by Ann Mullen
“Talking to yourself, my dear?” Bella asked.
Startled, I looked up and saw Bella standing close. “It helps me to get a grip,” I answered. “What are you doing out here alone? Where are Loukas and your bodyguards?”
“Loukas is still in bed, and I ditched the bodyguard. Who needs a bodyguard to walk the hallway? Now, if I were to go outside, I’d have to take Jacob and Allison with me to keep me from blowing away. The weather is getting bad out there. Besides, I don’t need much sleep. After four hours, I’m wide-awake.”
“I noticed.”
“We had a late night last night.
“I heard.”
“Is that so?”
“Billy and I work as a team. The only secrets we have are the ones we forget to tell each other. What’s the real reason you’re out here snooping around?”
“To tell the truth, I was on my way to see you. The captain said that you and Billy had breakfast with Savannah and McCoy. I was just wondering what was going on now that those two have hooked up.”
“What two?”
“Billy and McCoy.” She leaned in closer to me and said, “They’ve formed a bond, you know. But you don’t have to be jealous.”
“I’m not.”
“Liar.” She smiled. “You’re not the best at hiding your feelings when it comes to Billy.”
“I might be a little bit envious of someone trying to share my spot.”
“Don’t look at it like that, honey. Just think of it as having an extra set of eyes with a gun.” She held up her tiny, box-like purse, and shook it. “It never hurts to have backup.”
“I don’t believe this!” I shook my head. “Does everyone on this ship have a gun? I thought that was a no-no.”
“That rule only applies to the bad guys.” She grinned, and then continued. “Is Billy asleep?”
“Yes, he couldn’t hold out any longer. He was so tired that he fell asleep while I was kissing him.”
“Imagine that.”
She turned, stood beside me, and placed her hand on my butt as if it was a normal thing to do. The minute she did, I knew she felt the gun I had stashed back there. We smiled at each other.
“I hope Billy was right when he told me you could handle yourself,” she said, removing her hand.
“How did you know I had a gun on me?”
“I told Billy to make sure you were armed at all times. He’s a good man. You’re not carrying a purse, so I assumed you had your gun in your back pocket. I can’t imagine you stuffing it down your pants. Women have a thing about that. No woman wants to have a gun pointed at her private parts. I know I sure don’t.” She waited a second before continuing. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried about him being unarmed. Don’t. I made sure he has plenty of protection.”
“By the way,” I said. “I want to thank you for the lovely clothes you sent to our room, but you know you shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t be silly! I love to do things like that for my friends.”
“I’m glad you consider me a friend. While you’re at it, I could sure use my own limousine.”
“Okay. I’ll see to it.”
“No, don’t! I was just kidding!”
Savannah backed out of her room, closing the door ever so softly, and then looked up. She was surprised to see Bella standing next to me. It clearly showed on her face. “Hello, Bella,” she said. “What a nice surprise! Are you joining our shopping excursion?”
“I guess McCoy is asleep as well,” Bella said not waiting for a response. “No, I’m more into snooping around. What do you say the three of us see what we can get into?”
A smile appeared on the faces of all three of us. The cat was out of the bag! Shopping was out, if it was ever in, and snooping was on the agenda.
“What could it hurt?” I said. “It’s not as if we’re going to break into anyone’s room, are we?” I looked at Bella.
“I’d like to know the answer to that,” Savannah said. “I need to know if I should go get McCoy’s gun.”
“You mean, you didn’t bring it?” Bella asked. “That will never do, my dear. You must be armed. There are killers on board this ship, and until we find out who they are, we need protection.”
“Call your bodyguards,” Savannah said, jokingly. “I lied. I have it right here.” She turned and pointed to her jeans pocket. “It’s small, but it will do the job. It’s a snub-nosed .38.” She wiggled her butt. “I don’t like to carry a purse unless I absolutely have to. They get in the way.”
“Same here,” I agreed. “No purse—but I, too, have a snub-nosed .38. Same pocket.” I wiggled my butt.
Bella got in between us and said, “I’m not wiggling my butt, but I will tell you the advantages of carrying a purse. Have either one of you ever seen the Golden Girls on TV?” She hooked arms with us and started walking.
“My mom used to watch it, why?”
“Imagine me as Sophia. I’m carrying the same kind of purse. People don’t mess with little old ladies carrying a handbag like this. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know.”
“Maybe everyone’s seen that show, and they know what Sophia’s got in her purse,” Savannah added. “I particularly liked the one where she pulls out a gun and waves it around. You’re not going to do that, are you, Bella?”
“Never.” Bella snickered. “Let’s take the elevator,” she said, pushing the button. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
Fun wasn’t exactly what we had next.
Chapter 10
A second later, the elevator door opened, hesitating just long enough for the three of us to enter.
“Yeah, let’s take the elevator,” Savannah said, stepping into it with Bella. “Why not? The sea is so rough, I’d hate for one of us to fall overboard. They would never be able to get to us in time. The ocean is like a blender out there.”
“I don’t want to think about that,” I said, joining them in the elevator. “I’m trying not to notice how the ship has been rocking since early this morning.” I held onto the handrail.
“The captain has issued a warning to the passengers,” Bella said. “He sent crew members around to ask them to stay off the outside walkways as long as the storm is still raging. That’s what Allison said.”
“Do you get seasick?” Savannah asked me.
“I don’t know. This is my first voyage. But the day is young, and if I don’t get seasick and die, or get stuck in this elevator and have a nervous breakdown, I’m with two armed women who might end up shooting me… by mistake, of course.”
“I beg your pardon,” Savannah said. “McCoy taught me how to use a gun. I’m rather good, if I do say so myself.”
“Loukas and I target shoot all the time,” Bella said. “When you’re retired, you have time to do things like that. We went on a big-game hunt once, and once was enough for me. That’s all it took for me to decide that I didn’t want to do that again. I don’t like large animals charging at me.”
“Well, honey,” I said. “You’d better go back to your room then, because a killer is worse than a large animal. They sneak up behind you.”
“We all know that size doesn’t mean a thing. It’s your wit and speed that will save you.”
“I hope you have some,” I said. “I have a feeling we might need it and it’s not even noon, yet.”
“There’s no telling what we might run into,” Savannah added. “Are you sure you’re up to this, Bella?”
“It depends on what you two have in mind.”
Savannah and I stared at each other, and then, finally, Savannah replied, “We haven’t made plans, but when Jesse suggested we go shopping, I knew she had something up her sleeve. Shopping doesn’t seem to be something I’d think she’d find great pleasure in. Am I right, Jesse?”
“Most definitely. Too many people. Crowds grit my nerves. I thought we’d just snoop around a little bit.”
“By the way, Bella,” Savannah inquired. “How’s Nell doing?”
“She’s sleeping it off. I swear, that woman is going to kill herself if she doesn’t stop drinking. But then again, I’d probably drink too if I was married to Utah Hawks.”
The elevator stopped at the captain’s deck. When we stepped out, I said, “I thought the elevator only went as high as the main deck. How did we manage to be allowed entry here?”
“They know we’re coming,” she said as she pointed to the control panel. “There’s a small fish-eye camera in the panel, and I told them to be expecting me.”
“I’ve been thinking this over in the elevator, and it might be wise if you didn’t get involved,” I suggested to Bella. “We’re playing everything off the cuff. We don’t have a real plan.”
“We don’t need one,” Bella said. “I got you this far. Let me do this first, and then whatever ideas the two of you have, we’ll discuss them afterwards. I have a few things I want to check out. And if you’re worried about my being in a dangerous situation, don’t be. I’ve been there before, and I know how to watch my back. Plus, I have you two with me. What could possibly go wrong?”
I should’ve insisted that she go back to her room right then, but I didn’t. No one told Bella Constance what to do… no one!
Bella’s first place of interest was the captain’s deck—the huge room at the very top of the ship where the captain and his men controlled everything—the heart of the Bella Constance. Most passengers aren’t allowed in this area unless they’re being given a special tour, but Mrs. Bella Constance wasn’t just anyone. She, along with her husband, were the owners of this ship. It was named after her, and with that came respect and obedience. She could go anywhere she wanted to, except the passengers’ quarters, and she said she wouldn’t want to. She wouldn’t dare invade their privacy, unless it was a matter of life and death. She didn’t like to pull rank, but she would, and the captain knew it. He was a little hesitant at first, but she won him over with her charming personality. She has a way of getting what she wants, and she wanted to get into the computer room to have a look at tapes from last night.
“What are you talking about?” Savannah whispered as the three of us looked around, waiting for someone to come up to us. “What tapes?”
“All the areas on board, with the exception of staterooms, are monitored by cameras,” Bella replied, softly. “The recordings are stored on file, and we can access them. They’re not actually tapes. That went out when CDs came along. Now, everything is stored on a small card like you have in your digital camera. We can see what people were doing, and where they were at any given time.”
“And you think they’re just going to let us look at them?” I asked.
The crew on the captain’s deck seemed to be too busy doing their jobs to notice us, or they knew Mrs. Constance had the run of the ship. My bet was the latter.
“I know they are,” she said. “I called the captain this morning before I left. I was on my way to your room to see if you wanted to join me. I didn’t realize we’d have the pleasure of Savannah’s company as well. How interesting! This is really going to be fun! I’m so excited!”
A crew member, dressed in a white uniform like the others, walked out of a closed room in the middle of the captain’s deck. He came over to us, and asked, “May I give you and your friends the tour, Mrs. Constance? I’m sorry the captain can’t be here, but I’ll be glad to show you around.” He looked at Savannah and me, and offered, “My name is Larry Snow, and I’m the first mate to the captain. If he’s not available, I’m the one to see. Please allow me to give you the tour.”
“Thank you, First Mate Larry,” Bella said. “This is my friend, Jesse Blackhawk, Private Investigator.” She introduced me with a wave of the hand. “And this is Savannah Kelley, famous author, my other friend.”
We greeted the first mate with a smile and a handshake.
“I’ve been a big fan of yours, Ms. Kelley,” Larry said to Savannah, gushing. “I’ve read all your books. They just keep getting better and better. When’s the next one coming out?”
“Soon,” she replied. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan. Thank you for your kind words of praise.”
I could’ve sworn that First Mate Larry was going to start drooling, but he didn’t. Instead, he held out his hand to Bella and asked, “May I have the honor of escorting you and your friends anywhere you want to go?”
Bella winked at us, and then said to him, “Show my friends the view first, please.”
He talked as he walked, and motioned with his hands as he showed us the 360 degree view through the large glass windows.
“This view is our pride and joy,” he said. “You can see for miles in any direction.”
“It’s spectacular!” I said. Now, it was my time to gush. “What a beautiful view! Ah… is that the big storm I’ve been hearing about off to the right of us? Good Lord! Those black clouds look scary.”
The more I stood there and stared, the queasier I began to feel. The ship swayed and bobbed, and I knew that the storm, although far off on the horizon, looked angry, and was probably headed straight for us. Bolts of lightning flashed in the sky among the dark clouds.
“Are we going through that?” Savannah asked, appearing to be a little uneasy as well. “It looks as if the sky is going to explode.”
“No, ma’am. We’re trying to outrun the storm, but it’s moving rather fast. We might have to change direction, and head out to the north, or even backtrack if we can’t get around it. We’re measuring its movement, and from our prediction, it should fizzle out before it catches up to us. It might get a little rough out here, but there’s nothing to worry about. The crew has everything under control.”
“Whatever it takes,” Bella commanded. “We’ll make it up to the passengers if we have a delay in docking. I spoke with the captain earlier.”
“Yes, he told me.”
“I don’t know why he feels it necessary to tell me these things,” Bella said, making conversation as she walked. “He’s the captain of this ship. He’s the one in charge.”
“I’m sure it’s out of respect for you and your husband,” Larry replied. “This is our navigational system.” He pointed around at the different gadgets and screens.
“It’s hard to imagine…” Her words trailed off as Savannah and I stood together, looking at the horizon.
“Looks pretty scary to me,” I said.
“Me, too.”
Nervous, we both turned and followed our guide. We circled the room, looking down at the decks below, and the few people on them, and watched as the sky continued to grow darker.
“What’s this?” I asked, pointing to a large, windowless room in the center of the captain’s deck. “Is that where the computers are?”
The first mate walked over to the door, slipped a keycard in the slot, and said, “Follow me, ladies.”
The three of us walked into the room behind Larry and looked around. There were countertops along all the walls, and on top of each sat lines of computers hooked up to various screens. Six men, all dressed in the familiar white uniform of the captain’s crew, attended to the computers.
Larry walked over to one of the men, turned to us, and said, “This is Malcolm. He will take care of you. Just tell him what you want.”
“Thank you so much, Larry,” Bella said, graciously.
First Mate Larry smiled, excused himself, and then left the room. The door clicked, and the three of us noticed it immediately.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Malcolm said. “This is a high-security area. The door locks automatically, and you have to have a keycard to access it. The captain’s crew—the men you see dressed in white on this deck—are the only ones who have access to this room.”
“So, only the men we see dressed like you are part of the captain’s crew,” I stated. “What about the others?”
“They’re all part of the captain’s crew, but each dresses according to job assignment.”
“Is that why the guy at the pool was dressed in short
s and a polo shirt?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Malcolm replied. “We do have exceptions, though, but that would bore you. I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss our dress code.”
“No, we didn’t,” Bella said. She leaned over his shoulder. “I want you to pull up a tape from last night.”
“What time last night? I can start from the moment passengers boarded until right now, if you’d like. But here,” he said as he stood up. “Let me introduce you to the rest of our security team first.” He pointed as he spoke. “This is James… Roland… Tex… Jersey… and Derick.”
We shook hands.
“I’m Jesse,” I said.
“I’m Savannah.”
Malcolm and the other men smiled.
“We know who you are, Ms. Kelley. Remember, we’re security. We know everybody.”
“Oh, please call me Savannah.”
Computer chairs were pulled over next to Malcolm’s station for us to sit in, and then the others returned to their work monitoring people.
Being here reminded me of the work Billy and I do. We monitor people, only we do it differently, most of the time.
“I guess you know this, Mrs. Constance,” Malcolm said. “We have yet to discover where the champagne originated from. Members of our crew were instructed to deliver the bottles to certain rooms, but that’s all we have so far. We’ll find out more as soon as we can.”
“I know that,” Bella responded. “That’s not what we’re interested in right now. I have someone working on that. Just show us any incidents of interest.”
Malcolm punched keys on the keyboard, and split screens appeared. The images were small, but once he clicked on one, the video appeared on a larger screen right above the one in front of him. He hit a key, and the video fast-forwarded.
“This is the scene that happened in the bar last night.”
We were surprised to see Billy, McCoy, and Utah sitting at the bar, their bodies moving and twisting as if they were windup toys. We started laughing, until we saw the scene that showed Utah grabbing the rear end of a waitress. That put an end to our laughter.