Brenda continued. “But I lay still, barely breathing. He was in my room for a time, doing who knows what. I listened until I heard the sound of the cabin door open and close and whoever did it left.”
By now Yvonne appeared as breathless as Brenda. “What a horrible experience,” she moaned. “Hearing about you struggling to breathe makes me realize how awful it must have been for my darling Roger.”
To Longworth Brenda looked clearly annoyed that the focus on her fifteen minutes of fame was momentarily shared by another person’s misfortune.
Brenda continued. “To make a long story short—”
Way too late for that, Longworth sighed to himself.
“I survived, and I am alive to tell the tale. And it wasn’t until this morning that on top of everything else, I realized my very valuable necklace is missing.”
Sensing she had lost her audience, Brenda finished eating quickly, walked over to the next table, sat down and began massaging the bruises on her neck.
She appeared delighted that Alvirah and Willy and Ted Cavanaugh were particularly concerned as she recounted her harrowing adventure. On the other hand Anna DeMille sighed, “In a way I’m jealous of you. I could just imagine being in that circumstance.” She turned to Devon and put her hand on his arm. “I would hope that you would be the one to rescue me,” she said sweetly.
Ted stayed only a few minutes before excusing himself. That was when he murmured to Alvirah, “I have to call a client in France, but then I want to check on Celia.”
“Good idea,” Alvirah confirmed.
A few minutes later Brenda glanced around and spotted Yvonne’s Hamptons friends. Massaging her neck and wincing as she walked, she headed directly for their table.
Alvirah swallowed her last gulp of coffee and said, “Willy, let’s take a walk on the deck.”
Willy looked out the window. “It’s pouring, honey,” he said.
Alvirah followed his glance. “Oh, it is. You’re right. Let’s go upstairs instead. I want to phone and check on Celia.”
81
Celia had slept mercifully well after dinner, no longer carrying the Cleopatra necklace and having confided in Alvirah had taken a weight off her shoulders. But when she had opened her eyes at six-thirty in the morning, she realized there was something else. She had thoroughly enjoyed talking to Ted Cavanaugh. She knew that he was being genuine when he told her that he believed she had nothing to do with Lady Em’s death. She wished she had told him what Lady Em had said about Brenda and Roger but decided that might have made him wonder why she knew so much.
After replaying their conversation in her mind, she turned her attention to the nagging question of why she had let herself be swept off her feet by Steven. Why hadn’t she been more careful? A little checking would have quickly revealed that much of what he was telling her was not true. She wondered if it was her father’s fault for dying so young, and leaving her in such a vulnerable state. But at that thought she was embarrassed and angry that she could even consider blaming him. “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered as healing tears rushed to her eyes. “I have only myself to blame.”
She sat up, reached for a robe and phoned for coffee and a muffin.
I won’t let this happen again, she thought. I have to be sure. She went over to the table and opened her laptop. Celia didn’t remember the name of Ted’s law firm, so she went to Google and typed in Ted Cavanaugh, NYC lawyer. A website for the Boswell, Bitzer and Cavanaugh firm was one of the links. She clicked on it, and the site came up. She clicked on Our People, and when Ted’s picture appeared, she scanned the brief bio below it. Celia heaved a sigh of relief. Ted is exactly who he said he is.
Minutes later her phone rang. It was Alvirah.
“Celia, I just wanted to say, be careful,” Alvirah warned. “Brenda Martin just came down to breakfast. She said someone tried to strangle her and that she would have died if the butler hadn’t entered her room before she choked to death.”
“Oh, poor Brenda,” Celia sighed, even as she remembered that Lady Em had told her that Brenda was a thief.
“My worry is that the thief may be searching for the Cleopatra necklace,” Alvirah continued. “So you must be very careful over the next two days. And be careful when you’re walking. The ship is starting to roll from side to side. If you haven’t been outside yet, you might not know that we’re having a terrible rainstorm.”
“I haven’t,” Celia answered. “Alvirah, I’m worried I might have put you and Willy in danger.”
“Oh, we’ll be okay,” Alvirah said confidently. “No one is going to kill me while Willy’s around, and I don’t think anyone is going to tangle with Willy.”
“That makes me feel better,” Celia said, “but please be careful.”
“We will be,” Alvirah promised.
Celia had barely hung up the phone when it rang again. It was Ted Cavanaugh. His voice was solicitous. “Celia, you didn’t come down to breakfast. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Celia assured him. “I slept late this morning, which is the first time I’ve done that in recent memory.”
“I’m calling to warn you to be careful,” Ted said. “Brenda was almost murdered last night. She said someone attacked her in her room and tried to strangle her. She was robbed of a very valuable pearl necklace.”
Celia did not say that Alvirah had just called her. She also didn’t tell Ted that the only necklace she had seen Brenda wearing was of very poor quality. Unless the necklace she claims was stolen was one of Lady Em’s. But she kept that thought to herself.
“Celia, my office just sent me material for a brief I have to finish tonight. Let’s have lunch tomorrow.”
“I’d like that,” Celia said simply.
“Good. How about one o’clock in the tearoom on your deck?”
“That will be fine,” Celia confirmed, then held on to the phone for a moment after Ted disconnected. “I don’t feel all by myself, alone, right now,” she said aloud, as she hung up the phone and picked up her coffee cup.
82
Gregory Morrison watched as Captain Fairfax and his chief security officer entered his room. He looked at them and past them. “Where’s Inspector Clouseau from Interpol?” he demanded. “I said I wanted him here as well.”
“I asked Mr. Michaelson to join us,” Captain Fairfax said nervously. “But he told me he had absolutely no intention of coming here to be humiliated by you.”
“You weren’t supposed to ask him to come. I told you to tell him to come.” Morrison sighed. “Forget it, he’s useless anyhow.”
Morrison paced around his suite as he spoke. “That cow Brenda Martin is running all over the dining room showing her swollen neck to anyone who will give her the time of day. Don’t you people realize that all the passengers will be afraid of being in their rooms alone?”