‘You needed to experience what I had to go through. What it means to lose the thing you love most in life.’ Lisa gave a self-satisfied grin. ‘That was part one of my plan. Me and Querky worked it out together. Man, that woman is so cool. She works here on the ship. She hung a chambermaid’s uniform in my cupboard and programmed my key so I could go anywhere on the ship, even down to the crew deck where I hid last night.’

That’s why Martin Schwartz saw her down there, Julia remembered. It must have been while Lisa was preparing all this nonsense and looking for somewhere to bunk down.

‘Querky really thought of everything. She even paid for the trip so we could entice you on board.’

Jesus Christ!

In spite of Lisa’s threats, Julia couldn’t hold out in her seat any longer. She stood up and took a step towards her daughter who was now wielding the screwdriver like a dagger.

‘What are you planning?’ she asked, looking Lisa directly in the eye. Her daughter held her gaze effortlessly.

‘You’ll see, Mama.’ She gave a crooked smile. ‘You’ll see.’

66

Naomi’s last confession consisted of just four sentences:

The worst thing I’ve ever done in my life is to force my daughter to have sex with men.

Martin heard Elena gasp. He continued reading:

There’s no excuse for what I did. Not even the fact that, when it began I was taking hard drugs which were ruining my already unstable psyche. Nor that I stopped it when one of the groups of men I gave her to were so violent that she’s likely to have permanent physical damage. I deserve to die.

‘Jesus Christ, that’s how Anouk got her injuries!’ Elena croaked after he’d uttered the final sentence.

Martin nodded. They’d thought the rapist was still on board. But Anouk had been abused before their departure – and at her mother’s instigation! The wounds hadn’t been inflicted on the ship, but back at home.

‘Now it’s all beginning to make sense,’ Martin whispered.

He looked Elena in the eye. Anger flared in her face. She too had understood why Anouk had hit her mother.

No, not her mother. Her rapist!