"I said something like, 'Is it possible that you're the only one on this vessel that doesn't know George committed suicide last night by jumping off the side of the ship?'"
I interrupted her asking, "Are you sure you used the word suicide?"
"I'm positive. I remember thinking to myself, don't say the word murdered."
She started reading her notes. "James said, 'That wasn't my friend George King, that was George Talbot.'"
"I remember that's when he told us that George had stopped off at the bathroom, and that the Captain had told him to tell us that it was George Talbot. Skip down to where George came in."
"Here it is. I wrote that James turned to George and said, 'I think everyone that's investigating this case thought it was you who was murdered last night.'" She emphasized the word murdered. "We can be pretty sure that when the Captain told James to tell us that the body had been identified, he didn't use the word murdered, but suicide, because that's what everybody thought it was at first."
"I'll check with the Captain to make sure. If he said suicide, then we'll go to Inspector Rashan with our findings."
With that, the two of us went to look for the Captain, and were told that he was in a meeting. The Ensign at the desk asked if we thought it was important enough to interrupt the meeting and have the Captain come out.
We both said, "No," together.
And I said, "We'll come back in two hours. But if by chance the meeting gets over earlier, please tell the Captain we'd like to see him."
I turned to Kat. "Let's go see if we can hunt down James. There are some more questions I'd like to ask him. And there's something I want to tell him, and then watch to see his reaction. But let's be careful. We don't want him in any way to get suspicious that we think he may have something to do with the crimes."
"Okay, where should we go looking first?"
"I don't know. I wonder if there's a schedule somewhere."
"Well, the Ensign might have one at his desk. Let's go back and find out."
"Hi, we're back," I said. "We're wondering if you have a schedule of where some of the workers might be. We're looking for James, one of the servers at table nine. We don't know his last name. Sorry about that."
"That's all right. Table nine you said?"
Before I could say yes, he said, "That would be James Innacia." He looked at another sheet, found his name, and said, "He's serving the guests around the pool."
"Thanks, you've been a big help." Kat gave him a really big smile of appreciation.
Before we went to the pool we returned to our room and changed our clothes, putting on our bathing suits. We wanted James to think we were out to enjoy the pool and spa, and not there to ask him questions.
He saw us, nodded his head in recognition but didn't come over, and another server took our orders. We wanted to remain very nonchalant so we just waved, hoping James wouldn't get suspicious.
Kat and I gave a quick prayer up to the Lord asking for help of how we could get him to come over to us. We also noticed that Berta and Alex were working the same shift. So we waved to them also.
Chapter 28
The rumor is that those two interfering fools have found the necklace. I wonder if they really did. Why would anyone go crawling under the table is beyond me. I thought it was a perfect place to hide it. They still can't pin it on me, as I made sure I had gloves on the whole time I handled it, even when taping it to the table.
I'd love to see if it's really been found. But how? How can I do that without anyone seeing me? Besides, it would be too dangerous. I must be very careful. If they have found it, then those two killings of mine were useless. But I'll still carry out my plans that have been in the works for a long, long time. What's another six months or so?
There are always rich people on board. For the last five years I've been pilfering from many guests, and by holding back lots of my own earnings, without my wife knowing, I've already saved close to twenty-three thousand dollars. I need just one more big haul to help me disappear forever. Then I can start a new life as a rich foreigner in another country, where maybe I'll get some respect.
This was supposed to be it. My plan wasn't to murder anyone, but Barsha and George were just too nosey. They should have just left it alone.
If the rumor's true, and they've found the necklace, I'll have to wait until the next cruise or two. And I'll have to start all over and check out the passenger lists. The same rich people go on lots of cruises throughout the years. I've seen many of them over and over again. In fact, I've seen that rich lady with the necklace before. Yes, her and her famous necklace. They come and go and come and go. But this was the first time I heard how incredibly valuable it is.
I'll have another opportunity. Many more opportunities. It's fun and exciting to steal from those rich people. They have so much that most of them don't even know that their things have been stolen. I'm like Robin Hood. I steal from the rich and give to the poor . . . me. But I was hoping to disappear right after this cruise.
There those two snoopers are again. All three of us servers are on this duty. I wonder if they're checking us out, or really baking in the sun. I wonder too if they think it's one of us. They haven't spoken to any of us now that they're here, but they will. They're always snooping around and asking the three of us questions.
I'm sure I'm in the clear. I've tried to be very helpful, telling them I send all my money home to educate my kids. They most likely think I'm an okay guy, so why should I worry? There's no evidence pointing to me. I made sure of that. I've just got to continue to remind myself to be very careful.
I think I'm going to go over there and tell them I heard that the necklace has been found. If they say yes, I'll tell them how happy I am. I can see Berta talking to them, so I'll have to wait. I wonder if she's a suspect now that she's become a believer like them.
Six more months and I'll be free. No more sending all my hard working money home to a wife and kids who don't appreciate it. Even if I can't make a big haul in the next six months, I'll still vanish and make do with what I have. By then I should have another three or four thousand. Maybe if I work really hard at it, I can come up with over thirty grand, all total. In fact I'll stop sending my money home in a couple of months. I'll make up some kind of excuse to my wife. What can she do about it anyway? Absolutely nothing!
I'm too close now in leaving. I don't want to make any mistakes. Whatever I can save should last me for over three years, and after that I can look for a job. My disappearance will have been forgotten by then. I should be able to make contact with people who can help me find work. With my personality, my new friends will think I'm a great guy. I can hardly wait to get off this tub and start my new life . . . with my new name . . . Jose Mendez. Yes, I like it. What I have to do now is act really friendly and helpful, so they don't suspect me.
Chapter 29
After Berta left, we prayed again. When we opened our eyes, Alex was standing in front of us. He had this great big grin on his face.
"Good afternoon. How about another diet cola?"
Kat said, "I'd love one. How about you, Kit?"
"That'd be great. Thanks, Alex."
Kat looked over at me. "Well, the Lord has sent over Berta and now Alex" She pointed at him as he was walking away. "All He needs to do now is to send us James."
"That'd be good. I guess we'll just have to be patient and wait for His perfect timing."
I smiled at Kat. She smiled back, and said, "Don't look now, but James is coming our way."
"Hi, I saw you two sitting in the shade. Is it getting too hot for you?"
I nodded my head. "We forgot our sun screen. We didn't want to go back and get it, so we opted for the shade. We really like watching all the people having fun, so we decided to sit and enjoy our time here."
James looked at our glasses. "You're empty. Want me to fill them up for you?"
"Thanks anyway, but Alex is getting them for us."
James started to walk away
. We were hoping to ask him some questions, but I didn't want him to be suspicious so I didn't want to call him back. When his back was toward us I looked over at Kat and shrugged my shoulders. She did the same and mouthed the words, "I don't know what to do either."
Just then, James turned around. "I heard they found the necklace. Is that true?"
"Yes," I said. "They found it in a most unusual place. It was in a package taped under table nine. Can you believe that?"
"Taped under the table? Wow, that's hard to believe. Any suspects yet?"
Kat answered his question. "No one for sure. We're waiting for the fingerprint results."
"Fingerprints. Do you mean from the manila envelope?"
This time I answered his question. "Exactly. Inspector Rashan thinks the thief could have worn gloves when they taped it to the table. But he said that when people buy something, they don't usually have gloves on. So he's hoping the thief didn't have them on when he or she bought the envelope, and then forgot to wipe their prints off."
"Well, I'm happy for the lady. She seems to be very nice. I'm sure she's delighted that they've found her necklace. By the way, any news or suspects on the murder of Barsha and the suicide of George Talbot? I was wondering if Inspector Rashan might think that George could possibly have been the thief. It's suspicious, isn't it, him jumping off the ship like that?"
I nodded. "That's a good thought. He could have done away with himself because of guilt, thinking for some reason that we suspected it was him. I'm sure the Inspector has thought about it already. He's pretty smart and looks into all angles."
I didn't want James to have the slightest notion that we were leaning toward him as the thief and murderer, so I acted like we had no real suspects. Even though I was now leaning toward James, Alex was still not completely off our list of either crime. In fact they were both very high on our list, and we kept going back and forth on who was number one. And who was number two . . . it changed often.
"Well, I have to get back to my job. Here comes Alex with your drinks."
Alex brought us our cokes, and then asked, "I heard the necklace has been found. Is that true?"
He practically used the same words that James had just said. So I decided to give him the same information that I gave to James. "Yes, it's true. They found it taped under table nine. A very unusual place, don't you think?"
"Unusual yes, but what on earth would prompt someone to look under there? Was it in an envelope or something? I suppose there could be fingerprints. Are there any suspects?"
Kat answered, ignoring the question about why anyone would look under table nine. "No, no suspects yet. Yes, the necklace was in an envelope. We're waiting for the fingerprint results."
"Tell the lady I'm really happy for her. I hope you guys find whoever it is that stole it, so we can get back to our normal activities. This is supposed to be a fun time for our guests. They've spent a lot of money for this cruise, but I'm happy for the lady."
"I agree. This cruise was a gift to us from Kat's and my parents, so we personally are not out anything. But I'm sure many people on the ship have saved for a long time to go on this cruise. Even though the Captain said that everyone will receive a free cruise of their choice, I'm sure many are still disappointed."
"So true. I've talked to a lot of people and they just about all say the same thing. The free cruise is good, but they've been looking forward to this one for many months, and some for several years. This was supposed to be a special time for them and many are celebrating anniversaries. Three couples are celebrating fifty years, and one is sixty years. Can you imagine that? There are also plenty of twenty-five celebrations. Lots of birthday celebrations too. We've many disappointed guests on board."
Alex glanced around the deck, and then at his watch. "Talking about guests, I'd better get back to my job. Talk to you later, and please tell Madam Maria I'm very happy for her."
Kat and I smiled and waved goodbye as he left. Then we turned to each other and said the same thing. "I wonder how James knew about it being a manila envelope."
Chapter 30
I wonder if they think it's me. I was very careful. I'm sure I'm still in the clear. I don't think I made any mistakes. By walking over to them, it made me look that more innocent, instead of having them motioning for me to come over to them. I'm pretty sure they think it's one of us three, but I'm most likely the one they think is innocent.
They may feel Berta's also innocent, because of what she's done, becoming religious. If that's so, it's between the two of us men. I'm going to have to build more of a case around my not-so-good friend. I was good and very convincing when I said how happy I was for that rich lady finding her necklace. They couldn't see my smiling face as I walked away from them. I almost started to laugh . . . and had a hard job controlling myself. I sure didn't want them seeing my shoulders bouncing up and down. I'm good, very good.
Yes, I should have been an actor. And with my looks, I could have gone a long way. I might have even gotten an academy award or two. I really fooled them this time, but I'm just a little worried about fingerprints on the envelope. I'm not completely sure I wiped them all off.
Just six more months to freedom. I can hardly wait. I wonder who my next victim will be. Someone rich I'm sure. There are many other rich people on this ship I could go after, but I think I'll wait for the next cruise before I attempt anything else. I must keep my head down and be patient.
Before you read any further....
Who do you think is the murderer?
Chapter 31
Kit said, "Manila envelope? How did James Innacia know that Maria's necklace was in a manila envelope?"
"I don't know. Are you sure we didn't say anything to him about an envelope?"
"No, you just said that they'd found the necklace in a most unusual place, taped under table nine in a package. You then said that we're waiting for the fingerprint results. Alex asked if it was in a package or some sort of envelope, but he didn't mention a manila one. Maybe he was afraid he'd left his fingerprints on it, and was checking up to see if he's a suspect."
"You know, Kit, I think we should go and find Inspector Rashan and tell him what we've found out. And that we're pretty sure it's either James or Alex, but I think we're leaning toward James."
"Right, let's go check out the mezzanine. The Inspector sits up there a lot, studying the reactions of each passenger as they walk past him."
We looked for Inspector Rashan on the mezzanine floor but he wasn't there. So we headed for his stateroom. We didn't think he'd be there, but had no other idea of where else to look. We knocked on the door and were pleasantly surprised when he greeted us and welcomed us into his cabin.
"Come right in. It is always a joy to see your beautiful and handsome faces." He had that now famous smile on his face. "Have you brought me good news? Perhaps who our thief and murderer is?"
"Maybe, Inspector," Kat said. "We've narrowed it down to two people, and James seems to be the one."
"And who is your other suspect?"
I said, "Alex. At times he also appears to be just as guilty as James. I know we keep going back and forth on these two, but it's the best we have for now."
"Then why are you leaning towards James? What is your evidence against him?"
"Twice James has slipped up while talking to us. He said things that Kat and I feel only the thief or murderer would know."
"For instance?" the Inspector asked, interrupting me.
Kat responded, "Well, first of all he told George King that George Talbot had been murdered. No one knew that. Everyone's been told it was a suicide. Plus, when Kit told him the necklace had been found taped under table nine and we were waiting for the fingerprint report, he said, 'You mean on the manila envelope?' Kit hadn't mentioned to him that the necklace was in an envelope, let alone a manila one."
I joined in now. "Why would he say murdered, and mention a manila envelope, unless he knew George Talbot had been murdered by him. Or knew that the
necklace was put into a manila envelope, unless he'd put it there himself?"
"I'd written in my notes," Kat continued, "that James said Berta told him that she and Barsha fought all the time. But Berta told us that she'd never talked to James before, and this cruise was the first time they'd worked together. Remember, it was only our second night out, so they hardly knew each other – according to Berta."
I said, "We have a tendency to believe Berta. We feel that James was trying to build up evidence against her in our eyes, so we would suspect her and not him."
Inspector Rashan gave us a smile. "The word 'murdered' from James could perhaps have been that he feels the two deaths are connected, as it seems most people who are involved in this case do. Everyone knows Barsha was murdered. And the thing about Berta telling him that she didn't get along with Barsha is only hearsay. Even though you feel Berta is innocent, James could say she lied. And then it would be the word of hers against the word of his, and it's possible indeed that she did lie."
We waited for the Inspector to continue, which he did after a lengthy pause.
"But perhaps the slip of the tongue about the manila envelope is something we can start building our case on. Yes, only the murderer would know about that. The only ones who knew were the two of you, the Captain, and myself. I made sure no one was around when I emptied the necklace onto the napkin. I've not told anyone, and the Captain promised me he'd not tell anyone either. He said he wouldn't even tell his officers how or where we found the jewelry. But maybe someone was in the dining room that we didn't see, and mentioned it to someone else. It's what some of the crew have been saying: 'Rumors spread like wildfire.'"
I said, "Then we can't be sure that besides us, only the murderer would know about the manila envelope unless . . ."
Inspector Rashan interrupted me, "Yes, I can see that now. What we need is more evidence. You two are doing a great job, and are going to make outstanding detectives. I wish you lived in Istanbul. I'd hire you both in a heartbeat, with no questions asked."
"Thanks, those are very encouraging words," Kat said. Then she asked, "Inspector, what else do we need? How can we get more evidence? What would really help us arrest James and solve this case – assuming he's guilty?"
"If we could find the murder weapon, that would help a great deal. We're almost sure it was a nine iron that killed Barsha."