Vidar Freberg.
He tried to put a face to the owner but, as far as he could remember, there had been no owner. He hadn’t paid it any attention at the time but he was damned if he could remember seeing anyone with that case.
If he hadn’t been with his luggage, what had happened to it? The ship’s staff wouldn’t simply throw it in a lost luggage area. Freberg must be on this ship.
If he wasn’t, if only his suitcase was—
Dylan didn’t like the direction his thoughts were taking. Maybe Freberg wasn’t the harmless nutter the Jorstads believed him to be. Perhaps the idea of blowing an entire ship, and especially the Jorstad brothers, to kingdom come appealed to him.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do we have to see him, Bill?”
“Yes.” Bill stood behind Maud to check his tie in the mirror. “We can hardly refuse, can we?”
“I don’t see why not.” Maud applied another coat of lipstick and pouted in the mirror.
“We’ll have a quick drink with him,” Bill said. “It won’t hurt us. We don’t have to stay long.”
He had no wish to talk to Vidar Freberg either, but the sight of him had come as such a shock that Bill hadn’t been able to think straight.
“What a surprise,” Freberg had said. “We must catch up with each other over a drink. It will be just us three this time. No Hanna Larsen, eh?”
Bill had been too taken aback to do more than stammer, “Yes. Well, we’ll look forward to it.”
It should have been fairly easy to avoid people on the ship but, this afternoon, he’d seen Freberg again.
“The ballroom at eight o’clock?” Freberg had suggested.
“Sounds good,” Bill had said.
If it was difficult to avoid people on the Midnight Sun, it was damn near impossible to invent excuses. Stuck on a ship, one couldn’t claim dinner parties, weekends away or other pressing engagements.
“Freberg’s okay.” He gave Maud’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It won’t hurt us to talk to him.”
“But I’ve given everyone the impression I didn’t know Hanna Larsen. It just seemed easier that way.”
“So? Me, too. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does, Bill. Everyone’s talking about her. Questions are being asked.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Bill said again. “We had a chat with her last year, that’s all. Only Freberg knows about that.”
Maud tugged on her bottom lip, her brows drawn together in a frown. “Exactly. Which will be why he’s so keen to talk to us.”
“He isn’t. He’s only being polite. He was as surprised as I was to find someone he knew on the ship. Well, apart from the Jorstads. I assume he knows they’re aboard. That’s probably why he’s here.”
“I expect he wants to quiz us about them. He’s obsessed.”
“Then it’ll be a very quick chat, won’t it?” Bill gave her a smile. “We know nothing about the Jorstads, do we?”
“Adam does.”
“Stop worrying about nothing, Maud. Come on.” He gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. “You look wonderful. Freberg will be too busy admiring you to care about Hanna Larsen or Adam.”
Chapter Sixteen
They looked as stupid as sheep. No, they reminded him of a robot he’d had as a kid. The batteries used to die and his robot would stagger around like this lot. A band was playing and they danced just like his robot had. They laughed louder than necessary, kept silly grins plastered to their faces and drank too much. Being on a cruise, even a shit one like this, made them believe they were living the life of the jet set.
The music was shit too. Any minute now, Vera Lynn would walk on stage and start singing “We’ll Meet Again.” Worse, they’d all link arms and join in.
The band consisted of two guitarists, a bloke on keyboards and a drummer, none of them under fifty. One of the guitarists thought he was Freddie Mercury and, despite a beer gut hanging over tight trousers, strutted his stuff as he sang the old hits. He was complete shit. He was thrusting his pelvis and leering at any woman who glanced
He tried to put a face to the owner but, as far as he could remember, there had been no owner. He hadn’t paid it any attention at the time but he was damned if he could remember seeing anyone with that case.
If he hadn’t been with his luggage, what had happened to it? The ship’s staff wouldn’t simply throw it in a lost luggage area. Freberg must be on this ship.
If he wasn’t, if only his suitcase was—
Dylan didn’t like the direction his thoughts were taking. Maybe Freberg wasn’t the harmless nutter the Jorstads believed him to be. Perhaps the idea of blowing an entire ship, and especially the Jorstad brothers, to kingdom come appealed to him.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do we have to see him, Bill?”
“Yes.” Bill stood behind Maud to check his tie in the mirror. “We can hardly refuse, can we?”
“I don’t see why not.” Maud applied another coat of lipstick and pouted in the mirror.
“We’ll have a quick drink with him,” Bill said. “It won’t hurt us. We don’t have to stay long.”
He had no wish to talk to Vidar Freberg either, but the sight of him had come as such a shock that Bill hadn’t been able to think straight.
“What a surprise,” Freberg had said. “We must catch up with each other over a drink. It will be just us three this time. No Hanna Larsen, eh?”
Bill had been too taken aback to do more than stammer, “Yes. Well, we’ll look forward to it.”
It should have been fairly easy to avoid people on the ship but, this afternoon, he’d seen Freberg again.
“The ballroom at eight o’clock?” Freberg had suggested.
“Sounds good,” Bill had said.
If it was difficult to avoid people on the Midnight Sun, it was damn near impossible to invent excuses. Stuck on a ship, one couldn’t claim dinner parties, weekends away or other pressing engagements.
“Freberg’s okay.” He gave Maud’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It won’t hurt us to talk to him.”
“But I’ve given everyone the impression I didn’t know Hanna Larsen. It just seemed easier that way.”
“So? Me, too. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does, Bill. Everyone’s talking about her. Questions are being asked.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Bill said again. “We had a chat with her last year, that’s all. Only Freberg knows about that.”
Maud tugged on her bottom lip, her brows drawn together in a frown. “Exactly. Which will be why he’s so keen to talk to us.”
“He isn’t. He’s only being polite. He was as surprised as I was to find someone he knew on the ship. Well, apart from the Jorstads. I assume he knows they’re aboard. That’s probably why he’s here.”
“I expect he wants to quiz us about them. He’s obsessed.”
“Then it’ll be a very quick chat, won’t it?” Bill gave her a smile. “We know nothing about the Jorstads, do we?”
“Adam does.”
“Stop worrying about nothing, Maud. Come on.” He gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. “You look wonderful. Freberg will be too busy admiring you to care about Hanna Larsen or Adam.”
Chapter Sixteen
They looked as stupid as sheep. No, they reminded him of a robot he’d had as a kid. The batteries used to die and his robot would stagger around like this lot. A band was playing and they danced just like his robot had. They laughed louder than necessary, kept silly grins plastered to their faces and drank too much. Being on a cruise, even a shit one like this, made them believe they were living the life of the jet set.
The music was shit too. Any minute now, Vera Lynn would walk on stage and start singing “We’ll Meet Again.” Worse, they’d all link arms and join in.
The band consisted of two guitarists, a bloke on keyboards and a drummer, none of them under fifty. One of the guitarists thought he was Freddie Mercury and, despite a beer gut hanging over tight trousers, strutted his stuff as he sang the old hits. He was complete shit. He was thrusting his pelvis and leering at any woman who glanced
Similar Books
