“I’m Kat Lawson with Journey International. The journalist—”

“Ah. Yes. The travel reporter. I remember. “ Dede walked to the bar, took one of the crystal decanters filled with what looked like scotch from the shelf, and poured herself a glass. “I spoke with your editor. Sophie, something or other.”

“Sophie Brill.”

“Yes, that‘s the name. We agreed you’d stay in my suite.” Already a little tipsy from what Finn had given her, Dede held the glass in one hand and pointed an index finger at me. She looked unbalanced. “So, how’s it going? Have you had a wonderful time?”

“Awesome,” I said.

Dede’s eyes fixed on the brown liquor in the bottom of her glass. Until I better understood who Dede Drummerhausen was, I preferred to keep my answers short and let her do all the talking.

“I would hope so. Athena’s a beautiful ship. The first of many. Or she was supposed to be anyway.” Dede picked up the decanter and refilled her drink.

“I don’t mean to pry, but are you okay?”

“Of course, I’m okay. Why? Something the matter?”

“It’s just Finn thought maybe I should look after you.”

“Finn! You can’t listen to him, poor boy.” Dede swirled the liquor in her glass. “He’s always trying to fix things, got his nose in everyone’s business.”

“He was concerned. You weren’t expected until tomorrow when we get to Positano.”

“Yes, well, I’m afraid my arrival was a bit of a surprise for me as well.” Dede put her glass back down on the bar. “I assume you saw me come aboard?”

“I did. It looked a little touch and go there for a minute.”

“I’m sure it did, and believe me, I plan to make my grievances known to Neil first thing in the morning. I’m surprised he’s not here already begging my forgiveness.”

“Neil’s not on board. He got off in Sorrento this morning. He plans to rejoin the cruise in Positano.”

“Augh! Just my luck.”

“It was my understanding you were off to cooking school—”

“I was. I had planned to spend three days in Tuscany and two in Rome, but unfortunately, as soon as I got off the ship in Naples, some young punk tried to rob me. Knocked me over before I could beat him off with my walking stick.”

“You were assaulted?” With everything I had learned about the Gang of Eight and how they operated, I wasn’t surprised.

“If that’s what you want to call it, yes. Although, I’m not sure who did the assaulting. I beat the young man soundly. I doubt he’ll attempt to rough up any tourists anytime soon.”

“Did he get anything?”

“Other than my pride?” Dede stared down at the bottom of an empty glass. “No. Absolutely not. Although I should have taken it as a sign. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I missed my usual morning breakfast with Ida and Irene. And Greta, the Professor’s wife, from across the hall? I’m sure you’ve met. She was convinced I’d miss my train if I didn’t leave early enough to grab a cab. Which, due to the assault, I ended up missing. Not that it mattered. My cooking class, which Chef Louie recommended I take with Roberto, was canceled. Roberto came down with the flu, and I wasn’t about to bother taking a class from anyone else. So, I went on to Rome and tooled around there for several days. Treated myself to a holiday, visited a spa, and had a wonderful meal at La Pergola. It’s a Michelin restaurant, by the way. Three stars. And the view of the city is fabulous. Worth every minute. You really should visit.” Dede filled her glass again. “Anyway, while I was there, I got to chatting with the chef, and he recommended a cooking school in Sorrento he thought I might enjoy. I’ve spent the last day and a half in Sorrento, and then early this afternoon, I decided to do some sightseeing. I stopped at a small café with a wonderful view of the harbor and was enjoying a glass of limoncello when I noticed Athena in the bay and took that as a sign it was time to go. I returned to my hotel and packed quickly and was going to call on my way to the dock, but—”

“You didn’t have your phone.”

“Why, yes. How did you know?” Dede put her drink down on the bar.

“Because I found it inside your bag on the table behind the door when I arrived.” I went to the cabinet behind the front door and pulled Dede’s bag from the drawer. “I wasn’t sure if the bag was yours or if someone might have left it behind and decided to check.” I placed the crocheted bag on the dining table and backed away. “When I realized it was yours, I put it inside the cabinet for safekeeping. Your phone is inside.”

Dede left the bar and, picking up the bag, rifled through it until she found her phone. “Stupid bag. She should have known I’d never carry such a thing.”

“Who should have known?”

“Why, Greta, of course. Haven’t you been listening? She made it as a gift for me.” Keeping the phone in her hand, Dede tossed the bag back onto the table. “She insisted I carry it. Awful thing. Can’t ever find anything in them. Nothing but a nuisance. I much prefer my money belt. My husband always insisted I wear one when traveling.” Then, with both hands on the hem of her blouse, Dede lifted it above her round stomach, exposing a wide canvas belt with pockets. “No problem with pickpockets, and I can find everything I need. Except, of course, my phone, which I forgot to take with me.”

“Well, then, you’ll have to tell the Churchill sisters. They were convinced when you didn’t answer your phone that you must have fallen overboard. Ida was worried you had drowned.”

Dede smoothed her blouse over her stomach. “Ugh! Those silly old goats. I’m as fit as the day I left. I suppose I should call them and tell them, or better yet, I’ll go and pay them a visit. You don’t mind my leaving you alone?”

“Not at all.”

“I’ll be back. Make yourself at home.” Then, glancing back at her bag on the table, she added, “If you haven’t already.”

Chapter Thirty

It was after midnight when Dede lumbered back into the suite. I was in bed—the door to my room open—and I could hear her standing in the foyer talking to someone.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just don’t say anything.”

The front door shut, and for a moment, I thought Dede might have returned to her room, but then I could hear her footsteps as she shuffled down the hallway toward my room. From beneath the covers of my bed, I saw her shadow in the doorway.

“Dede?” I sat up. “Everything alright?”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to check to make sure you were okay. There’s nothing to worry about, but there are some things I need to share with you. We’ll talk in the morning. Go back to sleep.”

No way could I go back to sleep. If I was restless before, I was even more so now after Dede had come to check on me. Did she think I might not be here? And what things did she have that she wanted to share with me? Had she searched through the bag and not found the coin and wanted to ask me about it? And why use the word share and not tell?

I got out of bed and decided to pack. This was my last night aboard Athena. Tomorrow, we would anchor in Positano, and I planned to take the first tender to the dock and call Sophie as soon as I got there. Hopefully, she would be back from vacation and in the office. If not, I planned to call her cell. This was an emergency. I needed Sophie to know this wasn’t the Seniors-at-Sea-Sail-Around-the-Amalfi-Coast-Holiday-Cruise she had described. Nothing but a little feature writing this time, Kat. A little fun in the sun. Nothing covert or undercover, just pure enjoyment. Your biggest risk will be a sunburn. Take plenty of sunscreen.

If Athena was being used to pirate stolen antiquities across the Mediterranean, Sophie would know what to do. She was better equipped to know who to call in this part of the world than I could ever hope to be. And now that she was back from her vacation as well, all I needed to do was get off the ship, take the Brutus Coin I had hidden in the bottom of my backpack as evidence, and bid my fellow passengers goodbye.

I planned to make my departure look as normal as possible, and the following morning, I waited until I heard Dede in the kitchen before I got up. I wanted time alone with her before I left the ship so that I might know what it was she wanted to share with me last night.

“Morning,” I said. I slipped onto one of the bar stools in front of the kitchen island. “You sleep well?”

Dede stood with her back against the kitchen sink, nursing a cup of coffee. She was dressed in a long caftan, her red hair covered with a bright orange turban. “Like a rock. How about you?

“Good, thank you. The accommodations are nice, and now that I’ve my sea legs, I’m going to miss this. It’s a nice lifestyle you’ve got.”

“Coffee?”

I nodded. Dede took a cup from the kitchen cabinet and filled it from the brewer on the counter.

“Cream? Sugar?”

“No. Black’s fine.”