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‘Please, Melissa. It’s our cabinmate, Janine, the one who freaked out in the kayak? Liam brought her down here and we just want to make sure she’s OK, then I promise we’ll leave.’
Melissa looked from Olivia to Patty, her arms folded across her chest. Then her expression softened. ‘Liam is such an idiot. Come on, this way.’
The music grew louder as Melissa led them through the labyrinthine corridors, towards the crew cabins. The doors were open, crew members she’d never seen before lounging against their bunk beds with beers, speakers playing loud techno music. ‘To another crossing!’ said one of them. Patty and Olivia practically had to run to keep up with Melissa’s long strides.
‘In here,’ she said, stopping at one of the cabins. The door was slightly open.
‘Janine?’ Olivia called out.
Patty repeated it, louder.
Janine emerged from the room. ‘Oh my God! You guys! You found me.’
‘Bugger,’ muttered Liam from behind her. ‘You can’t be here.’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t have taken her to your cabin,’said Olivia. She turned to Janine. ‘Are you OK? You said—’
‘Yeah, I remember. You’re right; I shouldn’t be here. Let me just grab my things and we can go back.’ She stumbled and Olivia leaped forward to catch her, at the same time as Liam did.
‘I think you should back off,’ said Olivia to the expedition leader. She leaned down to Janine. ‘Where’s your coat? I’ll help you.’
‘What were you thinking?’ Melissa said to Liam as Olivia and Janine scrambled into the cabin. There were two low beds, two desks and a wardrobe – similar in size to their cabin upstairs, except with no porthole. Liam’s side of the room was filled with personal touches – souvenirs from home, photographs, thank-you notes from previous clients. The other side was much barer. The bed was neatly made, the sheets tucked in with military-like precision. The only mess had come from Janine – her bag tossed on to the man’s desk. Olivia gathered it up, disturbing a small black-velvet box that had been lying underneath.
She picked it up with trembling fingers and opened it. She couldn’t believe it. Inside was a platinum ring with a large deep blue sapphire at its centre, flanked by two sparkling diamonds. Vintage. Distinctive.
Olivia picked it up, turning it over in her hands in disbelief.
‘What is it?’ Patty asked.
‘It … it’s my engagement ring.’
29
She sat in Captain Enzo’s office, having gone over her story for what felt like the thousandth time.
Her possessions had been the only ones disturbed in the cabin raid.
She hadn’t noticed the ring missing initially as she hadn’t realized that it had been among the few pieces of Aaron’s belongings she had in the cabin – she had assumed he’d kept it with him.
Liam claimed he’d never seen it before. That meant they had to track down his roommate. When he arrived at the crew cabin, Olivia had immediately tensed, hardly daring to breathe.
There was no denying it. It was the man she’d seen outside the restaurant in Ushuaia, and the man who she’d seen leaving cabin sixteen that first night.
Patty and Janine stood protectively on either side of her.
‘What’s going on?’ the man asked gruffly.
‘Sergei, mate. You need to wait here. The captain is on his way.’
‘We found the ring,’ said Janine, her voice overly loud from alcohol. ‘We know what you did.’
‘You stole from Olivia,’ said Patty.
‘No, this is a mistake. Miss Campbell, please … you don’t understand,’ he said, his ice-blue eyes locked on to her. ‘You are in danger.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Olivia asked, her voice wavering. There was a confidence in his expression that made her doubt herself. ‘From who?’
But that’s when he hesitated. ‘I don’t know exactly …’