The Gilded Cage

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The Gilded Cage Page 30

by Camilla Lackberg


  As Faye drove back towards Stockholm she knew that both the satnav in the car and Jack’s mobile could be tracked along that route. The satnav would provide more detail than the mobile, but they would back each other up. Together with the Google searches she had conducted recently on Jack’s laptop, it ought to be enough. She hoped it would be. The devil, as ever, lay in the detail.

  Faye parked the car by the promenade. A warm breeze caught her dress as Kerstin helped Julienne out of the car. They found three free sunbeds and paid the attendant. Julienne ran down to the water at once. Faye and Kerstin lay on the beds, not taking their eyes off her.

  ‘He’s been found guilty. They’re saying he’s going to get life.’

  ‘So I heard,’ Kerstin replied.

  ‘We did it.’

  ‘Yes, we did. Not that I was ever really worried.’

  ‘No?’

  Kerstin shook her head.

  A woman was walking towards them. When she caught sight of them she stopped and waved.

  ‘Room for one more?’ she asked with a smile.

  ‘Yes, as long you don’t mind sharing with Julienne,’ Faye replied.

  ‘I’d be only too happy to.’

  She sat down on the sunbed covered with Julienne’s turquoise towel and put on a pair of sunglasses.

  ‘Are you coming over for dinner this evening?’ Faye asked.

  The woman nodded. Then she turned her face up to the sun.

  The three women lay in silence together. When Faye shut her eyes and listened to the lapping of the waves and Julienne’s happy shrieks she saw Sebastian before her. His death had led her to where she was today. In a strange way she felt grateful to him.

  She turned her head and looked at the woman on the sunbed beside her. She slowly reached out her hand and caressed her mother’s cheek.

  Keep Reading …

  If you enjoyed The Gilded Cage, try Camilla Lackberg’s Fjällbacka series following detective Patrik Hedström and Erica Falck

  A small town can hide many secrets

  Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice-cold bath, it seems like she’s taken her own life.

  Meanwhile, local detective Patrik Hedström is following his own suspicions about the case. It’s only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about a small town with a deeply disturbing past …

  Click here to buy The Ice Princess

  Twenty years ago, two young women disappeared whilst holidaying in the peaceful Swedish resort of Fjällbacka. Now their remains have been discovered, along with those of a fresh victim, sending the town into shock.

  Local detective Patrik Hedström, whose girlfriend Erica is expecting their first child, has personal reasons for wanting to find the killer. And when another girl goes missing, his attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals. Which of this family’s dark secrets will provide the vital clue?

  Click here to buy The Preacher

  The remote resort of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman’s net. But this was no accidental drowning …

  Local detective Patrik Hedström has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well.

  What he does not know is how the case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka and tear aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

  Click here to buy The Stonecutter

  A local woman is killed in a tragic car crash. It’s a strange accident – the victim’s blood contains high alcohol levels, but she rarely drank a drop. The case marks the end of a quiet winter for Detective Patrik Hedström.

  Meanwhile, a reality TV show begins shooting in the town, and as cameras shadow the stars’ every move, tempers start to flare. When a drunken party ends with an unpopular contestant’s murder, all eyes turn to the cast and crew – could there be a murderer among them?

  The ratings spike as the country tunes in to a real life murder mystery. Under the unforgiving media spotlight, Patrik tackles his toughest investigation yet …

  Click here to buy The Stranger

  Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover an old Nazi medal among her late mother’s belongings. Inspired to dig deep into her past, she visits a retired history teacher for answers. Two days later, he’s dead.

  Detective Patrik Hedström is on paternity leave. But his wife’s enquiries appear to have set off a chain of murders and he’s finding it hard to keep out of the investigation.

  A terrible secret from the darkest days of World War II is coming to light – and their families’ histories are right at the heart of it.

  Click here to buy The Hidden Child

  Christian Thydell’s dream has come true: his debut novel, The Mermaid, is published to rave reviews. So why is he as distant and unhappy as ever?

  When crime writer Erica Falck discovers that Christian has been receiving anonymous threats, she investigates not just the messages but also the author’s mysterious past …

  Meanwhile, one of Christian’s closest friends is missing. Erica’s husband, Detective Patrik Hedström, has his worst suspicions confirmed as the mind-games aimed at Christian and those around him become a disturbing reality.

  But, with the victims themselves concealing evidence, the investigation is going nowhere. Is their silence driven by fear or guilt? And what is the secret they would rather die to protect than live to see revealed?

  Click here to buy The Drowning

  Detective Patrik Hedström is no stranger to tragedy. A murder case concerning Fjällbacka’s dead financial director, Mats Sverin, is a grim but useful distraction from his recent family misfortunes.

  It seems Mats was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew – a man with something to hide …

  His high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has just returned to the area with her five-year-old son – could she shed light on who Mats really was?

  However, Nathalie has her own secret. If it’s discovered, she will lose her only child. As the investigation stalls, the police have many questions. But there is only one that matters.

  Is there anything a mother would not do to protect her child?

  Click here to buy The Lost Boy

  YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST

  Easter 1974. A family vanishes from their home on an idyllic island off the Swedish coast. They have left everything behind – including their one-year-old daughter, Ebba.

  Now, years later, Ebba has returned to the island. She and her husband have suffered the loss of their only child and are looking to make a fresh start. But within days, their house is the target of an arson attack.

  YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE FUTURE

  Detective Patrik Hedström takes on the investigation, aided by his wife, crime writer Erica Falck, who has always been fascinated by the mystery of Ebba’s abandonment and the family’s tragic history.

  When dried blood is found under the floorboards of the old house, it seems that the cold case involving the missing family is about to be brought back to life. And soon, Patrik and Erica are consumed by the hunt for a killer who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried …

  Click here to buy Buried Angels

  SEE NO EVIL

  It’s January in the peaceful seaside resort of Fjällbacka. A semi-naked girl wanders through the woods in freezing cold weather. When she finally reaches the road, a car comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t manage to stop.

  HEAR NO EVIL

  The victim, a girl who went missing four months ago, has been subjected to unimaginably brutal treatment – and Detective Patrik Hedström suspects this is just the start.

  SPEAK NO EVIL

  The police soon discover that three other gir
ls are missing from nearby towns, but there are no fresh leads. And when Patrik’s wife stumbles across a link to an old murder case, the detective is forced to see his investigation in a whole new light.

  Click here to buy The Ice Child

  A missing child

  When a four-year-old girl disappears in the woods outside Fjällbacka, people are horror-struck. Thirty years ago, a child went missing from the same spot, and was later discovered, murdered.

  A murder

  Back then, two teenage girls were found guilty of the killing. Could one of them be the culprit this time? Detective Patrik Hedström starts investigating, with his wife, bestselling crime writer Erica Falck, by his side.

  A community torn apart

  But as Patrik and Erica dig deeper, it seems that everyone in the tight-knit community is hiding something. And soon, the residents must confront the fact that there could be a murderer in their midst …

  Click here to buy The Girl in the Woods

  Acknowledgements

  Writing a book isn’t something you do on your own, even if a lot of people think that’s the case. There are many who contribute, who make it possible, and who also make the work less lonely. First and foremost I’d like to thank my husband Simon, who never wavers in his love and support. My wonderful children are also a huge motivation: Wille, Meja, Charlie and Polly. Thank you for being there, and for being the best kids in the world. Thanks, too, to my mum, Gunnel Läckberg, and my parents-in-law Anette and Christer Sköld, for all the ways you make it possible for me to write. There are so many people to thank: everyone who pitches in when life gets complicated – I am eternally grateful.

  Huge thanks to Christina Salabi, who works hard by my side every day even when I’m not writing. You are my sister in all but name. Thanks, too, to Lina Hellqvist, who is an invaluable part of our work.

  I wouldn’t be half the author I am were it not for my wonderful publisher, Karin Linge Borgh, and my equally magnificent editor, John Häggblom. I don’t have the words to thank you. Of course there are many more people at my Swedish publishing house, Bokförlaget Forum, to thank, not least Sara Lindegren: THANK YOU, all of you!

  The same goes for Nordin Agency: Joakim Hansson, Johanna Lindborg, Anna Frankl and all your colleagues who have done such a wonderful job over the years helping my books reach a wider audience.

  Among the many people who play an important role in the creation of a book are the experts who provide information the author doesn’t know, among them in this instance Emmanuel Ergul, who contributed a wealth of invaluable knowledge about financial matters. And, as always, Anders Torewi, who provided information regarding Fjällbacka.

  Thank you to Pascal Engman, a ridiculously talented colleague who gave invaluable input when I needed to discuss the characters in this book. As always, my colleague Denise Rudberg has been on hand whenever I’ve needed someone to talk to about writing. Or life.

  Lastly, all the sisters, all the friends around us who love our family. There are too many of you to list, partly out of fear of accidentally omitting someone. But you know who you are. I love you.

  And thank you, Dad, for giving me a love of books.

  Camilla Läckberg

  Stockholm, January 2019

  About the Author

  Camilla Lackberg is a worldwide bestseller renowned for her brilliant contemporary psychological thrillers. Her novels have sold over 24.5 million copies in 43 countries with translations into 37 languages.

  www.camillalackberg.com

  Also by Camilla Lackberg

  The Ice Princess

  The Preacher

  The Stonecutter

  The Stranger (previously titled The Gallows Bird)

  The Hidden Child

  The Drowning

  The Lost Boy

  Buried Angels

  The Ice Child

  The Girl in the Woods

  Short stories

  The Scent of Almonds & Other Stories

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