Reckoning Point, стр. 21

But no, Bram comes to the conclusion that Roland knows nothing. He is a simple boy, he never even fully realised the extent of what happened over a decade ago, in spite of being in the very epicentre of the crime. No, this recent activity is not something Roland has any idea about.

It takes Bram almost two hours to walk from his home to the promenade of Scheveningen and he recalls ruefully when he used to be able to do the trip at a jog in less than an hour. Those days are long gone and Bram wonders if he is at a point in his life where he should rely more on his car. It sits disused for sometimes weeks at a time because Bram has always enjoyed walking, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood on his daily and nightly strolls, but it’s getting to a point now where he doesn’t move as fast as he once did in his youth. He doesn’t often worry about it, mainly his customers come to him, but he needs to keep an eye on the area for himself. He could take the tram, but like bicycles, Bram also finds public transport distasteful.

He cuts through Strandweg and takes a seat outside Bora Bora, nodding his head as a waitress pops up and offers him a coffee. The beach resort is at the height of the season and he watches as everyone goes around their business. The groups of families that trickle in and out of the Sea Life Centre, the scantily clad men and women who lie prone on the beach and the elderly couples, those of similar age to Bram, walking up and down the prom, hand in hand. Bram has never married, never even come close. He has dedicated his life to his work. Sometimes he thinks about all the women that he takes care of, and it amuses him to regard them all as his family. Like a real family, sometimes they upset him, sometimes he has to put them in their place and teach them right from wrong. Occasionally he contemplates how different his life would have been if he had married and had a family of his own. This is a fleeting thought and one that Bram doesn’t ponder on for long. This is his place and he nods as if confirming it to himself now, as he studies the waves that gently lap at the sand.

He thinks of the beachfront as a veneer, shining and welcoming, and Bram utters a laugh under his breath. Just a few streets away, hidden behind the facade this place is so very different. Here one would find discarded candy floss wrappers, back in Doublestraat they are replaced with used needles and condom packaging.

Bram sips at his coffee as he glances at his watch. The latest health reports will be arriving at his office soon; he should get back to look over the test results. It’s his job to keep the streets clean and the girls healthy. And it’s a job he takes very seriously indeed.