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Patty’s energy was intense. Olivia could only nod. They’d straightened up the cabin and it didn’t appear that anything other than the note was missing.
The ship was due to cross the Circle a little before eleven p.m. Before that, Olivia had the captain’s dinner. She was hardly feeling up for it. She carefully reapplied her make-up, but the strain showed clearly on her face, the bags under her eyes an uncomfortable shade of mauve that several layers of concealer couldn’t hide.
Pedro reappeared with their new key cards. He had disappointing news about the data from the computer. The last registered card to open their door before the auction had been Olivia’s. Considering she didn’t know when she’d lost it, her only hope was that someone had been caught on one of the cameras.
She insisted on going to watch the CCTV with him. It was strange seeing herself on screen as she and her cabinmates walked to the auction. Pedro sped up the footage showing the following couple of hours. The cleaning crew came down the hallway, but apparently they weren’t doing the interiors of the cabins at thattime – only vacuuming the carpets and polishing the rails. There were only two other sightings of people walking past – both had come in from outside, so they were wearing either hoodies or woolly hats that obscured their faces. She squinted, wondering if one of them could be the shaven-headed man. But with no camera covering their cabin door, it was impossible to tell if anyone had entered during the auction. Useless.
Pedro muttered his apologies and assured her that nothing like this ever happened on board normally, that they would monitor the situation, and then she’d left.
Back at the cabin, Olivia shared the disappointing news that the culprit wouldn’t be caught.
‘Don’t worry,’ Janine said. ‘We’ll all be together. We’re not going to leave each other alone.’
‘That’s a promise,’ said Patty. ‘Right, we’ll implement, like, a buddy system.’
‘I’m in,’ said Janine.
‘Annalise?’ Patty prompted again.
‘I don’t see what the fuss is all about. It’s not like anything was taken. No harm, no foul, right?’ Annalise faltered under Patty’s intense glare. ‘Yeah, OK. Whatever. I’m in too.’
Olivia smiled gratefully. She knew it was all for her benefit and it made her feel better. ‘I really appreciate it, all of you. But I’ll be fine—’
‘Nonsense! It’s a done deal. We won’t leave each other alone.’
‘Starting with this captain’s dinner.’
‘I think that was just an invite for you—’ said Patty.
‘The captain can make room,’ said Olivia. ‘In the meantime, I have to get out of here. It’s too cramped.’
As she pulled on her warm clothes, she wondered what the final totals were for the auction. She’d have to get an update from Stefan as soon as possible. Since she hadn’t been able to get a photograph herself, she thought of asking Janine to share some of her footage.
When she was ready, she stepped out on to an outer deck.
It was ironic after how much the water had panicked her a few days ago that now the only place she felt any solace was outside.
But getting the freezing wind in her hair, watching the Antarctic landscape shift in front of her eyes – it was the only thing that worked to clear her mind. Every hour the continent changed. Earlier the glacial cliffs had seemed so close to the ship that she could almost reach out and touch them. But now they’d sailed much further south, the coastline was flatter, more expansive. The water was thick with ice, so much that you could hear the crunch of it against the bow. The icebergs were no longer formless masses bobbing in the sea, but great natural sculptures, showcasing every shade of blue imaginable.
After they crossed the Circle, the ship would spend some time exploring the poetically named Crystal Sound before heading to their next landing site, Neko Harbour. Then they’d sail to Paradise Bay, where some of them would camp on the continent itself. A final stop at Deception Island for the infamous ‘polar plunge’. Then it would be back through the Drake Passage to Argentina – and she could finally reconnect with Aaron.
She was literally counting down the days now.
Behind her, she heard the exterior doors slide open. Immediately she felt on edge, only relaxing when she saw who walked outside. Lucinda.
‘Quite something, isn’t it?’ Lucinda leaned on the railing, staring out at the view.
‘It’s breathtaking. I could never imagine how beautiful it could be.’
‘So was your showcase a success?’
‘Absolutely.’ Olivia forced a smile, not wanting to give away how terribly her evening had gone. That was personal. As far as she knew, from a business point of view, things had gone well. ‘I’ll catch up with Stefan to get the full picture tomorrow, but I think it went above and beyond expectations.’
‘And now Yennin’s artwork will be rolled out across the cruise ships.’
Olivia nodded. ‘I expect so.’
‘Even without originals for sale.’