by Blake Pierce
Looking more ridiculous by the moment, Emil and Amy actually shook hands.
Then Amy almost tripped and fell as she brushed by London in a futile attempt at a casual exit.
As soon as Amy was out of sight, London burst into laughter.
“What do you find so amusing?” Emil inquired with as much dignity as he could muster.
“What do you think?” London said with a guffaw. “You and Amy—an item! I had no idea.”
Emil looked at the floor and shuffled his feet.
“I am glad it gives you—so much glee,” he muttered.
“Is this why you’ve been behaving so oddly toward me lately?” London asked, trying to calm her laughter. “Is this what you were doing when I found you listening to that oompah band this morning, and you lied and said you had some sort of business to attend to? Were you having some kind of a—a tryst with Amy?”
“If you must know—yes, I was.”
“Why did you have to act so weird about it? So furtive and sulky? Why didn’t you just come out and tell me what was going on?”
Emil looked genuinely surprised by the question.
“I … I did not want to hurt your feelings,” he said.
London sputtered in an effort not to burst out laughing again.
“Emil, listen to me. I’ll admit, I had sort of a crush on you for a while. But not anymore. As teenagers like to say, I’m so over you.”
“Oh,” Emil said with a look of startled disappointment. “Well. Why did you not … inform me?”
“I guess I did not want to hurt your feelings,” London said as her laughter started to wane. “Look I’m glad we’ve got this out in the open. I mean, we’re both professionals, and we’re both adults, and we’ve got jobs to do.”
“Agreed,” Emil said with clumsy formality.
“We work well together,” she added. “I hope that will continue.”
“Of course.”
“Meanwhile, I’ve got to get back to my rounds. I came here looking for a map of Amsterdam. Could you lend me one?”
“Yes, I’ll get one for you right away,” Emil said, looking relieved. He turned to a nearby bookshelf, found a map, and handed it to her.
London delivered the folded paper map to Letitia, who was most grateful.
*
After London finished her rounds for the night, she took her exhausted little dog back to their room, where he fell fast asleep on the bed. With so many things still going around in her head, she didn’t think she could sleep yet so she headed up to the Rondo deck to enjoy the night air.
The Nachtmusik was sailing along the Main River on its way to the much larger Rhine, which the boat would follow on its way to Amsterdam.
After all the turmoil of the last couple of days, it was good to stand at the railing, feeling feel cool breeze blow through her hair and watching lights from small towns pass by on the riverbank. She let her mind go still and quiet and enjoyed the low, comforting rumble of the Nachtmusik’s engine.
Suddenly she thought she heard a voice whispering in the darkness.
“Fern Weh.”
She almost turned around to look and see who had spoken when she realized the truth.
It was me.
I said it myself.
It hadn’t occurred to her that the mysterious name from a posted ad back in Regensburg was still wafting through some distant part of her mind.
“Fern Weh,” she said again. “Fernweh.”
Said as a single word, it meant “wanderlust.”
She knew she still had the tiny slip of paper with the phone number written on it. She remembered the phone message she’d heard when she’d tried to call that number.
“Die von Ihnen erreichte Nummer ist nicht in Betrieb.”
“The number you have reached is not in service.”
She had to wonder yet again—was there even the faintest possibility that Mom had left that ad and that number, and that Fern Weh was the name she had assumed for her travels? Had London found that number too late to reach Mom, after she had moved on to some new location and some new phone number?
How can I possibly know? she wondered.
How will I ever know?
She felt a craving deep inside—and an urge to do something, anything, to find out the truth.
She took out her cell phone and went online and ran a search on the name Fern Weh. While she found thousands of entries for Fernweh as a single word, she didn’t find any instances of someone using it as a name.
Then she found herself thinking ahead to the next leg of their voyage.
We’ll be in the Netherlands, she thought.
Her Dutch was rusty, so she looked up “wanderlust” in an online Dutch/English dictionary:
Reislust
Without stopping to think, she ran a search on the word. Of course, once again she came up with thousands of entries. Then it occurred to her—maybe she should try it as two words, just as the word had been divided in German.
She typed in the words:
Reis Lust
She was startled to run across a website with those two words as its name. She opened it and found herself looking at a single page with three lines of text written in large, cursive letters:
Reis Lust
elke Europese taal
65 Poppenhuisstraat, Amsterdam
London felt a jolt of surprise. She didn’t know what to make of what she was seeing. The last line was obviously an address.
But the second line?
She was quickly able to translate it in her head.
any European language
She gasped aloud.
Was it possible that this was another ad for a language tutor—a more cryptic one than the last?
And was the tutor calling herself “Wanderlust” in the language of every country she visited?
And might that tutor be Mom?
If so, was she following a similar route as London through Europe?
It seemed impossible to believe.
And yet …
London would be in Amsterdam soon. There was no reason in the world why she couldn’t go directly to that address and find out what the webpage meant.
I’ve got to know, she thought.
Then she heard a voice say, “London.”
For a moment she wondered whether she’d said her own name. But this time she turned around and saw Bryce’s handsome face gazing at her with a broad smile
“I hoped I might find you up here,” he said.
“I’m glad you did,” London said.
They stood staring at each other shyly but happily for a moment, and thoughts of Mom faded from London’s mind.
“Quite an adventure today, wasn’t it?” Bryce said.
Then she and Bryce both laughed at his charmingly awkward effort at making conversation.
“An adventure, indeed,” she said.
“I suppose you must be getting tired of adventures by now.”
London looked up into his warm gray eyes.
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe not.”
She leaned toward him, and he lifted her chin.
Finally, their lips met in a long, delightful kiss.
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA)
(A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 4)
“When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists, and the end brings a surprising revelation. Strongly recommended for the permanent library of any reader who enjoys a very well-written thriller.”
--Books and Movie Reviews (re Almost Gone)
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) is book #4 in a charming new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose Once Gone has over 1,500 five-star reviews. The series begins with MURDER (AND BAKLAVA)—BOOK #1.
When London Rose, 33, is proposed to by her long-time boyfriend, she realizes she is facing a stable, predictable, pre-
determined (and passionless) life. She freaks out and runs the other way—accepting instead a job across the Atlantic, as a tour-guide on a high-end European cruise line that travels through a country a day. London is searching for a more romantic, unscripted and exciting life that she feels sure exists out there somewhere.
London is elated: the European river towns are small, historic and charming. She gets to see a new port every night, gets to sample an endless array of new cuisine and meet a stream of interesting people. It is a traveler’s dream, and it is anything but predictable.
In Book #4, MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA), they cruise into Amsterdam, the land of Van Gogh, with its gorgeous canals, flower-filled fields and exquisite cuisine. But when London discovers a dead body floating in a canal, she, the only suspect, must clear her name. A baffling mystery ensues, taking London all the way from the world of Dutch museums to the murky streets of its Red Light district.
Laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, endearing, rife with new sights, culture and food, THE EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy series offers a fun and suspenseful trip through the heart of Europe, anchored in an intriguing mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page.
Books #5, CALAMITY (AND A DANISH), and #6, MAYHEM (AND HERRING), are now also available!
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA)
(A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 4)
Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising fifteen books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the new A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the new AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
CITY OF PREY (Book #1)
CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)
CITY OF BONES (Book #3)
A YEAR IN EUROPE
A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1)
DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2)
VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3)
ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)
GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)
GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)
GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4)
GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5)
GIRL ERASED (Book #6)
LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
ALREADY GONE (Book #1)
ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)
ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)
EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)
DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)
CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)
CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)
MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)
ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES
LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)
LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)
LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)
LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)
LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)
LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)
LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)
LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8)
LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9)
LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10)
THE AU PAIR SERIES
ALMOST GONE (Book#1)
ALMOST LOST (Book #2)
ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)
ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES
FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)
FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)
FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)
FACE OF FURY (Book #5)
FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)
A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)
THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)
THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)
THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)
THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)
THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)
THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)
THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)
THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)
THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)
THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)
THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)
THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)
THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)
CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
NEXT DOOR (Book #1)
A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)
CUL DE SAC (Book #3)
SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)
HOMECOMING (Book #5)
TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)
KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES
IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)
IF SHE SAW (Book #2)
IF SHE RAN (Book #3)
IF SHE HID (Book #4)
IF SHE FLED (Book #5)
IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)
IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)
THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES
WATCHING (Book #1)
WAITING (Book #2)
LURING (Book #3)
TAKING (Book #4)
STALKING (Book #5)
KILLING (Book #6)
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
ONCE COLD (Book #8)
ONCE STALKED (Book #9)
ONCE LOST (Book #10)
ONCE BURIED (Book #11)
ONCE BOUND (Book #12)
ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)
ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)
ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)
ONCE MISSED (Book #16)
ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)
BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)
BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)
BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)
BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)
BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)
BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)
BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)
BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)
>
BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)
CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)
A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)
A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)
A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)