Having Pete support Sadie’s vague theories gave her confidence.
“There’s got to be someone on this ship who will read the note for us,” Pete continued. “That would at least tell us where to start, though I suppose we should probably go to Jareg with it.”
“What about your contact on the medical staff?”
“He’s from the Netherlands; he wouldn’t be any help.”
“Your tournament starts in twenty minutes,” Sadie reminded him. “And shouldn’t someone keep an eye on the Rydells, just in case? Oh, wait!” Sadie came to a stop on the stairs as she remembered Henry from the computer center. She suspected he was already breaking a rule by studying during his shifts, and he worked alone in an isolated area. No one would see him talking to them. “I didn’t bring the note with me, but I think I know who to take it to.”
After getting the note out of her room, they headed to deck five, and Sadie held her breath as she opened the door to the computer center. Prior to today, she’d been concerned about the long hours the staff seemed to work, but this time she was grateful to see Henry behind the desk, just as he’d been when she’d met him the first time.
“Hello, again,” Henry said when she entered. There was a woman at one of the computers and Sadie eyed her carefully as she and Pete approached the desk. She didn’t want anyone to overhear their conversation.
“Hi, Henry,” Sadie said, smiling. “This is Pete.” The two men nodded in greeting, but Pete stayed a half a step behind Sadie, giving her the lead. “I was wondering if I could ask a favor.” She spoke quietly enough that he had to lean forward to hear her.
“If I can help you I will be happy to.”
Sadie pulled the note from her pocket and slid it toward him. “Could you translate this for me?”
He scanned it, and she watched an expression of concern grow on his face. After a moment he looked up at her. “Where did you get this?”
“You can read it?” Pete asked.
“It’s Tagalog,” he said, looking between them with a nervous expression. “But yes, I can read it.”
“Please,” Sadie said. “It’s important.”
The other woman in the center logged off of her computer and stood. “Thank you,” she said, giving Henry a little wave. Henry told her she was welcome. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind her.
“I could get into big trouble. The rules are very strict on the ship.”
“No one will know you helped us,” Sadie assured him. “But it’s important that we learn what this says.”
Henry looked at the note, but wasn’t softening.
“Would it help if we told you what we think it says?” Pete offered.
That was a good idea. Henry nodded, relaxing a little bit.
“I think it says that someone with one of the last names on this list”— she pointed at the names on the paper—“is a member of the Seaboard Club and is suspicious somehow, or needs to be watched or something like that.”
Henry looked at the paper again. “Yes, it does say that, but it says more.” He looked toward the door and then up at her. “I can lose my job for this. It is...sensitive information.”
“A man died two nights ago—” Sadie began, knowing she was taking a risk by sharing the information, but stopped when Henry’s eyebrows went up.
“Someone died? On the ship?”
“You didn’t know that?” Sadie asked. “I assumed the staff would know.”
“We know what we need to know for our positions,” he said, keeping his voice low.
Sadie considered that, and then continued. “I’m sorry, but it’s really important that we know what this note says. I won’t tell anyone you helped me.”
Pete spoke up as soon as Sadie finished. “We think the note talks about other cruises these people were on and that there might be some kind of pattern—perhaps other deaths.”
Henry looked between her and Pete, then back at the paper as his expression changed to one of surrender. “It says there have been some deaths on other cruises and that the company has investigated and found that these persons”—he pointed to the list of names—“were on every cruise where someone died. And they all belong to the Seaboard Club. It says to wait for more information before speaking with anyone, but to watch these persons, specifically when they get on and off the ship. More information will be provided before the cruise ends so that the persons can be secured if necessary when the ship returns to Seattle.”
Sadie could feel her heart rate increasing.
“Does it say how many deaths?” Pete asked.
“No, just that there are others—more than two.”
Sadie pictured Glen and Mary Anne’s intensity at the qualifying round earlier. She thought of how angry Mary Anne had been when Pete had won. She felt the blood drain from her face as she spun around to face him. “Ben was the top winner in the tournament before he died,” Sadie said, grabbing Pete’s shirt. “But now you’re the top winner in the tournament. You’re beating Glen!”
Pete took her hand and gently pried her fingers off his shirt. He smiled slightly, remained perfectly calm, then looked past her to Henry. “Henry, could you do some research for us?”
“What kind of research?” he asked carefully, but the fact that he was asking at all showed some willingness.
“Can you find more information on the other deaths this note is referring to? It would be on other Seven Sea cruise ships, probably over the last few years.”
“Two years,” Sadie said, remembering the detail Mary Anne had mentioned offhandedly. “That’s when the Rydells joined the Seaboard Club.”
Henry pulled open a drawer and grabbed a pen and paper. He wrote down some details, then looked up at Pete for more instructions.
“We need to find out, specifically, if the people who died on the other cruises spent much time in the casinos.”
Henry furrowed his brow, and Pete nodded. “I know, it’s a detail that might be hard to find, but can you try? If we’re right about this, you’ll be helping to capture a serial killer.”
Chapter 41
“Steer clear of them,” Sadie said to Pete as they entered the casino. She’d tried to convince him to drop out of the tournament, but he insisted on keeping his spot in order to keep an eye on Glen and Mary Anne. The final round would start in just five minutes. “Don’t drink anything, don’t sit next to him—nothing. And make sure you lose—the sooner the better.”
“I know,” Pete said. “You’ll check with Officer Jareg first, right?”
Sadie nodded. Their plan was for Sadie to call Officer Jareg, but if he wasn’t available, she would try to get into Mary Anne’s room to see what might be in there. Mary Anne’s distraction with the tournament provided a unique opportunity. When else would they be certain she wouldn’t come to the room?
“And you’re sure you can get Mary Anne’s room key?”
“She keeps it in the cell phone pocket of that horrible purse. I don’t think it will be difficult.”
“And if you can’t get it, or if anything goes wrong, we meet back at the security office. Deal?”
“Deal.”
They approached the table and with a final look, parted ways. Sadie found Mary Anne at the same window seat they’d sat at before. Her expression was relaxed again, and she looked more like the Mary Anne Sadie had first met. Once Mary Anne saw Sadie approaching, her smile got wide, and she pointed a finger at Sadie, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses.
“He won’t win again,” she decreed playfully. “Glen never loses.”
Sadie had to force a smile. “May the best man win.”
“Oh, he will,” Mary Anne said with a nod. “I can promise you that.”
Sadie’s mouth went dry, and she took a deep breath. “Could I borrow your pen again? Pete wants to sign up for the player’s card they have on the ship.”
“Sure,” Mary Anne said. She put her purse on her lap and pulled it open.
Sadi
e stared at the pocket where Mary Anne’s ship-card was stored. She glanced to her right and saw a couple walking toward her. As soon as the couple was behind her, Sadie stumbled forward, landing practically in Mary Anne’s lap as though she’d been tripped.
Mary Anne let out a small scream of surprise while Sadie attempted to right herself. In the process, she accidentally snagged the strap of Mary Anne’s purse and flung it to the ground where she also landed beside it in a very unladylike—and uncomfortable—heap. She reached for the bag and picked it up from the bottom so that all the contents spilled out. If something suspicious were there, it was now on the floor and could save Sadie from having to take things further.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sadie said after the contents of Mary Anne’s purse were sufficiently dumped. She got to her knees and started picking up everything she’d spilled. She moved fast and kept her back to Mary Anne, who was just getting up from the window seat.
Sadie used one hand to put Mary Anne’s pocketbook back into the purse while she fished in the front pocket for the card with her other hand. She made sure to block Mary Anne’s view with her body. Her fingers felt the smooth surface of the card, and she slid it out of the pocket and under one knee before she reached for the other items scattered across the floor.
A few other passengers bent down to help her clean up, which Sadie was grateful for because it kept Mary Anne at a distance long enough for Sadie to slide the card from under her knee and into the side of her sock. She watched all the items going back into the purse, looking for anything suspicious, but nothing stood out other than the fact that there was so much stuff. The purse could hold an entire medicine cabinet and still leave room for a twelve-pack of soda.
When the last items were put into the purse, Sadie thanked the people who’d stopped to help and then stood, watching to make sure the cuff of her pant leg fell over the card hidden in her sock. She turned to hand Mary Anne her purse. “I’m so sorry.”
“Are you alright?” Mary Anne asked, sweetly enough that Sadie almost felt bad for the deception. Almost.
“I think I twisted my knee,” Sadie said. She attempted to take a step, but added an exaggerated limp.
“Oh, you better not walk on it, then,” Mary Anne said, reaching out for Sadie’s arm to steady her. “Maybe you should go to the clinic. Would you like me to go with you?”
“I think I just need to walk around, maybe put some ice on it.” She glanced toward the tables on the far side of the casino. “I hate to miss the competition, but, ooooh, yeah, I need to get some ice on this. You stay, though. I’m fine.”
Mary Anne patted her arm. “I’ll keep an eye on that man of yours—don’t you worry.”
That was precisely what Sadie was worried about. “That’s very sweet of you. I’ll take a few turns around the ship and see if it loosens up.”
“I thought you were going to put ice on it.”
“Right, a few turns, then I’ll bring the ice back with me.”
“Before you go,” Mary Anne said, putting a restraining hand on Sadie’s arm. It was all Sadie could do not to shake it off. “I had a message from the head security guy on my phone a minute ago. He has more questions for me and said he’ll ask someone to interpret for me. What exactly did you tell him I said about the man in the buffet?”
“Um, I just said you were the first to tell me about it. I really don’t know why they are so interested in talking to you about it. They’re talking to Jen, too, since she was the one who knew the man’s name.”
“So, they think I know too much? Is that what they are going to ask me about? Glen’s the one who told me about the man; I only told you what Glen said to me.”
“Oh,” Sadie said with a nod, “then you have nothing to worry about.”
“But Glen does,” Mary Anne said. “It’s really him they want to talk to, right? Since he’s the one who told me. Remember what I told you about him, about his...problems?”
“Right. You should tell security about that, then,” Sadie said, shrugging. “Honesty is always the best policy. If there’s nothing to hide, then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Well, I have nothing to hide,” Mary Anne said, looking across the casino toward her husband. “But sometimes Glen really worries me.” She turned back to Sadie. “Maybe you should come with me when I talk to them; you could tell them how strange Glen’s been acting.”
“I only met Glen an hour ago, Mary Anne.”
“But I’ve told you all about him. You’re like a character witness.”
Sadie was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with whatever agenda Mary Anne was trying to pin onto Sadie. “Oh, I don’t know. I better get moving on this knee before it stiffens up too much. I really want to get back for the end of the tournament.”
Mary Anne pursed her lips together and looked toward the windows, thoughtful and not pleased, though she nodded.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Sadie said, taking a limping step toward the casino’s entrance.
Mary Anne offered to come with her again, but it was halfhearted, and Sadie insisted Mary Anne stay. Finally, Sadie hobbled out of the casino, and Mary Anne headed toward the tables. Sadie waited until she was out of view, then experienced a miraculous healing and took long strides up the stairs to the reception area where there was a courtesy phone.
“Security,” Hazel said after picking up the phone. “Is this an emergency?”
“No, or, well, I don’t know. Can I speak with Officer Jareg, please?”
“I’m afraid he isn’t available. I can send a security officer to meet you.”
Sadie shook her head. “No, I need to talk to Officer Jareg.” What should she do? She could talk to someone else, but they might not know the context of the entire situation. And Sadie did have that room key...“Would you tell him that Sadie Hoffmiller called and that I have information regarding Glen and Mary Anne Rydell. Tell him I’ll be in the casino along with Pete Cunningham and that he should come as soon as he can.”
Hazel wrote down the message and read it back to Sadie. By the time Sadie finished the phone call, her anticipation levels were causing her hands and feet to tingle.
Sadie headed for the stairs again. Should she have said this was an emergency? No, that might have brought more security guards and a medical team. She didn’t want that, she just needed to pass on some information.
When she reached the stairs, she stopped long enough to remove the ship-card from her sock and check for the room number. It was on deck six, the same level as the casino—convenient for gambling-addicted Glen.
“Room 616,” she muttered when she got back to deck six. Glen and Mary Anne’s cabin should be on the aft end of the ship. Room numbers started on starboard aft, then increased as the cabins moved forward.
The steward’s cart was a few doors down from 616 when Sadie got to that portion of the hallway, but she didn’t see the steward himself. When she arrived at the door, she slid the card into the slot and let herself into the room. The steward had already made up the bed, which meant she didn’t have to worry about him coming back while she looked around.
The room had the same layout as the one Sadie shared with Breanna, except that there was one bed in the center of the room rather than twin beds against the walls with an aisle in between. The bed frames were flush against the floor, which meant Sadie didn’t have to check underneath them.
Glen and Mary Anne would know the stewards would be in and out of their room all day, so they would have to hide whatever it was they had used to induce Ben’s heart attack somewhere that wouldn’t be readily discovered. She checked the drawers carefully enough not to mess them up but thoroughly enough to be sure she hadn’t missed anything. She then pulled the suitcases out of the closet and opened them, checking all the pockets—nothing. She put them back exactly as she’d found them—they filled the entire space—then shut the closet and found herself staring at the safe. Of course! The best place to hide something was in the safe...which
Sadie couldn’t access. Why hadn’t she thought of that possibility when she first came up with this idea?
Just in case, though, she examined the safe and realized it hadn’t been used. The door was open, and the safe was empty. That seemed to indicate that whatever they had to hide either wasn’t in the room or it wasn’t obviously suspect. She turned to look at the room again. Could there have been something in Mary Anne’s purse after all and Sadie just didn’t know enough to recognize its purpose?
Sadie had no idea how long she’d been in the room, but it felt like at least five or six minutes. She needed to get out of there soon. She entered the bathroom and immediately spotted several prescription bottles. Could one of them be what caused Ben’s heart attack? She pulled out her phone and took a picture of each bottle so that she could look up the labels later.
She was putting them back in a row when she noticed another bottle set behind them. It was bright yellow with a label that included a tropical fish; it looked completely out of place. Next to it was a small, clear travel bottle, the size that could pass through security in a carry-on bag at the airport. It was filled with a bluish liquid. Was it shampoo? Mouthwash? She took a picture of it and the fish bottle, just in case.
There was a makeup bag and a shaving kit on one of the shelves. The makeup bag didn’t have anything of interest, but there were a few hypodermic syringes wrapped up in a plastic baggie in the shaving kit. That got Sadie’s heart racing. Were either Mary Anne or Glen diabetic? Why else would they have syringes? There were different types of syringes for insulin than were used for other medications, but Sadie didn’t know how to tell the difference.
Sadie was digging through Glen’s collection of hotel soaps and Q-tips in search of anything else when she heard voices outside the cabin door. She paused, then leaned back out of the bathroom. Surely they weren’t voices she needed to worry about, right? There were three thousand passengers on this ship, at least five hundred of them had cabins on this floor.
“Steward!”
Baked Alaska Page 27