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She nodded.
Patty stopped mid-fold of a thermal top into her backpack. After Liam left, she let out a low whistle. ‘What’s going on there then?’ she asked.
‘It’s not like that,’ said Olivia. She glanced at Janine, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.
But she looked concerned – not jealous. ‘You OK?’ asked Janine. ‘You look a bit shaken up. I went looking for you but couldn’t find you anywhere.’
‘Oh, um.’ She scrambled to think of the right thing to say, knowing she had agreed to keep Stefan’s death quiet – for now. ‘I’ve been up with the captain. The sauna malfunctioned while I was in there.’
‘What? You’re joking,’ said Patty.
‘Liam found us before it got too bad. That’s why he was telling me to stay safe.’
‘Us?’ Janine asked.
‘I was with Ingrid Hughes.’
‘I didn’t realize you guys knew each other,’ said Annalise, piping up for the first time. ‘How is she?’
Olivia paused, eyeing Annalise. It seemed like she was trying hard not to looktoointerested in how Ingrid wasdoing, but she was waiting for Olivia’s answer with bated breath. ‘She’s fine too,’ said Olivia. ‘Liam and I took her back to her cabin.’
‘Ooh, honey, I’m afraid we need details,’ said Patty with a grin. ‘What’s their cabin like?’
‘A lot bigger than ours,’ said Olivia.
‘I’d hoped we’d be offered a tour of some of the bigger cabins. It would be good for me to be able to describe it to my customers. Do a bit of upselling.’
‘Was Cutler there too?’ asked Annalise.
‘He was,’ said Olivia.
‘Their marriage on the rocks yet? Cutler can’t even bring up his own kids, let alone somebody else’s,’ said Annalise, folding her arms across her chest.
‘Wait, those aren’t his sons?’ Olivia was shocked.
‘Nah, he and Ingrid only got hitched a year ago. I placed a bet that it wouldn’t last eighteen months.’
‘I’ve got to return this,’ said Janine, holding up a thriller she’d taken from the ship’s library.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Olivia. She wanted to look up information about theClarissa II.After her dad’s death, she hadn’t managed to find out who the owner of the originalClarissawas. But this was fifteen years later. There wasn’t any central database of yacht names and owners, but if Liam was right and it was owned by someone really rich, there might be some press mentioning the boat online.
Out in the hallway, they both jumped, as the radio that Liam had given her began to bleep and chatter. ‘What was that?’ Janine asked.
‘This.’ Olivia took the radio out from inside her jacket and turned the dial down. ‘Liam gave it to me after the sauna.’
‘I see. You two have been talking quite a bit, huh?’
Olivia reached out and squeezed Janine’s arm. ‘Oh, please don’t worry. He’s only interested in you. Trust me – I’mwayover here, worrying about my fiancé-to-be.’ She outstretched her arms.
‘You sure?’
‘I promise. The radio is because I’m a big old mess at the moment. I think he’s just trying to make me feel better. Especially since the captain let Sergei go.’
‘What? The thief? You’re kidding me! How could they do that?’
‘Apparently he convinced the captain he was innocent.’
‘No wonder you’re freaked out.’