Haunted Destiny (18 page)

Or a nice guy being kind to someone else.

“Crazy, huh? Me drinking like this—and confiding in a stranger!” Lorna said.

“It's all right. Sometimes it's a good thing to talk to someone who isn't involved.”

“I don't even know what he's doing right now,” she went on. “The cells aren't working, and the computers are down. And I left the suite. Think he headed straight to her cabin, Mr. McCoy?”

“No, I just got in touch with my coworker, Jackson, a few minutes ago to ask him to call off security. Before that I was at your suite. Your husband's worried.”

She lowered her head. “I'm grateful you were all worried about me,” she said. “Embarrassed, too. But...I'm actually glad that I gave Roger a few moments of worry. Now he'll know how
I
feel,” she said softly.

“Want me to see you back to your cabin?”

“Sure,” she said. She set down her drink and stared at it. “I don't even like these sugary things.”

“Shall we go?”

He hoped he wasn't bringing her back to a serial killer—to the Archangel himself.

But even if Roger
was
the Archangel, statistically Lorna was safe.

Most serial killers didn't strike at or near home. They used their standing as family men and good neighbors to protect their secret identities.

Besides, at this point Jude had no reason—and certainly no actual evidence—to think that Roger was the Archangel.

He offered Lorna an arm; she took it with a smile. “Well, I am feeling a bit wobbly. And the ship is...well, quite wobbly, too.”

He escorted her from the bar, to the elevator and up to her suite.

Roger was waiting anxiously in the hallway. “Lorna!” he said, rushing forward to embrace her. “Oh, my God, I was so worried!”

“Were you really?” she asked, pulling back to study his face.

“I was scared silly. You just—you just disappeared!”

“I went out for a drink.”

“But you always tell me when you're going somewhere!”

“But you don't always tell
me
.”

He drew her into his arms. “I'm sorry,” he said in a low voice.

Jude slipped quietly away.

It might have been an act.

If so, it was a damned good one.

One way to find out; he would pay a visit to Roger's friend, Mrs. Flora Winters, in cabin number 615.

12

B
ingo was over.

There was, as yet, no sign of Jude.

But as the winners came forward and giddily collected their certificates, she and Clara sat at one of the rear tables in the now-empty back room, exhausted.

This was her chance to talk to Jensen Hardy.

After he'd thanked her and Clara, she found her opening. “It's okay. I don't know if we'll be working tonight.”

“Right now you're on the entertainment schedule, but that may change. Probably
will
change. We're still just staying put, waiting on forecasts. But I happen to believe the captain suspects more than he's telling us. Tropical storm Dinah was upgraded to Hurricane Dinah over Cozumel. They thought she'd advance to the Gulf, so they ordered us to sail ‘cautiously' south. Now Dinah's changing her mind.”

“What makes you think that?”

“We haven't been ordered to any port,” he said. “If they'd had a good handle on the storm, they'd have gotten us out of harm's way by now. Maybe they should've taken a chance! Everybody figured Dinah had to move. Instead, she pummeled Cozumel!”

“So...?” Clara asked slowly.

“In another few hours, I bet Captain Thorne will announce that we're closing down all our entertainment facilities. He'll have to tell everyone what's going on. But we're trying to maintain calm and in my opinion we've done it really well!” he said.

“You're very good at what you do,” Alexi told him sweetly.

He smiled, and she realized that he did look at her as if...as if he wished they were more than friends.

“Thanks,” he said huskily. He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. “And we're going to be fine,” he insisted.

She drew back, trying not to appear obvious about it.

Fortunately, Clara interrupted whatever Jensen had been about to say next. “Alexi and I aren't afraid of the storm,” she said quickly.

Alexi laughed. “I do miss my computer, though! I started playing around on one of those ancestry sites. My dad was a vet, and both my grandfathers were in World War II. I was trying to find out more about them.”

“Too bad the computers are down. Makes people anxious. And bored. That's why we have to keep them entertained. As long as it's safe for us,” Jensen said.

“I want to do more research on my ancestors, too,” Clara said. “I know one of my grandfathers was in World War II. Oh, and it was sad. He was my mom's father. His parents were Italian, so he was second-generation American. The army sent him to fight in Italy because he knew the language. He'd been born in the States, but his first language was Italian.”

“Where was the family from?” Alexi asked.

“Rome, I believe,” Clara replied.

“I think I had ancestors who were Italian, too—on my mom's side. I haven't gotten that far yet. I think they lived somewhere near the Vatican. My folks loved to travel to Italy. And rosaries! My mom had a huge thing for rosaries. She brought them back all the time and, of course, when I went to Italy, I brought
her
a rosary.”

“Catholic, huh?” Jensen said.

“Much of my family,” Alexi said. Everything she'd told him was the truth.

She hadn't been completely open with Clara, but Clara seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go with Jensen.

“How about your family?” she asked him.

“What? Pardon?” he said. “You mean, religion?”

She shook her head. “Alexi was saying that her family had liked collecting rosaries. With my mom, it was those miniature religious paintings—of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child and so on. What about your family? Did they do anything like that?”

“My...my parents weren't big travelers.”

“They must've gone somewhere!” Clara said.

“They went to France a few times. And they brought me back those T-shirts that say things like ‘My dad went to Paris and all I got was this lousy T-shirt!'”

Alexi actually managed to laugh at that.

“Parents and grandparents didn't have to travel to give us interesting presents,” Clara said next. “When I was a teenager, my father gave me a collection of foreign coins.”

“I was given my mom's doll collection,” Alexi said. “She had a Shirley Temple doll, for one. It's made out of porcelain. I love it.”

Clara smiled. “I'll bet she's worth a bundle now.”

“I'd never sell her, unless I was down to desperate,” Alexi said.

“I can't imagine either of you being down to desperate,” Jensen told them. “You're both so talented.”

“Thanks,” Alexi murmured.

“You're making us feel good,” Clara added.

“Nothing but the truth, ladies. Nothing but the truth.”

“Well, thanks, Jensen.” Clara paused for a few seconds. “What about you? Did
you
ever get anything really cool from your family?” Clara asked.

Jensen grinned. “Yeah, T-shirts! Like I said.” He frowned, staring at the large carved doors that led into the ballroom.

Alexi's back was to the door. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

He shrugged in response. “Besides being trapped in an old ocean liner while a major storm sweeps in? No. There's just some guy who keeps looking in here.”

“Someone you don't know?” Alexi asked. “I mean, you know almost all the crew and performers on the ship.”

“I can't see him properly. I keep wanting to tell him to come in, but he's always gone before I can do that.” Jensen shrugged again. “I'm going to have to get ready for Name that Tune,” he told them. “You two helping with that, as well?”

Where the hell was Jude?

“I guess we'll go wherever the big bosses tell us to,” she said.

She turned toward the door.

Someone had been standing there, someone who managed to be a fleeting shadow every time they tried to see who it was.

“That's it!” she said, hurrying toward the door—where she saw her friend, security officer Johnny Morgan. He'd also been there when she'd chased after Jude, before she'd realized just who Jude and Jackson were.

The night she'd tried to catch Jude—to tell him
he
was trying to catch a ghost.

“Johnny!” she said.

“I'm on guard duty, assigned to you and Clara. I'm just trying to keep an eye on you.”

“We appreciate that, Johnny! Why don't you come in?”

“Best that I don't. I'm just watching over you, and I'm not twenty feet away, if you need me for any reason at all.”

“Thanks, again. You haven't seen Jude McCoy or Jackson Crow, have you?”

“Not recently. And all I know is that I'm not to leave you or Clara.” It looked as if she and Clara were going to be playing Name that Tune!

And so far, she'd gotten nowhere. Guilty or not, Jensen Hardy wasn't interested in holy relics. He apparently hadn't received any as presents.

He'd gotten nothing but T-shirts.

Unless he was a better liar than he seemed.

* * *

Flora Winters of cabin number 615 answered her door after Jude's second knock.

She was an attractive woman, nearly as fit as Lorna Antrim. Unlike Lorna, though, she'd clearly had work done and from a distance might look even younger.

Up close...Jude observed that her expression seemed a little pinched.

But she had an appealing smile and didn't behave as if she was concerned about opening the door.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

He introduced himself, using his current “identity.” “I'm Jude McCoy, Ms. Winters, with Celtic American lines.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“We're trying to speak with all our passengers. To apologize for the weather—not that we can do anything about it! And to say that we're doing the best we can to make everything as easy as possible.”

“I haven't been too disturbed by it yet, Mr. McCoy. I was in the service—with the United States Navy—way back when. I've been on a few rough voyages.”

“Really? Well, thank you for your service to our country.”

“Hard to say it was always a pleasure, but I'm glad I did my duty,” she said. “What about you? Were you ever in the military?”

“Yes, ma'am,” he told her.

She nodded approvingly. “Not that it's for everyone—and I'm so glad the days of the draft are gone! But for those who choose to serve, it's a very good thing. Were you navy?”

“No, ma'am. Marines.”

“Commendable!” she said. “Well...do you want to come in? This may not be the grandest suite, but it's comfy and I do have a coffeemaker.”

“Actually, that would be great. Trying to keep people calm during storm conditions isn't easy,” Jude said.

Not that he'd really kept anyone calm.

“I can imagine. How do you like your coffee?”

“Black is fine,” he told her.

Her suite wasn't as sumptuous and elegant as Roger and Lorna's; it was, however, quite elegant. She had a little living room and a mini-kitchen with a coffeepot/wet bar/refrigerator area. The place also featured a small sofa and dining table. He sat down on the sofa.

“What's the latest news on our girl?” Flora asked as she prepared his coffee.

“Our girl? Which girl?”

“The storm. Dinah.”

“Oh,
that
girl. Well, they're keeping pretty quiet,” Jude said. “So far, Dinah's ignoring all the cones of probability the meteorologists have made for her. Basically, she isn't moving. She's done this back-and-forth thing just outside Cozumel.”

Flora seemed amused as she brought him a cup of coffee and sat beside him on the sofa. “They're keeping quiet?” she repeated. “Who are
they
? Aren't you in the upper echelon of the company?”

“It's a big company,” he said. “There's an echelon above me. But I don't think it's the company so much as the fact that storms don't necessarily do what the meteorologists predict. I do know that Captain Thorne is doing his best to keep us on the outskirts—the problem being that the
outskirts
seem to be growing.”

“Well, I suppose for most people the wait-and-see is excruciating,” Flora said. “For me, hoping a torpedo wasn't going to hit our ship was a far greater fear. I haven't sailed with Captain Thorne before, but I'm often on a Celtic American ship and I've heard that he has an excellent reputation. We'll be fine.”

“What made you choose the
Destiny
, Ms. Winters?” he asked. He kept his words light. He planned to move gradually into asking about her friendship with Roger Antrim.

“Call me Flora,” she said. And she smiled. “Oh, that's easy to answer. I met Roger Antrim on another cruise with the line. I took this one specifically because he was going to be on it.”

“Oh,” he said, hoping he didn't sound too surprised.

“We're doing business together,” she said.

“What kind of business?”

“Nothing bad by any means, young man,” she told him and laughed, shaking her head. “Roger loves his wife very much. And I can understand why. Lorna's delightful.”

Jude wasn't sure Lorna felt the same way about her!

“She is, yes,” Jude said. “Well, if I implied anything by word or tone, I certainly didn't mean to. No implication intended at all. Except that now I'm curious. What is your business?”

“My dear departed Sam's business, really,” she said. “Sam and I had a wonderful marriage for forty-three years. We were high school sweethearts who married immediately after graduation. Then we spent a decade learning what a mistake we'd made—not in loving each other, but in failing to obtain higher degrees while we were still home with our parents! Anyway, Sam and I both joined the navy, and when we got out, he began accumulating little collectibles, and went on to big ones. He knew how to buy and he learned how to sell. I lost Sam last year. I don't have his knowledge of what's valuable and what isn't, so I'm liquidating. Roger suggested this cruise. He said he wanted certain things that Sam would've had up for auction soon and also that he'd help set me up with one of the major auction houses to finish closing out the business.”

“I'm sorry that Sam passed away.”

“A year ago. Don't be sorry. Few people have so many beautiful years together! I cherish my memories. Oh, I have my children and grandchildren to fill my days, and I love to cruise. I'm doing it on my own now, but Sam and I used to take cruises whenever we could. It's a nice way to keep my independence and meet new friends.”

Flora Winters seemed to be sincere. He found himself liking her very much.

He also found himself wondering about the
collectibles
.

“What sort of things is Roger interested in buying?” he asked her.

“Estate jewelry. Gifts for his wife. Unusual pieces rather than pieces with massive diamonds or the like,” Flora said.

“Yes, I'd think Lorna's tastes run to the unique. She doesn't seem the type of woman who'd need to flash a large diamond.”

“No.”

He started to rise; he still didn't
know
anything, not for sure, but his gut instinct said Flora was telling the truth.

And that Roger wasn't having an affair. He just wanted to buy his wife some nice jewelry.

“Then, of course,” Flora went on, “there are the religious artifacts.”

Jude eased back into his seat. “Religious artifacts?”

“Oh, some gorgeous things! A marble cross, a stained-glass window from an ancient church in Rome, parish Bibles from England. I'd keep them myself, but I'm selling the house and moving into a condo in New York City. My son works on Wall Street and my daughter is in fashion design. They're in the city, so of course, I want to be nearby.”