“I just got nervous thinking I might end up stranded in Miami,” I said lightly. “You know how it is at my age. I like to have things clear.”
“Of course,” she said quickly. “I completely understand. Well, Robert, I’ll let you continue enjoying the trip. We’ll see you when you get back.”
“Clare, before you go,” I said, “can I ask you one more thing?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you decide to give me this trip now?” I asked. “Michael told me you’d talked about me, but he didn’t explain what made you both decide to send me away.”
“Well,” she said, and I could hear the strain under her tone, “lately we’ve seen you very tired, very stressed. We thought you needed extended rest.”
“Extended rest,” I repeated.
“Yes. You know—some time away from everything. Sometimes we all need to disconnect completely from daily life.”
The same line Michael had used, word for word. It sounded rehearsed.
“I understand,” I said. “Well, thank you for worrying about me.”
“You’re welcome, Robert,” she replied. “Take care and enjoy every moment.”
When I hung up, Carl shook his head.
“That conversation,” he said, “tells us everything we needed to know. Clare is just as involved as Michael. The way her voice changed when you mentioned buying your own ticket… it’s like you ruined something.”
On the third day of the cruise, Carl and I decided it was time to confront the man in the colored shirts—carefully and on our terms.
After breakfast, we walked down to the casino. It was the perfect place: busy, full of cameras, staff all around, noise to cover our voices.
“Here’s the plan,” Carl explained as we walked. “I’ll sit at a poker table near the entrance. You’ll sit at a slot machine, alone, and act like you’ve been drinking a little too much. If that man is watching you, he’ll see you as vulnerable, an easy target. People like him can’t resist that.”
I sat at a machine, fed in a few bills, and started pushing buttons. I pretended to sway a little on the stool, muttered to myself, and laughed too loudly at nothing in particular. I drank orange juice from a glass and held it like it might be a mimosa.
It didn’t take long.
After about twenty minutes, I saw him walking toward me. The same man, this time in a yellow shirt instead of green, but the same sharp eyes and practiced smile.
“Excuse me, sir,” he said, sliding into the seat at the machine next to mine. “Are you okay? You look a little tired.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, slurring just enough to be believable. “I think I had too many mimosas at breakfast. These vacations are dangerous.”
He smiled, his eyes scanning me up and down, calculating.
“Is this your first time on a cruise?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “My son gave me this trip. Says I need to relax. I think I might be overdoing it.”
I gave him exactly what he wanted to hear.
“What a thoughtful son,” he said. “Is he on the cruise with you?”
“No, no,” I said quickly. “He stayed in Chicago. This is just for me. A special gift so I can relax completely.”
He nodded slowly, and I saw a glimmer of something ugly in his eyes. Useful information. No witnesses. No family on board.
“Well then, you definitely need to enjoy it,” he said. “Have you explored the whole ship?”
“Almost,” I said. “Yesterday, I was on the upper deck watching the sunset. It’s beautiful, but honestly, it scares me a little being so close to the water.”
“Scares you?” he asked. “Why?”
“Oh, I’m very clumsy,” I said with a laugh. “I’m always afraid I’ll get too close to the railings. With the ship moving, it’d be so easy to lose my balance and fall. Wouldn’t even know what hit me.”
His expression changed—very faint, but noticeable. He’d just been handed the perfect excuse.
“You’re right to be cautious,” he said. “Especially at night. The decks get slick.”
“Really?” I said, widening my eyes. “Oh, that’s terrible. Maybe I should just stay in my cabin after dinner.”
“That might be safer,” he said with fake concern. “What floor is your cabin on?”
There it was—the question we’d been waiting for.
“Eight,” I said. “847. It has a beautiful balcony, but like I said, I’m afraid to lean on the rail. I get dizzy.”
