Page 48 of The Cruise Club

As the sun dipped towards the horizon, a gentle radiance fell over the harbour in Cartagena, casting shadows over the elegant ochre facades of buildings along the waterfront where intricate ironwork balconies and arched windows were framed with carved stone friezes.

Carmen and Ruskin walked arm in arm along the Paseo del Muelle, the wide promenade beside the water, lined with swaying palm trees and bustling with activity.

Tourists and locals sipped drinks at outdoor tables, and Carmen browsed handmade crafts in stalls and looked at the many glamorous shop fronts.

‘I adore the old-world charm of this city,’ she said as they approached the ship where the decks of the Diamond Star buzzed with passengers returning from their day out.

As they made their way aboard, Peter came forward to speak to them. ‘Holden Jackson has reported that he’s misplaced a valuable watch.’

‘Holden has lost an item too?’ Carmen was flabbergasted.

‘Between you and I,’ Peter confided, glancing over his shoulder, ‘Holden’s lost watch is a fake, a copy of a gold Rolex.’

‘He wears a fake?’ Ruskin chipped in.

‘Very sensible too.’ Peter nodded. ‘Holden took me to his room to show me the real Rolex, which was in his safe, in a box with papers authenticating its provenance. I was impressed.’

‘Why does he travel with such an expensive item?’

‘Oh, passengers like to show off their wealth, especially on the last night of the cruise, but it would be foolish to go ashore wearing the real thing. The old boy is worth a fortune. I’ve met him on previous cruises.’

Ruskin nodded, listening thoughtfully.

‘If you have any views on the matter now that another passenger is missing an item, you need to let me know.’ Peter sighed. ‘If we can’t find out where the items are I will have to file a report with the authorities ashore tomorrow.’

As they walked away, Carmen turned to Ruskin. ‘Some cosy crime author I am,’ she said. ‘I hope my Rainbow Sleuth would do a better job of unravelling this whodunit because I haven’t a clue.’

‘The situation is serious,’ Ruskin said. ‘I must find the answer to this mystery.’

Carmen nodded. ‘I’m going to find Theo and buy him a large drink for putting up with my mother all day.’

‘Do you know where they are?’ Ruskin asked.

‘Theo sent me a text to say that they were by the pool on the lido deck.’

‘Probably relaxing in the last of the day’s sunshine.’ Ruskin reached out to take her hand. ‘Let’s go and find out.’

‘Come on, Betty, one more duck, and you share the lead!’

Carmen and Ruskin arrived on the lido deck and could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the commotion in the pool as Kyle, standing by the edge, wearing a rainbow sunhat and neon Speedos, shouted out instructions.

‘Colin! That’s a foul!’ Kyle yelled and blew a whistle. ‘Three ducks scooped at once constitutes a final warning; if it happens again, you will leave the pool.’

The pool was full of pensioners and brightly coloured rubber ducks bobbed about on the surface. With elbows out and water flying, each person carried a small net on a pole as they splashed and dived to net a duck.

In the middle of the pool, Fran sat on an inflatable blush-coloured flamingo, wearing her baby pink tankini, while Sid paddled around her on a fierce-looking crocodile. Don was riding a dolphin, while Debbie had a doughnut around her waist.

‘Good heavens,’ Carmen said, her eyes wide as she saw Betty at one end of the pool wearing a safety strap and sitting in a waterproof chair next to a wheelchair ramp, thrusting out a noodle to shove Neeta out of her way.

Betty wore Carmen’s sludge-green swimsuit and a flowered rubber cap, and as she extended her net, she scooped up a duck and flung it on the side of the pool.

‘Another duck for Betty!’ Kyle called out. ‘She shares the lead with Sid. Two minutes to go, everyone. Put some effort into it!’

As a pensioner tumbled into the water from the steps and another dived chest-deep, Carmen and Ruskin smiled when they saw Theo, comfortable in an inflatable chair, wearing heart-shaped synthetic sunglasses, paddling towards them.

‘Hola!’ Theo called out. ‘Did you have a good day?’

‘Yes, but possibly not quite as much fun as you appear to be having here,’ Ruskin laughed.

‘How on earth did you get my mother into a swimsuit?’ Carmen gawped. ‘She can’t even swim.’

Theo slid off his chair. ‘That was down to Fran, I’m afraid she raided your closet.’

‘I thought I’d thrown that dreadful bathing suit away,’ Carmen said.

‘Betty looks as though she’s having a great time,’ Ruskin said as Betty hurled another duck out of the pool, narrowly missing his head.

‘It’s been full on.’ Theo eased out of the water.

‘Fran decided that Betty needed cheering up, so we took her for a wander around Cartagena and had a most enjoyable lunch, then back to the ship for poolside trivia, and now, as you can see, the floating duck hunt.’ Removing the novelty glasses, he reached for a towel and began to dry himself.

‘I have a feeling that you’re going to tell me Mum won the trivia.’ Carmen thought of her mother’s quizzing skills.

‘She certainly did, and it looks like she’s about to secure first place here too.’

Everyone stopped and turned towards Kyle as he blew his final whistle. Breathless with anticipation and fuelled by rivalry, they waited for the result.

‘Drumroll, we have a winner!’ Kyle called out. Checking the scores on a clipboard covered with glitter stickers, he let the tension mount. ‘In third place for the dolphin that appeared far too interested in the flamingo, we have Don with fourteen ducks!’

A cheer went up for Don, who looked miffed not to have scored higher. ‘Kyle, you have the game rigged tighter than a ferret in a rabbit hole!’ Don yelled.

Kyle ignored the comment. ‘In second place, give it up for Debbie, who dived extra deep and achieved a fantastic fifteen ducks!’

‘Fix!’ Don shouted, ducking as Debbie walloped him with a noodle.

‘But in first place…’ Kyle paused, to build the tension. ‘With not only sixteen ducks but she also netted two golden chuckies, our queen of the hunt and winner of our Danny the Diamond Star Dolphin is… Betty!’

Everyone clapped as Kyle presented Betty with a tiara-wearing Danny the Dolphin. Sid tossed his cap into the air as Kyle posed beside Betty, and the ship’s photographer snapped away.

‘And that was our final senior splashdown,’ Kyle said sadly, ‘but remember darlings, this isn’t goodbye.

It’s just a see-you-later, as I know many of you will be meeting me again on another cruise.

’ He stood poolside in a pirouette pose.

‘You’ve all been the sunshine in my day during my time on the Diamond Star Mysteries of the Mediterranean cruise.

I want you to promise me that you will keep splashing, keep laughing and never let your trivia cards get wet.

Go out there and show the world that you seniors know how to make waves! ’

To the sound of applause, Kyle blew a kiss to the crowd, then spun on his sliders and strutted towards the bar.

‘We’d better rescue Betty.’ Carmen saw her mother grappling with her safety strap.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve got it,’ Theo said, ‘it was me who fastened her in.’

Theo sped off to assist Betty as Fran and Sid appeared.

Fran’s hair was wet and clung to her face as she grabbed a towel. ‘Gosh, that was fun,’ she said, rubbing Sid’s back. ‘We don’t get games like that at the Sandcastle Waterpark at home in Blackpool, but I might suggest that they do.’

‘I hear that you’ve been looking after Betty,’ Carmen said. ‘Thank you so much, I’m so grateful for all your help.’

‘Oh, get away with you, it was our pleasure, we’ve all had a wonderful day.’ Fran beamed and gave Carmen a wink, nodding towards Ruskin. ‘But more importantly, I must ask, are you ready for the gala evening and what are you going to wear?’

‘Goodness, I hadn’t really thought about it,’ Carmen said.

‘Well, I need to head off and get ready. I’ve a lot to do.’ Fran ran her fingers through her damp hair and laughed. Are we all going to sit together for our last night?’ She looked at Ruskin, her eyebrows raised.

‘I’d love to join you, if I am invited,’ Ruskin replied and squeezed Carmen’s hand.

‘That’s settled then, Sid will reserve the table.’

As everyone turned to leave the pool, Theo appeared with Betty, now sitting in her chair. She gripped an armrest as the flowers on her cap bobbed as though trying to avoid the storm brewing beneath.

‘Carmen!’ Betty cried out, waving her cane. ‘You’ve abandoned me all day, and the least you can do is help me to my room and get me out of this horrible swimsuit. I look like a slimy slug.’

Carmen took the chair from Theo and gave him a grateful wink. ‘See you all later,’ she said, then turned to Betty and added, ‘Normal service resumed…’

Dicky had enjoyed his day in Cartagena. Still glowing from the success of the Kenny and Dolly show the previous evening, he was happy to escort his lady friend, who’d insisted that they find a jeweller’s shop where she treated Dicky to an emerald signature ring with matching cufflinks.

Now as he sat back in his chair in his dressing room with Melody alongside, Dicky showed off his latest acquisitions.

‘Who’s a lucky boy?’ Melody said as she held the ring and watched it sparkle in the lights from her makeup mirror. ‘Emeralds are gorgeous, the birthstone of Taurus.’

‘Correct,’ Dicky said, ‘and as I am born under that sign, I am known to be ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty and love.’

‘Taurus is also known to be stubborn and resistant to change, making me think that you won’t pursue this relationship when the cruise ends tomorrow. Was this a goodbye gift?’

‘I am sure it is,’ Dicky said, taking the ring from Melody and placing it on his little finger. But his smile faded and, looking for a distraction, he reached for the call sheet for the evening’s performance.

Melody saw the shift in his mood. ‘What’s wrong, Dicky?’ she asked. ‘You don’t sound so sure about things.’

Dicky glanced up, his eyes meeting Melody’s, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something unspoken between them.

‘It’s okay. I’m Taurean remember, and I’m stubborn,’ he said.

‘Well, stubborn or not, sometimes you need to talk, and you might find that what you want is worth fighting for, even if you must break a few of your own rules along the way.’ She reached for a tube and began to apply her makeup.

‘What are your plans when we leave the ship?’ he asked.

‘I’m looking forward to heading home to Benidorm for a few months, where I can get plenty of work in the clubs. Then, I’m booked to join this ship again for a Christmas cruise in the Canaries.

‘That sounds good,’ Dicky said and forced a smile.

‘And what about you?’

‘Oh, I’ve no doubt my agent has me work lined up for months. Clive considers my talent to be the best on his books.’

Dicky thought of Clive. His agent hadn’t contacted him, and Dicky knew that there wasn’t any work coming his way.

Clive had moved onto pastures new with younger, edgier comedians who fitted the bill for the larger cruise ships with more youthful audiences.

Their appeal meant bigger fees and a healthier cut for Clive.

Dicky shrugged and diverted his attention to the call sheet. ‘But right now, we’ve a show to deliver, so let’s focus on giving the guests a grand spectacle and a last night they’ll never forget.’