Deadly Cruise

by Dawn Brookes

  “Oh, I’d love that. Don’t mind me, I’m just having a moment. How’s your day been?”

  “It’s been good.” Rachel decided not to mention the Jefgeny thing. “I lazed about sunbathing all morning, had lunch with Thomas. He makes me laugh, so I’m behaving like quite the cruise passenger! We even spotted a pod of dolphins that put on a spectacular display for everyone in the buffet.”

  Sarah cheered up. “That’s great, Rachel. Actually my day has been alright, apart from the lack of sleep. I saw children in morning surgery and made them laugh – they love getting good children stickers and cartoon plasters.”

  A waiter came along and took Rachel’s order for tea, and she chose a chocolate cake from his trolley. Sarah opted for a waffle and strong coffee.

  “It’s amazing how much food is available. Where do they store it all?” asked Rachel.

  “It’s more difficult for six sea days as there aren’t any stops to stock up, but there are huge storage facilities below decks with great big industrial freezers, fridges and racks of food. Every item of food is monitored, though, and they do run out sometimes when a particular meal is popular – then it’s frantic for the kitchen staff.”

  “I don’t know how the waiters manage those trays stacked high with dinners either.”

  “Trust me, they don’t always. You’ll hear the occasional clatter of metal when an accident occurs. I’m sure you’ll witness one at some stage, but they are amazing and well trained by the hospitality officers.”

  As they finished their drinks and food, Sarah yawned. “I’m going to head back to my room to catch a nap before evening surgery. Shall we meet at eight?”

  “That sounds perfect, I’ll see you then – enjoy your sleep.”

  Rachel took a deep breath before heading downstairs to see if Waverley was in his office. He had a passenger with him, but motioned for her to wait outside, so she found a seat overlooking the sea.

  Passengers milled along the corridors en route to destinations or activities. She watched a teenager whose parents were arguing about whether she could go off on her own to explore while they attended a quiz in the Sky view lounge. People appeared happy. Rachel felt relaxed sitting there, but couldn’t help being inquisitive regarding Jefgeny’s whereabouts, and why he might be hiding. Did he kill his friend? Waverley seemed certain he had, but Sarah said they were close and she was worried about Jefgeny’s health. Sometimes the most obvious explanation was the true one, but Rachel couldn’t help wondering…

  Waverley’s door opened and the passenger shook his hand, thanking him for his time. He gestured for her to come in.

  “I suppose you want to ask where I’ve got to regarding Eva Sipka?” he said. Not waiting for a reply, he continued. “Miss Sipka is pregnant, Dr Romano says she’s ecstatic. She told him she would like to vacate the ship in New York as she has relatives living in North Carolina. Dr Romano says she’s twelve weeks pregnant, and he’s advised her to get a scan at sixteen weeks. He asked who the father was, and she admitted it to be Jefgeny Popov. Dr Romano can find no evidence she believes Mr Popov is still alive. In fact, he says she broke down when he mentioned him.”

  An Oscar winning performance, no doubt!

  Rachel paused before shattering Waverley’s happy ‘case solved’ dream. “I met Eva Sipka this afternoon when I joined a few of Thomas’s tour party for a Blackjack lesson.”

  A frown appeared on Waverley’s face. “Why do I feel this will ruin my day?” He gave a wry smile.

  “Ms Sipka was unaware I knew anything about her situation, and as one of the men asked her a few innocent questions about boyfriends and so on, she opened up. She made it quite clear she expects to marry soon, and that she plans to live in the United States. There was no mention of the pregnancy, but she talks about a boyfriend in the present tense.”

  Waverley’s face reddened, then he coughed. “She could have been spinning a yarn for the passenger’s sake – she’s hardly going to say her boyfriend is missing.”

  “You’re right, but why say anything at all, and why flower the story with marriage and settling in America? You said yourself she asked to disembark in New York. Is that usual? If she’s on her own with the father of her child presumed dead, surely she would want to work for as long as possible and return home to Slovenia to give birth? You also said Jefgeny’s passport was missing.”

  Waverley put his head in his hands. “If what you are saying is true, we have a suspected murderer on board this ship and a crew member harbouring him.” His voice raised a pitch.

  “I’m afraid so,” answered Rachel.

  “Then I need to speak to the captain and bring her in for questioning.”

  “You could do that.”

  “I take it you don’t agree?”

  “Only that Eva’s not the type of woman to give up the man she loves and the father of her child, and we can’t prove she’s hiding him. We only have a supposition. She’s more likely to drop her guard when it appears no-one is looking for Jefgeny. At some point, Eva will tell a friend or lead you to him, if you’re patient.”

  “I suspect you’re right, but I will need to ask the captain’s permission to follow her. Unfortunately she knows the security officers. I can’t ask you to follow her because you’re not allowed in the staff areas – we do have a new woman in training who Ms Sipka won’t have met. This officer can keep watch, but if we have not found Popov by Friday, I will have to question her. Please keep out of this now, Miss Prince, and enjoy the rest of your cruise.”

  “That’s fine by me, Officer Waverley.”

  Two can play formal.

  Rachel dressed for dinner in a turquoise cocktail dress, this time using straighteners on her hair to rein in the waves appearing from too much sun. After applying a smattering of makeup, she was ready. The dark lines that had been under her eyes had all but disappeared and the sparkle had reappeared. The Tansley matter had passed from her mind, and a new job was the top priority after the holiday. She had already spent an hour looking at vacancies in the Metropolitan Police force, and also in Hatfield, not too far from London, and close, but not too close to her parents. It would be cheaper to live there than in London, too.

  Entering the main atrium, she browsed around Customer Services before sitting for a while, admiring the shiny marble pillars circling the entertainment area where passengers congregated day and night while the ship sailed. She helped herself to an A4 sheet of daily news snippets from the UK. Deck four formed a part of the tiered atrium, also visible from deck five which encircled the area where Rachel now sat. It was accessible via a spiral staircase and a viewing lift that ran up through the centre of the ship for those who wished to admire each of the main passenger entertainment decks.

  Rachel saw Sarah walking towards her and stood to greet her. The colour had returned to Sarah’s cheeks. Her brown eyes shone against the backdrop of the white uniform and her brown hair was tied loosely back and perched on top of her head.

  “You look much better, and beautiful.” They hugged.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself. Come on, let’s go eat. I’m ravenous again.”

  They walked up two flights of stairs to deck six and on to the steakhouse. As Rachel had pre-booked, the waiter led them to a table for two next to a window, away from the main eating area. Sarah had to be discreet in passenger areas and preferred not to draw attention to herself.

  “This is perfect,” said Sarah, choosing to sit behind a pillar with her back to the other tables.

  “I thought you’d like it. I explained to the manager you would be joining me and we wanted a private area. He was very nice.”

  “That would be Martin Lonsdale, he’s popular with passengers and staff.”

  “He called himself Marty,” said Rachel.

  “Yep, that’s him. He worked in Vegas at some of the top steakhouses there.”

  “My mouth’s watering already.” Rachel concentrated on the menu.

  A waiter appeared at the tab
le. “Can I get you anything to drink, ladies?”

  “Are you happy with Shiraz?” Rachel asked Sarah.

  “Yes, that’s fine, and a jug of water with ice, please.”

  The waiter left them to decide on their meals and returned with the water and the wine, asking Rachel to taste.

  “Now I get to practise what I learned at the wine tasting session yesterday. Okay, I first have to check the wine’s clear from above. Now I tilt the glass and scrutinise it against the white tablecloth.” She was having fun with this, and the waiter was encouraging her.

  “Next, ma’am, the smell.”

  “Yes, I smell it – this one smells spicy – and now my favourite part: the taste.” Rachel took a small sip and swilled it around her palate before swallowing. “You know, that’s not half bad!” she exclaimed.

  “Thank goodness you didn’t spit it out like they do when tasting more than one!”

  Rachel nodded to the waiter, and he poured wine into both of their glasses before setting the bottle down on the table. He also poured them some water.

  They ordered steak dinners, both opting for T-bone which included fillet and sirloin. Rachel asked for well-done and Sarah requested medium. The smell of steak filtering through the restaurant made Rachel feel hungry.

  “I rarely eat steak, so this is a real treat for me, and I never eat T-bone, it’s too expensive.”

  “Last time on board, I ate in here twice. Once with Daniel, the guy I dated for a while.”

  “Have you heard from him since he moved ships?”

  “I get the occasional email, but he’s not the one for me. That man’s still out there, somewhere,” answered Sarah, smiling.

  “It’s good to see you smile,” said Rachel. “You’ve had a torrid return to cruise ship nursing.”

  “Yes, but today’s been more normal. The sleep helped. The only irritation is that one of the Russians, Sergei Markov, has lost his insulin again. Lauren’s taken him another vial from the ship’s supply and Graham has given him a lecture on safeguarding medicines.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous if a child should find it?”

  “It’s not ideal, but unless the child has a syringe and needle, they would be unlikely to come to any harm. Anyway, he thinks he threw it out in the trash with a tissue he’d used to wipe blood away. Probably drunk too much vodka.”

  “Yes, Mario says they like their vodka.”

  Rachel and Sarah enjoyed a succulent steak dinner and Rachel finally told Sarah about the threat Tansley had made after he’d been found guilty. Her friend looked alarmed.

  “Is he dangerous?”

  “He’s small-time, I suspect, but there have been rumours of links to a drugs gang. I’m hoping he’ll forget all about me, and anyway – I’ve made the humungous decision to find a job in the south.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief. Does anyone else know about the threat?”

  “No, I got an anonymous letter attached to the windscreen of my car. I can’t even prove it came from him. I just know it was.”

  “You should tell Carlos and your senior officer, just in case.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t want anyone to think I was overreacting; I was so pleased the trial was done and dusted, I put it out of my mind. Carlos and my parents seemed worried enough about me coming on another cruise, I didn’t want to make things any worse for them. Carlos has been under a lot of strain himself with a case he’s working on.”

  “That’s just like you, Rachel, always putting other people first.”

  “Pot and kettle comes to mind,” said Rachel, laughing.

  “Well I’m pleased you’ll be leaving Leeds if it will be dangerous for you to stay there.”

  They finished their desserts and both had a Baileys.

  “Drink up, Sarah. I’ve had an idea.”

  Chapter 26

  “You can’t be serious, Rachel!” Sarah’s voice had taken on a screeching sound. “What if someone sees me? I could lose my job.”

  “The room’s been untouched, waiting for forensics on land after the ransacking. There might be something in there that would give us a clue.” Rachel didn’t want to get Sarah into trouble, but was desperate to find out what had happened to Jefgeny.

  “Rachel Prince, Waverley will not like this one little bit. Neither will Graham, for that matter.”

  “You want to find out what happened to Jefgeny? He might be lying ill somewhere.” Rachel cringed at using emotional blackmail on her best friend. Sarah looked exasperated as she chewed her bottom lip, something she always did when pondering an issue. Rachel had first noticed it when they’d shared a flat together at university.

  “Come on, then, let’s go.”

  “Now?”

  “You asked for it, and this is the best possible time, while most of the crew are still at work. Evenings and mornings are their busy times. Those not working will be in the crew bar or café. You’ll need to change, otherwise you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

  Rachel knew better than to argue the toss now, so meekly followed Sarah back to her room where her friend handed her a set of blue scrubs.

  “You’re kidding?”

  Sarah shrugged, eyebrows hitting the ceiling. “Are you coming or not? Besides, you’ll look good in scrubs.”

  Rachel gave her a look. “Don’t push it!” She obediently donned the pale-blue trousers and short-sleeved top.

  “Welcome to my world – here, put these trainers on. You can’t wear those heels.” Sarah was clearly enjoying this now. The trainers were a half-size too small for Rachel and pinched her toes, but they would have to do.

  “Stay close and keep your head down if we pass anyone. You’d better tie your hair up. Use this.”

  Rachel tied her hair into a ponytail with the blue hair bobble. “At least it matches,” she said, laughing.

  “I always accessorise!”

  “Yep, forgot that.”

  Sarah checked the coast was clear. Rachel followed her to the end of the corridor and through a door marked STAFF ONLY. Once through the door, Rachel resisted the temptation to take a peek in the crew bar.

  They descended the same steps she had trodden during her engineering tour. At least she assumed they were, otherwise they were identical. When they reached a deck three floors below the waterline, Sarah slowed, motioning for her to stay still while checking the corridor. The noise level had risen, the grinding of metal extinguishing any sound from their rubber soles. Rachel stifled a cough as musty smoke residues irritated the back of her throat. Hoping it wouldn’t make her gag, she regretted not having drunk more water during dinner.

  About halfway along this narrow corridor, they came to a door screened off with yellow tape marked: SECURITY DO NOT ENTER. Rachel’s heart beat faster as the realisation of what they were doing and the trouble they might get into sank in. She pictured her and Sarah being thrown off ship in New York and wondered whether to suggest they turn back, but Sarah had already opened the door. As a ship’s nurse, Sarah carried a universal swipe key that would open any room on board in case of emergency.

  Sarah held the door open. “Come on, quick,” she hissed.

  Rachel paused, but boots and voices entering the corridor further down removed any doubts and caused her to dive into the room and close the door. She stood with her back to it.

  “Someone’s coming.”

  Sarah’s face looked deathly pale as they waited. The footsteps got louder and Rachel could almost hear her own heart thumping above the noise before the footsteps passed by the room and proceeded on their way.

  “Must have been crew,” said Sarah. “Right, let’s get on with this. What are we looking for?”

  “No idea, let’s take a peek around. Good grief! It’s so small in here, and dark. Where’s the light?”

  Sarah turned the light on, which cast shadows around the room, but didn’t make it bright. “This is how it was when Erik was found. His was the lower bunk. Security packed his belongings, which are now in the
purser’s office.” Sarah was staring sadly at the bed.

  Rachel surveyed the room, taking in the scene. Cramped with single bunk beds against one wall, it had a small table with bottle stains and an ashtray still containing cigarette butts. Clothes were scattered on the floor from the ransacking on the day Jefgeny went missing.

  That might have been Jefgeny throwing things together before going into hiding, thought Rachel.

  “You search his pockets while I check the bathroom – you’re the policewoman,” said Sarah, handing Rachel a pair of surgical gloves while putting on a pair herself.

  “Hm, nurses would make good criminals,” Rachel teased, before turning out Jefgeny’s pockets. Whoever had ransacked the room had emptied most of the contents on to the floor, so she found nothing.

  She picked up a newspaper and checked for any writing or clues, but there were none. There wouldn’t be any documents as Waverley would have those locked away.

  “Found anything?” Sarah asked.

  “No, nothing. You were right, there’s nothing here.” Rachel bent down to pick up a photograph frame from the floor and saw a photo of two men in high spirits, dressed as pirates in a port somewhere. “Is this Jefgeny and Erik?”

  Sarah took the frame. “Yes, that’s Jefgeny on the left and Erik on the right.”

  There was another small photo frame on the floor with a photo of Jefgeny and Eva.

  “The ship photographers sometimes do snaps for the crew as keepsakes,” explained Sarah.

  “I don’t think we’re going to find anything here – unless all the films I’ve ever watched are true!” Rachel removed the photo of the two men from the frame, checking the back. Nothing. “Or not.” She laughed, then she removed the back of the portrait of Jefgeny with Eva and saw something folded in half. “Jackpot!” she exclaimed.

  Sarah came and sat beside her on the lower bunk bed. “What is it?”

  Rachel opened the faded piece from a newspaper which contained another photo of two young men, standing either side of a pretty young woman with two small children. One of the men had long hair and a beard and moustache. The photo was in colour, although faded.