The Woman in Cabin 10

“I don’t know. At the time I assumed it was because the body was too bashed up, but I spoke to the FLO in charge of the case after you called—I wanted to find out how the hell they could have got it so wrong—and she spoke to the Norwegians and seemed to think it was because the clothes were found separately.”

Huh. I lay there, trying to puzzle it out. Had Carrie kicked off the boots and hoodie to try and swim for it, in a desperate attempt to get away from Bullmer?

I was almost afraid to go to sleep, expecting to be haunted by Carrie’s reproachful face, but when I finally closed my eyes it was Bullmer’s face that rose up in front of me, laughing, his black hair riffled by the wind as he tumbled down, down from the deck of the Aurora.

I opened my eyes, my heart thumping, trying to remember that he was gone—that I was safe, that Judah was lying in my arms and the whole nightmare was over and done with.

But it wasn’t. Because I just didn’t believe what had happened.

It wasn’t just Carrie’s death that I couldn’t accept—it was Bullmer’s. Not because I thought he should have lived, but because his death, out of all of it, just didn’t make sense. Carrie’s suicide I could have believed, but not his. Try as I might, I couldn’t imagine that man, with his cold, fierce determination, giving up. He had fought so hard, played his cards with such cold daring. Would he really throw in his hand, just like that? It didn’t seem possible.

But it was. And I had to accept that. He was gone.

I shut my eyes again, pushing his specter away from me, and I curled my body around Judah’s, and I thought, very deliberately, about the future, about New York, and about the leap of faith I was about to make.

For a moment I saw a sharp, flashing image imprinted on the darkness of my closed lids: myself poised on the very edge of a high, high place, balancing on a rail, the dark waves below.

But I had no fear. I had fallen before, and I’d survived.

STANDARD

Thursday, 26 November

MYSTERY WOMAN IN AURORA DROWNING IDENTIFIED

Almost two months after the shocking discovery of two bodies at sea, one of them British businessman and peer Richard Bullmer, Norwegian police have today released a statement announcing the identity of the body dredged up by fishermen in the North Sea to be that of his wife, Anne Bullmer, heiress to the billion-pound Lyngstad fortune.

The body of Lord Bullmer was found several hundred miles away by police divers searching the coastal waters near Bergen, in Norway, after the peer was reported missing from his boat, the exclusive boutique cruise liner the Aurora.

NOT SUICIDE

The English-language statement confirms the previous announcement by Norwegian police that the cause of Lady Bullmer’s death was drowning, while Lord Bullmer’s death was due to a gunshot wound to the temple. However, the document contradicts earlier reports of Lord Bullmer’s suicide, stating simply that the injury was “not self-inflicted,” according to the findings of the local pathologist.

The discovery of a gun, recovered alongside Lord Bullmer’s body and wrapped in clothing belonging to missing British journalist Laura Blacklock, led to initial allegations that his death was connected to her disappearance some days before.

Miss Blacklock was later found alive and well in Norway, but her parents have called for a police inquiry after they were left for several days believing that the body had been identified as that of their missing daughter. Scotland Yard stressed that the body had never at any stage been identified as Miss Blacklock, but admitted that the finding of Miss Blacklock’s clothes had been “poorly communicated” to the family. They blamed the failings on “cross-force communication issues” with the Norwegian police handling the case, and have said that they are in private contact with the Blacklock family over the incident.

In answer to the Standard’s inquiry, a Norwegian police spokesperson stated that although they have interviewed Miss Blacklock in connection with the case, they are not considering the Briton as a suspect in either death, and that their investigations are continuing.

BANKING LIVE CHAT

6 DECEMBER, 4:15

Hi, welcome to our online customer services live chat.

You are speaking with Ajesh from online personal banking.

How can I help you today, Miss Blacklock?

Hi, I’m e-mailing because I’ve received an odd credit to my account.

I wanted to check if you had any info on the sender. Thanks. Lo.

Hi, Miss Blacklock, sure, I can look into that.

Is it okay if I call you Laura?

Yep, that’s fine.

What is the transaction you are concerned about, Laura?

It’s the one two days ago, dated 4 Dec., for 40,000 Swiss francs.

Let me check that for you.

I have your details here—is it the transaction with the reference “Tiggers bounce”?

Yes, that’s correct.

I have checked the sort code, it’s a Swiss bank account based in Bern. I’m sorry to say I do not have any information on the identity of the bank account holder. It is a numbered account.

Does the reference convey anything?

It’s fine, thanks. No worries. I’m pretty sure it’s from a friend, I just wanted to check.

Thanks for looking into it.

You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Laura?

No, that’s fine. Thanks. And good-bye.