Southampton Strangler

by Hope Callaghan

  It was early afternoon before Millie had another break and enough time to track down Thomas’s room steward who was tidying a cabin a few doors down from his. She lightly rapped on the open door. “Hello?”

  There was a muffled sound, and a woman emerged. “Hello.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you.” Millie twirled her finger. “Are you in charge of cleaning this section of cabins?”

  “I am.”

  “Is Thomas Windsor’s cabin one of yours?”

  “Yes. Mr. Windsor.” The woman smiled, displaying even rows of white teeth. “He is a very nice man.”

  “He is.” A couple came toward them, and Millie waited for them to pass by. “I was wondering if you’ve noticed anything unusual or odd about Mr. Windsor or his cabin.”

  “No.” The woman reached for her clipboard. “He has always been in his cabin when I clean.”

  “Always in his cabin,” Millie echoed.

  “Some guests, they don’t like the room stewards in their cabins if they aren’t there.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  She shrugged. “There are always one or two during each cruise.”

  “And Thomas Windsor is one of those.”

  “Maybe, or maybe he is not ready to leave when I am in there,” she said.

  “You’re here twice a day…in the morning and for turndown service in the evening.”

  “I am.”

  “Mr. Windsor is in his cabin in the evenings as well?”

  “Yes. But it is early, you know? He does not bother me. He lets me do my job and then I leave.”

  “Going back to anything odd. Have you ever noticed anything unusual about his cabin or personal belongings?”

  “Odd?” The woman’s brows knitted.

  Millie struggled to continue her line of questioning and had another thought. “Is Mr. Windsor alone in the cabin?”

  “He has a double room, but it is only him.”

  “So, there are no shoes, women’s clothing, jewelry, or makeup on the counter or in the bathroom?”

  “No. Sometimes passengers have guests in their cabin, but Mr. Windsor has not. At least, not that I have seen.”

  “Thank you for answering my questions.” Millie turned to go. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t share our conversation with anyone. It’s just between the two of us.”

  “Yes. Just between us.”

  Millie thanked the woman for talking to her and then made her way upstairs. Perhaps there was a reason Thomas didn’t want the room steward in his cabin when he wasn’t there.

  As far as she knew, the cleaning staff didn’t mess with personal belongings, didn’t rummage around in the closets or go through suitcases.

  She thought about Patterson and his men. If the authorities had already gone through the belongings of those in Clarissa’s party, there would be no reason to do it again.

  As was Majestic Cruise Line’s policy, luggage given to the porters was routinely checked for contraband, including smuggled alcohol, drugs, and weapons. Once the luggage was cleared and delivered to the passengers’ cabins, it was rare for security to conduct a second search. It didn’t make for good PR.

  Millie was halfway across the ship when Cat radioed. She was on her break and asked Millie to meet her in the crew dining room. When she got there, she grabbed a glass of iced tea and joined her friend at the table. “Well?”

  “I talked to Thomas’s cabin steward. She hasn’t noticed anything unusual. He’s the only one in the cabin and always there when she’s cleaning.”

  “So, we don’t know more than we did before.” Cat dipped her fry in catsup. “What makes you think there’s a chance this guy might be the strangler?”

  “The clues.” Millie remembered a comment Thomas had made when she spoke with him right after he boarded. “He told me he was taking care of some loose ends, some family matters.”

  “Which doesn’t strike me as odd,” Cat said.

  “It’s also the timing. Siren of the Seas arrives in Southampton and the strangler picks up where he left off.” Millie mentioned the death of Thomas’s wife and a cloud of suspicion surrounding the circumstances.

  “Do you think he could have been slowly poisoning his wife and then killed her but made it look like she committed suicide?”

  “I don’t know what to think. All I know is someone was following me last night and Hilda Ellis, a woman who was in Clarissa’s group, seems to think someone is following her, as well.”

  The women discussed the others. Kate and Harry Moxey, Annabel and Edward Ponsford, whose family was closest to Sinclair, and then Bruce and Hilda Ellis. “Last, but not least, is Thomas Windsor. All were traveling with Clarissa.”

  Cat reached for her glass of lemonade. “Would it make sense to sneak into Windsor’s cabin to look for clues?”

  “Maybe. Going back to my biggest roadblock. I’ll need to make sure he’s out of his cabin.” Millie snapped her fingers. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Think of what?”

  “Passengers are required to sign up for certain events.” Millie tapped her scheduler watch. “All I have to do is figure out if Windsor is booked for any of those events, find someone willing to keep an eye on him and then go in for a quick search.” She scrolled the screen, taking note of the events. “There are several.”

  “I thought I heard you mention he likes the singles’ parties.”

  “He does. He’s almost always there.”

  “Find out who’s in charge of the next get-together, make sure he’s at the event and then go in.”

  “It’s Danielle and the next one starts at four-thirty in the Marseilles Lounge. Now all I need is someone to go in with me.”

  Cat wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a good snoop.”

  “Do you want to clear Andy’s name so he can get back to his old self?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we need to do some digging around, starting with the suspect at the top of my list.”

  “All right.” Cat polished off the last bite of her hotdog. “I’ll go with you as long as Danielle can confirm Windsor is nowhere around.”

  “The good news is he’s staying alone in the cabin, so we only need to keep tabs on him.”

  “You make it sound so easy.” Cat sucked in a breath. “Promise we’ll get in and get out ASAP.”

  “I promise.” Millie gave her friend a high five. “What could possibly go wrong?”

  Chapter 14

  It didn’t take long for Millie to track down Danielle, who was in the theater, wrapping up a line dancing class.

  “Hey, Millie. What’s up?”

  “I need a favor. Are you hosting the happy hour Mix and Mingle Singles event today?”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “Of course. I think that’s Andy’s version of torture treatment for me. The more I complain, the more he schedules me for it.”

  “Because you do such a good job. Besides, you’re cute and I’m sure the single men enjoy flirting with you.”

  “And I have to tell them I have a boyfriend.”

  “Perhaps you should invite Brody to join you when he’s off duty.”

  “I like that idea. He can protect me from all the flirty guys.” Danielle laughed. “How’s your day?”

  “Cat is depressed.” Millie’s eyes slid to the side toward Andy’s office, which was directly behind the stage. “Andy’s been giving her the cold shoulder. I think he’s bummed the investigators are targeting him and has been avoiding her because he doesn’t want to drag her into it.”

  “Speaking of Andy, he’s looking for you.” Danielle mimicked a fake British accent. “He’s come up with a bloody brilliant idea.”

  “Great.” Millie pursed her lips. “Using Andy and brilliant idea in the same sentence is never a good thing. The reason I’m asking about the singles get-together is that Cat and I were thinking about taking a quick look inside Thomas Windsor’s cabin.”

  “And since Thomas rarely misses a single
s party, you want me to keep an eye on him to make sure he’s there and stays there while you take a look around.”

  “Bingo.” Millie gave her a thumbs up. “He’s at the top of my list of suspects.” She mentioned the stairwell incident. “At first, I thought Hilda Ellis was imagining it when she said someone was following her. Now, I’m not so sure.”

  “Why would someone be following you?” Danielle asked.

  Millie shrugged. “Because if the strangler is on board, he or she might suspect that I’m poking my nose into the deaths and is trying to scare me.”

  “Or even worse, trying to take you out. I would be careful.”

  “After last night, I will. So, will you help Cat and me?”

  “Of course. I wish I was the one going with you instead of playing lookout.” Danielle shifted her weight. “I’ll need to tag team with my co-host. These events get chaotic and it’s going to be nearly impossible for me to watch Windsor the entire time.”

  “Who’s your co-host?”

  “Let me check.” Danielle whipped her cell phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the screen. “It’s Felix.”

  “Perfect.” Millie clapped her hands. “That ought to be fun.”

  “Felix can liven up any event. I’ll ask him to help.”

  “You’re the best. I knew I could count on you.” Millie turned to go, and Danielle stopped her. “Wait. Don’t forget about Andy. He’s in his office. At least he was last time I checked.”

  Millie thanked her and then headed to the back of the stage. A large beam of bright light emanated from Andy’s half-open door. She gave the door a light rap and stuck her head around the corner. “Hey, Andy. Danielle said you were looking for me.”

  “I am. Come in.” Andy reached behind him and grabbed a box she recognized as the passengers’ comments and suggestions box. “I’ve come up with a new and exciting event and it involves you.”

  “New and exciting?”

  “It also involves Annette. Let me see if she’s free so I can tell you both at the same time.” Andy grabbed his cell phone and tapped the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Annette. Andy here. I have you on speaker.”

  “Okay.”

  “I was wondering if you had a minute to meet with Millie and me in my office.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ll explain when you get here.”

  There was a moment of hesitation before Annette promised she was on her way.

  “Splendid. We’ll see you soon.”

  Millie watched as Andy sifted through the stack of cards. “I thought you moved to online comment cards. Trying to save paper and all.”

  “I have. I get online suggestions and feedback, but we still get our fair share of these. In fact, I forgot all about emptying the bin until a couple hours ago.”

  “You came up with your brilliant plan in a couple hours?”

  “It’s been in the back of my mind for a while. Reading some of the recent suggestions confirmed it.”

  Millie stared at the stack. “You have quite a few.”

  “The bin was almost full. I’ve been tracking the suggestions for new events, and the one I’m about to pitch to you and Annette is one that keeps popping up.”

  Footsteps echoed outside the office.

  Annette appeared in the doorway and Andy waved her in. “Thank you for getting down here so fast.”

  “You caught me at the right time.” Annette took a seat next to Millie. “What’s up?”

  “I was telling Millie, I’ve gone through all the passenger comments and suggestions, and one particular event keeps getting mentioned.” Andy paused, letting the anticipation build.

  “And…” Annette twirled her hand.

  “I want to offer a cooking class.”

  “A cooking class,” Millie echoed.

  “Yes. It’s brilliant, really. Annette can host the class with the help of an assistant or two. Perhaps you and Amit. It will feature items only available at our specialty restaurants. If the attendees enjoy the dishes, my thought is it will entice them to book the specialty dining restaurants. Sales have been lagging lately.”

  “Because the British Isles were port-intensive. Most of the passengers weren’t even back on board for a proper dinner,” Millie pointed out.

  “Exactly. So, I figured now that the passengers are stuck on board the ship, we could test the cooking class, perhaps pimp the specialty dining to boost sales and revenue.”

  Millie’s eyes narrowed. “What’s in it for you—or more precisely—for the entertainment department?” Andy was a for-profit boss. He loved to keep his department’s coffers full of cash. There had to be a catch.

  “I was thinking we could offer a discount coupon for the dining.” Andy pointed to Millie. “That’s where you come in. While Annette is feeding them delicious gourmet dishes, you can upsell them on the restaurants.”

  “All the while lining your pockets.” Millie shook her head.

  Andy patted the pile of comment cards. “We need to give passengers what they want, and they want a cooking class.”

  “Well?” Annette turned to Millie. “I’m not typically keen on Andy’s ideas, but this one appears to have potential.”

  “What do you mean you’re not keen on my ideas?”

  Annette ignored his question. “We could host it in one of the specialty dining restaurants to create a unique ambience. I think Andy might be onto something here.”

  “It does have potential.” Millie motioned to Andy. “Would you charge a per-person fee and limit the size of the class by making them register in advance?”

  “That’s why you’re here. I need your input. If we make it exclusive, either by charging a small per-person fee or by signing up and limiting the number of attendees, we’ll create a perceived scarcity, and Voila!” Andy snapped his fingers. “Instant success.”

  “I think limiting the class, at least during the trial period, makes the most sense,” Annette said.

  “Ditto. If this turns out to be as popular as you think it will be, we want the attendees to have a positive experience, where they can see the dishes being made, interact with the ship’s chef on a more personal level, making it a more intimate event,” Millie said.

  “I like it.” Andy grabbed his yellow pad and began scribbling. There was some discussion on a name for the event, the venue, and cap for the number of attendees. “How about Appetizers with Annette?”

  “Or Siren of the Seas’ Savory Dishes,” Millie said.

  “I think Andy Wants to Make a Quick Buck sounds catchy,” Annette joked.

  “Creative Chef sounds fun.”

  “Or Culinary Creations by Annette,” Andy suggested.

  “I like it. Culinary Creations by Annette,” Millie said. “Write me into the schedule, and I’ll leave the details up to you and Annette.”

  “I can squeeze our first event in tomorrow, if that works.”

  “Perfect.” Andy jotted a few more notes. “Culinary Creations by Annette, tomorrow in The Vine restaurant at two o’clock.”

  “I’ll come up with elegant yet easy dishes.”

  “Dishes we could serve in the specialty dining,” Andy reminded her.

  “Right.” Annette gave a thumbs up. “Limit the list to twenty or less. The restaurant can easily accommodate that number with a head table near the front for the cooking presentation.”

  “I’ll announce the sign-ups to be done at the excursions desk by the end of today and will have coupons printed for Millie to pass out.” Andy clicked the end of his pen. “What do you think about inviting our sommelier, Pierre LeBlanc, to the event?”

  “To sell expensive bottles of wine while they’re partaking of gourmet goodies?” Millie grinned. “Andy, Andy, Andy.”

  “Never miss an opportunity, that’s my motto.”

  Annette left first, promising to give Andy the names of the dishes she planned to prepare before the end of the day, and headed out.

  Millie’
s app alerted her to her next event. “I need to get going.” She tapped the screen and scrolled to the bottom. “Part of my evening schedule is gone.”

  “I gave you a few hours off.”

  “Why?”

  Andy averted his gaze.

  Millie said the first thing that popped into her head. “Am I in trouble?”

  “No, unless there’s something you need to confess.”

  Millie thought about her upcoming snooping plan. “Not yet.”

  “I can’t say.” Andy quickly changed the subject. “By the way, I found an envelope in the comment box with your name on it.” He rummaged around inside before handing her a small envelope.

  “Thanks.” Millie glanced at the front before tucking it into her pocket. It wasn’t unusual for passengers to leave thank-you notes for crewmembers or the ship’s staff, particularly if the person went above and beyond their duties and the passenger wanted to express their appreciation. “For the record, I think the culinary class is a great idea.”

  “I’m excited to see how it does.”

  After exiting the office, Millie called Cat to finalize their game plan and then made her rounds, counting the minutes until the mix and mingles event was scheduled to begin. With twenty minutes and counting, she did a deck check of Thomas’s cabin area.

  Since cabin tidying was mid-morning and turndown was during the dinner hours, timing would be crucial in ensuring she and Cat got in and out without running into the room steward.

  With a quick run through, she headed upstairs. Cat, along with one of the other store employees, was inside. She waited off to the side for her friend to join her.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  “No.” Cat clutched her stomach. “I feel like throwing up. What if we get caught?”

  “We always run that risk. Danielle is going to confirm Windsor is at the single’s party before we go in.”

  “Good. Good. What about the room stewards?”

  “We’ll miss them if we get in and out.” Millie reached for her cell phone, making sure she hadn’t missed a text or call. She noticed the note Andy had given her, the one he’d found in the comment box, and pulled it out.