We walked to the pier where I stopped and took a photo of our luxury liner. After we climbed onboard the tender, we relaxed for the few minutes while the boat ride returned us to our ship.
Climbing up the swaying staircase secured next to the metal hull, we entered the fifth deck and loaded our various bags into the security scanner. After we inserted our room cards into their machine, we gathered up our sacks from the other side of the conveyor belt and caught the first elevator ascending to our floor.
“Come back after you’ve put your things away and we’ll decide on where to eat dinner,” Trisha called.
“I will. Oh, do you think my ship photo would be ready yet?”
“Could be. We can scout it out before dinner,” she said.
The first thing I noticed when I entered my private cubicle, was the recent cleaning of my room. I fitted today’s purchased items into my suitcase and disposed of the plastic bags into the trashcan by the little fridge. After my bathroom break, I hurried out of my cabin back over to Trisha’s.
When she let me in, I observed she had taken off her shoes and Larry was sitting in front of the desk reading the local paper on his tablet.
“Good news, I hope,” I said.
“I was reading about the jewelry heist the day we were there. You never know about these things. Would you believe you were carrying around $375,000 worth of diamonds?” he asked.
“What did you do with the necklace?” I asked.
“Turned it into the Purser’s office. Don’t worry, I just said a friend found it in the bar.”
“Gee, thanks a lot, Larry,” I said.
“I gave him my card and offered my deducting capabilities if they were interested,” he added.
“Why didn’t the security scanner at the ship’s entrance pick it up?” I asked him.
“Maybe they were only looking for explosives and probably thought the necklace loose in your bag wasn’t important at the time. Anyone hungry?” he asked.
We all agreed it was time to go to dinner.
“I want to go to the sixth deck and check on my photo,” I said, pressing the ‘Down’ button for the next elevator..
—-
We searched the E’s again and both photos were in one tray slot.
“Oh, that looks so much better, Susan,” Trisha said, looking over the second photo. The photographer had dubbed in the Hawaii native to my right and a tropical scene in the background.
I picked up the one I took in front of the restaurant and brought it over to the photography desk clerk. There I made the payment, and she slipped the photo into a clear plastic sleeve.
—-
After dinner from the buffet deck, Trisha and Larry wanted to know if I would take a walk with them before the next show in the theater.
“We were thinking of watching the Moon. It’s supposed to be full tonight,” Trisha said.
“Okay, but I think I’ll head back to my room, drop off my photo, and grab a jacket. I’ll meet you here or in the theater where we usually sit,” I said.
“Okay, just be careful,” Larry warned.
I rode the elevator up to Deck Ten and turned left down the hallway. The ship has passenger cabins on each side. The outside rooms, called balcony or veranda, known as ocean views, while the less expensive cabins inside do not have windows or portholes. I don’t think I could travel without being able to see the ocean. As I drew closer to my room in the narrow hallway, I noticed a man with the beard standing near my door. Then he saw me. I did an about-face and retreated toward the elevator lobby.
“Hey, where’s my package?” I could hear him yell. A few passengers slowed him down when they stepped out of their rooms. Instead of taking the elevators, I ran down the double stairway. Not one but two flights. I continued to trot from my current end of the ship toward the bow. There I took those elevators down to the fifth floor and ran through the closed buffet. By this time, the serving area behind the food counter had been cleared away of food.
Hurrying through the empty buffet room, I walked to the the stern of the ship. Out of breath, I stood outside the buffet room in the open-air bar area where empty tables and chairs are placed at random. Winded from my escape, I sat down at one of the tables. I thought I had lost the bearded man and would be safe here, but when I looked to my left, three large men in black suits marched toward me.
I stood up and looked around for another avenue to hide but I couldn’t find one until I heard a whisper in my ear. The voice belonged to Ivan.
“Madam, come with me,” I heard him say as he stood against the covered stairwell.
I could take the stairs up but I was bushed. The men would catch up with me for sure.
“Where?” I asked as the men kept advancing only to stop when a couple walked out on the deck to stand by the railing.
“Here,” Ivan whispered.
I saw Ivan stand near a Crew Only door which swung open. I stepped over the raised barrier and dived into the dimmed hallway. The door shut behind me.
“I can’t go with you. This is not my station,” he said back in character.
“What is this place?” I asked as the men on the outside tried the locked crew door and began thumping loud on the other side.
“This is the inside of the ship where the crew does the laundry and prepares the food. Take this hallway straight down to the other end and turn right. Make sure you aren’t seen and you will be safe,” he explained.
I turned around to thank him but either I couldn’t see him in the darkness or he was gone.
Feeling my way around the edge of the wall, I approached the lighted hallway and walked on further. I
