“Thank you, Larry,” I said.
We continued up in the elevator to the twelfth deck and found a table with a good view in the center of the floor.
“I’ll get our drinks,” I sa“I’ll keep a lookout for you id after Trisha sat down.
“Okay, I’ll be watching you.”
I walked over to the bar and noticed David was working behind the counter.
“Hi, David.”
“Why hello, Miss Susan.”
“I need to order three raspberry ice teas for that table over there,” I said, pointing in Trisha’s direction.
“Comin’ right up. Will this be on one card or three?”
“Oh, I don’t have mine. I want this to be on me,” I said, recalling Larry had my room card. “My friend will be returning shortly.”
“Sign here, and as soon as your friend returns, you can log in your card,” he said as he set three red tumblers on the counter.
He appeared to have a kind face and I thought I would see if I was correct.
“Uh, David. I had some men chasing me yesterday and I escaped through the Crew Only door over there last night.”
“What did these men look like?” he asked stopping to look at her.
“Big, dark suits, and not too nice. There’s another man with a beard that seems to be after me as well. Have you ever seen them before?” I asked.
“I usually don’t pay attention to how people are dressed. Do you know why they were chasing you?”
“No,” I lied. Why I don’t know. If my gut says ‘No,’ then I listen.
“I’ll bring your drinks to your table,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said and returned to Trisha.
Larry arrived with our jackets. I was comfortable and hung mine over the back of my chair. Trisha draped hers around her shoulders because she gets cold easier than I do.
“Well, I guess I’ll get the drinks,” he said.
“No, you sit down. I already ordered them. My treat,” I said.
Within a few minutes, David brought our raspberry ice teas over to our table.
“Larry, I need my room card,” I said and passed the card to his waiting hand.
“Here you are. Enjoy,” he said, setting the three drinks and straws down from a tray.
“Wait, David. Everyone, this is David Brook. His friend was Ivan.”
My friends looked at me with questionable looks. Trisha nodded and peered through the top of her sunglasses. Larry pursed his lips.
“So, you knew Ivan?” Larry asked David while I sipped my tea.
“Yes, we were good friends. We enjoyed fishing together in Colorado,” he said and made a nod toward Larry before returning to the bar.
“Susan, you didn’t tell him everything I hope,” Larry asked me.
“No, not about the necklace. I just asked him about Ivan and he opened up to me. I believe him.”
“Did you tell him you saw his ghost?” Trisha asked and sipped her ice tea through the straw provided.
“No, I just asked him what Ivan looked like,” I said again. “I don’t know if I can trust him yet with my encounter. Most people wouldn’t.”
“I’ll check him out. Just don’t tell people you saw a ghost.”
I sipped my ice tea and shook my head. She’s good at feeling people out.
“Fine, I won’t. This is really good, isn’t it?” I asked, hoping the subject would change but it didn’t.
“Susan, you should be more careful who you talk to about Ivan and those men who chased you. You don’t know if David is a friend of theirs,” Larry said.
“I’ll take that into consideration, but I have a feeling David is all right.”
We moved over to the railing and enjoyed the sunset reflecting over the bay between the mountains. I took some more pictures.
Chapter 18
Ship’s Tour
We spent the next day until lunchtime packing our clothes we didn’t need for the rest of our trip or gazing at more of the photos on the sixth deck to look over the ship photographs we hadn’t seen yet. Larry signed us up for a three o’clock tour of behind the scenes where the crew works. I know that area only too well.
A uniformed man met us on Deck Seven and we followed him through one of the Crew Only doors. We walked down two flights of metallic stairs that echoed from our stomping feet until we entered a hallway flooded by yellow lights. To our left was a caution barrier our guide pointed out for elevating supplies from the cargo bay below. Then we strode on to the food preparation section down the hallway.
We stopped to watch the butchers slice up beef and another one cut up chicken. When we entered the galley, the chef on duty treated us to cookies and a glass of punch while he explained the duties of the servers. Then we made our way into one of the walk-in coolers where the perishables, such as eggs and cheese are stored. I should have brought a light jacket but we didn’t stay long.
I recalled the chlorinated humidity in the laundry section from my previous experience as we walked inside to hear the maintenance crew describe their duties. There were machines of all types for washing, drying, and folding various linen items. The noise from these behemoths was almost deafening. We saw the huge washing and drying machines shaking and rumbling for bulk washing. On the other side of the room stood the smaller units to wash the passenger personal items upon request. The clean guest clothing now hung on a rack waiting for delivery back to their appropriate owners.
Passing the apparatus that pressed and folded the sheets, we moved on through the hallway to the back of the theater stage. I had a sense of déjà vu. But this time besides the cramped dressing rooms, our guide walked us near the entrance of the theater and showed us the control section behind and above the auditorium seats.
Finished with our tour, we realized it was about the time to get ready for our luau dinner. The buses that will take us to the land meal would pick up
