Dead Calm Read Free Page A

something to a young couple he passed. Bev ran to catch him up.
    She slipped her arm through his. “Who was that?”
    “I had a brief chat with them in the bar last night,” he said.
    Bev hadn’t met many passengers yet, but the ones she had seemed friendly enough. Dylan said he’d had a run-in with the woman in the cabin next to theirs, but that was probably just Dylan being Dylan. He’d called her the most obnoxious woman he’d met all year, but perhaps she was simply tired, as they all were. Also, she was travelling alone and that was far more stressful. Bev would seek her out and make up her own mind.
    The only part of the holiday not going to plan was the long-range weather forecast. Her sole reason for booking this cruise was to see the aurora borealis for the first time. During breakfast, someone had said the weather wasn’t right though, and he claimed it didn’t look set to improve. She’d be bitterly disappointed if they didn’t see the northern lights after all.
    They were walking back to the ship when a man, dressed for Arctic conditions as they all were, accosted them in the street.
    “I’ve seen you on the Midnight Sun, ” he said, looking pleased with himself. “Have you enjoyed Ålesund?”
    “Very much,” Bev said. “It’s a gorgeous town, isn’t it?”
    “It is. Oh, Bill Carr, by the way.”
    Introductions were made all round and, again, Bev was warmed by the friendliness of her fellow passengers.
    “My wife, Maud, booked this trip as a treat for my seventieth birthday,” Bill explained.
    “Congratulations,” Vicky said. “You don’t look anywhere close to seventy.”
    Bev hid a smile as she saw Dylan roll his eyes. Vicky was never slow when it came to chatting up men, whatever their age.
    “Thank you. I must say I don’t feel seventy—however that feels.”
    “It’s only a number,” Vicky said.
    “Of course it is. I’m still fit enough to get up Mount Aksla and there’s a wonderful view of the town from there.” He winked at Vicky. “Okay, so I cheated and took a taxi. But that was only because we were later getting off the ship than I’d hoped. Not that I’m blaming anyone on the Midnight Sun. We wouldn’t expect them to carry on as normal when someone dies, would we?”
    “Sorry?”
    “A woman died. Haven’t you heard?”
    “No, we’ve been ashore all day,” Dylan said. “What happened?”
    “One of the passengers died. She was knocking on a bit and had suffered heart problems for years apparently, but even so, you don’t expect that, do you? I’m getting on a bit but I wouldn’t want to die on a ship. It makes you think, doesn’t it? You never know what’s round the corner.”
    “That’s terrible,” Bev said.
    “Who was it?” Dylan asked.
    Bill rubbed a thoughtful finger across his top lip. “Someone did mention her name. It was Norwegian.”
    This morning’s chaos had centred around a cabin very near to theirs and, as far as Bev knew, there was only one elderly Norwegian lady in the vicinity. The one Dylan had referred to as the most obnoxious woman he’d met all year.
    “It wasn’t Hanna Larsen by any chance?” Dylan asked.
    “That’s it, yes. Hanna Larsen.” Bill looked taken aback. “You didn’t know her, did you?”
    “Not really,” Dylan said. “She was in the cabin next to ours, that’s all. I met her briefly last night.”
    “Really? And now she’s dead. As I said, you never know what’s round the corner, do you?”
    “You certainly don’t,” Bev said with a shiver.
    “She had a heart condition, you say?” Dylan asked.
    Bill nodded. “That’s what I heard. She’d booked an alarm call and had been most insistent about it. When they couldn’t get her to answer, one of the ship’s stewards went into her cabin and found her. Dead. Still, when you think about it, it’s not a bad way to go, is it? Give me a good swift heart attack any day. Better than having a stroke and ending up having to learn to eat all over