Strange Tidings

by Ivy Dawson

  “I heard my family is onboard,” Samuel said grandly. “I’ve come to see them. Where are they?”

  “The Van Houghtings have been notified,” Mark said slowly, “but we can’t promise that they’ll show up. In the meantime, we should probably talk about getting you back to the mainland. We won’t turn back, but we’ll be stopping at a port tomorrow. You can get off there.”

  “My good man,” Samuel said, blinking indignantly. “I won’t be going anywhere. I’m here to meet with my family. It’s been twenty years since I last saw them.”

  “You can’t prove that you’re Samuel,” Mark said coldly, “and I’m sure the family wouldn’t want to spend time with an imposter.”

  “An imposter?” Samuel sputtered. “I’ll show you a thing or two.”

  The man thrust his hand into the pocket of his ragged shorts and produced a passport. He shoved it into Mark’s hand and primly stuck his nose up in the air. Mark glared at Samuel and opened the passport. He frowned and looked at the picture before looking back at the man.

  “Impossible,” Mark scoffed, but his expression was doubtful.

  Shae held out her hand for the passport, but Mark glared at her and handed the passport to the captain. Before she could roll her eyes at him, a shrill woman’s voice could be heard over the gossiping crowd surrounding them.

  “Why have we been summoned?” a short old woman in a prim skirt and long-sleeved button-up shirt pushed her way to the front of the crowd. “This is no way to treat a guest!”

  She stopped short when she saw the old man on the deck and stared at him, looking perplexed. Another old woman followed her, as well as a young man.

  “Is that…” the other old woman with a short red bob asked in wonder. She put her hand to her mouth as she stared at the man.

  “Is that who?” the old woman in the skirt asked in annoyance. “My goodness, Madeline. Could you stop being theatrical for just one second?”

  “Gran, why do we have to be here?” the young man asked. He was a beautiful man. Not handsome. Beautiful. He had fine features and was artistically thin. He looked like something out of a painting, or a sculpted angel come to life.

  He looked at everything with contempt, his eyes looking over everything lazily, stopping for a second at Alexa before continuing. He looked like he’d seen everything and now the world bored him.

  “My son,” Samuel said in a thick voice. He cleared his throat before walking toward the young man, his arms outstretched for a hug. Before the young man could react, he was enfolded in a giant hug.

  “Get off!” he said angrily, struggling against the wet and stinking older man.

  “I say,” the old woman in the skirt said indignantly, smacking Samuel’s back. “Get off my grandson! Victor, push him off!”

  “I’m trying!” Victor grumbled, pushing at Samuel who was undeterred.

  “Don’t you recognize him, Penny?” Madeline said, her voice awed. “Don’t you see who it is?”

  “Who is it?” Penny asked in annoyance, looking around at everyone.

  Ivan stepped forward and pulled Samuel off of Victor. Samuel gave Ivan a wounded look, but the burly security officer wasn’t affected. He just held Samuel up, his feet dangling slightly in the air. Victor straightened his shirt in annoyance, not taking the time to thank Ivan. He straightened his hair and glared at Samuel.

  “This man claims to be,” Mark started, but he cleared his throat uncomfortably and shook his head. He couldn’t say the words. They were too ridiculous. The whole thing seemed like it belonged on a movie or in a novel, and Shae shook her head incredulously. It felt surreal.

  The crowd around them was murmuring to themselves, watching the events unfold with interest. Shae wished they would leave. It was a private matter. At the same time, she didn’t want to give up her front-row seat.

  “Don’t you recognize your son, Penny?” Madeline asked in a scandalized tone.

  Penny did a double-take and looked at Samuel, her mouth hanging open slightly. Samuel seemed nervous and tried to get Ivan to let go. Penny went pale as she studied him, recognition lighting up her eyes.

  “Impossible…” she mumbled as Victor stared at Samuel, his cheeks getting red.

  “I think you need some privacy,” Captain Tim decided, his own cheeks slightly red. He didn’t handle emotions well. He started shepherding the family through the crowd.

  Shae watched them go, noting their different reactions. Samuel only seemed to have eyes for Victor who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, while Penny just stared at her supposed son, her eyes glassy. Madeline prattled on excitedly, clapping her hands in excitement.

  “That was weird,” Alexa said to Shae. “I wonder if he really is Samuel Van Houghting?”

  “Who knows?” Shae said with a shrug. “I guess we’ll have to start looking into it.”

  “No,” Mark turned on them viciously. “No. Absolutely not. You’re staying away from this. We don’t need you meddling in the poor family’s affairs.”

  “Surely they want to know who that man is,” Shae protested in annoyance. “You can’t tell me that you’re not curious too.”

  “I’ll do everything that needs to be done,” Mark said sternly. “That’s my job. You only get involved when someone dies. No one is dead, so you go take pictures. It’s what we pay you for.”

  “Estelle said that someone died,” Alexa protested, and Shae shook her head in despair. That wasn’t the right direction for them to take.

  “Who?” Mark asked, frowning at her.

  “Estelle, a guest,” Alexa said firmly. Shae tried to stop her friend from speaking, but Alexa was determined. “She said that someone was murdered and that we need to look into it.”

  “Who is this woman?” Mark asked, raising his eyebrows in concern.

  “Crazy woman,” Ivan said in his thick accent, twirling his finger near his temple to indicate the extent of her craziness.

  “Oh,” Mark said, smirking at them as Shae blushed, “by all means, investigate Estelle’s murder.”

  Before they could say anything, he turned on his heel and walked away, his walk smug and victorious.

  “Alexa,” Shae said with a sigh. “Let’s just go.”

  A few hours later, Shae was working her shift at one of the ship’s fanciest restaurants. A man had proposed to his girlfriend and commissioned her to take pictures of the momentous occasion. As she took a picture of the ring with a stone that seemed bigger than her eye, she felt her phone buzz.

  She snapped one last picture, and satisfied that she’d covered the memory from every angle, she took her phone out. It was a simple message, but one that moved her to immediate action.

  Things were never dull on the Princess Araminta, and when strange things happened, death usually followed. She wondered when Mark would learn that lesson. It would certainly save him from having to call her back every time he was wrong.

  As she walked, she couldn’t help but think back to Estelle’s cryptic warning. There was death. She just couldn’t see what Estelle meant.

  Chapter 3

  “How does this keep happening?” Captain Tim asked in annoyance. “Do murderers see our ads and think, ‘let’s go murdering on that ship.’ What is wrong with the world?”

  Mark nodded along sympathetically as Captain Tim ranted, pacing back and forth while he gestured wildly with his hands. They were standing out in the hall while the medical crew and some of the security people examined the scene.

  Shae walked up to them with a grim expression. While she hated being bored, she hated murder scenes. It was a terrible waste of life, and she couldn’t rest until the very least had been done for the victim. To her, the very least was solving the crime and providing the family with justice. She hoped that it brought them closer and helped them move on.

  She knew from experience the nagging ache of not knowing what happened. She also knew that knowing the truth didn’t bring closure. Nothing could. It did help, however, to know
what happened to the loved one.

  Although Shae didn’t know who their victim was yet, she had a rough idea. Mark and Captain Tim were standing outside one of the ship’s most expensive cabins, while Samuel, the old man from the sea, and Penny stood to one side, murmuring worriedly to one another.

  Shae approached her superiors with a pit of dread forming in her stomach. Captain Tim rarely got worked up about anything.

  “I’m here,” she said, not knowing what else to say to them. Her words sounded strange to her ears, and she winced at her statement. Why couldn’t she have said something smarter?

  Mark seemed to have the same thought because he rolled his eyes at her. Thankfully, he said nothing. It was always a relief when Mark chose not to speak.

  “This is a nightmare,” Penny said suddenly, making her way over to them and taking a moment to glare at each of them.

  Penny was the type of woman who smelled like expensive perfume and always looked like she stepped out of a magazine. Although she was obviously advanced in age, her skin looked youthful and there were fewer wrinkles on her face than there should’ve been.

  It was clear that in her youth, Penny Van Houghting would’ve been an uncommonly beautiful woman. She looked severe now, tapping her foot impatiently.

  “Who would kill Madeline?” Penny asked, her voice betraying just how distraught she was feeling.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Shae asked sympathetically. “That way we can look into what happened here.”

  “I came down to call her to eat, but she wouldn’t answer,” Penny said, crossing her arms and looking hesitantly at the room. She shivered despite the warm weather and looked at Shae with wide eyes. “When I went in, I found her there.”

  Shae frowned in concern and stepped into the cabin. Madeline was lying in the middle of the room, and it was clear that someone had shot her. Sha glanced away and turned to look at the room. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again.

  The blinds were drawn open, Madeline probably wanted to air out the room. Shae noticed that the woman had unpacked all her belongings and put her bags away neatly. It looked like she was settling in for a long stay.

  The room was bright and sunny. It seemed like the wrong sort of atmosphere for a crime scene. The room smelled fresh. There were at least three different vases filled with flowers that made the air smell sweet. A fresh breeze swept through the room, lifting the sheer curtains playfully.

  “What happened here?” Shae asked the resident doctor.

  Dr. Zooberg blinked up at her through his thick-rimmed glasses. His wild gray hair was standing up in all directions, and he looked like the cartoon version of a mad scientist. He even had the white lab coat to complete the look.

  “This lady was shot,” Dr. Zooberg said in his thick South-African accent. “It must’ve happened just before we got here. I can’t tell you what type of bullet or gun was used. This isn’t a television special.”

  Shae frowned to herself but nodded at the doctor. It was best not to speak to him for too long. He would ramble on about anything if given half a chance.

  She took note of where the body was lying. Madeline was facing the door. Shae stood next to the body and faced the door. She took a few steps forward, accounting for any movement that Madeline had made as she went down.

  Madeline must’ve known her attacker, Shae realized. The woman’s arms weren’t splayed out. The shooting had taken her by surprise. The woman must’ve opened the door, Shae stepped in front of the door and pretended to open it. Then closed it behind someone.

  Shae turned and looked at the room. There was a mini fridge on the left side of the cabin. Maybe Madeline offered the murderer something to drink? She turned as if to speak to the imaginary attacker, then stopped as she faced the door. Shae looked down at her feet and noticed blood splatter on the carpet.

  The beautiful carpet was a light color that fit in with the room’s exotic theme. The cabin was supposed to mirror the exotic scenery behind them. The bed represented the islands with white bedding and green accents. The furniture was all light wood, and the carpet looked almost like beach sand.

  This meant that any dark colors stood out, including Madeline’s red blood that indicated where she’d been shot. It must’ve been quick, Shae thought to herself. The walls in the cabins weren’t thick. Someone would’ve reported hearing a woman scream. It also meant that the murderer used a silencer.

  Shae stepped out of the room, feeling sorry for Madeline. She’d have to come back later to search the room more thoroughly.

  “My mother and I were catching up,” Samuel explained to Mark and Captain Tim. “Then my mother got hungry, and so we decided to go to lunch. She said she needed Madeline’s support.”

  “Madeline was my companion,” Penny said tiredly. “She went everywhere with me. She was a very good friend to me ever since we were children.”

  “She also seemed convinced that you really are Samuel Van Houghting,” Mark said thoughtfully. “If anything, she was probably your biggest champion.”

  “That’s right,” Penny nodded seriously. “It’s the only reason I’m taking all of this so seriously. Madeline knew Samuel. She was there the day he was born, and the day he…” Penny caught herself and looked up at Samuel searchingly. She didn’t continue.

  “Come,” Samuel said gently. “We can’t stand here like this. It’s not right.”

  Penny nodded and let herself be escorted away. She looked over his shoulder to look at the room one more time before shaking her head and looking away.

  “What do you think?” Captain Tim asked thoughtfully, scratching his beard.

  “It’s too soon to tell,” Shae admitted, “but maybe someone didn’t want her to support Samuel’s claim.”

  “That’s possible,” Captain Tim sighed. “If he really is Samuel Van Houghting, then that means he gets all the money and the businesses. A few people would be cut out of the deal.”

  “That would be enough to get someone to go on a murder spree,” Mark commented, closing Madeline’s door so that guests would be able to walk past without caching a glimpse of the crime scene.

  “My only question with all of this is why kill Madeline? Why not kill Samuel?” Shae asked slowly. Mark nodded as she spoke, crossing his arms and tapping his right finger against his left bicep.

  “I’m going to leave this in your capable hands,” Captain Tim said seriously, looking at the both of them, “and please, try not to kill each other.”

  Before either of them could protest, Captain Tim patted Shae’s back and walked ff. He whistled as he went, putting as much space between him and the crime scene as possible, both physically and mentally. A part of Shae wished she could switch off and walk away.

  Just as he was out of sight, they heard the sound of a scream coming from the opposite hall. They looked at each other in surprise, and Mark took off running first. It didn’t take long for them to come across Penny and Samuel.

  Penny was pushed up against the wall, looking pale and terrified, while Samuel stood shielding his mother, his eyes wide and angry.

  “What happened?” Shae asked breathlessly.

  They were standing in front of the door that led outside onto the deck. People were milling past the glass door, some stopped curiously to see what was happening.

  “Someone tried to shoot us!” Samuel said angrily, the tip of his nose turning red.

  “I saw him,” Penny said, clutching at Samuel’s arm with a shaky hand. “He pointed a gun at us. He ran when I screamed.”

  “Did you see who it was?” Mark asked, looking around warily. The shooter didn’t run back down the hall. Otherwise Shae and Mark would’ve seen him. He must’ve gone outside. Mark pushed through the door and looked out onto the deck. He didn’t see anything strange. He cursed to himself and went back in.

  “No,” Samuel said, shaking his head. “He was wearing something around his face. It must’ve been a scarf.”

  “I guess that answers yo
ur question,” Mark told Shae offhandedly. He turned back to the mother and son with a concerned expression. “Allow us to escort you back to your cabin. We’ll call security and tell them to watch over you until we find whoever is doing this.”

  “Why would anyone be targeting us?” Penny asked in a wobbly tone. The poor woman was trying to stop herself from crying.

  “We’ll find out,” Shae said reassuringly. “We’re going to do our best to find out who’s targeting your family.”

  “We need to go to Victor,” Penny said, gasping slightly. “We need to tell him what’s going on. He could be a target too.”

  “My poor son,” Samuel said with a frown. “This is too much.”

  “He’s a strong boy,” Penny said coldly, giving Samuel a dirty look. “Unlike his father.” Samuel gave her a mournful look, but she ignored him.

  It didn’t take long to find Victor. He and one of his friends were in his cabin, right next to Penny’s cabin. He looked up when they walked in and immediately went to his grandmother when he saw that something was wrong.

  “What happened?” he asked, turning his back on Samuel.

  “Someone is targeting us,” Penny told him seriously, filling him in about what happened earlier. Victor looked horrified, his gaze flickering to Samuel accusingly.

  “Oh, no, grandma,” the other man in the room said worriedly, walking and sitting next to Penny to take hold of her other hand. He raised her hand and kissed it tenderly.

  “This is Victor’s friend, Remy,” Penny explained, smiling fondly at him. “He and Victor are like brothers.”

  The door opened and two other people walked in. A gorgeous woman was laughing merrily, leaning flirtatiously toward a smug-looking man.

  “Where were you two?” Victor asked in annoyance. “We’ve been waiting.”

  “Sorry,” the woman said seriously, noticing the somber attitude in the room. “We got lost.”

  “Whatever,” Victor scoffed, looking at the two of them suspiciously.