A Cruise to Murder

by Dawn Brookes

  If he let this woman live, he could pretend it had been his own choice to his friends (not that he had many), but deep down, he would always know that it had been his only failure. He would not be able to live with that, and even more importantly, it made him afraid of how it might affect him when it came to future jobs.

  He had to finish the job, in spite of the risks. It just had to be done.

  He had ignored the numerous calls he’d received yesterday in Gibraltar.

  He will just have to wait. I will tell him when it’s done. Now I have that young woman to contend with as well.

  The tension was building in his temples. A job that had seemed like easy money was becoming the worst job of his life. It was bad enough that all his other hits seemed to be deserving of death, whereas this one was not on that level and challenged what was left of his conscience. Now he would have to tread very carefully so that he wasn’t recognised while finishing this elusive woman off.

  She’s a strong old bird, I’ll give her that. She should have died of fright by now.

  He had watched the stewards move the old lady’s luggage from her room and seen where they had taken it, noticing the guard outside her new room.

  Well, he looks dopey enough, I can deal with him and then push her overboard.

  It was the only way he could see of getting the job done. He knew it would be risky, but he was starting to feel desperate. Anxiety was never a good sign for a hitman. The sooner he got this job done, the better.

  Tonight, he thought as he tucked into a fried breakfast in the buffet.

  Chapter 29

  Rachel availed herself of the opportunity to eat breakfast on the balcony of her new suite. The balcony was at least three times the size of the one in the previous stateroom and faced the sea behind the ship. She could see the foam the Coral Queen left behind and the waves eventually re-forming after being broken by the onward journey. The weather was still hot as the ship had entered the Atlantic and was off the west coast of Spain and Portugal. They would begin crossing the Bay of Biscay this evening and would be in Southampton in two days, docking at five in the morning.

  Rachel’s butler had been attentive, obviously under strict instructions to make sure that she had everything she required. He had introduced himself as Jeeves and for a moment she’d thought he was being serious, but then he explained his name was Mario. He looked and sounded Spanish, but explained that he was actually from El Salvador.

  “I have wife in San Salvador and send money each month for family food,” he explained in broken English.

  “You must miss them,” said Rachel, who had then been shown a number of photographs of his wife and three little boys, all under six. It’s perhaps as well you work away, Rachel thought, but not unkindly. “Is Lady Snellthorpe awake?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I have just taken her tea, she asked how you are.”

  “Would you tell her I will visit soon?”

  Rachel turned away, not wanting to appear rude, but she needed some time to herself. Mario cleared the breakfast tray and left her in peace.

  She was pleased to have free Wi-Fi and had been able to email her boss the previous evening to let him know that she would not be on street patrol on Monday, explaining why. Now she logged into her email account and found a reply.

  “Dear PC Prince,

  That’s the last time you are allowed to go away on holiday! I have made arrangements for you to work alongside the desk sergeant for next week and PC Gabriel will cover your shifts. I have attached your new rota.

  See you Monday at eight o’clock sharp.

  Regards

  Sergeant Smythe.”

  Short and to the point, as ever, she thought as she read through the email. At least he attempted a joke.

  Rachel was not keen on desk duty; she enjoyed being out on the beat, but being a policewoman involved everything from emergency call outs to routine to the downright boring. She was pleased to have the email to her boss out of the way, and now she only had to work out how she was going to get to and from work for the next six weeks until the plaster could come off.

  Her mind came back into the present and she logged off the computer and hobbled to Marjorie’s room. Ravanos was sitting in the corridor and stood to attention when she passed. She smiled at him as she knocked on Marjorie’s door.

  Marjorie welcomed her in with a brisk hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hello, my dear. How are you feeling?”

  “A lot better for a good night’s sleep,” Rachel replied.

  “Would you like a cup of tea? Mario has just brought in a fresh pot.”

  “Yes please.”

  Rachel followed her out on to the balcony and joined her at the table.

  “How do you like your room?” The old lady asked. Rachel smiled.

  “Sheer luxury, I wish I could enjoy it for longer.”

  “I remembered something in the night – well two things, actually. One is about the other night and one is more personal.”

  “Oh?” said Rachel and she waited for Marjorie to continue.

  “The first is that I remembered seeing the man who pushed me’s left wrist. It seemed odd that he wasn’t wearing a watch with a dinner suit. At least, I think it was a dinner suit. I noticed a black jacket cuff.”

  Rachel pondered this information for a moment. “Well, it could be he doesn’t wear a watch, or it could be he was left handed.”

  “Exactly what I thought! I think he was reaching out to push me with his left hand, but when I turned, he used his other hand. It all happened in a split second, but at least it might help narrow the field a little.”

  Marjorie seemed to be enjoying playing detective, and it was nice to see her more like herself again.

  “All we need to do now is find a left-handed man with murder on his mind.” Rachel poured herself another cup of tea. “What about the other thing?” she asked gently.

  “Not long before my husband died, he had mentioned he thought someone was taking money from the business and that he knew who it was. I haven’t thought about it since because I was too busy trying to cope with his death and then I had lots of other matters to attend to. I left the business side of things to my son, Jeremy.” Marjorie paused before continuing. “It might be Jeremy who has been taking money out of the business. Ralph was furious that he was too extravagant, spending well beyond his means. I think, after my husband died, Jeremy thought he would be in full control of the company, but Ralph named me as controlling partner.”

  “How did he react to that?”

  “How Jeremy reacts to most things, like a bull in a china shop. It took a while for him to accept it, but I thought he had come round. Now I have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that my son wants me dead, but I hardly dare imagine it.” Marjorie’s face set with a new determination. “But this old lady is not that easy to get rid of and I will fight any abuse of my husband’s fortune until my dying breath.”

  Rachel reached for Marjorie’s hand, unable to find words to respond. Everything in her wanted to protect this dear woman from whatever and whoever wanted to harm her. A deep anger that she had never felt before made her determined to get to the bottom of this before anything else happened. Unlike CSO Waverley, Rachel was certain the killer would try again. He had already killed an unsuspecting old lady, and she had no doubt that wasn’t the end of it. Hitmen had to see their work through or they would not be hired again. Rachel knew how it worked.

  “I will get a message to CSO Waverley about the possibility of our man being left-handed. Do you want me to mention your son?”

  “No, dear. I think that is something I will need to investigate with Randolph, our Lawyer, when I return home.”

  After her tea with Marjorie, Rachel told Ravanos what Marjorie had told her and asked him to pass this information on to the CSO. She then decided to enjoy one of the many films that were available for free on her suite’s TV, but halfway through The Greatest Showman she drifted off to slee
p.

  A distant ringing sound broke into her sleep and it took her a while to realise that it was the telephone in her room.

  “Hello,” she mumbled, fighting sleep.

  “Rachel! Are you alright?” Sarah sounded stressed. “I just wanted to check in with you before I go back to work. It’s been bedlam today with accidents and people running out of medication.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I think I will ask Mario to find me some lunch and then sleep some more before trying to hunt down Carlos at dinner tonight. Hey, I didn’t ask about your date the other night?”

  “It was good, and I think there will be more dates on the next sailing as we are both with this ship for the foreseeable future. I wanted to let you know that the Waverley has drawn a blank on suspects and your knight in shining armour still hasn’t come forward.”

  “No-one with a criminal record?”

  “Yes, there are several, but none of them fit the profile of a professional killer willing to do away with old ladies. We have a jewellery thief, a fraudster, a wife beater and a juvenile drug user. There are fifty-three that haven’t come through yet. As you can imagine, trying to find the criminal records of three and a half thousand passengers and eighteen hundred crew is not easy.”

  “I didn’t realise he would be looking at crew members.”

  “He’s prioritised those who joined the ship in Southampton, but I think it is unlikely to be a crew member.”

  “I agree,” said Rachel. “Marjorie saw a jacket cuff which suggests a passenger to me. Anyway, she is going to stay in her room tonight so she should be safe.”

  “That’s good. I’ll call you after I finish shift tonight. I hope it goes well with Carlos.”

  “Thanks, speak later.”

  Rachel hung up, smiling at the thought of seeing Carlos at dinner.

  Chapter 30

  Rachel dressed up as well as she could for a woman wearing a plaster cast on her leg. She smiled at how she looked in the mirror. The dress she had chosen was sky blue cotton with long chiffon sleeves that would help to hide her arm dressing and the underlying wounds. From the knees up, she looked like a glamorous young woman enjoying a cruise holiday, but the plaster cast on her left lower leg reminded her that this was no ordinary cruise.

  She applied the finishing touches to her makeup and added a lip gloss rather than lipstick, which complemented her full red lips. Once satisfied, she called Marjorie to let her know that she might be late back tonight and agreed to see her for coffee in the morning. Feeling a flutter of excitement at the thought of seeing Carlos again, she picked up her handbag and left the room.

  Ravanos was seated in the corridor and he smiled at her. “Enjoy your evening, ma’am.”

  “Thank you, I will.” She thought how boring it must be for him being on guard duty the whole time, but she hoped that his watch would remain boring as any activity would mean another attempt on Marjorie’s life. She shuddered at the thought, and for a brief moment, wondered whether she should stay behind.

  Don’t be silly, that’s his job.

  There was a queue for the lifts as people were making their way down for dinner, but Rachel managed to squeeze into one after a group of three people almost carried her along in their haste to make sure they got in. The lifts at this time of the evening were claustrophobic as people insisted on filling every square inch, not wanting to wait the extra few minutes for the next one to arrive. The majority were heading for the deck four restaurant, as was Rachel, but she decided to exit on deck five so that she could make her way through midships and then down the stairs.

  This was the first time she had walked slowly along deck five, passing through the casino. As soon as she entered, she saw a familiar figure at the blackjack table. He looked different because he was sporting a moustache so she thought she was mistaken initially, but as he lifted his head, she recognised the eyes immediately.

  He seemed unsure whether to acknowledge her at all. Perhaps he doesn’t recognise me, she thought. She walked towards him and he smiled.

  “Good evening.”

  “Good evening. I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you the gentleman who helped me and my friend the other evening?”

  “Your friend?” He seemed momentarily startled. “Yes, of course, now I remember. You had both fallen.” Other players were starting to listen in on their conversation as he spoke. “Oh dear, I seem to have lost again. Perhaps you would like to join me for a drink?” He picked up his chips and put them into his pocket before taking her by the arm.

  “I was just heading for dinner, but yes, perhaps a quick drink.”

  They walked in uncomfortable silence towards a quiet wine bar where he ordered himself a cognac and Rachel a martini and lemonade. He then steered her towards a quiet corner.

  “Did you not hear the announcements requesting you go to reception with regards to the accident?” Rachel took a sip of the drink he had bought her.

  “I have to admit, I did hear the announcements, but I have been busy enjoying ship life. I hardly ever get away, you see.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I wouldn’t be able to help anyway, I didn’t see anything.”

  “I see. Well, I must go, I’m meeting someone for dinner.”

  “Please finish your drink, and I promise I will go to reception with you afterwards if it helps.”

  As Rachel took another few gulps of her drink, she noticed that he picked his drink up with his left hand, and there was no watch on his left wrist. Her heart beating faster within her chest, she rose to leave, but began to feel confused and woozy, not knowing where she was. Feeling herself becoming more and more drowsy, she tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t carry her.

  When she approached him in the casino, he tried to ignore her, but when she said that the old lady was her friend, he improvised. This whole business had been one shambolic mess after another. Now as he looked at her legs giving way under her, he was in turmoil over what to do next. He could just leave her there and go and finish off the old lady, but that wouldn’t work now. The croupier knew who he was and had seen him with this young woman. Questions would be asked and they would find him. No, he would have to kill her as well.

  Collateral damage. He sighed. Such a shame, she is so beautiful.

  He had to remain professional, but he could feel beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. This young woman hadn’t been part of the plan.

  He waited for most of the people to leave the bar as they headed off to their various dinner activities. Seizing his moment while the bartenders were clearing away a large number of wine bottles and glasses from tables at the far end of the bar, he lifted Rachel from her seat, putting his left arm around her waist and picking up her handbag with his right hand. He half carried her along the corridor, speaking to her as if she was drunk while doing his best not to draw any attention to himself. It wasn’t too difficult; most people were wrapped up in their own little worlds, so the few people who were still around barely cast a second glance.

  “Almost there, darling.” He spoke to her as an elderly couple gave him a sympathetic glance. Managing to get her to the lifts at the bow of the ship, he decided to take her up to deck fourteen. They could walk along the deck and take the rear lift up to fifteen.

  It is going well so far, he thought as he began to calm down. He took out a pair of false spectacles from his pocket and added a beard, using the mirror in the lift. He didn’t want anyone to recognise him.

  The woman let out a moan and tried to pull away, but she wasn’t strong enough.

  “I’m sorry you had to be involved in this, but it will soon be over,” he said.

  They arrived at deck fourteen and he took the port side first. The stewards were busy restocking rooms and turning down beds so he felt secure they hadn’t been noticed. Once they got to midships, he moved over to the starboard side to walk the rest of the way to the rear. They met one young couple on the way, but they were too busy kissing and giggling to no
tice him. The girl gave Rachel a quick glance, but then looked away.

  By the time they reached the rear lifts, he was feeling a little bit out of breath. He decided to rest for a moment and sat the young woman down on the floor while he composed himself for the next part of the plan. All he had to do now was deal with the security officer on the next floor and hope the butler wasn’t around.

  Having gathered himself together, he lifted the drugged woman from the floor and entered the lift. He could feel adrenaline pumping through his body as he moved in for the kill. The woman was murmuring again and starting to struggle a bit more. She hadn’t drunk the full dose, but the effects of the drug should last for a bit longer.

  “Not long now,” he said as he pulled her tightly towards him.

  The lift doors opened and he carried her out. He decided to pick her up and approach the end of the corridor where the security guard seated.

  The guard look surprised.

  “Drunk too much. Hold on to her for a minute, will you?”

  With that, he handed her over to the surprised guard, who almost dropped her. As he bent to catch her, the man picked up the chair and hit him over the head with it.

  He left the woman on the floor, opening her door with her key card and dragging the unconscious security officer inside. Tying him up, he left the guard there. He was happy with his disguise; the guard would not have seen him for long enough to provide a detailed description, and even if he did, the first thing he would have noticed was the beard.