“I’m fine,” Bess protested. “They do want me to stay here overnight, though, because I also hit my head, and they want to make sure there’s no concussion.”
“What caused you to fall?” George asked.
Bess shrugged. “I was climbing the stairs that led up to Amber’s deck when I slipped. That’s all I remember.”
Nancy suddenly recalled Craig’s explicit instructions to use the stairs instead of the elevator. “I’ll be right back,” she said.
Outside Bess’s room Nancy found a wall map of the ship’s deck plan. She easily located the stairs that Bess would have taken to Amber’s cabin.
When she got there, a custodian was busy cleaning them.
“I think this is where my friend slipped and fell,” Nancy said.
The custodian nodded. “Somebody spilled some really slick stuff on them. I don’t know what it is, but it’s been a real job getting it off,” he said. “Is your friend all right?”
“Yes, thanks,” Nancy said. “Is it safe to pass?”
The custodian nodded. “But hold on tightly to the rail,” he said.
Nancy carefully climbed up the stairs and headed to Amber’s cabin. She imagined that Craig and Amber had already decided that she wasn’t interested in coming after all. Nancy doubted they had any inkling of what had happened to Bess.
Craig answered Nancy’s knock. He looked surprised, then flustered. “What are you doing here?” he said.
Nancy gave him a puzzled look. “You sent for me. Someone from Guest Services gave me your card, telling me that Amber was sick and that you wanted to see me right away.”
“I’m not sick,” Amber said. She had gotten up to stand behind Craig. “And Craig didn’t send for you, either.”
7
Locked in the Basement
Nancy left Amber’s cabin and immediately headed to the reception desk on deck 3. She remembered that she still had the note that was supposedly from Craig. Bess hadn’t taken it with her. Maybe someone in Guest Services could tell her something about who sent it.
A couple of girls who looked like college students were manning the desk when Nancy got there. Their name tags told Nancy they were Meredith and Rae Dawn. Nancy handed Meredith the note.
“This was supposedly from Craig Oliver, one of your employees—but he didn’t send it,” Nancy explained. “The message was a hoax, and I’d like to find out something about the person who left it.”
“Nobody left it. It was a phone message,” Meredith said. “I’m the one who took it.”
“Then maybe you could tell me something about the person’s voice?” Nancy said.
“I talked to a woman, not to Craig. She said that she was Craig’s friend, Amber, but I knew she wasn’t. Once I heard Amber and Craig talking at the reception desk, and Amber’s voice was softer,” Meredith said. “This woman was older. She told me to write that the message was from Craig because you might not come otherwise. I thought it was kind of strange at the time, but we’re told to do what the passengers ask us.”
“That’s exactly the kind of information I was looking for,” Nancy said. “Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”
As Nancy headed back to the clinic she was certain of one thing: Those slippery steps had been meant for her. Someone wanted to stop her. The person responsible for this had to be the fugitive that Craig was looking for—and she must be on his or her trail.
When Nancy got to Bess’s room, she found George sitting in a chair, reading a magazine. Bess was asleep.
“What happened?” Nancy asked.
“They gave her something to make her relax,” George said. She laid the magazine on the floor beside her chair. “Her ankle had started to hurt.”
“Well, we need to talk. Let’s head on up to the suite,” Nancy said. “We’ll leave word for the staff to call us if Bess needs anything.”
“I’ve already told them,” George said.
“Of course,” Nancy said. “I’m not thinking clearly.”
Nancy didn’t say anything else until they were out of range of anyone in the clinic. “Those slippery steps were meant for me,” she told George.
George gave her a funny look. “You mean it wasn’t just an accident?”
Nancy shook her head. “No. Neither Craig nor Amber sent that note,” she said. “I just got back from Guest Services. The crew member who took the phone message said she remembered Amber’s voice from hearing her talk to Craig at the reception desk. This voice wasn’t Amber’s. She insisted that it belonged to an older woman.”
“Is this connected to the mystery you and Craig are trying to solve?” George asked.
“I think it must be,” Nancy said.
George took a deep breath. “So that means our nice, pleasant Great Lakes cruise has turned really dangerous?” she said.
“I’m afraid it does,” Nancy said.
When they got to their room, Nancy called Craig. She was glad that he was back in his cabin so she could tell him what had happened. “You need to rethink who the fugitive is,” Nancy told him. “There’s a woman involved in this in some way.”
“I still think our jewel robber is a man, Nancy. That’s what the profile says,” Craig insisted. “The woman could be his accomplice—someone who’s just making sure he won’t have any problems once he comes on board.”
