There were exactly two moments when each of our protagonists felt their hearts sink to the bottom of their feet. You know, the kind moment when you realize you've made an irreparable blunder whose inescapable consequence will change the course of your life forever? Yes, that kind of moment.

The first came when Ove dragged a stunned Tina into bungalow thirteen and they discovered that said bungalow, far from being smeared with blood, was cleaned to perfection and even smelled of bleach.

"Damn", Rapp commented.

"This is abnormal", the forensic pathologist declared, taking a deep breath.

They decided to go back to her bungalow, both very worried as the situation was taking anything but the expected turn. If Ove Sven Rapp was to be framed for murder, who could have disposed of all the incriminating evidence in his bedroom?

The second moment we mentioned above was the precise moment when Tina, who had an urge 'because of stress, you moron', as she spat at the head of her misfortune companion, discovered a pool of blood – still warm – and three hot gun slugs in the bathroom.

"Ragnar... RAGNAR!"

"Stop calling me that and– Oh, shit... oh shit shit... oh fuckfuckfuck..."

"When you've finished lining up profanities, do you think you'll help me find a solution to this new problem?"

"Yes: we've got to get out of here, fast."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm not kidding. You've just been set up. I wasn't the scapegoat, you were. You're the one they're trying to frame for homicide."

"I've got nothing to do with any cartel!" hissed Tina, mentally analyzing the scene.

"You've got one minute to pick up a few things and stuff them into a backpack. Hurry up."

"I'll explain what happened to the police, everything will be fine..."

"Didn't you see the face of the dude who came banging on the door? He knew something was up. The police are in on it."

Faced with a grimace of doubt from the young woman, Ove growled:

"I worked with these bastards on those mother– I mean God forsaken Islands for two weeks. They're rotten to the core, they get paid by ultra-rich guys to let them do their bidding all day long! I don't see why they should make an exception in our situation! You've got thirty seconds to pick up your Tampax and we're off, Polly Pocket!"

"My what?! Who?!"

"Your catamenial tampons, you altitude-challenged frog-eating doctor!"

Tina almost exploded at this cocktail of insults, but she realized with disgust that the blond idiot was right. While he retrieved the duck-blue vanity and the pistol, she filled a hiking bag with the bare essentials.

"Hurry up! Ten... nine... eight..."

"Ready! What should we do? Go to the embassy?"

"Yeah, right. Great idea. First of all, there must be two embassies – maximum – here and it is a well-known fact there are never any cops around embassies. Oh, and that embassies' staff are incorruptible. Yeah... Sure... Keep dreaming."

"Let's make one thing clear: if I'm going on the run, I'm going alone!"

"That's right... I can see the international news flash headlines from here: 'Human trunk found skewered on Rum Point coral reef! Absolute horror: it appears to be a little boy!'"

"A little–"

Ove cast a knowing glance at Tina's chest who raised her fist, but the bungalow door suddenly opened. The two young people interrupted their argument: it was the Chinese policeman who had come to do a headcount – so he said. A strange smile – but was it really a smile? – appeared on his face scarred by age and excessive sun exposure.

"Uh. Going on a hike, you two?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest–"

Ove had approached the man and, without warning, brought him into the room to strike the policeman's head with a phenomenal knee blow, ignoring Tina's cry of surprise.

"You're CRAZY!" she screamed. "You knocked him out! Now we're definitely going to jail! Why–"

"Huuuum, what does it smell? Oh, bleach! What a coincidence!" Ove ironically said as he lifted one of the man's sleeves.

Tina, taken aback, did indeed note the discolored stains on the policeman's sleeves.

"But–"

"I don't know what's going on with you or what you did, but you've got to get out of here. Go to the hotel marina, I'll meet you there."

The young woman's face suddenly became worried:

"You're not going to–"

"Who do you think I am?! I'll just tie him up and gag him. Get out of the way! I'll be right behind you!"

Tina complied, a rare occurrence, and made her way with the most relaxed step possible to the resort's marina, a small home port protected by a natural coral reef. The wooden jetty was lined with large white yachts with names more pompous than those of the kings of France or England. The sun was setting, but the sky was clear and the sea calm. The hulls rolled gently in on themselves and the rigging creaked in the hot tropical breeze. Even so, Tina Aveterco was shivering. She was cold. Fear was biting into her insides as surely as the bullets that had ended the life of the stiff corpse lying in the Tropicana.

"This is the last time I'm getting married..." she muttered.

The tall silhouette of the Swede appeared at her side without her having seen him approach. He pointed with his chin to a yacht named Quigley IV and helped the young woman board.

"We're going to steal a boat?!" she choked.

"Commandeer. We're going to commandeer– that ship. I'm still a cop, remember."

"Yeah, more like a buccaneer, if you ask for my opinion."

"Well I don't, so, this settles that."

"This is crazy! We have to–"

But it didn't take Ove long to find the boat's key – prominently hidden beneath the hollow statue of an aggressive-looking Ahab figure near the helm – remove the mooring ropes and start the engine.

"When I tell you to, you'll remove the protective buoys on the sides!"

He noted the French girl's furious eyes and added:

"Why don't you just tell yourself I'm a ruggedly handsome pirate indeed, and you're my prisoner, so you can clear your conscience? Hey, will you call me 'captain' when I'll make love to you?"

"You'll be lucky if you have a pair of testicles left by then, Rapp, savvy?"

"I may have deserved that."

Just as they were about to leave the marina and Tina, increasingly pissed off, was lifting the safety buoys, a thud went up from the lower deck – in truth a veritable luxury suite, but neither Ove nor Tina had had time to look around said lower deck. The Swede, regaining his seriousness, motioned to his newly appointed cabin boy to take the helm and pulled the automatic pistol from his jersey pants. A figure emerged from the underdeck, raising his hands at the sight of the weapon:

"Damn! What's that?! A surprise party?!"

Tina, glowering, squeaked in Ove's ear:

"Great! And now you have two hostages... Happy, captain?"