The guard paused a moment, looking very serious now.
“Well, I wish I could have him arrested, at the very least. But I’munder strict orders not to antagonize him. You see, he’s a rather influentialgentleman from Munich, and our mayor and town councilors are afraid it wouldcause a bit of a scandal.”
Now London laughed.
“He doesn’t strike me as much of a gentleman,” she remarked.
“No, I suppose he doesn’t. And I am sure he doesn’t behave thatway in his home city. But he looks down on us Bambergers, thinks we’re ignorantprovincials, and that he is slumming just to spend time here. I suppose he getsdrunk and disagreeable to show his contempt for us.”
He shook his head and frowned.
“It really makes me angry,” he added. “I wish I could dosomething to teach him a lesson. But the choice is not mine to make.”
The guard offered London his hand.
“My name, by the way, is Willy Oberhauser,”
“Mine is London Rose,” London said, shaking his hand.
“You must introduce me to your little friend,” Herr Oberhausersaid, nodding at the dog.
“Oh, yes,” London said. “This is Sir Reggie.”
Herr Oberhauser’s smile broadened as Sir Reggie let out a yap atthe sound of his name.
“We’re both pleased to meet you,” London said to the guard.
“The pleasure is all mine. Enjoy the rest of your visit.”
Herr Oberhauser headed back into the crowd, chatting with peoplehe knew.
Still holding Sir Reggie, London moved on looking for Bryce. Asshe wove through the gathering crowd, she recognized a few familiar faces fromthe Nachtmusik.
The enigmatic and aloof Cyrus Bannister was making his way along,observing all that he saw with typically cool self-possession.
The same wasn’t true for Kirby Oswinkle, who was weaving along abit unsteadily, clutching an enormous half-full beer stein.
London stifled a sigh. Kirby was obnoxious under the best ofcircumstances.
Will he be worse after a few beers? she wondered.
Her mind boggled at the thought of most of their one hundred passengersashore drinking their fill. They wouldn’t even have to spend much. Most of the beervendors were offering free samples in small paper cups.
How much trouble was London going to have corralling them when itcame time to set sail later on? And what shape would they be in tomorrowmorning?
She hoped that at least some of them would also be eating theenticing snacks the vendors were also offering. She accepted a huge brezenherself, a big fresh pretzel that was deliciously crunchy and salty.
Sir Reggie whined, and she broke off a small piece for him.
When she spotted Elsie, her bartender friend waved and nodded herhead to indicate the handsome young man at her side. London knew that themultilingual Elsie made friends easily and often managed to find a local datewherever the ship docked. With a laugh, Elsie slipped her hand through the man’sarm, and they wandered happily away into the crowd.
London was sure that tomorrow morning Elsie would have the bar inthe Amadeus Lounge well supplied with virgin Bloody Marys and other supposedlytherapeutic cocktails.
A flash of light on mirrored glasses drew London’s attention totwo men sitting at a table off at the edge of the festivities. The men were BobTurner and Stanley Tedrow. It looked as though the security man and theaspiring author had just shifted their conversation from the ship to the shoreas they kept discussing how to solve mysteries. Now they both had steins ofbeer on their table, and the conversation seemed to be more animated. Londonhad to wonder just what would go into Tedrow’s book now.
“Everybody seems to be having a good time,” she told Sir Reggie. “ButI still can’t find who I’m looking for.”
Sir Reggie woofed in agreement.
She spotted Walter and Agnes Shick sitting at another littletable. She was glad to see the elderly couple out for the festival, but toLondon’s surprise, seemingly unrelated words ran through her mind.
“There’s so much going on around here that you don’tknow about.”
For a moment London wondered why she had connected Amy’s petulantclaim with one of her favorite couples from the ship. Then her heart sank asshe realized that Amy could have been taunting her with a secret about thesevery people. Had Amy found out about the Shicks being in witness protection fordecades? Would she make some kind of trouble for them?
But then London’s thoughts were interrupted by another sight.
Audrey Bolton was there in the crowd, wearing a nice new dress.At first glance, London was glad to see that Audrey had freshened up and lefther room to join the party.
Then she saw that Audrey’s expression was quite angry.
The gangly woman seemed to be speaking in a scolding manner whilejabbing her finger into someone’s face.
Who was Audrey angry with this time?
London could only see that it was a man. As she moved closer, shesaw that he was holding a mug of beer in his hand.
Oh no! London gasped as she hastened toward them.
It was the same annoying man who had splashed beer onto her andLondon—the man that Willy Oberhauser had called “a rather influential gentlemanfrom Munich.”
Was the earlier crisis about to get worse?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hoping to prevent another ugly scene, London pushed her waythrough the crowd toward Audrey.
But a group of revelers momentary blocked her way and obscuredher view. By the time she could see where she was going again, the man fromMunich was nowhere to be seen.
Audrey was standing there with a self-satisfied expression.
“Is everything OK?” London asked anxiously.
“Oh, everything’s just fine!” Audrey said with anuncharacteristically happy smile.
“Was that man bothering you again? Where did he go?”
“He just faded off into the crowd,” Audrey replied with achuckle. “And I’m sure he won’t try to bother me again. In fact, I don’t thinkhe’ll be rude to anyone from now on.”
Without another word, Audrey turned away and stalked toward oneof the stalls.
London stood there watching her go, wondering what the womanmight have said to the obnoxious gentleman,
“At least the crisis seemed to be averted,” she told
