The Mystery Cruise (6 page)

Heather shook her head, then glanced around and saw Melissa Rand. “I'm sorry. I can't,” she said abruptly, and hurried to catch up with Melissa. The two walked down the deck and disappeared around the corner.

“Isn't that weird?” Violet said in a puzzled voice. “Heather never has time for us, yet she seems to have time for the Rands. I wonder why.”

Jessie frowned. “I wonder, too. She's always hurrying away from us.”

“It's as if Heather's afraid of us,” Henry said. “Maybe,” he speculated, “she's trying to hide something.”

“Remember when she first came on board?” Violet asked.

“Yes,” Jessie replied. “Heather received roses from ‘C'!”

Henry nodded. “Could the ‘C' stand for Carla?”

“Oh, no!” Violet said, horrified. “You mean Carla might be paying Heather to help her?”

“Yes,” Jessie answered sadly. “That's why Heather doesn't want to talk to us!”

“I think Heather's just bashful,” Benny said, then added with a grin, “like Violet.”

Violet's cheeks grew slightly pink, but she smiled.

Henry closed his book. “The Rands used to work for a French cruise ship,” he said thoughtfully.

“It's possible,” Henry continued, rising, “that the Rands could have been hired by their French ship.”

“And,” Violet said, “they're trying to sabotage the
West Wind
because it's a rival cruise ship.”

“That way, their ship would get more passengers,” Jessie said. “But we have
no proof
of any of this!” Changing the subject because she was so puzzled, she asked, “Who wants to play shuffleboard?”

“I do,” Henry replied.

“Me, too,” Violet said.

Benny leaped up. “Me, three!” he echoed. “I'm ready to go.”

So the four Aldens headed for the shuffleboard deck. Tom Bishop, standing by a Coke machine, received a telegram from the steward. Hastily, he read the words, then stuffed it in his jacket pocket when he saw the children. “Hi, kids,” he called. “What's happening?”

“Not much, Tom,” Benny said, taking a shuffleboard stick. “Want to play a game with us?”

“Why, not?” he asked, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. As he removed his jacket, the telegram gently fluttered to the deck.

The game didn't last long. Tom won, and he laughed. “Next time,” he said, putting on his jacket, “we'll play Monopoly. I'll bet you can beat me at that.” With a wave, he was gone.

Jessie put up her shuffleboard stick, and as she did so she noticed Tom's telegram. She picked it up and read the words:
JUST TWO MORE DAYS AND WE'LL BE RICH! CARLA
.

“What do you suppose this means?” Jessie asked worriedly, handing the telegram to Henry.

After reading it, Henry frowned. “Two more days of what?”

Violet took the telegram. “How could two more days make them rich?”

Jessie was thoughtful. “If Max makes it to Miami on time,
he'll
be rich. If not his cousin Carla will inherit Great-Aunt Edith's estate. This telegram could be from cousin Carla.”

Henry picked up Jessie's train of thought. “And Tom could have been hired by Carla to keep the
West Wind
from getting to Miami on time.”

“Then Tom has been the one all along,” Violet said, disbelief on her face.

“And he seemed so nice, too!” Benny exclaimed.

“Let's find Max,” Henry said. “I'm sure he'll know what to do.”

They found Max and Grandfather playing cards in the library.

“Here, Max,” Jessie said, “I think you should read this.”

Max stared at the telegram, then his eyes lit up in understanding. “Tom Bishop. Of course. He must be Thomas, the man Carla's going to marry. She talked about a ‘Thomas.' I've never met him so I had no idea what he looked like.”

“He did ask us questions,” Henry said, “and once he mentioned how upset you looked.”

“When Tom came aboard,” Benny said, “I remember he said that we kids knew all about the ship, and we'd have to show him around.”

“That's right,” Violet said.

“So,” Max said, “Tom's doing Carla's dirty work! Carla's probably in Miami right now!” He shook his head. “If I don't get to Miami by Sunday, she'll inherit everything!”

Henry said, “We need to warn the captain about Tom.”

“Yes,” Jessie agreed. “And let's also ask him if we'll be sailing into Nassau on time.”

“Good idea,” Grandfather said, rising to his feet.

They found the captain on the navigation deck, and when he heard their news, he was furious. “
No one
can tamper with my ship!”

Thoughtfully he added, “I'm not surprised, though. The crew has seen Tom outside the engine room a few times and wondered what he was up to.”

“He's deliberately trying to delay the ship,” Max said urgently. Then he explained to the captain why he had to get to Miami.

“Well,” the captain said, “Tom Bishop won't succeed. We're right on time. We're taking a shorter route to Nassau.” He smiled. “So, Mr. Greene, you'll be at the reading of the will.”

Max breathed a sigh of relief.

“We're on time now,” Grandfather said, “but what if . . .?”

“What if Tom does something else to sabotage the ship?” Jessie finished.

“Exactly,” Grandfather said.

For a few minutes they were all silent. Then Jessie, her eyes shining, said, “I have a plan.”

“You have?” Violet asked.

“Yes, I have,” Jessie replied, smiling. And she whispered into the captain's ear, and then into Max's.

The captain nodded. “I'll do it,” he said firmly.

A slow grin spread across Max's face. “Good idea, Jessie,” he said.

“What are they going to do?” Benny asked as they walked back to the cabin.

“You'll see at dinner,” Jessie said with a secret smile.

The Aldens went to their cabins to change clothes, and met at their table for dinner. Tom was sitting at the next table, right behind Max.

“I can't wait to see what the captain's going to do,” Benny whispered carefully to Jessie.

“He's going to say something to Max,” Jessie carefully whispered back. “Listen closely.”

As they ate their lemon meringue pie, the captain walked slowly by the Aldens' table.

“Excuse me, Captain,” Max said quietly, beckoning the captain to move closer. “It's urgent that I know. Will we be in Nassau on time?”

The captain looked grave. “Well, I didn't want to alarm the whole ship, but we've had another problem with the engine,” the captain told Max in hushed tones. “We can't travel at the usual speed. So we'll be delayed another couple of days.”

Benny glanced at Jessie and smiled. Now he knew what she'd whispered to the Captain and Max.

Henry smiled, too. Jessie had told the cap tain to fib a little—to tell Max there'd be a delay, when truthfully the ship was right on time. And to say it just loud enough for Tom to overhear.

Violet watched Tom. He was leaning closer to hear the captain's words. She saw a nasty grin light up his face. Tom glanced at Max to see how he took the news.

“Isn't there anything you can do?” Max asked.

“No, I'm afraid not,” the captain said.

When Max excused himself abruptly and left the table, Tom almost laughed aloud. He didn't realize that Max was only
pretending
to be upset. Everything was going according to Jessie's plan. The captain had played his part perfectly.

Then why did she still have this uneasy feeling?

CHAPTER 9

The Guilty One Confesses

O
n Saturday morning the Aldens leaned over the rail as the
West Wind
sailed into Nassau, the capital of the Bahama Islands, and docked at Prince George wharf.

“It will take a while before we're able to go into town,” Grandfather said. “They need to prepare the ramp for disembarking. Right now, let's have breakfast.”

“I can't wait to see Nassau's Straw Market,” Violet said.

“It's big,” Grandfather said. “You'll have fun there.”

The children went through the line, heaping their plates with their favorite food and fruit.

“The steward told me we'll be free to go ashore in one hour,” Grandfather said.

“Good!” Benny said. “It's our last stop before we go home, and I want to see everything.”

“And you will,” Grandfather promised, chuckling.

While they were lingering over breakfast, Max rushed toward them. “The captain and I are going to confront Tom Bishop. Will you come along?”

“You bet!” Henry said, jumping to his feet.

Jessie hurried alongside Henry, her heart beating hard. What would Tom say? What would he do?

“Maybe he's in the exercise room,” Benny said.

“Let's try his cabin first,” the captain said. “Usually when we're about to go ashore passengers are getting ready in their rooms.”

The captain rapped on Tom's door. No answer. He knocked louder.

Finally, Tom flung open the door and stared sleepy-eyed at the captain, Max, and the Aldens. “What do you want?” he asked in an annoyed tone. “You woke me up!”

“We need to talk to you. It's about what's been happening on my ship,” the captain said sternly.

“What are you talking about?” Tom asked angrily, his face flushing a deep red. “I had nothing to do with the ship's delay or anything else!”

“Yes, you have!” Max said. “What about this?” And he thrust the telegram in Tom's face.

Tom grabbed the wire, and his face grew white.

“You're in this with Carla, aren't you, Thomas?” Max said, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for an answer.

“No, I'm not!” Tom sneered. “And you'd better watch who you're accusing or you'll end up with a lawsuit!”

Suddenly, Benny shouted, “What's this?” And he dashed toward an iron box sticking out from under the bed. He pulled it out.

“It's a toolbox,” Henry said, kneeling down and examining hammers, pliers, and screwdrivers.

“So what if I do own a toolbox.” Tom snorted. “Is that a crime?” Behind his boldness, though, he appeared shaken.

Benny lay on the floor, peering under the bed. “I've found something else!” he yelled. “This!” He hauled out a rod-shaped piece of iron.

The captain swooped down on the piece, holding it up in triumph. “This is a part that was taken from the engine!” He glared at Tom. “Now what do you have to say for yourself?”

Tom stepped backward, bumping into the dresser.

“Admit it, Tom,” Max said. “Do you want to take all the blame and let Carla off scot-free?”

“All right,” he growled. “So I tried to slow down the ship. Will I be sent to prison for that?”

The captain looked solemn. “What you have done is very serious, Mr. Bishop. You also kept messages from being sent and from coming in!”

“And what about shouting ‘Man overboard'?” Henry said sternly.

“I only wanted to delay the ship. I didn't mean any harm.” He glared at them.

“And you tried to hide in a closet so you couldn't be counted,” Jessie said, tightening her lips.

Tom bent his head. “Yes,” he confessed. “I'm engaged to Carla.” He shot Max a hateful look. “We wanted to stop you from getting everything.” He paused, then snapped, “You always were Great-Aunt Edith's favorite!”

“I've called ahead, Mr. Bishop,” the captain said calmly, “and the police are waiting for you in Nassau.”

“Who cares!” He gave Max a wicked smile. “At least you'll be late coming into Miami! You won't get a penny!”

“Look out your porthole, Tom,” Jessie said.

Tom glanced at her, then rushed to the porthole. His mouth dropped open. “We're in Nassau!” He exclaimed in confusion. Whirling about, he faced the captain. “You announced we'd be delayed a day!”