At exactly five o’clock she shut down her computer, put on her coat, and hung her bag over her shoulder. The office was already deserted. Her colleagues had, as usual, snatched a few minutes from their work time. She hadn’t responded to their enthusiastic cries of ‘Have a nice evening!’ and ‘See you tomorrow!’ all these years, and no one expected her to now. She preferred it that way. No personal contact. The administrative work she did was simple and mind-numbing. That is, if she’d still had a mind to numb. But it paid her bills.
As on most days, she took the bus to the city center, where she quickly devoured a simple meal at a cheap restaurant. And then she began her daily mission: visiting bookstores and, if they were all closed after seven o’clock, the local public library. Only when it closed too, at ten, did she take another bus back to the small apartment she rented. She loved books, of course, but that wasn’t the real reason for her frequent quests. She was desperately searching for someone. Eight years ago, Laura de Vries had stolen a large sum of money from the owners of the small, successful company she worked for and then vanished without a trace, leaving her family behind. And she would find her! She would make sure she paid back the entire amount!
In a cluttered and dimly lit second-hand bookstore, she plopped down with a sigh in one of the two chairs flanking a small antique table. From here, she could see who came and went. Owner Wout welcomed her warmly and placed a cup of tea with a plate of cookies in front of her, before getting himself a cup and joining her. After they’d sipped their tea and chewed on biscuits in silence for a while, Wout cleared his throat.
‘There was a young man here yesterday. He was looking for the same woman you’re looking for!’
Laura was startled. But then she realized it was a good thing. Maybe the two of them would find her faster! She asked Wout if he expected the boy to return. He thought he would.
Five days later, it happened. She was back at Wout’s table when the bell rang at the shop door and a new customer entered.
‘That’s him!’ said Wout, beckoning the young man closer.
He stood up, offered him his seat and brought him a cup of tea as well. She eyed the young man timidly from the corner of her eye. He looked friendly and vaguely familiar. She was silent. And he also kept silent until his tea had cooled enough to drink.
‘May I?’ he asked, and took a cookie from the saucer.
‘Of course,’ she smiled back.
After a few more quiet minutes, during which he occasionally glanced at her from the side, he said, ‘I heard you’re also looking for Laura de Vries?’
‘Yes!’ she said, turning to him. ‘You know what she did?’
‘Well…’
‘You don’t know?’ she asked surprised.
‘Yes, but…’ He turned his face to the side, blushing.
After a few more minutes, he broke the silence again.
‘She didn’t do it, you know?’
She looked at him, stunned.
‘No, really, she didn’t do it! It was the business owner’s ex-husband. He ran off with all that money! But the police tracked him down, and he’s now in prison for a long time!’
Her eyes widened and tears welled up. The owner’s ex-husband was imprisoned in the city the young man had flown in from a week ago, he explained. She looked at him in bewilderment.
And then there was no stopping it. She began to shake, clasped her hands over her throat, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Wout rushed over, and the young man also stood up, full of concern. She let out a raw cry, and Wout put an arm around her shoulders, while the young man pulled out a pack of tissues.
‘It was… it was… she didn’t do it?’ she gasped.
The young man beamed. ‘No, she didn’t do it. She’s innocent!’
Wout looked at him in surprise and helped her up in the meantime. The young man gently placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to look lovingly into her tear-filled eyes.
‘Come on mom, we’re going home!’