I was so engrossed in the book’s story about a detective on Mars dealing with two women killers that I hadn’t realized a man had sat down in the deck chair next to me.
“Lovely day, isn’t it?” I heard him say.
“Huh? Oh, yes, it is,” I replied, looking at him for a brief moment and returned to my reading.
“I see you like to read, what genre is that book?” he asked.
“Science fiction. I’d loan you this one after I’m done, but the author signed it for me. There is another one like it in the library you can check out.”
“I might do that. Oh, excuse me, my name is Vernon McCarthy.”
I looked over at him and decided he didn’t look like a McCarthy but I offered him my first name. He was dressed in a nice suit, too warm for this climate and sported a white wide-brimmed hat and speckled black beard.
“Have you taken this trip before or is this your first?” I asked, holding my thumb on the page I had stopped reading.
“Yes, several times. I travel to Hawaii on business and enjoy the cruises,”
“Well, I have to dress for dinner. Nice meeting you, Mr. McCarthy,” I said, bookmarking my book.
As I stood up from my deck chair, he said, “Nice meeting you, Susan. Do you have a dinner partner for tonight?”
For a second I thought about just leaving right then. Instead, I turned toward him.
“I do. Now if you’ll excuse me,” I lied. Some feeling in my gut told me I didn’t want to become too familiar with this man.
“Well, you have a nice night,” he said, rising out of his chair, tipping his hat, and walking away from me.
Deciding that I wouldn’t get much reading done, I left my deck chair and walked back inside to enter one of the elevators and to return to my room. There, I set my book down on the nightstand and moved over to the closet. The image of the bloodstain on the lifeboat canister I saw still hung in the back of my mind. I’d have to see what Larry thinks about it.
Pulling back layers of folded clothing within my suitcase, I chose my silky black skirt and drew it over my head. I love it because it’s crush resistant and packs well. Then I removed my nice white blouse off one of the provided wooden hangers that would give me a formal look. I looked through several of my packages for the single teardrop aquamarine stone necklace I purchased a few days ago. I felt around in the sack, passed my hand by some chocolate boxes I bought and found the little box containing the single strand.
When I removed the container, the bag slipped through my fingers and made an odd sound on the bare faux wood floor. Boxes are supposed to go ‘thunk’ but this sounded like beads crinkling together.
After latching the small necklace around my neck, I picked up the sack and reached inside to feel the bottom. My hand stopped when I felt several beads on a string between my fingers. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled out the glassy bobbles. This was another necklace. But the closer I looked at their sparkling brilliance, the more these ‘beads’ looked real. I shoved them back into the sack and threw the plastic bag back into the closet corner with my other packages.
I stood for a moment staring at my stash of purchases not knowing what to do. What if the necklace is stolen? “Calm down, Susan,” I told myself. “First things first, l’m going to dinner. Period.”
Digging out my good black shoes and pretending the gemstones I just discovered didn’t exist, I looped my three-day-old flowered lei around my neck that I had hung over the wall telephone. Eying my mace sprayer on the counter, I almost wanted to leave it here. But at the last moment, I shoved it down into my skirt pocket and left my cabin for the twelfth deck.
I hurried down the hallway and turned right into the elevator lobby. Another couple, who were dressed in dinner attire, stood waiting for the next ‘UP’ elevator. I smiled at them, hoping they wouldn’t see the worry on my mind about the mysterious necklace left in my room. We entered the compartment as soon as the doors slid apart.
The man noticed I had pressed the twelfth deck button on the elevation control panel.
“I guess we are going to the same floor,” he said. “Have you had a nice day so far today?”
Pretty much. I relaxed outside on the deck for a little while. Oh, I love your dress,” I said, toward the woman I guessed to be his wife. Her royal blue dress skirted just above her black shoes as the rhinestones on her chest shimmered under the light fixture of the elevator.
“Thank you. Oh, here we are. Have a good evening,” she said as she walked out of the elevator first.
“You too,” I replied.
I just arrived in time to step forward into the line to get my picture taken. The photographer was shooting in the elevator lobby outside the restaurant entrance. I watched and made sure no one walked in front of me while the photographer snapped away. That task done, I turned and entered another progression for the restaurant. I didn’t see my elevator friends. I observed five to six waiters, dressed in white jackets and black slacks standing in a row to guide passengers to their tables. The next waiter available gestured me to step forward and follow him.
“Do you wish to sit alone or with others?” he asked, turning toward me.
“With others, please,” I replied.
He guided me over to a large table with four other attendees. The waiter pulled out my chair and I sat down as he scooted the chair under me. I love that kind of service. I looked around and determined the table could accommodate up to
