by Dawn Brookes
“I know that, Rachel.” He took her hand and they walked again, but there was a quiet between them that had not been there before. On the one hand, she wanted to kick herself for getting involved in a murder investigation, but on the other, if Carlos was having doubts it was better to air them before they married. Her heart raced as fear of losing him threatened to overwhelm her. What had promised to be a beautiful day was turning into anything but, and as if the weather understood, a soft drizzle began to fall.
They stopped for lunch to take shelter and chatted about the case he had worked on and about his cousin, but the clouds forming in the sky were closing in on her heart. As they walked back to the ship, it was if they had become strangers, and as soon as they returned, she excused herself, needing to get away from him. He didn’t try to stop her leaving and all the trust issues that she thought had gone returned with a vengeance.
Had he met someone else?
Entering her stateroom, she took another shower and changed into warmer clothes. It would be a few hours before they were due to meet the Bradshaws for dinner, time they clearly needed. This had never happened back home, so why the sudden change of heart? It wasn’t making sense. Tears threatened to fall, but she fought them back, determined that whatever happened, she would not let her heart be broken again.
The telephone in her room broke through her sense of doom.
“Carlos—”
“Sorry, not Carlos. We’re on, see you upstairs.”
Rachel joined Jason outside Aaron and Felicity McCauley’s suite and Jason ushered her into the couple’s bedroom.
“They’re expecting Louise any minute,” he explained quietly.
“What happened?”
“Louise excused herself from the outing today, saying she felt down about Harry being in the infirmary, and our tail tells us she’s been going around, chatting to passengers and telling anyone who would listen that she’s on holiday with her husband and the in-laws. She’s told them the in-laws are depressed about all sorts of things and are now overreacting to her husband being in the infirmary. On a few occasions, she told passengers she thought the couple had lost the will to live and was worried about their state of mind. Sarah tells me she’s even been in the infirmary telling Harry his parents are depressed.”
“Does Harry believe her?”
“I’m not sure; Sarah just says he’s besotted, so he might do.”
“Setting the scene for her to be absolved if they go overboard by implying they are suicidal. Very clever.”
“Yep. An hour ago she called the McCauleys, saying that she wanted to speak with them and suggesting pre-dinner drinks.”
Just as Jason finished speaking, they heard a knock at the door. Jason handed Rachel a set of earphones so she could listen in through the hidden microphone in the stateroom.
Initially there were the usual greetings.
“Did you have a good day out?” Louise asked.
“Yes, we’re pleased you’re feeling better,” Aaron replied. “We’ve not long seen Harry – he seems alright, I hope the doctor lets him out soon.”
“They said he’ll be fine for Christmas dinner tomorrow. While he’s away, I thought it might be a good time for me to tell you I’m sorry that we haven’t always got on and I wondered if there was any chance we could make a new start of things?”
“That would be good. I think we were all a little shaken by how soon you came on the scene following Harry’s divorce, but we can see how much you love each other. It’s been obvious on this cruise.” Felicity’s voice was more shaky than her husband’s. Louise didn’t appear to notice.
“What say we drink to that? I’ve brought champagne – I’ll pour.”
Rachel and Jason couldn’t see what was happening in the next room, but sensed that this would be when Louise would slip the couple a sedative. Waverley would be watching from the operations room and security officers were on standby. Rachel nodded grimly to Jason, who remained still.
“Are you alright, Felicity?” Aaron asked with slurred speech.
“I don’t feel very well.”
Rachel imagined Aaron was trying to get up as they heard a chair move.
“What have you done?”
Louise laughed. “Time to go to sleep, you two – permanently. You should always trust your first instincts, you know?”
“You won’t get away—” Aaron didn’t appear to be able to finish his sentence.
Jason remained where he was, as did Rachel. The next thing they heard was another knock on the door, followed by a man’s voice. Rachel’s eyes widened; they hadn’t expected an accomplice. She looked at Jason, wondering whether they should intervene. He was about to move when Louise’s voice cut in.
“They’ll be out for a good few hours. Give me forty minutes to wash and dress, then make a call from this room to the restaurant. Tell them you and your wife have decided to stay in this evening and to let Louise McCauley know. I’ll be in the restaurant, waiting for the message. Then throw them over.”
“Okay, you take the glasses back to your room.”
“No,” Louise hissed. “Throw them over now, no evidence.”
Jason left the bedroom through the balcony door and waited for the man to open the doors in the lounge area. As soon as she heard this happen, Rachel opened the bedroom door and stopped Louise McCauley in her tracks. The woman’s shocked expression changed from malice to concern in an instant.
“Please, you have to help. I found my mother- and father-in-law unconscious. They need help.”
Rachel smiled as she heard the door behind her open, and Waverley, followed by Carlos, entered the room. Jason already had the male accomplice in an arm lock and Carlos cuffed him, smiling sheepishly at Rachel.
“What is this? These people need help.”
“We’re quite alright, really.”
Louise almost passed out as Aaron and Felicity rose from where they had flopped back in their seats.
“But—”
“Ah yes,” explained Waverley. “We have had you under surveillance all day, madam. The tablets were switched to harmless placebos while you were speaking so eloquently about your in-laws’ state of mind around the ship today.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Perhaps the video footage we have will help you remember.” Waverley played a small amount of footage on the laptop he carried and Louise McCauley put up no further resistance. “Thank you for bringing along an accomplice. Him we didn’t know about, but we’ll know so much more by the end of the evening.”
“How did you know?” Louise asked the McCauleys.
“A private investigator and this young lady here. Thank you, Rachel – you saved our lives.”
Rachel blushed while Louise glared at her.
“I think you will enjoy the rest of your cruise in our brig. Separate rooms, I’m afraid.” Waverley instructed Jason, “You can come with me.” He then cuffed Louise and turned to the McCauleys. “The cameras will be removed while you have dinner. I’ll join you afterwards to explain things to your son.”
“Thank you, chief,” said Aaron. “Thank you too, Miss Prince.”
“Rachel, please. This is my fiancé Carlos who Marjorie told you about.”
“Pleased to meet you, Carlos. You have quite the catch in this young lady.”
Carlos gazed into Rachel’s eyes, “Don’t I know it! I hope you don’t mind me intruding, Rachel, but I asked the chief if I could accompany him to make sure—”
“I was safe,” Rachel finished for him rolling her eyes at the McCauleys. “Time to leave, I think.” She took Carlos’s hand and they left the couple to digest the events they had just been through.
Chapter 27
Carlos arrived at Rachel’s stateroom, dressed in a smart grey evening suit with matching tie. He looked every bit the man she knew. The earlier events appeared to have blown away the wind and the rain between them, and the bad weather also left as the ship set sail for
Southampton. After the late afternoon’s excitement, they melded back into the engaged couple they had been, and Rachel was left wondering whether she’d imagined the tension earlier.
“You look beautiful, Rachel. May I escort you to dinner?”
Rachel had chosen her dress and look well, wanting to make the extra effort for the Christmas Eve party that would follow the evening show, and to remind Carlos what he would be missing if he chose to walk away. She knew she was being ridiculous entertaining such thoughts, but her compass remained very slightly off in terms of the security of their relationship. Tonight would hopefully get them back on track.
“You don’t look so bad yourself. As my other date hasn’t shown up, I guess I’ll have to settle for you.”
He grinned impishly. “Is that the man with the broken kneecaps? I left him downstairs.”
They joined the Bradshaws in the Club Restaurant and Mary Bradshaw couldn’t disguise her delight at seeing Carlos on board, admonishing him continually for threatening to leave Rachel alone over Christmas. Rachel had already warned him not to say anything about the crimes she’d been investigating while the Bradshaws had been on board.
“I expect she’s been bored senseless without me,” he said casually.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” answered Mary. “But she hasn’t quite been herself – miles away most of the time.”
Carlos’s eyes shone with mischief. Knowing full well what had been preoccupying Rachel, he was taking it in good spirit. “I have been the same. It was hard to concentrate without her.”
“Stop it, you two,” said Rachel, kicking Carlos under the table. “How was your day in Lanzarote, Gilbert?”
“It was lovely. We got caught in a rain shower, but other than that it was pleasant. Mary wanted to stay ashore until the last minute, but I made sure we were at least close by. I didn’t want to get left behind.”
“It’s only because I knew it was the final land day. Although, after all the trips we’ve taken over the last four days, I’m actually looking forward to three days at sea. We can explore the ship some more. I’m reliably informed that Christmas dinner is not to be missed. We even saw Santa in the main atrium on our way back on board. It was wonderful seeing children’s excited faces while they queued for a chat and a present.”
Rachel listened while Mary chatted excitedly with Carlos, who was encouraging the couple to tell him all about their experiences and outings. It was satisfying watching him enjoying a virtual cruise as they explained the ins and outs of every place they had been to. There was a hint of sadness in her heart that the first thing she’d told him about was murder and planned murder. Was that what she was becoming? Someone who no longer appreciated the beauty in the world? Perhaps that’s what Carlos was afraid of.
The cruise had been enjoyable in many ways and she too had appreciated the few trips out, but she had been preoccupied. If she faced the truth, she enjoyed catching criminals more than she enjoyed anything else.
Carlos squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the present.
After dinner, Sarah and Jason arrived and they all headed to the theatre to watch the crew put on the show that Rachel had watched being rehearsed a couple of days before. They had been served by different waiters again throughout the evening, but Rachel assumed this was because Mishka and Sacha were involved in the play and had to attend a pre-show rehearsal.
Jason led the way to a row of reserved seats near the front. Sarah explained that she and Bernard, who hadn’t yet arrived, might need to exit promptly should there be any emergencies. Gwen was also joining them while Alex covered the on call for the rest of the ship.
Bernard and Gwen turned up a few minutes later.
“I’m looking forward to resting my feet,” announced the Australian senior nurse. “It’s been one of those days.”
Rachel sat between Sarah and Carlos, with Gwen next to the aisle and Jason on the other side of Sarah. The Bradshaws were next to Jason in more central seats. The excited chattering of passengers filled the air. Jason was drinking tonic water, Sarah and Bernard drank colas, and Gwen joined Rachel and the Bradshaws with the day’s cocktail as she was off duty.
The lights were finally dimmed as the sound of music filled the two tiered theatre that spanned three decks at the front of the ship. It was time for the show to begin.
The crew put on a mesmerising performance and got a standing ovation. The whole show went off just as Dr Bentley had planned. He and the cruise director took a bow at the end, and passengers whooped and cheered as if they were at Carnegie Hall.
The whole cast was on stage when Rachel’s head shot up. “Who’s that woman talking to Sacha?” she asked Sarah.
“She’s Frank’s wife.”
“Who’s Frank?”
“He manages the casino, why?”
Rachel jumped up and slapped her head. She leaned over Sarah and spoke to Jason.
“We need to get backstage. Call Waverley.”
Jason spoke into his radio while cheers rang through the theatre. Rachel got up and Jason followed, leaving Carlos and Sarah looking bemused. Luckily, Mary and Gilbert were already chatting excitedly about the show with the people next to them and didn’t notice Rachel’s hasty departure.
Jason led the way to the rear of the theatre. “We need to speak to Sacha,” Rachel explained.
By the time they arrived, Waverley was there, a little out of puff.
“What’s going on?”
“Apparently we need to speak with Sacha Voronin.”
Jason tracked the waiter down and told him to join them. As they made their way back to Waverley’s office, Sacha’s shoulders hunched. Waverley’s confused expression showed as he asked the man to take a seat. Before he got the opportunity to ask Rachel what was going on, Sacha spoke.
“How did you find out?”
Rachel answered, “When you and your sister – I thought she was your girlfriend at the time – passed me the other night, a memory nagged me. At first I imagined I recognised your voice – which I did in retrospect – but it was actually the shoes. You wear distinctive trainers with a fox painted on the toes. It was an image flashback that bothered me, not the voice. I saw the fox ever so briefly when I was tripped over on deck sixteen. When I saw you tonight, even from a distance, I remembered seeing the fox, and when I learned who the woman was on stage with you, I pieced it all together.”
Waverley listened intently, staring at Rachel. “So this man is our killer, not Danielle Barcellos?”
“Correct. He killed both men to protect his sister.” Rachel turned back to Sacha. “I assume the first killing was because Sosa was blackmailing your sister, and the second? You will perhaps enlighten us with the reason.”
Sacha bowed his head. “Sosa was not satisfied with blackmailing Pash, he was also blackmailing my sister, Lola. I heard him bragging one day to Danielle about it. I waited for the right time. I knew Danielle would take him a new bottle of whisky while he was in London. I spiked the open bottle in his room, and when I saw her taking a fresh bottle from storage, I told Pash, knowing he would store the memory for his own use. Also, it would help me get away with murder.
“Later that day I searched Sosa’s room and managed to get in the safe. He hadn’t changed the code from original. I removed all photos and records of my sister and read through everything else in case I found something important. I also found a will that I didn’t have time to read so I took it with me.”
“You removed the epi-pens and returned them later, I presume?”
“Yes, just in case the medicine would help. I didn’t want him to get help.”
“Why did you tell Pash about the will?”
“There was complication. My sister is pregnant, but doesn’t know who is father. She told Pash that if the baby was mixed race, her husband would know about the affair and disown her. She wanted him to either pay for abortion or promise he would provide for her and the child if the child was Pash’s and her husband divorced he
r. He refused, said she should have been more careful, and that now he had been promoted, he didn’t want to put his job at risk. He told her if she told anyone the baby could be his, he would smear her name.
“I decided to tell Pash about the will as I knew he would demand some of the money from Danielle, and that he would remember the whisky bottle Danielle took to Sosa’s room. It worked. Mishka and me saw Pash and Danielle have row.”
“Afterwards you took her badge and planted it at the crime scene,” said Rachel.
“That was lucky break for me, she left it in galley area of restaurant.”
“Why did you choose to frame Danielle? She has a daughter.”
“No-one liked her. We all knew she spied for Sosa – I did the others a favour by getting her away and saved myself at the same time.”
“Except you didn’t, did you? You’re under arrest,” snarled Waverley. “Goodridge, get this man out of my sight. Rachel, come with me please.”
Waverley led Rachel to the room where Danielle was being held and opened the door. Rachel smiled at her.
“It’s over – you’re free.”
Tears fell down Danielle’s face as she hugged Rachel. “Thank you.”
Rachel held her tight. “You’re welcome. You can start again now.”
Waverley coughed. “I apologise, Ms Barcellos. The real murderer is now in custody and Mishka will be sacked on return to Southampton, so you can begin again with a clean slate. I’ll make sure you’re moved to a different restaurant for now.”
Danielle glared at the chief and walked away.
“I guess I deserved that.”
“You did, but even I was almost convinced in the end. Sacha very nearly got away with it.”
“But for Miss Rachel Prince, cruise ship sleuth,” said Waverley, smiling.
Chapter 28
The Christmas Eve party had been a resounding success, once Rachel and Jason had managed to convince the Bradshaws that they had both been taken short, and then struggled to find them again due to the crowds leaving the theatre. Carlos knew the full story, as did Sarah, and both were pleased that the real killer was now in the brig. Sarah was particularly pleased and wanted to tell Bernard straight away. Bernard had never believed the killer could be Danielle, so he was delighted. Rachel omitted the part about recognising the fox on the shoe from the day she was attacked. Feeling slightly guilty at holding out on Carlos, she decided that some things were best not known.
