by Diane Rapp
“Phillip and I will stow the painting and join you girls in half an hour.” Steven glanced at Kayla and she frowned. “Sorry, Luv. It’s unavoidable,” he whispered.
“I know. Make sure you don’t take long. If I spend too much time alone with her, I may not be responsible for my actions.”
Kayla and Cynthia sat across a cocktail table in the piano bar. “I hear you work in Phillip’s store,” Kayla said.
Cynthia nodded. “It’s been a real job trying to turn a junk shop into a respectable antiques store, but we’re making a go of it.” She sipped her champagne and set the glass on the table. “I read about your adventures in the Caribbean and on that last cruise. You and Steven live an exciting life now that he quit Interpol.”
Kayla shrugged and stared into Cynthia’s green eyes. “We love each other very much.”
“I’m sure you’re in love with him. If our life had been more exciting, I might still be his wife. I understand what attracts you to the man.”
“Do you?” Kayla sighed and leaned closer. “Did you come on this cruise to win him back before our wedding?”
Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. “If I wanted Steven, he’d drop you in no time. I know exactly how to please Steven, since I had years to hone my skill.”
Kayla leaned back into her chair. “So you don’t want him?”
“I’m not saying just now. It’s much more fun to keep you both guessing.” She ran long red fingernails through her platinum hair. “Better smile. He’s approaching, and you don’t want to look like a shrew.”
Kayla’s emotions seethed as she clenched her teeth. What kind of game is she playing? I know something’s up.
Steven slid into the seat next to Kayla and whispered, “You look ready to kill. I’d hate to arrest you for murder.”
Kayla brushed his cheek with quivering lips and said, “Never leave me alone with that woman again!”
Steven rolled his eyes and clinked his glass against hers. “I’ll stay at your side, Luv.”
*****
Jeffrey Miller buttoned a white jacket sporting a CCL logo on the pocket and adjusted his black wig before leaving the waiter’s cabin. He slipped a $100 bill into the real waiter’s hand and rolled the cart into the hallway. As passengers hurried to dinner, they maneuvered past a dark-haired waiter who pushed a catering cart down the corridor. Careful to keep his gaze averted, no one seemed to notice him.
Miller stopped before a cabin door and knocked. He said, “Room service,” and waited until the corridor emptied to open the door with a keycard. Inside the cabin, Jeffrey picked up the painting, turned two swivel latches on the back of the frame, and popped the canvas out. Heart hammering in his chest, he wiped sweat from his forehead and wished he could rid himself of the uncomfortable wig.
He dropped the empty frame onto the bed and gazed at Glacier Blue. The masterpiece never failed to captivate his artistic sense, and he took precious moments to admire the bold brush strokes. He’d never seen the whole work without its frame, and he examined the clean bright paint hidden under the frame. Chiding himself for an unnecessary delay, he slid the canvas onto the bottom shelf of the catering cart.
Reaching for the door handle, he remembered the key card. “Get a grip, Miller,” he whispered and opened the drawer of the makeup table to drop the card inside. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he adjusted the wig which had slipped to an awkward angle. He pulled the curtain closed around the bottom of the cart, opened the cabin door, and checked the hall. He felt like running down the empty hallway but forced himself to maintain a steady pace. Finally, he reached the service elevator and maneuvered the cart inside. Breathing easier, he rode the elevator to the lowest level and disappeared into the baggage storeroom.
A few minutes later, Jeffrey Miller stepped out of the baggage storeroom. He buttoned his tan blazer and ran trembling fingers through sweat-stained sandy hair as he scanned the corridor. Before closing the door, he checked the piece of tape still stretched across the lock receptacle in the door frame. Satisfied, he shut the room and climbed the metal staircase. When he safely reached a passenger level, he stepped outside onto the deck and entered a number into the cell phone.
“It’s done,” he said and listened for a moment. “Don’t give me that bullshit! I took all the risks and need my money tonight. I crossed some very dangerous characters, and you don’t want them coming after you. Okay, we’ll meet at 2:00 a.m., so don’t be late. There are plenty of eager buyers on this ship and my contacts won’t hesitate to take the merchandise if you screw with me.” As he listened to the reply, his lips curled into a sly grin. “Thought you might see it my way.”
He disconnected and dialed another number. “The transfer is set for tonight. In a few days we’ll fly to Paris with half a million dollars in our pockets.” He fell silent as a nearby door opened. “Can’t talk now. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, sugar.” He turned his back as an elderly couple strolled past him down the deck.
*****
The peaceful atmosphere of the dining room was shattered as Phillip Portsmouth pushed his way to Steven and Kayla’s table.
“Steven, you’ve got to help me!” Phillip implored. Silverware clattered against china as passengers nearby stared. “Excuse me,” Steven said to his parents as he stood and took Phillip’s arm. “Easy, man. Don’t alarm all the guests. Come outside and tell me what happened.”
“You guys finish without us,” Kayla said to her parents and followed the men into the hallway.
“I’ve been robbed. Cynthia and I returned to our cabin to dress for dinner and found an empty picture frame on the bed. My painting’s been stolen, I tell you! I borrowed money against the store to buy that picture, and I simply must have it back.”
Steven flipped open his phone and pressed a speed dial number. “Jason we’ve got a problem. The glacier painting has been stolen—no not the original, the copy. Okay, I’ll meet you at his cabin.”
Cynthia sat on the sofa watching Steven and Jason examine the room. “I don’t understand why the thief left an empty picture frame. Why not take it too?” Steven turned the frame over and fingered the latch on the back. “I’ve never seen this type of latch used on a picture frame.” Jason bent over him to take a look.
“You’re right. Paintings are usually nailed into the frame but this arrangement made it easy to slip that canvas out.”
Phillip asked, “You think someone planned to steal this all along?”
“Could be but how would anyone know you’d keep the painting in your cabin?” Jason asked. “Did you tell anyone about your intention?”
“It was a last minute idea. Cynthia and I planned to drink a toast whilst looking at the painting. It’s so beautiful.” He rubbed his chin and lifted his gaze. “People in the auction room might have heard us tell you and followed us to the cabin.”
Steven said, “We’ll speak with the other passengers in this wing, see if anyone noticed something unusual.”
“I’m ever so grateful. You think you can find the painting before we fly home?” Phillip gestured at the empty frame. “Can you lift fingerprints and identify the culprit?”
“We’ll do our best to find your property,” Jason promised. Steven and Jason left the cabin and found Kayla waiting in the hallway. “We never considered the theft of one of the fakes. Our security was focused on protecting the originals.”
Steven nodded. “I’m curious about those latches on the back of the frame. We need to examine the other frames.”
“You and Kayla go examine the paintings. I’ll start knocking on doors in this corridor,” Jason offered.
*****
Steven and Kayla opened the door to the art vault just as Emily arrived. Her eyes were wide and her fingers clenched a dinner napkin. “Calm down, Emily. We’ve got one of the fakes missing, and we’re going to check on the originals.”
“Why can’t we enjoy a nice calm cruise without a crime spree? Why did I agree to host this auction?” Emily mutte
red and Kayla wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Steven stepped into the vault and slid out the original glacier painting. Identical latches had been mounted on the back of the picture frame. He looked at several other paintings and found similar latches installed on the frames of two more. “I think we’d better call our insurance people,” Steven said to Emily. “Let’s talk with the Genuine Fakes people about these twist latches on the frames.”
“Twist latches?” Emily asked.
“Apparently the frames of a few special paintings had easy release latches installed. One twist and the painting could be popped out of the frame in a minute.”
“I’ll call the insurance appraiser,” Emily said. “Are any other paintings at risk?”
“It’s possible but I’m not sure they’d risk it now. We’ll keep watch at each auction. Post a guard at the door and keep the electronics activated. Jason and I will start a systematic search for the missing canvas on the ship.”
Kayla examined the frame of the glacier painting. A smudge of blue paint was visible on the inside edge. “Do you think they stole the real painting?”
“Could be. The twist latches make it easy to switch canvasses. Let’s not take alarm until we know more. Where’s Tally?”
“She was scheduled to perform her act tonight. She’ll be miffed that she missed the excitement,” Kayla said.
“It’s early days yet. I’m betting there will be more excitement before this cruise is finished. Be a good girl and stay with Emily. I’m going to track down someone from Genuine Fakes,” Steven said.
*****
Millicent Chambers arrived at the art vault a few minutes later, Steven at her side. Dressed in slacks and bright T-shirt with her dark hair loose around her shoulders, she looked more like an artist. Squeezing past Emily, she entered the art vault and examined the frames with a frown.
“We never install latches like these on the frames. It’s standard to pound splines in the crack between the stretcher board and the wooden frame to hold the canvas in place. We don’t use tape until we know the frame will be sold with the art, but latches are unprofessional.” Millicent pulled several more pieces out of their slots and pointed. “You see? These pieces are mounted in the usual manner. Whoever installed the latches did so recently and without permission.”
Jason asked, “When could they install the hardware?”
Millicent bit her lower lip as she thought over the problem. “I didn’t look carefully at the back of the paintings after the show in Seattle. I doubt the appraiser would have missed the problem before the art was loaded onto the ship.” Frowning, she fingered the edge of the frame and seemed to make a decision. “The only person I saw coming out of the vault between shows was Jeffrey Miller. He’s new to the group, so I thought he was nervous about the paintings. I never thought he’d do anything…”
“Do you know how Miller got hired?” Jason asked.
Millicent’s face turned crimson. “I’m afraid that I recommended Jeffrey to the company. We struck up a friendship a few months ago…at any rate I told him to apply. He’s a very talented artist, having a dry spell in sales.”
Steven added, “If he’s part of a theft ring, I’m sure he made sure you heard about his work.”
Her eyes widened and her lips tightened in anger. “You can bet he won’t work for us again!”
“I doubt he’d stick around. There’d be too much suspicion after this theft.” Steven locked the door to the art vault and held out his hand. “Thank you for your help. We’ll keep your company advised about our progress.”
Her small hand was dwarfed by his long fingers as she shook. “Jeffrey inspected my pictures while I worked, and I felt flattered by his attention. You can be sure I won’t make that mistake again.”
*****
Emily, Jason, and Steven sat in Emily’s office at midnight comparing notes. “Genuine Fakes didn’t know about the twist latches on their frames, so we’ve got a theft ring operating. They probably put latches on several frames to make them look alike.” Steven passed out copies of a list of search areas for the others to review. “Without a warrant we can legally search public areas but can’t open luggage without the owners’ permission.”
Jason agreed, “It would take a search warrant to examine passengers’ cabins for the missing painting. To get a warrant we must secure evidence that points toward a likely suspect.”
Emily groaned. “This is going to be difficult! We already have a right to X-ray bags for security purposes but usually when passengers come aboard the ship. I don’t know of any regulations that prohibit us X-raying bags leaving the ship.”
“That means we could keep the painting onboard the ship.” Jason rubbed his chin as he read through Steven’s list. “We’ll eliminate obvious spots to hide a canvas and keep our eyes open during security checks.”
“The canvas could have been stripped from its stretcher bars and rolled up,” Steven suggested. “We should carefully look into any tubes. Be sure to check golf bags or tripod carriers.”
Emily said, “The insurance appraiser is scheduled to meet us in Ketchikan tomorrow.”
“Since the theft occurred in Canadian waters, would their police have jurisdiction to conduct a search?” Steven asked. “Do Canadians have broader authority to search passengers’ luggage?”
“Authorities at Ketchikan will investigate, but I hope they defer to our security team,” Emily said. “The cruise line can’t afford bad publicity.”
Jason suggested, “Since the painting can’t leave the ship tonight, let’s conduct our search of public areas after passengers go ashore in the morning. It might help keep the activities inconspicuous.”
“Good suggestion,” Steven said. “I’ll schedule examination of the baggage storage area for ten in the morning. That will give the golfers time to fetch their bags out of the hold.”
Emily shook her head. “There are no golf courses in this port, so they won’t be taking their bags ashore.”
Steven smiled. “Then we might discretely take a look without their knowing. I don’t believe golf bags are locked.”
Chapter 9
Souvenirs from Ketchikan
Steven and Kayla found a crowd waiting at their breakfast table. Julia and Patricia sat together reading a brochure for the tour to Totem Bight Park while Jonathan and Clint talked about salmon fishing. Steven squeezed Kayla’s hand and said, “Sorry, Dad. I’ve got to stay onboard today. We’ve had a security problem that I’m obligated to solve.”
Jonathan nodded. “I heard all about it, lad. Didn’t expect to see you holding a fishing pole today. Do you need us to stay behind and help?”
“No. We’ve got the schedule sorted and don’t especially want to call attention to unusual activities. Go along and catch a big salmon. The charter captain can arrange for your catch to be tinned for taking home.”
Kayla sat next to her mother. “I’ll be going with you. Steven and Jason don’t want girls on their team today.”
“Too right,” Jason said. Natalia pinched his arm and he grimaced. “We’re going to be disguised as maintenance workers, and you two wouldn’t pass unnoticed.”
Jeremy Green and George Nesbitt arrived at the table, carrying plates piled high with eggs, bacon, and English muffins. “Emily sent a request for us to join the staff today,” Jeremy said. “When do we get to work?”
Kayla scowled at Steven and he shrugged. “They do look more like workmen than you, Luv.” He turned to Jeremy. “We’ll meet in the Sea Breeze Lounge in an hour. It’s empty at this time of day, and we plan to pass out schedules.”
Julia checked her watch. “We need to be outside by eight for the tour. Tally, are you joining us?”
Natalia nodded. “I love to explore, and a girls’ day out sounds delightful. Do we get to shop on Creek Street?”
Patricia held up a canvas tote bag. “I intend to fill this up with souvenirs. You think I can find enough gifts for everyone?”
Jonatha
n leaned closer to his wife. “Darling, if you don’t fill it in this port, we’ve got several more places to stop. Do you think your cousin Harold would appreciate a tin of salmon?”
“Since Harold’s a fish monger, that would be a right funny gift,” Steven said.
Patricia bristled and turned to Kayla. “I think Harold would rather receive something made by a native. Perhaps a miniature totem pole might do.”
*****
The ship was docked against a concrete pier, lined up with several other ships. Across the highway along the docks, the pine-covered mountains rose in a steep incline, broken sporadically by narrow clapboard houses. An engine buzzed as a floatplane skimmed across the water on the water side of the ship to land and taxi to a nearby dock. Another plane motored out into the water and revved its engines for takeoff.
The line of passengers leaving the boat moved slowly as security examined large bags. One of the golfers complained, “Do they think we’re a danger to the locals? Most ships scan bags that are coming onboard not going ashore.”
A security guard ran a long canvas tote through the X-ray machine and stared at the screen. The bag contained two fishing poles but no painting. “Here you go, sir. I hear the salmon are plentiful, so you should have good luck today.”
Kayla and her party cleared security quickly and meandered down the metal staircase to the dock. Tour busses waited in the small parking area as passengers lined up to board. Julia and Patricia stood for pictures next to a person dressed in a bear costume. Smiling, Kayla and Natalia took their own pictures.
“Look at that scenery!” Patricia exclaimed. “I almost expect a real bear to saunter out of the woods and greet the ship.”
Kayla cringed at the thought. “Let’s hope no one sees a bear near the ships. Real bears can become a nuisance.”