“You’re not bad yourself,” she replied, laughing. “Are you sure you don’t have a girlfriend already?” Erik was strong and well-built with wide shoulders and a square, handsome face. His thick, wavy hair was the color of sand and had an intriguing, tousled look that made Ans want to run her fingers through it.

“No, I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Erik is married to his job,” Jansje said. “Come on, let’s dance.” She pulled her boyfriend onto the dance floor. The walls pulsed with music —a swing style that Ans had enjoyed listening to on the radio but had never heard from a live band.

“Would you like to dance?” Erik asked her.

“Can we just watch for a minute? To tell you the truth, I don’t really know how, and I want to see how it’s done first.”

“Sure. I’ll be glad to teach you when you’re ready.” Erik led her to a table and ordered two glasses of Amstel. There was something exotic about him that made the farm boys back home seem dull and lumbering in comparison. She thought she detected a slight accent in his speech but couldn’t place it.

“Have you always lived in Leiden?” she asked.

“Only for the past five years. I was born in Bandung, Java, in the Dutch East Indies.”

“That’s amazing! What’s it like?”

“Well, very hot for one thing.” He had a shy, sweet smile. “But lush and beautiful. My father was a civil servant for the Dutch government, but he died five years ago. He wanted me to return to the Netherlands, where he and my mother were born.”

“Do you miss Java?”

“In some ways, yes. Especially the food. But Leiden is my home now.”

“What made you decide to become a policeman?”

“I don’t know . . . I think it must be in my blood to want to make sure everything runs smoothly and in order. My father was the same way. There are parts of the East Indies that are still untamed compared to here.”

“Would you ever want to go back and help tame them?”

“Maybe . . . someday. But I like it here very much at the moment.”

Ans relaxed as they chatted, relishing the freedom from the pressure of her job, savoring her life in a new city away from home, enjoying the company of an interesting, attractive man. Erik was polite and engaging, but after a while she noticed that he never fully relaxed. He always seemed alert and aware of his surroundings, scanning the room as if watching for danger, watching the other people. “Are you on duty as a policeman tonight?” she finally asked. “Or are you looking for someone in particular?”

“Me? . . . No, I’m off duty tonight. Why?”

“Well, you seem to be always looking around, as if expecting something to happen.”