by Mary McHugh
“• Make copies of your passport, airline tickets, credit card numbers, insurance information, and any other important travel documents, and put them in a separate envelope in case the originals are lost or stolen on the trip.
“• You need a visa to go to Russia, so be sure and get it way ahead of time.
“• For a trip to Russia, your passport must be valid for six months following your trip.
“• Make sure the name on your airline ticket is exactly the same as the name on your passport or they might not let you on the ship.
“• You should check flight times seventy-two hours in advance, because international flight times can change at any time.”
“These are really good tips, Tina,” Mary Louise said. “Especially for honeymooners. There are so many things to do before the wedding, you might not realize you have to do all that stuff.”
“What else are you telling them?” Sue asked. “These are really helpful.”
“Are you going to tell them about using their cell phones?” Stacy asked. “I could use mine some of the time but not always.”
“Good point, Stacy. I’ll put it in the article: You can make or get calls from home when the ship is in a port with good reception. There will be times when you won’t be able to get calls, but you can get a toll-free number from the cruise line for your family if they need to call you. And be sure you give anyone who might try to call you the right code, because it’s different when you’re calling overseas.”
“How about clothes?” Andrea asked. “What will you tell them to bring? I wasn’t sure.”
“You always look great, Andrea,” I said. “But you’re right. Nobody really knows what to wear in Russia. I’ll add this: Basically, you should bring the same things you would wear on any cruise, but you need to bring some sweaters or jackets, because it’s always colder on a ship than walking around a city. Especially if your wedding is in the spring or fall.”
“Should you bring dressy clothes?”
“Most of the time you can wear casual clothes—nothing sloppy—but nice casual. And you might want to dress up for dinner once or twice.”
“What about the men?” Mark asked. “Are you telling them to bring ties and jackets?”
“On this ship they’re not necessary, but some men do wear a jacket to dinner.”
“We’re talking about young men, presumably—since it’s their honeymoon. Do young men need to bring jackets?”
“Well,” I said, “I wouldn’t tell them to go out and buy one just for the trip. But if they have one, they might as well bring it along.”
“What are you telling them about packing?” Janice asked. “Got any good tips for that? I was really glad you told me to pack my dresses in dry cleaner’s plastic bags. You can fold them up a couple of times and the plastic keeps them from wrinkling. Anything else like that?”
“Just don’t bring too much,” I said. “That’s the main thing. But I wanted to tell them some things they should bring that they may not have thought about.”
“I could have used that before I left,” Pat said. “I forgot Band-Aids.”
“Band-Aids are good for blisters, or if you get a minor cut,” I said. “Also, be sure and bring shoes you’ve walked in a lot—not new ones. And pack some nice ones to wear to a restaurant in town. You also need an umbrella, sun block, and sunglasses, and bring pills in case you catch a cold, get diarrhea, or have a headache. If you go in the middle of summer, you might want a mosquito repellent.”
“I forgot to bring an electrical converter and plug adapter for my hair dryer and Mark’s electric razor,” Sue said. “Mark bought a regular razor here, but he wanted to use his own.”
“That’s good, Sue,” I said. “I’ll be sure to remind them of that. Also, an alarm clock you can see in the dark and a sewing kit in case you rip something. There are tons of other things I’m going to put in, but one more that’s essential is how to avoid jet lag, since there’s a six hour difference in time. You should eat lightly, don’t drink too much liquor or coffee. Drink lots of water and fruit juice during the flight. Try to sleep on an overnight flight if you can. Even a nap is better than staying awake the whole time. Walk around and stretch. When you arrive, don’t sleep right away. Stay awake until nighttime if you can.”
“Really useful, Tina,” Caroline said. “I’m telling everyone to buy your magazine before they go anywhere.”
“Love you, Caroline,” I said.
“They really are good tips, Tina,” Alex said. “Even I learned something, and I travel all the time. I think I’ll be making a lot more trips to New York from now on.” He looked at Gini, and we all knew what he meant.
“How much longer will you be in Moscow, Alex?” I asked.
“I’m thinking of leaving very soon,” he said, smiling at Gini. “I want to be back in New York again. I’ve been here for two years now and the Times has offered me the chance to return to the New York office. I’m really looking forward to the change. I’ll get to see new places . . .”
“Like India?” Gini asked.
“Like India,” Alex said. “I’d like to do a story on their adoption policy there. I think they make it much too difficult for Americans, for example, to adopt one of their children.”
Gini looked at me as if to say, “This is definitely the man for me.” I nodded. I thought so too.
“I’m curious,” I said. “I’d love to know what our two teenagers think of Russia. Did you have a good time?”
“Oh yes!” Stacy said. “Especially when you let us dance in your act. That was so neat. I’m going to do more tap dancing when I get back.”
“I was surprised to find that kids here know so much about American music and movies and video games,” Andrea said. “I thought they hated us, but when we talked to them in the shops and on the street—some of them spoke pretty good English—they wanted to know all about Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. They asked us where we got our jeans and if they could buy any from us. We should have brought along about ten extra pairs.”
“But would you want to live here?”
“No way,” Stacy said. “They have no money. I realized how spoiled we are in our country, where kids have cars and cell phones and TVs and computers without even realizing how lucky they are.”
“It’s different now, though, since Soviet system is finished,” Tatiana said. “I have two daughters. They are at the university and they can do pretty much whatever they like when they finish. They both want to make money, but they also have a real appreciation of the culture of our country, and they want to do something that will help other people. They want to be doctors, but it’s too soon to tell if they can do it.”
“You certainly showed them what a woman can do,” Janice said. “With two PhDs and a career teaching at the university and lecturing all over the world and on cruise ships.”
“This was my first cruise that included two murders,” Tatiana said. “Very exciting, but I could do without that the next time.”
“Me too!” I said. “Especially since I was to be one of the murderees.”
Olga brought us course after course of incredible food with superb wines.
I looked around the table at all these new friends and old friends.
“Let’s try to stay in touch,” I said. “It would be a shame to live through two murders, two attempted abductions, a circus, and a thirty-second viewing of Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna and Child together and not send each other an e-mail every once in a while when life happens.”
“Great idea,” Mark said. “Do you Hoofers know where you’re going to be dancing next? What other part of the world will you be bringing mayhem to?”
“We haven’t decided yet,” I said.
“Wherever you go, let us know,” Sue said. “We’ll be there.”
We all promised to stay in touch and exchange e-mails. Tatiana said she would try to stop and see us on her way to her next lecture tour, which was in California. Ale
x kissed Gini and obviously didn’t want to let her go. “I’ll be in New York soon,” he said. “In the meantime, write me, call me, tell me what’s happening with your little girl.”
“I will, Alex,” Gini said. “I’ll see you soon.”
I was suddenly exhausted.
“Peter, I have to go to bed. It’s all catching up with me. Where will you sleep tonight?” I asked.
“If you think I’m leaving you alone after chasing you for days and you almost getting killed, you’re crazy. I’m not leaving you for one second. I’ll just sleep on the other bunk in your cabin, and Mary Louise, maybe you wouldn’t mind bunking in with Gini for one night?”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Mary Louise said. “Gini, is that OK with you?”
“More than OK,” Gini said. “I may sleep somewhere else anyway.” She smiled.
“I have a feeling everyone else on this cruise is having a lot more fun than I am,” Mary Louise said.
I said good night to everyone and Peter held my hand until we got to the cabin.
When I woke up the next morning, Peter was gone. The shower floor was wet. I figured he must have dressed and gone to breakfast. But soon there was a soft tap at the door. I opened it to see him holding a tray of croissants, hot chocolate, and a mushroom omelet.
“Good morning,” he said, looking fresh and adorable in a black shirt and white pants.
“Oh, thank you, Peter, this is perfect. How did you know I would rather have hot chocolate than coffee or tea?”
“When you and Bill came up to our house on the Cape while I was still married to Marian, you asked for hot chocolate at breakfast. I remembered, that’s all.”
I smiled at him. It was so good to have him in my life.
There was a knock at the door.
“Tina,” Mary Louise said. “We’re meeting in the dining room for one last breakfast before the bus takes us to the airport. Are you coming?”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” I said, taking a bite of croissant and a sip of cocoa.
I dressed and we joined the others in the dining room.
After breakfast, we said our good-byes to Caroline and Stacy and Andrea.
“Always do what you love,” Pat said to the girls.
“Dasvidaniya, Hoofers,” Caroline said, giving me a hug.
“Let’s meet at the Frick Collection soon,” Sue said to me.
Heidi was standing at the head of the ramp as we left.
“Good-bye, Happy Hoofers,” she said. “It was a pleasure having you on this cruise. I’m glad you are all right, Ms. Powell.”
“I trust Ken Allgood is safely in jail,” I said.
“Oh yes. Do not worry. He will be in prison for a long, long time.”
“What about Brad Sheldon?” Janice asked. “His poor parents.”
“They are here now, arranging to have his body sent back to the States.”
“He was a sweet boy,” Janice said.
We walked down the ramp. Just before we got on the bus, Mary Louise, Janice, Pat, Gini, and I linked arms and did a few high kicks to say good-bye to the Smirnov.
Chapter 24
Home Sweet Home
After The Times ran the story of my rescue from the murderer, we got lots of offers to perform.
One of my daughters was appalled, the other one envious.
“Mother!” Laurie said when she met me at the airport in Newark. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t, darling. And we’re going to dance in a lot more exotic places, so get used to it.”
“I’ll never keep up with you, Mom. But I hope I’m just like you when I’m fifty-three.”
My other daughter, Kyle, called me the minute I got in the house.
“Mom! You should have taken me along. I could have polished your tap shoes or something. How could you go on an adventure like that and not take me with you?”
“Honey, I had no idea I was going to be mixed up in a murder and an abduction and an evil chef. Or I would have taken you.”
“I’ll be home this weekend,” she said. “And you can tell me all about it.”
When my friends and I met at Starbucks two days later, everyone had news.
“Sandy and I have started working on the book,” Janice said. “I’m so glad to have her back in my life again.”
“I heard from Alex,” Gini said. “He’s coming back to New York to work and he’s arranging for us to go to India together.”
“George was so glad I was back home safe and unhurt, he took me out to dinner,” Mary Louise said.
“He was just glad to see you so you can resume your cooking and cleaning,” Janice said.
“He’s taking me to Paris for a second honeymoon,” Mary Louise said triumphantly, “so he can keep an eye on me and make sure I’m not murdered.”
“I have some news too,” I said, smiling broadly.
“Tell us,” Mary Louise said.
“We have an offer to dance on a luxury train traveling across northern Spain!”
“When?”
“Who hired us?”
“How much?”
“Is the chef British?”
“Did you say yes?”
“We go in September if you’re game. The Spanish Tourist Board wants us. They’ll pay us a really good fee. I said I couldn’t say yes until I’d talked to all of you.”
Gini wasn’t sure she wanted to be away from Alex so soon after he’d transferred to New York. Mary Louise didn’t think George would let her out of the house without him again. Pat was afraid there’d be another murder. Janice was booked to direct a play in Morristown. And I was supposed to go to the Cape with Peter.
So naturally we decided to go.
Want to come along?
Don’t miss the next Happy Hoofers mystery
FLAMENCO, FLAN, AND FATALITIES
Documentary filmmaker Gini Miller takes over
as narrator as the Happy Hoofers solve a
murder mystery in Spain . . .
Coming from Kensington in March 2015
Keep reading for an enticing preview excerpt . . .
Chapter 1
Buen Apetito!
I must say, the five of us were a good-looking group in our silky summer dresses and strappy high heels, earrings swinging, as we strolled toward the coach that would take us to the restaurant for dinner.
We climbed aboard and said hello to the other passengers from our luxury train. It was our first night in Spain, and we couldn’t wait to see everything, do everything, experience everything in this amazing country. We took seats in two available rows and craned our necks, looking out the windows at the bustling street in front of the station.
Just as the door closed and the driver gunned the engine into life, there was a loud commotion. We heard a familiar voice demanding that the bus wait for him. I looked out and saw a large, sweaty man waving his arms and shouting.
“Where is Eduardo?” he yelled. “He was supposed to make all the arrangements for me on the train. Where is he?”
I’d heard this voice before somewhere. A strong wave of dislike grabbed me. Who was this person? Why didn’t I like him?
“Nobody knows how to do anything in this country,” he said.
Eduardo, the host of our train trip across northern Spain, got off the bus and held out his hand to the noisy man.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Shambless. I’m Eduardo. We waited for you and your party as long as we could. We have reservations for dinner and we have to leave on time.” Our host was slender and dapper in dark slacks and a starched white shirt. The shouter, by contrast, looked like an unmade bed.
“I’m filming this whole trip on your crowded little train for my TV show. I’d have thought you’d have the decency to wait for me and my crew before you ran off to the restaurant. They’ll wait for us. They can’t buy publicity like my show will give them. And neither can you.” He waved a pudgy finger in Eduardo’s face, as if he were not the center of attention alr
eady.
“We are indeed grateful that you chose our trip, Mr. Shambless,” Eduardo said. I cringed, watching this nice man having to acquiesce to this creep. “I regret any confusion I may have caused. Please join us on the bus and tell me what I can do to help you.”
“Just stay out of my way unless I need you,” Shambless said, motioning to his cameraman and to a pretty young woman. The woman had long, straight blond hair and a V-neck blouse that showed off her incredible breasts every time she bent over, which was often.
I remembered why I disliked this man the minute I heard his voice. Dick Shambless was a television talk show host who enthralled whole sections of the country every day with his anti-gay, antigovernment, anti-everything rantings. Why did he have to come on this trip?
One of the women sitting near us stood up and pulled the man sitting next to her to a seat in the back of the coach. I heard her say, “I don’t want to talk to him,” as she moved to the last row.
“Just ignore him, Sylvia,” the man said, settling next to her with a camera bag on his lap. “You don’t have to be afraid of him anymore.”
I nudged my friend Mary Louise, who was leafing through a brochure about local attractions.
“Did you see the look on that woman’s face when she heard Shambless’s voice?” I whispered to her.
She looked up, concern in her lovely blue eyes. “Yes, Gini. She seemed—I don’t know—angry? Scared? What was it?”
“Well, she certainly wasn’t happy to see him.”
The talk show guy lurched onto the bus, heaving his vast weight into the front seat, without a hello or how are you to anybody around him. The cameraman stood in the front of the bus and filmed Shambless and then swung the camera around to include the rest of us.
Eduardo leaned over closer to Shambless and said, “You might want to include our beautiful dancers, who are going to entertain us on this trip. Our Happy Hoofers.”
“Happy Hookers?” Shambless said. “Why would I want to include a bunch of hookers?”