Southampton Strangler

by Hope Callaghan

  “No.” Millie picked Scout up. “It’s almost as if it was an afterthought, but enough to comment on.”

  “Is there any way to link the university student and the juror?” Suharto asked.

  “You read my mind.” Millie clicked back to Sophie Young’s story. “Her father’s name is Arthur Young. He’s a barrister in southern England.”

  Millie attempted several searches of Arthur Young’s cases, but hit a dead end with every angle she tried. “We’re chasing our tails and going in circles.”

  “There was another victim, Clarissa Sinclair,” Suharto reminded her.

  “Yes. She was apparently onto something about the strangler. Let’s see what we can find out about her.” Millie hit the jackpot and found page after page of stories about Clarissa’s rather brief journalistic career.

  What Millie gleaned from all the glowing reports was the woman was a crackpot at solving cold cases. Unfortunately, it appeared the final one cost Clarissa her life. “I’m sure the authorities are focusing their attention on tracking her steps during the days and hours leading up to her death.”

  Millie studied the notes Suharto had taken on Edith Branson. “Edith’s husband founded a company and died decades ago, leaving her a wealthy woman. Why would the strangler target her?”

  “Or any of them,” Suharto said.

  “Wealthy widow, university student, jogger and crackpot reporter.”

  “And now Hilda Ellis.”

  “Right. The only thing they have in common is they were all female.”

  “You have very fast internet.”

  “We do. I’m not sure if the internet gurus gave us some super speedy device, but it’s certainly faster than those dinosaurs downstairs in the crewmember’s lounge.”

  “The computers are very slow. It is hard to use minutes to contact my family back home. My son, Bagus, just turned five.” Suharto’s eyes lit. “He is a busy boy. I tried to get through to my family yesterday, but since we left Southampton, the reception, it is not good. We are so far out.”

  Millie tightened her grip on Scout and slid out of the chair. “We still have some time before our next event. Why don’t you use our computer?”

  “Use your computer?”

  “Yes. I would love to see pictures of your family.”

  “Th-thank you, Miss Millie.” Suharto reached for the mouse, and then paused. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. You should get some sort of perk for putting up with me,” she joked.

  “You are too kind.” Suharto opened a new search screen and then accessed his email account. There were several messages from his parents and his wife. One from Suharto’s wife included pictures of her holding their son. Along with the photos was a video of the smiling baby and wife blowing kisses.

  At one point, his wife’s lip trembled, and Millie could feel tears burn the back of her eyes. “It must be hard being so far from home.”

  “Sometimes…I miss them so much, but Siren of the Seas, the people I work with, they are my family too.”

  Millie snuggled Scout. “I feel the same way.”

  Suharto gazed longingly at his family, and a thought popped into Millie’s head. “Would you like to make a video to send back?”

  “I have tried before, but it is so slow. The videos, they do not load.”

  Millie waved her cell phone in the air. “We can use my phone or your phone. Once we record it, we’ll send it to your email and then you can forward it to your family.”

  “Thank you, Millie. My phone, it works fine. The problem is sending it.”

  Millie gave Suharto a few minutes to figure out what he wanted to say. When he was ready, she started recording and then decided it was too dark, so they stepped out onto the balcony.

  Scout followed behind to investigate. “Bagus, he loves animals. Do you mind if I showed him Scout?”

  “Of course, not.”

  Millie started over. At first, Suharto was a little stiff and robotic as he told his wife Siren of the Seas was journeying back to Miami. Scout seemed to loosen him up.

  “This is Scout, Captain Armati and Miss Millie’s pup.” Suharto grasped Scout’s paw and began waving it. “Scout says ‘hi’, Bagus.”

  “In case you are wondering. Mr. Patterson has put me in charge of guarding the captain’s wife, who is also the ship’s assistant cruise director.” Suharto paused and Millie turned the phone for a quick shot of her smiling. She waved before focusing back in on Suharto.

  “Thank you for the video of you and Bagus. Millie allowed me to use her laptop so I could send this video. With all my love.” Suharto blew a kiss at the camera.

  Millie tapped the screen to stop recording. “This should be short enough so it won’t give us too much trouble uploading.”

  They returned inside, and Millie watched as Suharto accessed the file. With a few clicks, he attached the video and pressed the send button.

  It spun for a few seconds and then disappeared. “It has gone,” Suharto said. “Like magic.”

  “You can use the computer while you’re here.” Millie glanced around. “Since you’ll be staying with the captain and me, I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the sofa. It pulls out into a bed.”

  “It will be fine. I will sleep on the floor if I have to.”

  “That won’t be necessary. You can put your things in the linen closet in the downstairs bathroom and feel free to use any of the soaps and shampoos in the storage closet.” Touched by Suharto’s loyalty to not only Siren of the Seas, but his family, Millie made a mental note to do something nice for him before his guarding duties ended.

  In the meantime, they needed to head out to the Paradise Lounge to host the singles party.

  Thomas Windsor was there. The Moxeys never showed, and she could only imagine how shocked the group was that another of their traveling companions had been murdered. During the brief moments Millie was alone, she thought about the strangler’s victims.

  There had to be a link other than all of them being female. Hilda had been convinced she was being followed. Millie wondered how her husband, Bruce, was holding up.

  He’d struck Millie as slightly standoffish, but then Hilda had been over the top, never afraid to voice her opinion or speak out. While Hilda had been more social, her husband preferred to spend his time in the casino.

  From her brief conversations with the woman, she knew that she made her rounds around the ship, usually alone. Millie reminded herself to catch up with the Ponsfords and the Moxeys to express her condolences.

  Suharto hung back and watched the festivities from the sidelines. They moved from event to event, and it was a whirlwind of activities.

  By the time it was their dinner hour, Suharto and Millie were starving. “Let’s head downstairs.”

  The crew dining room was packed, and they joined the long line. They filled their plates and circled the room, finally giving up trying to find empty chairs, so they wandered down the hall to the crewmember’s lounge.

  A trio was seated at the bar, and two others were near the back playing pool. The lounge chairs were open, and Millie and Suharto settled in at a small table off to the side. While they ate, they discussed their day, and then Millie asked Suharto to name his favorite part of his job.

  He thought about it for a minute. “The people. I am a people person. They do such funny things. Most, they are very nice. They make up for the unhappy ones.”

  “Speaking of unhappy passengers, I have guest services desk duty tomorrow.”

  “Because you were caught in Mr. Windsor’s cabin.”

  “By the big man himself.” Millie stabbed a meatball and swirled it in the spaghetti sauce. “I’m convinced Patterson has super senses and can sniff out bad behavior.”

  “He is very smart.”

  “Almost too smart,” Millie joked. “You would think I would learn by now to keep my nose clean and stay off the radar.”

  “You cannot.” Suharto tapped the side of his forehead. “Your mi
nd, it is always working. I watch you and I can see you are very observant.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you.”

  A woman walked in, carrying a tray of food. She hovered near the door as she looked around. It was the new server, Joy, that she and the captain had met at the beginning of the journey. Millie caught her eye and waved her over. “Hi, Joy.”

  “Hello, Millie. The crew dining room is packed.”

  “It is. Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure.”

  Millie waited for Joy to set her tray on the table and slide into an empty seat before making the introductions. “Are you still enjoying your job?”

  “I love it. I love people and people watching. They’re so interesting and a cruise ship is the perfect spot to learn about other cultures.”

  While Joy ate, Millie asked her about her recent travels and her favorite places. She was impressed with the woman’s adventurous spirit, not afraid to travel alone and meet new people.

  After finishing their food, Millie and Suharto parted ways with Joy. They swung by the galley to chat with Annette. Since she was up to her eyeballs in meal preparations, they kept moving.

  Although the gift shop was open, it was empty, except for Cat, who was standing in the back. “Let’s pop in and chat with Cat.”

  Millie led the way to the back.

  “Hey, Millie. Suharto. I heard you had security detail since that poor woman’s body was found this morning.”

  “Yes, and I’m happy for the company. We’re on our dinner break and were passing by so we thought we would pop in and say ‘hi.’” Millie pointed to the arrangement of flowers on the counter. “Did Andy send you flowers?”

  “No, but he stopped by a short time ago when he was on break. The flowers are for the Ponsfords and the Moxeys. Donovan wanted to send flowers as a token of sympathy for the death of Hilda Ellis.”

  “What about Hilda’s husband?”

  “His ginormous bouquet was already delivered by Pastor Evans. Donovan thought having the pastor speak with him was a good idea. I’m waiting for my help to show up so someone can deliver these.”

  “Suharto and I can deliver them since I planned to offer my condolences, as well.”

  “That would be great.” Cat slid the glass vases across the counter. “Their names and cabin numbers are on the front of the card.”

  “I’ve been to the Moxey’s suite. It’s close to the Ponsford’s balcony cabin.” Millie took a quick glance and then handed one of the bouquets to Suharto. “We’re on it.”

  “Thanks, Millie, and stay safe. This whole strangler thing has me on pins and needles.”

  “I will make sure Miss Millie is safe,” Suharto promised.

  They made their way into the corridor and crossed to the other end of the ship for the trek up to the Moxey’s suite.

  The door was ajar, and Millie gave it a light rap.

  Kate Moxey answered moments later. Her eyes were red and her complexion pale. “Hello, Millie.”

  “Hello, Kate. I’m—we’re sorry to bother you. The captain and crew wish to extend their condolences.” Millie held out the bouquet of flowers.

  “That’s very thoughtful. Captain Armati, as well as several of the other ship’s captains, have stopped by to offer the same.” Kate took the bouquet and eased the door open. “I can’t believe Hilda is gone. First Clarissa and now Hilda.”

  Millie caught a glimpse of Harry and the Ponsfords, who were inside the suite and seated on the settee. “The other floral arrangement is for Annabel and Edward.”

  Kate pressed a light hand to her forehead. “Where are my manners? Please…come in.”

  Annabel sprang to her feet as Millie and Suharto made their way into the living room. “Millie.”

  “Hello, Annabel, Edward and Harry. I am so sorry to hear about Hilda’s unfortunate passing.”

  “It’s awful. Poor Bruce had to be sedated.”

  “I’m sure he’s in shock.” Millie motioned to Suharto, who held out the second floral arrangement. “The flowers are for you.”

  “Thank you.” Annabel placed the arrangement on the coffee table.

  “We can’t stay. We just wanted to drop off the flowers and offer our condolences.”

  “The captain and staff have been very supportive and we’re grateful for their concern,” Harry said.

  “Are you continuing on until we reach Miami?” Millie asked.

  “We’re disembarking in Bermuda, to accompany Bruce back to the UK,” Annabel said. “Quite frankly, we’re reeling from her tragic death.”

  “I’ve been wondering what Bruce will do with the holiday home he and Hilda purchased with their settlement money,” Annabel said.

  “I’m sure he’ll sell it, since he’s never even laid eyes on it. The holiday home was Hilda’s idea.”

  Millie stared at Edward as something began percolating in the back of her mind, some small clue, some niggling of a lead.

  Suharto spoke. “Mr. Patterson has increased the ship’s security to Level 5, the highest security level possible.”

  Kate accompanied Millie and Suharto to the door. “We’ve been in touch with family and friends back in the UK. It’s all over the news. The authorities are certain the strangler is on board this ship.”

  “I’ve heard the same,” Millie admitted. “It’s best we remain on guard and not venture out alone while Mr. Patterson, the ship’s head of security, and his men try to track the killer down.”

  Kate offered them a grim smile. “They haven’t been able to catch him yet. I’m not sure how successful they will be at this point.”

  Millie insisted they contact her if they needed anything before they made their way out of the suite.

  Suharto waited until they reached the stairwell to speak. “They are very sad for their loss.”

  “And worried. Who can blame them?” Millie thought about the clues, about the victims, about her note and being followed. Was she next? It gave her great comfort knowing Suharto was by her side.

  It wasn’t until later that evening, while listening to Nic’s soft snores, that Millie began putting the pieces together.

  She would need to do more digging around. Unfortunately, it would have to wait until morning.

  Chapter 22

  Suharto was already up, the sleeper sofa back to its original position, and the sheets and blankets neatly folded when Millie made her way downstairs early the next morning. “Good morning, Suharto. How did you sleep?”

  “Like a baby.” Suharto tilted his head and placed his folded hands on his cheek. “It was like sleeping on a cloud.”

  Millie arched a brow. “Our sleeper sofa is harder than a rock.”

  “But you gave me so many extra blankets, it was nice.”

  “Nic is upstairs getting ready. Would you care for some coffee?”

  “Yes, please.” Suharto followed Millie into the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind, but Scout wanted to go out.”

  “Not at all. Thank you.”

  “You are welcome. What is our day like today?”

  “Busy,” Millie said. “I didn’t sleep well. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the clues. Something Annabel Ponsford said yesterday stuck with me.” She told him what it was. “I think I’m onto something and now it’s all a matter of unraveling the mystery.”

  “It is dangerous.”

  “Yes, and I believe my life is also in danger. Hilda inadvertently put it in danger when she sent me that picture of her stalker.” Millie’s eyes grew round as saucers. “That’s it.” She hustled past Suharto and hurried to the computer.

  Millie’s hand trembled as she grabbed the yellow pad and studied the notes Suharto had taken. It all began with the first victim the strangler targeted during his second round of killings—Edith Branson.

  Suharto joined her, peering over her shoulder as she began listing the clues. One by one they all tumbled out and onto the paper. Clue by clue. It was almost as if Clarissa Sinclair was t
here, whispering the secrets in Millie’s ear.

  The only mystery left now was how the strangler discovered Clarissa had uncovered his identity. Only she and the killer could answer that question.

  She scoured the internet, searching for information about the strangler’s first killings from several years back. Millie jotted their names down and began comparing them to the victims from the past few months. Unable to find a link, she finally gave up. “I need to get this down to Patterson.”

  “He does not start his shift for another half an hour,” Suharto said.

  “We’ll grab a bite to eat while we wait.” Millie ran upstairs to tell Nic they were leaving.

  Suharto was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when she returned. “You can ask the others who were traveling with Ms. Sinclair.”

  “No. I think it would be a mistake to tip my hand. If they don’t believe me, they’ll start talking and it could blow up in my face. There’s only one way to catch the killer. We need to set a trap and lure him, or her, to the one person they still consider a threat.”

  “You.”

  “Yes. I would have to be the bait to lure the Southampton Strangler out and into the open.” Millie absentmindedly stared at Suharto. “I think I gave myself the perfect setup to force the strangler’s hand.”

  “I do not like this. Not at all. My job is to protect you. I think you need to talk to Mr. Patterson.”

  “I will.”

  Suharto and Millie were on their way downstairs to grab something to eat when Annette radioed. “Where are you?”

  “Suharto and I just left the apartment.”

  “I’ll feed you if you swing by here.”

  “You’re twisting our arms,” Millie joked. “We’re on our way.”

  When they arrived, not only was Annette and Amit on hand, but Danielle and Cat were there too.

  Suharto sniffed appreciatively. “Something smells delicious.”

  “Bacon. You can’t go wrong with bacon.” Annette pointed to the stack of fluffy pancakes, the plateful of bacon and another pan, this one filled with scrambled eggs. There was also a towering pile of buttery toast and a side of mixed fruit.

  “What’s the occasion?” Millie asked.