Jonasson depicts the two-week period in this chapter as a halcyon respite for everyone in Allan’s crew, including the animals—and for two of the crew it’s a virtual honeymoon:

For Benny and The Beauty, the sun was always shining whatever the weather, and if they hadn't been on the run from the law, they probably would have gotten married right away. Once you've reached a certain age, it is easier to sense when everything feels exactly right” (268).

The news media, with no new leads emerging, gradually allows stories of the missing centenarian to dwindle.

In a pointless conversation with a bigoted citizen, however, Aronsson suddenly remembers that Benny has a brother living near Falköping. He contacts the prosecutor about the new lead and receives permission to go there.

With the help of forged passports and a large sum of American money that Mao confiscated, Allan and Herbert travel to Bali, where they spend their time sitting on the beach, drinking cocktails. Herbert falls in love with their server, a young woman from the lowest social caste who’s only slightly smarter than him. They marry, and Herbert changes her name to Amanda because he can’t pronounce Ni Wayan Laksmi. Desiring to do something nice for her new groom, Amanda informs him that “in Indonesia everything was for sale, and so anyone who had money could get anything he wanted” (276).