She was a little shocked at herself. All these new impressions had absorbed her attention so thoroughly that she hadn’t thought about the children at all. Hastily, she pulled her phone out of her purse, but there were no missed calls or messages. She began taking pictures of the view and the wedding party, as well as the four-poster bed and the bathroom, then sat down and sent the images to Sara, Thom, and Emma, adding:

We’re at the South Down Hotel and it’s fabulous here, just like a museum! Your father and I are about to head off to Brighton. Is everything OK at home? Are Grandma and Grandpa already there? Lots of love (and hello to Jackie and Naomi), Mom

She remained on the bed, staring expectantly at her phone. The texts had been received, and Sara was already typing an answer.

“What are you waiting for?” asked Werner.

“I just want to make sure everything is OK at home.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

She looked up. “Have you forgotten already?”

“Jesus, Helen, are you still worrying about that?”

She frowned. Was he serious? “What do you mean, ‘still’? It only happened nine days ago.”

Her phone began to buzz. Sara sent a selfie with Jackie and Emma in the kitchen. Below it, she had written:

OMG! Have fun over there! I’m so jealous!

Emma’s message was longer and more informative:

Are you really going to sleep there, Mom? It looks like a haunted house. We made pancakes. They turned out really good! Naomi already went home. X E

Thom’s reply came immediately after:

Nice, Mom. Grandma and Grandpa are on their way (they just called).

“They made pancakes.” Helen smiled up at Werner. “And Emma thinks this place looks like a haunted house.”

“Wonderful. Shall we?” He was standing by the door, holding his coat demonstratively in his hand. Despite the smile on his face, he had a cool, nonchalant look in his eyes.

Why was he acting like this? she wondered. Or was he completely unaware that he was putting distance between them?

She stood up and followed him out of the bedroom. Said nothing. She didn’t want a fight, least of all now.

10

10

“Stop!” Naomi leapt up from the bed.

“Get out of here!” bellowed Ralf. “Run!”

Naomi looked from Ralf to Mikey, her eyes wide. “You’re crazy, both of you!” She sprinted toward the door.

Mikey was quicker. He grabbed her hair and pulled her back against himself. With a fluid movement, he placed the knife on her throat.

“Let her go,” said Ralf. “I don’t want to shoot.”

Mikey held Naomi in front of himself like a shield. His eyes glittered. “Come on, Ralf. This is too much for you. Put that thing on the floor and kick it over to me.”