Uncharted Love (Places to See Book 4) Page 2

  “You understand having a safe doesn’t make any difference, if you don’t lock it,” Jax said, before he had the good sense to edit his words.

  The woman spun in the direction of his voice.

  “I did lock it. What do you take me for, an idiot?”

  Anger radiated off the woman, her chocolate-colored eyes blazing.

  “If you say so, Mrs.—”

  “Ellie Matthews,” she said.

  “If you say so, Mrs. Matthews,” Jax said.

  “Not Mrs., just Ellie Matthews. Call me Ellie. And you, who are you?”

  “Staff Captain Jax Thorsen, ma’am.”

  “Don’t ma’am me, either, Staff Captain Thorsen. As I was saying…I know enough to lock a safe. What I want to know is, are you going to find my jewelry?”

  “Tell me what happened…from the beginning,” Jax said.

  “You have got to be kidding. They have been taking notes for hours, read the notes.” She made an exaggerated sweeping motion with both arms that missed Jax’s face, but only because he ducked.

  Jax ignored her for the time being and addressed his team.

  “Is everything documented?” he asked.

  “Yes, captain,” the woman said.

  “Good. Get it into the computer and email your report to me. You’re dismissed.”

  The two nodded and left the room.

  Ellie whirled to face him, her back rigid and her chin high in the air.

  “E-mail a report? Is that the best you can do?”

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” Jax said, as he strode past her and pulled out the nearest chair.

  “Fine. Let’s sit out on the veranda. I need some fresh air,” she said.

  As she walked by him he heard her stomach grumble. Her cheeks instantly stained pink.

  “Why don’t I order something for us to eat?” Jax asked. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had anything since lunch.”

  After he’d ordered room service, Jax joined her on the veranda and placed two tall glasses of ice water on the table. He took a sip of his water, sat down, removed his hat, and took in a deep breath.

  “Okay, let’s start again. You were getting ready for dinner…”

  Ellie clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes. She looked at the water glass in front of her, picked it up and practically drained it. As though finally resigned to the fact she had to repeat the story yet again, she sat back in her chair and told the night’s events.

  Jax typed away on his tablet as she talked.

  “Can you tell me what the value of your jewelry was?” he asked.

  “Was? Are you trying to tell me something? My ring is priceless,” Ellie said.

  Here it comes. She’s going to tell me some astronomical amount, he thought.

  “My ring cannot be replaced!”

  “Mrs.….Ellie. You need to understand. We will do everything in our power to find your items. However, this ship is at full capacity. There are 1,176 crew and 3,114 passengers on board. That makes for 4,290 possible suspects, minus two and we have less than two full days to find the thief.”

  “Minus two?” she asked.

  “I know I didn’t rob you, and I’m assuming you aren’t making your story up. The ship is due at its first port of call mid-morning the day after tomorrow. Once we pull into port all bets are off. Your items could and probably will be removed from the ship.”

  “Can’t you search everyone?”

  “We can only search all crew quarters. We don’t want to start a riot with the passengers. Please, tell me the value of your items. A current appraisal of each item would be the ideal verification.” That way you can’t jack the price up and stick it to the cruise line, he thought to himself. Man, he never used to be this jaded.

  “I see. You don’t want to ‘start a riot.’ Or is the real reason that you don’t want Zephyr Cruise Line to look bad?”

  She held her hand out in front of him, palm out in the universal gesture for ‘I don’t want to hear it.’

  “My ring is worth around ten grand, but it makes no difference, because it can’t be replaced. It’s a family heirloom, created by my great, great, grandfather, for his fiancée.”

  Her hard shell started to shatter, and he saw her eyes well with tears. Didn’t he feel like a fool?

  “I see. I’m very sorry. I will try my best to find your ring. Now, as far as the cash…you realize we have no way to verify your claim. The best I can do is refund your money for the cruise,”

  “What? No. I only had three or four hundred, the rest is in travelers’ checks. They left those. I guess they knew they could be traced by the checks,” Ellie said.

  “Rest assured, I will see you are adequately compensated for your cash.”

  There was a knock on the cabin door. One of the chefs rolled in a large cart, covered with silver lids, a single yellow rose in a bud vase, and a bottle of wine.

  “Perfect timing,” Jax said.

  Chapter Four

  It was late afternoon and Ellie had stayed in her stateroom the entire day. She sat out on the veranda and sipped on her third cup of coffee while she read one of her author’s manuscripts. Her cell phone rang and startled her.

  “Hi, Laila. How’s Ireland, or should I ask, how’s Alasdair?”

  Laila had stuck her tack into Ireland. It was the trip of a lifetime, for she had found her true love. She came home, packed up her life and headed back to Ireland and her fiancée, Alasdair.

  “Ireland is heaven and Alasdair is….perfect,” Laila said. “But enough about me…how is your cruise?”

  “It was great…for the first day,” Ellie said.

  “What? Why?”

  Ellie was in tears by the time she finished her story. It was the first time she’d allowed herself to cry.

  “I m-miss y-you, Laila,” she hiccupped and sniffled.

  “I miss you too, honey. I know what that ring means to you, and I hope with all my might you get it back. But don’t let it ruin your vacation! It’s a thing, just a thing. True, it can’t be replaced, but just remember why Janelle wanted us to go on these adventures and have a good time in her memory.” That made Ellie cry all the harder. Laila waited as Ellie cried herself out. “Now, put that fourth or fifth cup of coffee down. Get out of that chair, put the manuscript away, go take a shower, and explore the ship.”

  “How…” Ellie started, as she actually looked around her for a hidden camera.

  “I’ve known you for a long time,” Laila said, giggling.

  There was a knock on her door. When Ellie opened it, she found a petite girl, nearly swallowed up by her cruise uniform.

  “Good afternoon. Ms. Matthews?” the girl asked.

  “Yes,” Ellie said.

  “This is for you,” the girl said. “Have a nice day,” she smiled up at her and turned to leave.

  Ellie closed the door and opened the envelope. You are cordially invited to join the captain tonight at his table.

  “They think this invitation for dinner will make up for my stolen ring?” she asked herself. Then she thought of her conversation with Laila and how she missed Janelle. “Ooohh… I just hate it when you are right, Laila.”

  She glanced at the time on her phone and decided to go shopping.

  * * * *

  Jax stood at the entrance of the dining hall. The instant the elevator doors opened, he zeroed in on Ellie. She wore a buttery yellow dress that perfectly draped over every curve and inch of her body all the way past her knees. The top had a deep vee cut and the sleeves, slit wide, fell open to her elbows. Tonight her hair was slicked back into a sophisticated style and before he could check himself, his mouth dropped open and he stopped all forward movement. He mentally smacked himself in the head and closed his mouth, but not before Ellie must have noticed his reaction. The start of a smile creased her lips.

  “Good evening, Ms. Matthews,” Jax said, as he offered his arm to lead her into the dining hall.

  “Good evening, Captain Thors
en,” she said, as she took his offered arm.

  They walked to the captain’s table, and directly up to a distinguished older gentleman with white hair, a well-trimmed matching beard, and a crisp dress white uniform.

  “Captain St. James, this is Ms. Ellie Matthews,” Jax said.

  The captain rose to meet them as they approached the table. He smiled at her, and reached out with both hands to envelope hers.

  “Ms. Matthews, it is an honor to make your acquaintance,” he said. Then he pulled her closer and leaned in. “And may I say that we are doing everything in our power to retrieve you missing items?” he whispered.

  “Thank you, captain,” Ellie said, and pulled back slightly.

  Captain St. James released her hand and pulled out the empty chair beside him. She sat down as Jax walked to the opposite side of the table and sat between two women.

  The conversation flowed freely throughout dinner. When dessert and brandy were brought to the table, Captain St. James changed the topic of conversation.

  “I hear this is your first cruise and you are traveling solo,” he said.

  “Yes, on both accounts.” Ellie answered, as she wondered what he had in mind.

  “Staff Captain Thorsen will take you on an extensive tour after dinner.”

  “Sir, I have my duties to attend to tonight,” Jax said, caught off guard and flustered.

  “I am aware of your duties, and that is why you have staff,” St. James said. “One more duty has been added to your list and that is to find Ms. Matthews’s lost items. Make sure every possible lead is followed to retrieve her jewelry.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Jax said.

  “I hate to leave such wonderful company,” St. James said, as he rose to his feet. “However, I have some unfinished business I must attend to. Ms. Matthews, it was a pleasure. I will see you here tomorrow evening for dinner.” He gave her a slight nod and continued around the table to say goodnight to the rest of his guests.

  The guests rose and headed off in various directions. Jax walked over and offered his hand to Ellie.

  “What would you like to see first?” he asked.

  “You really don’t need to do this,” she said.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Well then, I would love to see the wheel-house, engine room, and crew quarters to start,” she said.

  A shocked look played across his face. For the second time tonight she’d managed to catch him off guard. She smiled up at him and waited for his response.

  “Sounds like you are familiar with ships.”

  “I am. Nothing this size, mind you. My dad had a small sailboat and took me out all the time when I was young,” she said in a flat, monotone voice. She stared out into space as her hand went to her bare neck.

  He picked up on her change in demeanor and left the subject of her past alone.

  “The wheel-house it is,” he said.

  The next two hours flew by. Jax escorted Ellie through the ship, and explained in detail how things worked. He made it a point to introduce her to all the crew they met along the way. They walked up to a group of crew exchanging shifts. Jax began to introduce them when she stopped him.

  “I’ve met you.” She pointed to one of the men.

  “Yes, ma’am. Pleased to see you again. My name is Gary,” the crew man answered. “I met you on deck the first day and informed you about the dinner.”

  “That wasn’t the only time. I got on the elevator with you that same night. You commented on my ring.”

  Gary appeared to squirm under Ellie’s scrutiny.

  “Where are you assigned?” Jax asked Gary.

  “To Ms. Matthews’s deck and the two below,” Gary answered. “I don’t remember our encounter, but I’m sure she is correct. May I leave now, sir? I haven’t finished my shift change.”

  “Carry on,” Jax said.

  Gary practically ran away from them and joined up with his mates.

  “Does he have the ability to get into my stateroom?” Ellie asked.

  “He does, but if he did, he is required to document it in the service log. All crew must record the time, date, and reason for entering a guest’s stateroom,” Jax said. “I have reviewed the logs a number of times. Gary’s name did not show up as entering your stateroom. I’ll go back and try to reconstruct why he was on your deck when you met up with him at the elevator.”

  It was after midnight when he escorted her back to her stateroom. They had only just walked up to her door, when the door to the room beside her opened.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Livingston,” Ellie said.

  “Oh, my goodness. You two startled me,” she said, as though a bit befuddled.

  “Are you on your way out?” Ellie asked.

  “Ah…yes…I’m off to meet a friend at the casino. Goodnight,” she said, as she scurried off.

  “She doesn’t want to keep her friend waiting. Speaking of that, what time would you like me to pick you up in the morning?”

  “Captain—” Ellie started.

  “Please…call me Jax. It only seems right, since we’ll see a lot of each other over the course of this cruise.” He took her key card, opened her door and handed it back to her. “I will see you at eight in the morning.” He gave her a slight bow.

  “Good night, Jax.”

  He walked down the hall and played back the evening with the feisty and gorgeous Ellie Matthews. Get a grip, Thorsen. She’s just a woman, a beautiful, stunning woman, but a woman all the same. Stay on point. Remember what happened the last time you fell head over heels for a woman?

  Chapter Five

  “What would you like to do this morning?” Jax asked, as they left the dining hall.

  “I would like to see your progress on my case. Maybe I can help you,” Ellie said.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why? Haven’t you done anything further with it?” She gave him a sideways glance.

  “No matter what I tell you, I get the feeling I can’t win,” Jax said, with a heavy sigh. “Fine, let’s go to my office.”

  He opened the door to his office and allowed her to enter.

  “My goodness, this is a tiny office.”

  There was only enough room for a desk and side chair butted right up against the desk. A few feet behind the desk stood a double-wide file cabinet and printer.

  “It is. But on the positive side, I can reach everything from my desk. Besides, I’m used to small spaces. This is actually an improvement from my last office.”

  She sat quietly as Jax pulled up her file on the computer and pulled the top file off his inbox.

  “I guess that’s a good sign,” Ellie said.

  “What?” He looked at her in confusion.

  “My file is still on the top of your inbox. Either that, or it’s a slow week.”

  Jax chuckled at her comment.

  “Believe me….not one day is a slow day. This is what I have so far. I printed up all the names of the crew on board. I cross-checked the recurring crew who were onboard when any thefts were reported to try to narrow down the suspects. I don’t know if I’m on the right track, but I needed a starting point.”

  “So, you suspect a member of the crew? How many thefts were there and how many of the same crew show up?”

  “The vast majority of our crew has stayed with us over the past year, so I only crossed off 132 crew members who weren’t on all the sailings. Here is the interesting part. I went back into the ship’s records for the past five years. The theft rate five years ago was zero. It slowly increased over the last four years and then doubled over the last year.”

  “That seems high,” Ellie said.

  “It is.”

  “What about passengers? Have you done the same with your passengers? Checked how many are returning customers and what cruises they were on board?”

  “No, not yet. But I believe it is much more likely to be a crew member.”

  The horn on the ship blew. Ellie nearly jumped out of her chair.
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  “We are pulling into St. Martin,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll meet you at the disembarking area.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Ellie said.

  “I want to. I have the afternoon free; I don’t get many of those. We can grab some lunch and I’ll show you the sights of St. Martin. It’s a breathtaking island. Magnificent white sandy beaches and the water is a spectacular color of deep sky blue and crystal clear. You can see right to the bottom.”

  “And my jewelry?”

  “I’m hoping that it will stay on the ship. At this point that’s the best I can do. Please believe me when I say I won’t give up. I will continue to follow up all leads until we reach home port.”

  “I guess that’s the best you can do. Thank you,” Ellie said.

  ****

  Jax and Ellie dined on a light lunch of local cuisine which included a spicy West Indian-style Creole stuffed crab, pineapple, and passion fruit. They indulged in a glass of TI-Punch consisting of the local potent rum mixed with cane syrup and lime. After lunch they walked the white sandy beach. She pulled off her sandals, rolled up her light cotton pants, and delighted in the simple pleasure of running her feet through the sun-soaked sand.

  “Join me. You don’t know what you’re missing,” Ellie told Jax.

  Jax smiled at her, nodded his head and wandered over to the nearest bench. She almost didn’t recognize him when she met him at the disembarking area. He’d shed his starched white Zephyr uniform for a baby blue cotton button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up and accentuated his muscular arms. His beige cotton cargo pants and flip flops rounded out the view from behind, but what first caught her eye was his carefree short dark chestnut brown hair and his ever present five o’clock shadow. His eyes mirrored his hair color and the liquid intensity of his gaze made it seem as though it could read her deepest thoughts.

  He walked back toward her and reached out to take her hand in his.

  “You’re right. I can’t believe I haven’t enjoyed this pleasure before,” he said. “So tell me, Ms. Ellie Matthews, what made you decide to take this cruise?”