Death on the Danube

by Jennifer S. Alderson

  “Dumpling, please let me explain.” He looked down the corridor to Lana. “In private.”

  Sally stuck her head out and saw Lana. Black rivers of mascara streamed down her face. “It’s okay, Lana. I’ll scream if I need you,” Sally said, her voice weary.

  Sally stepped aside so Carl could enter, then closed the door.

  Lana was torn. Part of her wanted to leave them alone, but her gut told her that things could get uglier before they improved. She stood her ground, waiting to see what happened next. She couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying to each other, but from Carl’s pleading tone, it wasn’t going well.

  Too soon, Carl’s explanations were drowned out by Sally’s response.

  “I’ve wasted so much time and money on you. Here – gamble this away!” Lana heard Sally yell. Seconds later, there was a large splash.

  “Sally, are you okay?” Lana tried the door, but it was locked. She pushed her ear to the door, yelling, “Sally, tell me what’s happening! Did he hurt you?”

  “I pushed him in, Lana,” Sally called out through the closed door. She responded so calmly, Lana almost didn’t believe her ears.

  “Oh God, what did you do? The water’s got to be freezing. Help!” Lana screamed as she ran down the hallway and back outside. “Man overboard!”

  Lana raced down to the lowest deck and searched the water from the railing. The sun was down, and the metal was ice cold. She could only imagine what the water felt like. She heard Carl splashing and sputtering before she saw him a few feet from the bow.

  When she looked around for assistance, she noticed a life buoy tied to the railing. Lana flung it into the water and missed. Luckily, a crew member had better aim. Carl slipped it over his head and held on tight as he was lifted back on board. The first mate covered him with a blanket, then helped him inside. As soon as they’d reached their staff quarters, the first mate said, “You need to remove your clothes and wrap yourself in dry blankets.”

  Carl tried, but he was shaking so badly, he couldn’t get a grip on his clothes. “Let me help you, baby,” Jess said in a soothing voice as she tried to break through the barrier of crew members to reach him.

  Lana tugged on her arm, pulling her away. “You’ve done enough. Please go to your cabin before anything else happens.”

  Jess jutted out her chin and started to respond. The look in Lana’s eyes stopped her midbreath, and she quietly did as she was told.

  Two crew members quickly stripped Carl down to his underwear and then covered him with a multitude of blankets.

  Soon another crew member sporting a medical bag arrived to check Carl’s vital signs, the captain on his heels.

  “This man could have been killed! How did this happen?” the captain asked.

  Lana started to respond when Sally spoke up. The crowd of crew members parted so that Sally could approach the captain.

  “He told me he didn’t lo…” Sally started to explain, but was too overcome with emotion to continue. Instead, she hung her head in shame. “I didn’t mean to push him.”

  The captain frowned at Sally then looked to Carl. “Do you wish to press charges?”

  Carl turned to Sally, glaring at her as he considered his options. After a long silence, he said, “No, not at this time.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Sally muttered as she tried to touch his arm.

  “Stay away from me! You tried to kill me!”

  “No, I didn’t mean to…” Sally snuggled close, attempting to smother him with kisses and apologies.

  Carl pushed her away. “You devil woman, I said leave me alone or I will press charges!”

  Lana took Sally by the shoulders and navigated her back to her stateroom. She was inconsolable. Lana didn’t know what she could say that might stop the tears streaming down Sally’s face.

  “I want to be alone,” Sally said between sobs.

  “I understand. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Sally tried wiping her eyes dry, but it was a losing battle. “I can feel a nasty migraine coming on. Could you get my medicine from the bathroom? It’s the prescription bottle on the counter.”

  “Sure.” Lana grabbed the bottle and poured a glass of water.

  “Thanks,” Sally said, the word getting caught in her throat. After swallowing the pills with half the glass of water, she threw herself onto her bed and began weeping uncontrollably.

  Lana backed out of the room, recalling her own reaction to Ron’s breakup message. It was about the same. Sally didn’t need a stranger trying to comfort her, just time to let her heart accept Carl’s rejection and heal.

  After she closed Sally’s door, Lana went to check on the others. When she returned to the lounge, Lana was surprised to see all of the other guests were sitting at one table, deep in conversation. Nothing like a drama to bring a group together, she thought.

  Frieda pounced as soon as Lana was within earshot. “You were the first one outside, Lana. Did you see what happened?”

  “Carl followed Sally to her room. They fought, and Sally accidentally shoved him into river. But Carl will be fine; the crew got him out in time,” Lana said in her most reassuring voice, hoping to defuse any wild rumors with the truth.

  “I’m not surprised Sally pushed that parasite into the Danube. From what she told me, he’s been sponging off of her for months,” Helen said.

  Tom went pale and took a swig of his drink. Helen didn’t notice, but Lana did. What exactly were Tom and Carl up to? And did it have anything to do with Lake Union Yacht Rentals? Lana still couldn’t wrap her brain around why Tom would have given Carl any amount of money to invest. He was a part-time guide with a gambling problem, not a businessman. Nothing made sense.

  “Well, that’s enough drama for us. We’re heading to the casino.” Rebecca announced as the Fabulous Five stood to leave.

  “Blackjack table, here I come!” Sara rubbed her hands together and shot Lana a winning smile.

  “Best of luck, ladies. Break a leg.”

  “Hey, don’t say that. Our bones are brittle enough that it’s easily within the realm of possibilities. And we aren’t performing on stage. We’re going to clean out the Tropicana Casino.” Nicole cackled in delight.

  Lana helped the five friends hail a taxi from the dock, then returned to the lounge, secretly hoping the rest of her group had gone off to their cabins.

  When she climbed the staircase to the lounge, she noticed the Hendersons were heading down the hallway to their stateroom. There was hope she might be able to enjoy a glass of wine in peace. Unfortunately for Lana, Tom was at the bar pouring two glasses of white wine. When he took them to his table, Lana poured herself a glass of red and sat far away from Tom and Helen. Lana put her feet up just as Helen’s phone rang, shattering the silence.

  Helen glanced at the number and muttered, “That’s odd, why would our accountant be calling?” before answering it. “Hello, Samuel.” She listened a moment, then exploded in anger. “What do you mean there are problems with the refinancing? Can you speak up, Sam? This connection is terrible.” Her brow furrowed, and she stood up, pushing a finger into her free ear. The soft music piped into the lounge was apparently too much extra noise for her to hear properly.

  She held the phone to her chest and said to Tom, “I’ll be right back. I better see what he wants.”

  Tom stood and grabbed her arm. “What refinancing?”

  “The interest rates are so low, I am refinancing the mortgage on our home.”

  “Why didn’t you consult me first?”

  Helen jerked her arm free. “Because the house is mine, isn’t it? I am the one who bought it, and I am the one paying the bills.” Helen turned and stalked off towards the dining room. “Let me get to a quieter place, Sam.”

  Tom’s eyes widened as he watched his wife walk away, leaving her wine untouched. As if in a daze, he rose and returned to the bar to pour himself a double shot of vodka. He stared at it a moment, then downed it in one gulp.


  Sensing another marital argument coming on, Lana decided to call it a night before Helen returned. “Boy, it’s been one heck of an evening. I’m going to turn in. If you need me, I’ll be in cabin 7.” She picked up her wine and carefully made her way to the door.

  Tom waved a hand in response before pouring another double.

  Lana shook her head and sighed as she headed downstairs to her room. Being alone is preferable to being in a relationship with such a high-strung partner, she thought.

  14 Carl, Where Are You?

  December 30 – Day Four of the Wanderlust Tour in Budapest, Hungary

  Lana woke up groggy and stiff. The nightstand lamp was still on, and a paperback mystery novel lay open on the pillow next to her. It had taken several chapters before she fell into a deep sleep. The boat creaked and groaned as it bobbed in the cold water. Her room was close to the main entrance, meaning she’d heard the heavy door to the hallway opening and shutting as her tour guests returned from their night on the town. Helen and Tom’s whopper of an argument, audible through the thin walls, hadn’t helped with her insomnia, either. More splashes, thumps, and laughter had also traveled into her room via her balcony. At one point, she’d sworn someone was knocking on the hull. Yet no one would have been stupid enough to go swimming in this icy cold water, and at night no less.

  With great difficulty, Lana rose out of her comfortable bed and took a hot shower. At least she didn’t have to do much today besides keep the peace during breakfast. At 6 a.m., their boat had set sail for Visegrád, a small village in the Danube Bend known for its castle, fruit brandy, and spectacular views over the river. It was a three and a half hour ride from Budapest, meaning they should be arriving shortly after breakfast. Their tour guide would meet them at the local marina to take them by taxi to Visegrád Castle, followed by a traditional lunch and a brandy tasting.

  After they returned, their riverboat would travel on to the picturesque village of Zebegény and dock there for the night. Tomorrow morning they would sail back through the Danube Bend to Budapest, stopping off at the colorful village of Szentendre along the way. Dotty said this two-day trip to the smaller villages upstream was the highlight of the tour. Lana couldn’t wait to tag along.

  Lana opened the door to the dining room with trepidation, afraid to see who was awake and what everyone’s mood was.

  The Fabulous Five were polishing off their first round of eggs, bacon, and toast. “Well, speak of the devil. How did you sleep, Lana?”

  “Like a baby,” she said as she crossed over to their table. “And did Lady Luck smile on you last night?”

  “She sure did,” Frieda said, her tone satisfied. “All of us ended up leaving with more money than we came in with. I don’t think that’s ever happened before. Rebecca even won a slot machine jackpot!”

  “I’ve never seen so many coins in my life! It’s only too bad they were fifty-cent pieces and not those two-euro coins,” Rebecca grumbled.

  “It was a waterfall of money,” Sara laughed.

  “Wow, I wish I’d seen that,” Lana said.

  “And we got quite the show, thanks to Carl,” Nicole added.

  Lana’s smile froze. “Do you mean, Sally pushing him into the Danube?”

  “No, he showed up at the casino about an hour after we arrived. When he tried to enter, one of the bouncers asked whether he had another Rolex to trade in. Isn’t that a funny way to greet someone? I swear, humor has changed since I was a girl.”

  “They held him back from entering until he pulled out a wad of cash. They didn’t make us show them our money at the door,” Frieda said.

  “That does sound strange, though you ladies have far more experience than I do.” Lana had, in fact, never set foot in a casino and didn’t know the first thing about gambling.

  “We were all settled into a good game of blackjack when Carl started playing poker at a table close to ours. I swear, that man is a magnet for trouble! First Jess shows up and screams at him for not taking care of their baby, then Helen gets him kicked out of the casino. That man has no luck with women.”

  “Wait, what do you mean, Helen got him kicked out? And what did Jess say?”

  Frieda leaned back and folded her hands over her plump torso. “Jess was berating him for not making her an honest woman, seeing as she was carrying his child.”

  Lana’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought she was bluffing about being pregnant. How did Carl react?”

  “It was the darndest thing. He just laughed at her and kept playing his game. When she tried to pull the cards out of his hand, a security guard came over and escorted her away. You should have seen the evil glare Jess shot him. If looks could kill!”

  Lana couldn’t believe Jess was so smitten with Carl that she would track him down at the casino. Sure, Carl was charismatic and good looking, but he was twice her age and heavily in debt. What did Jess see in him? Could she really be pregnant? Lana thought back to her first night in Budapest and how she’d seen Jess skinny-dipping in the pool. The young woman looked like she was made of skin and bones, not a mother-to-be.

  “I tell you what, if that girl is pregnant, I’ll eat my scarf,” said Julia. “I haven’t seen her get nauseated once, not even when they tried to feed us that spicy cabbage dish. The smell alone would have driven me to the toilet.”

  “I never did get morning sickness. But I did have to go to the bathroom every five minutes,” Sara chimed in.

  “I sat next to Jess on the tour bus, and she reeked of cigarette smoke. And she does love to drink daiquiris. I sure hope she’s not pregnant because she might mess up her baby,” Nicole added.

  “Whether she’s pregnant or not doesn’t matter right now. We were telling Lana about last night, remember?” Frieda asked, chastising her friends for dawdling off-topic. “After Jess left, everything settled back down to normal. After Nicole won two hands of blackjack in a row, Helen showed up and then all hell broke loose. Excuse my French,” Frieda said, apologizing to her crowd. “What she was ranting and raving about I certainly do not know; she was screeching so badly it was impossible to understand her.”

  “All I could make out was ‘insurance,’” Sara added.

  “And that ‘she wasn’t as stupid as her husband.’ Boy, they must have a wonderful marriage,” Rebecca quipped.

  “I had just been dealt an ace of spades and was about to yell blackjack when Helen clawed at Carl’s face,” Nicole said.

  “Then she pushed Carl into the table, and all the chips got mixed up. She’s got some temper on her,” Frieda interjected.

  “The security guards had enough,” Nicole resumed. “They kicked them both out of the casino. Carl got real mad because he was on a winning streak. I swear it looked like he was going to punch her.”

  “Helen? Or Jess?”

  “Helen, dear. Try and keep up,” Sara said.

  “Good Lord, what skeletons does Carl have in his closet? It seems like every woman on the tour wants to kill him!” Lana exclaimed.

  “Well, not us, or Mrs. Henderson.”

  “Sorry, you’re right.” What exactly was Carl up to? Was he having an affair with Helen, as well? Lana couldn’t believe it. Helen reminded her of a tarantula, the kind that eats her partner after mating.

  “When you returned to the boat, did you see any of the other guests?”

  “There was someone smoking on the upper deck. I could see their cigarette butt burning. It looked like Jess to me, but then again, it was dark. I can’t be certain it was her,” Sara said.

  Lana nodded absently. “I wonder where Carl slept last night.”

  “You mean with Sally or Jess?” Frieda asked.

  Just at that moment, Sally entered the lounge. Her hair was frazzled and her clothes hastily thrown on. Lana could imagine she’d had a rough night.

  Sally approached the table with her head down. “Hi, Lana,” she said. “Carl didn’t come back to my cabin last night, and he’s not answering his door. I just want to make sure he’s alrigh
t, but I don’t want to interrupt him if he’s with her.”

  Lana nodded in understanding. “I’ll knock on Jess’s door. Why don’t you stay here?” Sally nodded, and they switched places.

  Lana went down to their rooms. Jess answered on the first knock.

  “What do you want?” Jess snarled at her.

  “I am just trying to find Carl. Is he in there with you?”

  “No, he’s not.” Jess slammed the door before Lana could ask to see inside. Unsure what to do next, she tried Carl’s door. Her knocks became more insistent, but she couldn’t hear any movement inside. She jiggled the handle, but it was locked.

  After locating the first mate and explaining the situation, he opened Carl’s cabin door for Lana. The bed hadn’t been slept in, and there was no sign that Carl had spent time inside since they had arrived.

  “If he’s not here, and not in any of the other cabins, where else could he be?” Lana asked.

  “We will search through the crew’s quarters and engine room. But we cannot open the other guests’ staterooms without their consent. Have you checked the upper deck?”

  Lana shook her head, feeling foolish. Carl might be enjoying a smoke while watching the river. She could imagine he would rather not see Jess, Helen, or Sally right now. “I should have before calling you.”

  “It’s alright. Why don’t we walk up together?”

  The sun was shining brightly, though the air was still crisp. Carl was nowhere to be seen. Lana looked down over the railing into the dark blue waters of the Danube. Clumps of ice rolled over the waves.

  They looked inside the plastic enclosure and saw the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. Several had the distinctive purple tinge of Helen’s lipstick. Yet that was not what caught their attention. One cigarette had left a trail of ash, as if someone had lit it then let it burn down to the butt. It was Carl’s preferred brand. Next to the ashtray was a half glass of beer.

  “That’s odd. It’s almost as if someone was interrupted while having a drink and a smoke,” Lana said.

  The first mate agreed. “I will have our men search the ship and let you know if we find anything.”