by Ann Mullen
He reached over, picked up the portable telephone and handed it to me. “We have it all,” Billy said. “It’s a satellite phone. According to this note, all you have to do is hit the number seven for a pre-programmed number, which probably is an international number, and then dial the area code and the phone number. Go ahead. Call your mother.”
“It looks weird. What’s this thing sticking out?”
“It’s the built in antenna.”
“Hmm. But I thought we promised…”
“We must do what we want to do, and I know you would love to talk with your mother.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the phone. “But only for a minute.” I punched in seven, the area code, and then the number. The phone rang shortly after I punched in the numbers.
“Hello,” Mom said, nonchalantly.
“Mom, it’s me, Jesse.”
“Jesse!” she said, excitedly. Then she started yelling to whoever was in the background that I was on the phone. Chatter on her end ensued.
“Mom! I can’t stay on the phone all day!”
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m excited. I bet this call is costing you a bundle. Your cell phone bill is going to be outrageous.”
“I’m not using my cell phone,” I replied. “I’m on a satellite phone, compliments of Bella and Loukas Constance.”
“I didn’t expect to hear from you until the cruise was over. You said…”
“I know, Mom,” I said, interrupting her. “But we had a chance to call. How is everything… and please make it brief.” Mom has a tendency to go on and on when you get her on the phone.
“Everyone’s fine,” she said, hurrying right along. “The kids are great. Eddie, Geneva, and Helene are here. We’re having a wonderful time. No one’s been murdered since you left.” She snickered.
“Oh, you’re so bad, Mom.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve been around you and Billy too long!”
“I’m glad you are around us, but not on this trip.” I, too, chuckled.
“Why? What’s happened? You’ve only been on board for a few hours. Tell me nobody has died already.”
“Actually, a man did have a heart attack.”
“I hope he’s all right.”
I hesitated before speaking. Should I tell her the truth, or should I try to put her mind to rest? Then I remembered about the little white lie I told a while back, and my conscience took over. “I’m afraid he died.”
“As long as he wasn’t murdered. He wasn’t, was he? I’d hate to think…”
“Hold on, Mom. He died of a heart attack—plain and simple.”
“I hope you’re having a good time.”
“We are. It’s great! I love this ship, and we met Bella and Loukas Constance.”
“Yeah…” she said, softly. “Savannah told us all about it. I guess this might be a working cruise.”
“Yes, it will. But that’s okay, Mom. It’s no big deal.”
“I want you and Billy to be careful. I don’t want to spend the next six days worrying about you two.”
“Mom, you’re going to worry anyway. No matter what.”
“That’s true.”
I heard the dogs barking in the background.
“How are Athena and Thor? Do they miss us? What about Spice Cat?”
“You know they do,” she replied. “Athena has been pretty good, but that Thor has whined since you left. The cat went into your bedroom and hasn’t come out. He will when he gets hungry.”
“I have to make this short, Mom,” I said. “Please tell Savannah for me that I’m glad she suggested we choose the Bella Constance… and thanks for the set-up.”
“What set-up?”
“Let her explain. It would take me too long.”
“I’ll tell her what you said the next time we talk on the phone.”
“I think this is going to be a cruise to remember. Tell her I said that, would you?”
“Sure, honey.”
“I’ll call you again, but I can’t talk long.”
“Okay,” Mom replied. “Call us again when you can. Tell Billy we love him.”
I heard her end go silent.
“I think she hung up on me,” I said, looking down at Billy, who was now sitting at the computer looking at the split-screen. I pushed the end button and replaced the phone in its stand.
“You did tell her three times that you couldn’t talk long.”
“You should call your folks, and see how your mom’s doing. I’m worried about her having diabetes.”
“I will if it will put your mind at ease.” He stood up and grabbed the phone. “Here. Sit down and have a look.”
I sat down at the desk and stared at the screen while Billy made his call. When he walked over to the other side of the room and started talking in Cherokee, I knew something was up, but I let him talk as I checked out what was happening on the screen. We had a good view of the three rooms occupied by Loukas and Bella’s daughters and their husbands. We could also hear everything they said. “Wow! This is pretty good surveillance equipment,” I said when Billy walked back over and replaced the phone. I looked up at him and asked, “What was that all about?”
“I was explaining to Jonathan what we were doing. I told him that Loukas was afraid that one of his sons-in-law was going to kill him on this cruise.”
“That’s the bottom line, and he wants us to flush out the bad guy.”
“He wants us to prevent it by finding out what their plan is and putting a stop to it.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
“We will find a way.”
Then a thought occurred to me. “What was Jonathan doing at your folks’ house? Is your mother…”
“Mom is fine. She said to tell you hello and she hopes you’re having a good time. Jonathan went over to help Dad feed the horses and do some work around the house.”
“How is Chief Sam doing?”
“He’s the chief.”
“Say no more.”
Billy reached over, turned off the screen and said, “We can do this later. Besides, everything is taped. Let’s go have some fun. How about a glass of bubbly first?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s too early for me to get drunk. What were those drinks we had? I was too embarrassed to ask. I didn’t want them to think I was a hick.”
“They were Long Island Iced Teas. Pretty strong, huh?”
“I’d say so. I have a terrible buzz.”
“Then we’ll save the champagne for another time, and by the way, they don’t think you’re a hick. They like you.”
“I see that you and Loukas bonded quite well.”
“He’s a good man.”
“Who just happens to have bad guys married to his daughters.”
“He said Steven was okay, so not all three of them are gangsters. Forget about them for now. Let’s go check out the ship.”
“I’m with you!” I looked down at the bulge in his pocket and asked, “What about the money? Are you going to carry it around in your pocket all day?”
Billy smiled. “No, I’m not,” he replied. “Let me show you a little trick, `ge ya.”
He took me by the hand and walked over to the picture on the wall that covered the hidden safe. He pulled the picture back, stuck his key card in the slot and left it there. A small digital screen lit up beside the slot that read: Select Code. Numbers appeared on the small screen. Billy punched in: 41509.
“Why that number?”
“It’s today’s date. The first day of our cruise. I can also change it anytime I want to.”
“I feel safe already. Let me get my bracelet.” With the money and my bracelet safely tucked away in the safe, Billy and I left to explore the ship.
Billy explained that the lower decks were for passengers, until you reached the last deck. They housed crew members, contained the food storage hold, the engine room, and other places not of interest to me, so I suggested we start with the top deck. That’s where
all the action was.
We strolled along the deck and took in the sea air. Billy held my hand as we talked about the things we wanted to do while we were on our cruise, and when we reached a port. Late night strolls under the stars, and dressing up to dine at the captain’s table were top on my list. Billy was interested in sightseeing when we got to port, like most tourists.
“I’m more interested in going through the Triangle,” I said. “I can’t wait. I want to see if anyone vanishes, or if we have some weird cloud phenomenon. You do know that ships disappear all the time in the Triangle... as it’s called. Anything could happen. People could just go poof! Gone for good! Wouldn’t that be so weird? I mean, if something like that actually happened?”
“What happens if the whole ship vanishes?” Billy joked. “There wouldn’t be anyone left to tell the tale.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t have a rough journey.”
“Look, Billy. The sun’s out and I don’t see a dark cloud anywhere. There’s not a wave in sight either. And the sea is calm. No, this is going to be a cruise to remember. The weather is going to be fantastic the whole seven days and we’re going to have a relaxing journey. Just think. Seven days of pure fun!”
Oh, how quickly things can change!
Chapter 4
Our walk was enjoyable, but the subject kept coming back to the matter at hand. Billy said there was a threat on Loukas’ life, and we were the ones he wanted to take care of the problem.
“What threat? Nobody said anything about a threat. I thought it was just a rumor.”
“The rumors have substance. Loukas got a call on his cell phone in the limo this morning from someone who said he was going to be murdered on this cruise. The call was so quick and short, he said he couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a warning. He has someone checking on the call.”
“Does Bella know?”
“Yes, she does.”
“That’s what this whole thing boils down to. Someone actually plans to kill Loukas. At first, I thought his main concern was that his girls’ husbands wanted to convince him not to sell the cruise line. Now, the truth of the matter is that someone plans to kill him and make sure the sale doesn’t go through. That’s a pretty harsh thing to do to get your way. Perhaps they have another buyer in mind.”
“When it comes to money, people will do the unthinkable.”
“Hmm. No wonder they want outside help. They probably feel they can’t trust anyone anymore. It’s sad when your family turns against you. I can’t believe his daughters would allow this to happen.”
“They might not know.”
“How could they not? A wife knows her husband.”
“Not always. Some husbands have a tendency to keep things to themselves.”
“You don’t keep secrets from me, do you?”
“Sometimes. I don’t always tell you everything.”
“You should. I never keep secrets from you.”
Billy looked at me and rolled his eyes. “No, you never keep secrets… like the time you told me you were going home and going to bed, and then the next thing I know, you’re buried underground in your car by a maniac.”
“That was a long time ago. Now, I tell you everything.”
Billy changed the subject. “Loukas is a kind man. He feels bad about losing trust in people that he’s enjoyed for so long. Bella’s unhappy about it, too. Some of their people have worked for them for over twenty years. Captain O’Riley is one.”
I tried to make light of the subject. “I bet he’s been through the Triangle so many times, he doesn’t think anything of it.”
“Probably not. And look, he hasn’t vanished!”
As we strolled along, joking about the Bermuda Triangle, a woman walked up and stopped us. She was with two other women.
“Would you mind terribly if I asked you to take a picture of me and my sisters?”
“Of course not,” Billy replied as he took the camera she offered. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Thank you,” she said as she huddled together with the other women. “Oh, by the way, I’m Bertie Callahan. This is my sister, Dorothy Berdinski, and my other sister, Mabel Leigh. We’re from Georgia.”
“Not technically,” Dorothy responded. “I was actually born in Florida, but I’ve lived in Georgia all my life.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it, Dorothy,” Bertie said in a snippy way. “She’s such a liar!”
“Be nice, Bertie,” Mabel said. She looked at us. “I’m sorry. They fight like that all the time. I can’t do anything with them. Please ignore their bad manners.”
After that brief exchange, I sized them up immediately. It was obvious to me that these ladies were sisters. They looked to be in their mid-sixties, all three were heavyset, and their facial features were so similar, it was uncanny. The only thing different about them was their choice of hair color and style. In that department, they were as different as night and day. Bertie’s hair was bright red, short to the ears, and curly about the face, while Dorothy’s was much more extreme. She had bleached blond hair, trimmed short like a boy’s haircut. Mabel was the only one with a normal hairdo. She had hers colored a nice shade of brown, styled nicely with curls that complimented her face, and she didn’t seem to mind if the wind blew it. I had a feeling we were going to see more of these ladies. Isn’t that how it goes? You meet people who could possibly annoy you with their banter, and then you run into them everywhere you go. I could see it coming—they would be seated next to us for dinner—there was no doubt in my mind.
“I’m Jesse Blackhawk, and the photographer is my husband, Billy.”
“Smile,” Billy said. He snapped their picture, and then handed the camera back to Bertie.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “We take this cruise every year.” She looked at me. “Don’t you just love this ship? It’s better than those other ones. They’re so big and they have three times as many people on them. It’s just awful. I hate being around so many people at one time. There’re only a few hundred passengers on the Bella Constance. I like that, and I just love the cozy atmosphere. People are so friendly.”
“Bertie!” Dorothy snapped. “Don’t scare Jesse and Billy off with your whining.”
“I’m not whining!” she snapped, her face turning the same color red as her hair. “I was making a statement. Stop embarrassing me!”
“It was so nice to meet you,” I said, trying to slip out of what was sure to be a long and boring conversation.
“Yes, it was,” Billy said. “I do hope we see you again.”
I almost choked on my own saliva. Had he lost his mind? These ladies were the kind you could never get rid of. Couldn’t he tell that?
Bertie grabbed my hand and said, “Did you see the helicopter that landed on board about an hour ago? They took a passenger off the ship. They said he was sick, but I think he was dead.”
“He wasn’t dead,” Dorothy said, correcting her. She looked at me. “He had an oxygen mask over his face, and the paramedic said he had a heart attack. That’s all. She exaggerates.”
“I’m telling you the man was dead!”
“Stop it, both of you!” Mabel butted in. “You’re going to run off our new friends.”
Billy is such a gentleman. He shook their hands, one after the other and said, “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you ladies later, but right now, I have to take my wife to that boutique she’s heard so much about. New clothes! Got to buy new clothes!”
The ladies waved as Billy and I turned and walked away.
“Yep! They’ll be sitting next to us at dinner!”
“Most likely,” Billy said with a smile. “If those three are the worst we encounter, we’ll be doing all right. Besides, they weren’t so bad. They just argue a lot. Haven’t you met their kind? They’re harmless. All they’re looking for is a little attention, and that’s how they get it.”
“By arguing in front of people? That’s sad.”
“What can I say?”
“It’s not what you can say, but what you can do.”
“And what is that, `ge ya?”
“Take me shopping at that boutique like you said you were going to do. That’s what you told Bertie, Dorothy, and Mabel, so now cough up some dough, pal. I want a new dress.”
“You have two new ones you bought for the cruise.”
“I know, but if we have to dress up for dinner every night, I’m going to need more clothes. I can’t wear my jeans.”
“Then new clothes it is! Let’s go find that shop!”
“I’m a woman. Stores are my life!”
The two of us laughed as we went in search of the ship’s boutique. It didn’t take us long to get to the stores, and there were plenty of them. “Bella’s Boutique! I should’ve known!” I said as we walked the vast hallway and then stopped in front of the shop. “I bet they have some nice clothes in here, if Bella had anything to do with it.”
“It’s her store. I’m sure she’s probably the one who got it started, so I’d say that she’s the one who selected the clothes.”
“But that was a long time ago. I’m sure she doesn’t run it anymore, and she most likely doesn’t have anything to do with stocking it. She retired from the business just like Loukas did. She probably hasn’t got a clue as to what goes on in this store.”
“Somehow I have a feeling she knows everything that goes on with this ship. She’s a savvy woman.”
“You’re right about that.”
“After you,” Billy said as he motioned with his hand for me to enter.
I walked into Bella’s Boutique with expensive expectations. I knew the clothes were going to cost more money than I wanted to pay, but I wanted to have a look around. I didn’t have to buy anything. Billy walked behind me, as all good husbands do when they’re in a dress shop with their wives, but at least he wasn’t carrying my handbag. The thought of Billy walking behind me carrying my purse made me snicker to myself. That would never happen, and I’d never ask him to do it.