Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark Page A

a practical joke,” Jack theorized. “Perhaps you caught him practicing up here. Do you know everyone in your group?”
    â€œSome I know better than others. A couple of the husbands I’ve only met a few times. But none of them look like Left Hook Louie.”
    â€œYou have posters of Louie all over the ship. Maybe someone on board is planning to surprise your group at one of your seminars,” Alvirah suggested. “Naturally you were so frightened when you saw him that you only had the quickest of glances, then turned and ran.”
    â€œI know what I saw,” Ivy insisted. “I saw someone who was a dead ringer for Left Hook Louie.”
    Luke had been standing by the last pew. Something on the floor just inside the pew caught his eye. He leaned over and picked up a small metallicball with slits and a smaller solid ball on the inside.
    â€œWhat have you got there?” Nora inquired.
    â€œGot where?” Alvirah asked, her ears always capable of hearing a whispered conversation three rooms away.
    Luke walked forward and held out his hand. “It’s probably nothing. Unless Left Hook Louie had this sewn to his boxer shorts.”
    Alvirah took the tiny ball and shook it. It made a tinkling noise. “They use these all over for Christmas decorations.” She smiled. “We’ll keep it as evidence.”
    Dudley’s heart nearly stopped. He knew that that little bell had come off one of the Santa Claus caps. Could it have been from one of the stolen caps?
    With a last look around, Regan turned to Ivy. “You look as though you need to relax. Would you like to have a nightcap with us?”
    â€œI’d love to!” Ivy replied enthusiastically. “Maybe the Readers and Writers group isn’t on my side, but you all are, and I couldn’t be happier.”
    â€œWe’ll figure out what’s happening on this ship,” Alvirah promised heartily.
    Dudley wanted to cry. The only reason for this cruise was to generate good publicity for the Royal Mermaid. To let the world know what a wonderful ship it was and how perfect cruising on the Mermaid would be, to encourage people to open their wallets and hop on board. Now with these busybodies the whole thing could turn into a public relations nightmare. The first commercial sailing of the Royal Mermaid would resemble a ghost ship.
    Dudley couldn’t let that happen.
    He just couldn’t.

17
    C ommodore Weed was holding court at his table recounting the story of how he had decided to change his life by refurbishing the Royal Mermaid and spending the rest of his days sailing around the globe. “My love for the sea began when I received a plastic boat at age five. I had my little life vest on and my father pulled me around the lake near our house. . . .”
    Eric and Dr. Gephardt had heard this story at least a hundred times. They were required to sit at the Commodore’s table each evening and be charming to the rotating guests. Tonight the Jaspers, an elderly couple who’d bid on the cruise at a fundraiser for Save the Amphibians, and the Snyders, a middle-aged couple from the Readers and Writers group, had the privilege of dining with the ship’s officers.
    Eric was desperate to get away, frantically wondering what course of action his two felons hadtaken after being discovered in the chapel. Why did Bull’s-Eye take off his Santa outfit, and what was he doing jumping up and down? Had he gone crazy? Had the Reillys and Meehans gone up to the chapel with that screaming dingbat? He’d seen them leave the dining room together. Bull’s-Eye and Highbridge couldn’t have been stupid enough to stay in the chapel. Or could they?
    Eric was furious that Dudley had managed to escape from the table when Ivy Pickering went nuts.
    Dr. Gephardt had circulated at the cocktail party before going up to check on Harry Crater. Crater must have given a lot of money to charity,