by Judith Gould
Mikelos Christopolous nodded idly. “I’ve already called down for him,” he said. His gaze was focused on the quilts that spilled out over the floor in the living room and entrance hall. Bending down on a knee, he took a pair of thin latex gloves from a pocket and put them on.
“What is it?” Captain Papadapolis asked.
“Look at this,” Christopolous said, indicating the Hondos Center shopping bag. The package that it held was partially exposed, and even though he was wearing the gloves, Mikelos gingerly slipped the parcel out into full view, then carefully pulled back the common butcher paper that hid its contents.
“What is it?” Captain Papadapolis asked, kneeling beside him.
Mikelos held the butcher paper aside with a pen. “Semtex,” he said, directing his gaze at the captain. “Plastic explosives.”
“Explosives?” the captain said, eyeing the package suspiciously.
“Enough to blow a gigantic hole in the ship and sink her,” Mikelos said.
“Jesus,” Captain Papadapolis said, his voice almost a whisper.
“What the hell would Makelos Vilos be doing with Semtex?” Christopolous asked.
“I don’t know,” the captain said, rising to his feet, “but we’re going to find out.”
Christopolous stood up, snapping off the latex gloves at the same time. He couldn’t take his eyes off the small package that lay among the quilts. “I sure don’t have a good feeling about this,” he said. “Makelos Vilos has a lot of explaining to do.”
In a small room in Security, Mark, the captain, and Mikelos Christopolous sat around a metal table. Christopolous had placed a tiny but very powerful tape recorder on the table, and it was picking up every word they said.
“What were these explosives doing in the trunk, Mark?” Christopolous asked.
“I don’t have any idea,” Mark replied with an astonished expression.
The captain had noted what he thought was genuine surprise when they’d told Mark that they had found the Semtex, but he couldn’t be certain. Mark might be a very good actor.
“Come on,” Christopolous said. “You had the trunk brought aboard, but you didn’t know what was in it? You expect us to believe that?”
“I did not know what was in that trunk,” Mark said, emphatically shaking his head. “Do you think I’m crazy? I would never have knowingly brought anything like that aboard the Sea Nymph.”
“Then how do you explain it?” Christopolous asked, shifting in his chair.
“The trunk belongs to my father,” Mark said. “I brought it aboard for him.”
Christopolous stared at him intently. “For your father? That makes no sense.”
“He said it was family stuff he wanted taken to the apartment in Miami,” Mark replied. “That’s all I knew.”
“And you didn’t even look inside it?” Christopolous asked incredulously. “You didn’t have any idea what was in it?”
“No,” Mark persisted. “I didn’t even open it until today. Crissy had asked about it, and I took a look for myself. Only I didn’t see any explosives.” He glared at Christopolous, and his voice rose angrily. “All I saw was a bunch of old quilts. Probably something that my father’s old yaya made a hundred years ago.”
The captain sighed in exasperation. He didn’t know if Mark was telling the truth or not, but he knew that something very fishy was going on. Clearing his voice, he looked at Christopolous. “I’m going to make a phone call,” he said, scooting back from the table. “You can continue questioning him, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Christopolous nodded.
In one of Security’s offices, Captain Papadapolis sat down at a desk and removed his cell phone from its holder on his belt. He flipped it open and dialed Georgios Vilos’ telephone number, hoping that he would be able to reach him.
The telephone was picked up on the fourth ring. “Nea?”
“Mr. Vilos, this is Captain Demetrios Papadapolis.”
“Hello, Captain,” Georgios Vilos replied in a friendly manner that belied the suspicions he felt the moment he realized who was calling. It was highly unusual for Demetrios Papadapolis to be phoning him during a trip. “How are you?”
“We have a problem, Mr. Vilos,” the captain said, “or I wouldn’t be calling you.”
Vilos chortled amicably. “What seems to be the matter, Captain?”
“We’ve found a package of Semtex, a plastic explosive, on the ship, Mr. Vilos,” he said.
“You what?” Vilos cried. Sweat began to bead his forehead.
“Yes, sir,” the captain said. “It was in your son’s stateroom.”
“No!” Vilos practically shouted. “That’s impossible.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the captain said, “but that’s a fact. It was in a trunk he says that you gave him for safekeeping. He said he was taking the trunk to Miami for you.”
Georgios Vilos’ hand shook on the cell phone. He was trying to think of what to say, but his mind was racing in a dozen different directions at once. Finally, he cleared his voice and said, “Captain Papadapolis, what my son says is true. I asked him to take the trunk to Miami, but I can assure you that there were no explosives in it when I gave it to him. Someone must have tampered with it.”
“Of course, sir. Sitara, our forensics man is still in the stateroom,” the captain said. “If it’s been tampered with, he ought to be able to tell us.”
“I’m sure that’s the case,” Georgios Vilos said. He paused, then continued.
“How did you discover this, Captain?”
“That’s the other problem, sir.”
“What? Explosives on my ship is not enough of a problem?”
“A young lady, a passenger,” the captain said, “claims that Mark tried to rape her.”
“What are you saying, Captain?” Georgios Vilos roared.
The man was nearly apoplectic as Demetrios Papadapolis suspected he would be. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, but it looks like she’s telling the truth. Mark invited her to his stateroom for lunch, then attacked her. The trunk was knocked over during the attack. Mark claims that he’s innocent, but—”
“This is . . . this is . . . outrageous!” Georgios Vilos said angrily. “Lock him up in the brig overnight! Maybe he’ll come to his senses.”
“We’re still taking statements, sir,” the captain went on, trying to ease the shock for Georgios Vilos, “and I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Georgios Vilos said. “And the explosives?”
“Mikelos Christopolous is taking care of the Semtex. He’s an expert on such matters, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Georgios Vilos heaved a sigh. “Thank God you found them, Captain,” he said.
“I only regret that it happened the way it did,” Captain Papadapolis said.
“Yes, well . . .” Georgios Vilos momentarily seemed to be lost in thought. “Do whatever you have to do, Captain.”
“Yes, sir.” The cell phone went dead in his hand. Georgios Vilos had hung up.
When all the statements had been taken, Mark was put in the ship’s brig. Anasthasia, stating what she had heard before she entered the cabin and seen after, was the deciding factor as far as the captain was concerned. Crissy’s statement was convincing, but he couldn’t rely on her word alone. He knew that he had to give Makelos Vilos every benefit of doubt, but there was no debate in the matter after Anasthasia made her statement. He felt that he had no choice but to put Mark in the brig. Besides which, Georgios Vilos had told him to do so.
Whether he was guilty of anything else was an unanswered question. Christopolous repeatedly asked Mark if had been placing calls to Crissy, but Mark flatly denied it. When asked if he’d slashed her underwear, Mark denied that, too. Watching the questioning, it was hard for the captain or anyone else to decide whether or not he was lying. He still appeared to be completely convinced that he hadn’t tried to rape Crissy, and repeatedly stated that she had begged him for sex, haunting h
im the entire trip.
Luca wanted Crissy to come to the hospital after he had washed her wound with antiseptic and she had given her statement, but she refused. “Luca, I’m okay,” she insisted. “The tranquilizer you gave me is already working, and besides, you’ve got your hands full. I would just be in the way.”
“You would never be in the way,” he said. “You can spread out on one of the beds where I can keep watch over you.”
“Luca,” she said, “I can spread out in my cabin. Anasthasia said she would take me up and stay awhile.”
“Then why don’t you come down later and have dinner with me and Voula?” he said. “We’ll eat off trays there, and you can join us. I know it’s not much fun, but—”
“I’d love to do that,” she replied.
He hugged her to him as if he never wanted to let her go. “I’ll miss you,” he whispered.
“I’ll miss you, too,” she said.
He reluctantly released her. “See you tonight.” He turned and left the Security office.
Anasthasia, who had been waiting discreetly in an adjoining room, came into the office. “You ready to go upstairs, sweetheart?”
Crissy nodded. “I’m ready, but you really don’t have to do this, Anasthasia,” she said.
“Oh, yes, I do,” the tall, big-boned woman replied. “I’m going to see that you get back to your cabin safely at least. Come on.”
She led Crissy upstairs to her cabin. “Got this all to yourself?” Anasthasia asked.
“I do now,” Crissy replied, “but it didn’t start out that way. A friend came with me, but we had a spat. She moved in with someone else.”
“Jeez,” Anasthasia said. “This hasn’t exactly been a dream trip for you, has it, honey?” She crossed to the desk area and turned the ringer on the telephone off. No need for anybody to bother her now, she thought.
“Yes and no,” Crissy said, taking things out of her shoulder bag and putting them away.
“I bet I know what the yes part is,” Anasthasia said with a laugh. “Couldn’t help noticing you and Luca making nice-nice.”
Crissy smiled. “That’s definitely a dream part,” she replied. “Do you want something to drink, Anasthasia? Luca said I shouldn’t with the tranquilizer, but there’s plenty in the minibar if you’d like something.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m still on duty, but what the hell? My duty is to watch over you right now. If you’ll kindly spread out on the bed and look like you’re resting, then I’ll sit down here and have a little drink and watch you.”
They both laughed. Anasthasia, rather fearsome-looking amazon that she was, also had a sharp sense of humor, Crissy thought.
Crissy stretched out on the bed, propped up on pillows, and watched as Anasthasia went through the minbar, looking for what she wanted. “Aha,” she said at last. “Just what I was looking for.” She rose to her feet with a bottle of Mythos beer, a popular Greek brand. She popped the top and took a long swig. “Ahhh, that tastes good.” She looked at Crissy. “Sure you don’t want something?”
“No,” Crissy said. “I’m fine.”
“How’s your lip feel,” Anasthasia asked.
“Sore, that’s all,” Crissy said. “It could’ve been a lot worse. My nose feels sore, too, but Luca said it’ll probably be okay tomorrow.”
“You’re lucky,” Anasthasia said, “because if you hadn’t alerted Security the way you did, he might have gotten away with this. Bastard. I hope they lock him up and throw away the key.”
“Have you had things like this happen before?” Crissy asked.
“You bet,” Anasthasia replied, “but of course I’m not supposed to talk about it. The cruise line likes to pretend that every cruise is paradise on earth, you know.”
“How did you get into this work?” Crissy asked out of curiosity.
“It’s a long story,” she said, “but I did time in the Israeli army, then came back home to Greece. Looked around for work, then ended up doing this because I had a couple of friends who were doing it. Sort of an accident, but I like it. And I’m good at it. They need women to handle some things, you know. Like today. Some of the men tiptoe around situations like this. Sometimes they also band together against the victim, especially a female victim. That little shit Vilos might have convinced Christopolous and the others that you really had been after him. But he couldn’t deny what one of his own heard and saw. That’s me.” She pointed at her chest. “Now we’ve got the bastard by the short and curlies.”
“Thank God,” Crissy said. “I still wonder about the telephone calls he said he didn’t make. They know that the last one came from a public telephone, so they don’t know who made it. Christopolous said they’ll put a videocam there and try to catch whoever it is on film.” Crissy sighed. “So we don’t know anything more than we did, except for one thing.”
“What’s that?” Anasthasia asked.
“That Mark Vilos is a rapist, or a potential one.”
Anasthasia looked pleased. “The fucker. And maybe we can keep him and his sick dick off the streets for awhile at least.” She sipped her beer.
Crissy could feel her body relaxing and her mind slow down. The tranquilizer had started to work earlier, but now she felt that it was overpowering her, rendering her thinking processes slow, her body limp. “Wow,” she said. “I don’t know what Luca gave me, but it must have been strong.”
“You just go with it,” Anasthasia said. “This has been a shock to your system, and you need rest.”
“But what about you?” Crissy said.
“Sweetheart, pretend I’m not here,” Anasthasia said. “Just drift off. I’m going to rest my feet awhile, so don’t you worry. I’ll be here.”
After all she’d done for her, Crissy felt that she should stay awake and entertain Anasthasia, but sleep overwhelmed her. She fell into a deep and peaceful slumber before she could say another word.
The big woman slipped off her sneakers and socks, wiggled her toes, and massaged her feet, then propped them up on the bed next to Crissy’s. She was wearing a pager in case anyone wanted her, in addition to the cell phone she carried at all times, but she doubted that Christopolous would try to get hold of her unless it was to check up on Crissy. The young woman was a material witness in an attempted rape case now, and she was the doctor’s girlfriend. Not only that, Anasthasia thought, but she had a case against Mark Vilos. Whoa! She didn’t even want to think about the implications of that. She knew her job was on the line because she had given a statement that sent the shipowner’s son to the brig. Georgios Vilos was going to know about it, if he didn’t already. Well, she thought, I didn’t have a choice, did I? Not if I wanted to see justice served.
With somebody like Mark Vilos, it would be a miracle if he ever spent a day behind bars after leaving the ship’s brig. Money coming out his ears and a very powerful family added up to the kind of “justice” that often meant a slap on the wrist, at best.
Crissy slept for a long time, and after she got up, she insisted that Anasthasia leave. “I’m going down to the hospital to have a late dinner with Luca,” she said, “so I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” Anasthasia said. “Just remember that if you need anything—anything at all—give us a call.”
Later, when Crissy reached the hospital, Voula took her to the back office, where the three of them had dinner together. Voula’s behavior toward Crissy had radically changed when she discovered that Luca was serious about her and that Crissy wasn’t simply another passenger chasing after him. They didn’t discuss the earlier events, but laughed at Voula’s stream of jokes and excellent mimicry. It was a wonderful respite from her worries, and Crissy left feeling buoyed up by their company.
“I’ll see you in the disco,” Luca said, showing her to the door. “It shouldn’t be long.”
“I’ll be there,” she told him. “Bye.”
“Bye.” His lips formed a kiss, and Crissy returned it, then stepped out into the corrido
r. She went up to her cabin, freshened her hair and makeup, and decided to change into a cocktail dress.
When she finally reached the disco, she knew Luca wouldn’t be there yet, but she looked toward the back of the room where the captain and his party usually sat. The captain and several other officers were there, but Luca hadn’t yet arrived. Her gaze shifted to the dance floor, where she saw Rudy and Mina dancing. They were as elegant as ever, Rudy sweeping Mina about as if she were a weightless feather. Then she caught sight of Jenny and Dr. Von Meckling. Jenny was clasped firmly against him, her head on his shoulder, and they were moving very slowly together to their own time, which had little to do with the music.
She walked to the back of the large room to sit at a table along the curving banquette under the windows. She turned to the window behind her. Rain was lashing against it, but nothing beyond that was visible. Turning back around, she was surprised to see a man looming over her in the darkness. It was Luca, and he was staring down at her, smiling.
“Oh, you scared me!” she said with a nervous laugh.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wanted to surprise you.” He leaned down and kissed her, then sat down on the banquette next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulders, hugging her to him. “I should’ve realized that you might be . . . jumpy.”
“No,” Crissy said. “I’m not really. I’m just thrilled to see you.”
He kissed her again. “I find it very difficult to keep my hands off you,” he said.
“Would you like to go someplace where we can be alone?” Crissy asked.
“Let’s dance first,” he said. He led her to the dance floor, took her into his arms, and they danced slowly, so absorbed in each other that they didn’t notice the eyes that were observing them with interest. When the dance was over, they remained on the floor for another, then another, in their own world, enjoying being together to the extent that the rest of the world hardly existed. They returned to their table at last and sat down.
“When you’re ready to leave, let me know,” he said.