Steam Me Up, Rawley

by Angela Quarles

  She slipped her slight hand in his, and warmth shot up his arm, which he ignored.

  “But what about your sister?”

  “She’ll get her operation. I’ll find a way.” It would hurt to let Adele go, but it was for the best. She didn’t want him, or anyone, to curtail her passions, her course in life. And could he blame her? He’d been ready to do the same for his own selfish reasons.

  “Did you tell my father the extent of your sister’s troubles?”

  “I did.”

  She stared off, her mouth tight. They sat for several minutes in silence until they were interrupted by a boisterous foursome entering the room.

  One of the ladies glanced their way. “Why are you not swimming? We’ve been every day, and it is simply divine.”

  “It truly is,” said one of the gentlemen. “If you have the nerve for it, you can dive over there and look out the glass.”

  “The glass extends beneath the water?” Rawley asked.

  “Indeed it does. Feels like you’re swimming alongside the fish,” the other lady said.

  Adele looked with dismay at their attire. “But I didn’t pack a bathing costume.”

  “Neither had we, but they sell ready-made ones in the gift shop.”

  Adele glanced around. “There’s a gift shop?”

  “Back out in the hall, it’s the second door on the right.”

  Rawley looked at her. “Do you wish to go for a swim?”

  “Oh, yes. The novelty alone is worth it.”

  He held out an arm. “Then let’s get some bathing costumes.”

  Purchases made, Adele changed in one of the changing rooms across the hall from the gift shop, each adjoined to a Turkish bath. Rawley was to meet her by the pool.

  She pushed open the door into the pool area and stopped short at Rawley standing on the steps into the water, at his attire. Sure, she’d seen men in their swimming outfits before, but they’d been related to her. This was Rawley, and she took a moment and admired his shapely calves, exposed by the loose swim shorts, which stopped above his knees. Oh, and his corded forearms. She’d come to terms with the fact she had an overwhelming attraction for the man, but that it could never progress further, given his expectations upon marriage and all that had transpired between them.

  Like hers, his outfit was a royal blue with a white-striped edging and The Neptune stitched by the collar. But unlike her wrist-length top, his sleeves ended at the elbow.

  He stepped into the water. “Intriguing. It’s warmer than I thought it would be. But pleasant. It must have its own heat source.”

  She stepped in beside Rawley. “You’re right. This feels great.”

  She pushed out with a slight kick and swam in easy strokes to the glass wall. The motion didn’t jar her bruised ankle. In fact, the water felt soothing. She took a couple of deep breaths and eased below the surface, eyes open. Fish darted alongside the wall. Marvelous! She darted along the edge too, trying to mimic their movements.

  She went up for air. “Rawley, you should come look at this.”

  He nodded and swam over. She grabbed his hand, took a deep breath, and when she saw him do the same, she dove under water and swam alongside the picture window. She looked at Rawley, whose eyes were huge as he stared out the window. She gave his hand a tug and rose back to the surface for air.

  “Truly amazing,” he said between breaths. He slicked his hair back, and she admired what it did to the muscles on his arm. She couldn’t wait until she stopped noticing things like that.

  “Again?” she asked.

  He nodded, and they dove again, hand in hand, swimming back and forth alongside the glass. They saw another manatee. Some jellyfish.

  “Whew,” she said when they returned for air after several more jaunts underwater. “This is more tiring than I supposed.”

  They swam for the steps and walked up to the ledge. They stood there dripping, still holding hands. Rawley dropped hers and fumbled for towels, handing her one.

  “I agree,” he said, not meeting her eye.

  She sighed. It had felt so natural to swim alongside him, holding his hand. At least he didn’t seem to be as dour-faced as before.

  “This would be a perfect place to practice inflating your, ah, your pantaloons.”

  Adele looked around—they were alone now. “Good idea.” She retrieved said item from the changing room, and they spent the next hour perfecting her technique until it was time to change for luncheon.

  She walked with him to the door into the hallway. The water exercise had done wonders for her ankle. She barely felt the sprain now.

  He held the door open for her, and they soon emerged from the hallway into the promenade’s open space. Adele stopped in her tracks and gasped. She yanked on his arm. “Look to the right,” she whispered. “But slowly—argh, you spooked him. Come on. This way.”

  “I refuse to move unless you tell me what you’re about.”

  “He’s getting away!”

  “Who’s getting away?”

  She pulled her arm from his and stalked forward. “The killer,” she growled over her shoulder.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A Game Of “Where’s The Killer,” Anyone?

  “Hell’s teeth, woman!” Rawley exclaimed behind her. She felt his firm grip on her arm, holding her back.

  She pulled, but was unable to dislodge him. “Let go.”

  “Think for a minute, instead of leaping willy-nilly in your usual manner.”

  That stung, but he had a point. She crossed her arms. Well, as best as she could with him gripping one of them.

  “How do you know it’s the killer?” he asked, his voice calm.

  “Remember? I saw him that morning before the first murder. He was chasing poor Jenny. I didn’t see him full on, just his profile. I didn’t think I had enough to go on, but that’s him, I’m sure of it.”

  “How can you be certain?”

  “He caught my notice, because he seemed rather interested in watching us. His eyes were close together, like Jenny said. When you spooked him, I saw his profile. It’s the same man I saw running after her. It’s him.” She tugged on her arm.

  “Hold on.” His grip tightened. “If you’re correct, you’re about to follow a known killer, with no plan, no weapons. Let’s stop and think this through.”

  Damn it all. He was right. “Let’s return to my cabin, then.”

  Once back in the safety of their cabin, Adele turned the locking mechanism to be safe. “I don’t like that we didn’t follow him. He could be anywhere by now.”

  “Yes, except that ‘anywhere’ is still on this ship.”

  She crossed to the picture window. “What about when we dock in Tampa in a few hours?”

  “That is a risk. But he’s obviously here for a reason, and until he accomplishes it, or finds it impossible to, he’ll remain, I think. His aim couldn’t have been solely to watch you, and my glancing his way could not be the agent that destroys his plans.”

  “Maybe.”

  Rawley joined her and stared into the Gulf’s murky depths. “He may not know we’re aware of his description. Maybe we left before the police started asking around. Our notice of him could have been simply surprise someone was watching us, no more.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  “We should alert the captain at the very least. And he could station marines at the exits when we dock in Tampa. Which reminds me, I forgot to inform him of the loose tile.” He strolled to the wall panel and thumbed the service call buzzer.

  She rubbed her arms. “So he’s figured out it was me who had the plans.”

  He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, lips set in a straight line. “I would agree. There’s a chance his regard of you was pure coincidence, but I don’t want to take that chance.”

  “Why would he think I’d bring them with me?”

  He pushed away with a roll of his shoulder. “He’s probably thinking everyone would hold them as precious as he. N
ever would he leave without them, ergo you wouldn’t.”

  A sharp knock sounded on their door. Rawley answered it and waved inside one of the blue armband people. “My good fellow, we have urgent news we need to share with the captain.”

  “Sure, I can put you in contact with him now.” He moved to the wall that held the buzzer. He sprang a hidden catch in the wall, and a portion of the wood panel slid away and revealed a speaker box and a number pad. He punched in a few numbers and held a blue button near the speaker. “Captain? This is Reynolds. Miss de la Pointe and er...” He looked to Rawley.

  “Dr. Rawley.”

  “...Dr. Rawley wish to speak with you. Something urgent.”

  “Certainly. Go ahead,” came the captain’s voice through the box, though it had a mechanical timbre.

  Rawley looked with confusion at the panel and at Adele. “No, it’s not something we should discuss in this manner. May we speak with you in private at your earliest convenience?”

  “If you feel it necessary. Reynolds, escort them to my cabin.”

  Reynolds closed the panel and clicked it back into place.

  “That’s amazing,” Adele said. “So each room has the ability to talk to the captain?”

  “Actually, each room can talk to any other, if you know the proper code. We haven’t yet figured out the protocols for it, however, so we didn’t provide instructions on this voyage. But we hope to in the future.”

  “I can see where that would be handy,” she replied. Adele held out her hand. “Wait. We can’t go like this.”

  “Why not?” Rawley asked.

  “What if the...” She glanced at Reynolds. “...that man sees us? Heading to the captain’s quarters so soon after we spotted him will put him on the alert.”

  “What do you suggest we do? Go in disguise?”

  “Not a bad idea, but...” Her gaze settled on her recorder and camera. “We should carry my equipment. Make it look like we’re going to do an interview. If he’s been watching me, he knows of my role on this ship and will think I’m going there to interview the captain in private. Which I haven’t done, actually.”

  “Let’s focus on one thing at a time.” Rawley stepped across the room and grabbed one of the cases. He handed this to Reynolds and grabbed her camera bag. “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  As they walked across the bridge connecting them to the other half of the ship, Phillip clasped the handle of Adele’s case firmer in his grip.

  The killer was on board. Who was most likely after Adele.

  Rational thinking almost abandoned him, but he gripped his control tightly and forced himself to think. Surely a passenger manifest existed. But how could that help?

  Their arrival at the captain’s quarters interrupted his thoughts. Reynolds gave a perfunctory knock and opened the door for them.

  “Come inside, come inside,” came the voice of the gregarious captain. “Welcome.”

  They filed through the door and set down the equipment. The captain stepped forward and shook their hands. “You wish to interview me?” he asked, turning to Adele.

  “No. Well, yes, eventually. But we brought these along to keep up the ruse, give our visit an explanation,” Adele finished, motioning to her equipment.

  “This sounds interesting.” He nodded at Reynolds. “Thank you for escorting them. I’ll buzz if I need anyone.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  When the door shut behind him, the captain motioned to his sitting area, arranged, like theirs, in front of his picture window. “Now, what is this all about?”

  They took their seats. Phillip looked to Adele; it was her story to tell.

  She leaned forward. “Captain, I don’t know how best to say this, but I believe we have a killer on board.”

  The captain bolted from his chair. “What?”

  “You heard, of course, of the so-called Jack the Ripper murders that recently plagued our city?”

  “Of course.” He eyed her and eased himself back into his chair.

  Adele filled him in, starting from the beginning of her investigation. It was good to hear it recited again, in the sequence it happened. It helped firmly settle his mind in a rational thought pattern. Although he couldn’t help but admire how calmly she told the tale—no histrionics, just the facts plainly stated. His mother would have utilized the opportunity to have all attention and sympathy zeroed in on her and would have played it up to great effect. And his father would have exacerbated the situation by completely ignoring her, walling himself off even more, which in turn further fueled his mother’s craving for attention.

  When Adele finished, the captain sat back, face grave. Having a killer on board the maiden voyage of a luxury submarine cruise was certainly not what he’d pictured. Moreover, he had to be thinking of his position. Phillip had read about and witnessed the huge strides this region of the country had made in integrating the races, but the good captain surely felt an extra weight of responsibility.

  The captain rubbed his face with both hands and blew a harsh breath. “What you tell me is serious indeed. Do you think the other passengers are in danger?”

  “No.” Adele shook her head. “Only myself, I believe. The other murders were all about getting those plans, you see. He believes I have them on my person.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “No, I turned them into the police.”

  He leaned back and clasped his hands in his lap. “How do you wish to proceed? I see several courses of action. We could assign a marine guard detail to escort you everywhere while you are on board—”

  “That would alert him we are aware of his presence.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” the captain asked.

  Adele looked into the Gulf through the picture window. She blew a breath. “I’m not sure. I feel like we need to somehow flush him out.”

  “Are you mad?” Phillip’s newfound calm shattered.

  She eyed him, her face a study in detachment. “I do not believe I am, sir.”

  He leaned forward. “The mad often don’t.”

  She lifted her chin and turned her attention back to the captain. “What other options do you have in mind?”

  “Would the passenger manifest aid you in any way?”

  She appeared to think on this a moment. “No. He’s probably using a false name. I...”

  “What is it?” Phillip asked. “Whatever you’re thinking, say it.”

  “Remember the Spanish name I found on those plans? But it’s only supposition. I hate to name him.”

  “What was the name?” the captain asked.

  “Don Diego Albardo-Castenada. And Jenny said her attacker went by the nickname Guerrero.”

  “Meaning ‘warrior’ in Spanish.” The captain scratched his cheek. “I will check the manifest, just in case. We could also have the Welcome Committee Corps systematically call on each cabin and report back any who fit your description.”

  “Is that the blue armband people?” Phillip asked.

  “Yes,” the captain replied. “They could divide up the rooms and mark which ones had no answer, so they could return later.”

  “They’d need a reason for the call,” Adele chimed in.

  “That would be easy enough. We could say we’re inquiring whether they’re enjoying their stay and if we could do anything for them.”

  She tapped her lip. “I suppose that would work.”

  “You would need to be clear with your staff that they must not engage this man if they should find him,” Phillip added.

  “Believe me, I will. In fact, no one outside this room should be told of this. I will inform my staff we’re looking for this man, but I won’t give them a reason. They won’t question it. I trust my staff.”

  “That sounds like it will work,” Adele said. “What shall we do in the meantime?”

  Phillip shifted in his chair. “I think we should proceed as usual. You still have passenger interviews to do. I shall not leave your side, of course.” />
  “What about Tampa?”

  “What about it?”

  “Should we get off and sightsee like we’d planned?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s an unfamiliar city. We don’t know anyone and can’t control the variables. I say we remain on board.”

  The captain stood. “But the killer might not remain. I will post a guard when we dock. We shouldn’t lose any time. I’ll inform my staff of the search. They should find most in their cabins in the hour before our docking, since they’ll be wanting to prepare for their day trip.”

  “My great-aunt.” Adele stood. “She will surely disembark, and she may be in danger too.”

  “Should we inform her of the situation?”

  “I don’t want to unduly alarm her, but I also don’t want her wandering without protection.”

  The captain raised a hand. “I can assist with that. I will have a marine guard detailed to follow her and her party and keep them safe.”

  Adele’s relief was clear. Phillip stood and held out an arm for her. “We appreciate your assistance, Captain. We will take our leave so you can make the arrangements. Will you keep us informed of any developments?”

  “Yes, I’ll be sure to do so. And thank you for bringing this to my attention.” They shook hands. “Believe me, the last thing I want is for anything to go wrong on this voyage.”

  “Captain, I almost forgot,” Adele said. “The other night, I stepped through a loose plating outside my door and sustained a mild sprain, but I thought you should know so it could be fixed and no one else is hurt.”

  The captain frowned. “But that’s impossible.”

  “I assure you, it happened.”

  “No, no, dear, didn’t mean to doubt your word. It’s just not something that could happen on its own. We inspected the ship top to bottom before we took on our first passengers.”

  Phillip stiffened. “So it’s been tampered with?”

  The captain nodded, face set in grim lines. “In light of what you told me, I won’t rule that out. I’ll have a repairman look to it straightaway.”

  A man paced outside Adele’s cabin carrying a box of tools when they arrived. He held up a hand. “Captain said there was a loose plate here somewhere?”