Free Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen

gave him a companionable nudge.
    “Keep an eye on the ladies, old chap, will you?”
    “With pleasure.”
    “Don’t want them being abducted, do we?”
    “How long do you expect to be?”
    “One cigar leads to another. You know how it is. Besides,” he said, lowering his voice. “Much as I adore the fairer sex, I do like to retreat into a male preserve on occasion. No ladies in the smoking room.”
    “Quite so, Mr. Weekes.”
    “Old Erskine was in fine form this evening, wasn’t he?”
    “Yes,” said Dillman.
    “I meant to ask you about something he said this afternoon.”
    “Mr. Erskine?”
    “Over tea. What exactly is this Mafia Society?”
    “Why?” teased the other. “Do you wish to become a member?”
    Weekes burst out laughing, then shared the joke with Erskine as he led him off to the smoking room. Watching them go, Dillman began to see the affinity between the two men. He suspected that they had a bond that went far deeper than a mutual passion for cigars. Most of the ladies in the group repaired to the powder room and the American was left to settle into an armchair and chat with two abandoned husbands and a lone banker. He was rescued by the appearance of Violet Rymer, who slipped into the lounge on her own with the clear intention of speaking to him. Dillman excused himself and went across to meet her.
    “It’s so nice to see you again, Miss Rymer!” he said, indicating the chair he has just vacated. “Would you care to join us?”
    “I can’t stay, Mr. Dillman.”
    “Are your parents coming into the lounge?”
    “No, they’re going back to our suite.”
    “I’m so glad you all ventured out this evening. It was a veritable banquet. I’m only sorry that you didn’t seem to enjoy it.”
    She lowered her head. “Was it that obvious?”
    “I’m afraid so.”
    “I did try.”
    “I’m sure you did. It’s not a crime to be shy. Though I don’t think it was only a case of shyness, was it?”
    She looked up searched his eyes. “No, Mr. Dillman. There was something else. But I musn’t keep you from your friends. I only came to ask you a favor.”
    “Consider it done, Miss Rymer.”
    “I wondered if you’d dine with us again sometime.”
    “Of course.”
    “You’re the only friend I have on board this ship. It’s an agony for me to be in the dining saloon with all the other passengers. I feel that they’re all staring at me. That they all
know
.”
    “Know what?”
    “Nothing,” she said evasively. “So you will come?”
    “If your parents have no objection.”
    “None at all. They like you.” Affection suddenly welled up in her eyes but she could not put it into words. She bit her lip. “I must go.”
    “May I ask one question first?”
    “If you wish.”
    “When exactly is your birthday, Miss Rymer?”
    “A week tomorrow.”
    “So you’ll celebrate it in New York?”
    “There won’t be any celebration involved.” She sighed.
    “But there has to be,” he insisted. “Reaching the age of twenty-one is an achievement. A vital turning point in anyone’s life. You’ll be a fully fledged adult. Able to make your own decisions. Pursue your own ambitions. You may not have voting rights, of course, but everyone will have to treat you differently.” He nodded meaningfully. “Everyone, Miss Rymer. Including your parents.”
    Tears threatened instantly. Squeezing his arm in gratitude, she took out a handkerchief from her purse, then hurried away before she needed to use it. Violent Rymer was in pain and Dillman feared that he had just added to it with his comment. Moved by her plight, he had to resist an urge to go after her. He would have to help her by stealth.
    Philip Garrow had to wait until late into the evening before he got the information he wanted. Having smoked a cigarette on the boat deck and maintained a desultory conversation with some chance acquaintances, he was making his way back down to his cabin when he heard a loud whisper behind him.
    “