Chapter 1
Abandon ship! Abandon ship!
Millie’s eyes flew open. She bolted upright, her heart pounding in her chest at the emergency warning blaring from the overhead speaker.
“What the…” Nic, her husband and Siren of the Seas’ captain, threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, already reaching for his pants that were draped on the back of the nearby chair.
She flipped the light switch on, listening in horror as a nasally voice began mimicking the emergency signal…seven short blasts followed by one long blast. There was only one problem, and it was a biggie. Millie suspected it was a crew member who had been instigating trouble for several days now. She wasn’t the only one.
“It’s him again.” Nic slipped his shoes on and grabbed his jacket on the way out of the bedroom.
Millie, now wide awake, ran down the steps behind him. “I hope they get him this time.”
The ship’s security team had begun staking out every PA system, hoping to catch the mischief-maker who had been using it to issue random announcements. A few made zero sense, and a couple were merely nonsensical noises.
Before she reached the bottom step, a familiar voice began speaking. “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for theinterruption. The ship is safe. There is no need to go to your muster stations. Again, the ship is safe and there is no emergency at this time.”
Dave Patterson, the head of security’s voice: calm, cool, and collected, repeated his announcement. Following Nic to the door, she peeked out, catching a glimpse of the bridge, now a flurry of activity.
Thinking passengers might need additional reassurance, Millie threw her work clothes on and rushed out of the apartment. She had almost reached the muster station deck when she heard loud, frantic voices.
Taking the final step, she came to a quick halt, her heart plummeting at the chaotic scene. Security guards, crew members and a sea of passengers, all wearing life jackets, stood crammed together.
In the midst of the chaos, Suharto, the head of gangway security, struggled to get the passenger’s attention. Unfortunately, Millie only caught snippets of what he was trying to say.
Danielle appeared at her side, life jacket in hand. “Can you believe it? The troublemaker outdid himself this time.”
“What a nightmare,” Millie groaned, frantically trying to come up with a plan to address the panicked passengers.
“Please be calm,” Suharto desperately pleaded.
“They’re not listening.”
“We need to get their attention.” Millie’s eyes were drawn to Danielle’s life jacket, sporting a reflective strip and beacon light. “Use your whistle.”
“Good idea.” Danielle stuck the whistle in her mouth. Sucking in a breath, she blew as hard as she could.
A shrill screech cut through the noise. The lobby grew quiet, all eyes turning to the women.
Suharto forced his way through the sea of people and joined them on the bottom step. “Ladies and gentlemen, the abandon ship call was a false alarm. You. Are. Safe. Please return to your cabins.”
“May I?”
Suharto handed Millie his bullhorn. “I know you are all a little freaked out, and I apologize for the confusion. As Suharto said, you are safe. The ship is safe. We will be returning to the Miami port at the scheduled time.” She glanced at her watch. “Siren of the Seas will dock in approximately three hours, at seven a.m., at which time we will wait for clearance and you’ll be allowed to disembark.”
Finally, thankfully, it appeared the message started to sink in and the deck cleared. Several passengers passed by, grumbling about the false alarm. Meanwhile she, Suharto and Danielle continued apologizing profusely.
Millie noticed a small group had gathered near the stairwell, talking in low voices. She handed Suharto the bullhorn and approached them. “You can return to your cabins.”
A woman, her eyes filled with fear, shook her head. “Not on your life. I’ll never forget reading about the Costa Concordia. Those passengers were told to return to their cabins and some of them died because they listened to the captain.”
A man placed a protective arm around her shoulders. “My wife is right. I don’t feel safe returning to our cabin.”
“It’s unfortunate you feel this way. All public areas are available for you to use.” Millie apologized for the umpteenthtime. “It appears an unauthorized individual somehow gained access to the PA system and decided to pull a prank.”
“Clearly, Captain Armati is not in control of his vessel,” a woman haughtily replied.
“We’ll figure this out on our own.” The man motioned the others away and began talking again, glancing every so often in their direction.
