Chapter 90: The Father's Betrayal, Part 2, Twenty-Six Years Ago, The Ferry

KLEMPNER

"Tired?"

She yawns and stretches in her taxi seat. "Mmmm.... Yes. It's been a long day."

I lay my hand on hers. "You can doze now. When we get aboard the ferry, we'll have a meal then you can sleep properly. It's an overnight trip."

"What time do we sail?" Her relaxed air fades, replaced by suspicion.

"Around midnight. Now, sleep. Tomorrow you can enjoy the sea and we'll pull into Helsinki around sunset."

"I'd not realised Stockholm and Helsinki were so far apart."

"That's Scandinavia in mid-winter for you. The days are short. Sunset is only about three pm."

*****

"Oh my God," she breathes. "It's so beautiful." Mitch watches with that small-child-amazed look she has. "When you said it was a ferry, I expected something a lot more...."

I swallow my satisfaction. "Basic? Grungy?"

She blushes. "Mmmm, yes. But this is all glass and polished brass and...." She eyes me. "You've done this before."