The Mystery of Ruby's Port (The Ruby Dove Mystery Series Book 2)

by Rose Donovan

  “Hmph what?”

  “Sadie seems like such a marvellous person. Raising her son on her own and all that. And she is rather kind.”

  “Every grin is not laughter, Feens.”

  “You have a point. I am biased.”

  Fina shifted to gaze at the wall again. “What about the staff? Some of them have been acting oddly.”

  “I agree,” said Ruby, yawning. “But we don’t have any motives for them. And their peculiarity might be tied to our mission more than to the murders.” Seeing the look of scepticism on Fina’s face, Ruby continued, “I’m not saying I don’t think they could have done it – just that they lack motives.”

  She frowned and began to pace across a well-worn path in the rug. Apparently previous passengers were habitual pacers as well. Fina knew what this meant. Ruby was puzzled, deeply puzzled by some aspect of the case that didn’t “fit”.

  “Let’s go, Feens,” she said as she tucked her feet into her slippers near the bed. “Could you take that torch Ian gave us before bed?”

  Fina responded by putting on her own slippers and locating the torch in her bag. “Where are we going?”

  “To Balraj’s room again. I know it’s devilishly creepy.”

  “You cannot be serious.”

  “The answer to his murder – and perhaps to Patricia’s – lies in that room. I’m sure of it,” Ruby said, holding up the key to Balraj’s room in triumph. Pre-empting Fina’s question, she said, “Ian gave me one of the spare keys.”

  They approached Balraj’s cabin. As soon as Ruby tapped the door lightly with her gloved fingers, it creaked open. Had the captain left it open on purpose?

  Outside Balraj’s room on the deck, Fina could hear the gentle lapping of the waves. The deck was lit by a half-moon, the milky light filtering through passing clouds overhead. While Ruby fiddled with the torch, Fina closed her eyes and felt the swaying of the boat. Taking a deep breath and opening her eyes, she convinced herself that she could get past her fears of going into a murdered man’s cabin in the dead of night. But not the fears that the murderer was after Ruby.

  Bang.

  Fina jumped, grabbing Ruby’s arm. This caused them to tumble, head over heels, into Balraj’s room. Ruby leapt up and shut the door so rapidly that it made a whooshing noise. The door clicked shut. Smoothing her hair, she bent down to whisper to Fina. “It was just the wind banging shut a door. I’m sure of it.”

  Fina blinked.

  Then she gave Ruby what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She certainly wasn’t reassured. But she knew she had to push on, so she scooped up the torch that had escaped Ruby’s grasp and rose from her cramped position on the floor. Leaning over, she pulled the curtains – rather reluctantly as the moon seemed to be the one pleasant aspect of their escapade this evening – so that the light from the torch couldn’t be seen easily from outside.

  Realising she had no idea what they were searching for, she handed the torch to Ruby. Ruby shone it around the room. First, on the desk with the sundry colourful bottles, watch, stationery, pens and parrot. Second, she shone the torch clockwise onto the door and the little ledge above with the wooden turtle. Third, past the window to the nightstand with the carafe of water and a water glass. Fourth, in a lightning motion back to the floor where the body had lain. The rug looked the same as it had been before.

  Ruby crouched down by the rug as if she were about to leap like a frog. She shook her head. From her pursed lips, Fina could see she was bewildered rather than disappointed. Fina supposed this was a somewhat positive sign.

  “Feens,” she hissed. “This isn’t what I expected. It’s very frustrating!”

  “What’s frustrating?”

  But before Ruby had a chance to reply, a scratching, tapping noise came from the door, as if a small dog were trying to enter the room.

  They froze.

  28

  Ruby and Fina crouched behind the door. The handle slowly turned. A beam of light from a torch shined in through a crack in the moulding.

  The torchlight danced round the room as a figure slipped in. It tiptoed toward the bathroom.

  Ruby flicked on the light switch. “Ian!” she exclaimed, clutching her chest. “What a fright you gave us!” She rushed at him with such intensity that Fina thought she might hit him.

  He turned, his face rather ashen. He clutched his own chest. “You’re not the only one who’s had a fright,” he said.

  Fina knew she had a sceptical expression on her face. Ian glanced at her and said, “I heard noises coming from this cabin – I was walking about the boat, hoping for a glimpse of the murderer. Besides,” he said, switching off his torch, “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “There are a couple of things that are puzzling me about this room, Ian,” said Ruby. “That’s why Fina and I came to search again.”

  “Do you mean the puzzle of why the murderer bothered to clean up after themselves when it was quite obvious that Balraj was murdered?” he asked as Ruby began to pull back the covers on the perfectly undisturbed bed.

  “Exactly. It doesn’t make any sense, especially because time was of the essence in this crime. How in the world would the murderer be able to clean up anything in the space of what – twenty minutes total?” She looked carefully at the bed linens, finding nothing. “I wanted to eliminate the possibility that he was killed while in bed,” she explained, with a final gesture of pulling up the bedclothes.

  “Are you sure Balraj was killed in those twenty minutes?” asked Ian, returning to the previous question.

  “I don’t see when else it could have occurred,” said Fina. “Especially because there was no answer when Agnes left the tray. Why else would Balraj request dinner be served and then not take the meal? He couldn’t have fallen asleep that quickly.”

  “I suppose he could have been drugged at dinner and then fallen asleep,” said Ian.

  “That seems too risky,” replied Ruby. “Though I agree that our murderer does enjoy taking enormous risks.”

  Fina’s eyes grew wide with a new realisation. “You don’t think he was poisoned and then hit on the head to make it look like that was the way he was killed, do you?”

  Ian’s eyebrows began to wiggle. “You’re on to something there, Fina. That’s got to be the answer. What do you think, Ruby?” he said, gazing at her with anticipation.

  Ruby bit her lip and lowered herself into the nearest chair. All that pacing must have exhausted her.

  “It’s certainly an ingenious idea, and I would probably have used it myself if I were the murderer,” she said with a wan smile. “But there’s no sign of poisoning. If he had been given cyanide, for example, it would take very little time for it to take effect.”

  Fina frowned. “Yes, and even if there were some slow-acting poison, the problem is that we weren’t served water or cocktails at our table until after Balraj had left. I remember that quite distinctly. Others at our table did have cocktails but those were drinks they had brought with them from the bar.”

  Ian stood near the nightstand, surveying the carafe of drinking water which was now lined with little stagnation bubbles. He smelled the carafe and the water glass next to it. He handed them to Ruby. She sniffed them as if they had a delicate bouquet and shook her head. Then she popped into the bathroom – presumably to look for glasses there – but came back quickly without any news to report.

  As if she were a builder, Ruby began to triangulate different points in the room, looking from one point to another. Then with a rapid movement, she strode up to Ian. She stood level with him. Close. Eye-to-eye.

  “If we’re going to continue, I need to trust you.”

  Ian backed away. Ruby was so near to him that his only option was to bend backward and then move, nearly causing him to stumble. Fina had never seen him so flustered before. “W-what do you mean?”

  “Wendell.”

  Ian’s eyes moved side to side. “Wendell?”

  “You heard me the first time, Ian,” said R
uby in a low voice. Fina knew that voice. It meant someone was treading on dangerous ground.

  Shoulders gradually lowering like the Caribbean temperature at night, Ian replied in a firm and confident voice. “Miss Ruby Dove, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Mr Ian Clavering, is that the truth?”

  “Yes.” He spread his arms helplessly. “Yes! What do I have to do to convince you?”

  But Ruby was already convinced – Fina could see it in the set of her chin. Ian had not been let into the secret of their code word. That wasn’t enough for Ruby to let him off the hook, however.

  “I still feel we’re owed an explanation.”

  Ian plopped down on the bed next to Fina. “You were right to be suspicious of my reasons for being here.”

  “I knew it,” said Ruby.

  “I had a friend tell me you two were going on this trip. After our encounter at Pauncefort Hall, I suspected you might be on, shall we say – a mission?”

  Ruby was silent. Fina blinked.

  “A ‘friend’?” asked Fina, seeing by Ruby’s clenched jaw that she was experiencing a wave of emotions she was trying hard to hold back. “What do you mean, ‘friend’?”

  “A friend in the service. His Majesty’s service,” he said flatly.

  Ruby shot up like a pop-goes-the-weasel. She began to pace again. “I knew it! I knew you must be an agent. How could I have been so trusting?”

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, you weren’t exactly trusting,” said Ian with a grin.

  “How dare you!” she said, voice rising and then lowering. “You played on my feelings to get information.”

  Fina thought she should slip into the bathroom. She felt like a fifth wheel.

  Ian gestured as if to stop Ruby. “I can explain. When I said I had a friend in the service, I meant just that. It does not mean I work for the service.”

  “Well, who do you work for?” asked Ruby.

  Ian held up his hands in exasperation. “I wish I could tell you, I really do. But I can assure you it is not for the British Empire – in any form.”

  “Then why would you follow us?” asked Fina.

  He turned to Fina. “I have my reasons. Truly.”

  She stared back at him.

  He sighed. “All right. If I’m perfectly honest, my primary purpose here is not to keep tabs on you two. There are certain other people on this ship who are, shall we say, persons of interest. I’ve been asked to keep an eye on their activities.”

  Holding up a hand as if to pre-empt protests, he said, “And I cannot tell you any more than that. My plans don’t interfere with your plans, whatever they might be,” he said. “With or without, er, this Wendell character.”

  Ruby groaned, but her jaw began to relax, ever so slightly. “You are an exasperating man, Mr Ian Clavering.”

  29

  Fina peeled open her eyes the next morning. She heard a slithering noise. Bolt upright now, she peered over the foot of her bed, by the door.

  A rather crumpled but still neatly folded piece of paper lay on the floor. She let out a sigh of relief that the paper wasn’t something more sinister and slid out of bed. Rubbing her eyes, she padded over to the door.

  As Fina bent over and scooped up the paper, her head began to swim. She felt as if she had a thumping great hangover, but she hadn’t had that much to drink yesterday. Then came a wave of nausea. She ran to the nightstand and began to gulp down water from the pitcher. Feeling better, she sat and then lay back in bed. Good, she thought, the room isn’t spinning.

  Taking in a deep breath of air, she opened the piece of paper. Her hands shook. Was it going to be a warning from the murderer? Fina admonished herself again for jumping to the worst-case scenario – as she was wont to do.

  The note, scrawled in large black capitals, read: Dear Miss Ruby I must speak to you. Agnes. Next to her own name, Agnes had drawn a door in great detail. The door was open.

  Fina sat bolt upright and whispered, “Ruby, Ruby, wake up.” Silence. Fina’s heart stopped.

  Leaping out of bed, she tripped on the bedclothes and nearly ended up on her head. Now the adrenaline was really coursing through her body.

  She grabbed Ruby’s arm and began to shake her.

  “Mmm. What is it?” Ruby said, turning over on her side, eyes still closed.

  Fina let out a great sigh of relief.

  “Agnes just left us a note. It’s urgent.”

  Ruby’s eyelids slid backwards almost into her head. She grasped at the sheet of paper as she lifted her head to read it. For several moments she clutched it, frowning. Then her head fell back with a sigh. It sounded like a sigh of irritation rather than fear or relief.

  “Of course. Agnes! I knew this would happen. I wish I had thought to talk to her earlier. Let’s get a move on.”

  Fina bit her lip. “You’d better go without me. I have been neglecting my duties as a governess – even though circumstances dictated that.”

  Ruby nodded. “You’re right. You go ahead next door and I’ll get dressed. Then I’ll find Agnes. We mustn’t waste a moment. If she knows what I think she knows, she could be in serious danger.”

  The look on Ruby’s face was enough to warn Fina not to question her. Instead, she quickly slipped into a blue Chesro summer frock and got ready to make the short journey next door. As she opened the door, she exclaimed, “Look, Ruby. Ian brought us breakfast.” She picked up the tray with the large note that read From Ian and breathed in the aromas of island sweetbread, plantains, toast, eggs and coffee.

  Fina brought in the tray and slid it onto the desk. With a sweeping hand gesture, she said, “There you are. A proper breakfast. I could use one too. Mind if I swipe a bit of toast and marmalade before I go next door?” Fina said it as if Ruby could deny the request.

  She plucked a piece of toast out of the rack and dipped a knife into the marmalade. As she began to spread it across the toast, Ruby picked up the breakfast card that read From Ian and held it close to her face.

  “Wait!” she yelled, grabbing Fina’s hand. “It’s poisoned!”

  The toast clattered onto the plate.

  “Poisoned!” gasped Fina. “How do you know?” She noticed that her own hand was quivering.

  “I didn’t ask for any breakfast. Did you?”

  “No, but—”

  “Besides, anyone could have tampered with this tray since it was set out in the corridor.”

  Fina glared at the toast with distrust. “But no one could poison a rack of toast, could they? Would they? Ruby, you’re beginning to sound like Patricia.”

  Ruby snorted. “Yes, and look what happened to her. Besides, the poison would be in the marmalade. And Fina…” She waved the card. “This isn’t Ian’s handwriting.”

  “Good gracious. I hadn’t thought of that – obviously,” said Fina. “Selkies and kelpies!” she added, recoiling from the tray. “You’d better come with me to look in on Victor – you shouldn’t be on your own.”

  Fina saw Ruby hesitate, draw herself up in a defiant gesture, and then let out great gush of air. “You’re right.”

  After tapping lightly on Sadie and Victor’s door, Fina saw a little head appear between the curtains in the window. Victor saw Ruby and Fina and gave out a big grin. He opened the door a crack and peeked out.

  “Mama’s asleep,” he whispered. “I’m playing with Wendell. She’s in school with Robby and Torty, and they’re having lessons.” He gestured behind him to where the malevolent pig sat alongside a porcelain robin and his cabin’s wooden turtle. They were all lined up in a neat row, each with a tiny scrap of paper and shard of pencil lead before it.

  Fina nodded her approval. “I’m glad you checked to see who it was before you opened the door. Ruby and I wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything. Did you have your breakfast?”

  “Yes! We ate and Mama said she wanted to lie down.”

  “We’ll see you later, Victor,” said Ruby, tousling
his hair. They waited until Victor had closed the door and turned the bolt, and then went in search of Agnes.

  It was another perfectly blue, sunny day. The sea was flat. Too flat. Like walking through sticky, gooey treacle, thought Fina. The lack of air circulation, even on deck, meant it was hard to find relief anywhere on the ship. Most passengers – perhaps despite their better judgment – were scattered around the ship in small groups. Anywhere there might be a little friendly breeze.

  “Keep your eyes open,” Ruby whispered in Fina’s ear. “If that marmalade was really poisoned, someone here is going to be very surprised to see us up and walking about.”

  “Good thought!” Fina whispered back. “Let’s take a promenade around the deck a few times. We may find Agnes cleaning one of the cabins – and we can see who reacts to our presence.”

  But no one leapt out of their chairs, or even raised an eyebrow, as they strolled along. Dolores and Gustave were in the lounge, near the door. Emeline was in the reading room, staring blankly at a book through her pince-nez. Lev was mopping the deck with furious abandon, so much so that it made his hedgehog tattoo look like it was running and jumping. Only the Gibbses were absent.

  Ruby and Fina strode toward the stairs that led to the crew’s quarters. As they passed the Gibbses’ cabin, Fina noticed the door was ajar, ever so slightly. She glanced up and down the deck and then motioned to Ruby to stand outside the door to listen.

  “Soon we’ll be safe. No need to worry,” said Phillip in a whisper. Violet sounded like she had a cold or had been crying. “I hope so, Phillip, for all our sakes.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Fina saw Neville moving toward them with a rapid step. She turned to Ruby and began talking to her as if they had just stopped in front of the Gibbses’ door for a chat with each other. She could feel herself making exaggerated gestures and wondered if Neville was fooled. Did it really matter?

  She felt Neville tap her on the shoulder. Spinning round, she held a fixed expression of surprise on her face as if this were the most unanticipated event in the world.