“Slim to none, sir. He fell over backwards and he had been drinking. If he survived the fall, he likely would have been knocked unconscious. If that were the case, he would have sunk quickly, especially when you consider how heavy his wet clothes would have been. Even if we had gone back for him immediately, Captain, I don’t believe the outcome would have been different.”
“I know, and I agree,” the Captain sighed. “I’ll call Morrison and fill him in. I want you to call Chaplain Baker and tell him to come and meet me here.”
“Very good, sir,” Saunders said as he headed to the door.
Morrison picked up on the first ring. After explaining how they reached the conclusion that Pearson had to be dead, the Captain told the owner that he and the Chaplain were going over to talk to Pearson’s wife.
The owner’s voice rose to a bellow. “I know the two of you will do a wonderful job breaking the bad news to the woman. Say whatever you have to say to calm her down, but under no circumstances are we going back to look for him.”
45
It seemed as though nobody wanted to go to bed. Although the evening entertainment, a duo performing songs from prominent operas, had been canceled, the bars with tables and chairs were nearly filled. The casino was even more crowded than usual.
Trying to escape her thoughts, Lady Em had invited her tablemates to have a nightcap with her. That was where Brenda found them after Yvonne told her to leave. Everyone asked how Yvonne was faring.
As Brenda was answering, word began to circulate around the room that the search for Roger had not been successful. The Captain and Chaplain Baker had gone to Yvonne’s room to tell her that because Roger was almost certainly dead, the ship was not going to undertake a search and rescue effort.
Walking ahead of his group, Ted Cavanaugh had selected a table for four. Alvirah and Willy were with him, and Alvirah did not miss the fact that Ted had rushed to grab a nearby table as soon as he spotted where Lady Em was seated. Nor did she miss the fact that Lady Em caught his eye and abruptly turned away. Devon Michaelson had again declined to join them. Anna DeMille had grabbed a chair at the bar next to a man her age who appeared to be alone.
Then Lady Em stood up abruptly. “Brenda will sign the check for me,” she said. It was an effort to keep her voice level. “I am very tired. I will say good night to all of you.”
Brenda sprang to her feet. “I will accompany you.”
God forbid, you thief, Lady Em thought, but her answer was simple and final. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
There was a nagging pain from her left shoulder going down her arm. She needed to get to her room and take a nitroglycerine pill now.
As she left, she passed by Ted Cavanaugh’s chair, hesitated, then continued on.
Alvirah quickly noticed the grim expression on Lady Em’s face. She seems upset at him. I wonder why.
A few minutes later, when everyone began to leave, she managed to get in a word with Celia. “I never did get a chance at the Captain’s party to tell you that you look so beautiful tonight. How are you doing?”
“About the same,” Celia admitted, then added, “Keep feeling in your bones that it will all work out.”
Ted Cavanaugh had caught the exchange, puzzled for a minute, then realized why she seemed familiar. Celia Kilbride was the girlfriend of Steven Thorne, the hedge fund swindler. A lot of people think she was in on it, he thought. I wonder if she was. God knows, he thought, she has the face of an angel.
46
The Man with One Thousand Faces did not waste time mourning the loss of Roger Pearson. If anything, he welcomed the distraction it had caused. People were talking about it, mulling it over, saying what a shame that it had happened. They were agreeing that it was not only the personal loss of Roger for his family and friends, but it was also an unfortunate incident for the Castle Line. The maiden voyage of Queen Charlotte would be forever remembered as much for the tragedy as for the luxurious experience it offered.
Too bad, he thought, as he felt the swift rush of energy that had always filled him when he was about to pounce. Most times he was able to have the object of his longing without the unfortunate need to take a life to achieve his goal. He knew that might not be the case tonight. It was unlikely that Lady Em would sleep through his visit to her bedroom. He had overheard her lamenting the fact that she was a light sleeper and that any sound could wake her up.
But he could not wait any longer. At the cocktail party he had heard the Captain urging Lady Em to give the necklace into his keeping. If she were to do that, he might never have the chance to steal it again.
At the Captain’s party it had been difficult to force his eyes away from it. It was beyond exquisite. It was flawless.
And in a few hours, one way or the other, it would be in his hands.
47
Alvirah and Willy were barely in their suite when she asked in a worried tone, “Willy, did you notice how Lady Em started toward Ted Cavanaugh, then apparently changed her mind?”
“I thought she was just saying good night,” Willy said. “What was wrong with that?”
“There’s something about the way he stalks Lady Em,” Alvirah said firmly.
“What’s that supposed to mean, honey?”
“Trust me, he does. Tonight at the cocktail party he went straight over to Lady Em and stared at her necklace. I heard him say, ‘That’s the most stunning piece of ancient Egyptian jewelry I have ever seen.’?”
“That sounds like a nice compliment.” Willy yawned in what he hoped would be a signal to Alvirah that he was ready for bed. But if she noticed, it did not deter her need to talk things over.
“Willy, I was walking on the promenade deck this afternoon when you went back to doing the puzzle. Lady Em was about twenty feet ahead of me. Then somebody hurried past me. It was Ted Cavanaugh. He went right up to Lady Em and began to talk to her. Now you know that most people who take a walk on the deck aren’t looking to start a conversation with someone they hardly know, especially someone like Lady Em.”
“Lady Em isn’t the kind you try to get buddy-buddy with,” Willy agreed.
“I am absolutely sure that he started to argue with her, because at one of the doors she turned and kind of hurried over to it as if to get away from him.”
“Well, before she did that, I bet she put him in his place,” Willy said as he stood up and took off his tuxedo jacket. “Honey, it’s been quite a day. Why don’t we—”
“There’s one more thing I noticed,” Alvirah interrupted, as she smoothed the crease in the skirt of her evening gown. “We had a pretty good spot to observe what was going on at Lady Em’s table last night, and I was kind of looking over because she fascinates me. But then I started to pay attention to Roger and Yvonne.
“Willy, the looks those two exchanged would have stopped a clock. Especially on Yvonne’s face. She had such a nasty expression when she stared at him. I just wonder how she’s feeling now, after that terrible accident. I mean, how would you feel if we were on the outs and I fell overboard?”