[Lady Justice 11] - Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders Page 12

“I’ll live.”

  “How about you?” Judy asked.

  “Guess I’ll live too,” Ox replied.

  “Well, you both look like crap!” she said. “We can’t take you guys anywhere!”

  We had to laugh because we just couldn’t cry anymore.

  * See photo on page 223

  CHAPTER 12

  “That’s just not possible,” Luke said as he watched the two cops and their wives cross the wharf and head to the Statendam. “We’ve pushed them off of a cliff, set fire to their cabins and tossed them off of a moving train, and they just keep coming back!”

  Louis French smiled, “Just like Timex watches --- they take a licking and keep on ticking.”

  Then, the smile faded. “You have two more days at sea to get the job done. If you fail, then it will be up to me when they reach Seward. If you fail again and I have to finish the job, you’re both out! Do you understand?”

  They both nodded.

  “Undoubtedly, they will put the gold into the wall safe in their room. It can’t be very sophisticated because there are hundreds of them on the ship. I have devised this piece of equipment to help you open the safe,” he said, handing them a device with a stethoscope-like attachment. “Take this to your cabin and practice on your own safe until you are proficient. When the opportunity arises, you should have no trouble with the tools that I have given you. This is your last chance. Don’t disappoint me again!”

  Even though Ox and I were dirty, cut, bruised and tired, we figured that our first stop should be with Alejandro Reyes and the Stewarts to make sure that everything was in place before we set sail from Skagway.

  Maggie called the Stewarts and asked them to meet us at Reyes’ security room.

  We were the first to arrive and when Reyes opened the door, his first comment was, “What happened to the two of you. You look like crap!”

  That seemed to be the general consensus.

  The Stewarts arrived at that moment, so we spent the next fifteen minutes sharing our White Pass Railroad story.

  Ox was quick to point out that my injuries would probably have been more severe had he not hit the roadbed first to cushion my fall. I really couldn’t argue the point.

  “Any idea who tossed you off?” Reyes asked.

  “None,” Ox replied. “It was pitch black and there were hundreds of people on that train.”

  Then a thought occurred to me. “I wonder if Luke and Gwen Larson were aboard?”

  Reyes went to the computer and tapped the keys. “As a matter of fact, they were.”

  “What a coincidence,” Judy observed.

  “Sorry,” I replied, “I don’t believe in coincidence. I think they’re Louis French’s partners in crime --- we just don’t have the evidence to prove it.”

  “Maybe we will soon,” Judy said, turning to the Stewarts. “Was your shopping trip a success?”

  “Indeed it was,” Mark replied. “We added Alejandro’s little surprise to our purchase and it’s tucked away in our safe.”

  “So,” I said, “now we wait and hope for the best.”

  We were almost back to our cabins when we realized that we had left the bags that we had taken on our excursion in Reyes’ security room.

  “Well, crap!” I said, “one of us will have to go back.”

  “I’ll flip you for it,” Ox said with an innocent smile.

  “No need. I might as well just go.”

  “No, no. It’s the only fair thing to do,” he said, pulling a quarter from his pocket. “Call it,” he said, flipping it into the air.

  My first instinct was ‘tails’, but then I remembered that I always get it wrong, so at the last moment, I blurted, “Heads!”

  Naturally, it came up ‘tails’.

  “Tails,” Ox said, shaking his head. “What are the chances?”

  “Fifty-fifty, my ass!” I muttered as I trudged back down the hall.

  After a long, hot shower and a back-rub by my sweetie, I almost felt human again.

  We dressed and met our four friends in the Rotterdam Dining Room. Any other night, I would have lobbied for the Lido Buffet, but I had to admit that it felt really good to just sit and let Den and Mukti wait on us.

  After dinner, we headed to the Showroom Theatre for Bob Mackie’s production of Broadway.

  We had really enjoyed the entertainment each evening and that night was no exception.

  The band and the singers belted out favorite tunes from the Broadway musicals and two, very lovely dancers, Kristin and Lizzie cavorted across the stage in skimpy costumes.

  At the end of the performance, when the Cruise Director was introducing all of the performers, he made mention that the two, leggy dancers would be in the Crow’s Nest at ten o’clock the next day to teach anyone interested how to waltz.

  Maggie and I were already accomplished ballroom dancers, so we didn’t pay much attention, but when Judy heard the announcement, her ears perked up.

  “Oh, Ox,” she pleaded, “you know how much I’ve wanted to learn to dance. Could we go?”

  I saw the look of terror register on Ox’s face, but to his credit, he simply said, “Sure, Judy. If it would make you happy.”

  I elbowed Maggie and said, “I wouldn’t miss this for all the salmon in Alaska!”

  CHAPTER 13

  Day #4-Glacier Bay

  With the exception of the first day in Ketchikan, we had been blessed with fantastic weather. For the past two days, the sky had been sunny and the temperature had hovered in the low sixties. We were hoping for the same for our trip through Glacier Bay.

  When I awoke, the cabin was dark. Then I remembered that we had been moved to an inside cabin. I threw on my robe and walked to the door leading to the Lower Promenade Deck. I was thrilled to see the bright rays of the sun peeking over the mountaintops.

  We hurriedly dressed and met our friends in the Lido Buffet.

  By eight o’clock, we were outside on the forward deck, wrapped in blankets in the warm sun, sipping on hot chocolate as we watched the beautiful Alaskan wilderness pass by on both sides of the ship.

  Captain George Vancouver had visited the bay over two hundred years earlier, and since his visit, due to changes in the climate, several of the glaciers that he saw had receded out of view. Still there were nine tidewater glaciers within the park.

  The bay itself was sixty-five miles long with mountains, fjords and inlets on both sides.

  Every so often, someone would let out a yelp and everyone would run to where the person was pointing, and most often it was some wildlife. The pod of Orca whales swimming along side the ship was my favorite.

  The time passed quickly, and this was actually the first day of our cruise that someone’s life had not been in danger.

  Ox had been drifting in and out of short catnaps as he soaked up the morning sun. Our peaceful reverie was interrupted when Judy announced, “Oh, look! It’s almost ten o’clock! We just have time to get to the Crow’s Nest for our waltz lesson!”

  Suddenly Ox’s daydreams had turned into a nightmare. I’m sure he had been hoping that Judy would be so engrossed in the beauty of Glacier Bay that she would forget about the waltz, but it wasn’t to be.

  For a brute of a man that is fearless in the face of physical danger, Ox is totally petrified of most social situations.

  As much as he had been smitten the first time he had seen Judy, it was like pulling teeth to get him to approach her, and in the end, she was the one that asked him on their first date.

  In spite of the cool weather, beads of perspiration were appearing on Ox’s forehead as we rode the elevator to the Crow’s Nest.

  The Crow’s Nest was the ship’s nightclub located on deck twelve at the very tip-top of the ship. It consisted of a full service bar, a DJ booth and a small dance floor. There had been something going on there every evening after the main stage show, but we had all been so frazzled after our near-death experiences, all we wanted to do was hit the sack.

  When we arri
ved, Kristin and Lizzie and a dozen other couples were already there.

  Mark and Amy found an empty spot and Judy dragged Ox to another one. Maggie and I found chairs with a good view of the dance floor.

  Kristen started things off. “The waltz is an easy dance. If you can count to three, you can waltz.”

  I knew Ox could count to three, but I was willing to bet that it would be anything but easy for him.

  They put all of the men one side and the women on the other. Kristin then showed the men their steps.

  “Watch what I do. You will lead with your left foot --- forward, side, together --- that is your first step. Then you will lead with your right foot --- back, side, together. That brings you back to your original position and you just do the whole thing all over again. Now you try it.”

  She led the count --- forward, side, together --- but of course, Ox went forward, together, side --- and he was screwed from the first step.

  Next, Lizzie went over the women’s part that was just the opposite of the men’s.

  Then, it was time to partner up. Kristin and Lizzie demonstrated the partnership hold, and counted off the first steps.

  Judy led with her right foot back, but unfortunately so did Ox, and his 230 pounds landed squarely on Judy’s left foot.

  “Owww! Son-of-a-bitch!” she yelped as she limped away.

  That brought the lesson to a halt and I could see that Ox wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere.

  I leaned over to Maggie, “Shall we rescue our friends?”

  “It’s the only decent thing to do,” she replied. “You work with Ox and I’ll help Judy.”

  We dragged our friends off of the floor to an open area behind the bar. I could tell that Kristen was happy to see them go.

  When I got Ox by himself, I said, “I’m only doing this because you let me land on you yesterday.”

  “Very funny!”

  For the next fifteen minutes, I coached the big guy. At first, it was like trying to push a rope or herd cats, but he finally got the hang of it. By the time Judy and Maggie came over, he was certainly no Fred Astaire, but at least he wasn’t lethal.

  I noticed when they returned to the dance floor, the other dancers gave them a wide berth.

  By this time, everyone else was dancing to music. Lizzie queued the song and the beautiful strains of You Light Up My Life filled the room.

  Ox started off very hesitantly, but Judy was patient and supportive, and before long, they were right in step.

  My partner was actually dancing, and I could tell by the way that they were looking into each other’s eyes that they had found another way to light up each other’s life.

  Maybe you can actually teach an old dog new tricks.

  When the session was over, it was nearly lunchtime.

  We decided that Mark and Amy should swing by their cabin to see if anyone had paid them an uninvited visit.

  When we met them in the Lido for lunch, they just shook their heads. The safe had been untouched.

  By the time lunch was over, the Statendam was deep inside Glacier Bay. We had noticed chunks of ice floating by, and the farther we went, the more numerous and larger they became.

  We felt the ship slow to a crawl. We were nearing the Margerie Glacier. The huge chunk of ice was a mile wide at sea level, rose two hundred and fifty feet from the sea and stretched inland twenty-one miles.

  Because of the glacier’s sheer vertical face, there was a good possibility that we could see some ‘calving’, which happens when chunks of ice break off and fall into the water. We were told that a rifle-like crack and a booming roar usually accompany such an occurrence.

  With the expectation of this Alaskan marvel, pretty much everyone was out on one of the decks with camera in hand.

  We wrapped in our blankets and joined the rest of the gawkers, hoping Mother Nature wouldn’t disappoint.

  By this time, the chunks of ice that the ship was maneuvering through were less like ‘chunks’ and more like small icebergs. I remembered Bernice’s admonition about warning the Captain of the Titanic’s fate, but figured that he been through here a time or two and probably knew what he was doing.

  The ship actually came to a dead stop along side the glacier’s face and remained there for about a half hour until a chunk of ice peeled away and dropped into the water. It wasn’t a big chunk, but it was a chunk and we got to see it. Shortly after, the big engines started and the ship started on its return journey through the bay.

  Mother Nature didn’t disappoint.

  Luke and Gwen Larson watched the Stewarts and the other two couples leave the Lido buffet, wrap themselves in blankets and plop down in deck chairs as the ship neared the Margerie Glacier.

  “They’ll probably be there at least until the ship passes the glacier and turns back toward open sea,” Luke said. “Shall we do it?”

  “There’ll never be a better chance,” Gwen replied. “I’m ready!”

  They headed back to their cabin, picked up the equipment that Louis French had given them and went directly to the Stewart’s cabin.

  Luke slipped the card device into the slot, saw the green light and pushed the door open.

  “Gotta hand it to Louis,” Luke said. “He’s good with the tekkie stuff.”

  They opened the closet door and moved aside the clothing that was hanging in front of the small safe.

  Luke handed French’s latest device to Gwen, who had the more sensitive ear. “Okay, you’re on --- just like you practiced in our cabin. You can do this.”

  Gwen positioned the little plastic microphones in her ears, placed the stethoscope against the safe and began to slowly rotate the dial to the left.

  “Got the first one,” she said after a few moments, and then began turning the dial to the right. “Two down!” She hadn’t turned it very far back to the left when she exclaimed, “Got it!”

  She drew back and Luke turned the handle. The door swung open, revealing the century-old bag filled with the treasure that they had killed for.

  Luke gently lifted the bag from the safe. “Heavy --- heavier than I thought it would be.”

  “Can we take a quick look?” Gwen asked.

  “Maybe just a quick one,” Luke replied, and then we’d better get out of here before they return.”

  Luke opened the top of the bag and they saw the gold shining from the reflection of the overhead light.

  “We did it! We actually did it,” she exclaimed, and gave Luke a hug.

  They closed the safe, re-hung the clothing and peeked out into the hall. Seeing no one, they slipped out of the room, pulled the door closed and headed back to their own cabin.

  Like Slim-Jim Foster and John Bowers a century earlier, they had just relieved a Stewart of a fortune in gold.

  It was almost three o’clock before we turned in our blankets and headed back to our cabins.

  We had actually stayed out on the deck longer than we normally would have, but we wanted to make sure the thieves had plenty of opportunity to make their move.

  We followed the Stewarts to their cabin and the six of us crowded inside. Mark opened the closet, removed the hanging clothing and turned the dial on the safe.

  We held our collective breaths as the door swung open.

  “Empty!” he said. “We’ve got ‘em!”

  We hurried to Alejandro Reyes’ security room and knocked.

  “Well?” he said, when he opened the door and saw the six of us standing there.

  “They have it,” I said “Turn on your tracker.”

  Reyes took a small computer-looking thing with a screen off of a shelf and pushed the power button.

  We watched impatiently as the thing booted up. Finally, a small red blip pulsated on the screen.

  “There’s the tracking device we hid in the bag. Looks like our perps are on Deck #6,” he said. “Shall we have a look?”

  “Try and stop us,” Judy replied.

  “One thing before we go,” he cautioned us, “my men a
nd I will take care of this. Remember, whoever this is, they brutally murdered two people and probably tried to kill you at least twice, so we have to consider them dangerous.”

  “You’re the boss,” I said, as we headed out the door.

  Luke and Gwen Larson hurried back to their cabin. They were anxious to actually hold the precious metal in their hands. They spread a pillowcase on the bed and dumped the contents of the old hide bag.

  Luke stared in disbelief at the pieces of gold that tumbled onto the bed.

  “SHIT!”

  “What?” Gwen asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “Fool’s gold! This isn’t real gold --- it’s iron pyrite --- fool’s gold! They must have bought this stuff in one of the gem and mineral shops in Skagway.”

  “But why? How?” Gwen stammered.

  Luke ran his fingers through the pyrite crystals. “For this!” he said, holding a small disc between his finger and thumb.”

  “What is it?” Gwen asked.

  “A tracking device. We’ve been set up! We’ve got to get this stuff out of here. They’re probably on their way right now!”

  They quickly stuffed the pyrite along with the tracking device back into the bag, grabbed their jackets and headed out to the Lower Promenade Deck. When they reached the rail, Luke looked around, and seeing no one close by, tossed the bag into the sea.

  “What now?” Gwen asked.

  “We can’t go back to the cabin right away. They may be in our hallway and we don’t want them to see us. Let’s walk the deck to the bow of the ship and take one of the forward elevator’s to the Crow’s Nest. We’ll hang out there for a while. I just hope that damn tracker didn’t pinpoint our cabin number. We’ll know soon enough.”

  The six of us, along with Reyes and two security officers stepped off of the elevator on Deck #6.

  Reyes looked at the monitor screen. “It’s gone! They must have discovered our ruse and found the tracking device. We’ve been made!”