Southampton Strangler

by Hope Callaghan

  “What’s that?”

  “Someone left a note for me in the passengers’ comments box.” On closer inspection, she noticed her name was carefully printed in block letters, “Millie Armati.”

  Millie turned the envelope over and ran her finger under the edge before lifting the flap. She began to feel lightheaded as she flipped it open and read the two words printed in the same bold block letters.

  Chapter 15

  Danielle picked up the pace and began jogging to the lounge where the Mix and Mingle Singles event was being held. Felix was standing by the door, chatting with one of the servers, when she arrived.

  “Danielle,” Felix gushed. “When I found out we were co-hosting the M&M, I said to myself, ‘Felix, you have got to ask Danielle who creates that amazing platinum blond hair of hers.’ Do you go to one of those adorable stylists in the salon?”

  “No. Never colored it in my life.” Danielle ran her fingers through her hair. “God gave me these luscious locks,” she joked. “You can’t seriously be considering lightening your hair. Your color suits you to a ‘T.’”

  “I need a new look.” Felix snapped his fingers, swiveling his hips as he twirled in a slow circle. “We’re heading back to the States, and my homies in Miami are waiting for our return. I thought I would show the South Beach Scene what a cultured, sophisticated world traveler I’ve become. The old me is so…dull and boring.”

  Danielle chuckled. “Felix, you have never been dull a day in your life, and you don’t have a boring bone in your body. Besides, the hair doesn’t make the man. It’s your natural sparkle.”

  “You’re too sweet.” Felix grasped Danielle’s shoulders and air-kissed her. “Thank you for the pep talk, lovey.”

  “If you decide to go for a new ‘do’, I would consult with the stylist first. Your hair is such a dark, natural shade, you don’t want it to turn orange.”

  “Orange?” Felix pressed a hand to his chest, his eyes widening in horror. “Do you think that would happen?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s worth finding out first.” Danielle glanced at the crowd that was starting to gather. “It’s time to get this party started.”

  “You handle the mix and I’ll handle the mingle.” Felix turned to go, and Danielle stopped him. “Millie asked for our help. We need to keep an eye on Thomas Windsor. Do you know who he is?”

  “No.”

  Danielle craned her neck, catching a glimpse of Windsor, who had just arrived. “He’s over there…the mature gentleman with the silver locks. Do you see him?”

  Felix followed her gaze. “I think so. He’s to the right of the entrance.”

  “Correct. We need to make sure he doesn’t leave the event early.”

  “Why?” Felix held up a hand. “Never mind. If this involves Millie, I’m certain I don’t want the details.”

  “The less you know, the better.”

  “I shall follow him around like a lost puppy.”

  “Good, and I’ll try to keep track of him too.” Danielle darted to the door and unlocked it as she began greeting the guests. The lounge filled at a rapid rate, reaching capacity before it even started.

  While Danielle stood by the door greeting the guests, Felix mingled. He flitted from group to group, starting a conversation to break the ice before moving on to the next.

  A trio of musicians arrived and set up near the back of the small stage. Danielle, noting most attendees were a more mature crowd, briefly consulted with the musicians and they began playing a mixture of sixties and seventies music.

  The dance floor filled, and Danielle stopped by the bar to check on the drinks and snacks. With the party in full swing, and confirming Thomas Windsor was in attendance, she made her way to the quietest corner she could find.

  She unclipped her radio and turned her back to the crowd. “Millie, do you copy?”

  “Go ahead, Danielle.”

  “The mix and mingle party is in full swing. You should stop by if you have time.”

  “Okay. I’ll try,” Millie promised. “Do you have a full house?”

  “Yes. There are a lot of familiar faces. In fact, Thomas Windsor is here. He asked if you were co-hosting with me.”

  “I see. Thanks for the invite. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Great. If I were you, I would do it sooner, rather than later.”

  “Gotcha. I have something else to take care of, but it shouldn’t take long. In fact, I’m there now so I had better get going.”

  “Over and out.” Danielle replaced her radio. She had given Millie the all-clear to sneak into Windsor’s cabin, who was now trapped near the bar, surrounded by several women. “Hurry, Millie. Something about this gives me a bad vibe,” she whispered under her breath.

  Danielle crossed the room and began making small talk, chatting about the voyage and their port stop in Bermuda.

  “Argh!” An anguished cry echoed from across the room. It was coming from the direction of the dance floor. Danielle excused herself, weaving through the crowd as she hurried to the stage.

  Several onlookers formed a semi-circle around a woman who was sprawled out on the floor, her leg twisted at an odd angle.

  Felix caught up with Danielle and he knelt next to the woman. While he ascertained the extent of the guest’s injuries, Danielle radioed for medical.

  Thankfully, two of the emergency staff members arrived promptly.

  Danielle nudged the crowd back, making room for the medical team, who wheeled a wheelchair into the lounge. After helping the woman into the chair, Danielle escorted them to the door.

  “We’ll take her down to medical for an examination.”

  The woman clutched her chest. “I’m having chest pains.”

  “Get going.” Danielle held the door and watched as they hustled out of the lounge to the nearby bank of elevators.

  The party resumed, but at a more subdued level. Danielle’s eyes slowly scanned the lounge, searching for Thomas Windsor. He was nowhere in sight.

  She took a tentative step, her eyes scanning again.

  “Danielle.” Felix hurried over. “I can’t find Thomas Windsor.”

  “Me either.” Danielle made her way over to the group she’d last seen him with. “Is Thomas still here?”

  One of them shook her head. “No. He left right after that woman got injured on the dance floor.”

  Chapter 16

  “What is it?” Cat asked. “Your face is as white as a ghost.”

  Millie handed her friend the note.

  “‘You’re next.’ What does this mean?”

  Instead of answering, Millie reached for her radio and then stopped. “Andy told me he cleared out the customer comment bin and found this note in there.”

  “How long has it been since he emptied the bin?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you should find out.”

  Millie stared at her friend, her mind refusing to register what might have happened. Andy was from the UK. Andy was in the vicinity at the time the strangler struck. He was in the stairwell the previous night when Millie suspected she was being followed.

  Her eyes fell to the diamond and charm bracelet Cat was wearing, the one Andy had given her. She needed to find out what the uni student’s charm bracelet looked like. “We need to find out if the ship was in port at the time of the murders.”

  “Millie.” Cat clutched her arm. “Andy took a leave. Remember? He left the ship while his sister, Sarah, was on board. The Southampton port area is where most of the strangler’s victims were found.”

  “And Halbert swears he caught a glimpse of the strangler. I always wondered if perhaps the serial killer hadn’t, at some point in time, worked on the docks or on a ship, maybe even a cargo ship.”

  “Or a cruise ship.” Cat studied the note. “What if Andy wrote this note? What if he found out you were snooping around in the strangler case and is concerned you’re getting too close to the truth?”

  “Millie, do you co
py?” It was Danielle. She gave her the green light, letting her know that Thomas Windsor was at the party.

  Millie signed off and then clipped her radio to her belt. “We’ll have to put that on the back burner. For now, we need to get inside Windsor’s cabin while the getting is good.”

  Since they were mere steps away from his door, it was a brisk stroll to his cabin, port side and aft of the ship.

  With a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear, Millie slid her master keycard into the slot. She waited for the ding and then eased the door open.

  The interior was cool and quiet. The cabin’s curtains were drawn, and only a sliver of light escaped through a gap in the center.

  Cat quietly closed the door behind them. “It’s dark in here.”

  “We’re in. We might as well turn the lights on.” Millie flipped the switch, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness. The room was tidy, as in neat as a pin. A pair of polished black dress shoes were tucked under the counter.

  A gray suit hung from the closet door. A musky aroma, mingled with an earthy scent, lingered in the air.

  “I like his cologne,” Cat whispered. “It smells nice.”

  “It does. It’s probably some natural allure called, ‘Animal Magnetism,’” Millie joked. “Let’s split up. I’ll take the bathroom.”

  “What are we looking for?”

  “Souvenirs the strangler collected. A blue tennis shoe, a pair of prescription glasses and…” Millie paused, bracing herself for Cat’s reaction at one of the items she’d heard the strangler had taken. “A charm bracelet.”

  “You’re kidding.” Cat touched her bracelet. “Andy’s the strangler.”

  “No. I mean, we don’t know that. I don’t know what the bracelet looks like. I have a hunch the strangler took a pair of prescription glasses and a woman’s blue tennis shoe.” Millie nudged Cat toward the center of the cabin. “We’ll deal with the rest after we’re out of here.”

  She stepped inside the compact bathroom. Similar to the main cabin, it was tidy. Even the used washcloth was neatly hung on the towel bar. The contents of the medicine cabinet were arranged largest to smallest, left to right with the labels all facing out.

  There was no sign of the items in question. Millie exited the bathroom and found Cat poking around inside the nightstand. She opened the closet door and wasn’t surprised to discover Thomas’s clothes were organized by item and color. His shoes lined the floor…dress shoes first, followed by sandals and then slippers.

  She checked the pockets of his pants and shirts and then consulted her watch. They had been inside the cabin for almost ten minutes, reaching what she considered the maximum amount of acceptable snoop time.

  “Cat,” she whispered.

  “Huh?”

  “We gotta go.” Millie motioned for her to join her near the door. “I didn’t find anything.”

  “Me either.” Cat turned her thumb down. “If he’s hiding the stuff, he’s doing an excellent job.”

  “We’ll have to move on to Plan B.”

  “Which is?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Millie heard the sound of muffled voices in the hall and pressed a finger to her lips. It was a male voice. A female voice replied. The doorknob rattled.

  Cat dove under the bed. Millie hit the floor and rolled in behind her only seconds before the cabin door opened.

  Millie clamped a hand over her mouth, watching as a pair of steel-toed work boots appeared.

  “I am certain, Mr. Patterson.” Millie recognized the voice as Thomas’s room steward. “I have been keeping a close eye on Mr. Windsor’s cabin. He left a short time ago. Not long after, I noticed two people going into this cabin.”

  “You didn’t see them leave?”

  “No, sir. I’ve been standing guard watching ever since I radioed you that I saw someone.”

  Millie cringed when she heard the bathroom door open and shut, followed by the closet doors. “And it wasn’t Mr. Windsor?”

  “I’m almost certain at least one of them was a crewmember. The woman was wearing a navy-blue suit.”

  “Navy-blue suit.” Patterson’s shoes shifted. Millie gritted her teeth at the sight of a pair of knees and then, finally, Patterson’s face.

  Their eyes locked.

  “Millie Armati.” His eyes slowly shifted to Cat, who was now breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating. “Catherine Wellington. I would ask you what you’re doing, but I think I have a pretty good idea.” He briefly closed his eyes and motioned for them to exit their hiding spot.

  Millie crawled out from under the bed first.

  Cat, who was still breathing heavily, joined them. “I’m. We’re sorry. We figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look around Mr. Windsor’s cabin while he was away.”

  Patterson arched a brow. “And how, pray tell, did you know Windsor was out of his cabin?”

  “He’s…he’s attending the Mix and Mingles Singles party in the lounge,” Cat stuttered. “We didn’t touch anything.”

  “Really?” Patterson wagged his finger at her. “You touched the door handle, the closet door, the bathroom door. I’m sure you touched the drawer handles.”

  “It was a quick look around,” Millie argued. “In and out. No harm, no foul.”

  “Entering a passenger’s cabin is against company policy. The only ones who should be in this cabin are the passenger and the room steward. I’m writing both of you up.” Patterson led the way out of the cabin and into the hall. “Follow me.”

  Millie hung back, casting Cat an apologetic look as they followed Patterson and the woman into the corridor. The room steward headed in the opposite direction as Millie and Cat trudged along behind the head of security.

  They reached the bank of elevators and waited until the doors opened. Thomas Windsor stepped out, nearly colliding with the trio.

  “Excuse me. Hello, Millie. Cat.” Windsor shot Patterson an inquisitive look, and Millie guessed it was because of Patterson’s uniform and the fact he wasn’t smiling.

  “Good afternoon, Thomas.” Millie swallowed hard, wondering for a fleeting second if Patterson would rat them out, and then quickly dismissed it. Their punishment would be swift and severe but would not involve a passenger.

  Patterson waited until Thomas disappeared around the corner. “I think an elevator ride is the fitting beginning of the punishment I plan to mete out for your impulsive and rash actions.”

  “Of course.” Millie was the last to enter the elevator, watching as he jabbed the down button.

  “I’m sure I don’t have to point out to you that had I not busted you, Mr. Windsor would have reached his cabin by now and you would have been caught by him.”

  “We were on our way out when you showed up,” Millie muttered under her breath.

  Patterson shot her daggers, and Millie shrank back, wondering what the reprimand would entail…being put on probation, turning in her all-access keycard, restricting her online database access. The list was long and none of it struck Millie as appealing.

  The elevator doors opened, and they exited into the crew-only area when Millie’s radio went off. It was Danielle, sounding a little frantic. “Millie, do you copy?”

  “Danielle?” Patterson guessed.

  “Yes.”

  “Your other accomplice?”

  Millie gave a small nod of her head.

  “May I?” Patterson didn’t wait for an answer as he reached for her radio. “Go ahead, Danielle.”

  There was a brief pause. “Is Millie around?”

  “She’s standing next to me, on her way to my office for breaking company policy. Both her and Cat.”

  “Crud.”

  “Crud is right. What do you want?”

  “To let her know the Silver Fox has left the den, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

  “We ran into the Silver Fox near the elevators.”

  “Ohhhh….kay. I’ll be going now.” Danielle abruptly signed off.

  Ca
t and Millie had to hustle to keep up with Patterson, who was moving at breakneck speed down the long corridor.

  They reached the head of the security department’s office and he waited for them to step inside before closing the door behind them. He motioned for them to have a seat.

  Millie perched on the edge while Cat took the one closest to the exit. Her expression teetered between sheer panic and looking as if she was going to bolt.

  “I suppose it’s time to get Andy and Donovan down here since this matter involves their employees.” Instead of radioing them, he called them on their cell phones.

  Millie cringed as he told Andy it was rather important that he join him in his office as soon as possible. After having a similar conversation with Donovan, he leaned back in his chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together, and Millie could only imagine the level of punishment he was contemplating.

  “I’m sorry, Patterson,” Cat said.

  “Apology accepted, although it doesn’t mean I won’t issue you a warning for your behavior.”

  Cat’s shoulders slumped. “A warning?”

  “Yes. I’ll remove the warning from your file after thirty days, assuming you don’t commit a second disciplinary offense.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I think a warning sounds fair,” Millie said.

  Patterson leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Cat’s punishment is a warning, which I feel is appropriate considering I believe you were the instigator of the incident.”

  “I was.”

  “Which means your punishment needs to be something you’ll remember. Something painful that will make you think twice before completely disregarding company policy again.”

  There was a knock on the door. Andy, closely followed by Donovan, appeared. “You’re just in time.”

  While Patterson rifled through his filing cabinet, he briefly filled the men in on what had transpired. “I’m sure it won’t be hard for either of you to surmise whose idea it was.”

  Millie lowered her head as Andy’s eyes bore into her.

  “I’m disappointed in you, Cat,” Donovan said.

  “I’m sorry, Donovan,” Cat whispered. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”