The Woman Who Went Overboard A Scandinavian Thriller
Florence Wetzel
The Woman Who Went Overboard
Florence Wetzel
The Woman Who Went Overboard A Scandinavian Thriller
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Front cover image used under license from Shutterstock.com.
© 2020 Florence Wetzel Förlag: BoD – Books on Demand, Stockholm, Sverige Tryck: BoD – Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Tyskland ISBN: 978-91-7969-408-1
Dedicated to my dear friend Sheila Achermann, who planted the seed that became this book. Tusen tack!
When there are three people together, jealousy arises. One of them will have to go. The I Ching, Hexagram 41
Contents Part 1 ............................................................................. 13 Day 1: Bergen.............................................................................................. 23 Pamela ..................................................................................................................25 Besties...................................................................................................................29 Smile .....................................................................................................................35 First Sight.............................................................................................................39 Widower...............................................................................................................43 Yummy.................................................................................................................51 Dinner ..................................................................................................................61 Titanic ....................................................................................................................67 Pom-Pom.............................................................................................................73 Departure.............................................................................................................77 Creeping ...............................................................................................................81
Day 2: Ă…lesund............................................................................................ 87 Side by Side..........................................................................................................91 Breakfast ..............................................................................................................99 Seasick ............................................................................................................... 105 Fetal ................................................................................................................... 109 Invisible............................................................................................................. 115 Party Pooper..................................................................................................... 123
Day 3: No Trondheim .............................................................................129 Pirates ................................................................................................................ 133
Table 48 .............................................................................................................137 Yoga Bitch.........................................................................................................143 Pride and Prejudice...............................................................................................151 Not Invited........................................................................................................155 No King Crab ...................................................................................................159
Day 4: Bodø.............................................................................................. 163 Bitter...................................................................................................................167 Miserable............................................................................................................171 Kafé Kafka ........................................................................................................177 Nightmare..........................................................................................................183 Sauna ..................................................................................................................191
Day 5: Tromsø ......................................................................................... 195 Long Game .......................................................................................................199 Sob......................................................................................................................203 Hooky ................................................................................................................207 Northern Lights................................................................................................215 Overboard .........................................................................................................221 Coward...............................................................................................................229
Part 2 ...........................................................................233 Day 6: Honningsvåg ................................................................................ 235 Morning After...................................................................................................239 Dark....................................................................................................................243 Monster..............................................................................................................247 Blood..................................................................................................................251
Missing .............................................................................................................. 257
Day 7: Kirkenes ........................................................................................263 Still Missing....................................................................................................... 267 Huskies.............................................................................................................. 273 Police ................................................................................................................. 281 Nerves ............................................................................................................... 285 Suspect .............................................................................................................. 291 Click................................................................................................................... 299 Camera .............................................................................................................. 303
Days 8 to 12: Southward Bound ............................................................307 Belle ................................................................................................................... 311 Invitation........................................................................................................... 319 Warning............................................................................................................. 325
Part 3 ........................................................................... 331 A Year in Bergen ......................................................................................333 Rain.................................................................................................................... 337 Little Green House.......................................................................................... 343 Friends and Family.......................................................................................... 349 The Bad Thing ................................................................................................. 359 Playing Poker.................................................................................................... 369
Tack! ...........................................................................................................383
Part 1 A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
13
W A month after Pamela’s body washed up on the coast of northern Norway, her daughter came to our home for a visit. It was early December 2017, and the afternoon was gray and rainy, as usual in Bergen. I was sitting on the couch making final adjustments to my blackand-white Marimekko coffee service, arranging the plates so everyone would have access to the sugar and cream, as well as the delicious butter cookies I had baked that morning. Einar was standing by the front window, staring out into the rain and rubbing his right hand. I stopped my fussing to admire him. Love and pride rushed through me. My tall, handsome Norwegian husband! Who would have imagined that little Agnes Andersson from Saugerties, New York, short and plump and hippy, with owl glasses and an unfortunate set of jowls, could have such a tall, handsome man by her side? I like tall men. I always have. That was the first thing I noticed about Einar, who is six foot three in his stocking feet. Many Scandinavian men are tall, which is one of the reasons I wanted one. Besides, everyone knows that men from Scandinavia make excellent husbands. Naturally Einar and I have had our problems. All couples do. Me, I like to keep positive. Lately I’ve become convinced that there’s a Grand Plan underlying everything. You just need to trust and watch for the clues. From the minute I met Einar, it felt like the Universe was conspiring to bring us together. The occasional problem couldn’t destroy that.
15
From my seat on the couch, I heard a car drive onto the cobblestone street in front of our little green house. The tires hissed as the car slowed down on the rain-slick stones. Einar turned to me. “She’s here.”
16
The Woman Who Went Overboard
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