“It looks that way. After taking the ring from Camile and strangling Ida, the Inspector threw the ring into the isolation tank. And when Sully found the Professor’s signet ring in the tank, the Inspector told Camile not to worry. Everyone on board would think Ida had found Marco with the ring and that the two of them had argued, and Marco killed her. But however it happened, I don’t believe Ida’s murder was planned. And much as I don’t like to agree with Antonio, I believe him when he says they’re thieves and not murderers. I don’t think he knows that it was the Inspector who killed Ida. None of them would have wanted to risk an investigation or being stuck in Positano. And when Captain Byard refused to leave Positano until investigators had come on board—”

“Antonio got worried.” Neil touched his brow. It had started to swell. “The Gang couldn’t risk any of their cache being uncovered, so Antonio organized a mutiny. He cut a deal with Captain Rob and put him in command. Once Rob was in command, I was called to the Bridge. And by the time I arrived, Captain Byard had been overpowered. His hands were tied behind his back, and someone knocked me over the head. Next thing I know, I’m sitting on the gym floor.”

“Neil?” Dede’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “I need a word, please. Could you come here?”

“If you’ll excuse me. I’m being summoned.” Neil headed to the kitchen. I followed, stopping at the dining table to grab a couple of grapes, then leaned against the archway between the kitchen and dining area, where I was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation. I still had a lot of questions about Neil Webster and Dede Drummerhausen.

“Does this mean it’s over?” Dede closed the oven door and wiped her hands on her apron.

“I think so, but we’ll know more when we get to Naples and the investigators have had a chance to go through Athena’s hold.”

“Then I think you should take these now.” Dede took the salt grinder off the counter, unscrewed the bottom, and emptied its contents into her hand. “Here, just in case.”

Neil slipped what looked like a handful of white diamonds into his pocket, then looked over his shoulder and, seeing me, took a step back and exhaled.

“Damn it, Kat. It’s not what you think.”

“I’m not sure what to think.”

Neil reached back into his pocket and held out a small mound of diamonds. “If you think they’re stolen, you’d be right. They’re part of what Marco took from my father’s safe before my uncle claimed my inheritance.”

“And…Dede has your diamonds because?”

“It’s complicated.”

I was about to ask how complicated when Marco and Finn entered the apartment. Neil put the diamonds back in his pocket. Finn went immediately to Neil and hugged him.

“You okay?” Finn touched Neil’s head and looked into his eyes.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine. What’s happening below?” Neil took Finn’s hands from his head. “Your makeshift brig okay? No possibility of a breakout?”

“Not a chance. Captain Byard sent a couple of armed midshipmen down to relieve us. There’s no way any of them are getting away.”

I left Neil and Finn and joined Marco at the bar. “I owe you. I don’t think I’d be here if it weren’t for you.”

“Probably not.” Marco filled a glass of wine and tipped it to me. “But then, if Inspector Garnier had had his way, Dede and I might be the ones investigators would want to talk to regarding Ida’s murder. But I trust you’ve determined I had nothing to do with it by now.”

“Camile confirmed it. Right before she took a swan dive off the Lido Deck.”

Marco laughed.

I punched his shoulder. “How can you be so cavalier?”

“I’ve seen her take that dive before. I wouldn’t worry. Right now, she’s probably sipping champagne with Carlo. And good for her. The Gang used her. The woman was nothing but a tool for them. And before them, it was somebody else who used her. I never thought she was a bad sort. Just unhappy.“

I glanced over my shoulder at Irene. She was sitting alone on the couch and caught my eye. She motioned for me to tap Marco on the shoulder.

“Marco, I think Irene wants to talk to you.”

Marco and I sat on the sofa with Irene in between us. She looked tired and rested her hand on Marco’s knee as she spoke.

“I want you to know, Marco, I never thought you had anything to do with stealing Professor Braun’s ring.”

“Well, thank you. But to be honest, I do happen to have the ring.” Marco reached into his pocket, took out the gold signet ring, and held it between his thumb and index finger. “I didn’t take it the night of the Professor’s lecture. I’ll admit I was tempted, but Camile got it. Looked better on her small hand anyway. But after Finn and I tied Sully and others up, I realized Sully had taken the ring off Ida’s body and, given the chance, probably would have kept it. I found it in his pocket and took it back to give it to Neil.”

“Is this the ring?” Tatiana stood up from the swivel chair where she had been sitting and plucked the ring from Marco’s hand. “Doesn’t look like much to me.”

“It’s not,” Irene said. “At least it’s not as valuable as the Professor would have you think. In fact, it’s not a man’s ring at all. It’s why Professor Braun wore it on his pinky finger. He liked to tell everyone the ring belonged to some wealthy noble Roman senator. Thought it made him more important than the rest of us. But my sister knew better.“

“Why?” I asked. “Is it a fake?”

“No, it’s real. Signet rings have been around for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all had them. They were used as seals and dipped into wax to secure important documents. Look, the intaglio or the design of each ring was unique.” Irene pointed to the delicate gold filigree on the face of the ring in Tatiana’s hand. “And when the wearer died, the ring was destroyed. The Romans started using gemstones instead of metal to carve their designs into the ring, and at one point, every Roman senator wore one to signify his status. But Professor Braun’s ring never belonged to some Roman senator. It was a woman’s ring. Ida knew because of the design. Senator’s rings depicted their rank and status. The design on the Professor’s ring is of a bunch of grapes. A ring a wife might wear to seal jars of oil or wine. A common custom back then to ensure the household help wasn’t stealing.”

“Speaking of which,” Neil approached Tatiana from the kitchen and held out his hand. “I’ll need the Professor’s ring to give to the authorities when we get to Naples.”

Tatiana took one last look at the ring, then placed it in Neil’s palm. “Here. You can have it back. But there’s something else you should see. I believe it’s connected to my father’s death, and I should maybe show it to you before I show it to the police and they charge you with my father’s murder.”

Chapter Forty

“Tatiana,” I stepped between Neil and Tatiana. “I told you before, I was with Neil the night your father died. He couldn’t have—”

“You need to look at Athena’s ledgers.” Tatiana interrupted. “Every time I bring it up, someone changes the subject. I don’t believe any of you. I’ve looked at the numbers. They don’t lie.” Tatiana sat down and pulled one of the two large ledger books she had brought from her father’s apartment off the coffee table onto her lap.

Neil took the chair beside her. “Where did you get these?”

They were in my father’s cabin. You appointed him as Athena’s bookkeeper. You can’t be surprised I’d find them. But maybe you don’t know he mentions to me you have financial trouble. But until I see the books, I didn’t know to what extent.”

Neil took the book from Tatiana’s lap. “This was a private matter, Tatiana. It has nothing to do with your father’s death.”

“I’m not so sure. Two sets of books? Is odd to me. One shows healthy profit. The other shows Athena is bleeding money. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you these books could be evidence Athena is in trouble. Which investigators might consider motive. If not for smuggling, then maybe my father’s murder.”

“Tatiana, please.” Neil tapped his fingers anxiously on top of the ledger. “I didn’t kill your father. But you’re right, the books don’t lie, money is tight. It always has been. I’ve had to be creative about financing to keep Athena afloat. But your father understood that. He was a master at it himself. You mustn’t forget he was the one who helped facilitate the Pepsi Navy. Without him, there would be no Athena.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying, Tatiana. You’re right about the books. One shows Athena clearly in the black. Making money. An investor’s dream. But the truth is, Athena is a high-risk proposition. She’s losing money every quarter and much more so lately. The second set of books shows a business drowning in debt. And I’ve had to subsidize those losses with assets from The Webster Group. But it doesn’t prove I killed your father or had him murdered.”

“I think I’ll let police decide that.” Tatiana stood up and, with both hands, yanked the book from Neil.

“No!” Finn crossed from the bar behind them and took hold of the ledger. “You won’t do anything of the kind. There’s no need. Neil didn’t have anything to do with your father’s death. I did. I killed Oleg!”

“Finn! What are you saying? Why would you do such a thing?” Neil was on his feet.

“Because Oleg was blackmailing you. I heard him. I was in his apartment to drop off some dry cleaning, and I saw him with the ledgers on his desk and heard him yelling on the phone. I thought it was you he was talking to. I didn’t know anything about the Gang of Eight, what they were doing, or any Russian thug from his past. All I knew was that Oleg sounded angry. He was arguing about money. Said that he needed more to keep his mouth shut and that if he didn’t get it, he’d expose everything, and you’d be ruined. I thought it was you Oleg was talking to. So, the next time I came in the cabin, I went looking for the ledgers, and from what I could see, Oleg could do real damage if he wanted.” Finn tore the book from Tatiana’s hand and threw it on the floor. “I did it for you, Neil. I knew Oleg was up to something, and the night of the Professor’s lecture, he was acting strangely. And when I heard him outside the lecture hall tell Kat he had stories she wouldn’t believe, I figured it was you he was talking about. All I could think was that I needed to protect you. So I lured him up to the gangway gate on the Lido Deck the night of your dinner party with Kat and Antonio. I told him I had a bottle of Stoli and invited him to share it with me. Oleg loved his vodka, and I knew he wouldn’t turn me down. It was after Happy Hour by the time he got upstairs, and he had already had a couple of drinks. I had used my key to unlock the gangway gate where we planned to meet, so the railing was already loose. It was all so easy. We had a couple of drinks. Oleg finished a cigarette, then leaned against the railing, and over he went. I closed the gate, locked it, and went downstairs to finish my evening rounds.”

“You killed him!” Tatiana screamed and lunged at Finn.

Marco lept over the coffee table and grabbed Tatiana’s hands from Finn’s neck. “Stop it! We’ve had enough murders aboard Athena for now.”