Silence for a long moment. ‘Oh. Oh no.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said again.

‘Did he . . . did he tell you anything about the other people on the ship?’

‘I’m afraid not. Something happened inside the iceberg. I don’t know what, Wim wasn’t making much sense, but I think the ship became trapped in the cave. Wim managed to get out, but he didn’t say if anyone else did.’

Imka struggled to keep her emotions in check as she spoke. ‘Something happened before the Dionysius went inside. I was talking to Arnold . . . my fiancé.’ Her voice almost cracked. ‘There was a lot of shouting, and they said Wim and Sanna were in trouble. I remember hearing the captain say he didn’t want to launch a lifeboat, something about protecting the crew. Arnold told me he would call back as soon as he found them. He . . . he never called.’ The last words emerged as a choked gasp of grief.

‘If the iceberg’s still intact, the ship might be too,’ Nina said, wanting to give the distraught South African some thread to cling to. ‘Would it have had enough provisions to support everyone for this long?’

Imka took a deep breath, trying to recover her composure. ‘The survey was planned to last for two months, at the most,’ she said. ‘If everyone cut down to minimum rations . . . perhaps.’ Then, almost pleading: ‘If they’re still alive, can you help me find them?’

‘I honestly don’t know,’ said Nina. ‘Maritime rescue isn’t my area of expertise. I got involved because Wim found an archaeological relic inside the iceberg.’

‘A relic? Nobody told me about this.’

‘Nobody knew – one of the rescue ship’s crew stole it from him. It could have come from something buried in the ice. Can you still track the iceberg?’

‘The currents will have moved it, but . . . yes, I’m sure I can find it.’ Urgency entered her voice. ‘And if I can, then we can launch a rescue mission! Janco has another ship. We can use it to reach D43, and find Arnold and the others!’

Her sudden surge of desperate hopefulness alarmed Nina. Whatever had happened to Stapper and the crew of the Dionysius could still be a threat, waiting in the ice. ‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’

‘But we have to try! If Arnold’s still alive, I have to find him. And if . . .’ She trailed off. ‘I have to know,’ she finally said, solemnly.

‘I understand,’ Nina told her. ‘Look, let me give you my contact details. If you tell me what you’re planning to do, I might be able to help.’ She hesitated, aware that Eddie had broken off from his conversation with Macy to fix her with a warning look, but spoke anyway. ‘If you find the iceberg, and there’s an archaeological discovery inside it, I should be there.’