“I do.” Dede tossed the dish towel into the sink. “Much as it will pain him to do so, Neil won’t let his emotions get in the way. If there is one thing I know about Neil Webster, he’ll do what’s right. As for you, Kat Lawson, I can’t help but wonder what you will do. We should be in Naples within the hour, and soon, if not today, you’ll be off. I don’t know what’ll happen when the authorities come on board, but I hope you’ll …. ugh! I don’t know what I hope you’ll do. It wasn’t my plan for you to experience a mutiny on board. We’re ordinarily such a quiet group. Some are a little peculiar. But, all in all, I thought we were content to sail peacefully into our sunset years. I certainly never suspected any piracy. And I had hoped your article might convince other retirees to join us and help fill the vacancies on board. But now? I don’t know what you’ll do or what to tell you, but I do hope you’ll talk to Neil before writing about what you’ve seen.”
I thanked Dede and joined Neil on the deck. He stared at the Naples port ahead, buzzing with the sights and sounds of a busy harbor. Ships’ horns. Seagulls. The jarring noise of tall tower cranes loading and unloading containers from various vessels. I grabbed the railing and looked down at the water. Small black whirlpools formed around Athena’s hull as she maneuvered toward her birth beneath a sky of thin white clouds. Ahead, a dock had been cleared for our arrival. Longshoremen stood ready to grab ropes from Athena’s crew while police and plain-clothed investigators stood directly behind them, waiting.
“You got a moment?” I let go of the rail and rubbed my hands together.
“Yeah. I know. We have to talk. You’ve got questions.”
“The diamonds Dede gave you? What’s that all about? Why did she have them?”
“I told you, it’s complicated. But it’s not illegal. The diamonds are mine. They were in my father’s safe when my parents died. Marco had been working for my uncle and my father. He was their chief financial officer. I don’t know all the details. I was very young, but I do know that Marco told me my uncle and father had been arguing over restructuring the company. Their relationship was very acrimonious, and Marco was suspicious of my uncle. When my parents’ plane crashed, Marco arranged to have some diamonds he had found in my father’s safe smuggled out of the country while he was still working for my uncle. It wasn’t until I graduated college, and my uncle cut me off, that Marco flew to London and gave them to me, explaining they were part of what should have been my inheritance. When my uncle realized what Marco had done, he fired him. He claimed Marco had stolen the diamonds and had fled to France, where he was caught trying to sell diamonds on the black market. The police arrested Marco, and he was found guilty and ended up in Fleury-Mérogis. The thing is, Marco never would have spent a day behind bars if it weren’t for me. The only reason he was caught was because he was trying to liquidate the diamonds he found in my father’s safe so that I’d have enough cash to set up Webster Investment. The few diamonds left I’ve used as security.”
“Which explains why Marco’s here.“
“And why Dede has always been suspicious of Marco. Even after I went into business with Walter and used the diamonds to secure our partnership, she was uneasy about him. She’s never trusted him.”
“I don’t suppose the fact that he sleepwalks naked or has a reputation as a kleptomaniac helps.”
“I’ve never been sure about any of that. I certainly never saw signs of it growing up or heard a word about it from my parents. It wasn’t until Dede forbade Walter or me from hiring Marco after he was out of prison that he started acting out. And to be honest, I think he enjoys the notoriety it affords him. It allows him his privacy.”
“And what about the diamonds? Why did Dede have them hidden in a saltshaker?”
“Like I told you, they were security. They’ve been hidden there since day one. I have full access to Dede’s account. Walter set it up that way. He knew I’d take care of her, and when I needed cash to keep things afloat, I transferred it from one account to the other. The diamonds are Dede’s security. There’s more than enough value in what’s in my pocket than I’ve ever borrowed from her account. But it would look suspicious if the diamonds were found. Particularly right now.”
I looked down at the dock. One of Athena’s crew had tossed a mooring line to a longshoreman, and he had secured it to a bollard on the deck. The gate on Athena’s Promenade Deck would open in a few minutes, and a portable ramp would be put in place.
Neil tapped the railing with his fist. “I need to be at the gate when Captain Byard welcomes the Port Authority on board. They’ll have a lot of questions. Come with me.”
I grabbed my backpack, more importantly, I took my camera from inside my bag and strung it around my neck. I wanted to ensure I had the Brutus Coin I had hidden inside my camera’s battery pack with me when I met with the authorities.
Chapter Forty-One
Within minutes of Athena’s gangplank being put in place, Captain Byard welcomed the Port Authority and three uniformed officers, all heavily armed and dressed in blue military attire, complete with berets. Following them up the ramp were several plain-clothed detectives and members of Italy’s Carabinieri, responsible for protecting Italy’s cultural heritage.
Upon spotting Neil and me on the Promenade Deck, Byard waved us over to the gangway where the head of the Port Authority stood with a clipboard. Neil signed several forms, then asked for the Carabinieri to follow him to Athena’s makeshift brig while four members of the Port Authority took up position at the gate, two at the base of the bridge and two on top. It was clear to anyone watching that this was not a casual tourist stop.
Residents were advised via a ship-wide announcement that due to the unusual nature of our arrival at the Port of Naples, no one would be allowed to leave Athena until she had been officially cleared. Which meant I wasn’t getting off the ship anytime soon. With Captain Byard busy talking with investigators and Neil on his way downstairs to collect Antonio and his crew of henchmen, I headed to the grand lobby.
Despite the unexpected activity on board, the lobby was empty. Residents, suddenly aware Athena had been boarded by police and investigators, were understandably quiet, and most had locked themselves in their cabins while investigators roamed the ship, checking for stolen artifacts. I sat on the side of the reflecting pool surrounding the giant Athena statue and took my phone from my backpack.
For the first time in more than a week, I had a good signal. I decided now would be a smart time to check in with my publisher and let her know that this little pleasure cruise she had sent me on as a reward for my previous undercover assignments had been anything but the R&R she had promised.
Sophie answered like she was expecting me.
“So, how’s the R&R going, Kat? Ready to get back to work?”
“Actually, I was calling to tell you this wasn’t the rest and relaxation cruise you described.”
Sophie chuckled. “What happened? You get sunburned?”
“No. “I snapped. “Hijacked. Or maybe the more correct term would be mutinied. Athena was taken over by smugglers—a group of greedy seniors—who pirated a previously stolen cache of old-world antiquities from a Geneva Freeport. They were planning to sell it on the black market.”
I paused and waited for Sophie’s response. There was nothing.
“Sophie?”
“You do seem to find trouble, Kat.”
I choked back a laugh. “Me? Yeah, well, this time, it found me. I didn’t go looking for it.”
The elevator doors chimed, and I told Sophie I would have to call her back. Neil, along with several midshipmen, all pushing hand trucks loaded with boxes, exited the elevator. I stuffed my phone back inside my bag.
“What are those?”
“What do you think?” Neil stopped and wiped his brow. “Boxes of stolen artifacts. Brass plates. Coins. Jewelry. And there’s more to come.”
“Where were they?”
“Inside the storage lockers. Marco and Finn found them when they cleared out the cages to create a makeshift brig. There’s a lot. Boxes marked books, Christmas decorations, old clothes, and the like, all stuffed in different cages. Together, there are probably close to a hundred boxes. Going through them will take a while, but I think we’ve got the Gang of Eight’s cache.”
“What about the Golden Warrior?” None of the boxes were big enough to carry a life-sized bronze statue.
“We haven’t found it yet. But we’ll keep looking.”
The elevator doors opened again, and Antonio, Inspector Garnier, Sully, Doctor Jon, and Captain Rob, handcuffed and tethered together, were shuffled into the lobby with the Carabinieri at their sides. I stood rigid as the group passed in front of me. Their eyes, all except for Sully’s, were cast downward. It was just a flicker, but enough that I felt it might be a tell. I followed his upward glance to the Athena statue. Like a transparent silk screen, her waterfall of glass beads draped from the ceiling to the floor, the perfect barrier, had prevented anyone from getting too close.
I stepped out in front of the group. “Stop!”
The Carabinieri halted, and for a moment, I thought they might draw their guns. But Neil was quick to act and, taking me by the elbow, pulled me back toward him.
