“Yes, I see. Well, I feel that a person with your status would be a natural confidant for anyone who might feel a need to discuss the affair. If possible, I would appreciate, if that comes about, that you would be as kind as to pass along any information which could help in the investigation.”
“If I ethically can, Officer Mehta. You may be aware of my responsibility to the counselee in regards to confidentiality. I’m sure that you are aware that lawyers, doctors, counselors and clergy share the professional burden of keeping secret the information divulged to them by their clients. But, I’ll do my best to help if I am outside the bounds of maintaining confidentiality. Fair enough, Mr. Mehta?”
“Fair enough, Sir. Now, would you kindly ask your traveling companion, Mr. Led Daley, to call me to schedule an interview? At his convenience, of course.”
Lucky made his exit and headed back to find his sidekick, Led. They would need to have a long and serious discussion about this development.
Lucky took the shortcut through the casino which offered a crowd free passage since it wasn’t open at this time. Thank goodness, he laughed to himself. “The guests are safe from losing their money for a few more hours, at least”.
Then, the familiar notification tones sounded over the ship’s public address system.
“Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Captain Andersen from the bridge. I regretfully need to report to you that we have suffered a man overboard incident. We have made every effort according to the law of the high seas and morally to find the missing person. Sadly, our search and rescue exercise has not accomplished the mission. We will proceed ahead in our crossing and make a full report to the authorities when we reach the port of our final destination. With respect to the family, we have decided not divulge the name of the missing person until a more appropriate time. Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to the family and friends. Finally, if anyone has any information in regards to this incident, please contact our guest relations personnel or our chief of security, Officer Sanjay Mehta. Your help in this matter will be truly appreciated. Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy this beautiful day at sea on board the North Star.”
A rather mind blowing announcement, Lucky reflected. His mind begged for a direction in which to pursue some thread of resolve. “How did this happen? When? Who could possibly have any motive to do such a dastardly deed? Could it maybe even have been suicide?” His mind raced. Lots of questions with little hope of any satisfactory explanation…at least at this juncture. One syllable answers were not going to prove to be a sufficient response in clearing up this murky mess.
He shuddered to think of what he did know. All that Hans Stydd had confessed. That material was sealed in total confidence. He would have to suffer knowing what he knew without any recourse to using it to help in this investigation. In his mind, the only hope of seeing the mystery of this tragedy resolved rested with Led. What did he find out about the picture when he and Kris went to the Chief Engineer’s room? Come to think of it, where was the Chief Engineer, Hans Stydd?
The evil, like a growing cancer, was undeniably metastasizing.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hans had returned immediately after dawn to his cabin…exhausted from the intensity of the man overboard exercise which had lasted most of the day yesterday and throughout the night. He found an open bottle of his favorite beverage and embracing it in hand, dropped into his recliner. Like man’s best friend, his bottle of JW scotch whiskey offered a soothing and carefree relationship. Pouring a generous glassful of the nectar, he lustily gulped down the faux antidote to all of life’s woes.
The shocking event of his missing granddad churned in his brain like a hamster scurrying endlessly round and round in a Ferris wheel shaped cage. “How could his granddad possibly fall overboard? He could hardly stand up on his own, much less walk to the outer deck railing and climb over. But, who would have done it? Was it one of those assisted suicides you hear about these days? I was with him most of the evening. Breath was with her friends up in the Star Top Lounge.” On and on the questions looped.
It made no sense to Hans except for that damnable incriminating act of smuggling that Van Gogh in which he was complicit. The more he focused on that whole crazy evolution, the more he convinced himself that he was onto solving the mystery.
Bingo! The one person who was most likely to be blamed for this mess kept coming back as the answer to the mystery…Jan Becker. “She had the motive; she had the physical strength; being the staff captain, she had the logistical where-with-all to accomplish the deed.” In his stupor, with his slushy thinking, there was no other possibility. “What the hell would he do, now?” He was up to his neck in it with Jan. “Why did he ever assent to helping her smuggle that damn picture on board?”
Later, following several more glassfuls of the burnt orange color liquid, Hans felt dizzy and nauseous. Getting up out of his recliner became a Herculean struggle. Once out of the chair, he staggered into his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed, his glass tumbling to the floor, making a fragile echo, as he passed out.
There was something unique in the life of Chief Engineer Hans Stydd’s depth of sleep tonight. It was like the sweet sleep of death.
****
Once Captain Andersen had called off the man overboard search, Jan was relieved by the First Officer from her duty watch as staff captain. She was in a complete state of frenzy. “What the hell was going on? This was becoming a mad house.” She felt driven to talk the whole crazy mess over with Hans. At first, she thought she would call him. Then, deciding to throw caution to the wind, she vacated her room and went down to Hans’ cabin.
She knocked on the door quietly at first. Then, a much harder rap the second time. Waiting as long as her nerves could bear, she finally used her master card key to let herself into Hans’ cabin. There was only a single light on and the room was eerily dark. She noticed that the door to Hans’ bedroom was wide open. She approached furtively, as if fearing some hidden assailant.
The room was sorely lit. Only shadows of light streamed dimly into the room from the desk lamp in the living room. She slowly crept nearer to the bed. She kicked something and it made a clanging noise as it spun and hit a metal support post under the bed. It frightened her until she realized it was a glass. The darkness overshadowed her present situation like a coven of vultures’ wings hovering over an unfortunate victim.
Hans’ arm was dangling over the side of the bed. She haltingly reached for it. It was cold to the touch and unnaturally limp. A shudder ran up and down her spine. Something deep inside her emotions told her not to, but she bent over to touch his body, anyway. She shook his shoulder.
“Hans. Hans. Wake up, Hans,” she commanded impatiently. A moment went by. Another moment devoid of any response; and yet another. “Hans, for God sake, wake up, you drunken fool.”
Suddenly, with the silence worthy of a crypt exploding in her brain, the jolt of reality hit her. My God! Hans wasn’t sleeping. Hans was dead.
****
“And you say that you were with the ladies until you and Kris Sanders went to the casino? Is that about it, Mr. Daley?” Sanjay Mehta was attempting to establish alibis for each of the major players in this unfolding drama. He had just completed speaking with Kris Sanders, the art auctioneer. He had also claimed that he was with Led Daley in the casino.
“Yes, we wanted to try our luck and the ladies weren’t interested in losing their money, as they put it.”
“About at what time did this excursion to the casino take place?”
“To tell the truth, I didn’t keep track of the time. We met Breath and Maggie in the lounge about ten. I guess it would have been sometime after eleven or so.”
“Is there anything else you can think of to help in this investigation, Mr. Daley?”
“I’m at a complete loss. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Yes, that would be most helpful. There isn’t much to go on at the moment, so anything coul
d be the break we are looking for.”
Sanjay Mehta dismissed his client with grave doubt, all the while mulling it over in his mind. “My sources in the casino had not seen Led Daley or Kris Sanders. They may have missed recognizing Led Daley, but not Kris Sanders. He would have been especially recognizable to the casino staff as he was a long time member of ship’s company.” Sanjay double checked. “No one had seen either of them alone or together in the casino. So, what motivated them to lie? Obviously, they are hiding something. I don’t have a very good feeling about either of them.”
Sanjay would plod along with his investigation. Officer Mehta was experienced enough not to jump prematurely to any conclusions. His many years of police experience as a detective in his home country had taught him that there were more surprises in store before this case was solved.
****
“Wow, this has become the cruise of a lifetime,” Charlie sang out to the table. His face betrayed a glowing pleasure over such an intriguing and highly unusual happening. “Of course, it’s a crying shame that the old dodger met his end.” Charlie thought for a moment. “On second thought, I guess it’s as good a place as any to sing your swan song, vacationing aboard a luxury cruise.”
There was a cloud of gloom over the table this evening. Lucky had joined them as he had promised Led and Breath, earlier. After listening to Charlie pontificate, his feelings of regret concerning joining Mr. Charlie Fitzgerald from Saddlesore, Wyoming, at table, were renewed.
“No matter where you meet your demise, it’s a solemn matter, Charlie. Especially, to those left behind.” Lucky nodded toward Breath who had not taken a bite of nourishment and continued using her fork to play with her food like a child.
“Yes, Charlie, we need to respect those present and the memory of Sam.” This followed by Joyce piously intoning, “May he rest in peace. Right, Father Lucky?”
“Didn’t mean any harm. I guess when my time comes; I’d like to be doing something as nice as this. That’s all I meant. Jeez. Sorry, little lady. I hope you didn’t take any offense.” Charlie leaned over and tapped Breath on her arm.
“Oh, that’s alright, Charlie. I know you meant well. I’m just so out of sorts, yet, that I can’t find my appetite or the silver lining in the cloud. “
With that, a hush fell over the elegant dining room as the sound calling for attention came over the public address system.
“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Captain Andersen from the bridge. I am terribly sorry to interrupt your evening meal and other activities, but I am required to make this rather disturbing announcement. Just a short while ago, our Chief Engineer, Mr. Hans Stydd, was found dead in his quarters. The medical staff is attempting to make a determination of death at this very hour. The first and most likely conclusion is that Mr. Stydd suffered a heart attack. He had been under unusual stress as the Chief Engineer during the man overboard ordeal. I now feel that I must release this information to you: the man overboard was his granddad, Mr. Sam Stydd. We need each guest’s help with any information that you could supply to our chief of security, Officer Sanjay Mehta. I want to assure everyone on board that the ship is in well qualified hands and there is absolutely no reason to doubt the safety of our ship during the remainder of our transatlantic cruise. Again, I apologize for this interruption. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy your evening aboard the North Star.”
Lucky rocked inside like he had just experienced an earthquake. “What in God’s name was going on? A heart attack? That was absurd. It was just too coincidental.” He knew way too much for his own peace of mind, but he felt the gag of the confessional seal tighten. His stomach became nauseous.
“Enjoy your evening? Now, that will be quite a challenge. But, it was a nice positive note to end on.” Charlie responded to everyone and no one.
“I guess we’ll just have to do the best we can,” Joyce chirped.
“Well, I for one, won’t just sit here and do nothing,” Led proclaimed.
“And, like what do you propose doing, lad?” Charlie queried while holding his glass of chardonnay.
Led took Breath’s hand and looked into her eyes with earnestness of an endearing dog. “I’ll think of something, Breath. We’ve got to figure out who is doing this.”
Breath was bursting to jump up and run as fast as she could away from everyone at the table. This had become a nightmare. More than a nightmare. She had only wanted to rid herself from an impending personal disaster, as she perceived Sam’s knowledge threatened to be. “What was this with Hans? Did he really die from natural causes?” She really knew so little about Hans. He had hired her without much fanfare and then rushed her, along with Sam, onto this cruise. She was beginning to feel more like the mouse rather than the cat.
“Hey, hey, everybody,” Charlie rallied the table. “I always say there’s nothing that can help settle a problem better than a good meal. You can only stay alive in the here and now. So, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jan Becker, as staff captain, carried an enormous weight of responsibility. This was especially true every moment when on duty in her official position on the ship. No one understood the gravity of this calling except possibly the Master of the North Star, who at one time many years ago had held a similar position as staff captain.
While underway at sea, naval tradition, over the centuries, had invested those persons in command of the ship with a near divine like authority upon all other persons aboard. Issuing orders and plans of operation mainly behind the public scene, every department head reported directly to her as the Master’s executive officer, his “XO”. The staff captain’s decisions were only reviewed by the Master of the ship, “the god on board,” so the staff captain’s decisions were usually understood as ninety-nine percent final and unquestioned.
Which might beg the question. Where was Staff Captain Becker, more to the point, what was she up to during this fiasco? Of course, she had personally assisted the Master in the direction of the man overboard operation. She trusted without question that the Chief Engineer would flawlessly maneuver the ship in its circling back to search over the suspected area where Mr. Sam Stydd may have fallen overboard.
She also had full knowledge of the whereabouts of both the Master of the ship and the Chief Engineer at all times. Her duties graced the Master with the flexibility to go anywhere necessary for the supervision of the overall operation. She knew that the presence of the Master offered a momentous influence on how well the operation was carried out. But, other than the Master, she answered to no one. She also had a similar freedom and the ability to come and go as she alone chose.
All of this went through Sanjay Mehta’s head, the Chief of Security, as he fiddled with the pencil and paper on his desk in the cramped office space he shared with his two lieutenants. As directed by the Master, he had scribbled down the names of everyone who might possibly be a suspect. At this point he had interviewed almost everyone on the cruise. He had listed every possible scenario of how Mr. Sam Stydd could have fallen overboard…or was assisted in this acrobatic feat.
He had been well taught concerning what was described as the fatal flaw caused by the “missing link”. That person or fact which was overlooked or not considered when putting the puzzle together. The picture in the puzzle is never complete until every piece is in place.
There were important pieces of this puzzle still missing. Dare he even think it? Could one of those pieces be the second in command, Jan Becker, the staff captain of the ship?
****
Kris and Maggie were in the staff dining room and had also heard Captain Andersen’s announcement filled with its gloom and doom. Kris’ face turned three shades of gray as he felt himself getting sicker by the minute. Maggie reached over the table and grabbed his hand. “What in the world is the matter with you, Kris? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Maggie, I’ve seen more than a ghost. I need to tell you what happen when Led and I lef
t you in the Star Top lounge.”
“You said that you guys were going to the casino.” Maggie withdrew her hand in apprehension.
“Well, that wasn’t quite the truth. But, before you go all toxic on me, let me explain.” Kris could see Maggie tense up when she withdrew her hand.
“This better be good. Not like one of your auctioneer hypes.” Maggie was as filled with suspicion as anyone would be listening to the pitch of a used car salesman.
“Let’s go to the cabin. There’s more privacy there.” They left the staff dining room and made their way to their cabin.
Settling onto their love seat sized couch, Kris gave the order. “Ok, begin at the beginning. I’m all ears”
“Hmmm, yes, well, it’s all because of that damn picture I helped get smuggled on board. I told you that it would ultimately get us into some kind of trouble. But, not the kind of trouble that it has actually sat in our laps.”
“Oh, stop, Kris. You’re beginning to scare me, now.”
“OK. Here goes. I got to thinking about why Stydd wanted the picture smuggled on board this ship. There was only one conclusion. There was something more being smuggled on board along with it. The picture is a copy. Not worth any appreciable amount. So that had to be the answer. Something more! But, what was ‘the more’?”
“I’m beginning to see what you’re saying.” Maggie became a bit warmer in her feelings toward Kris and moved a notch closer on the couch.
“So, I decided, along with Led, to sneak into the Chief Engineer’s room and examine the Van Gogh. Led was my lookout as I cut the backside wrap and found a piece of paper. A piece of old yellowed newsprint, actually.”
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