Reactions were funny things, she thought now as she came back into the room and moved over to the kettle, flicking it on. That moment in the casino was the closest she bet Paula had come to losing her shit in many, many years. It hadn’t been a big thing: a few cusses and looks that could kill aimed at Anna and Tommy. Nothing physical, even though Paula was probably double Anna’s own weight.

Violence didn’t occur to Tommy’s wife, and for Anna, that was important. What was even more important was that she had seen no evidence of any CCTV in the corridor that led from the elevator to the Arctic Suite. That was good news; it meant that Mark couldn’t be tracked to her room. If he could have been, they would have watched the tape until they realised that he had never emerged again.

Of course he had exited, just from a different doorway.

Anna smirked.

But what of the CCTV along the external rails of the cruise ship? Was there such a thing? She grabbed her phone, put some searches into Google and spent the next few minutes watching irrelevant videos that came up. She bit her lip and placed the phone back on the table. She would have to take a walk around the decks of the ship to make sure. And if she did see any cameras on the starboard side where Mark’s body had tumbled off her balcony, well… she would deal with that when the time came.

She put a coffee pod in the machine and picked up the fancy little sugar bowl. She took the lid off and stared greedily inside. Saliva filled her mouth. How long ago was it when she’d last allowed herself sugar? She couldn’t remember.

As the kettle boiled, she made a decision. She scooped up a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar and added it to the mug. A few grains remained on the spoon, and after a moment’s hesitation, she brought it to her mouth and touched her tongue to it.

Her taste buds roared with delight. Light-headed, she dipped the spoon in the sugar bowl again, filling it this time. Before she could change her mind, she thrust it into her mouth. The sweetness rippled through her, fizzing and bubbling all the way down her gullet. As it settled in her stomach, she sank to the floor, eyes closed, caught between pain and ecstasy. Too soon, though, the nausea came, and the pleasure was over almost before it had begun.