Savasana at Sea

by Ava Dunne

  “Oh, around. You know how it is,” Nicolette said. “If you ask me, it’s that little cherub Sophie who’s the mastermind behind it all. Damn, my G-string broke. Tobias already thinks I steal them.”

  I hurried away, before Nicolette could catch me eavesdropping. I returned the costume and the laundry, thanked Tobias, and fled up to the crew bar. The rumor I was the architect, responsible for both Geri’s and Wendy’s deaths, was circulating. Who started it? How could I stop it?

  Viktor intercepted me. “You got my flower?”

  “Your what?” I felt stupid, with no idea what he meant.

  “I left you a rose this morning. In your cabin.”

  “That was you?”

  He grinned, pleased. “Of course.”

  “How did you get in?”

  “I am the Second Officer. I ‘get in’ anywhere I wish.”

  Except Geri’s cabin. “Um, thank you. I think.” I tried to step around him, but he stopped me again.

  “I play game.”

  “Game?”

  “I court you.”

  “Oh. Yes, well.” I didn’t know how to respond. “Aren’t you worried I had something to do with Wendy’s death? Everyone else seems to think so.”

  Viktor took my hand and kissed the back of it. “It merely makes you more interesting.”

  I snatched it back and ran the rest of the way to the crew bar.

  I felt the stares and the way the conversation stopped when I walked past. It was even worse than when Geri died. I ordered a glass of pinot noir from the bar and found a dark corner near the crew pool where I hoped I could unwind in peace. Maybe I should just buy a bottle and drink in my room. How could anyone think I could be behind two deaths?

  “Sophie, are you okay?” Andrew dropped to his knees beside my chair.

  “No. I’m not.” I burst into tears.

  “You’ve had a horrible day. I’m so, so sorry.” Andrew put his arms around me and began rubbing my back.

  I sobbed, letting all the fear, the pain, and the anger out. I looked up, over Andrew’s shoulder, and thought I saw Sebastian watching, but the tears clouded my vision and I wasn’t sure.

  Finally, I stopped and straightened up. “I’m s-sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” said Andrew. “It’s perfectly understandable.”

  “We’ll take it from here.” Harmonia and Roz appeared. “Sophie needs girl time,” Harmonia insisted.

  “You. Creature with a penis. Outta here,” said Roz. “Normally, your anatomy is a good thing, but let us handle this.”

  “But—” Andrew protested.

  “Go.” Roz yanked him to his feet and pointed him back to the bar. She turned back to me. “I hear Nicolette’s being a bitch again.”

  “She said some nasty things. But she doesn’t know I overheard them.”

  “Of course she did,” Roz snorted. “She keeps a mirror by the door. She knows exactly who’s out in the hallway at any given moment. That was a performance designed to upset you.”

  “Don’t worry about Nicolette,” said Harmonia. “No one believes you had anything to do with Wendy’s death.”

  “Really?” I felt better.

  “Well, maybe some of them do,” said Roz. “But they don’t matter.”

  “What matters is how you feel,” said Harmonia.

  “Like crap.”

  “No wonder Sebastian looked like a thundercloud walking out of here,” Harmonia teased. “He found Andrew comforting you.”

  “Nothing happened,” I objected. “And it wouldn’t be any of Sebastian’s business if it did.”

  “Keep telling yourself that; maybe you’ll start believing it,” said Roz. “I have to run and do the next show, but I’m leaving you in Harmonia’s capable hands, and then we’re all getting damn drunk tonight by the pool, while the guests get drunk at the midnight buffet.”

  …

  After all that alcohol, and in spite of drinking so much water I thought I wouldn’t sleep more than fifteen minutes without needing a bathroom break, I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. I dragged myself into the shower, not daring to check my reflection in the mirror.

  I pulled myself together for the early morning class, which passed in a blur. “I can’t believe tomorrow we dock,” Lydia said, as the students packed up. “When we started, I thought this would be the worst and longest ten days of my life. Instead, it’s turned out to be fantastic. Natalie’s going to come visit me in the summer, and I’m going to get to go out to Montana to visit her!”

  “Good!” I hoped my smile looked better than it felt.

  I was ready to head to the crew dining room for a quick breakfast when Jacques waylaid me. “Kristina Murray cancelled this morning’s session,” he said.

  “Why?” I gasped.

  Jacques smirked. “Because she thinks you stole her jewelry and you’re a murderess.”

  “The guests don’t know about Wendy,” I retorted. “Or Geri.”

  “Says you.” Jacques made a moue with his lips and walked away.

  I suppressed the urge to fling a yoga block at his head. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jacques, that malicious little ferret, dropped rumors directly into Kristina’s ear. Instead of heading for the crew dining room, I went back to the cabin. Angie wasn’t there, which was both a surprise and a relief.

  There was, however, a note on the floor that had been slipped under the door. I hesitated before I picked it up. I opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of Charisma stationery.

  Sophie, we need to talk. Tell me when and where. Dhruv.

  I flung myself back on my bed and sobbed.

  I felt heartbroken, isolated, alone. This was supposed to be a time to get over heartache, have some fun, and everything went south. People thought I was a blackmailer, a thief, and maybe a murderer. They didn’t know me. They didn’t want to know me. I didn’t want to know them, either. I wanted to be safe in the Brooklyn brownstone with Fawn and Bianca.

  Anyone on the boat could be a jewel thief. Roz knew plenty about jewelry. She said she’d been with a friend at Senor Frog’s, but what if that wasn’t true? Easy to dash over to the resort and crack a safe. Look how easily Stella managed to override the lock on Geri’s cabin. Anyone could have pushed Geri down the stairs. I didn’t want to think it could be Dhruv. Or anyone I knew on the ship. Maybe Geri fell. Maybe Duncan’s suspicions were unfounded.

  Wendy overdosed, but was it an accident, deliberate, or murder? I hadn’t smelled rosemary in Wendy’s room, but the permeating odor was death. What if Dhruv handed her the bottle when he visited her? Encouraged her to take more pills? But why? What possible motive could Dhruv have to hurt Geri or Wendy? Think logically. If he felt Geri was a threat to the safety of the ship, and he couldn’t prove it, would he go so far as to push her down the stairs? Or had they argued at the top of the stairs, had a scuffle, and it was an accident?

  That made no sense. If he’d been there, he would have admitted it. Wouldn’t he? Even if it was deliberate, didn’t he have the skills to make it look like an accident? But if he had those skills, then couldn’t he have made Wendy’s overdose (if that’s what killed her) also look like an accident? But I kept coming back to why kill Wendy? I wondered if I should have removed the painkillers from Wendy’s cabin. Would it have made a difference? Saved her life?

  The door clicked open and Kulap appeared. “I am so sorry,” she said, in her gentle, quiet voice. “I did not know you were here. I come back.”

  “No, no, it’s okay.” I sat up and sniffled. “I’m just being. . .silly.”

  “A man leave this for you.” Kulap held out a package wrapped in red tissue paper.

  I accepted it and carefully unwrapped it. A black lace thong and matching demi-bra nestled inside the layers, along with a note saying, “I look forward to seeing you in this. V.” I groaned and stuffed it in one of the drawers under the bed.

  “Why are you upset?”

  “Because people are thinking and
saying terrible things about me. Things that aren’t true.”

  Kulap nodded. “Part of living on a ship. They forget in two, three days. Do not worry.”

  “How can I not worry? It hurts.”

  Kulap nodded again. “Yes. It does. Miss Geraldine, the day she died, she argue with the man who deliver package for you. She said he say terrible things about her, and it hurt her.”

  Geri arguing with Viktor. That detail kept resurfacing. I wiped my eyes. I darted into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. “Thank you, Kulap. That’s a big help. Now, I know what I need to do.” I need to find Viktor and have it out with him, once and for all.

  …

  I checked the crew bar. I couldn’t trust anyone there to ask about Viktor’s whereabouts. I headed up to the main dining room, observing Costel and Veronika at work. I scoped out the room, making sure Ajeet wasn’t around to scold me, then darted in to Veronika, who was re-setting one of the tables. “Do you have any idea where I can find Viktor?” I asked.

  “He usually strolls around the Lido deck at this time, talking with guests,” Veronika replied.

  “Thanks.” I hoped Veronika told me the truth, grateful she hadn’t asked why. I darted up to the Lido deck, and walked all the way around, keeping my eyes peeled for Viktor’s tall, handsome frame. I didn’t see him.

  “Sophie! What are you doing up here?” Bartholomew hailed me from one of the deck chairs.

  “Oh, I’m looking for someone,” I said. “But I must have missed him.”

  “Can you sit a minute?” Bartholomew patted the chair beside him.

  “I shouldn’t, but what the hey, I’m probably fired by tomorrow anyway.” I perched on the side of the chair next to him. “Are you feeling better? Stella said you got food poisoning?”

  “Yes, horrible, but I think it must have been a food allergy, nothing anyone on the ship did in preparing the food,” said Bartholomew. “I suffer from gastric distress, nervous stomach. Have since I was a boy. Have you recovered from your ordeal? Stella told me someone tried to drown you.”

  “It might have been an accident.”

  “Stella didn’t think so.”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” I fidgeted. I needed a polite way to excuse myself. I needed to find Viktor.

  “Kristina knows you didn’t steal her brooch.”

  “What?” Now he had my full attention. “How did you even know about it?”

  He sighed. “Can I trust you to keep something in confidence?”

  “Yes,” I promised, against my better judgment.

  “Kristina knows you didn’t steal the brooch because she has it back. Stella and I convinced her she misplaced it.”

  A strange sensation gnawed at my stomach. “How did you do that?”

  “We dressed as stewards. Arranged for Daciana to be called to another cabin, so we could come in, ‘find’ the brooch and make a big production of returning it to Madame Actrice.” The way he wrapped his mouth around the last syllable indicated how little he thought of Kristina Murray. “Her type never looks beyond the uniform. An actress should look beneath the surface, but celebrities are too wrapped up in themselves. We’re all interchangeable in a uniform. She had no idea that, mere days ago, we sat beside her at the Captain’s table.”

  “How did you pull it off?” I probed.

  “Oh, come on, now, you’re not that dense, pet,” said Bartholomew. “We were able to return the brooch, because we’re the ones who stole it.”

  “You and Stella? Stole the brooch?”

  Bartholomew smiled. “We’re very good at what we do.”

  “Did you steal the other jewelry, too?”

  “Really, who wears diamonds to yoga class?” He snorted. “Talk about pretentious.” Before I could respond, he added, “We didn’t want you to get into trouble, so we returned Kristina’s brooch.”

  “Thank you.” I felt dazed and dizzy. I pondered. “The heist in Nassau?”

  “The reason we booked this cruise for these dates. We knew those dreadful people were scheduled in that particular resort when we hit port. They travel with their treasure chests. Arrogant fools. Easier to hit the hotel than get them at home. I do hope you don’t come down with an attack of conscience and turn us in. Not formally, or in pillow talk with that good-looking detective who’s so smitten with you.”

  “He’s not smitten, and we’re not sharing a pillow or anything else.”

  “Pity. You deserve some fun.”

  “Why tell me all this?”

  “Stella and I talked it over. We thought you should know we proved you weren’t a thief.”

  “You didn’t have food poisoning, did you? You wanted a reason to stay on the ship. And Stella only wears gardenia perfume when she wants to be noticed.” I wondered if Bartholomew ever wore rosemary. But he’d helped rescue me from Remembrance Man. They couldn’t be the same person. Did the Orsinis have an accomplice? If they did, how could I figure out that person’s identity? What would I do with the information, if and when I figured it out?

  Bartholomew gave me an enigmatic smile.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I admitted.

  “We’re good at disappearing,” Bartholomew added. “Even if you turn us in, even if we wind up handcuffed to a pipe in the bowels of the ship, we’ll be gone before we hit port. That’s what we do. In any case, we wanted to clear the air.”

  “Thank you.” I stood up. “I have to go.”

  “Of course. We’ll definitely see you at the tea dance. Tea dances are great fun.” Bartholomew picked up a magazine and resumed reading.

  I was dizzy with information. How could he be so nonchalant about theft? How could he be so sure I wouldn’t turn right about and tell Dhruv? Or the FBI? Or Duncan? Why confide in me? That put an unfair responsibility on me. To turn them in or not? Stella helped me break into Geri’s cabin. She was a jewel thief; she could pick locks. Did that make me an accessory? Stella and Bartholomew rescued me when Remembrance Man attacked me. I owed them.

  “Sophie?”

  Duncan. The last person I could risk talking to at this moment. I had to think. I had to find Viktor. I had to make a decision about the Orsinis. “I’m late. I’ll catch up with you, okay?”

  “We really need to talk. Not just about what’s personal.”

  “I know. Soon. I promise?” I held out a hand to him. He started to accept it, and I snatched it back and escaped.

  I ducked back into the crew area, and made my way back down the staircases. I wanted a good, stiff drink, and realized how easy it would be to drink too much, working on the ship. I tripped on the metal stairs, flailing for the handrail. My heart pounded. I nearly fell in the same spot Geri had, without help. It was an easy place to take a fatal tumble.

  “Hey, I heard you’re looking for Viktor?” Kiki passed me on the stairs. “He’s waiting for you in Slime Alley.”

  “Slime Alley?” That didn’t sound familiar.

  “Zero Deck. Where the trash is kept.” Kiki continued up the stairs before I could say thanks.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  WHY WOULD VIKTOR WAIT FOR me in Slime Alley? He was the type to invite me to his room to impress me with cotton sheets, a window, champagne, and caviar. The longer I spent on the ship, the more I realized that a window was a powerful aphrodisiac in this environment.

  I needed to straighten things out with Viktor, to let him know that giving me lacy lingerie was inappropriate, and find out why he fought with Geri the day she died. Thinking about it, maybe I should find out what his argument with Geri was about first.

  Was Viktor the person I overheard her talking to on the day she died? I’d promised Duncan to try to find the room she was in when I heard her. I’d never done that. Now that I knew the ship better, I was convinced it was A deck. A deck, which is also where Wendy died. The same person had to be responsible for both deaths.

  I needed to tell Duncan.

  Dhruv would take it as a personal insult if I didn’t t
ell him before I told Duncan. But I wasn’t entirely convinced Dhruv wasn’t involved.

  I wanted to talk it over with Sebastian first.

  No, first, first, I was going to get some answers from Viktor.

  With the ship in motion and the loading doors closed, Zero Deck was noisier and smellier than in port. No carpets in this corridor. Concrete floors were easy to hose down. The smells were more intense, here, too, of oil and grease, of rotting food, and more. Diamond Line was proud of the fact that they had recycling and compost areas on their ship, rather than tossing food and garbage over the side, the way some of the other cruise lines disposed of restaurant leftovers.

  Further down the hall, I could hear the washers and dryers, and laughter coming from the laundry.

  “Viktor?” I called out. I moved down the corridor with caution, not wanting any surprises. The sea was getting rougher; it wouldn’t surprise me if we were in for a storm tonight. Zero Deck’s corridor was much wider that the other decks, allowing the forklifts in to move pallets of food and other supplies when in port. It was unlikely he could hear me.

  I didn’t want to shout, because I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone in the laundry or any of the other departments down here to know I was meeting Viktor. He could turn the situation around if he chose. I’d be the one in trouble. As if being a murder suspect and a suspected jewel thief wasn’t enough trouble. But if I was considered a murder suspect, wasn’t it even easier to assume I was also involved in illicit fraternization with Viktor?

  Meeting me here didn’t make sense. How did Kiki know about it? Were they setting me up? Were they partners? Had they decided to take over Geri’s side business? I felt a prickle along the back of my neck. Something wasn’t right. If Viktor had pushed Geri down the stairs, what would stop him from killing me down here and hiding my body until he could get rid of it?

  The lacy lingerie was from Viktor, part of whatever weird “courting ritual” he thought he performed to get me into bed. Or worse, if he suspected I knew he’d killed Geri and Wendy. Had he wanted me to wear lacy lingerie to my death?

  Kiki was the only one who knew where I was, and if she was in it with Viktor. . .I should have confided in Sebastian. I should have let Dhruv or Duncan know where I was going. I might not be able to trust Duncan as a lover, but he was a good cop. Why wasn’t I talented like Harmonia? Why couldn’t I just concentrate on Sebastian or Duncan or Dhruv and have them appear?