Seeing his tear-stained face, she didn’t need to formulate her question.

‘You’ve lost someone too,’ she stated.

‘Five years ago,’ he said bluntly, which she could have slapped him for, as he’d just spelled out that the unbearable situation she was in could last for years!

I couldn’t even bear it for a day, she thought, and the next thought that entered her mind was that Martin Schwartz hadn’t been able to bear it either. He was standing before her, talking, breathing, weeping, but no longer living.

She closed her eyes and sobbed. In a film this would have been the moment when she cried on the shoulder of the stranger. In real life it was the moment when the slightest contact would have made her thrash around like a rabid dog.

‘If only we hadn’t got on this ship,’ she groaned.

If only I’d taken Tom’s call five minutes earlier.

‘It’s the perfect place for a suicide. Daniel said that himself.’

‘Daniel? Do you know the captain personally?’ Martin looked at her sceptically.

‘Yes, he’s Lisa’s godfather. He invited her.’

‘Who did I invite?’

They both turned to the door, which must have opened silently. Daniel took a raincoat from the wardrobe in the corridor.

‘You invited Lisa. On this trip.’

The captain shook his head in confusion. ‘What gives you that idea?’

Julia stared at him as if he were an alien. ‘Just stop this now – you gave her the bloody trip as a birthday present.’

‘No, Julia. You’re mistaken.’

‘I’m mistaken? What’s got into you, Daniel? We telephoned on her birthday. I even thanked you.’

In her turmoil she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Daniel was still shaking his head, but he looked thoughtful.

‘For the upgrade, I thought, yes. I moved you up from an inner cabin to two balcony cabins when I saw the booking. But that wasn’t made by me; it was done normally, over the internet. In fact I recall being surprised you hadn’t got in touch earlier.’

‘Does that mean…’

She bit her lower lip.

‘That Lisa lied to you,’ Bonhoeffer said.

‘Worse,’ Martin chipped in from the side. He first looked Daniel in the eye, then at her, before saying. ‘It means your daughter planned all this long ago.’

44

One parent. One child. A third person who pays for the cruise, but isn’t on board themselves.

Just like Naomi and Anouk Lamar.

Just like Nadja and Timmy.

The parallels were becoming increasingly clear.

And even if Martin wasn’t able to make sense of the clues, he knew that it couldn’t be a coincidence.

‘But… where… where, I mean… a trip like this is expensive, where did Lisa get the money from?’ the bewildered mother said, to no one in particular.

‘Was the booking made by credit card, debit card or transfer?’ Martin asked.