by Box Set
“How did he fall?” Rider asked. “Carrie said they weren’t drinking. I know ship suicides do happen, but I have a hard time believing a guy who just got laid and then made a date for breakfast would jump overboard.”
Barry glanced at his laptop, then nodded his head toward the doorway. “Shut that and come sit down. I feel I can trust you both to keep your mouths shut, given your professions. Maybe fresh eyes will see something I missed.”
Curiosity rising, Rider waited for Trish to walk past him and take the only chair opposite Barry, then closed the door before moving to stand behind her. He hadn’t thought Barry would tell them as much as the man already had. It was a miracle he wanted to share more information.
Barry turned the laptop around, revealing nine grayish pictures on the screen. “This is the group of cameras that observe your portion of the ship.” He pointed at the one in the center. “This is where I want you to watch for now.”
He reached around the screen, pushing on the mouse and making the video jump to life.
A digital clock in the bottom portion of the image showed the date and time, just shortly after three a.m. A tall man backed slowly from a room, appearing as if he were talking to someone still inside. That had to be Carl leaving Carrie’s room. Even though the small picture made it hard to be certain, it looked as though he wore a smile on his face while sauntering down the hallway toward the portion of rooms that were double occupancy.
Trish leaned in toward the laptop. “So he left right when Carrie said he did.”
“Keep watching,” Barry said.
After a few seconds, Carl turned around slowly, almost as though someone had called out to him.
“Where is he—” Trish gasped at the same time as Rider sucked in a breath of surprise.
The camera in the top right corner of the screen had gone completely dark.
“What happened?” Rider asked. “Did it lose power? There aren’t many people walking the hallways. Did I miss someone by that camera?”
“Yeah,” Trish agreed. “It sure looked like Carl heard something, and that’s why he turned around, but I don’t see anyone either.”
On the middle camera, Carl had started walking back toward Carrie’s room.
“Oh,” Trish shook her head. “Maybe he just decided he needed another goodnight kiss.”
However, he marched straight past Carrie’s room, moving more quickly than he had previously. Something caught his attention, but Rider searched all the cameras in the area and was unable to see what it might be. There was nothing interesting on the screen. Camera seven showed a couple walking hand-in-hand on the starboard side catwalk that was open to the ocean, but they shouldn’t have caught Carl’s attention.
After a few more seconds, Carl turned into the small hallway past Trish’s room that led to the outer deck, disappearing from view in all cameras.
“That must be the blacked out camera,” Rider said. “So someone waited there and called him over, off to a camera we can’t see.”
Barry nodded. “That’s my assumption.” He reached over again, hitting the mouse and making the screens jump forward at a faster rate. “I’ve watched this about a hundred times. No one exits that hallway from views of the other cameras. They would have either appeared on that first camera in your rooms’ hallway or showed up where the couple walked out on that outer deck below the balconies on that side. Carl and whoever turned off that camera stayed in that hallway the entire time.”
When the digital timer on the footage read 05:00, Barry slowed the playback to regular speed. “Watch camera seven.”
After a few minutes, a person dressed in black from head to toe exited the small hallway onto the outer walkway. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman in the grainy camera picture, but the way they dragged a large bundle behind them made Rider think it was a man.
Trish covered her mouth to stifle a soft groan. “Is that what I think it is?”
The bundle came fully into view, and Rider nodded. “Definitely a body. Must be Carl. I wonder if he was even alive at that point.”
“I told you Bill seemed suspicious,” Trish murmured, still intently watching the screen.
The person looked from side to side, revealing that they wore a ski mask. It would be impossible to discover who they were. After much work on the masked person's part, Carl’s body tumbled over the top of the railing. Within seconds, he was lost to the view of the camera.
The figure on screen watched the water for several more minutes before darting back into the cover of the hallway with the blanked-out camera.
“But they have to come out of there at some point,” Trish said. “Did they think they could get away with this? Let’s just watch where they go after leaving the hall, and you’ll have your culprit.”
Barry shook his head. “No one exits until hours later when tons of people are coming and going.” He ran a hand across his face, looking utterly exhausted. “It seems impossible to find the person without knowing who we’re looking for. No one pops out wearing a trench coat and a ski mask. Everyone looks normal, like they belong.”
“A trench coat?” Trish turned to look at Rider, eyes wide.
It was unfortunate Barry had pointed out the type of coat the killer wore. While it was true Rider had brought his with him, it was packed away in his luggage, waiting until he needed it when they returned to the cold winter of Sayle. Did Trish believe he had something to do with this?
He reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “Hey, I didn’t—”
She shook her head sharply and whispered, “Of course not.” Turning back to Barry, her hands fluttered across her lap, and Rider figured she tried to calm herself. “I have a theory,” she said. “Was Bill one of the people to come out of that hallway this morning?”
Barry wrinkled his nose. “Carl’s roommate? I didn’t specifically look for him. What’s your theory?”
Trish let loose a bitter-sounding chuckle. “Just moments before we walked in here, Rider thought I was being hysterical. Now, it’s looking like I could be right. What if Bill and Carl both wanted the same woman? If Carl got her and it enraged Bill, there’s a possibility the man got rid of his competition.”
A sinking feeling went through Rider, and his stomach twisted with nerves. “Which means we left Carrie at the movie with a potential killer.”
“Shit!” Barry snatched a walkie-talkie from the corner of his desk. “Derrick, come in.”
A brief crackle of static came across the line, followed by, “What’s up, boss?”
“Mike is onboard and Delilah needs to know.”
“Copy that. Where are you?”
“The office.”
“On my way.”
Rider could only assume the coded conversation somehow told the rest of security that a murderer was on the ship and passengers might be in danger. He could understand not making a general announcement. Until they knew for sure what happened, they couldn’t run the risk of causing widespread panic. It had irritated Rider before when they wouldn’t do anything to help Trish with the sleaze who’d tried to drug her, but he did understand why it was necessary to keep everyone calm. There were thousands of people on the ship and nowhere for them to go in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
“You two go back to your rooms,” Barry said. “We’ll find your friend and get her to safety until we clear Bill of any wrongdoing.”
Although Rider prepared to leave, Trish didn’t budge.
“We should check to see if he shows up on the tape from this morning,” she said. “Also, I’d like a better look at when that camera goes dark. How did it happen? Someone must have been in that hall to do it.”
Barry glanced at Rider, seeming to ask for help before returning his attention to Trish. “Even if we see Bill on that tape at some point, that doesn’t mean he did it. Tons of people pass through that area during the day. The person responsible would have joined a large group to blend in and would have hidden their face even if they
took off the mask and coat.”
“True, but they would have needed a backpack to put the coat in. If not, we’d see them carrying it,” she said. “That could give us a direction for our investigation.”
Barry shook his head sharply, glowering at her. “For the FBI’s investigation, you mean.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, sure. What about the camera going black?”
“I’ve watched over and over,” Barry said. “There isn’t anything there. I was hoping the two of you could pick out something I missed, but it seems there’s nothing to see. Later, I’ll watch the daytime footage and look for anyone with a backpack on or a coat in their arms. That’s a good idea, Ms. Brier. Right now, I need to make sure your friend’s safe.”
“We’ll get out of your hair,” Rider said, once again taking Trish’s hand to pull her into a standing position. “Just protect Carrie, okay? Even if Bill isn’t the guy, someone took out Carl, and there’s a chance it has something to do with Carrie.”
Barry nodded in agreement. “And you two make sure you don’t tell anyone what I showed you. Especially Carrie. That woman seems fragile. I’d hate for her to fall apart and tell everyone on board about this.”
While the pinched expression of Trish’s lips told Rider she didn’t agree with Barry’s decision to keep this quiet, Rider nodded his reassurances. “We won’t say a word.”
Chapter 12
Trish was fuming by the time they reached the deck of their rooms. She marched as fast as she could, trying to outdistance Rider. Who needed him anyway? First, he’d brushed aside her theory on Bill and basically made her feel silly for having it. Then, he manhandled her in the office, forcing her to leave.
What she’d wanted to do was stay and make Barry let her view the tape again. At the very least, she thought they should call the FBI themselves, letting them know things couldn’t wait until the ship returned to the United States. While it was true they had a one-day stop on Sunday in Florida at the halfway point of their trip, it didn’t seem right that things should be put off that long. Someone needed to meet them when the ship stopped for the day tomorrow.
If there was any evidence left behind in that hallway or on the camera system, the person who threw Carl overboard would have plenty of time to cover their tracks in six days.
“Trish, slow down.”
Ignoring Rider, she hurried toward her room. She was already grouchy from having so little sleep over the past thirty-six hours. She liked Rider and thought he was basically a good guy, but he’d ticked her off. It was time to say goodnight before she said something she’d regret. Being fatigued and frustrated was not a good combination.
She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, especially not after the sweet way he’d protected her when they were stopped that morning by Thomas Baker. Rider was her hero in many situations lately, but the fuel of rage burning through her after being in Barry’s office had her ready to pounce if Rider so much as looked at her wrong.
The dull thud of his footfalls behind her increased in tempo, and Rider put his hand against her elbow.
Trish jerked away. “Stop grabbing and moving me around as though I’m some doll for you to control.”
“I wanted to ask if you’d come look at that hallway with me,” he said. “No need to bite my head off.”
Trish slowed marginally and took in several deep breaths. “I’ve got to get some sleep soon. I can hardly think straight.”
“I was afraid that two-hour nap wasn’t enough.” He touched her arm again. “I couldn’t tell you in the office, but I wanted to leave so we could check things out for ourselves. I didn’t mention it so Barry couldn’t tell us not to.”
“You wanted to investigate on our own? That’s actually smart.” She couldn’t let him think he’d entirely won, even though she didn’t push him away a second time. “I’m not happy about what happened in Barry’s office, though. My opinions are valid and I don’t appreciate being shushed up.”
“I do value your opinion, but Barry wasn’t going to help us anymore. Besides, he needs to focus on protecting Carrie right now.” Rider gestured down the hall. “Let’s see if we can find anything to help the investigation when the FBI arrives.”
Trish snorted. “I have a feeling Barry will keep us as far from the FBI as he can.”
Rider chuckled, and Trish glared at him.
“What’s funny about that?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “I’ve simply made a mental note to make sure you get your beauty rest from here on out. You’re a real pessimist when you don’t.”
Trish started walking down the hall, forcing Rider to either come with her or let her explore alone. Who did he think he was, telling her she was grouchy and pessimistic? She already knew all those things, but that didn’t change the facts. Barry had only shared information tonight because he wanted their help. Once he decided they were no longer helpful, he refused to tell them anything more. He’d hurried them out of his office instead of doing the smart thing and letting them rewatch the footage while he waited for the security team.
“So, you believe Barry isn’t trying to keep us from this investigation?” she asked, turning into the hallway where the blacked-out camera had been.
Rider tugged on her hand to stop her from walking, pointing up at the security camera with his free hand. “This is what we need to check out.”
“Are you avoiding my question because you know I’m touchy and tired and you don’t want to argue?”
Rider shook his head slightly, a smile making him even more handsome than normal. “No, counselor. I’m not avoiding the question, just got distracted. It’s in Barry’s best interest not to tell us more. He wouldn’t want word getting out, and he has no way of knowing we’ll keep quiet. He’s probably shitting his pants right now that he momentarily lost his mind and let us see that footage in the first place.”
That brought her up short and deflated her mounting frustration. If Rider agreed with her, why was he so difficult about it?
“Then what should we do?” she asked.
Rider pointed at the camera again. “We see what we can see. Barry might try to rush us away when we stop over in Florida to keep us from the FBI agents they send to investigate, but that doesn’t mean we can’t call in and report whatever we find ourselves.”
“Then you weren’t giving up back there. I bit your head off for nothing.”
“I don’t give up on things I’m passionate about.” He winked. “Especially feisty women.”
Trish rolled her eyes and batted at his shoulder. “Your charm’s wasted on me right now. Let’s get this over with so I can head to bed. I’ll think more clearly in the morning.”
Nodding his assent, Rider reached upward. Even without stretching, his fingers brushed the outer edge of the security camera.
“Even as short as I am, I could jump and push that upward,” Trish noted. “It’s not surprising we didn’t see someone before the camera went black. They probably moved it upward and out of place to keep it from filming this side of the hallway.”
“Talk about lax security,” Rider said. “I never really looked at these cameras, but I had expected them to be the type in the ceiling with bubbles over them. You know, the kind that can’t be bumped. These are just regular old cameras. You’d think they would update something this important.”
Trish nodded her agreement. Security wasn’t a priority on this boat, for sure. “Something’s odd about this entire situation. If whoever did this to Carl could have easily covered the lens on all the cameras on this deck, why not do that?” Trish stared at the camera, puzzled. “There would have been no record of what happened to Carl, and in the eyes of this ship that would mean no crime occurred. Why let us watch Carl be pushed overboard?”
“Come on,” Rider said. “You know the answer to that.”
Trish thought about her past clients. Even though she’d only just started being a trial lawyer, she’d done much of the footwork and interviewing processes for t
he past four years on Baker & Lutz’s bigger cases. The number one reason clients were convicted instead of the law firm proving their innocence was because they did something utterly stupid. Like recording their crime so they could look back on it, or know the cops would see the act and not be able to stop them, thinking they had covered their tracks well enough to avoid detection.
“He wanted us to see it happen,” she replied. “Or, at least, he wanted the security team and FBI to know he’d killed someone. It makes him feel powerful and important, but he wouldn’t get that feeling from killing Carl if no one knew he did it.”
“He? What makes you think it’s a man?” Rider asked. “I’ve run across plenty of vicious females in my day.” The uncomfortable look that crossed over his face made Trish suspect he thought of one such female right now.
She shrugged. “Easier to assign a sex to the person. Women certainly can be vicious and cruel, but it took a lot of strength to lift Carl over that railing. Besides, I’d suspect a woman more of poisoning her victim.” Thinking about Lucy and her problems, she added. “Or blackmailing them into giving her what she wanted.”
Rider seemed to pale and looked quickly at the floor. What was wrong with him?
“Are you okay?”
“Sure. And I agree with you. It was likely a man.” His voice remained level and steady, not as though he tried to hide anything from her.
Trish must have let her imagination run wild. The only thing bothering Rider right now was the fact that a killer was on the ship with them.
“This wasn’t helpful,” he pointed out. “Anyone could have moved that camera at any time. Even if Barry goes over the footage again, he probably won’t figure out who it was. If I planned to move one of these cameras, I’d wait until a large group of people were in the hallway with me and casually swing my arm upward to bump it away before I stepped in front of it. The camera would never see me. Also, everyone on the ship is so busy getting to where they’re going, I doubt the people around me would notice I moved the camera.”
Trish sighed, disappointed. “So this is a dead end. There won’t be witnesses or video proof. Come on. Walk me back to my cabin, please.”
