His words made me uneasy. As we discussed the forthcoming exhibition, I found myself distracted by the idea of Anneke, hiding out there somewhere, hurt and alone. After the conversation we’d had earlier, I felt as if she might have turned a corner, the exhibition providing a distraction from the issues surrounding her relationship with her mother. Bram was, of course, as excited as Olivia and Flora that the Noord-Holland government had agreed to allow the artefacts to return, albeit for a short time. Bram wanted one of the Texel divers to be present every day during the exhibition so that they could answer questions from the public about the artefacts and their retrieval.

‘Hopefully, we’ll have a sample of the exhibition notes to show our guests, too,’ he said.

I promised that I would have something to show him next week, even if Tess’ rejection tipped Anneke into such a deep depression again and I could no longer rely on her help.

‘The exhibition might be busier than expected,’ I warned. ‘Now the local media has got word.’

Bram looked pleased. ‘Is that a bad thing?’

I dropped Marieke back at the cottage to rest then I drove out to Nico’s bookshop. The sign read CLOSED, although it was only midday. When I knocked on the door, nobody answered. I started to feel anxious and was about to call him again when I heard my name.

I turned to find Nico in his orange ute, looking worried.

‘Have you seen her?’ he said.

‘Who?’

‘Anneke. She took off an hour ago and I haven’t been able to find her. I’ve been driving around in circles like a lunatic.’ He was panicking.

‘Slow down,’ I said. ‘Where would she have gone?’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve looked everywhere.’

I thought about the first time we’d met. Her blue hair in the morning light, the beer cans rattling around in the dirt.

‘I think I know where she is.’

We reached the clubhouse in record time. The engine was still running when Nico leaped from the ute, leaving me to shift the gear into park. The door of the clubhouse was ajar. He ran inside and I followed. The change room lights were off and, at first, I thought I’d made a mistake. Anneke might be anywhere. She could be hiding out with a friend.

Then I heard a sniffle coming from the corner.

Nico flicked on the lights.

She was wearing her wetsuit, but she hadn’t been able to fit the tank on herself. Nico marched over to her and seized her arm.

‘What were you thinking?’

She shook him off, her face angry.

‘I just wanted to do something for myself. You’re always ignoring me. You don’t pay any attention. And then hearing from Mum. I was upset.’

He was breathing hard, fighting to control his temper.