I was thinking the same thing.
My folks had made all of the arrangements, so everything would be a surprise to us. Once on board, we were shown to our cabin. We could hardly believe the size of our room. It was very large and divided into two sections. There was a queen size bed, two dressers and two end tables with lamps. And then an area with a small sofa, two lazy boy chairs, a coffee table and a television set.
It also had an area with a small stool-like chair under a vanity, with a big mirror and lots of lights. It was next to the bathroom. Of course Kat loved it and claimed it as her own.
We were pleasantly surprised and quietly thanked my parents. We had both expected it to look like our rooms on the Independence. They were nice as we remembered them, but this room was beautiful, plus it had a sliding door that went out to a balcony.
We sat on the bed and reminisced about our first cruise, comparing the rooms.
"Remember, Kit, the Independence was built in 1950, so the first passengers most likely thought their rooms were also beautiful. This ship we're on was built just a few years ago, and we think this room is beautiful. But just imagine in the next fifty years what the rooms will be like. If the Lord still tarries, maybe we'll be able to find out for our Golden Wedding Anniversary!"
We both laughed and then got to the issue at hand – unpacking. Our first night for dinner was casual, but tomorrow night was dress-up night. I could see Kat was excited, and she was already planning on what dress she'd be wearing when it came to dress-up night, and of course what pair of her many shoes would adorn her beautiful feet.
We heard the ship's bell echoing around the harbor. We were underway at last. Our first stop was to be Istanbul in Turkey.
Chapter 3
The first night on the ship was to get acquainted with our dinner mates. We had asked for a table of ten, as we thought it would be fun to get to know eight other people on the ship a little better than just saying, "Hello," and "Are you enjoying the cruise?" as we met them around the pool, or at breakfast, or the buffet lunch.
It was also a time to get to know our servers. We had four, two guys and two girls. The girls were Berta and Barsha, both from South Africa. The guys were James from Indonesia and Alex from the Philippines. We were all at table nine.
Our dinner guests were all from the U.S.A. There was Nick and Amy from Portland, Oregon. And Mark and Sally and their seventeen-year-old son Chad, who was celebrating his graduation and getting ready to go off to college and leave the nest. They were from South Pasadena, California. Then Maria and Jason from "Somewhere in Texas." They introduced themselves telling us their last name was Bond, "as in James Bond." And then Maria gave out a hearty laugh. Theirs was what I call a winter/summer marriage – Jason looked about fifteen years younger than Maria. In fact, when Kat and I got to the table they were already there with Marcy, who we thought was married to Jason. Marcy was somewhere in her thirties, and we automatically thought that Maria was one of their mothers, not Jason's wife. It turned out that Marcy was Maria's daughter from her first marriage. I was so glad that I hadn't said anything when we were introduced.
We would be passing many small Greek islands, so there would be plenty to see, and a comfortable promenade deck to view them from – relaxing on a lounge chair. Or maybe sharing one!
Some of the other guests had mentioned using the ship's practice nets for golf, and I wondered if some had even brought their own clubs. Kat agreed with me that our time would be better spent exploring the towns and countryside, leaving the golf for when we got back home.
I checked on the tour of Istanbul which was a walking tour that we'd arranged for our first day there, and was informed that it had been canceled. But to compensate us for the inconvenience, they said they would upgrade us to a much better tour, a half day bus adventure of quaint shops and a free lunch at no additional cost.
Chapter 4
After a rather tiring but fascinating day in Istanbul, and the bonus lunch on our revised tour, tonight was dress-up night. Kat was still picking out what she was going to wear, and of course what shoes would go with whatever outfit she might be planning on. She laid two dresses on the bed.
"Kit, which dress do you think I should wear tonight? The white one, or the deep purple with the white bolero top?"
"They both look nice. Which one are you thinking of?" I asked her that, but was being a little coy, not wanting to suggest one if she was already leaning toward the other.
"I was thinking the purple one. What do you think?"
"Me too. I like them both though, and the one you don't wear tonight you can wear on the next dress-up night."
"Thanks, Kit. You always know exactly what to say. That's one of the things I love about you so much."
I took that as a compliment. Anyway, we had both showered and I was completely dressed and ready to go.
Kat had on her bathrobe. She had fixed her hair and was now applying the last few touches of her makeup. Putting on her dress was always the last thing she did.
I was getting antsy, so I said to Kat, "I'll meet you in the lobby. I'm going to check on tomorrow morning's tour around Istanbul. We haven't heard back since we made our reservations."
"Okay, I won't be long. I'll meet you there. And by the way, Kit, you sure look handsome in your tux."
I grinned. "Thanks. I'll see you in a few minutes."
"I might take a little longer than that. Give me at least ten, okay?"
I went on ahead, checked on the tour which was to be brief as we were sailing midday, and waited outside the restaurant. I was starting to feel a little worried for Kat, when I saw her coming down in the glass elevator. She looked beautiful in her white dress, with one wide glittery shoulder strap in red. A red matching purse and white shoes with red heels. I have to say she looked smashing! I'm sure she could tell by the expression on my face what I was thinking. My heart was skipping beats as if playing a love song.
I took her hand and felt like everyone was looking at us. Perhaps they were. I leaned over and said, "Wow, you look absolutely amazing . . . and I love your purple dress."
She smiled at me, squeezed my hand, and said, "Thanks, I'll wear it the next time."
We joined our eight new friends that were all there waiting for us. Each one was dressed up and looking like they were ready for an exciting and fun evening, everyone recounting their adventures in Istanbul during the day.
The first things we noticed, because it was very difficult to keep our eyes off them, were the earrings and matching necklace that Jason's wife, Maria had on.
The earrings were made from beautiful long diamonds and emeralds. But it was the necklace that was breathtaking.
After we ordered our food, Maria said, "I know you're all wondering about my jewelry. May I tell you about it?"
We all nodded our heads in agreement. "Good, I don't want to bore anyone but if you are really interested, I'd be happy to tell you. It's kind of a long story."
Amy, who was here with her husband Nick, looked around at everyone.
"I think I can speak for the table," she said, turning to Nick for confirmation. "Please tell us. I know we're all curious about your beautiful necklace. It's no secret that we've all been looking at it."
The rest of us agreed with Amy, including seventeen-year-old Chad. Even our four servers asked if they could stay and hear the story.
Maria began to tell us the history and the value of the necklace. I could tell she'd told the story many times before and was enjoying every moment. While telling the story she became very animated. Her eyes sparkled as she touched the necklace and then threw up her arms laughing. On occasions tears filled her eyes as she related the story of how she acquired the beautiful piece that adorned her neck.
Chapter 5
"First of all I know you're all dying to know the value. To me the value means nothing, since the necklace goes way back to a story told by my great-great-grandmother. If I was to lose it or heaven forbid, someone would steal it, th
e three million dollars the insurance company would give me would not be enough. It's irreplaceable as far as I'm concerned. I think the jewels alone are worth far more than that. Maybe as much as five or even ten million. Not that I'll ever sell it."
Our eyes must have gotten very big as she gave out this enormous laugh. "Yes, the value of this necklace could be way over three million dollars. Three million was the maximum I could get it insured for if I wanted to travel with it."
We all became even more interested than we were before, and as we ate, we listened.
"The story I'll tell you is about three hundred years old. So somewhere along the way some instances have been left out and some probably have been added. My great-great-grandmother wrote down that it was given to her by, I think, her great-great-great-grandmother around the year seventeen hundred by the king of Stannoba, a small state somewhere in Eastern Europe that no longer exists, and hasn't for at least three hundred years. No one seems to know anything about it. It's like a country in a fairy-tale that never was . . . almost like Brigadoon.
"My great-great-grandmother believed that her great-great-great-grandmother was a commoner who fell in love with the king." Maria laughed. "I may be out by one or more 'greats' there. Anyway, despite the family's resistance, they married. And the people of Stannoba also fell in love with her. They reigned together for over ten years. There was an uprising and a take-over by a powerful neighboring country at that time. We don't know what country that was, but somehow Stannoba was never heard of again. This necklace was given to her from the king on their wedding night.
"So the king and queen fled to Denmark with their two children and lived back in a remote country area. They ended up working for a kindly couple who were sheep farmers. The only thing they had with them was this necklace, which was like their security blanket. They worked for this couple for about five years; he as a shepherd and she as a maid doing all of the cooking and cleaning. Just imagine, once they were royalty and now they were servants.
"Then the sheep farmers died, and as they had no children or family, my ancestors inherited the flock of sheep. They were very successful and the village people, we understand, fell in love with them. They settled there with their children, and the story was passed down from generation to generation that they were descended from royalty. When my great-grandmother was about twenty-four she fell in love with a young man who was visiting the area where they lived. He was from America.
"They married, and with her parents' blessings she and her new husband moved to the United States in 1888. Just before she left for America, her mother gave her the necklace and reminded her of the story of how it had been given by the king of a small country that no longer existed, and that she must always remember that she was descended from a king.
"They came to the United States and settled in New York City, had three children, the first being a girl, my grandmother. Since that time, the necklace has always been given to the first-born, male or female, usually on their marriage.
"After seven years in New York they moved to Texas and started a cattle ranch. If you ever get to Texas you'll see many signs directing you to 'The Clegmann Ranch, the largest cattle ranch in Texas, if not in the world.'
Maria took a deep breath. "When my grandmother was twenty-two she also married a rancher. He owned a very large horse ranch, but not as large as her parents' cattle ranch. After her mother and father passed away they bought out the other siblings' shares and joined the two ranches together. This necklace was given to her as a wedding present, and again she was told this same story. Whenever the necklace is given to the next generation, the story is always told, so it will never die.
"My grandmother and grandfather had one child, my father. When he married my mother, he gave the necklace to her. It was given with one condition, that she could never sell it unless it was to save a Clegmann's life, either by marriage or born a Clegmann. I was their only child.
"When I married Marcy's father, the necklace and story were given to me. Charlie, my husband, died fifteen years ago. When Marcy here gets married, or when I die, the necklace will go to her." Maria nodded to her daughter and gave her a smile. "Somewhere along the way we know the necklace will be sold, as there'll be no stipulations or restrictions after it leaves me.
"Well that's the story. Whether it's all true or not, no one knows for sure. There were even rumors that one of my ancestors stole it and fled the country they were living in, and made up the story of the king and queen of Stannoba, and there was never such a place. I believe there was, perhaps a little kingdom in what is now Russia, and that my ancestors were truly a king and queen."
Chad asked, "What about the diamond earrings, Maria?"
"Oh, I had them made. I found a jeweler who did a great job. They look like a set, don't they?"
We all nodded. They were beautiful, but the necklace was indeed breathtaking, with a quality about the diamonds that I had never seen before.
"Tell us about the necklace," Nick said. "I mean the diamonds, and I think, emeralds."
"Well there are three strands as you can see." Maria held the heart-shape pendent in her hand. "There's one strand of all diamonds, the middle strand is all emeralds, and then the outer strand is another row of diamonds. The pendent that hangs down is two rows of diamonds and emeralds, outlining the large emerald shaped heart. It takes my breath away each time I put it on.
"It was difficult for the insurance company to appraise it because there's nothing else like it anywhere. It's an original, and they say that only the absolute best diamonds and emeralds were used. That's why I'm sure the story is true. It was without doubt a gift from a king to his queen."
"I've been told its value is much higher now than when I had it appraised. Anyone who stole it could easily break it down into single stones and sell them a few at a time. So we plan to have it reappraised, and try to adjust the insurance right after the cruise is over. But I do like taking it with me to wear on special occasions like this. As I said before, the value means nothing. It's the sentiment that's important to me."
We all left the table fascinated by the fairytale story. True or not, Maria had kept us spellbound for over an hour as we dined.
After thanking her, Kat and I went out on the deck. The night was beautiful with the moon shining on the water. We found two lounge chairs, but decided to sit in only one. We held each other and thanked the Lord again for putting us together. We must have both dozed off at about same time.
We were awakened by the loudspeaker. "Will the group of guests that were sitting at table nine please return to their table. No one else will be allowed in the dining room at this time. For the rest of the guests, please enjoy the casino, dancing at the disco lounge on the top floor, or games throughout the ship. Thank you and have a pleasant evening."
Kat and I got up and hurried to the dining room. Everyone was already there, including the Captain of the ship.
Maria was pale and sitting down. Her husband, Jason, stood next to her, holding her hand. Everyone else was standing, all with a look of bewilderment on their faces.
Finally Mark, who had been with us on the table at dinner, said, "What's wrong, Captain? Is Maria sick? Is it something she ate at dinner, and should we also expect to be sick?"
"No," the Captain said, "no one is sick."
Before he could tell us why we were all called there, Maria finally spoke up. "Someone has stolen my necklace."
Great big tears started to fill her eyes and splash onto her dress. After she regained her composure, she began to tell us what had happened, occasionally stopping to wipe away her tears.
Chapter 6
The Captain told us that our rooms were to be searched, with each of us being present. He said that a team of two would go over our rooms with a fine tooth comb. He also told us that because of the high value of the missing necklace, Chief Inspector Rashan from Turkey would be joining us shortly. We would have to wait for him to come aboard before they began the search. An
d no one was allowed to go to their rooms until he arrived.
"Are you all agreeable with that?" The Captain looked at each one of us for our answer. We all just nodded our heads. Young Chad however seemed a little hesitant. His parents, Mark and Sally, looked at him.
Mark asked, "Son, what's wrong?"
Chad hesitated a little longer, before finally saying, "Nothing. It's okay. Go ahead and search my room."
At dinner Mark and Sally had told us that they and Chad had adjoining rooms. Now that Chad was seventeen he wanted his privacy, and insisted that the door between them was always kept locked on both sides, so they had to knock before entering. They had all agreed on this, as they also liked their privacy.
"Okay," the Captain said, "we're not due to leave Istanbul until . . ." he looked at his watch ". . . until midday today."
I also looked at my watch. I'd not realized how long Kat and I had been sleeping on that lounge chair on deck. It was now long past midnight.
"Until Inspector Rashan arrives, he wants all of you to stay here in the dining room. Then he, and two of his police officers and I will take you, couple by couple – except for Marcy and Chad here – to search your rooms. Marcy, you must go with your mother, Maria; and Chad, you will go with your parents.
Since Marcy looked old enough to be Jason's wife, rather than his wife's daughter, I thought perhaps the Captain was treating her rather patronizingly. But it was Chad who looked worried.
We finally sat down in the same chairs that we had sat in the last two nights. Maria and Jason were excused to go back to their penthouse, since they were clearly not under suspicion.
We all sat in silence, while I wondered if it was possible that one of our group could have stolen the necklace.
When Barsha, one of our servers, brought in a big coffee pot, sandwiches and sweet rolls, we knew it was going to be a long night.
When Inspector Rashan arrived he introduced himself and repeated the Captain's plan of searching each of our rooms with us being present.
He was little in stature and wore a turban on his head. He had a thin mustache, very likable looks, smiled a lot, but had a strong voice which displayed self confidence and authority. I could tell he took his work seriously and none of us would be able to pull the wool over his eyes. He was also someone I instantly liked, and trusted even more. He spoke perfect English with a hint of a west coast American accent, which came as a bit of a surprise, considering his very Turkish attire and looks.