioned, where is she?”

“With her dad. She’ll be coming later this week,” Faye said, holding a blouse up in front of her.

“He left you?”

“Yes.”

“Whose fault was it?”

“Whose fault?”

“It’s always someone’s fault.”

“In that case, it was his. He was sticking his cock into anything that moved, and I was too stupid to notice.”

Faye flinched when she realized what she’d said, but Kerstin merely nodded.

Faye hung her clothes in the wardrobe, vacuumed, made the bed, and lay down on it with her hands behind her head. She needed to find a way to support herself. Quickly. To start with, just to survive. To pay Kerstin her rent, to buy food, things that Julienne might need. But the work had to be flexible enough for her to be able to work on her business plan at the same time. She couldn’t work for someone who was constantly breathing down her neck.

Faye went over to the window. A

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