by Peggy Dulle
“Smart man,” I told him and dipped my egg roll into the sweet and sour sauce.
“After we eat, can we go find the gym?” Tom asked.
“Sure,” I said, barely listening, as I lifted my fork filled with lasagna. “This food is great.”
Tom laughed. “Liza, I love you, but you think any food is great as long as you don’t have to cook it or clean up afterward.”
I grinned like a kid with a new toy. “Absolutely!”
After lunch, we used the map Rudolph had given us to find the gym. It was in the bow of the ship. In fact the treadmills looked out a panoramic window. Tom started drooling over the nautilus and weight equipment as soon as he saw it.
“This is great,” he said.
“The view will be very nice when the ship’s moving,” I said and pointed back at the treadmills.
Tom glanced at the window, but didn’t see it any more than I’d heard him when I ate. We each had our little obsessions.
“The gym’s closed at the moment, so why don’t we go out on the deck? The sun is shining and I’d like to walk around and maybe get my bearings or I’ll never be able to find my way back to our cabin.”
“We can try that, Liza.” Tom put his arm around me. “But it would be easier to just get a big cheesecake, smother it with raspberry sauce and put it in our room.”
I nodded in agreement. “I’d always find it.”
“And me,” Tom said.
As we wandered the decks, people started to fill every nook and cranny of the ship. We had just decided to sit and look at the Cruiser Notes when we heard an announcement over the loudspeaker about a life boat drill. We were told to go back to our room, get our life vests, then to go our assigned Muster Station.
“What’s a Muster Station?” Tom asked
“I have no clue, maybe there’s a brochure on it,” I suggested.
“They seem to have them for everything, so maybe it’s in the room with our life vests.” Tom stood and extended his hand. “Let’s go practice running for the nearest boat, in the case of an emergency.”
I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. “This is just like all the fire and earthquake drills we have a school. We practice walking in a nice, quiet and straight line every month.” I laughed. “In a real emergency, I’d be telling my kids to run!”
We hurried back to our room. Tom opened the closet and found the life vests. “But where’s our brochure on our Muster Station?”
A single sheet of paper lay in the middle of the bed.
“There’s something on the bed, maybe that’s it,” I said.
“Great! These people are very efficient.”
I picked up the paper, turned it over, and read it. The words echoed in my mind, over and over again. My breath stuck in my throat and I dropped the paper onto the bed.
“What?” Tom asked.
I stepped back away from the bed.
Tom picked the paper up. “What the hell?”
The note had only five little words:
Liza — Get off or die!
Chapter 11
My pulse accelerated and my body started to shake; I couldn’t catch my breath. I had been in many dangerous situations during my last two exploits, but never before had I felt so vulnerable. It was the unknown threat: someone on this ship wanted me dead and I didn’t know who.
Tom used a tissue to pick up the note and stick it inside a laundry bag. “We’ll hang onto this for fingerprints.”
My knees started to buckle and I could see stars flashing in front of my eyes. I’ve never passed out in my life, but there is a first time for everything. “Tom,” I whispered.
He glanced over, dropped the bag on the bed, and encircled my waist with his arms. “Easy, Liza.”
I buried my head in his chest.
“Breathe, Liza. Close your eyes, concentrate on your breathing.”
I followed his directions and within a few minutes I felt better and lifted my head, “Maybe we should get off the boat.”
“It’s a ship and we’re not going anywhere. Nobody threatens us.”
“Attention, all passengers. Please pick up your life vests from your cabin and report to your Muster Station,” an announcement said.
“Come on. You grab our life vests. I’m going to call Ramirez and have him pick up this note before we sail.”
I carried the vests, while Tom carried the note and dialed Ramirez on his cell phone. We followed the crowd from our deck and ended up at Muster Station A, exactly where we were supposed to go.
A crew member came over and asked Tom to get off his phone, but Tom flashed his badge and turned his back to the man.
The crewman looked at me.
“He’s a policeman,” I shrugged. “They never really get to take vacation.”
The crewman nodded and went to the front of the huge crowd. It was an amazing sight: the entire deck was covered with people wearing bright orange life vests, all standing quietly in nice, neat rows. It made my teacher’s heart very proud.
I listened to the instructions about life vests and the procedures in case of an emergency while Tom talked on the phone. Tom and the announcer were done at exactly the same time.
“Ramirez is going to meet us at the gangplank and pick up the note,” Tom said.
We shifted back to let all the people file back into the ship, then we went to where we’d boarded the ship.
Ramirez stood there talking to several men dressed in those lovely white uniforms. How’d he get here so fast? I wondered. He looked up when we were a few feet away, nodded, and the group stepped toward us.
Tom and Ramirez shook hands and Ramirez said, “This is Security Manager, Gianni Romero and his Chief Security Officer Carl Lorantini.”
Tom shook their hands. I nodded.
Tom handed over the bag. Ramirez put on gloves, pulled out the note, and showed it to the uniformed men. They frowned.
“Are you getting off?” Ramirez asked us.
“Hell, no!” Tom shook his head. He looked at the two cruise officers. “How safe is your ship?”
“Very safe, sir,” the two men said in unison.
What else were they going to say? No, sir, our ship is dangerous. Best get off at once? I looked at Tom and frowned.
Tom spoke to the crewmen. “Do you have security cameras in all the corridors?”
“We’re not at liberty to discuss our security measures,” the security manager said.
“They’ve got cameras covering the ship’s interior and exterior operating around the clock,” Ramirez said. “They just don’t want everyone to know they’re constantly watching their guests.”
“Are they taped?” Tom asked Ramirez.
“Of course, but without a court order we can’t look at the tapes. If you request it, I’ll start the paper work.”
“No, we can always do it if we need it later. But we’re not going to give up on this vacation. Not yet, anyway.” Tom told Ramirez.
The two crewmen smiled.
“All right,” Ramirez said. “I’ll get this to my lab and see what they can find.”
“When you know something, keep me advised, okay?” Tom asked.
“I’ll do that. Check your email often,” Ramirez said.
“Did you email me the report on the dead woman?” Tom asked.
The security manager stepped forward. “What dead woman?”
Ramirez shook his head. “Hooker at a local inn.”
“Oh.” A wave of relief wafted over his face. Dead people on land were clearly not his responsibility.
Ramirez turned back to Tom. “I sent what we had, but the file’s thin. We have an ID, since she had a record, but that’s about it.”
“Thanks,” Tom said, then turned to me. “Let’s get these life vests back to our cabin. I want to talk to our steward.”
Ramirez put his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Stay safe, Tom. Keep alert.”
Tom nodded.
Ramirez shook hands with the cruise of
ficers, then walked down the gangplank toward the peer.
“If you need anything or something else happens, please let me know,” the security manager said.
Tom glanced toward the place where Ramirez had exited, and said, “He was already here alerting you there might be trouble, wasn’t he?”
It’s nice we had thought the same thing when we’d seen Ramirez.
Both officers nodded, then quickly turned and left.
Tom and I walked back to our cabin and put away our life vests.
“We need to find Rudolph and find out how that little note got into our room,” Tom said with more than a little aggravation in his voice.
“I’m going to sit out on the balcony and watch us sail. It’s a big moment, I hear.”
Tom stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t want to go and ask questions yourself?”
I shook my head.
He touched my forehead. “No fever.”
I laughed. “I’m fine. Go and talk to Rudolph. I’ll be here when you get back.”
He kissed me on my forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
Tom left and I stepped out on the balcony. I leaned against the railing, closed my eyes, and breathed in the warmth from the sun, relaxing. This vacation sure didn’t start out very well, but I planned to enjoy it in any case.
“Liza?” I heard someone call.
Startled, I let out a yelp and opened my eyes. Brain stood at the balcony door. He was still dressed in his tan slacks, but had changed into a blue polo shirt. Had he and Carmelita already christened their bed?
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said.
“That’s all right,” I glanced toward the cabin door. “How’d you get in?”
“Your door was slightly ajar,” Brian smiled.
I could hardly believe that Tom would leave without making sure the door was closed.
Brian’s smile broadened. “Carmelita wanted to know if you and Tom would like to come up to our suite and watch us pull away from the pier.” He looked around my balcony. “Our balcony is bigger than this.”
“I’m sure it is.” I smiled. “And I’d love to.”
I followed Brian back into our room. He looked around the room. “I know.” I laughed. “Your room is bigger, too.”
Brian nodded. “Carmelita has been on so many cruises she gets the ‘Past Guest’ price on the cabins. If you decide you enjoy cruising, you should look into it next time.”
“Thanks. Just let me leave a note for Tom.” I found a sheet of paper in a binder. “What’s your room number?”
“6175.”
“Thanks.” I wrote the note to Tom and left it on the small table in front of the couch. I didn’t want to leave it on the bed.
“You lead, Brian. I get lost very easily.”
Brian smiled. “It’s up one deck and mid ship.”
“In the middle of the boat, right?” I asked.
“You got it, Liza.”
I followed Brian down the hallway and then we walked up the stairs. He used his Navigator Card to open the room. It was two or three times larger than mine, with its sitting area separated from the bed by six feet rather than the one between our bed and sitting area, each area with a door leading to the balcony.
I could see Carmelita standing on the balcony with several other people. Two faces I recognized from my parents’ photos, Leslie and Mel Mitchell.
Brian stopped at the table in the sitting area, picked up a glass of champagne and handed it to me.
I shook my head. “I’m not much of a drinker. Do you have any soda?”
“Yes, but you can’t toast leaving the pier with a soda. Just toast the voyage with this wonderful champagne, clink a few glasses, and then I’ll get you a soda.”
“Okay.” I took the glass and walked out to the balcony. I could see the Long Beach Pier and the city beyond it.
Carmelita smiled and walked over to me. “I’m so glad you came, Liza. Where’s Tom?”
“He had to talk to the cabin steward. I left him a note.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your room, is there?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” She called to the four people who were sitting around a table on the balcony. “Here she is, Leslie.”
A woman in her late fifties, wearing white slacks and a multi-colored top stood up. She was shorter than me, which means she was really short. I barely make five feet. I was surprised how heavy she was, the photos I had showed a much more athletic woman. Her long blonde hair was tucked behind her ears and she wore black-framed glasses. She was quite plain in comparison to Carmelita’s effervescence.
“Hello, Liza.” She hugged me. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
When she finished hugging me, I stepped back. First, because I’m not much of a hugger and second, because the alcohol scent on her breath was enough to make me drunk. “It’s nice to meet you, too. You must be Leslie Mitchell.”
“I am,” She smiled, then yelled, “Mel!”
No one from the table looked over.
She shouted again, “Melvin!
A stout man looked up.
“Come on over here and meet Joyce and William’s daughter, Liza.”
The man got up and walked over. He hugged me and mumbled, “It’s so nice to meet you, Liza.” He’d had a few drinks, too.
It took me longer to extricate myself from his arms, but finally I was free. “It’s so nice to meet you both.”
“We’re so sorry about your parents,” Leslie said. “We didn’t know about the accident until the next year when they didn’t show up on the cruise. Carmelita told us and we were shocked. We would have come to the service if we had known. What was William thinking, flying his plane in a storm?”
“He was a great pilot,” I told her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about the service. I didn’t have your address.”
She patted my arm. “That’s okay, dear.”
Melvin grabbed me and pulled me into another hug. “Your dad was a really wonderful guy.”
Leslie slapped her husband on the back. “Let go of the girl, Mel, before you crush her.”
Mel finally let go and he and Leslie went back to the table and their drinks.
Carmelita leaned toward me. “They drink a bit, but they’re dears. You’ll love them once you get to know them.”
I nodded.
“Let me introduce you to my other guests.” Carmelita took my arm and led me over to the table.
The other couple was much younger than Carmelita or the Mitchells. They were closer to my age.
“This is Liza Wilcox,” she said and then to me, “This is Emily and Jack Stillman.”
Jack stood and extended his hand. He wasn’t much taller than me. It was nice to see eye to eye with someone in the world. Sometimes being barely five feet tall is a pain, you’re always looking at other people’s chins.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said and shook hands with both of them.
“They just decided yesterday to come on the cruise. They were in Long Beach visiting family; they called up, got tickets, and came. Isn’t that wonderful?” Carmelita said.
“Yes. But did you have the right clothes with you for a cruise?” I asked.
Emily laughed. “Not really, so Jack has to buy me all new clothes at the shops on the ship.”
Jack frowned. “It’s going to cost me a fortune.”
Emily touched his face. “But I’m worth it.”
He smiled. “Yes, you are.”
Dorian came onto the balcony and everyone’s eyes jumped to him. On his arm, a vivacious young woman wearing a white halter sundress and three-inch heels held a crystal champagne flute. In his other hand he held a lovely black Fedora. He put it on as he stepped out onto the balcony, looking like he just stepped off a movie screen.
Carmelita laughed, rich and full. “I see you’ve found your first playmate, Doria
n.”
He smiled, the girl giggled, and I frowned. He was old enough to be her father and she probably wasn’t of legal drinking age, even in Mexico. I walked away from the table and over to the balcony.
Dorian deposited his child with Carmelita and walked back to me. “Liza, it’s so nice to see you again so soon.”
I smiled. “Babysitting, Dorian?”
He chuckled; his dark eyes sparkled with a brightness and fervor I’d never experienced before. “I adore a woman who speaks her mind.”
Then he should like this comment, too, I thought. “The truth is as plain as the braces she probably had removed last week.”
Dorian touched his chest. “Ouch, you wound me.”
I scoffed, “Somehow I doubt that, Dorian.”
“It always hurts when a beautiful and, obviously intelligent woman doubts my sincerity.”
“It doesn’t take that many brains to see through you, Dorian. But beautiful, no, that I’m not.”
“Oh, on the contrary, Liza.” He reached over and stroked the side of my face.
It sent a jolt through my body. Normally, I’d never let a total stranger touch me, like this, but I couldn’t seem to move. I felt like a deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming car.
“Your face shows character.” His fingers traced down my arm. “And your body is exquisite.”
My pulse rate accelerated with each slowly uttered word.
When he got to my hand he lifted it, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.
It sent another shock through my body and I gasped.
His face morphed into a devilish grin, then said, “And you’re smart and feisty. It’s an overwhelmingly intoxicating combination.”
There wasn’t enough air in my lungs left to allow me to speak.
Thankfully, Brian came onto the balcony and announced. “They just said we are pulling away from the pier.”
“Wonderful,” Carmelita said. “Everyone raise their glasses.”
We all did as instructed.
“Here’s to a great cruise,” she said.
“Wind at our back,” Jack Stillman said.
“Love in our hearts,” his wife added.
“Scrumptious food,” Leslie said.
“Strong booze,” Melvin added.
“Lots of fun,” the girl who had arrived on Dorian’s arm giggled.