by Ann Mullen
“Let me see what I can do for you before we talk about money,” Billy replied. “I’ll need to know Teresa’s social security number, so I can do a background check.”
“Why do you have to check my daughter’s background? I can promise you she’s got a clean record.”
“Through your daughter, I can find out about Peter Dawson.”
“You want to see if we’re telling the truth, don’t you?”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Billy said. “I can trace down Peter Dawson through Teresa. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“I thrust you,” Teresa said. Her tears had dried up. “I’ll write the number down on the back of the photo.”
“Don’t write the number down on the photo. Just tell me what it is. I’ll remember it.” She discreetly rattled off her social security number. “Give me the photo you have with you now, and then go to your room and get another one. After that, go straight to the captain.”
“What room are you staying in?” I asked.
“We’re on the fifth deck,” Teresa offered. “Room 525.”
“We’ll get back with you,” Billy said. “I’ll need to talk with the captain and let him know that we’ll be on the lookout for this guy.”
All of a sudden, Teresa got a frightened look on her face. “That’s him!” she screamed, her arm extended, pointing to someone. “It’s Peter Dawson! Go after him!”
Billy and I looked to where she was pointing, but didn’t see anyone who looked like the guy in the photo. “I don’t see him,” I said, scanning the crowd.
“He’s dyed his hair and he has a moustache now,” Teresa cried, her hands shaking. “He’s changed his appearance, but I know that’s him, and he’s after me!”
Her claim was not to be taken lightly, if it was true. Billy and I would soon find out.
Before Maggie and Teresa Anderson left to go visit the captain, Billy advised them to stay together. He told them they would be safer if neither one were alone until we could determine if Peter Dawson was indeed on board. Teresa had been adamant about seeing him, and she was terrified.
Billy tried to calm her down. “If he’s on this ship, I will find him,” he said. “I promise you. In the meantime, try not to worry.”
The two women walked away, hopefully, feeling better after talking with us. Billy had told them we would help, so I guess we could add another job to our fast-growing list. So far, one passenger had died, Loukas was in danger of being murdered, and now we were being asked to find a stalker. I wondered what else could possibly happen… and this was just the first day. I was beginning to have my doubts about a restful, laid-back cruise.
Billy and I sat at the table under the umbrella and discussed what just happened. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I know this isn’t what you expected,” Billy said, apologizing. “But I can’t help it. I feel like I should help them. Private detective work—it’s in my blood.”
I laughed and said, “It’s in mine, too. I know I shouldn’t say this because we’re on vacation, but I feel as if we were sent here to help these people.”
“It’s in your blood, all right,” Billy agreed. “We weren’t sent here to help these people. These people found us. Our paths crossed. That’s all. Now, it’s up to us to decide whether or not we’re going to help them. We don’t have to.”
“But you want to… and so do I.”
“Then it’s agreed.”
A smile came to my face as I said, “I just thought of something. The next time business gets a little slow, we can always take a cruise to earn money. We’ve already picked up two jobs, and we haven’t even gotten to the Bermuda Triangle. Can you imagine what that’s going to be like? We might be able to add more jobs to our list!”
“You have silly thoughts.”
“Oh, you don’t think that could happen?”
“I don’t think weird things are going to happen when we pass through the Triangle. No, I don’t.”
“You wait and see. I bet all kinds of events are going to happen... strange things. I feel it.”
“Is this one of your intuitions, or is your enthusiasm getting the best of you?”
“What time is it?”
Billy looked at his watch lying on the table and replied, “It’s six-twenty. Why?”
“See, we’ve been on board for less than ten hours and look what’s been developing so far.”
“I see your point.”
Kody, our server, returned with our drinks and a plate of appetizers and asked if we needed anything else.
“We’re fine,” Billy said. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry it took so long,” Kody added. “We had a bit of commotion on deck.”
“What happened?” I queried him, anxious to hear any piece of gossip not related to death or killers.
“One of the passengers was running on deck,” he replied. “Running on deck is strictly prohibited unless it’s an emergency. There’re signs everywhere. It’s a matter of passenger safety.”
Billy and I glanced at each other.
“Was it a man, by any chance?” I asked.
“As a matter-of-fact, yes, it was.”
Billy stood up, reached over, picked up the photo, and then held it up for Kody to see. “Imagine a moustache and dark hair,” Billy suggested. “Could this be him?”
Kody took the photo, stared at it for a few seconds and then said, “I believe it could be. Why do you ask? Has he been bothering you folks?”
“No, not us,” Billy replied. “However, he has been following one of the passengers.”
“Should I report this to the captain?”
“No, he’s being informed as we speak.” Billy stepped closer to Kody and continued, “Kody, would you like to make twenty dollars?”
“Sure,” Kody said, beaming. “If I can, I’d be glad to. What do you want me to do?”
“I can’t give you this picture, because it’s the only one I have. Take a good look at it, and if you should see this man again, I want you to contact me. We’re in room 610. Call us, or try to find us somehow, and let us know where he is.”
Kody looked at the photo again and said, “His face is burned in my brain. I’ll keep a lookout for him, and if I see him, I’ll let you know immediately.” He handed the picture back to Billy.
“One other thing, Kody,” I added. “You can’t tell anyone about this, okay? Discretion is very important. He might just have an interest in our friend, but she’s not interested. You know what I mean? We sure don’t want to make a scene.”
“I understand, Mrs. Blackhawk,” he replied as he smiled.
“How do you know my name?”
“There’s a rumor going around that there are two private detectives—and one is an Indian—who were hired to protect the owner, Loukas Constance.” He looked up at Billy. “Crew members talk.”
“It seems that way,” I said looking at Billy and then back to Kody.
Billy reached into his wallet, pulled out a twenty, folded it, and then handed it to Kody. “There’s another fifty in it if you can lead us to the guy. And remember, keep this to yourself.”
Kody took the cash and stuffed it into his pocket. “I’ll keep my eyes open and my mouth shut,” he said. “I’ll be back to see if you need more drinks in a little while.” He smiled and then walked away.
“I hope that was a wise move,” I said.
“Crew members talk,” Billy said, sitting back down. “Word will get out about our guy, and someone will find him. Let’s just hope this isn’t a witch hunt for a man who’s innocent.”
“Our guy?” I laughed. “Since when did he become our guy?”
“When I told Teresa we’d help her.”
“I have to go along with her,” I said as I nibbled on an appetizer that looked like a stuffed seashell. “Women don’t forget the face of a stalker, no matter how much he changes his appearance… unless he’s really, really good at putting on make-up and dying his hair.”
“It could’ve been
a wig.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “Men look ridiculous in wigs. They don’t wear them, do they?”
“It could be a good wig.”
“I doubt it.”
Billy and I took a last dip in the pool, and then we headed back to our room. It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to a hot shower with my husband before dressing for dinner. We had just rounded the hall when Maggie and Teresa Anderson met up with us. They were hurried, and both seemed to be in a tizzy.
“We had a talk with the captain,” Maggie said. “He said he’d look into it.”
“Yeah, sure,” Teresa added.
They were very unhappy about their conversation with Captain O’Riley, so I tried to calm them down by saying, “If he said he’d check it out, he will. He’s always looking out for his passengers. He’s a good captain.”
“I know he’s a busy man,” Maggie went on to say. “But this is serious. I tried to tell him how dangerous this man is, but he brushed me off.”
“Why don’t we take this to our stateroom?” Billy commanded, more than asked. “We can talk in private. How about it, ladies?”
The three of us glanced at each other, and then silently followed Billy to our room. He stuck the card in the slot, opened the door, and said, “After you.” He waited for us to enter, walked in after us, and then closed the door.
The drinks I consumed earlier today were wearing off, and I felt like you do when that happens. I was tired and on the verge of being cranky. I wanted to shower, dress, and have a good meal. I didn’t want to listen to two hysterical women, but I did, and with a smile on my face. They say smiling makes you feel better. I hope so.
“Have a seat, ladies,” Billy said, motioning to the two chairs across the room. “Tell me about your talk with Captain O’Riley.”
The ladies went on to explain how they approached the captain and told him all about Peter. Dawson. “The captain took the picture and checked the passenger manifest,” Maggie said. “Captain O’Riley said there was no one by that name on board, but he would keep a lookout.”
“I asked him if there was anyone who was on this cruise alone,” Teresa added. “He said there was one passenger, a male, taking this cruise by himself.”
“But he wouldn’t tell us which room he’s staying in,” Maggie said, jumping in. “He said he would check out the guy, see if he looks like the one in the photo, and get back with us.”
“I tried to tell him that Peter works with a community stage theater,” Teresa said. “Peter knows all about stage make-up and costumes. He can change his looks, and you can’t even tell it’s the same guy.”
Maggie started to say something, but Billy cut her off. “I want you and your daughter to go about your business as if nothing is wrong, but stay together. I’ll personally check out this single passenger, and I’ll let you know the minute I find out anything.”
I was standing beside Billy, listening to the conversation, both of us still dressed in our swimming attire. I felt uncomfortable in my bikini, but I was so glad I had on a shirt. When I looked Billy over, I lost interest in how I might have looked. He was wearing his swimming shorts, an open-chest, short-sleeved print shirt, and a pair of deck shoes—without socks—and he looked so good. I was proud of my man. Not only was he handsome, but he looked great sparsely clothed. For a second, I caught Teresa checking him out, too. I ignored her because I know Billy, and went back to listening to him give them further instructions on what to do next.
“You both need to stop acting like you’re terrified,” he said. “You’re on a cruise. You’re supposed to be having fun. You need to act like it. I’ve alerted a crew member to be on the lookout, and I’m sure he’s already told a few of the others, so you have plenty of folks looking out for you.” Billy politely ushered Maggie and Teresa out, assuring them we were on the case. Money was never discussed. When he closed the door, I stripped out of my clothes, leaving them on the floor, and headed to the bathroom.
“Are you coming, Heap Big Warrior?”
Billy tore his clothes off and hustled to follow. We showered together, spent the next twenty minutes making love, and then showered again. It was naughty… and nice… and I felt wicked. We both did. I can’t help myself. I’m amazed at how physically attracted I am to Billy. I can tell you one thing for sure—age doesn’t matter when you’re in love. Not only are we in love, but we’re soul mates. We share almost everything, and we like doing the same stuff. Of course, our family comes first, and then snooping is next on the list. And we’re good at it. Together, we’re almost unstoppable. When you add Billy’s bounty hunter brother, Jonathan, to our team, we are unbeatable. Too bad he wasn’t here. What am I saying? This trip is for Billy and me. Jonathan’s not invited.
We listened to the computer while we dressed in our recently purchased formal attire, and laughed at the antics of three married couples getting ready to go to a dinner that none of them wanted to attend.
Billy had blacked out the screen. Neither one of us liked the idea of watching people while they were changing clothes. That was personal, not something that should be viewed by anyone other than the person or persons in the room. We drew the line there.
“You look beautiful, `ge ya,” Billy whispered, kissing me on the neck. “I’ll be the proudest guy at the ball tonight.”
“It’s not a ball, silly. It’s just dinner.”
“A dinner that requires a nine-hundred dollar dress and a tux that costs almost as much.”
I held out my wrist to show off my diamond bracelet and said, “Yeah, but don’t you feel magnificent?” I smiled.
“Yes, I do,” he said, smiling back.
“Then it was worth it.”
Billy leaned down, pulled me up into his arms, and kissed me passionately. My heart skipped a beat. When he let go of me, I just stood there mesmerized for a second.
“Now, that’s what this cruise is about!” I said. “Love, sex, and fun. What else do you need?”
“We need to get moving if we don’t want to be late.”
I kissed his cheek and then walked over to the bed to get my purse. That’s when I noticed the bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of water. I turned to Billy as he was putting stuff in his pockets and said, “We forgot about our champagne, and now the ice is melted.”
Billy glanced over at the table and said, “We’ll get more ice later. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of champagne floating around during dinner.”
“We’ll save this bottle for later,” I remarked. “I’m sure it’ll be fine sitting right where it is.”
Billy looked up at me and said, “I’m ready. How about you, pretty lady?”
“You know the right thing to say at just the right time.”
“It’s easy around you.” Billy kissed me again, and the minute our lips touched, in the background through the computer speakers, we heard a man’s voice rising almost to a yell. We turned our attention back to the computer, and listened to a woman cry.
“Somebody’s getting violent,” I said. “He just slapped his wife.”
Billy turned, walked back over to the computer, and hit a key. The screen came up, instantly displaying the split-screen showing the three rooms. I stood beside him and watched the monitor. Two of the couples were changing clothes. Billy hit a key and blacked out their rooms again, allowing us to concentrate on the room where the two people were arguing. The woman was holding her hand to her face as if she’d been slapped. The woman was Nell and her violent husband, Utah Hawks.
“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again!” Nell yelled.
“And just what are you going to do?” Utah asked in a sneering way. “Go cry to your mommy, or better yet, your old man?”
Their arguing continued, but the intensity slacked up. It was obvious that Nell was trying to smooth things over. She walked up to him and spoke softly, so softly that Billy and I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“Let’s go,” I said. “They’re
making up. He slapped her, and now she’s begging for his forgiveness. We know how that’s going to end. It’s always the same old thing. The abused tries to find a reason to let the abuser off the hook. I want to slap them both.”
“You sound as if you speak from experience. You never told me anything about some guy slapping you around. I’ll kill him! Who is he?” Billy joked.
“You know I’m not talking about myself.”
“I know. It was one of your friends. Her husband beat her, you told her to leave him, and then he got killed in a car wreck. Now, the friend isn’t your friend anymore, because … I don’t remember. May we go now?” Billy hit a key and the screen went black.
“I’m ready,” I said, looking back at the computer. “Maybe she wasn’t whispering sweet nothings in his ear, maybe she was threatening him. Loukas is her father.”
“Jesse…”
“If Loukas found out that Utah beat up on his daughter, he’d have a conniption fit.”
“Stop, right there,” Billy calmly said as he put his hands on my shoulders. “Your wild imagination is at it again.”
I took a deep breath and then replied, “You’re probably right. My mind can get a little hyper. Sometimes I imagine all sorts of things. I’ll bet that’s why I’m such a great private investigator.” I grabbed my purse, walked over to the door, and when Billy opened it, we were greeted by the three sisters from Georgia. Bertie had her hand raised as if she was just getting ready to knock.
“Hello, ladies,” Billy said with a smile. “We were just getting ready to leave for dinner. Is there something we can do for you?”
Not again. Lord, please don’t let these women be seated at our table, I prayed to myself. I think I might go off the deep end, if they do.
“We won’t keep you, I promise,” Bertie said. “But we have some information that can’t wait.”
“You’ll want to hear what we have to say,” Dorothy chimed in.