We stepped into another compartment that held large blue bins filled with recyclables and others for bagged trash. I saw a light glowing ahead of us as we made our way into an open chamber of the cargo bay. Once again, I stepped over the ridge rising from the floor where the hatch door would seal close.
Three large shadows leaned against the near wall. I suspected they were the thugs who chased me a few days ago. My escort grabbed my arm to present me to the man wearing a wide-brimmed white hat and a salt and pepper beard. He sat behind a three-foot high wooden cargo box. A weak light bulb hung above the container from the ceiling swaying from the ship’s rocking action.
“Welcome, Mrs. Edwards,” the man said.
“Why am I here? I told this woman you can have the jewels back on the fourteenth deck and she could escape,” I said.
“Too many watchful eyes,” he said. “Remove the necklace.”
The lady beside me removed her hand from my arm. Try as I wanted to, the necklace wouldn’t release the catch.
“I can’t, I need help,” I moaned.
He rose out of his chair and came around to face me. In an instant, he ripped off the string of diamonds from my neck. The bobbles sprayed out in all directions, bouncing and breaking on the hard surface of the floor. “Did I hear breaking?”
“What was that sound?” the man said.
One of his men picked up a few jewels and handed it over to the stocky man before me.
“What’s this?” He yelled as his thumb ran along the sharp edge of a broken bead. “Do you take me for a fool?”
I froze, staring at him.
“This is paste. Where are the real jewels?” he yelled at me.
“I–I don’t know. I thought they were real.”
“Were these in your bag all the time during your stay here?”
“Uh, no, w—uh, I mean I gave them to the Purser. Maybe that’s where the real ones are,” I said. I didn’t want to involve my friends.
He threw the glass beads back onto the floor. I could hear them roll away and bounce off a wooden pallet.
Pointing at his followers, he ordered, “Greg and you two find that necklace for me.” Turning toward my female escort, “And you, my dear Sheryl, get out of those clothes. We’re going to travel as soon as they bring back the necklace to me.”
They left into the darkness leaving me alone with Mr. Big McCarthy.
“You, have a seat over there,” he said, pointing to the only chair in the room.
I complied and when I did, he pulled my arms around the back of the chair and tied my hands together.
“I have to think about what to do with you,” he said and began walking away from me.
“Wait, you can’t leave me here,” I wailed.
He paused and drew out his formal white square handkerchief from his chest pocket. Then he placed what felt like a cord around my ankles and tied them together.
“You can yell all you want, but this will save your voice and keep you quiet,” he said as he wrapped the cloth through my mouth, and tied it in the back of my head.
He turned and disappeared into the dark corridor. I could hear the latching of the door shutting in front of me. I had to think. “How am I going to get out of this mess?” I tried hopping the chair around and almost fell down. “Surely, someone will come looking for me?” I hopped around again and bumped into a crate by the wall. Then I tipped over and landed on my left side. The pain in my shoulder seared through my arm. I jiggled the chair and managed to roll onto my back. I laid there for a few seconds, and then I began to cry.
I don’t know how long I laid there, maybe an hour. My right wrist hurt and I think my left was numb. I thought I heard voices and footsteps but then they faded away. The heavy rocking of the ship lulled me to sleep. One time, I thought there was another person in the room. Afraid the person might be one of McCarthy’s goons, I kept my eyes shut and drifted back to sleep.
When I awoke, my chair and I were upright. I could feel fingers untying my wrist restraints. With my hands free, I rubbed my wrists, undid the gag around my mouth and the twine circling my ankles. I saw no one after I stood up. My shoulder was in pain but my arm still worked. Good. I’d hate to have a restrictive injury in my situation.
I crept toward the closed door and heard voices. Ducking behind the metal hatch exit, I hid in the shadows, watching until I can make my move.
“The Purser has the necklace locked up in his office safe,” I heard one man say. “And there’s an armed guard in the room.”
“All right, we’ll have to attack them when they transfer the jewels back to the store’s currier,” McCarthy said.
“What about the woman?” Sheryl asked.
“Bring her. We can use her as a bargaining chip,” their boss said.
The voices shifted away as they walked from the doorway. The woman, who had brought me down into the bowels of this ship, entered and fixed her eyes on the empty chair off to the side of the room. I could see she was still dressed in her ball gown. I hurried around the outside of the door and slammed it shut in front of her. I didn’t see McCarthy and his goons when I turned the lock wheel and secured the hatch. She yelled and I could hear her hitting the other side with her fists. Now she knows how it feels to be locked in there.
Chapter 22
Escape
I
