by Dawn Brookes
Rachel poured milk on her cereal and topped up the coffee cups while Sarah tucked straight into her breakfast. “I never know when I might eat again, and getting up in the early hours always makes me hungry. There’s nothing like the smell of fried breakfast and fresh percolated coffee. Anyway, tell me why you don’t think Jefgeny is dead.”
“I have no proof, but I studied Eva Sipka from a distance last night. The woman just didn’t appear to be someone who’d lost the man she loved. Call it a woman’s intuition, but I suspect she knows where he is.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“No, I only watched. The roulette table was busy with passengers. I suspect the best time to catch her would be at one of the dinner or theatre times, but I will butt out and ask your Officer Waverley to speak with her.”
“That’s a good idea. The captain wouldn’t want you getting involved again and Waverley could get into trouble. Are you still going to spend time with the Russians?”
“A little, but only because I like Thomas. He’s fun, and he needs support. He’ll take the death of one of his tour party personally.”
Rachel and Sarah enjoyed the rest of their breakfast and sat on the balcony for a while, staring out to sea, drinking more coffee. Rachel felt happier when the colour came back to Sarah’s face, but was tired herself. The Jefgeny case with its tenuous link to the Russians had been wearing. It was time to put it all behind her. It wasn’t her case and there was nothing more to investigate.
Smokescreens weaving in and out of my head, that’s all.
“Look at me, still in my bathrobe! I guess I won’t be working out today, but I might go for a swim later. Not my favourite, but it could be fun competing for pool space.”
“You do that. I’m pleased you’re going to keep your head down, Rachel. I’m hoping the medical team gets a quiet spell too – we’re bushed. I’ll be happy to treat drunks and break up crew brawls rather than come across any more bodies.”
“Sounds like a policewoman’s lot!” said Rachel.
“Are you okay now? We haven’t had a chance to discuss your court case, but can you forget about it?”
“Yes I can, it’s over. In fact, Carlos has been nagging me about moving closer to him in London, and my parents would be happy for me to work somewhere in Hertfordshire, so I’ll start looking for jobs when I get back. I’ve given Leeds constabulary four years of my life, so I’m not obligated to stay there any longer.” Rachel didn’t feel it was the right time to tell Sarah about the threats Tansley had made after the trial; she already had enough on her plate.
“And of course there is always cruise ship security. Waverley would love you on his team. Quite a few of the security team are leaving over the next two years – some are long past retirement age and the cruise line is pressuring Waverley to take on new blood.”
“If it weren’t for Carlos, I’d jump at the chance right now, but I wouldn’t like to be away from him for nine months at a time.”
“Sounds serious. I’m so pleased, Rachel. I like Carlos and he’s good for you.” Sarah didn’t say how much she had disliked Rachel’s ex-fiancé.
“He is lovely, but I’m still wary of commitment after Robert. I really believed I knew him; it shattered my confidence in my judgement.”
“Rachel, you’re a great judge of character, but we can all be blind when it comes to love. Trust me, Carlos is nothing like Robert, and from the way he looks at you, I can tell he adores you.”
“He is wonderful and Marjorie loves him.” Marjorie was a spirited elderly lady Rachel had met on her previous cruise, and they’d remained friends ever since. “Dad’s as wary as I am, and he and Carlos prowl around each other like they’re on eggshells. Mum says Dad’s being overprotective and he’ll come round. I do hope so because it’s just not helping.”
“I’m sure you’re right. When the time is right, your dad will embrace Carlos for making you happy after the trauma you went through before. Anyway, I’m not sure where the time’s gone, but I’d better sneak back to my room and get out of these scrubs before anyone sees me. Surgery starts in an hour.”
“Are you on call?”
“No, Gwen’s taking Lauren’s on call as she’s worried about her state of mind. Graham’s on for the docs. Shall we meet for afternoon tea or in the jazz bar tonight?”
“Both, if you’re free.”
“Great – see you at three.”
Sarah left and Rachel dressed, putting her bikini on under her clothes. It was time to pay Waverley a visit before getting back into holiday mode.
He was at his desk typing on his computer when he spotted her.
“Come in,” he called. “Miss Prince,” he coughed, “sorry, Rachel. Please don’t tell me you’re the bearer of bad news today.”
“No, not exactly. I’m not sure I have any news, just a hunch.”
Rachel didn’t miss the caution on his face. “Take a seat and tell me about your hunch.” He moved away from his desk and came round to the comfy chairs. Rachel joined him and told him about her observation of Jefgeny’s girlfriend last night and her suspicion that Eva might know where Jefgeny was hiding.
“If he is hiding,” she finished.
“I see – and you base all this on the premise that the woman looked happier than you would expect?”
Flushing, Rachel answered. “When you say it like that, it sounds odd, but yes, that’s all I’ve got to offer.”
“She has an appointment with Dr Romano this morning to determine whether she is pregnant. The best I can do for you is to ask him what he makes of her emotional state. We have already interviewed Ms Sipka, and she seems genuinely distraught – perhaps she’s good at her job and manages to hide her grief. We are certain Jefgeny Popov is no longer on the ship. My team have even searched the lifeboats to make sure he’s not hiding in any of these. He killed Erik Marinov after a row, and afterwards, filled with remorse, he threw himself overboard. That’s my conclusion.” Waverley emphasised his conviction by slamming a folder down on his desk.
Rachel understood his logic, but she still had her doubts about the facts. In spite of this, she determined not to get entangled in something that was not her concern. Waverley had become silent, making it clear her suspicions were something he didn’t want to hear.
“Thank you for seeing me.” Rachel left his office a fraction irritated by his attitude. “Well, CSO Waverley, I’ve done my civil duty. Now it’s down to you,” she mumbled to herself as she made her way towards the lido deck.
Chapter 24
A balmy day greeted Rachel out on deck, the ship rocking gently back and forth as soothing cross-waves passed underneath. Perching on a sun lounger overlooking the busy pools, she spent the morning sunbathing on the lido deck. The sun’s rays reflected off two deep blue swimming pools, with crowds rushing in to take advantage of the opportunity to swim or bask in the sunshine. In the captain’s morning bulletin, he’d said the temperature would be twenty-six degrees centigrade, providing plenty of heat even with the gentle sea breeze that swept across the deck every so often.
Waiters and pool attendants carried out their daily tasks efficiently and appeared whenever anyone was thirsty. Beefy aromas from the grill bar wafted down, reminding her she was hungry, but Rachel decided to make a move to the salad bar in the main buffet. The fried breakfast had provided more than enough fat for one day.
She pulled a summer dress over her bikini, picked up her book and vacated the sun lounger. On entering the buffet area, she had her hands squirted with hand disinfectant by a waitress – one of the many routines that took place on board a ship.
“Rachel!”
She turned around. Thomas was carrying a tray of what looked like Jamaican food.
“Hello, Thomas.”
“Join me over there when you’ve got your food.” He nodded towards a window table for four. Boris sat tucking into his lunch.
“Okay, see you in a minute.”
There was a Jamaican theme today, and
the staff were wearing brightly coloured clothing to match it. A diverse selection of Jamaican delicacies was on display, and she opted for a jerk chicken fillet to accompany her salad before negotiating her way to where Thomas and Boris were sitting.
“Did you hear about Nikolai?” Thomas asked.
Rachel wasn’t sure whether she would be betraying Sarah’s confidentiality if she replied honestly, so she carried on chewing, showing she couldn’t speak.
“I’m afraid Nikolai passed away,” Boris whispered.
“I’m so sorry,” said Rachel. “That must be terribly upsetting for your party.”
“Not really, people didn’t like him and they didn’t know him well. They are sad that someone has died, but not enough for it to be of any great concern.”
Rachel stared in shock at his easy dismissal of the tragedy. Thomas explained.
“Russians aren’t afraid to say what they think, Rachel. Unlike us, they are not constrained by politeness. That doesn’t mean they’re not concerned by the sudden death of one of their group, and Mr Stanislav has found the incident very distressing.”
“Yes, it is most inconvenient. He has left me without a personal assistant for the rest of the cruise. It has been big upset for Natalia Fenenko, the poor girl who found him. She is very shaken.”
“Have they said what caused his death?” Rachel asked.
“It was a heart attack or an overdose,” answered Thomas. “They won’t know for certain until he has a post-mortem. The family have requested repatriation to Russia for that, which the cruise line has agreed to. The insurance company will foot the bill and his brother is flying to New York to return home with the body.”
“I see,” said Rachel. “How is Natalia today?”
“She is okay; the ladies are taking her for pampering session in health spa,” said Boris. “Russian ladies enjoy pampering. You are welcome to join them for some time, Miss Prince.”
“Thank you, that’s kind – I’ll bear it in mind.” Rachel detected a degree of agitation emanating from Boris and wondered what was on his mind.
They were distracted by sudden ‘Oohs’ and ‘Ahs’ as people gravitated towards the windows. Rachel followed their gaze and saw a large pod of dolphins swimming beside the ship.
“Aren’t they gorgeous?” she exclaimed.
“Oh, they’re awesome.” Thomas beamed from ear to ear. Even Boris was smiling.
“Amazing creatures, and so intelligent,” he said. “They are catching fish that ship is disturbing.”
They remained transfixed by the spectacular display right before their eyes as the dolphins leapt through the air, diving in and out of the water.
The pod eventually disappeared from view.
“Now you wouldn’t see that from an airplane,” remarked a gleeful Thomas. He looked carefree again, and the sombre moments had passed. Boris still had a faraway look in his eyes as if something was weighing on his mind, but he returned to the present and smiled at Rachel and Thomas.
“If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to.”
“See you for the group massage, 4pm,” Thomas called after him. Rachel gave him a look.
“Group massage?”
“Men only.” He winked, then more seriously, he remarked, “To be honest, it will help them chill out. There’s been too much tension in the air, particularly between Mr Asimov and Boris, and Sergei pops up from nowhere with alarming regularity. I swear that man never smiles – a more dour face, I’ve never encountered. Honestly, group dynamics, Rachel – be thankful you can hop in and out.”
“I can’t say I’d want to be around the sour-faced Asimov for very long, and Boris looks to be in a world of his own. Is Sergei the tall man with grey hair and beard?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“I’ve noticed him from time to time. What does he do and where does he fit in?”
“As far as I’m aware, he’s a businessman who part-owns some businesses with Mr Asimov. It’s funny, I heard some of the others say he was at Yale at the same time as Nikolai, but they never spoke. That said, Sergei is older than him, so perhaps they never met.”
“Still, you would expect old Yalies to have something to say to each other,” remarked Rachel. “Maybe he imagined Nikolai was below him, being a PA.”
“He seems to think everyone is below him. The party is generally more at ease when only one of the big three is present.”
“Even happier when none are there, I suspect,” said Rachel, laughing.
“Indeed. Anyway, I’m afraid I need to meet some of the ladies in the casino for a Blackjack lesson.”
“Oh, can I come too?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. It can’t do any harm, and perhaps Eva is off duty.
“Please do. I hate gambling, but needs must.” He held out his arm for Rachel to take.
On arrival at the casino, they saw a few men from Thomas’s party and two women, none of whom Rachel had spoken to before. She recognised Eva Sipka coming towards them.
“Hello, I’m Thomas the tour guide, we’re all here now.”
“We will have the lesson on the other side of barrier.”
Staff had put a makeshift security rope in place to cordon off an area of the casino, preventing other passengers entering. Thomas, Rachel and the rest of the group followed Eva. Rachel still didn’t detect any sadness in the woman’s demeanour or eyes.
The eyes are the window to the soul, her father had always told her, and she believed it. These eyes sparkled. She is pregnant, then, thought Rachel.
“Please, ladies and gentlemen, take seats around the table.”
The table formed a large semi-circle in shiny mahogany with a golfing-green cloth cover. The group positioned the padded low-back stools around the semi-circular part. Rachel climbed up on to one next to Thomas. There were seven of them in all, and they stretched around the table while Eva moved to stand behind the flat edge.
It took the next thirty minutes to learn the rules of Blackjack and have a few practice games. Rachel found herself interested in the psychology of the game in spite of having a natural aversion to gambling. It was interesting to learn that despite them all playing against the dealer, the actions of one player could have a detrimental impact on other players, who might lose money when someone made the wrong call.
“You will find other players become impatient with you if you keep doing this,” Eva explained.
Thomas nudged Rachel. “I might give it a go tonight, just to annoy people.”
“You wouldn’t!” The evil twinkle in his eye gave him away. It was such a pity he had to be with a serious group – he would be much better with party lovers. She felt sorry for him.
Some of the group lost interest towards the end of the game – in all likelihood, they knew how to play already. They dispersed, leaving Thomas, Rachel and one other man called Marat.
“Where you from?” Marat asked Eva.
“Slovenia, but I was born in Croatia. My parents moved to Slovenia when I was three.”
“I have an uncle in Slovenia,” Marat continued. “You are not wearing ring. No husband back home?”
Rachel noticed a brief flicker of unease.
“I hope to marry soon.” Eva instinctively put her hand over her abdomen as if reassuring her unborn baby.
“Good luck with that. I had two wives – no more.” He laughed.
“Until the next time, he means,” joked Thomas.
Marat slapped Thomas on the back. “He’s right – until the next time.”
At this point, Marat got up and left the table, accepting defeat on the chat-up front. Thomas looked ready to leave too, but Rachel wanted to take advantage of the turn in the conversation.
“Does your boyfriend work on the ship?” she asked Eva, who looked around as if to check no-one was listening.
“He did, but no longer.” Apprehension crossed the young woman’s face.
“Will you return to Slovenia when you marry?”
“I hope to live in America. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend? You are very beautiful.”
“How do you know I’m not her man?” asked Thomas.
Rachel suspected Eva had sussed Thomas out.
“My boyfriend is back in England, his name is Carlos,” Rachel answered.
“She’s breaking my heart,” said Thomas, reaching for her hand.
“Eva – time for a break.” A young woman with dark-brown hair tied in a ponytail approached the table.
“Thank you for the lesson.” Thomas led Rachel away. “Sorry to desert you, but I’d better go for my man massage.”
“Enjoy yourself,” Rachel answered, but was miles away, mulling over the conversation with Eva, and more convinced than ever Jefgeny was still alive.
Waverley will have to believe me now.
Chapter 25
While she was on her way towards the main atrium, a man bumped into Rachel, causing her to drop her bag and spill its contents.
“I’m so sorry.” The man stooped down to help her pick things up. “I can’t have been looking where I was going.”
“No harm done. Do I know you from somewhere?”
“I don’t think so, unless you come from Nottingham?”
“No,” she replied. “Anyway, thank you for helping. Goodbye.” Tucking the clutch bag under her arm, she went in search of Sarah. She caught sight of her friend seated at a table for two by a window, staring out at the Atlantic.
“Penny for your thoughts,” said Rachel as she leaned in to embrace her friend.
Sarah smiled up at her as she took the seat opposite. “Just daydreaming, wondering whether it was wise to take on another nine-month contract.”
“But you love the work,” Rachel said.
“I do usually, but these past few days have been extremely difficult. I don’t feel like I’ve been off duty at all, I’m grumpy all the time, and on top of that, we now have an unreliable and peculiar colleague to cover for.” Sarah lowered her voice to a whisper.
Noticing the strain telling on her friend’s face, Rachel tried to encourage her. “Well tonight you’re off and we’ll enjoy a nice dinner – how would you like to go to the Steakhouse?” Sarah loved steak.
