“And you passed up Ischia’s world-class mineral baths for a massage on board?” Oleg held the ends of the towel against his chest.
“What can I say? Elli made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” I opened my hands and smiled. “Free’s hard to beat.”
“If you get a chance, try the floatation tank. Total relaxation. Good for whatever ails you and the gym’s not busy while we’re in port. But we should talk.” Oleg pointed a finger at me.
“I agree. I was planning on going back to visit the Castle in the morning, but if you’ve time, I’d love to chat with you.”
After learning about Oleg’s past and how he had been instrumental in helping Neil buy Athena and Neil’s decision to put Oleg in charge as Athena’s onboard accountant, I was anxious to talk with him and learn whatever he could tell me about some of Athena’s residents.
“Noon tomorrow. It is important we make time for each other. The Ivy Café.” Oleg bunched the towel in his hand and turned to leave.
“I’ll be there,” I said.
* * *
I found Elli standing behind the counter outside the spa door, her blonde hair in a ponytail and a clipboard in her hand.
“Good afternoon, Kat. Anything we need to work on?”
I rolled my shoulders and rubbed the side of my neck. “I’ve got a stiff neck. Can you fix that?”
“I’ve just the thing. Go in and lie down on the table. I’ll only be a minute.”
The massage room was small, nothing fancy, with the masseuse’s table in the middle, a single white counter on one side, and a hook on the back of the door. I hung my robe up on the hook, slipped beneath a thin cotton sheet on the table, and waited with my face in the cradle.
Elli entered the room talking. “So, Kat, have you been enjoying yourself?”
“It’d be tough not to. It’s all so beautiful.”
“And Dede’s suite?”
“It’s awesome. Have you seen it?”
“I’m really not supposed to. But, yes. I have. Neil doesn’t like staff to socialize with the residents. But with Dede, it’s impossible not to. She’s a regular, has a massage at least once a week, and likes to talk. She’s had me in for dinner several times. You know she loves to cook, right?”
“So I’ve heard.”
Elli placed a warm heating pad on my back. “You know…Dede’s the reason you’re here.”
“Oh?”
“It was Dede’s idea to contact the magazine. She thought a story about Athena and her residents would make a good feature. And the more she talked about it, the people on board and the places they go, the more I did, too. It seemed like a good idea, and we thought maybe it might help.”
“Help? What do you mean?” I hated conducting an interview on my stomach, face down to the floor. But even with nothing but a view of Elli’s tennis shoes, I sensed she knew more about Neil, Dede, and the ship than she thought, and whatever she knew, I wanted to know.
“Ugh, forgive me. I’ve said too much. I—I really shouldn’t be talking—”
“Nonsense. This isn’t an interview. You don’t need to worry. Far as I’m concerned, I’m just here for a massage. And if I can help, I’d be happy to.” I tried to allay Elli’s fears. I wanted her on my side and to feel it was safe to say whatever she wanted. “Look, it’s not like I’m from the board of health or anything. I’m just a travel writer, writing about a group of Seniors at Sea, enjoying their sunset years.”
“I suppose you’re right. It’s just—”
“What? You’re worried I might not write a great article?”
Elli took the heating pad off my back and began to massage my shoulders. I could feel the angst in her hard hands as she kneaded the muscles around my neck.
“It’s just, I wouldn’t want to say anything that would harm Athena’s reputation.”
“I doubt you need to worry. Athena’s a beautiful ship, and I’ve heard nothing but good things since I came onboard.” I paused and considered how I might open the conversation to what Elli might have heard or known about some of the people on board while she continued to work out the kinks in my back. “Although…to be honest, I have noticed several vacancies on board. Captain Byard said some of the residents have second and third homes. But I got the idea that maybe he didn’t want to tell me that some might just be empty.”
Elli rubbed some warm oil between her hands and then down my back. “All I know is that Dede’s worried. She keeps saying how much better things used to be.”
“You know how older people are. Always going on about the past. How perfect it was.” I tried to sound uninterested, but my mind was racing. I wanted to lead the conversation without being obvious. “Besides, I suppose if Dede mentioned the number of empty cabins to you, she would have said something to Neil as well.”
“Maybe. They are close. Neil and Dede’s husband were business partners. I think she worries about Neil, but that’s just who she is.”
“Old people worry. She probably worries about you, too.”
“Hardly.” Elli kneaded her knuckles into my shoulders as she spoke. “You know Neil’s my cousin.”
“I wondered. When I saw your last name on the invitation you sent last night, I thought maybe you might be related.”
“Our fathers were brothers. My father’s the older. I’m his only child by his third wife. That ought to tell you something about who he is…or who he was anyway. He’s quite old now, and we’re not in touch. Haven’t ever been, really… My mother’s American. She met my father while visiting South Africa years ago and, as she tells it—Whoops! Surprise! And I was born six months later. According to Mom, it was a rocky marriage from the start. I can’t imagine they ever had anything in common. There’s a big age difference, at least forty years. I never really knew my father. He was always traveling. After they separated, my father paid for my mother and me to move back to California and cut us off. Totally. He never sent us so much as a dime. Plus, I never even knew I had a cousin.”
“That had to be difficult.”
“It wasn’t easy. But mom did the best she could.”
“So, how did you find Neil?”
