Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Page 23

  Millie glanced at her watch. “I think they’re serving hors d’oeuvres in the Starlight Lounge. We could have a drink and a bite before going down to get ready for dinner.”

  “That’s right, formal night.” Ruth grimaced.

  The elevator arrived and Ian pushed the button for the top deck. When they arrived in the corridor outside the lounge, Millie and Ruth excused themselves to use the facilities and Claire found herself alone with Ian. He ushered her gallantly into the lounge, pointing to a table near the front windows.

  “That was very mean of you,” he said in a low voice.

  She didn’t even question his meaning, she knew. “I didn’t think you needed the temptation. And frankly I wouldn’t sleep worrying about it. It seemed the most sensible solution.” She selected one of the chairs, slipped her tote bag off her shoulder and sat it down by her feet.

  “What are you, a grown up Nancy Drew? Just my luck you found me with my hand in the cookie jar,” he complained.

  “Hardly a cookie jar. I’d say you were really lucky it was me and other things distracted me so I didn’t report you. I still can’t believe it. What do you do? Make your living taking cruises so you can steal from little old ladies?”

  “Now you’re just being cruel. I told you I retired. I just had some unfinished business to attend to.”

  “Sure, sounds like monkey business to me.” She settled back into her chair and looked carefully at him. “Well Ian, now we know each other a little better. You know I have connections with the San Francisco Police and I’m inclined to use those if necessary. And I know you’re not just a mildly flirtatious retired businessman. You’re a jewel thief on a mission. I think it is best if I don’t have any reason to suspect your involvement in any crimes in my immediate vicinity and then I won’t have any reason to meddle in your business, will I?”

  She thought for a moment. “And we’d better both pray that your brother and my mother aren’t developing a serious relationship, so we have to stay connected when this cruise ends.”

  He nodded. “Amen.” Then rose to his feet as Ruth and Millie arrived, holding plates in each hand piled high with the assortment of appetizers laid out for the passengers.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Ian emerged from a cloud of steam in the tiny bathroom to find his brother lounging on the bed watching the replay of a lecture on porpoises given by the wildlife expert earlier in the cruise.

  Sean smiled. “Hey Bro, where you been? I looked for you earlier, but it’s amazing how many places there are to look on this ship.”

  Ian nodded, getting a fresh shirt out of his drawer. “So, tonight’s the last formal night. Can you stand getting gussied up once more?”

  “Sure, actually, it’s been kind of fun. Where I live I only need my tux for weddings. I kind of enjoy dressing fancy for a change. And of course the food they serve helps.” He rolled off the bed. “I guess I’d better shower and shave. I have to keep up with the standard you set.”

  When he emerged his brother was fixing his tie. He hesitated just a moment then asked, “Listen, Ian. Did you get it?”

  Ian paused, looking at his brother. “I don’t think you really want to know, do you?”

  “Probably not, but I keep thinking about it so you may as well tell me.”

  Ian shook his head.

  “Does that mean you didn’t do it or you’re not telling me?”

  “I changed my mind. I thought about what you said about Pap letting his quest for retrieving the Heart ruin his life, and I decided I was smart enough to learn from his mistakes.”

  Sean’s jaw actually dropped. He paused, watching his brother, then said, “Well that’s about the biggest load of shit you’ve ever tried to lay on me. And I don’t believe it! You’re just going to let it go? Now when the old lady is gone? When no one else knows those jewels as she does? Hell, her heirs may not even miss it. Now you’re telling me you’re going to let it go?”

  Ian nodded sober-faced and then grinned sheepishly, admitting, “Claire caught me in Mrs. Bernbaum’s cabin with the Heart in my hand. Another two minutes I would have been gone.” He paused, his look of disgust all too real. “So she knows. I tried to talk my way out of it, but that didn’t work. I was wearing my gloves, you see. I couldn’t explain why. So, as of now I don’t dare go near it.”

  His brother nodded. This explanation made more sense to him.

  “It was just unfortunate that Mrs. Bernbaum died and we found her. Or maybe not, because Claire got so distracted by that she didn’t turn me in. That was a real break for me because she seems to be totally on the side of law and order.”

  “Wow, I’d say you were lucky. So this trip has cost you a bundle, for nothing. Except, I’ve had a great time. So any time you want to do it again and need me to help cover for you, I’ll be happy to oblige.”

  Just before they left the cabin Sean asked, “So what are you going to do?”

  Ian shrugged. “I’m going to retire with what I’ve managed to put away and live the good life down on the Gulf near New Orleans. I have plenty of money to travel. I’ll spend some time in Mexico, summers in the mountains and I’m going to keep my ears open. Somewhere, sometime there will be another opportunity. For sure the Heart of Persia is going to come back to our family. It belongs to us. Pap got it for saving those peoples’ lives. He did a heroic service for them. He deserved it. He should still have it. It should have been his legacy to us.”

  * * *

  The dining room glittered with the finery of the guests. A small orchestra nestled again at the top, where the grand staircase connected to the balcony. The soft notes of the music floated over the room. It was the last formal night and everyone on the cruise seemed to be of the mind to celebrate a great trip. Their table, number seventeen, was now short two persons. But those remaining spread along each side leaving the two end seats vacant so the table appeared comfortably full. Everyone expressed their sorrow over Mrs. Bernbaum, but seemed to accept it as an event which was sure to happen. No one asked about Richard. Four of them knew where he was. The other four just assumed he was avoiding the festivities because of his aunt’s death. It seemed only natural to them.

  Everyone was dressed in their finest tonight. Claire had a moment of panic when she saw the dark marks on her neck, which she knew would initiate far too many questions. She solved that problem by wrapping a filmy colorful scarf around her neck twice and letting it flow down her back. It added color to her simple long black gown and hid her bruises.

  Harold bought the first champagne saying, “I guess I can’t expect Lucy’s friend to buy every night.”

  Claire surprised everyone by ordering the next two bottles. When all the glasses had been filled again she stood and said, “I would like to propose a toast to Mrs. Bernbaum.” She looked around the table as everyone picked up their glasses and said somberly, “I didn’t know her long, but she made an impact on me. I will never again dismiss someone because they are old, because she showed me how interesting old people can be. I will never let myself vegetate because I think I have become too old, because she showed me you can pursue your interests to the end. I salute Mrs. Bernbaum, wherever she is.” She raised her glass and then took a sip. The others followed suit and soon those bottles were gone and Ian ordered the next.

  Thus dinner progressed gaily. The chef exceeded his previous menu offerings with Beef Wellington, lobster thermidor, roast duck in cherry sauce, pork tenderloins a la Oscar and roasted portabella mushrooms on fettuccini. It was difficult to choose, so Harold didn’t. He ordered two entrees.

  Antonio stopped by their table to salute them, smile at Lucy and remind them of the dance to be held after dinner tonight.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be there,” Sean said, sweeping his hand around to include the entire table. “We’re going to enjoy every minute we have left, right ladies and gentlemen?”

  Everyone nodded and Antonio moved off rather reluctantly. He obviously would have liked to stay and joi
n their party. The seat next to Lucy was temptingly empty.

  “Lucy, this cruise is ending day after tomorrow. Aren’t you going to miss Antonio?” Ruth asked sympathetically.

  Lucy nodded. “A little, but neither of us want it to be more than a shipboard romance. It’s been fun, he’s been fun, but already my mind is working out the beginning of my next book. This has been a delightful vacation. Still, I’m anxious to get back to real life. What about you?”

  Ruth nodded. “I admit while I’ve enjoyed every minute, I still miss George.” Her face turned slightly pink. “I know that sounds rather juvenile, but I guess that’s because he makes me feel young again.”

  Sean sitting next to Ruth raised his eyebrows. “So, Ruth you have a beau you left behind. Why didn’t he come with you?”

  “Well, this was kind of a girls’ thing. You know, like you and your guy friends going on a fishing trip.”

  He nodded, getting the idea. “That’s why Ian and I took this trip. It was a chance to bond again. We were very close as boys, even as young men. Then our lives went off in different directions. We still stayed in touch. We were still brothers, but we weren’t close any more. You know?”

  “What a good idea. And we’re certainly glad you decided to cruise. You both have added immensely to the bonhomie of our table to say nothing about handy on the dance floor,” Millie told him, patting his hand fondly.

  Pearl, who had been following the conversation from across the table wanted to tell them about her and Harold. “You know, I’ve wanted to cruise for years. I suppose since the Love Boat was on television, but Harold just wasn’t interested. Until, I suggested this trip to Alaska. I finally found a destination which interested him. And we have both loved this trip. It has been like a booster shot for us. Getting dressed up for dinner, dancing, meeting people, all the activities they have for us and then seeing all these quaint Gold Rush towns has really been wonderful. And while we might have done some of them at home, here it’s all compressed into a short time frame. How anyone could not love cruising, I just don’t know.”

  “It has been great. I was just being a sourpuss, I admit. Well, we’re going to do it again. Maybe the Mediterranean, you know romantic moonlit nights, little Greek Islands, Roman ruins? It will make me seem romantic when I’m not.” He smiled at Pearl. “Gotta keep her happy, heh?”

  Suddenly the lights dimmed further, the music swelled with the notes of Funiculi Funicula. They looked up to see a procession of waiters, each holding a platter of flaming Baked Alaska high above their heads, stream down the central staircase. Behind them came the assistants, and the busboys, and the wine stewards and even some of the kitchen staff in their distinctive chefs’ hats. Everyone who was not carrying a flaming platter held a white napkin over their head, waving it in a circle in time to the music. The passengers oohed and aahed; standing at their places they spontaneously waved their napkins over their heads to join the fun. The parade was so well received it went around the dining room once more. Finally the orchestra’s resounding conclusion of the song brought the parade to an end before the Baked Alaskas melted.

  After the dessert was finished and the last drop of coffee drained, Sean suggested more champagne. “My treat this time, upstairs where I intend to dance until I drop.”

  “What a great idea.” Ruth stood up, ready to continue the festivities of dinner.

  Everyone seemed of like mind, heading once more for the Starlight Lounge.

  * * *

  Claire dashed across the tiny cabin to grab the phone. It was only eight and Lucy had her head buried under her pillow while Claire dressed. She had been out until some ungodly hour and wouldn’t get up for hours yet. Claire usually crept around quietly in the morning so as not to disturb her.

  “Good morning,” she whispered tentatively into the phone.

  “Ms. Gulliver, this is the Security Office. We wanted to alert you to an appointment we scheduled for you to meet with the representatives from the San Francisco Police Department today in the conference room on the second deck near the disembarkation station. Can you please present yourself there at 9:30 a.m.?”

  She murmured her agreement even as she wondered how representatives of the San Francisco Police Department had appeared magically on board. That question was answered when she joined her mother at breakfast. Millie and Ruth had saved her a seat at a table they shared with Heidi and Bob and another couple.

  “Good morning, dear. Is Lucy still sleeping?”

  “Of course.” She smiled her greeting at Heidi and Bob and cordially exchanged names with the other couple.

  “Did you all see the helicopter this morning?” Heidi asked. “It was so exciting. It landed right out front on that space marked with a big circle. Bob and I were doing our walk early and there it was, just coming in to land. I thought it was here to pick up someone who was sick, but Bob thought it was that entertainer we had the other night leaving. Anyway, we were both wrong. People got out, but no one got back on before it took off again.”

  Claire glanced at Millie and could see from her startled look that she probably had an appointment scheduled this morning too. But she just let the others discuss possible purposes of the helicopter’s visit. Finally, they exhausted that topic and moved on to the activities scheduled for the day. Claire arranged to meet her mother and Ruth for the final bingo session. She was feeling lucky and knew someone was going to win the big jackpot today. It was certainly worth the cost of the bingo cards. She was also interested in the last wildlife session and agreed to go to that too. But other than those two activities she said she intended to finish her book, I Married the Klondike, which she purchased in Ketchikan, and watch for porpoises and whales while she lazed away the day.

  Ruth had scheduled a busy day. She was doing bingo, bridge, the horse races, the lecture and trivia before her massage scheduled later in the afternoon. She was thinking she might have time for a swim if she skipped lunch.

  “Skip lunch? Are you sure, Ruth? It’s a long time until dinner,” Millie questioned her friend knowing how she liked her meals, especially since they weren’t charged for them.

  Ruth shrugged. “Maybe I should have lunch. Let’s meet at the buffet at one, if I don’t see you before then. I’m sure I could manage a little bite then.”

  After people started leaving the breakfast table, Claire and Millie were left to finish their coffee.

  “How are you this morning, dear? Could you sleep after all that excitement yesterday?”

  Claire grimaced. “Barely, but I was so tired the waves finally rocked me to sleep. I have some terrible bruising on my neck. I’ve had to search through my clothes to find a few things with high necks. It’s worse than having a hickey.”

  Her mother’s look of alarm caused her to quickly change the subject. “Mom, are you meeting with the police this morning?’

  Millie nodded. “Yes, I’m scheduled for nine. You?”

  “Nine-thirty. Look do you want to meet for coffee later, say before the lecture? Then we can compare notes.”

  Millie nodded. “I’m a little nervous. But I’m just going to tell them what happened.”

  Claire patted her hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. They just want to gather all the evidence. I guess, since Heidi said the helicopter took off without anyone getting on board, that Richard and Kim are still here.”

  “I guess so. The security man, Larry, said they had a jail on board. Imagine that? This ship is like a whole city. They have a morgue and a jail and that doctor we saw last night said they have a hospital and even operating facilities. I guess they’re ready for anything.” The ladies left the dining room. Today was their last day and they didn’t intend to waste a moment of it.

  * * *

  “Ms. Claire Gulliver?” The man waved her into the small conference room. “Please have a seat. I’m Lieutenant Phil Washington.” He displayed an open wallet with his police identification in a window compartment opposite his gold badge. “This is Sergeant
Nancy Keely.” He nodded at the attractive black woman seated at the table.”

  She stood up and offered her hand to shake while holding out her badge and identification with the other.

  “Coffee?” he offered, then seeing Claire’s head shake, proceeded. “Ordinarily, we would board when the ship docks, but because of what transpired here yesterday Captain Dixon thought we’d need a bit more time to process the crime scene. Six of us arrived this morning by helicopter. We have a forensics team checking out all three cabins. We have two teams interviewing the witnesses.”

  “Now, Nancy, can you show Ms. Gulliver the information we have on her to make sure it is correct?”

  “Call me Claire,” she murmured as she looked at the paper with her name, address and other vital information which Nancy held out to her.

  “Yes, this all looks correct.”

  “Now we’d like to record this conversation. Is that acceptable to you?” The lieutenant was very polite.”

  “Fine, no problem.”

  So Claire told them about meeting Mrs. Bernbaum, the visits to her cabin, the friendship that developed between them. She spoke about the strangeness of Anita’s disappearance, her request of Sean Dixon to check Anita’s house in San Francisco and her concern about Mrs. Bernbaum’s well-being when she didn’t come to dinner the night they left Ketchikan.

  She told them absolutely everything except about finding Ian with the Heart of Persia in his hand when she walked in on him in Mrs. Bernbaum’s cabin that night. Nor did she mention they locked up Mrs. Bernbaum’s jewelry before calling security to report her death. She told herself neither of those events effected the case against Richard and Kim and would, in fact, probably only muddy the waters.

  “Now, Ms. Gulliver, um, Claire, had you seen or met this woman, Kim, before yesterday?” Nancy asked.

  “No. Well, I had seen her. I saw Richard with her a couple times. Once he was in the casino with her. Once I saw him with her in the piano bar late, but I didn’t have any reason to think she was connected to him or Mrs. Bernbaum in any way. I have no idea if Mrs. Bernbaum knew her or not. I just assumed it was someone Richard met on board and was attracted to.”