Free 1 Shore Excursion by Marie Moore Page A

today,” he replied. “Unfortunately, the wind has again gained such strength that a fast boat docking or a helicopter landing is out of the question . Either one would be unsafe . I have been told that we must simply delay the inquiry until we can reach port. Therefore it becomes once again my responsibility, and yours. No?”
    He took a long sip of wine before continuing.
    “At four o’clock I will announce to the passengers the unfortunate news that one of our guests has died . We will observe a moment of silence. They will assume that her death was due to advanced age and that the cruise will continue on as stated in the itinerary after this regrettable delay , necessitated by inclement weather.
    “ We will, of course, encourage them in this assumption . ” He fixed me with a piercing blue stare. “ Beyond that, I will tell them nothing . I must insist that you and Jay Wilson do the same. I will also announce that all shipboard activities, including the Captain’s Cocktail Party and Masquerade Ball planned for this evening , will take place as scheduled.”
    “But Captain,” I protested, “ A woman had been murdered on this ship.”
    He looked around to see if I had been overheard, but no one was seated at the next table, and the noise level was fairly high. “We don’t know that, Sidney , now do we? We know that she is dead , of course . But w e don’t know why or how she met her death . And we won’t know until we dock in Norway and an official investigation can be conducted .”
    He watched me in silence as Antonio placed a plate of prosciut t o and melon before him.
    “Until then,” he continued, “this ship and everyone on her — including you, Sidney — are under my command. I am asking you and your colleague not to discuss the circumstances of Ruth Shadrach’s death or share any wild speculations regarding it with anyone. I do not want panic. A s captain of this ship, I could issue these as orders, but I prefer that you honor my request .”
    “But Captain — ”
    “I’m sorry, Sidney , but I must insist that every attempt be made by my crew and the cruise and hotel staff to carry on as if nothing unusual has happened. I strong ly suggest that you do the same .” He picked up the bottle from the silver coole r at his elbow and said, “ May I?”
    After fill ing my glass and his own, he lightly touch ed his glass to mine , all the while watching me carefully with his deep blue eyes .
    I could see why Zoe and every other woman on this ship found this man attractive. I regretted that he was already ta ken and I was sorry we had not met another time, in another place. He did look and act like a movie star , and lunching alone with him in that beautiful setting under other circumstances would have been pretty special .
    But he clearly would be no help in solving Ruth’s murder. He had his job as captain to consider. I had my job as travel leader and my mission—to find out who had killed Ruth and why. I wasn’t sure how best to respond to Captain Vargos’ “request,” so I concentrated on finishing my lunch .
    The lovely Salad Ni ç oise and the chilled Chardonnay were not very satisfying. At that moment I would willing ly have traded all the gorgeous food and wine and flowers on the Rapture of the Deep for an Amstel Light, just one of Kim’s pastrami sandwiches, and a stool at his ratty counter.

 
     
7
    “I j ust don’t think it shows th e proper respect, that’s all I’m saying . ”
    Gertrude Fletcher sat front-row center in the Crystal Lounge, primly patting her tight gray curls into place, waiting for the vegetable - carving demonstration and class to begin.
    “When you get to be my age, Gert ,” said Hannah Weiss, handing out little paring knives , instruction sheets, and raw vegetables, “you’ll find out that you gotta keep moving. Things happen. People get sick. People die. T hat’s just how it is. Life goes on. It’s sorta like George B urns said, ‘When the guy