“Oh, you bet. I also wake at the drop of a pin.”
She grinned as he locked their cabin door, leaning close to tell him, “I also know how to set a trap for anyone trying to open a door. Much better than counting on oursleeping senses. Yours or mine!”
A horn sounded. A voice came over the speaker to announce the lifeboat drills.
“Hey, an important part of cruising—how could I forget!” Chloe murmured.
“Life-saving skills on this cruise could become very important,” Wes noted.
“And they may have nothing to do with the sea,” she agreed.
Two
The cabin was great.
Wes could truly appreciate their accommodations. He hadn’t cruised nearly as much as Chloe, but his parents had longed for vacations, too. However, they’d usually had pretty tiny interior cabins. That hadn’t mattered too much. His folks had used what they had on their shore excursions and some of them had been terrific.
Nope.
There was no denying that this would be a great time if... if he was only on the ship to have a great time.
But, of course, they weren’t.
They’d determined that they’d spend the hour or so before their dinnertime in the cabin once again studying the information they had on their suspects.
It was difficult at times not to wonder if they weren’t just chasing their tails. There was no definitive proof that any of the people they were following was guilty. And it was strange.Brothers? Was one guilty and one not? A married couple? Again, one guilty, one not, or perhaps a conspiracy...
To what end?
Chloe emerged onto the balcony. He gave her a sheepish sigh and shook his head. “No answers here,” he said.
“Wow. I wasn’t exactly expecting any yet. But it’s about that time, dinnertime, rise and shine and check out what our tech people have done from hundreds of miles away.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re at the captain’s table tonight. Captain Archibald Millbrook, known to his friends as ‘Archie.’ Apparently, a man respected and loved and experienced in sailing these seas. But, of course, Archie isn’t our target.”
“Who is at our table?” Wes asked her.
“Celia Henderson and her husband, Jeff. They’re running a few of the classes that cruise director and the Milestones people have put together. Also, we have the big man himself, Mr. Edward Thompson.”
“Vice president of Milestones and their rep on this cruise, giving lots of speeches, hosting parties along classes,” Wes said.
“You should get up,” she told him. “We don’t want to be late. Hm, hold on. Let me assess this situation. You might want to change!”
“Into what? A gorgon?” he teased.
But yes,shehad changed again. The halter dress she wore now fell sleekly to the floor; it was a soft velvetlike emerald-green, a color that matched her eyes. And, of course, naturally, the darkness of her hair seemed to emphasize the richness of the color as well.
Okay, so she did appear elegant.
“It’s a cruise!” he protested.
“That’s right. No stuffy business suit. And come on, it’s the captain’s dinner!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! Give me a minute,” he begged.
“A minute! We have our table, but we need to choose the right seats!” she reminded him.
