 
Chapter 1

Captain Leon Spence is seated in his white swivel chair watching his crew effortlessly glide the Calypso out of the harbor and into the vast Atlantic. He gently strokes the new found growth covering his chin with his thumb and index finger. It hasn't turned into a beard yet, but it's definitely beyond the stage of unshaven, leaving it somewhere between macho and scruffy. The Calypso is Southern Wind's flagship cruiser. It's 1100 feet long and almost 93,000 tons of steel and fiberglass, just a few tons short of a modern aircraft carrier. It's still considered relatively new, being less than five years old and outfitted with every modern amenity possible to keep the five thousand plus passengers entertained. There are wave pools, casinos, climbing walls, an ice skating rink, putting greens and even a class that has just begun for those interested in learning the finer details of bartending. It's rumored Southern Winds employs a team made up of frequent cruisers as well as engineers whose sole duty it is to come up with new and creative ways to entertain the passengers. That's how it is in this business and so far Southern Winds has been one of the most successful, especially with the launch of the Calypso almost five years ago. Captain Spence takes a step out onto the small bridge deck and smiles seeing all the happy faces below enjoying the first day of the cruise. The cruise directors are effortlessly mingling with them quickly removing any inhabitancies. They have an entire staff of twenty employees whose sole job it is to keep the passengers both happy and busy from the time they step on board until they disembark. They range greatly in ages and backgrounds, but the one trait they all have in common is that they love people and know how to have a good time. There's the traditional first day splash contest going on at the large and extra-deep diving pool at mid-ship. People of all ages and sizes are throwing their bodies off the high board trying to impress the panel of judges whose average age appears to be somewhere north of eighty. He sometimes wished he could just throw off his uniform and jump right in there with them. Sometimes late at night he sneaks a few jumps in imagining the judges holding up nothing but tens. Beyond the pools, the usual crowds are engrossed in shuffleboard. It's amazing how people always flocked straight to the shuffleboard. No matter how many gadgets and gizmos they built into the Calypso, the two surest attractions after the alcohol are shuffleboard and the casinos. He stops briefly quietly laughing to himself as he always does seeing the three-foot high chess pieces being pushed around on the massive chess board built right into the deck. A sculptor carefully crafted all the pieces shortly after their first cruise, and it instantly became one of the ship's top attractions. Each piece was chiseled from marble and then hollowed out and equipped with wheels and of course brakes in case of bad weather. He instinctively strokes his beard again. It is quickly becoming a new habit. He looks up at the clear blue sky, there isn't a cloud, a patch of haze or anything for that matter, except for an endless silky sheet of blue fabric, unlike yesterday, when all hell broke loose on the way back in. The storm had come out of nowhere. There had been no alerts on NOAA, just heavy rain pouring down onto the decks forcing the passengers inside. There hadn't even been time to get the stabilizers out causing the big ship to rock and sway on the ocean swells forcing many green faces running to the infirmary. Satisfied he heads aft passing by his ample quarters conveniently and traditionally located near the bridge to give him quick access in case of any emergencies, which thus far there hadn't been any. He smiles thinking about the latest political thriller sitting on the end table next to his bed, his other passion. The crew loves to tease him that he's going to give up the cruise ship industry and run for office one day, but as far as he is concerned this was where he belongs. And besides he doesn't have anywhere else to really go because he's divorced with one grown son. He and his high school sweetheart had married young, but they both had realized quickly that it wasn't going to work. He was gone at sea, and she left without a husband, giving her mind and heart too much time to get into trouble, and twenty years later, the only thing he was still married too was the job. Not that an occasional fling wouldn't spring up, it just seemed better that way, no commitments. He had come close a few years ago with one of the waitresses on his previous ship, but was relieved when she had been transferred to another ship along with all his feelings for her. He had lost complete touch with his ex-wife, and had last heard she had made a fortune selling real estate of all things somewhere in Texas, but he didn't bother to check. He carefully makes his way down his private staircase that leads to the main deck and immediately feels the energy slap him in the face. There are people everywhere. He loves to try and guess what kind of cruise it's going to be, although after a while they all kind of blend into one. There are of course always the partiers, the family members and the singles who have read too many romance novels seeking that perfect someone that they would never find, but he gave them credit for trying, and who was he to judge. The typical cruiser on the Calypso was the middle class family from somewhere in the upper states looking for an all exclusive vacation. It was a great deal. Where else could you get all meals, lodging and entertainment included in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The only catch were the large crowds and seasickness but the large stabilizers that strut out on each side of the Calypso like two giant wings had almost eliminated that, and the multiple restaurants helped alleviate most of the long lines. The last he had counted there were twenty-one different restaurants on board, not counting the small cafes, coffee bars and of course the ships own dining room. They had been fortunate. They hadn't experienced any of the problems that had hampered many other ships. There were no viruses seeping through the cabins causing epidemics of vomiting and diarrhea, or the passenger going over the rails making it on CNN. It had just been a quiet and normal four years, which was just what they had wanted and advertised. It was such a glorious ship. They had the occasional fight or passenger who became too inebriated, but the staff was trained on how to deal with those situations without bringing about a lot of attention. He paused, leaning against the railing, watching the tall and slender dark-haired man comb his way skillfully through the large groups of passengers. He just had that natural easy way about him. As soon as he was close enough, he called out, "Hey Adam.?" He watched as his Head of Security, Adam Meluzzo quickly turned his head recognizing the familiar voice.

"Hey Captain. How's it going? How's the weather looking this time?" Adam asked with a big smile on his face.

"I think we have some smooth sailing, unlike yesterday, I heard the infirmary had their hands full." They slowly walked across the deck.

"Yeah, Doc Pearson said they had people lined up about ninety back green to the gills."

"That one just came out of nowhere. We didn't have time to get the stabilizers out, though it probably wouldn't have made much difference anyway." His face turned serious, "How's Nancy doing? I didn't see much of her last week."

Adam paused before answering, "She's busy doing her thing. You know how she likes to...how does she say it? Get a feel for things, mingle with the passengers. I think she just misses her undercover days." Adam followed the Captain back up the stairs and onto the bridge.

"Take us to twenty knots Jackson." Captain Spence ordered his helmsman. A minute later he could feel the powerful engines below come to life.

The non-descript man opened the door to his cabin, walked in glanced at the mirror located above the small dresser and ran his fingers through his medium length brown hair parted perfectly on the left. He paused there for a moment, taking in his whole reflection. He had been blessed with what you would call normal face and body. He had brown eyes, which adapted well to colored contacts. A normal shaped face that could easily be manipulated with putty or even surgery, and a body that could pass for bulky or thin depending on the job. Satisfied, he walked over to the single twin-sized bed, sat down and opened his large brown leather duffel bag. He quickly inventoried all the items in it. They were all the normal things one would take away from home. There were shirts, pants, toiletries and all the other necessities, but it was what was located on the bottom, underneath a pair of socks that his hand found most comfortable...it was a long sleek handgun, complete with a custom made silencer.

The guy had nerves of steel. He really enjoyed working with him, a big difference from the SAIC at his Northern Virginia office who was always on his back about every little thing. The guy re-defined micro-management. He was pretty much his own boss on the Calypso as long as things went smooth and the crime didn't affect the passengers. He found it quite gratifying. Although, he didn't have the power and prestige of an FBI Agent, he had enough to satisfy him. Since the cruise ship was out of the United States, it was basically considered a floating extension of it, meaning any crime that occurs would be prosecuted under US law, but they had found exceptions to it, like the guy who was dealing drugs. They had waited until the ship docked in the Bahamas, letting the local law enforcement throw the cuffs on him knowing it would make his life more difficult. They had learned a whole new world of crime since coming on cruise ships, most of it went unreported, obviously business would slow down if people knew that their belongings were going to be stolen or the fights that took place in the wee hours of the morning. They were okay with just giving people warnings, or holding them in their cabins because most prosecutors wouldn't touch them unless they involved serious crimes. It was just too confusing and easy for a defendant to find a technicality with all the jurisdictions that could potentially be involved. But for the most part, the ship was safe, rarely did any crimes occur that required a visit from the FBI or local police agency and besides, without a heliport, it was tough to get them on board when needed, which left the responsibility to Adam and his team. He left the bridge and strolled through the deck, it didn't take long for the passengers to ease up, the three pools were already filled with children and adults splashing the chlorinated water resembling the Caribbean sea, the sun chairs were filled with pale bodies starving for sunlight, the wait staff was busy handing out the much needed drinks. It was just what you would expect to see on the Calypso. Adam always smiled when he watched some of the ship's entertainers assist with ship duties. It wasn't required of all of them, but most could make a few extra dollars by helping the wait staff or the deck hands with various tasks. He saw Dennis, who usually worked comedy in one of the night clubs vigilantly standing guard near the bow of the ship keeping back the curious passengers while the crew stowed away the lines. There was Carl, who had a voice made of silk as was described by his followers holding a mop. It was definitely an exciting time on the Calypso. He knew Nancy was posted there, as she always was when they first launched, just in case anything happened. Sometimes, people would react when the ship first pulled away from the pier acting like they had just lost their only lifeline, it was rare, but they liked to be prepared just in case. He made his way through the last of the crowd and saw Nancy, her white shorts clinging to her tiny waist, white shirt blowing forcefully in the wind. She was all alone, holding onto the railing and looking back at the fading pier.

"Hey." He said slowly walking up behind her.

She immediately swung her gaze around towards him and replied, "Hi honey."

"I'm guessing from the looks of you, everything went smooth."

"Yep, we didn't have any jumpers. I think everyone wants to go on a cruise including me." She intertwined her fingers with his.

"I just talked to Cap; he said the weather is going to cooperate."

"Great. I'm still recovering from yesterday." She softly rubbed her stomach. "What do you say we take a day on Paradise Island this time? I mean we deserve a day off once in a while." She placed her other hand into his.

Pulling her close to him, he answered, "Sounds good! I'll tell the Captain. I'm sure he won't mind. Jimmy can watch the ship while were gone. I mean most of the passengers will be on shore or on excursions anyway."

"I'm feeling pretty tired today. You know I didn't sleep that well last night."

"Trust me. I noticed. You were rolling around all night."

"Sorry. I guess I just haven't been feeling that well."

"Why don't you go rest in the cabin for a while, we'll be okay?"

"I would like to, but you know how it is. The first few hours are the most important part of our job. I mean that's when I do my magic and determine how many drunks well have, how many larcenies...you know."

"I know, but we can handle it this time. Really go take a nap." He released his fingers from hers.

"Would you care to join me?" She said seductively.

"Yeah, you know how that would go over."

"Are you saying you don't feel attracted to me?" Her eyes wide open, a slight smile on her face.

"Did I say that?" He eyed her curiously.

"Well...not exactly, but..."

Pulling her close, he playfully said, "But what?"

"Don't you remember what happened a few weeks ago?"

"How can I forget?" A big smile was forming on her face as well as his.

"That's why. I think we ended up in the cabin for like five hours. That's when Jimmy and Ken broke up that bar fight and they couldn't get a hold of us to get the key to the cell."

"Okay, so we got a little carried away, but we're married. Aren't we supposed to?"

"Of course, but at 2:00 in the afternoon?"

"You're so old fashioned Adam, but that's what I love about you."

He leaned in close and kissed her softly on the neck. "Seriously, we'll be okay. Go rest. I'll cover for you."

"Maybe in a little while, I just want to walk around for a little while first."

"Okay. Go do your thing, but don't work too hard. I need you." He softly tapped her shoulder with his fist. "You're my number one man."

"Shut up Adam." She said jokingly, beginning to feel a little less nauseous than she had earlier."

"I'll talk to you in a bit. Love you."

"Love you too, my number one."

He watched her walk up the staircase and slowly disappears into the swallowing crowd. They had always had a playful relationship and had been almost inseparable since that day they had met. With two FBI agent salaries and no children they always had plenty of money and even more now that they rarely had a chance to spend any. Besides their mortgage and two cars, there wasn't much else being taken out of their pay checks. He unhooked the rope, opening up the bow of the ship now that they were safely out of the harbor. He stood admiring the beautiful coastline and breathing in the soothing ocean air. He felt his mind slowly drift towards the beautiful Atlantis on Paradise Island. It was only two days away.

Adam Meluzzo enjoyed being aboard the Calypso, he didn't mind the five-figure salary, it was just the time off he wished he had more of, but it could be worse. He had his wife Nancy on board as well.

Chapter 2

Tom Wilson and his wife Karen stood in awe as they opened the door to their cabin located on the coveted Dolphin deck. It was spectacular, and filled with a giant king-sized bed, a wet bar, a large flat screen television set mounted on the wall, a sitting room and most exciting, a sliding glass door leading to an ocean view deck. They had really needed this vacation and were so glad they were actually here. At first it had looked like they wouldn't be able to go. Both of his parents had come down with the flu and weren't going to be able to watch Tommy, but fortunately they miraculously recovered having arrived at their house last night healthy and energetic. This was their first real vacation since their honeymoon ten years ago. It was just so hard, he had a job that required a lot of travel and she was raising Tommy and working as a part-time bookkeeper out of the house, and of course money was tough. Plus, there was retirement, Tommy's college fund, the new tires for the car, the new roof; there was always something more important to spend the money on. They quickly placed their suitcases down on the two wooden luggage stands and immediately stepped out onto the deck. As soon as they opened the sliding glass door they felt the thick clean ocean air enter their lungs and remove the built-up ten year old tensions. It felt like two expert hands reaching down and gently massaging them. The deck was just large enough for two comfortable lounge chairs and a small heart-shaped table complete with two built-in cup holders. Before they could even sit down, Tom quickly ran back inside the cabin leaving a surprised Karen watching the colorful tropical ocean glide by. A second later, he returned and called out, "two Bahama Mama's on the way?"

"What?" He watched the puzzled look form on her face. He had seen it so many times before. Her eyebrows would form together and her mouth would pout. She looked so innocent, he wanted to grab her tight and just hold her, but there was a knock on the door.

"I'll be right back." He looked back watching her crane her neck. Her long blond hair was falling over her bright blue eyes, trying to see who was at the door. She was not a large woman, considered petite by most standards, but she had a big personality and was not known for holding anything back. A moment later he appeared, broadly smiling and his large hands grasped around two frosty glasses filled with an orange – colored liquid with two tiny brightly colored drink umbrellas.

"To our vacation," He lifted his glass gently touching hers. "And of course, too many more Bahama Mamas."

She stared at the glass, softly shaking it, "What is it?"

"Rum, orange juice and a few other things of course, it's good isn't it?" He watched her curiously sip the large drink and smile.

"Delicious. You know for a second when you said Bahama Mama, I thought you were talking about...never mind. To our vacation." She took a big gulp, placing her free hand on his waist and softly looking up at his face. He had just past the forty year old milestone a few years ago, but looked ten years younger with a head full of curly brown hair and two large brown eyes, that most people commented resembled a puppy dog.

She suddenly turned back around and glanced at the disappearing Virginia coastline and said, "When do you think we'll see land again?"

"I think I read we reach Nassau in two days. Not feeling seasick already are we dear?"

"No, not at all, it just feels so weird to be on a boat for two days straight!"

Playfully shaking his head back and forth he explained, "A ship honey. It isn't a boat. A boat is something you see back on the Potomac."

"Sorry Tom. I didn't realize you were so up on your nautical terms."

"Been studying, for your information, we are on the port side, near the aft of the ship."

He pointed with his left hand towards the back of the Calypso.

With a straight face, she blurted out, "I'm impressed." And then couldn't help but burst into laughter, her dimples forming perfect creases, causing Tom to instantly remember how attracted he was to her.

Standing up, he said, "What do you say we take a walk around the ship and check things out?"

"How about we start on the starboard side?"

"Ha ha! Now who is sounding nautical?" He had large smirk on his face.

"I've been studying up too!"

"I see." He pulled her close kissing her softly on the neck. "Or we could stay here and discuss nautical terms."

"Very funny. I say we go check this boat out. Can you believe they have go-carts on here?" She imitated driving.

"I saw that. I wouldn't mind taking a trip up that rock climbing wall later. What do you think?"

"You don't want to hurt yourself now do you?"

He flexed his biceps, "With this body, never!"

Laughing, she said, "Maybe we should start with just walking. I think I saw a Starbucks right around the corner, not too far for you."

"Bahama Mamas and Starbucks, interesting choice." He took another long drink.

"Hey I need my coffee."

"I understand, but I think I'll stick to the drink of choice." He held up his half full glass.

For some reason, the mention of Starbucks made him think about Tommy home with his parents. He had just turned eight and had become obsessed with basketball. Everywhere he went, the basketball went too. They had purchased him a hoop for the driveway and had set it to about eight feet to give him a chance to get the ball in. The kid would stand out there for hours practicing his shot. It would take almost every ounce of strength for him to shoot the ball, but after countless tries he would get enough leverage on it and finally put it through the hoop. They would know when that occurred because they would hear a huge scream from outside the door. They would always run out the door and watch him try to repeat. He was a really good kid, never talked back or caused any trouble. He tried hard at everything he did. They had decided just to have the one child because his job required substantial travel and odd hours, but he always dedicated plenty of time to Tommy when he was home whether it was shooting hoops or doing third grade homework. They would have brought Tommy with them on the cruise but they only had two tickets. They decided to put aside some extra money every month to take him to Disney World next year. They had both laughed when they walked past the gym and saw the four basketball hoops with one lowered for the kids. They knew Tommy would have spent the whole time in there. He finished off the drink already feeling the effects of the alcohol and figured a cup of coffee might actually clear his mind. He followed Karen out the door, tightly gripping her hand.

Chapter 3

Adam quietly placed the key into the lock and opened the door carefully walking through the small sitting room decorated appropriately with Caribbean décor and entered into the bedroom happy to see Nancy lying peacefully on the bed. He stood for a moment at the doorway. She slowly opened her eyes, looking directly at him.

"How are you feeling?" He sat down beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Better." She slowly sat up. "What time is it?"

He looked at the big red digital numbers on the headboard "It's almost seven."

"I guess I was tired."

"You've been working really hard lately. What do you say we get something to eat? They just opened that new Burger Heaven on deck three."

"Don't you ever eat anything healthy?"

We live on a cruise ship honey. What do you think?"

"You ever heard of a salad?" She knew that would never happen. He was just too manly. She had always been attracted to his macho way, despite the fact that he didn't show it, he just had it. He had always been the best athlete and always had the right thing to say, although it was usually a sport's reference. She had never been a big sports fan, but she would never miss a work out, except for recently. She couldn't remember the last time she had hit the track or one of the treadmills. She just didn't feel up to it anymore. A few weeks ago, she would work out first thing in the morning and then at night too, but lately the energy felt as though it were being been drained out of her body by a giant siphon. She knew she should go see Doc, but she didn't want to worry Adam, because despite his tough ways, he was a worry wart when it came to health matters, especially hers. She was glad the nausea had waned off. It just made her feel like not doing anything. She was so thankful her husband was her boss, because she knew he would allow her to do whatever she needed to do to feel better and cover for her if needed. She decided if tomorrow, she didn't feel any better she would stop by the infirmary sometime when Adam would be busy. She would have to ensure Doc didn't tell Adam, because she knew those two were buddies, especially when football season was underway. They would spend hours talking about the Redskins and how this was going to be the year, and of course it always turned out it wasn't. They had given up their season tickets after taking the job on the Calypso since they were out at sea almost twelve months a year, and when they weren't, they would be attending meetings or training which rarely left any time for fun, but it could be worse. She still missed the excitement of the FBI. It was what she had wanted to do as long as she could remember. It had just come out of the blue, none of her family members or friends were in law enforcement, but one morning when she was about thirteen, she had decided that was what she was going to do and after completing law school, she applied and was immediately accepted into the academy. She had initially been worried that it might be tough being female amongst all the tough males at the academy, but almost immediately she was accepted as one of the guys. It probably had something to do with the fact that she could outrun most of them and out shoot all of them. She was recognized as the outstanding class student and given her choice of assignments upon graduation. She initially chose to work in the terrorist task group, but felt compelled to the major crimes and theft group and had remained there until her last day. She knew she could have stayed with the Bureau finishing up her career, but after seeing that little boy dead in the bank, she just couldn't go on. She still had nightmares about it and felt the intense guilt grip her emotions almost daily, but she had moved on as well as Adam and was enjoying her new career on the Calypso. They had both worked as FBI Agents up until about three years ago when disaster had happened. It had been so quick that neither one of them had even had a chance to react, nor in the end it was just easier to walk away. They had been investigating a string of bank robberies in Northern Virginia, posing as customers in a large branch of Southern Savings when the two masked men entered. They both knew right away they were the ones. They could tell by the builds and characteristics. They had spent so much time watching surveillance tapes. They had decided to wait until they were clear of all the customers to apprehend them, but somehow they had missed seeing the eleven year old boy hiding behind a desk and when they did it was too late. He was killed in the crossfire. The lab had determined the fatal shot hadn't been from either of their guns and both suspects had been booked and found guilty, but it was just too much. They had both put in their resignations, and decided a life at sea might be more appealing, and so far it had. It took a little while for Nancy to get used to the idea of her husband being her boss, at least on paper, but she knew who was the real boss or at least the one where it counts. Southern Winds had been generous giving them a large sized cabin near the Captain's quarters to allow them some kind of normal life. There hadn't been any serious crimes or issues since the Calypso was launched and when they spoke with their old FBI friends they usually got teased about their gig and were often called bouncers or ushers. They both took it in stride and conducted their small investigations into thefts and burglaries which seemed to be growing as the crowds grew larger. The cabin doors were fairly sturdy, but they could be easily kicked in if you knew where to place your foot. During the last cruise they had to toss two menacing teenagers off the ship after they were caught red-handed kicking in a door looking for money. Once at sea, they had full police powers of arrest and detention and they even had a containment area on the lower deck to hold passengers that became out of control due to high alcohol intake. They had a staff of about twenty, give or take a few depending on the time of year, but their best weapon against crime was information. They would pour over the passenger lists, checking ages, backgrounds, nationalities and anything else that could help them zero in on any potential trouble. They had already spent about three hours this morning going over the lists and were pleasantly happy that there didn't appear to be any large groups that stood out more than any others. It was tough going through five thousand names, but with the special software Southern Winds had developed to identify and tally up anything abnormal it was manageable.

She slowly stood up, softly pushing Adam's hand off her shoulder.

"Okay. Just give me a couple minutes to get a shower, anything exciting happen this afternoon?"

He held out his hand and began slowly counting. "Let's see...we had one person lose their cabin key, we had one child who got separated from his parents, just another typical day on the Calypso."

"Did you talk to the Captain about our little date?"

"Yes, he said no problem. We have the whole day off. I already made a reservation at the Atlantis."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Adam you're the greatest."

"Well you know, someone has to be," He said smiling.

"Now don't let it go to your already over-sized head."

He placed his hands on each side of his head and said, "This little thing. I'll try not to." He quickly walked into the bathroom turning on the shower.

"Let's not get any ideas now."

"I'm just innocently turning on the shower for my wife."

"Yeah sure, I know how you are."

"You can't fault a guy for trying, especially with an over-sized head." He ran his fingers through his thick hair, looking into the mirror. "I'll wait, but that burger is tasting really good right now."

"And so is that salad. Give me a minute here."

He stood watching his wife undress, her soft features glowing under the bright bathroom lights until she disappeared behind the shower curtain decorated with bright colored tiny seashells. He walked back out into the sitting room, sat on the couch and turned on the TV flipping between the two twenty-four hour sport's channels the Calypso received trying to find something on the Redskins upcoming season.

Chapter 4

James Parker was a first time cruiser. He had spent a few years in the Navy so he was familiar with ships, but he had never ventured into the commercial sea vacation until now. He was feeling better than he had in years. He always took a few weeks off every year spending the time visiting his parents in upstate Vermont, but he didn't know if it was the smooth tropical air that was soon going to be coming or the essence of the ship, but he felt like he had just received the best gift of his life. He had hoped his girlfriend would have come, but she couldn't get away from work. She was a veterinarian who had two dogs under her care that she couldn't leave. One was battling cirrhosis of the liver and the other had lost a nasty fight with a pit bull. They had been dating now for about six years and it was assumed they would eventually tie the knot, but things just always seemed so busy so they just kept putting off the date. She had warned him before he left to stay away from the single girls, knowing that he wouldn't dare. He was average height with a short brown wavy hair and considered quite attractive by most counts, but he wasn't interested in anyone except Leanne. He was slowly walking along the upper most deck available to passengers and looking down at the pools and Jacuzzi's. He couldn't believe the amount of entertainment available. They had given him an itinerary and there were events scheduled from about six in the morning to after 1:00 AM every night. He was watching a game of Marco Polo being played in the adult pool. They had a young woman wearing a little too revealing bikini blindfolded trying to capture the others. All around the pool were curious onlookers as well as wait staff with trays full of alcoholic drinks. Below on the other side, two elderly men were practicing their putting skills. He knew somewhere down below there was a bowling alley and a full track that he might take a turn on in the morning. He was the type of guy who needed to run like most people need coffee. If he didn't get those four or five miles in every morning he was cranky and miserable the whole day. They say it has something to do with the endorphins, but he wasn't really sure, he just knew his body craved it. He continued walking along the deck amazed at how far they had traveled in just over an hour. The Virginia coastline was becoming a small mark on the vast blue horizon. He had of course flown over the so called pond many times, but it was quite a different perspective seeing it firsthand. The ocean had always been such a mysterious and fascinating place for him, which was the main reason he had joined the Navy after finishing college. He had majored in criminal justice at Penn State but by the time he finished his senior year, he realized a career in law enforcement wasn't what he wanted to do. He knew he could go straight to law school, but he decided a few years in the Navy would give him a new outlook. He had been surprised at how easily he had completed OCS. He had heard all the horror stories about the grueling instructors, but with his sharp intellectual mind and aerobic body he had found it more fun than work, and had actually been disappointed when he graduated. He couldn't believe it when he had first boarded the ship it was just so damn big, reminding him of a floating city. And once you were below decks you could easily forget you were on a ship at all. Quite a bit different than the Navy's version, the diesel smell and gray bland interior would be a hard sell here, but he guessed that was the reason they called it an adventure. He could only imagine what his old Navy buddies would think of this thing. He was up high enough now that he could see all the way to the bow of the ship. It was full of lounge chairs, hundreds of them everywhere you looked. It reminded him of Ocean City or one of those large beach resorts where if you don't get there early enough you're not going to get a spot on the beach. He couldn't see behind him because the massive bridge was blocking his view, but he knew he was standing somewhere in the middle of the ship, it felt like it was a mile long in each direction. He was lost in thought, staring out into the ocean when he felt a jolt on his shoulder causing him to lose his balance. He quickly grabbed hold of one of the teak railings before he realized it was a waiter with a tray full of tropical drinks. He couldn't figure out why he was so jumpy. He gave the man his card and quickly forced down a cool refreshing Margarita immediately feeling the effects of the alcohol seep through his body. He reached down for his cell phone that was always clipped on his pants before realizing that he had promised himself he would leave it off for the cruise except to call Leanne once a day. For the first time in a long while, he found himself feeling very empty and alone, but he was happy to be away from his stressful job and was already thinking about the scuba diving class he had signed up for on Wednesday. He was going to make this the best possible vacation he ever had, even though he was going to be by himself. Besides, there had to be a lot of people on board by themselves. He had read that there was something like five thousand passengers on board, more than the small town in Vermont he had grown up in. He had enjoyed dinner at the Chinese restaurant three decks down. He had heard all the stories of the long lines of hungry people standing for hours trying to get something to eat, but he had easily walked up to the hostess and was seated and eating within ten minutes, but maybe that was because all Chinese food was ready in ten minutes no matter what you ordered. He figured he would try something different every night, maybe even that French restaurant down there. It had been a while since he had been to France, but he still could never get that French cuisine taste out of his mouth. He knew one night he would have to venture into the ship's main dining room. They had something called the Captain's dinner where apparently everyone got dressed to the nines and went to eat with the Captain. That could be interesting, if nothing else just to see how they got all those people in there, but so far he hadn't felt crowded at all. In fact, it felt like the ship was half full, but he knew that wasn't the case seeing all those people in the reception area. They had told him he was like number four thousand and six or something, so he knew it was a full ship. He wondered how Leanne was doing. She was probably trapped in her office keeping an eye on the two dogs, monitoring their every heartbeat. She just had such a wonderful way about her, taking care of not only the animals, but also their owners which had caused her business to bloom. People were bringing her their dogs and cats from all over Northern Virginia and forcing her to hire additional staff. He didn't know how she did it but she always seemed to be able to manage it all. She always having time for her first priority, the animals and leaving the business side to more able minds, and of course she always had time for him, no matter what. She would drop whatever she was doing if he called and asked for her help. She had always been like that, unlike him with his crazy job and commitments, but she understood and accepted him for what he was. He had spent some time in the jewelry store down below looking at some of the engagement rings, knowing they were overpriced, but it felt good just thinking about it. He imagined they must sell a few of them on every cruise, people just getting caught up in the moment and purchasing an engagement ring to connect themselves together for the rest of their lives. He was going to take a look around the Bahamas and see if he could find any good deals. Otherwise, when he got back, he would plan a day in New York finding just the right ring. He knew exactly what he wanted to get. Her taste was simple, but yet elegant and he could picture the ring in his mind already knowing what her reaction would be. He couldn't wait for the day to happen. He was always trying to think of a way to propose to her. He had heard about all the outlandish ways of people proposing, the jumbo screens at the ball parks, and the signs behind the airplanes. He hadn't thought of the right way yet, but he knew once he did it would be perfect as long as it wasn't overdone, because that was something she wasn't. He was really beginning to miss her. He slipped into one of the two movie theaters and dug into the popcorn quickly distracted by the heavy action on the screen.

Chapter 5

The non-descript man opened the door to his cabin, happy to hear the noise finally subside in the hallway. It had been a boisterous night, but that was expected on the first night of the cruise. He closed his door and calmly made his way up the hall to the elevator. Luckily, it was late, almost two in the morning and there weren't too many people about except for those returning from the late night clubs who wouldn't remember seeing him in the morning anyway. He pushed the button in the elevator for the "D" deck better known as the Dolphin deck. This was where the high-paying passengers stayed on the cruise, better known as first-class. Each room was fully equipped with a balcony and all the upscale essentials of the best five star hotels. He had been in the rooms several times. The three different floor plans buzzed into his head. The one he was headed to was the biggest of the three with a full king sized bed and a wet bar, two walk-in closets and a bathroom with a fully-equipped Jacuzzi bath. As the elevator edged upward, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper. He quickly scanned the seven names written on it. He had obtained it about two weeks ago and hadn't let it out of his sight since. It had been easy getting into the Southern Winds computer system before he had left to get all the room numbers he needed. He had even gotten into the Calypso's network earlier with his laptop. It was amazing how easy it was to get into systems if you knew what to look for. Companies would spend so much money and hardware securing all their secrets and plans on a server thinking it was impossible to penetrate, but they always left a backdoor because the engineers needed to be able to access it and that was the avenue he chose. It had taken him approximately fifteen minutes to access the passenger list on the Southern Winds system and less than five to get room numbers on the Calypso's. As he exited the elevator, he pulled out a key card that gave him access to any of thousands of doors on the ship. Thank God for engineers. He stopped outside of room 21B, slowly placed the card in the lock and opened the door. Just as he had expected the room was dark and empty. He slowly walked across the room, careful not to bump into any of the furniture especially the giant bed that made his look like a cot. He finally reached the sliding glass door unlocked it, and stepped out onto the deck feeling the cool night air splash his face and the welcoming the sound of waves crashing against the hull hiding any of the noise he was making. He calmly walked to the far end of the balcony, reached out and grabbed a hold of the adjoining one. He was just tall enough to pull his body over the rail without even stretching or straining and cleanly landed on the other deck without a slip or even a hesitation. He had rehearsed this exact move several times before, so he knew the distance, even in the complete darkness. He gently placed both feet onto the deck, carefully avoiding the chairs and small heart-shaped table that he found overly obnoxious. And as he correctly assumed, the sliding glass door was ajar. The passengers loved the feel the ocean breeze seeping through their rooms and this one was no exception. He double-checked the silencer on his weapon, quietly opened the door already knowing all the resistance points to ensure total silence. Once inside, he could hear the two sets of lungs inhaling and exhaling just as they were supposed to when a body was at rest. So far things were going as planned. He got down on his knees and began crawling keeping the pistol out in front of him at all times. When he reached the far side of the bed, he slowly lifted his body up, placed the barrel of the silencer directly on the temple and pulled the trigger. Charlie Donovan's dream suddenly ended as well as the rest of his life. He watched for any reaction from the woman, and after twenty seconds, he was satisfied she hadn't woken up so he crawled back out the sliding glass door, closed it with his gloved hands and repeated his maneuvers climbing back into the first cabin he had started in. Five minutes later, he was back in front of the mirror in his own cabin removing the mask and hat as well as the fifty extra pounds he had added to his frame.

Chapter 6

The morning fog was thick as the large ship battled through the haze and choppy waters. They were about two hundred miles south of Bermuda and expected to arrive at Nassau sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Adam and Nancy stepped into the bridge and almost in unison said, "Hey Captain."

He immediately looked away from the chart, smiled and replied, "Good morning Adam. Good morning Nancy. How did you guys sleep?"

"Great! It was calm last night."

"We had smooth sailing all night long. I'm hoping this fog will burn off soon, so we can get some sunlight. It's always good for them to see bright and sunny days. Isn't that what our brochures always show?"

"Don't forget the DVD." Adam chided, causing him and the Captain to chuckle. Nancy curiously eyed them both as she often did.

"Thanks for giving us tomorrow off Captain." Nancy said watching him take a long drag on his cigar. As long as she had known him, every morning he had a cup of coffee and a cigar in his mouth. She figured it was just his way of starting the day. She had felt much better this morning, and was actually tempted to work out, but she had decided to hold off. She didn't want to push it and miss the big day with Adam tomorrow. They both needed it so much.

"Anytime guys, I'm guessing since I didn't receive the famous 3:00AM call everybody was well-behaved last night."

Adam sat down in one of the white leather chairs sometime used for passengers when they wanted to observe the running of the ship. "I just talked to Jimmy. You know he's the night supervisor now right?"

"I heard. That's great. He really deserves it. Hardest working guy I know...well besides you two of course." He placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Thanks Captain. Anyway, he said they had no incidents at all last night, nothing on the logs to report."

Glimpsing back at the chart, he said, "My kind of night."

Adam felt his pager began to buzz and watched Nancy grab her two-way at the same time. Captain Spence walked over to the helmsman and began talking to him. Adam had to read the message three times before it even registered. He looked over at Nancy who was already heading for the door talking into her radio and staring directly at Adam. He hadn't seen that expression on her face since their days at the FBI. He waved her on ahead.

Adam looked up at the Captain who was focused on the small computer screen located above the helmsman. It was amazing how many instruments were required to run a ship of this size. It was equivalent to that of a jet airplane cockpit, much larger in size of course. They had three large flat panel screens mounted above the steering area that displayed thousands of different readings, from fuel levels, depth, wind, temperature and every other thing that could be measured. They even had Fox News blasting away behind them on a similar size screen that he assumed the Captain watched to stay in tune with the news and political events. There was a heated Presidential race happening and there was no way the Captain was going to miss that. Adam was well aware of the man's political obsession. He had seen the book collection, or more appropriately called the library in his cabin. There were thousands of books covering every angle of Government and political philosophies known. It didn't matter if they came from the liberal side or the conservative one. He read and analyzed them all. They had been out to sea on the last Super Tuesday and he remembered they had all been given strict orders not to disturb the Captain under any circumstance. He could only imagine what it would be like this November. He said, "Captain we have a problem."

His head immediately turning away from the screens, "What is it Adam?"

"I don't know what to say." He was still re-reading the text message on his pager. They used an on-board text paging system as well as two way radios to communicate. They tried to use the text messaging as much as possible, so they wouldn't alert any of the nosier passengers that there was any problems. Adam read out loud, "We have discovered a body on the D deck, appears to have been shot in the head. 21B." His voice was loud enough that a few of the crewman looked away from their instruments.

Stunned, the Captain nervously replied back, "What the hell does that mean. I don't believe it. Let's go."

They quickly ran out of the bridge down the staircase and found the closest elevator to the Dolphin Deck. They passed many dazed passengers still half-asleep and sheepishly heading off to find breakfast somewhere. Neither one of them saw anyone. They walked down the hallway, happy to not see any yellow crime scene tape strung all about or even any indication that something had gone wrong. Maybe the whole thing had been a mistake. Adam reached for the door and was surprised when it opened right away, it wasn't locked. He didn't think there was a way to actually unlock the doors, but he decided to keep that in his memory for later. They both stormed into the large cabin, and the first thing they saw was a middle-aged woman weeping uncontrollably on the couch. She was being comforted by two of the uniform officers who had been on duty overnight. They both pointed towards the bed. Adam immediately felt his heart stop for a moment and wondered if it would continue or not. On the bed was a forty-something year old man with an obvious bullet hole on the side of his head. The pillows as well as the sheet were both colored an eerie dark red. Standing near the body was Jimmy and Nancy who were both frantically writing things down, while another officer was snapping pictures.

"I don't believe it. How did this happen?" The Captain said walking up next to the lifeless body.

"As far as we can tell, there was no forced entry." Jimmy said....beads of sweat forming on his forehead and causing his short military style crew cut to glisten. Jimmy was around fifty years old, a little heavier than he should be, but he carried the weight around well. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and tan shorts with the word "Security' emblazoned on both the back and front.

"The door was unlocked." Adam pointed out.

"I just deactivated the locking system, so we could check out the door, but I've already had the guys run the logs and there was no entry in here after eight o'clock last night. I can tell you by the looks of the body it hasn't been this way for that many hours. The murder had to take place after that and no one left the room since. So that leaves us with one of two choices." His voice suddenly lowered and all three of them leaned in closer. "The guy either popped himself or the woman did it." They all looked back towards the sobbing woman. "Now here's the interesting thing, there is no residue on his hand, no gun, no one claimed to have heard a gunshot and no residue on her hands either."

"Hold on a second." Adam motioned towards one of the uniform officers. "Can you bring her down to the infirmary and have her checked out?"

"I don't want to go. Please I'm fine." She yelled back her voice full of tears.

Adam lowered his voice and said, "Please Ma'am, just go make sure none of that blood on you belongs to you and then we can talk. I promise."

She continued to protest, but eventually she left the room with the two guards keeping her steady.

"Okay, as I was saying that really leaves one suspect, the woman." Jimmy said looking at the closed door.

"Where's the weapon?" Adam asked.

"We have searched the room pretty thoroughly, but now that she's gone maybe we should take another look."

Twenty minutes later, they all agreed there was no weapon in the room.

"I bet I know where we could find it," said Adam pointing out at the deck.

"A little better than throwing it into the river right?" Jimmy said.

"You could say that again. That water is somewhere around 11,000 feet deep." Captain Spence said causing them all to shake their heads. "What are we going to do?"

"How well did you check her hands?" Adam curiously asked looking directly at Jimmy.

"I ran a residue test on both and nothing, but she could have worn gloves, wouldn't be the first time."

"True." Shaking his head he said, "But the part that gets me is that no one complained of hearing a gunshot. I mean these are close quarters. Did you guys check out the nearby cabins?"

Jimmy immediately responded, "One side is unoccupied and there is a young couple on the other who looked to be a little hung over to say the least, but they don't remember hearing anything."

"Anyone else?" Adam asked looking visibly upset.

"We checked a couple of other rooms and they heard or saw nothing?"

"Interesting, what do you think Nance?" He looked directly at her.

"I think we need to talk to her." She pointed at the now empty couch. "What's her name?"

"I'm not sure, but he is Charles Donovan. Says he's from Bowie, Maryland. Born in 1964." They watched Jimmy hold up the driver's license.

"Who do we need to call?" Captain Spence said.

"That's where it gets confusing," Adam begin to explain. "We're now in international waters, so the official jurisdiction goes to international law, but the US has a special maritime law that allows them to have jurisdiction because the ship is out of the US. It's a little crazy, but in the end we will be the ones that end up prosecuting it, so we need to probably first inform the Coast Guard and then the FBI. I doubt they will send anyone out here right away, since the one thing we don't have is a heliport."

"Great, so what do we tell the passengers?" Captain Stance asked Adam.

"I think first and foremost, we need to speak to Mrs. Donovan or whoever she is and find out how and why she did this. It's probably a case of domestic abuse gone way wrong. We can put together a message to broadcast to the ship that an incident took place due to a domestic squabble and that it is isolated and to continue on your vacation."

"All right, you guys get to the bottom of this. I'm going to contact the attorneys at Southern Winds. I'll let you know what they say. Keep me informed."

"You got it Captain." Adam watched the big man exit the cabin.

"Nancy. Why don't you and Jimmy get the woman to our office and interview her? I'll work on collecting the evidence here. Do me a favor, have Doc send up someone to help me with the body."

"Where are you going to keep it?" Jimmy asked.

"Remember, he has a makeshift morgue down there. We have had heart attacks before, and even that choking death the first year. It happens. Don't forget to turn the video camera on before you start the interview."

"Thanks Adam." He watched the two of them leave the cabin. Now it was just him and Kurt, who had been methodically taking pictures of the body. They both just stood in place looking directly at the lifeless body. Adam knew they had to get to the bottom of this quickly or word would spread throughout the ship that a murder had taken place. He hoped the woman would quickly confess, so they could get the message out and lock her up until they reached shore and plus they had a vacation tomorrow, that right now was looking questionable.

Chapter 7

Adam sat in the outer office watching the small video screen showing the three figures seated at a small rectangular table in the room next door. Nancy and Jimmy were on one side and the woman on the other. She still looked extremely distressed. Much more so than any of the usual murderers Adam had seen...if there was such a thing as a usual murderer. Despite the grief on her face, she was still considered an attractive woman. She had styled shoulder length brown hair and a well-fit figure that looked as though she spent time in the gym. He turned up the volume and leaned forward and watched Jimmy expertly lean in and asks, "So you're not married?"

Sobbing uncontrollably, she answered, "no, we're engaged. We're supposed to get married in June. How can he be gone?"

Handing her a tissue, Jimmy asked, "What's your name?"

"Margaret."

"Margaret what?" He replied back immediately, trying to get a rhythm.

"Margaret Blackwell, but it was going to be Donovan in June. I have the paperwork all ready to go."

"Did you live together?"

She quickly grabbed another tissue "Yes. I know that might not be right in all religions, but we loved each other. Oh my God, I can't believe I just said loved." The tears began to fall again. "Are you sure he's dead?

Lowering his voice and pausing Jimmy replied, "Yes, Miss Blackwell, he is dead. The bullet ended his life." Jimmy looked up at the camera and shook his head.

"Can you tell us again what happened this morning?" Nancy asked her voice soothing and relaxed in contrast to Jimmy's harsh tone.

Almost as if a button had been pushed, the effect of Nancy talking was immediate, she calmed down and clearly said, "I woke up and saw all the blood and then I looked at him and he was just lying there, not moving. I mean his eyes were open."

Nancy looked at her, paused and asked, "What did you do last night? Did you go out at all?"

"We went to the seated dinner at 6:30, I think we got back to our room around eight and watched a movie."

"What did you watch?" Nancy was speaking so softly, that Adam had to turn the volume all the way up, but it seemed to be effective because Margaret had stopped crying and appeared to be trying to recall information.

She was looking up at the ceiling. "We watched...that movie with Ben Stiller. You know the one...Meet the Parents."

Smiling Nancy replied, "Of course, funny movie. Have you seen the second one? I can't remember the name."

"Meet the Faulkers." She immediately responded.

"Yep, that's it. Did you have anything to drink?"

"We both had a glass of wine." A look of anguish came across her face. "You're not thinking we got drunk and...I"

"I'm not suggesting anything." Nancy calmly replied back never losing eye contact.

"I didn't shoot him. I don't even know how to shoot a gun. Plus, he said my hands were clean." She pointed at Jimmy who was now standing behind Nancy.

"Do you have a gun at home?"

"No, I don't...I mean Charles does, but he keeps it locked up in a safe. I don't even know the combination. Charles...my Charles is gone." The tears began to fall again.

Nancy, ignoring the sobbing asked, "Why does he have a gun?"

"I don't know. He goes to one of those ranges every once in a while. I guess he likes it. We never really talked about it."

Without waiting she immediately asked, "What does he do for a living?"

"He's in sales. He sells computer systems to foreign Governments. He works for Net Systems. That's why were on this cruise. He won it for leading the sales force this year. He really had a good year, but he has been working so hard. I was so proud of him." She began to smile.

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm a teacher with Montgomery County Schools. It's right outside DC."

"I'm very familiar with it. I've lived right across the river in Fairfax for years. How were you able to get the time off. Aren't the kids in school?" She asked curiously, her eyes coming together in a way only Nancy could do.

"Yes, but my principal totally understood when I told him about Charles winning the vacation."

Adam was intensely staring at the monitor when he heard the door behind him open. He watched the Captain step in and sit down in a chair beside him and ask, "Anything?"

"No, she appears to be truly upset about losing him, but it doesn't make sense." He pointed at the screen. "She had to pull the trigger. There was no way anyone else could have done it."

"The lawyers agreed with you that the US will prosecute the case once we get back. They want us to turn around, but it will take us a whole day to get back. We can't do that to the passengers."

"I agree. Let's just see if we can get a confession. If so, we can contain her until we get to Nassau, and have her expedited back to the States."

They both turned towards the monitor when they heard Jimmy's forceful voice.

"All right Miss Blackwell, why don't you just tell us what happened?"

Looking like she was going to lose it any second, she said "What do you mean? I just did."

Talking very loudly, he said, "No, let's here the real story. We know he was shot at point blank range, probably with a silencer because no one heard the shot, so what happened, you had a fight? You got drunk? What was it? If you tell us, we'll make it a lot easier on you."

"I'm telling you the truth. I really am." The tears were falling down her cheeks and landing on her lap, but she ignored them.

"So what you're telling us is a gun just magically went off all by itself."

"I don't know what happened. I woke up and he was...you know...dead."

Shaking his head with disbelief, he responded, "Please. I was a homicide detective for twenty-one years in Miami. Maybe you blanked out. I don't know, but the sooner you tell us the less trouble you'll have."

"I swear to you, I didn't kill my fiancée. I loved him. We were going to get married. He took me on this cruise. Why would I kill him?" Adam watched her soft features grow angry, the sadness disappearing.

"Miss Blackwell, did Charles take the gun with him on the cruise?" Nancy asked, again in a soft voice.

Confused by the two questioners she wasn't sure who to look at, so she looked straight down at the table and said, "Of course not. I packed his stuff. It's probably still in the safe at our house."

"Okay, we will have that checked out. Do we have permission to search your home?" Nancy politely asked.

"Yes, sure."

"What's the safe combination?" Jimmy quickly snapped hoping to catch her off guard.

Looking directly and confidently at him, she replied, "I don't know. I don't like guns. I was hoping he would get rid of it, but we agreed he would keep it locked up, so I wouldn't have to see it."

Both Adam and the Captain looked at each other. Adam said, "Captain, for some reason, I'm getting the feeling she is telling the truth. I'm not sure why, but I don't think she killed him."

"Then who did it? Was it a suicide?"

Adam stood up. "I was thinking the same thing earlier, but that would mean he would have to have worn gloves and she would have thrown the gun out knowing she was implicating herself. I don't think she is that versed, but let me go find out."

Adam knocked on the door and entered causing all three of them to turn quickly around. He stopped in front of the seated woman and asked, "Ms. Blackwell was it possible you found the gun next to Charles this morning and you threw it out the balcony to save him from the embarrassment of a suicide? We would totally understand. In fact, I would probably do the same thing if I was in that situation."

She didn't respond, just stared up at him with two sincere eyes. "Look, do I need an attorney?"

Jimmy quickly moved in front of here and answered, "Did you do something wrong?"

"No. Like I told these guys Mr. Meluzza," her eyes never leaving his, "I woke up this morning and saw him lying there. There was no gun, no anything, just blood, so I called the emergency number right away. I swear that's what happened. He wouldn't kill himself. He was a very happy and successful man. How can you even suggest that?"

"We have to look at every possible scenario Ms. Blackwell, surely you understand that. Jimmy can you take her to an empty cabin? We'll have your belongings brought to you. I'm going to ask you to stay in your cabin until further notice."

She slowly stood up and placed her hands over her face. "Am I under arrest?"

Adam quickly placed his arm on her shoulder and said, "No, but for your safety we need to keep you isolated until we figure out what happened. You'll have a security guard outside your door at all times, so you'll be safe."

"What about Charles?"

"We have moved his body to the morgue. As soon as we reach the shore we'll have him transported back to the US. I'm sure they'll want to perform an autopsy before they release his body. Please begin to contact any of his family members."

She removed her hands, her voice suddenly quivered and she softly whispered, "There aren't any, just me."

Adam, his hand still securely on her shoulder calmly stated, "Okay, if you think of anything else, please let us know. I'm sorry this happened."

Walking towards the door with Jimmy behind, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Adam. "I still can't believe it."

"And neither can we ma'am." Jimmy moved her out the door.

Adam sat down beside a worn looking Nancy and asked, "What do you think?"

"She's either innocent or the world's most convincing liar I have ever seen."

"I agree. I don't think she killed him."

"What can it be? Suicide?" She looked very skeptical.

"Can't be, she would have had to throw the gun overboard."

"That wouldn't be too difficult."

"For you and me, but for someone who isn't comfortable with guns it would be."

She looked at him questionably and said, "So you're really buying all that afraid of guns stuff?"

"Yeah, for now," He stood up. "I'm going to call the PG County Police and have them search the home for the gun. I bet they'll find it there."

"We'll see. I think we need to go back and look through the room some more."

"Good idea, by the way, how are you feeling today?"

She closed her eyes and placed her head between her hands. "Like crap, but better than her fiancée, so can we please go?" She knew she should see Doc today, but now with this, it would have to be put on hold. The nausea had come back, but she wasn't going to tell Adam, at least not now.

Chapter 8

Tom and Karen Wilson stepped out of their cabin and casually walked down the hall when suddenly the door to 21B snapped open and a gurney with a body covered in a black sheet rolled out, they both immediately froze to the floor as if it were suddenly covered in glue.

"Oh my God? What happened?" Karen yelped, clutching Tom.

The small man dressed in green scrubs calmly answered, "Just an accident. Happens every cruise, no need to get excited."

"Easy for you to say, what happened? If you don't mind my asking." Karen persisted not taking her eyes of the body.

Turning the gurney towards the hall, he said, "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm not at liberty to say."

A loud deep voice behind them caused them to quickly turn around, "Hi, can we help you?" Behind them stood an official looking couple. "I'm Adam Meluzzo and this is Nancy, we run the security department on the Calypso." They all shook hands.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any problems. I just saw this body being wheeled out of here and..." Karen said moving her eyes from the gurney to the tall man.

"It's okay ma'am. Kenny, can you push it back in there?" He motioned towards room 21B. "We need to check a few more things. Plus, I don't know if any more passengers want to see a body rolling past them first thing in the morning. Would you agree?" He looks first at Karen and then Tom, who appeared anxious to leave.

"Yes. I think that would be better." Karen responded.

"How do you want me to get it down stairs?" Kenny asked pushing the gurney back inside the room.

"Let me think about it. There has to be a more discreet way."

"How about a laundry cart or something." Tom Wilson said speaking for the first time.

"That's not a bad idea," said Adam watching Tom's eyes focus on the blood scattered all over the bed and walls.

"Okay honey, I think we need to go eat breakfast." Tom placed his arm over Nancy's shoulder. "Good luck guys."

"Thanks. By the way, what cabin are you in?" Adam asked.

"25 B." He pointed over his shoulder at the door down the hallway.

"You guys didn't hear anything odd last night did you?"

"This is our first time on a cruise ship, so we're not really sure what is normal and what is odd, but I'd say it was pretty quiet around here. I don't remember hearing anything do you honey?" He looked over at Nancy.

"No, the only thing I heard was the elevator opening and shutting a few times in the middle of the night, woke me up a couple of times." They all looked in the direction of the elevator.

"Do you remember how late that was?" Adam asked curiously thinking he should review the surveillance tapes.

"Sometime after midnight, because I remember waking up and looking outside at the ocean, it was so calm out there."

"It was a nice calm night last night. Thanks guys." He shook both of their hands. "Have a nice breakfast."

They watched the couple step into the elevator and then headed back into the crime scene, closing the door behind them.

"Do the laundry cart thing Kenny. I don't want a lot of people asking questions today." Adam said.

"No problem. Mr. Meluzzo." He pushed the gurney all the way into the room.

Standing in front of the sliding glass door and looking out at the vast ocean, Adam said, "What do you think of this Nance? The killer was waiting for them when they returned after dinner and took them out. Maybe he was hiding on the deck."

"What about the time line? Jimmy said the body didn't look like it had been dead that long."

"Maybe he waited till they went to sleep."

"Patient killer."

He stepped away from the door and focused on the bloody red sheets. "It's a theory, and right now we have nothing."

"We may have the killer already in custody." She said raising her eyebrows.

"I can't reach that conclusion yet, she just doesn't seem to have it in her. I mean we're talking an assassin style killing here. A silencer...gloves...no trace of anything."

A hint of a smile formed on her face. "Maybe she's one of those secret undercover agents you hear about. You know the middle-aged female school teacher assassin."

"Probably wouldn't hurt to have that training in today's schools."

"Good point. All right, so say we go with your theory and he was waiting for them, why just take out the guy and leave the woman. Nothing seems to have been stolen, so what was the motivation?"

"Let's find out everything we can about him. You want to call Trevor? He still owes us for his promotion to Lieutenant with the MPD."

"I'll give him a call."

Placing rubber gloves on his hands, Adam said, "I'm going to stick around here and try and put this thing together."

"Don't think too much, I don't want you to hurt yourself!"

"Get out of here you." He playfully tapped her shoulder. "You must be feeling better today!"

"A little bit. See you."

Adam remained in the room for the next several hours. He kept looking out the sliding glass door and into the ocean and wondering if it was possible someone could hide out there undetected? It had been dark and they probably watched the movie from bed and didn't even notice the lurking killer, but the deck was small and there really was nowhere to stand unnoticed. He had gone through their belongings twice now, not seeing any signs of gun or anything peculiar for that matter convincing him further that she didn't kill the man. They had packed the usual, clothes, toiletries, and everything else one takes with them on a cruise. There didn't seem to be any reason for someone to assassinate this man. He would check with the dining crew and find out what table they sat at, maybe there had been an argument with someone over dinner, or on the way back. The possibilities were endless, but any scenario just seemed too far-fetched, especially for the first night of a cruise. A few hours later, he went back to the cabin and found Nancy sound asleep.

"Not feeling good again, I take it?" He called out entering the bedroom.

She rolled over and with sheepish eyes replied, "Just tired."

"Please go see Doc tomorrow. Do you want me to call him now?"

"No, he's probably eating dinner, I'll see him tomorrow. I guess our little rendezvous is off for tomorrow?"

"Yes, unfortunately, and besides you're not ready for a night on the town. I think you should take the day off and stay in bed."

Sitting up, she forcefully replied, "Adam we just had a man murdered on our ship, under our watch. I don't think a day off would be appropriate."

Adam knowing there was no way he was going to win an argument, looked away and sighed. "Okay, at least promise me you'll go see Doc."

"I promise. I talked to Trevor. Nothing interesting came back. Charles works for Net Systems. They manufacture computer biometrics. He has no family and lives at the address she mentioned. Only strange thing was; the guy only goes back ten years.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"The records only go back like ten years, before that, it was like he didn't exist. Trevor said he probably just has to dig deeper. He'll get back to us a in a few days."

"Great. I had PG County search their house and guess what?"

She smiled. "They found the gun right?"

"Yep, it was a Glock. And it had been fired recently, like in the last week. They are checking with the range, but I'm sure it will pan out."

"You're probably right."

"Remember, I'm always right.

She reached for the TV remote control. "It's funny, for some reason I have to keep reminding myself of that."

Adam sat down on the bed, watching the channels zip past. "Hey how about another burger tonight? That place was awesome wasn't it?"

"If you say so. I think that might be the reason I'm lying here in pain." She finally settled on a travel channel showcasing the Bahamas.

"What hurts?"

"My stomach and my head. Why don't you go get one of those great burgers and you can bring me back a bagel and a cup of coffee?"

"No problem. And don't forget we're going to see Doc tomorrow."

Lying back down she said, "I'm going to see Doc. You're going to solve a murder."

"Okay. Get better. I'll be back. I'm going to update the Captain too,"

"Thanks Adam. I love you."

"Love you too sweetheart." He blew a kiss at her from the doorway which she pretended to catch and blow back at him. Something they had been doing for the last ten years, it was corny but effective.

Chapter 9

The non-descript man exited his cabin, it was still early, only 10:00PM. He was feeling pretty good. He had eaten a bowl of granola cereal and two Power Bars for dinner, along with a thick soy protein milk shake. This had become his standard meal for him three times a day, absolutely no deviations or temptations He really looked forward to the milkshake which he allowed himself to enjoy only during dinner. The other meals were only water and orange juice. The milkshake filled the void of the missing energy he had depleted during his two intense marathon workouts he performed every afternoon. Today had been no exception. He had spent about an hour and half straight doing nothing but pushups and sit-ups and, by the end his arms were swollen and black and blue, but he rarely felt the pain anymore. He had actually come to enjoy it or welcome it as the hard core trainers would say. Afterwards, he would either run in place if the room was too small like the cabin had been today or run laps around the room for close to two hours. A lot of people would call him a health nut, but he didn't see a lot of people and more importantly, he had to keep his body in top condition at all times. His line of work required one to be able to overcome any obstacle they might encounter and so far he had. He ventured down the long hallway and chose the stairs over the elevator to bypass the few people gathered, waiting at the elevator door. He had accessed the Calypso's security system only minutes earlier so he knew right where he was headed. Ten minutes later, he was seated in the back of the dimly lit Papaya. It was one of the ships most popular dance clubs with two levels, the upper one was a balcony that wrapped around the entire room mostly filled with small intimate tables, but still plenty of room for dancing. The lower level was occupied by a large dance floor full of bodies dancing around and moving in peculiar ways. The non-descript man studied the movements of the dancers, especially those of the men. It wasn't because he was attracted to them, it was because he needed to learn their moves and since he rarely spent any time in night clubs none of this was familiar to him. He had chosen his clothes carefully tonight, mimicking that of most of the other men in the room. A dark polo shirt unbuttoned of course and a tan pair of stylish khakis. He had opted for a dark wig and changed the tone of his skin a few shades darker making him appear almost Mediterranean. He had even added a tiny mustache that appeared as though he either couldn't grow one or was trying to grow one. He had already felt a few glances from the opposite sex, but he had ignored them, at least until he was ready. He knew he had plenty of time because Russell Stein was still seated at the bar sipping his first drink. He was talking to a young and very attractive woman with blond hair, who seemed to have taken quite an interest in him, but that wasn't surprising because Russell was quite attractive himself. He was tall, athletic looking and neatly parted dark brown hair. He knew he had purchased his first drink twenty-one minutes ago; at least that was what the computer system had recorded on his tab. Even though he knew Russell would probably be here for a while, he had wanted to get here early to get a good look at him and of course learn the dance moves if needed. He thanked the waitress for the seltzer, sat back and rehearsed his plan in his head until he was sure it was permanent. He had been blessed with an exceptional memory as well as a high intellect and had known early on what he had wanted to do, and now that he was approaching his twenty year mark in the business there wasn't much he didn't know or couldn't do. This was the first time his work had ever taken him onto a cruise ship, but he was fairly confident things would go as planned. They always did no matter the environment or personnel. That was just the way it was with him, always had been and always would be. An hour or so later, he watched as Russell and the young blond maneuvered their bodies on the dance floor in ways that he had never seen before. Casually, but with confidence, the non-descript man got up from his seat and asked the young lady who had been staring at him for the last two hours to join him which she gladly did. They swung around, smiling and embracing each other just as the other hundred or so other couples were doing. He was glad the music was so loud, because it eliminated any need for conversation, despite the fact that he was fully prepared. Anyone observing would have just pegged them as another fun-loving couple on a cruise. He slowly edged them in the direction of Russell. The loud music and thunderous bass was vibrating the dance floor so strenuously it almost felt as though he were on a trampoline. Finally, they were almost side by side, neither paying any attention to the other. He casually reached into his pocket, no one noticed. They were almost close enough now that they could touch each other. He watched as Russell's hand brushed the back of his neck like he was scratching a mosquito bite or something. He expertly danced the girl away to the other side of the floor mingling with the other hundred passengers until a few seconds later, he heard the music suddenly stop, the bright lights flood the club and the crowds gather. Russell was on the floor, clutching his chest while his heart and breathing stopped.

Chapter 10

Adam was lying in bed reading an article in Sport's illustrated about a potential Heisman trophy candidate when he heard the loud knock on the door. Nancy quickly sat up. It was rare that anyone knocked on their door in the middle of the night anymore. The first few cruises had been a different story. The staff was untrained and didn't know how to handle many of the situations that would arise and would often come pounding on their door for advice, but those days had ended sometime after Jimmy had taken over the night shift allowing them to live somewhat domestically considering they were floating hundreds of miles off the shore. Adam looked at Nancy unsure of what to expect and was surprised to see the usual well-dressed Doc Pearson, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants outside his door. He was the type of guy who looked the same no matter the occasion. He had brown hair, glasses and a medium-sized frame that just sort of blended in wherever he went, which was why Adam imagined he enjoyed wearing his crisp white uniform emblazoned with the medical patch to stand out a little bit.

"Hey Doc, what's going on?" He asked gazing at the peculiar expression on his normally placid face.

Out of breath, he answered, "I think we may have another murder?"

"What are you talking about Doc? Where? When?" He looked back, seeing Nancy wrapped in a white bathrobe standing behind him.

"About an hour ago, my medics got called up to the Papaya for an adult male who collapsed on the dance floor. Not all that uncommon if there's drinking and dancing. You know how it goes. I think Jimmy was the first one on the scene. My guys examined him and found him unresponsive. They tried unsuccessfully to defibrillate his heart, but got nothing. This guy was an athlete too, very well-conditioned probably thirty years old, so that kind of rules out a heart attack unless he had some kind of rare defect, which I considered until this." He opened his hand revealing a small digital photograph of a fleshy colored dart that couldn't have been more than a half inch long. "I found this in the back of his neck. It was just by accident too. The only reason I found it was because it kept getting caught in the sheet. We tested it and it was laced with cyanide and that corresponds to his symptoms and sudden death."

"Unbelievable." Adam shook his head in disbelief, his eyes still fixated on the picture. "Were there any witnesses?"

The doctor stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. "I'm not sure, the last I saw, Jimmy and the other guys were trying to contain all the guests that were in there, but by the time we figured out it may be a murder, I'm sure many of them left."

Adam and Nancy could hear their pagers and phones responding in the other room.

Adam turned around walking towards the bedroom and said, "Thanks Doc. We're heading down there. Do the best you can with this one. Try and find out anything you can, and save the evidence in those bags Jimmy gave you the other day."

"Will do, good luck." He quickly left leaving a strange empty void in the cabin. Adam and Nancy curiously eyed each other, wondering what was happening.

Five minutes later, they walked into the Papaya. The music had long since stopped and bright lights were illuminating the fearful looks on the stunned passengers. Most of the crowd of a hundred or so that still remained were seated at the tables placed around the empty dance floor. Jimmy was standing behind the bar, speaking with a young blond haired woman.

"Jimmy what have you found?" Adam walked around the bar catching a glimpse of the many curious faces in the long mirror running the entire counter trying to figure out what had happened.

Standing next to a tall thin blond haired woman whose young face was bleeding emotion and fear, Jimmy said, "this is Tracy Hancock, she was the last person with Russell Stein."

Adam eyed the young woman who looked no more than twenty one or two. "So tell us what happened?"

"Like I just began telling him," she pointed at Jimmy, her hand trembling. "We were just having fun, dancing and talking. He was so nice and then he just collapsed."

"Are you two related or in a relationship?"

Her eyes wandered all over the place, "no, we just met a few hours ago."

"Was he with anyone else?" Adam asked.

"No, it was just him. He said he was here by himself for a break from work."

"Did he talk to anyone?"

She shook her head. "Not that I saw. I mean I saw him come in here. He just walked in a few minutes after I did, and sat down at a table by himself. I waited a few minutes and after I noticed no one joined him, I asked him if I could sit there. And he said yes."

"Do you always just approach men like that?"

She didn't answer for a minute. She just stared at the parquet floor. "No, but he was...you now my type. I hate saying this now that he's gone. He's really dead?"

"Yes." Adam answered thinking it was the second time he had answered this same question in the last twenty-four hours. "What did you talk about?"

"I don't know the usual stuff. Where you from, what do you do...you know."

"And?" He said looking directly into her eyes, looking for any traces of deceit.

"He said all over, said he was in the military. I think the Army."

"You didn't see anyone near him when you were on the dance floor?"

She turned her head and looked towards the dance floor. "There were people everywhere. There was no way to tell."

Adam took a step back and leaned into Jimmy and asked, "Anything on surveillance?"

"I don't think so. We looked at the footage for a minute and it was too dark to see anything.

Adam began to feel his stomach stirring, two murders in two days. He looked over at Nancy who was questioning two passengers, a young man who was dressed a few decades out of style and not paying attention, and a large African American woman standing next to him who was doing all the talking. He couldn't help but notice; she just didn't look her normal vibrancy. He knew he needed to get her off this and to the doctor. He really hoped there was nothing wrong. They spent the rest of the time interviewing the hundred passengers who had remained in the club after the incident. They knew that at least a hundred people had left before they had determined it was a murder and not a medical death, so the killer could have possibly already gotten away. After speaking with everyone, there didn't seem to be any suspects or anyone that remotely resembled a killer, but what did the killer look like anyway. The closest thing they had to a suspect was the woman who had been dancing with him. Adam quickly dismissed her as not possessing the intelligence to pull something off like that, and besides she had no motivation. They allowed her to return to her cabin after another lengthy, but unsuccessful questioning. They had two murders of what appeared to be two upstanding citizens, one a successful salesman, the other a soldier. Adam was standing in the bridge waiting for the Captain to make his way down. He had been informed of the murder a few hours ago and had been busy talking to the authorities and trying to get a few hours of sleep to safely bring the ship into port tomorrow. They were due in at Nassau tomorrow morning with FBI agents and Bahamian police officials ready to board. He was waiting to hear from Nancy, who had gone back to the cabin to call Trevor once again to try and obtain some more information on both victims to see if there was anything in their past that would cause them to be brutally murdered while vacationing. He couldn't possibly imagine any scenario. They had to just be random targets that the killer or killers had decided to choose. Jimmy was down in the security room analyzing the dark grainy tape from the nightclub as well as any surveillance video showing passengers coming and going, so far he hadn't had any luck. The club had just been too dark and the hallway cameras weren't consistent. They would only show a portion of the hallway or switch from one to the next too rapidly. He looked behind him and saw the Captain stumble in, his usual calm expression replaced by one of grief and worry. He waved at Adam, quickly examining all the screens before finally settling in one of the white chairs next to him. His beard looked as though it had grown an inch overnight, but maybe it was just the stress. He watched the Captain instinctively feel the growth with his hand and ask, "Anything new?"

"No, we questioned everyone who was in that club when we got there and not a single person had anything to add except what we already know. The guy was dancing and suddenly fell." Shaking his head and speaking more angrily, he continued, "I mean it's like we have ghost on board going around killing innocent people."

The Captain's eyes intensified before he asked, "So you think they are one in the same?"

"I would guess. They were both professional style hits."

"You're convinced that woman...Ms. Donovan, I think that's her name is, is innocent?"

Slowly nodding his head, Adam replied, "Yes, I absolutely do, especially after last night. First of all what are the chances of us having two murderers on board at the same time?

Especially both appearing like professional hits."

Captain Spence didn't respond. He kept his eyes remained fixated on an imaginary object. "How can we stop it?"

"We need to determine if they were random or selected targets. Nancy is looking into their backgrounds to see if there is any reason to believe they would be targeted. From what I have heard so far, I'm guessing they weren't."

A crew member handed the captain a sheet of paper detailing the ship's log. He quickly scanned it before folding it and placing it deep into his pocket. "So where does that leave us?" He looked over at Adam.

"It means we need to put out a message to the passengers, detailing them to be aware of their surroundings, stay together, you know all the usual stuff."

Nodding, he replied. "Let's get that out first thing before they start asking questions."

"I will get that going first thing this morning. I suggest we use the broadcast." Adam looked over at the Captain, knowing he was thinking how this would impact the cruise. The broadcast was a system that delivered an electronic message to each cabin, displaying on their television sets. It was strictly used for emergencies or important information. It sent a red flashing light on every television and would remain flashing until it was checked.

"How are the surveillance tapes?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "the club footage is useless, it's just too dark. Jimmy's looking at it again now. There is no footage on the Dolphin deck. Apparently the camera malfunctioned."

Turning towards Adam and raising his voice, he said, "What do you mean it malfunctioned? I thought that was a state of the art system."

"It is. I mean every other camera was fully functioning except for that one."

"Do you think it was tampered with?" he asked curiously.

Adam paused for a moment and then said in a low voice. "Here's the thing Captain, those cameras are controlled by the computer. There's no way anyone could access them."

The Captain quickly responded. "What about an employee?"

"I thought about that, but there are only five people who have access to it, me, Nancy, Jimmy, Derek and of course you."

"I don't understand it." He shook his head, looking out the window at the horizon. "Are you considering Derek?'

Looking at the Captain and rolling his eyes, Adam said, "C'mon Captain, Derek is Derek. I guess he needs to be considered because of his computer expertise, especially with the cameras."

"I'm with you. Just let me know what I can do."

"You got it Cap." He placed his hand on his shoulder. "When do you think we'll dock?"

The Captain pulled out the folded sheet in his pocket. "If we keep this speed up, we should be docking at 10:30 AM tomorrow."

Adam remained motionless for a few minutes watching the Captain and his crew go about their business of running the ship. It really was amazing how this mammoth ship could be controlled from this tiny room, but that was what technology had done. He would have to consider everyone who had access to the system, especially now after that camera malfunctioned.

Chapter 11

James Parker awoke to an annoying flashing red light incessantly casting its bright red glow onto the walls of his cabin. He immediately jumped out of bed and took a closer look at the small plastic light built in to the top of the TV. He hadn't noticed it before. It resembled a miniature police car light. To the right of it was a small sign indicating to turn the TV on immediately if the red light was blinking, which he instantly did. He read in disbelief as the message popped up on the screen.

"There have been two incidents in the last twenty-four hours aboard the Calypso. Both of them have involved unexplained fatalities. Please take the proper safety precautions while on board the ship. Travel in pairs and only open your door to official Calypso personnel and contact security at 444-9111 if you see anything suspicious. Security is currently investigating the incidents and will pass on any new information discovered. We will be docking tomorrow morning and receive additional assistance from both the FBI and local officials. Please direct any questions to security."

He couldn't believe it. He stood there and read the message several more times. He knew they weren't disclosing all the information, just enough to alert the passengers from any liabilities and for their safety. After a long hot shower, he left his cabin and headed for his assigned dining room for breakfast. He was not feeling any of the usual tiredness or stress anymore. He had gone to sleep by ten the last two nights, sleeping eight or nine hours both nights, so unlike his usual three or four hours of tossing and turning back home. He had of course spoken with Leanne before he had gone to bed. She had still been at the office last night nurturing one of the animals and was probably back at it already this morning. He would give her a call again after breakfast...she had to come on a cruise. He would propose to her on it, somewhere out in the middle of the ocean on a romantic moonlit night. She would be ecstatic. He was picturing the scene in his head as he entered into the large formal oval-shaped room. The morning light was glimmering through the large floor to ceiling sized windows reflecting off the light blue walls creating a peaceful and soothing atmosphere. It was in sharp contrast to the intense fear and trepidation on the passenger's faces as well as the loud murmur ambling through the room, which he knew was the sound of people discussing the two incidents. He had been given an assigned table which he could clearly see. It was located near the service entrance to the kitchen. He could already feel the aromas of eggs and bacon seeping into his olfactory. He had really enjoyed the dining thus far and was looking forward to tasting the breakfast. This was his first sit down breakfast, yesterday, he had chosen a bagel like he usually did back at home stopping at the local bagel shop where he didn't have to say more than hi to the workers because they knew exactly what he wanted... sesame seed bagel with honey nut cream cheese, but he was like that in so many ways. He thrived on routines especially in the morning because he could never really jump out of bed and grasp the day. He just dragged every morning. He knew it drove Leanne nuts because she was one of those fortunate few who woke up happy and full of life as soon as the sun made its way into the sky. He slowly found his way to his table, nodding at his fellow passengers who had been assigned to the same one. They had all met during the life boat drills and a cake and coffee that James had decided to attend the first day. Next to him was the heavy-set older man with the long ponytail from Long Island, who was busy working over an enormous stack of blueberry pancakes covered in maple syrup so thick it reminded him of Niagara Falls. On the other side was a young newlywed couple on their honeymoon who if he hadn't known better appeared to be magnetic because they seemed to be attached to each other. Across the table from them was the nice elderly man and woman who could be anyone's grandparent's, they were from Northern Virginia. They were the seasoned cruisers, taking three or four trips a year. The first thing he noticed upon sitting down was their demeanor, they were no longer the happy couple telling stories of past cruises and their grandchildren, instead their faces remained tense and curious.

The woman looked up from her toast as soon as he sat down trying to smile and said, "good morning."

"Good morning everyone," James quickly scanned all the faces, and tried to smile wishing he were still in bed or on a long run. They were his group. It was the Calypso's idea to seat groups of people together for meals, figuring they would form a bond with each other and not feel alone. It was a good idea for singles like James and the New Yorker seated next to him, who had apparently lost his wife a few years ago to a stroke and was sent on the cruise by his concerned daughter. For others, like the newlyweds it probably didn't make much difference, but they had been very polite and friendly despite constantly whispering in each other's ears like grade school kids, but hopefully when he and Leanne finally placed their rings on each other's fingers things would be the same. He had already heard most of their stories. He had even learned both of the names of the newlywed's parents. He watched as the New Yorker took a tremendous swallow, you could almost feel the vibrations of the pancake passing through his throat, he loudly burped and said, "so what do you think of what's going on?"

James immediately turned his head, feeling as though he needed to cover his nose and replied, "You mean about the two incidents right?"

With a tremendous cough and syrup still streaming down his chin, "Incidents? They were two murders my friend."

The elderly woman called out, "we heard the man last night was gunned down right in the middle of the night club."

"He wasn't gunned down, he was stabbed. They said he just dropped. Someone came up behind him and stabbed him right in the back. They knew just where to strike." The New Yorker took another huge bite.

"We heard the first one was on the Dolphin deck." The newlywed man said.

"That's the first class part on the Calypso, only the rich stay there." The elderly woman explained.

James swallowed hard, glad he didn't mention he was staying in one of those coveted rooms. It wasn't his money, the company was paying for it, but they would never understand.

"Well, we heard someone broke down the door in the middle of the night and shot the guy in cold blood. Can you imagine that? We were talking to some people by the Jacuzzi last night who said they thought they heard someone trying to break down there door last night." The newlywed said again, while his young wife clutched him even tighter than before.

"Oh my God!" The elderly woman said, her voice wavering. "What can we do?" She looked at her husband who was calmly spooning scrambled eggs and acting as though he were oblivious to everything that was being said.

"I can tell you they ain't comin in my door. I'll be ready." The New Yorker stroked his massive biceps, actually causing James to lean back.

"Can you come guard our door?" The elderly woman said, this time actually getting a slight reaction from her husband.

"There's only one way to stop a serial killer like this." He said relaxing his shoulders, you take the offensive and go after him."

"A serial killer? Are you sure?" James asked forcing the big man to roll his eyes.

"It's got to be man. I wonder who is going to be next." James thought he almost saw the man smile.

James looked around the table and said, "C'mon you're scaring everyone. For all we know they could be two separate incidents."

The man shook his head back and forth. "No way man, this is your first cruise right? This kind of stuff doesn't happen on these things, am I right Margie?"

He watched the elderly lady slowly nod. "Yes, we have been on at least twenty cruises, right honey?" She looked at her husband who had actually stopped eating and was nodding along with his wife. "There have never been any problems on any of them. I can't wait till we get to the Bahamas. Maybe they should turn around."

"Quicker to get to the Bahamas now, we are in the middle of the ocean, there's no going back. We are on our own." The New Yorker continued.

"I say we just wait and see what they say and then react afterwards." James added.

"That may work for you, but I'm not going to wait for someone to attack me." The New Yorker said, his thick accent cutting through the same discussions happening at the nearby table that James was catching bits and pieces of. Ten minutes later, the friendly cheerful waitress delivered his omelet, causing the big guy to begin to actually drool. James decided to eat very quickly. He felt a slight relief when the elderly woman offered her bacon to the man who sucked it up before it even reached his plate. He had brought his cell phone with him today and was looking forward to dialing Leanne's phone number as soon as he was finished.

Chapter 12

Adam and Jimmy carefully listened to Derek argue against a camera malfunction. He was holding a log detailing the cameras use that showed the camera abruptly turning off at 11:00PM. Two hours later it turned back on.

"We've had similar things like this happen before Derek?" Adam said.

Derek, his eyes focused on Adam's computer screen showing the footage of the Dolphin deck at 4:00 AM responded, "That's correct, but in every one of those situations the camera didn't come back on. It had broken and had to be replaced. Here the camera was turned off and then back on."

Adam suspiciously eyed Derek before saying, "okay, so if what you're saying is true than someone has been in the system."

"Yes, but there are no tracks in the computer."

"Tracks?" Adam and Jimmy asked together.

"Yes, tracks are the footprints, left behind by an intruder. Similar to if someone breaks into a building they always leave a trace of something behind; you know like DNA or footprints...you guys know about that stuff." He looked over at the two of them slowly nodding. "A computer system works the same way. I mean I installed this thing, I would know if someone was messing around in it."

Adam looked at the computer engineer, his body sprawled out on the chair. He was somewhere in his mid-thirties, not a bad looking guy, but also not someone you would notice if he walked by you. He, like Captain Spence had been hired from the onset. He had played a big part in the electronic security on the ship, almost single-handedly putting it together from the start. Adam constantly relied on his expertise. Rumor had it that he had an ex-wife wife and ten kids, but no one ever asked him to confirm it and he never mentioned it. He seemed to never leave the ship. Even when they were back in Virginia and everyone would go home, Derek would stick around using the quiet time to upgrade and maintain the computer systems. He usually spent most of his time in the Internet café located in a small room near the pools when he wasn't in his office. It was actually one of the busiest places on the ship with people signing up for computer time hours in advance. Derek enjoyed helping out the non-technical people in there with computer issues. He had recently installed a row of webcams to allow the passengers to broadcast video back home. Adam had actually used it a few weeks ago to talk to an old friend in the Bureau. It took some getting used to, but the passengers took right to it, especially with Derek leading the way. Adam had never really been a computer guy. He had been issued a laptop in the FBI and had done all his reports on it as well as email, but other than that he rarely touched it. Derek had installed a computer in their cabin, but it mostly was used by Nancy for email and shopping, although he would occasionally check a score when he couldn't get it on the TV. He had heard now the new agents were being taught technology and social media in the academy. They watched as Derek furiously clicked the mouse switching from screen to screen, finally he stopped, shaking his head back and forth and said, "Guys I need to look into this some more, something doesn't look right."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked staring at the computer screen, not having any idea what he was looking at.

"I can't tell for certain. I need to go through the logs and see, but it looks like it says I was logged in the other night and I know I wasn't."

"So we could be compromised?" Jimmy asked.

Still looking puzzled, Derek replied, "I don't know for sure, but it doesn't look good. I just can't figure out how someone could get in it. I'm going to go back to the servers. I'll let you know." They watched him duck through the door and disappear. A few minutes later the door opened, Nancy entered and said. "Wow, I just talked to Derek. I can't believe someone may have hacked into our computer system. I thought it was the best."

"I think it is that's what is scaring me." Adam said closely watching Nancy as she sat down at her desk. "How's Trevor? He get anything for us?"

Shaking her head, she said, "pretty much the same thing as the other one. The records only go back a few years. Franklin was definitely in the Army, has been for eight years. He was a major in the Army Ranger unit, but other than his military records there really wasn't much else. He still hasn't been able to get anything else out of Charles records either." She pushed the power button on her laptop. "I guess it's not like the old days where you can learn everything about anybody with a click. I'm going to try and do a search on them."

Jimmy quickly responded, "so much for the Patriot Act," causing Adam and Nancy to force a smile.

Two hours later Nancy took the elevator to the lowest public deck. She walked down the brightly lit hall and entered into a small room filled with empty chairs and colorful wallpaper. "Hey Nancy, what brings you down here? I'm still working on the cyanide thing. I should have some answers for you guys in a couple of hours. Sorry I can't get it to you sooner, we just had a couple of busy hours...you know the hangovers and everything."

She smiled and calmly said, "No problem Doc, take your time. I'm not here for that."

"What is it Nancy, I'm sure you have earned your sea legs by now?" He looked puzzled.

"I have Doc. I have just haven't been feeling like myself the last few weeks." He took her hand and said, "Let's take a walk back to one of the rooms and find out what's going on." She stood up and followed, "Thanks."

An hour later, she was seated in his office waiting for him to tell her the results of the tests.

Chapter 13

Tom and Karen were enjoying themselves on the go-cart track. This was their second adventure of the day. They had started the morning with a trip up the climbing wall. The Calypso actually had three walls soaring high above the deck. They were each managed by a certified climbing instructor who thus far has kept all injuries and accidents to a minimum, in fact there hadn't been one complaint since the walls were installed two years ago. Both Tom and Karen had reached the top at about the same time, Karen just edging him out by a few seconds. They both received the coveted certificate card located at the top of Mount Calypso. There were so many things to do, and with less than twenty-four hours to go till they reached land, they wanted to do as many as they possibly could. They had both read the message about the two mysterious deaths on the ship. Seeing the first one first-hand brought it a little closer to reality than most aboard the ship, but they had decided to forgo any trepidation and continue enjoying the cruise. They had heard the rumors swirling about a madman loose on the ship breaking in doors and shooting people in cold blood, but they had seen the dead man's cabin and they didn't see any evidence of that. Tom of course did ensure their door was fully secured each night before they had gone to bed. He had actually placed a piece of scotch tape across the outside of the door where the door meets the frame, so he could see if anyone had entered their cabin while they were away, but he knew the cleaning crews came through so it was probably a waste of time. The track was small, only enough room for four or five cars at a time, but they could move pretty quickly. Tom was driving the blue number three car and Karen was just slightly ahead in the yellow number two. He was desperately trying to pass her on the outside, but she was playing tough. He was determined to win this race, since she had won on the climbing wall. That's just how it was with them. They were down to their final lap and he was ready to make his move. The track was oval shaped with the final turn sharply pulling left. He maintained his distance behind her as they approached that last turn. He was ready. He would pay to see the expression on her face when he went sailing by. She had just looked back, that same confident look she always had when she was beating him at something. That was how they had met. He and a buddy had gone to play golf and the starter had paired them up with two ladies, and of course Karen had won, only by one stroke though. He remembered it had come down to her making a ten foot putt and she made it, smirking the whole time even afterwards in the clubhouse, the smirk had remained driving him nuts, and now fifteen years later things hadn't changed, she was still smirking, but this time he was going to win and he would be the one doing the smirking all day driving her nuts. He loved her dearly, but they just had that playful competitive nature about them always trying to outdo one another. He remembered their second date had involved a day hiking in the woods, but it turned into a cross country race exhausting them both so much so, that they both fell asleep on the blanket they had laid out for lunch. Three hours later they woke up in each other's arms, and have never left since. They were what some people called soul mates. Two people just meant for each other. It had been a while since they had any real fun, especially after Tommy was born. They had both immediately placed all their drive and love into that little boy, sometimes not finding time for each other, but Tommy had turned out to be a great kid and ended up bringing them all together as one. It was really a special bond. Most nights they would all be outside in the driveway shooting baskets with Tommy after dinner watching him grow and share the love with his parents. They had so much fun with him that they never bothered to have any more kids. It still felt a little weird without Tommy being with them. He always went everywhere they did, always had even as an infant, but right now Tom wasn't thinking about Tommy as he drove his foot into the accelerator, springing his car forward like rubber band shooting off your finger. They were just about ready to reach the final turn. He aimed his car to the inside of the bank, knowing that Karen would opt for the middle safer route. He felt himself edge even with her, it was going to be close, who would come off the turn the quickest would win. There was only about twenty yards to go and they were still dead even. He didn't dare even turn his head even though he could see the flash of yellow beside him. Ten yards left, he knew that smirk was slowly disappearing. He was edging forward. He had the lead...he was going to win. He had done it. He just had to keep the wheel steady for five more seconds. He could see the operator up ahead, frantically waving them on, or him on, he couldn't tell, everything was blurry. This was going to be life changing. He had finally beaten his wife at something, for some reason he was thinking about celebrating with a big Bahama Mama. A big smile formed on his face. Everyone could see it, then all of sudden everything stopped, a flash of yellow flew past him on the right, what happened? His car wasn't moving anymore. He was stopped in the middle of the track, but it didn't feel like he was on the track anymore, it felt like he was effortlessly floating above the large deck. All he could see and smell was smoke, there was nothing else. Finally he heard his name being called by Karen. She was standing above him. He was lying down on some kind of bed.

"Oh Tom, I'm so glad you're okay." She wiped her moist eyes.

"He'll be fine. We'll just have to keep an eye on him, he suffered a mild concussion." A man in wearing a long white medical coat said looking at Linda and smiling as he had done so many times before.

"Opening his eyes and looking up at Karen and the man, he asked, "What happened?"

"You crashed Tom. As soon as you came out of that turn, you were on two wheels. I can't believe you didn't hear us telling you to slow down. I almost fainted when you smacked right into that barrier."

Tom closed his eye again trying to recall the accident, but he couldn't. "I was winning right?"

Karen looked over at Doc Pearson who nodded in approval, "yes, honey you were winning. I just wish you wouldn't feel like you always have to try and beat me at everything. I mean you could have killed yourself."

Tom watched the doctor nod in agreement. "He should be free to go in a little while. You might have a headache, but other that you should be fine. Just take it easy today and ease off the gas next time."

Ton nodded his head, still feeling a little lightheaded.

"Didn't you see the operator waving at you?" She asked looking at him puzzled.

"Yeah, I remember that. I thought he was waving me on." He looked up at her, her eyes so innocent and caring.

"Tom you were out of control. If you weren't wearing a helmet...you know I probably wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll take it easy."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I love you and wouldn't want anything to happen to you." She looked so sincere he felt like his heart was going to melt right on the spot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a frazzled woman walk by. He turned his head following her and said, "Hey, isn't that the security woman from the other night?"

Karen turned her head at the same time Nancy did, their eyes meeting instantly recognizing each other. "Hi, we met the other day."

Nancy walked over to the bed, the stress immediately disappearing from her face. "Yes we did, you guys were the ones in the cabin a few doors down from the incident." She curiously looked over Tom, noticing the small head bandage and the scrapes and burns and asked, "So what happened here? Are you okay?"

Karen immediately responded, "Someone got a little too carried away on the go-carts this morning, thought he was Dale Earnhardt Jr. or something. You know men!"

Nodding in agreement, Nancy replied, "That I do...I'm sorry about that. I hope you feel better."

"Any luck on what happened?" Karen asked.

"We're working on it. We should have an answer soon." She slowly began taking steps backwards already thinking about what Doc Pearson had told her and more importantly how she was going to tell Adam.

"I have to believe they are connected Ms....?" Tom tried to sit up.

"It's Mrs. Meluzzo. We haven't reached any conclusions yet, but keep tuned to your messages. I hope you feel better. Nice seeing you." She quickly scurried out of the infirmary, looking at her watch knowing Adam was probably on the bridge meeting with the Captain. She hated avoiding him, but he just cared so much about her and she knew he would ask her how she felt and if she went to see the doctor. She couldn't lie to him. She figured it was time she mingled with the passengers to try and gather any intelligence. That was what she was good at and that was probably how they would track down the killer, whom she was convinced just like the injured man had said, committed both murders. She laughed quietly picturing Adam lying there like that man was, trying to outdo himself. She kept asking herself why men can't accept the fact that they are getting older and they don't have twenty year old bodies, but they never change and insist on acting like they are superman, injuring themselves.

Chapter 14

The non-descript man was seated on his bed, the laptop open. He had unsuccessfully tried to access the Calypso's network, something had changed. Someone had added an additional layer of security, almost as if they were tempting him to enter it. He had accessed enough networks to know when someone was on to him and he knew it was time to abandon his use of this system at least for now. He easily connected to the Southern Winds network, which was the one he really wanted to access anyway. He just wanted to check on a detail on the Calypso, but like most things it was minor and could wait until another time. As he breezed through the files located on the server, his monitor was informing him that he was free and clear. There was no monitoring software or any tracking devices recording his movements. He was free to roam about and find exactly what he was looking for. Ten minutes later, he closed the lid and left the cabin. He had changed his appearance to that of a middle-aged man complete with an extra tire around his waist as most men that age had acquired. On his head he was wearing a floppy beach hat and sunglasses covering his eyes. The long white cotton buttoned-down shirt would allow him to blend in near any pool or deck activity. Most people would immediately think here's another self-conscious man with a beer gut. If they only knew that he had never even tasted a beer and had no desire to ever do so. He had thought about it after his first successful mission, but by the time he got the glass out, his mind was already focused and training for the next one. There just wasn't time for games and spirits. He had a job and a mission and that was what he focused every bit of his energy on. He had already done his grueling workout first thing this morning, showered and eaten his mixture of organic nutrition. He was actually feeling pretty well this morning. Things were going according to plan. There hadn't been any changes in his original plan and he didn't foresee any in the future. He always had at least two backup plans in case, but it was very rare that he ever used them because his preparation was a tireless and ruthless procedure. He didn't miss anything. He turned left out of his cabin door opting for the stairs instead of the elevator passing weary passengers heading for the elevator. He never understood people's constant need for an elevator, especially if it was just one floor up. Here was an easy way for someone to get a few minutes of exercise as opposed to riding on a machine consisting of secure pulleys and levers with enough force to lift the average group of overweight Americans. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he took the stairs, he had rode the elevator last night. Ten minutes later, he emerged out onto the vast deck of the Calypso. He knew every inch of it by heart and if he were blindfolded he could easily walk all over it knowing exactly where to go. He easily blended in with the thousand or so passengers up on the deck taking advantage of the bright sun. He eased through the pool area, not one person took notice of him. He knew he wasn't going to be out here long. He just needed a few minutes. Besides, it was a nice day, so he might as well enjoy the weather a little. He waited until the whale watching group passed by him and joined them. Standing at the rail near the lifeboats, he stared out at the vast ocean waiting for a large shiny black object to mystically appear out of the water. He overheard one of them say they had already seen two whales a little while ago. A few minutes later they moved further on down the ship and the non-descript man remained behind, quickly moving towards the lifeboats and disappearing behind them.

Chapter 15

Adam was seated next to the Captain on the bridge holding his dark blue mug with the gold FBI logo filled with hot decaf. "So what did they say?"

The Captain took a long sip and said, "They want us to continue the cruise. They still think they are separate incidents."

"Have you told them all the details?" Adam asked shaking his head.

"You know corporate lawyers." He took a long swallow on the cigar causing the ambers to stir at the end. "We sent out the message, so legally we are covered."

"I'm hearing the rumor mill has already started. People are talking about serial killers and everything else."

The Captain was staring at the helmsman who was gently controlling the ship with a small lever that resembled a joystick, "We've increased our speed by five knots so that should get us into port by early afternoon tomorrow, that's about the best we can do."

"I think we'll be okay till then" He finished his coffee, and placed the mug down onto the table. "I have all the officers on shift both in uniform and out looking for anything or anybody suspicious."

"Let's hope that's enough." He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "The next thing we have to deal with is another lifeboat drill."

Adam looking confused replied back, "I thought we already had one?"

"We did, but Southern Winds sent this over earlier that they want us to have another one due to everything that is going on."

"No problem we'll help you out."

The Captain snubbed out the rest of the cigar and stood up, "I already put out the message, so if you get any questions, just tell everyone it's a new policy or something. The last thing we need is to give them something else to worry about."

Nodding in agreement, Adam stood up and said, "I'm going to go check on the latest."

"Keep me posted," The Captain went back to examining the various instruments on the bridge.

Five minutes later, Adam ducked under the yellow tape and entered into the empty Papaya. He had called ahead to the Bahamian authorities, but after explaining the circumstances they immediately deferred him to the US. He had spoken with the FBI, whom had informed him there would be an Agent prepared to board the Calypso with his team as soon as they docked in Nassau. He was happy they would arrive a few hours early, but he hoped it would be enough to stop the loose killer. He didn't know how the FBI was going to solve it either. Here he was with complete access to the ship and its technology and he had no leads other than a devastated fiancée who at least was secure for the time being on a lower deck. After ten minutes of staring at the empty room, he quickly left heading back to the security office. He sat down next a frazzled looking Derek who was holding a thick notebook filled with tiny numbers that Adam wasn't in the mood to look at.

"What's up boss?" Derek looked up from the pages.

Adam reached down and powered on the Dell and watched as the tiny Windows logo filled the screen. "Not much. We still have nothing to go on."

"I'm not a hundred percent sure yet...but"

"You're never a hundred percent sure about anything Derek." Adam quickly chided.

"Okay, I'll agree I'm a little cautious."

"A little is the understatement of the year. I mean how many people you know that use a life vest as their pillow."

Smiling, he replied, "It's a ship Adam. You never know. Anyway, what I was going to say was that, let's see how should I word this...I'm very convinced someone has hacked into the system using my login and that's how they deactivated the camera." He opened up the notebook and pointed at a row of numbers. "This shows that I was logged in last night and I know I wasn't, because as you say I was asleep on my life vest."

Nervously laughing, Adam said, "so what you're saying is that they have accessed our whole system with admin rights because he used yours?"

Shaking his head, Derek answered, "Unfortunately, that appears to be what happened."

"I thought we had the best system. I mean we have everything in there about the passengers, employees."

"I can't understand it. I have had the system tested by some of the best hackers in the business and they couldn't get in." He closed the book and placed it on the desk while Adam logged into the computer swiping his card at the same time. "Wait a minute; you have to use a card too right?"

Derek slowly nodded. "I can't figure it out, and if that's not bad enough, I got an email a little while ago asking me why I was on the Southern Winds server."

"Back in the States?" Adam quickly looked away from the screen.

"Yep."

"This is gone way too far. Who is this guy?" Adam quickly scanned his email, after not seeing anything worthwhile he closed the program looking directly at Derek.

Derek sensing Adam's stare, responded, "I'm not the law enforcement type, but it seems to me it has to be an employee, it's the only thing that makes sense."

"You're probably right, but who? I mean how many employees are on this ship?"

Derek began leafing through the pages when the ships' loudspeakers began to blare. "All hands on deck for a mandatory lifeboat drill. The drill will begin in fifteen minutes. Please report to your assigned locations." Derek quickly standing and looking at Adam asked, "I thought we already did this?"

"We did." Adam quickly responded. "Apparently, Southern Winds is a little on edge over what is happening and the lawyers want to cover themselves, you know how it is. I guess I need to get up there." Pausing at the door he looked back at Derek, "let me know immediately if you find out anything else on this. You got my number." He stood for a second and watched Derek bury his head back in the notebook lost in the numbers.

He reached the main deck in less than three minutes despite the mad rush of passengers scrambling to their spots. His job was to help maintain control over the assigned crew members at each station. He began walking towards the bow of the ship when he saw Nancy right in front of him. He couldn't believe it, with all the people around him they ended up in the same place.

"Hi honey," He quietly said sneaking up on her, and causing her to quickly turn around.

"Adam," her face ashen white.

"What is it Nancy? What's wrong?" Adam gently placed his arm on her shoulder covering her from the storms of people rushing by.

"Nothing, everything is great!"

Looking directly at her, he said "you don't look great. It looks like you have seen a ghost."

Smiling, she said, "always a charmer Adam, you sure know how to make a lady feel good."

"I didn't mean it like that. Never mind. Did you go see Doc today?"

She looked back up, the white replaced by her normal pink color, "I did."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He did a bunch of tests," She reached into her pocket and began pulling out a folded sheet of paper from the ship's medical lab. Just as she handed it to him, a loud explosion rocked the deck, causing the large ship to feel as though it were suddenly driving over a gravel road.

"What the hell was that?" Adam screamed out and immediately clutched Nancy pulling her close to his side. He watched all around him as passengers began to scream and run back inside the ship. He and Nancy began running to the other side of the ship where the sound had come from. A minute later, they were standing in front of a large hole blown right through the ship's deck where one of the lifeboats had been stored. Next to it was a man's body completely seared and fractured from the large explosive. Adam immediately called down to Doc's office while Nancy began working the crowd. They checked around the immediate area for any other suspicious looking objects at the same time they heard the same story being told by all the witnesses. That the man who was now lying on the deck, his life completely gone had been standing patiently by the life boat when all of a sudden a large explosion took his life. The only other injuries appeared to be minor. Apparently he had been the only one close enough to feel the full force of the bomb, though close enough for Adam to wonder if he was targeted.

Chapter 16

James Parker immediately recognized the sound of plastic explosives before he even felt the repercussions. They were quickly being herded down into the ship directed to their rooms or one of the lower decks. James recognized the young cruise director at the bottom of the stairs, her bright flashy smile and gleeful exterior calmly leading the confused passengers from the deck above. She was barraged with questions from each passenger passing by her and she politely answered each one claiming the ship had suffered from some kind of accident. James slowly walked by her and smiled, watching her strained facial muscles relax when she realized he wasn't going to ask the same question. They both quickly turned around, seeing a frazzled middle-aged couple run by screaming that a man had been blown up. James felt his insides begin to shake. What was happening? First, two people were killed and now he was he hearing a man had been blown to pieces. His instincts immediately overtook any rational thoughts, he had to see. He quickly turned around heading up the stairs. The director tried to stop him, but she was quickly distracted by a woman who appeared to be very near fainting. James reached the deck and could already smell the caustic burning flesh aroma sweeping across the deck. He cut through the pool area dodging frantic passengers still making their way down the exits. He could only imagine what they would do in a real crisis when they had to evacuate all five thousand passengers off the ship at once. He couldn't remember how many people had been on the Titanic, but it was probably about equal to the amount of crew members on the Calypso he imagined. He knew a lot of people would blow off the life boat drill. He had actually thought about it. It was like when the stewardesses discuss safety on the planes, half the people tune them out in the first five seconds. He knew he was getting closer when he reached the other side of the pool and he could see the remaining smoke still lingering. As soon as he turned the corner and stepped in front of one of the lifeboats he saw the body, it looked to be a thirty-something year old male. Somehow his face was still intact, but not the rest of him. He had definitely absorbed the brunt of the blast. Behind him, the splinters of the lifeboat covered the deck. There were two or three medical personnel kneeling down next to him trying to create a miracle that would never happen and a handful of what he assumed were security personnel or ship officers trying to keep the crowd away. As he neared, he heard a tall man ask a woman to describe what she had seen. He listened to her story and knew right away that it was a bomb of some sort and had to have been remotely activated or set up on a timer due to the precision. James wasn't considered an explosive expert, but he had been around enough of them and enough experts to know exactly how large and what kind of device was used. He slowly crept up to the remains of the lifeboat to get a closer look at what was left of the device. It appeared to be the skeleton of a small horseshoe shaped explosive about the size of a small brick, just enough to kill one man and possibly maim others in the vicinity. They were often used as booby traps or ambush devices and were activated remotely. As soon as he bent down to look at it closer, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up and standing above him was a weathered looking man wearing a white security uniform. It would be what is described as a soft uniform in the security business, not one to intimidate, but more to blend in with the corporate atmosphere. James read the tag on the uniform, Sergeant Jimmy Jenkins.

The sergeant calmly said, "I'm sorry Sir, but can you move away from here."

James still focused on the explosive replied, "Sure, I just wanted to determine that it was Daisy."

Looking puzzled, Jimmy asked "a what?"

"A Daisy, it's a specialized plastic explosive used for this sort of thing."

Jimmy quickly responded almost in a whisper, "Look, first of all we don't know that it was an explosive and second of all you need to step back away from there until we know what we're dealing with."

"I'm just trying to help."

"What are you some kind of bomb nut?"

Still looking at the device James answered, "no, but I have seen my share and this is definitely a Daisy."

"I don't know what this Daisy is all about, but I don't want you scaring anymore passengers. I think we have had enough of that." Jimmy grabbed his shoulder and began to nudge him away.

"It is run by a wireless radio frequency and is almost always set off through a computer or mobile device. Someone with connection could easily force it to detonate."

Jimmy quickly released his shoulder, "what did you say a computer?"

"Yes, that is one of the characteristics that make this device so useful."

"I'll tell you what, come with me for a second. I want you to talk to the Director."

Jimmy quickly led James towards the railing of the ship where there were two men engaged in conversation. James immediately recognized one as the Captain. They both turned as soon as Jimmy and James neared.

"Adam, this guy," Jimmy looked at James. "What's your name?"

"James Parker." He said extending his hand, which the Captain immediately shook first.

"He has some interesting information on the explosion." They all looked at James Parker as he explained that he thought it was a Daisy. After he finished, Adam said, "You know, I have heard of the Daisy, I remember that from training."

"Were you special forces Sir?" James asked.

"FBI." Adam answered.

"I was a Navy Seal a few years back."

"You used these Daisy's in the Navy?" Jimmy asked.

"Not exactly, and that is why I was so curious when I saw it, they are a foreign device usually used in the Middle East, we just call them a Daisy because the real name sounds something like that in Arabic." James explained.

Captain Spence immediately responded, "Wait a minute, so you're telling me this might be a terrorist act?"

Adam quickly answered cutting off James, "Not exactly, it appears to me that it was targeted directly at one individual."

"That is correct Sir, as you can see the killing radius is quite small, but very powerful, someone would actually almost have to be able to see the target and like I said they usually use a laptop or mobile device."

Adam's eyes immediately lit up as he looked directly above the shattered life boat, he felt his heartbeat skip a few times. Everyone looked in the same direction trying to figure out what he was seeing. "I've got to get a hold of Derek, there's a camera right above the damn boat. I guarantee that is how he did it."

"Aren't those secure?" James asked causing the three men to look at each other.

"We thought they were, but a few things have happened that have told us otherwise. Thanks for all your help. Can you give Jimmy your info? We may need to ask you some more questions." Adam quickly headed for the stairs.

"Do you mind if I take a better look at it?" James asked looking back towards where the explosion occurred.

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and said, "Be my guest."

Adam hadn't stopped running the entire way. He was happy to see Derek still seated at his desk. He shared an office space with security. Southern Winds considered him part of the security team due to his expertise with the camera system and right now Adam was totally in agreement. As soon as Adam entered the office Derek turned his head. "Now what happened?"

"That's my question for you." They had worked together for over four years now Adam had Derek in his home and quarters countless times to fix a computer issue or help him set up his 55" LCD they had purchased last year for the Redskin games.

"I don't understand?" He asked, looking at Adam in only a way a techie can look at you, it's like they are trying to figure out how you work.

"Well, apparently we just had a bomb go off and kill a man and it appears it was activated by a computer, and there was a camera right above it."

The paranoia filling his face, he asked, "Oh my God! Not again."

Adam shook his head. "Someone has compromised our system dammit!"

"Well no one has been down here but me since you left, and I haven't even logged into the system yet."

"Okay, we'll please check and see if the camera at station 33 has been used?"

Derek nodded and began typing into his computer. Adam quickly checked his email and read a message from Southern Winds management asking him if he knew why Derek had been poking around the corporate email server. Adam quickly logged off, watching Derek frantically type. He got up from his desk, and without saying anything quickly disappeared out the door.

Chapter 17

Nancy was busy keeping the curious onlookers away from the crime scene. Doc and his team of paramedics had removed the body and were probably already examining it downstairs. She wasn't sure who the man was poking around the explosive device, but she had seen him talking to Adam, Jimmy and the Captain earlier, so she let him be. She couldn't believe it, just a few minutes ago she had given Adam the results of her medical tests, it had been so important to her then and now a life had been destroyed and a crazed killer or terrorist was on the loose killing innocent passengers. She was still not feeling well, but with the new developments she had to put her own problems behind her and deal with what is most important. She had been planning on talking to Adam this evening, but now it would have to wait. They wouldn't be in their cabin tonight. They would be putting all their resources together to catch this person before he struck again. She couldn't believe how wrong she had been. She had studied the passenger lists and nothing had jumped out at her. There were always the lone passengers, but most of them were just trying to get away from everything, not go on a killing spree. She knew tomorrow the FBI would be in full force with their profilers coming up with theories of a lone depressed male in his thirties, but this felt different. This guy was good, she was sure it was a guy, it always was, but there was more to it this time than some random depressed serial killer that she was sure of. Later, she would contact her source in the MPD and see if he has come up with any other background info. They couldn't just be random murders, they were too sophisticated. It was like someone was trying to send a message. She had considered the terrorist theory and it made sense except the killings seemed to be directed at individuals as opposed to groups. She watched the Captain stumble by; his eyes were completely glazed over. He looked as though he had just run a marathon. He had always been so calm and in control, but she knew he was feeling as though he were losing control of the ship and they were still hours away from port. She figured he was heading up to the bridge to call corporate. She wasn't sure what Adam was doing. She felt like calling him, but he was probably over his head as usual wearing twenty different hats and didn't need her distraction. They could deal with her needs later. Behind her, she could see Jimmy and two of the night officers stringing the yellow crime scene tape around the area of the explosion. They didn't have the equipment or expertise to investigate an explosion. They would leave that to the FBI and now most likely the ATF would be coming aboard as well. She felt her pager begin to buzz, it was Adam. He was asking all security personnel to meet in the Captain's office in an hour for a meeting. Still no mention of the lab results, but it was probably best if he had forgotten about it, this had to take priority. She watched Jimmy and the other officers check their pagers...they began to work more quickly.

An hour later they filed into the Captain's large spacious office located behind the bridge. It could pass for any typical CEO's office except for the large glass wall encompassing a full ocean view and the various maritime artifacts assembled about. Captain Spence was seated behind his giant mahogany desk staring into his computer screen making a total of thirteen people in the room. All the security personnel were seated in the leather chairs and sofas throughout the room except for Adam who was standing in front of a small whiteboard Captain Spence used to write his to-do lists on. Adam erased the reminders replacing them with details about each of the three murders. He slowly looked at each member of the team, stopping on Nancy's face for an extra second. He immediately placed his hand in his pocket and felt the folded piece of paper that he had totally forgotten about until now. She looked so worn out and he knew he needed to get her off this case, but he also knew without her help, they would never track down the killer. She had more insight than anyone he knew and he also trusted her advice more than anyone else. He continued looking at each member, vowing to find out what was wrong with Nancy at the end of the meeting. "All right guys, I just spoke with Doc. The latest victim's name is Paul Zecker. He is a thirty-two year old engineer from Virginia." He looked down at the sheet of paper he was holding. "He is traveling alone and I put in a quick call to the FBI and there is nothing significant about this guy, no terrorist connections or anything. As a matter of fact there really aren't many details at all about him. Kind of like the other two victims." He pointed at the other two names on the board. "It appears we just have ordinary passengers getting randomly targeted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What about the way they are being killed?" Jimmy asked from the couch near the Captain's desk.

"That's what I would like to talk about next. The methods for killing have been all very sophisticated, making me believe he is trying to tell us something or prove something." Adam started writing on the whiteboard. "The first one was apparently done with a silencer. The second, a poisoned dart, and now a sophisticated remote controlled bomb."

One of the younger security guards called out, "They seem to be getting more and more complicated each time."

Adam nodded in agreement. "That's a good point." He quickly wrote that down. "We need to figure out what we have as far as suspects if any."

Nancy said, "We have the fiancée from the first one."

"The girl dancing with the guy killed by the dart," Someone called out.

Adam wrote them both down and then looked at Jimmy. "What about that guy we were talking to today who seemed to know so much about the bomb."

"You mean that guy who called it a Daisy?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah him," Adam answered.

"I actually have his name right here, if it's not false. It's James Parker."

Adam wrote it down along with the other two women under the title suspects. "Does anyone have anyone else to add?"

Nancy said, "No, but that James Parker was still up there when I left to come down here."

"We need to look into him some more. I bet he fits the profile." Adam said. "Anyone else?" He scanned the whole room and then said, "I'm going to add someone else, but this has to stay between us. I'm going to add Derek."

"Derek?" Captain Spence looked up from his computer looking shocked.

"He seems to be the only one with the complete know-how, especially with the computers and the suspicious coincidences with the cameras." Adam explained.

"But it's Derek, Adam." Nancy added.

"I received an email today from Southern Winds computer department that he has been snooping around the email servers but they haven't confirmed it yet." He looked over at Captain Spence. "I haven't told you this yet Captain, but they suspect he may have sent that email to have the second life boat drill."

"What?" Captain Spence said standing up behind his desk. "But it said it was from Carl Rutger. He's the head of safety at Southern Winds."

Looking at the Captain, Adam said, "that's why I said it hadn't been confirmed yet, but they do believe he did what they called spoofing, sending an email that appears to have come from someone else."

"If that's the case, then we need to get him in custody." Captain Spence said.

"I agree, but first of all it is Derek and we all know he doesn't have a mean bone in his body and second of all, he is saying someone has been breaking into the system using his ID." Adam looked at all the shocked faces. "I'm just not ready to believe it is him yet, but we need to watch him closely. Andrew." He looked at the twenty-something year old new security guard. "Since you are the closest thing to a computer geek in our unit, I'm going to assign you to watch him twenty-four seven. Hang out in the computer room and everywhere he goes. I'll tell him you're down there to help him." Andrew nodded in agreement.

"Now the rest of us need to vigilantly patrol this ship checking every suspicious passenger and object. Don't pass over anything." He looked over at Captain Spence. "Captain, I assume we are going to send another message out explaining what took place?"

Captain Spence nodded. "Yes, I spoke with the attorneys and they suggest we offer full disclosure on what we know. That way there are no liabilities and maybe someone knows someone or something."

"I agree." Adam said. "Let's try and get something out tonight. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night." He watched as they all nodded in agreement. He looked over at Nancy, "Nancy, I'm going to have you research as much as you can into the backgrounds of the victims and see if there is any connection. I know so far, they have all been single, well one was engaged, and relatively young males. Maybe there's some kind of connection there." Nancy nodded, writing something down in her notepad. "Jimmy if you can lead the patrols, I'll get started on the message. Stay safe guys and keep me updated every hour. Thanks." He watched as everyone rose from their seats. "Before you leave does anyone have anything else to add?" After a brief pause, they all filed out of the office, leaving Adam, the Captain and Nancy who all sat down. "So tell me guys what's your hunch here?" The Captain asked.

Nancy immediately responded, "I'm thinking it is one guy who has obviously had some military training and is trying to act something out on innocent passengers, maybe he had a bad fight with someone who resembles these victims." Adam watched his wife explain her theory. He noticed how tired her eyes looked and thought he noticed a few new wrinkles on her forehead, but he quickly dismissed his thoughts and forced himself back to the case.

"Adam, your thoughts," The Captain said.

"I agree with Nancy, but I just want to examine their backgrounds a little further since we seem to be hitting some kind of roadblock with information on them, but I guess it's a little difficult when we're hundreds of miles from shore." Nancy and Captain Spence both nodded in agreement. "I am really puzzled by the Derek thing though. I mean I can't believe it is him in any way, but I don't know who to believe anymore."

"I understand Adam. I feel the same way. Remember Derek and I have a history, his father was the head engineer on my last ship and Derek used to come aboard all the time, but I agree with you he needs to be checked out. We can't take any chances" Captain Spence said.

"I'm really curious about that Parker guy as well." Nancy added.

Adam nodded. "I agree why don't you start with him and Derek then." He watched Nancy exit the office leaving him and the Captain to work out the message that could change the cruise for not only the rest of the week but also for years to come. While the Captain answered a phone call, Adam pulled out the lab results from his pocket carefully reading it until he reached the bottom and felt his stomach lurch towards his throat.

Chapter 18

"Karen why is that thing flashing again?"

Karen looked at her husband, removed the covers and jumped out of bed. "I hope this doesn't mean someone else was killed." She grabbed the remote control powering on the large television screen. Tom slowly sat up, his head still slightly ached and he felt a little groggy from the pain killers, but he was feeling somewhat back to himself. He stared at the screen as the message flashed across. "There has been another unfortunate accident last night during the lifeboat drill. Many of you were on deck and heard the explosion in section 33 near the lifeboat that took the life of one of our passengers. We are aware that there have been three unexplained deaths on this ship and we are taking every precaution to avoid any more incidents. We are asking each of you to adhere to our security practices and avoid travelling throughout the ship alone. Please report anything suspicious to the security office and if you have any knowledge of the three incidents, contact security immediately. We will continue on with our cruise and we expect to arrive in Nassau at approximately 1:00PM this afternoon. We advise all passengers to clear the ship if possible, so we can continue our investigation. Thank you."

"Oh my God Tom! Someone was killed last night during the lifeboat drill."

Tom sat all the way up watching the morning sunlight sneak through the blinds and land on Karen's terrified face. "I'm glad we didn't go." He said.

"We couldn't. We were on strict orders from the Doctor for you to stay in bed. I'm glad you actually listened for once."

"I say we go see what happened. What time is it anyway?"

Karen watched Tom slowly stand up and open the blinds exposing miles of vast blue ocean. She wished she could see some land, but there was nothing in sight. "I don't think you're up for that yet."

"I need to get out of here. We've been stuck in this cabin for almost twenty-four hours."

"Are you saying being with me is being stuck?" Karen asked.

"You know what I mean." He pulled her close and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Thanks for taking care of me. I'm sorry I got a little carried away."

"A little. "She said taking a deep breath.

"Okay, maybe a lot. Anyway, I'm going to go take a shower, and then we can head up for a while. I desperately need some sun. I mean what's Tommy going to say."

"He's going to be happy you're okay." She turned off the TV and sat down on the bed.

"Let's call him as soon as I'm done." He stepped into the small bathroom and a minute later the sound of the shower muffled out everything else. An hour later Karen and Tom entered the main dining room for a sit down breakfast. Gone were all the normal laughing and early morning stories of late night parties, instead all they could hear was the murmur of the three murders. Tom was keenly aware of what was being said and was analyzing what was happening on board the ship. He had been a slight bit surprised after he emerged from his shower and had seen the Calypso on Fox News. He wasn't quite sure why the ship didn't get CNN, but it wasn't available so he had settled on its counterpart. They had briefly explained what had happened last night and that there were two other suspicious murders that hadn't been solved. The experts were claiming there was a serial killer on board while some were suspecting terrorism. Apparently during the night two Coast Guard Cutters had moved in alongside the Calypso escorting her to the Bahamas. He wasn't really sure what they were going to do, but he guessed they were there to reassure the passengers if nothing else. They had showed a team of investigators gathering in the Bahamas, preparing to board the ship. He imagined they would comb every square inch of it until they were convinced there were no more explosives. He didn't know if they would continue the cruise or not. He figured there would be many people who would get off the ship and find another way home, but he and Karen had decided they were going to continue their cruise if at all possible and so far everything he had heard was that the Calypso was planning on continuing after a night or two in Nassau. He felt better after talking with his parents and Tommy. They had plenty of questions for him, but sounded confident that they would get through it. Besides, he had been through much worse than this.

Derek snuck out of the security office and slid back into his cabin. It had been a little difficult at first, ever since that young security guard had been tasked in assisting him. It wasn't so much that he was annoying or anything, he just didn't know anything and ended up getting in the way or asking too many questions that Derek got tired of answering. The guy had taken a few computer classes at a county college so everyone assumed he was an expert, but he was far from that and had spent most of the night browsing the web. Derek was glad to enter his cabin and as soon as he stepped foot inside he immediately booted up his laptop, typed in the three passwords and enjoyed the comfort of working in his own privacy. He had been working quite a bit in his cabin lately. He enjoyed the silence and comfort of just him and the computer. He never did understand why they had decided to put him into the security office anyway. He liked Adam and Nancy, but he just preferred to be by himself. He had always been a loner, and had even been posted with the nickname "the ghost" when he was in school because he just never was noticed by anyone. He could walk down the hallway in his high school or sit in the back of his classroom and people would just forget he was there. Even the teachers forgot he was there and often times would ignore him and never call on him or bother him, which was just fine because that way he would have time to design and configure elaborate computer systems in his notebook and then try them out after school. Luckily, his school had been blessed with a sophisticated computer lab, thanks to the PTA and he would stay after school every day until his Dad who was an electrical engineer would stop by and pick him up. A few times he had either forgotten or worked late and Derek would end up spending the night in the lab. He would be found sound asleep in front of one of the workstations in the morning by a custodian who somehow didn't see him the night before. He felt his heart began to dance a little faster as it always did when he successfully logged into the Calypso's network. He had designed all the logos and images of the Calypso. It was a picture of the ship done in all one's and zero's. He had remembered how both Adam and Nancy had laughed the first time they saw it saying he had too much time on his hands, but if they had only known it took him about ten minutes using the code he had designed. He entered into the secure areas of the Calypso by clicking his mouse on the small padlocks that required him to enter his password again and eventually entered into the security camera software program that allowed him to manipulate and view any of the cameras. Five minutes later, he felt his face burning red. He couldn't get into the Southern Winds server. It kept saying he didn't have access. He couldn't believe it, there had to be a mistake with his password or username. He carefully typed it in two more times without any success. He knew about the back door and decided to give it a try, but he found it was blocked as well. He couldn't figure out what was happening. He had always had access to everything. This was his life, his creation, he craved access and power. Frustrated, he finally gave up and slipped back into the hallway going totally unnoticed through the various security checkpoints that had been setup and entered back into the security office where Andrew was still surfing the Web.

Chapter 19

Adam was seated in the large atrium eating a bagel with cream cheese and a large glass of orange juice. He knew he had to start eating healthy now after seeing Nancy's lab report, so he figured he would skip his usual coffee and donuts and try something a little more nutritious...one step at a time. He still hadn't been able to speak with Nancy. It had been a long night and he was barely able to keep his eyes open as he looked around at all the empty tables. Usually when he ate down here he couldn't find a seat, but today had been no problem. He looked at his watch, four more hours till they docked. If only things could remain as quiet as they did last night. There hadn't been one incident, not even a drinking issue. His officers had been on patrol all night. He knew they badly needed a break and hopefully in another few hours they would get one. He had paged Nancy a few minutes ago, but she hadn't responded yet. He was hoping they could meet down here. He dialed her number again and waited, still no response. Normally, he would have ignored her non-response, but now things were different, not just because of the recent killings on board, but also because of her condition. He quickly swallowed the bagel and the rest of the orange juice and began heading towards the security office hoping Nancy was fully engrossed in her files or on a phone call getting background information, although he really wished she were resting in their cabin. A few minutes later he entered the security office and saw Derek staring into his computer screen with Andrew trying to look over his shoulder. "Hey guys. Anything new?"

"Hey Adam." Derek looked up from his screen. "I have confirmed the camera in area 33 was utilized. The log shows that it had gone to manual status for about ten minutes last night."

"What's that mean?" Adam looked around the office for any sign of Nancy. Not seeing her he sat down at his desk.

"It means that someone overrode the automatic setting and changed it to manual so they could manipulate the camera any way they wanted."

"That pretty much confirms our theory that he used the camera to setup the explosive device." Adam said.

"That's what I figured. You know they locked me out of Southern Winds."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"My account, they won't let me login to corporate anymore. I think my account might be being used on their system."

"You know I have been meaning to talk to you about that."

Derek quickly looked up, his face two shades darker. "What are you talking about Adam?"

Adam calmly replied, "I received an email that you had been or I guess actually you're account had been in the mail server yesterday."

Derek stood up and looked towards the office door, "The email server at Southern Winds? Why would I be in that?"

Adam looked down avoiding eye contact. "That's what they wanted to know. They said you have no business in there."

"I wasn't in the email server. I swear I wasn't. Is that why they locked me out of the system?" He slammed his fist on the desk, causing Andrew to jump back.

"I guess so. I don't know enough about computers to know exactly."

Pleading, Derek said, "Can you get me back in the system?"

"I can try Derek, but I think for right now, it would probably be better if you didn't have access to it."

Shaking his head, Derek said, "Wait a minute...you think I am involved in this somehow?"

"I'm not saying that. It was you who said your account was the one accessing the cameras and in the system when you said you hadn't logged in." Adam watched Derek sit back down. "I mean don't you think we need to be cautious in case whoever is accessing the cameras is using your account to send email too."

"What are you talking about sending email?"

Adam realizing his mistake immediately responded, "We just found out the email sent yesterday for the second lifeboat drill was spoofed from within the email server using your account." Adam watched Derek's face extend by about a foot upon hearing this.

"Oh my God! I don't believe this." He immediately jumped up from the desk and headed out the door slamming it behind him. Andrew leapt up to follow, but Adam quickly grabbed his wrist. "Let him go. He'll be all right. Why don't you look through the logs he left and see if you can find anything."

Nodding, Andrew said, "no problem." He picked up the stack of paperwork on the desk.

"You haven't seen Nancy around here have you?" Adam asked standing up.

"She was down here for a while earlier, but she said she wasn't feeling well and left. Is she okay?"

Adam feeling his emotions spin out of control calmly answered, "She's fine. I think it was something she ate." He quickly left the security office, his mind shifting between Nancy and Derek's possible involvement.

The non-descript passenger noticed the flashing red light above his television as he entered back into his cabin. He quickly powered on the laptop and with a few clicks of the mouse the light was off. He had allowed himself to read the first two messages. It was satisfying to see his work affect the lives of others, but he had vowed not to allow any more distractions and had deleted the message with the light. He knew his success was built on his complete dedication to the job, and thus far things were going just as he had planned. As usual, the hours of rehearsing each move countless times paid off. He had approached the lifeboat at least twenty times placing various devices inside it, each time observing the passengers walking by to see if anyone noticed anything. After being convinced it would go undetected, he waited until the objective moved into the spot where he had gone during the first drill. It had been very easy after reviewing the video. He still wasn't able to get into the Southern Winds server, but that would only take about five minutes of running his new password cracker software. He had developed it a few months ago when he needed to access a large financial institution to transfer funds to one of his many anonymous accounts. It used a special code that could test multiple user accounts without locking them out after three bad attempts that most servers used in defense, and most importantly it did this from a computer setup somewhere in Holland that was untraceable to anyone trying to detect the source. He had fallen in love with technology when he saw how much easier it had made his job. Almost every aspect of his first three objectives had been done with the aid of a computer except for the actual physical part of pulling the trigger and climbing across a balcony some hundred feet above the dark massive ocean, but that was what his physical training was for. He stripped down to a pair of shorts and began part one of another grueling and painful workout.

Chapter 20

Agent Mulkin was seated at a small seaside bar enjoying the warm morning breeze blowing across his face. He had vacationed in the Bahamas several times with his family, but this was the first time he had come down on business. He had been briefed on the flight down by the Justice Department lawyers about maritime law and how it affects cruise ships but after two hours of lawyer speak, he came to the conclusion that it was their jurisdiction or more appropriately their problem and it was his job to stop it. He knew Adam Meluzzo and his wife and had actually worked on a number of cases with each of them. He was very confident in their ability to run a complete investigation, but he knew it could be tough without the complete backing of the Bureau and especially without their credentials. His first thought had been a loose deranged serial criminal, but as he read through Adam's reports and spoke with him on the phone and had come to the conclusion that it was an inside job. There was just too much access obtained by the killer. He even considered more than one person at work here, there usually were in complex cases like this. He had reluctantly given in to the Southern Winds attorney who had somehow convinced the Justice Department to continue the cruise after a two day layover in the Bahamas. They had claimed it would cost them too much money to abandon the cruise and possibly ruin the cruise industry for years to come with the Caribbean countries. Mulkin had wanted to tell them how much more they would lose if there were any more killings on board, which he was convinced there would be. He was in his twenty-eighth year with the Bureau. The longest serving Agent currently employed, except for the Director of course. He was a former Agent himself who took on the Director position with open arms to extend his stay. The old man was rumored to be over seventy, but had so much power that each President just kept pulling him along with each administration. Mulkin had served in almost every unit in the Bureau and in twenty something states. He had been a Special Agent in Charge or an SAIC as it was better known up in Boston for a few years, but a few years ago he had worked out a deal with the Director allowing him to work as a field agent for special cases for a few more years and so far he had been busy traveling around the country closing cases that no other Agents wanted to touch or couldn't due to political reasons. Working a cruise ship murder spree was definitely a first for him though. He looked over at the two lawyers he had flown down with; they were discussing some complicated legal terms on the other side of the bar. They both were no more than forty-five, their youthful faces still full of unmitigated legal code. Mulkin imagined their pretty wives and two and a half children waiting for them to come home. He had done the family thing a few times, but he just wasn't good at it and after three kids and three ex-wives he figured it was time to quit. That was ten years ago. He was in his early sixties now, long past the mandatory retirement age of fifty-seven for Federal Law Enforcement Agents. He could never understand why they had chosen fifty-seven anyway. He could outrun, outbox and probably outsmart any Agent on the force. He still ran three miles every other day and worked the weights the days in between to keep his six foot two frame in top physical condition. He was a strong believer in the philosophy that a strong body meant a strong mind and thus far they both were holding up well. He rubbed his hand over his dark brown crew cut. It was no secret that he dyed it once a month, the same day he got his haircut. It wasn't because he was vain; he just felt a gray hair could be seen as a sign of weakness by any potential criminals. He looked away from the parade of fishing boats coming and going down below him in hopes that the two ATF Agents that were supposed to meet him here would show up soon. He knew they all had to be on the same sheet of music before they entered the floating crime scene full of targets. He hadn't worked with the ATF in a few years and was actually looking forward to crossing their bridges. He loved to learn from others and was always up to learning something new. There was no unity with the old dog new tricks expression with him. He figured that was probably the key to his longevity in the Bureau and his special extension to work on the special cases unit instead of retiring and holding down some high-paying consulting job inside the Beltway. He took another long sip as he watched what looked like two local Bahamians sit down at the other end of the bar not even bothering to give him a second look. They were so used to Americans in their country with the countless cruise ships that docked here every week. Maybe the lawyer actually had some credence with his opinion on keeping the ship going due to the importance of the cruise industry. He didn't know and besides it wasn't his job to make policy, just to solve crimes and that was what he intended to do. He could actually feel the butterflies swarming around in his stomach just waiting in anticipation on getting on board and beginning the investigation. It was the same feeling he had felt when he had been assigned his first case, twenty eight years ago in lower Manhattan. A stockbroker had gotten too greedy and had been transferring money into his own account. The SEC had failed to make a case, but not Howard Mulkin, in two weeks he had built up all the evidence needed to place the broker in prison for close to five years. Ever since then he had been nicknamed "The Bull" after the bullish market that swept across the Exchange after the news that the case had been solved. He looked down at his watch. The ship was due to arrive in a couple hours. He had to come up with a plan. He looked around again for any sign of the ATF Agents.

Chapter 21

James Parker could still smell the traces of burnt flesh from the previous night as he walked amongst the faceless innocent people stumbling with him on deck. Most of them were aware of the crimes from the ships emergency broadcast system, or more intuitively from the on-board gossip machine that was hard at work at in every corner, café and gathering aboard the crowded ship. What most of them didn't know was that these were targeted attacks and probably were only just beginning. James took a long hard look out at the emerald colored ocean that was now passing beneath the ship. They had finally entered into the Caribbean waters. He knew it was only a matter of a few hours till they docked and the safety of land would overtake the trepidation of the thousands of passengers. He had spoken with that security woman, Nancy last night and had been able to learn a lot of what they knew about, but he also sensed she was trying to find out more information about him and how he knew so much about the Daisy. She probably even suspected him as possibly playing a role in the crimes, but in the end she had agreed to give him the information he had needed. He was scheduled to meet with her husband, the Director of Security in a few minutes, so he wanted to have everything ready. He just hoped the guy wouldn't try and interrogate him, but you never know with former FBI Agents they just had it in their blood. He had spoken with Leanne this morning, she hadn't been her usual spunky self and at first he suspected maybe she had seen the news about the Calypso, she hadn't she had lost one of the dogs overnight...passed away right in her arms. As rare as it happened under her care, it still happened every now and then and she would usually be upset about it for a few days until she moved on to the next four-legged patient. He had explained to her what was going on aboard the ship, but he knew she was only politely listening, instead her mind was scrambling around trying to think of what she could have or should have done to save the dog. He only wished she had come with him, but now with the events taking place on board he was glad she had chosen to stay with her calling first. He found the staircase leading down below and quietly descended the stairs. He went down three decks below until he saw the sign for security and safety. It was the kind of sign that you wouldn't normally see if you weren't looking for it, kind of blended in with the décor of the ship, but that was how it was on cruise ships, business as usual no matter what the circumstance. He could tell that was happening aboard the Calypso because the cruise directors seemed livelier than usual trying to get the silenced passengers to have a good time. He was waiting for the string quartet to begin playing. He walked down the winding hallway until he found the office. He gently knocked on the door before entering, and walked into a small but heavily decorated office. It was full of computers, television screens and what appeared to be the latest communications equipment taking up every square inch of the space. Seated at a small table were two men, one wearing a uniform, the other in shorts and a t-shirt staring at the screen of a laptop. Neither one of them looked up as he strode past them heading directly for the glass door that said "Director" on it. He could see the man he had briefly spoken to last night seated at a desk. Across from him in uniform was the security guard who had helped him last night, Jimmy something. He couldn't remember the last name. He watched Adam wave him in. They shook hands and James sat down in the other seat next to Jimmy.

"Thanks for coming down James." A small smile formed on of the left side of his mouth. "Did you have a chance to talk to Nancy last night?"

"Yes. She came by and we spoke of everything that has happened thus far. Afterwards, I did some research on my own and have come up with a few interesting things." He folded his hands in his lap.

"Sounds good, and I'm sure Nancy has already asked you this." He really wished he could talk to her. He had tried to page her before but there was no answer. Although that happened frequently on board, it still concerned him. "But why are you so interested in this? And how do you know so much about that bomb last night?"

"As I told you before I served in the Navy for a few years and have had some direct experience with this kind of thing and people." He could feel Adam's eyes boring into him.

"I've been doing criminal investigations for many years and there are two kinds of people that take an over reactive interest in the investigations. There are those that want to be and those that are." He paused. "What I mean is you have the guys who wished they had become police officers when they were younger, now that they are slumped over a desk managing a warehouse somewhere and those that have committed the crimes, you know the arsonist that comes back to watch the fire."

James looked at Jimmy seated next to him and then back at Adam. "I can ensure you that neither of those applies to me. I understand you need to rule me out before you allow my assistance. I am only here to help because I have direct experience with at least two of the ways, actually all three methods of the killings that have taken place thus far."

Adam curiously eyed James and said, "Where did you acquire this experience if you don't mind my asking?"

"Thanks for your frankness Mr. Meluzzo." James edged around in his seat.

"Okay, so why don't you tell us what you know and how you know it." Adam calmly said flipping a ballpoint pen with his index finger.

"No problem." He paused, turning his head towards Jimmy. "I don't mean any disrespect but would it be possible if this conversation was just between me and you?"

Adam stared at James for a minute, not sure if he was going to get a confession or the guy was just paranoid. "Of course. Jimmy would you excuse us for a moment?" They both watched as Jimmy slowly rose from his seat and headed out the door closing it softly behind him. "So what is this all about Mr. Parker?"

Looking down James said, "I think what we're seeing is something called the Crescendo."

"The what?" Adam quickly responded leaning slightly forward.

"It's called the Crescendo. It's a series of assassination methods used by the CIA. A new assassin will usually follow them in their training. They have to complete each one successfully to move on to the next. The first of course is a close range shooting, the next is a death by poison and the third is using an explosive device." He paused seeing the intensity forming on Adam's face. "Do you see where I'm going?"

Shaking his head Adam replied, "What's the fourth?"

"The fourth is an accidental death, you know push someone off a building make it look like they fell."

"Or like off the side of a boat. I've never heard of this." Adam's eyes were wide open.

"Most people haven't. Unless you are one of the CIA's trained assassins."

"So what you're telling me is that this killer is a CIA assassin? From what I understand the CIA did away with assassinations as official policy years ago"

"They did, but one we don't know how old this guy is and two who said they don't still train in case it becomes policy again." Glancing at the photo on Adam's desk of Nancy, James asked, "She's you're wife?"

Looking at the photo, Adam replied "yes, her and I were both FBI Agents before we took this job."

"I'd love to hear that story, but I guess we'll save that for another time. I'm not saying he's an assassin, although that is probably a pretty good chance, but it appears he is following the Crescendo method to a tee. He obviously knows something."

Adam his expression full of confusion and anxiety, "So if you don't mind my asking how do you know so much about this?"

"I've had my share of experiences as a Seal and in my current job as a Naval Security expert." He stared hard at Adam.

Adam felt his pager began to vibrate. Instinctively he glanced down at the number and felt his heart beat a few more times seeing it was Nancy. He looked back up.

"If what you're saying is true, we are in trouble." He watched James nod in agreement. "What are you doing on board?"

"I am on vacation. First one I have ever taken."

"Some vacation." Adam quietly smiled.

"You're telling me."

"So what we're looking for next is some kind of an accidental death?" Adam asked thinking about the passengers departing in an hour or so.

"I would think so. Now the reason it's called the Crescendo because it builds up to the last and final method."

"Which is?" Adam felt like his head was about to explode.

"A bare hands assassination, no weapons unlike all the others where you get to use a weapon, but not the last, it is the ultimate test for assassin."

"Great, so what you're telling me is that someone is going to get choked to death."

"Something like that." James answered his voice much lower.

"What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

James looked down. "It's just the fifth method."

"What about it?" Adam quickly responded.

"Well, they are trained to use a mass killing to disguise the target."

"What do you mean?"

Talking slowly, James answered, "well they may kill five people at once when they are really only after one, but you never know who the one is because of all the others,"

Adam didn't respond. He stared into James's calm but confident eyes. "Why is this happening? This can't be CIA training?"

"No, they never train on innocents every assassination done in training is for real. They are real targets. Bad people and I've never heard of one attack on an American."

"So this could be some rogue agent gone mad?"

"Could be, but I doubt it."

Adam rubbed his forehead. "Why do you say that with such confidence?"

James lowered his voice, "because in real life there aren't rogue agents. That is Hollywood stuff. I mean none of them enjoy killing anyone. Even on the Seal teams we didn't like killing, but we did it because we believed we were helping save lives by taking others who could possibly harm us or our families."

"This is unbelievable. I'm not sure if I should believe this." Shaking his head, Adam asked, "so what are some of the other methods, or do I dare ask?"

"Sniper style attack is five. Knife is seven."

"How many are there?" Adam asked, feeling his eyes getting blurry.

"That's the thing. It depends on your trainer."

"What do you mean?"

James crossed his arms. "Well, if you are successful, then they usually stop you after six or seven, but I have heard stories of guys having to complete ten before they were considered qualified, but the last one is always bare hands."

"I can't believe this."

"I understand, it doesn't sound good, but maybe I'm wrong."

"That's the part I wish I didn't believe."

"I need to prep my officers. Thank you for the information. We may need your assistance on this."

"I will do anything to help."

"Thanks. We really appreciate it." He watched James exit his office and quickly dialed the number Nancy had called on, happy to hear her answer.

Chapter 22

Captain Leon Spence felt the tropical air sooth into his tense lungs as the green islands of the Bahamas became visible on the clear horizon. They were only an hour or so away from Nassau now. He had been here so many times the last few years that it had no meaning to him until now. He couldn't wait to get onshore and off the Calypso. He was glad his father wasn't alive. He couldn't imagine having to tell his old man he actually felt uncomfortable on a ship. He wouldn't have understood and Leon was wondering why he was. It was just too much for him to comprehend. He was the Captain and he had failed his passengers in their safe journey no matter how few had actually been killed and how impossible it would be for him to have prevented it. Even with Adam and Karen's expertise, there was no way one could predict this kind of activity aboard a cruise ship, and now Adam had told him about a theory that there may be several more assassin style murders before it is all over. He had the ship running at full throttle and it still felt like they were traveling in slow motion. He hadn't slept at all last night instead he had spent the night walking the decks waiting for the next victim to turn up. Fortunately, it had been a quiet night. One of the night clubs even appeared to be full of people totally oblivious to what was happening on board or not caring, his gut told him it was the latter. Why should they care, he thought, they were on vacation, trying to get away from their stressful lives back home and floating across the sea on a tropical vacation under his watch, but they were all in danger, although no one knew who would be next. He had followed all the strict guidelines dictated by Southern Winds, providing the emergency messages, the extra security, but he still felt like he was forgetting something. He took a walk around the bridge casually checking each instrument when he heard Adam's panicked voice on the ship's internal radio. He was calling all hands to the aft pool area. Someone had spotted a man with a rifle. "This was it...and they were so close," thought the Captain as he exited the bridge at a full run.

Adam dropped the phone into the receiver and instinctively felt the steel bulge under his loose fitting shirt as he bolted out of the office and up the stairs. He had pleaded for Nancy to wait, but she said she was on her way. He had to be there first. It was just as James Parker had stated, the Crescendo was really happening they were probably responding to a sniper attack of some kind, he only hoped he could get there soon enough. He emerged onto the deck feeling his eyes immediately tighten up when the bright Caribbean sunlight burned into them. He scurried across the deck weaving in and out of the large groups of passengers taking pictures and enjoying the outer islands of the Bahamas streaming by on the port side. He could feel the tension drowning his body as he neared the aft of the ship. He was only a few hundred yards away from the pool and he could see the passengers lounging on the pool chairs and in the water totally unaware that one of them was probably in a crazed killers gun sights. He knew he would probably only have once chance at the guy and he may be too late already, although there hadn't been any reports of gunshots yet and the crowds still appeared relaxed and not focused on any threats. He scrambled into the pool area, sprinting passed the surprised looking lifeguard who was about to yell at him until she realized who he was. He had given the lifeguards a brief speech before the cruise started on normal safety issues, something he did before every cruise. He still felt it was his job to be responsible for all aspects of safety, not just the criminal ones. He circled the pool, trying his hardest to maintain his footing on the wet cement while keeping his eyes focused on the area now about twenty yards away. He still didn't see anything suspicious, but he could hear his name being called from behind him, it was Nancy and Captain Spence. He didn't dare to turn back though, especially now with Nancy's condition and all. He was about to exit the far end of the pool area when he heard the explosion of a gunshot break through the calm air. It sent a shockwave through his entire body causing him to immediately fall flat to the wet surface. He looked all around him shocked to see everyone else continuing to swim and act as though nothing were happening. He couldn't understand what was happening as three more crackling gun shots rang out. He immediately began looking for Nancy. He couldn't see her everything was blurry around him. It was if the Calypso had entered into a dense fog. He continued to hear the gun shots ring out and was feeling his control slip through his body. This was the final act he thought. The killer was going on a shooting rampage. He slowly lifted his head aware of the gathering crowd standing around him. He didn't understand what was happening, except that he was staring into the faces of Nancy and Captain Spence. They were slowly lifting him up. His body felt heavy, his forehead full of perspiration. He felt his pulse skyrocket as another barrage of shots rang out.

"Look up Adam." Nancy calmly said pointing at the sky.

Adam slowly raised his head and watched as the dark black object broke into hundreds of pieces and fell into the ocean. "They are shooting skeet!" He called out looking at both Nancy and the Captain who both nodded.

Rising to his feet he said, "Are they out of their minds?"

Captain Spence watched the next skeet launch into the air and explode upon impact of a direct hit. "If anyone should take the blame, it's me. I ordered the cruise directors to resume all activities. I forgot about the skeet shooting."

"It's okay Captain, I think we're all a little bit over-anxious with everything." Nancy said placing her arm on Adam's tense shoulder.

"Are you okay Nancy?" Adam quickly hugged her, pulling her close to his side.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves." Captain Spence smiled glancing back up at the bridge. "I need to get ready for our docking. Do you still want to disembark in the standard procedure?"

"Yeah, let's just let them go, no need to panic everyone." Adam looked directly at Nancy's stomach, a concerned expression taking over his face.

Nancy looked off into the horizon, "you might as well tell him Adam."

Captain Spence matched Adam's expression. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Adam and Nancy both looked at each other causing the Captain to become very uncomfortable.

Adam smiled and said, "We are expecting a new member of the security team."

"Say what?" Captain Spence said looking confused.

"Just tell him Adam." Nancy said nudging his shoulder.

"Okay, Nancy is pregnant!"

Smiling, Captain Spence reached and embraced them both and said, "Congratulations you two that is wonderful news." Another shot rang out causing them all to quickly turn their heads. "You guys let me know if there is anything you need."

"We may need to borrow one of those cribs the passengers rent in a few months." Adam said, quietly laughing. "And don't worry Captain; he'll enjoy being raised on the Calypso."

Captain Spence laughed and hugged them both again before heading back to the bridge.

"Do you really want to raise the baby on the ship?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know. I kind of just said that so he wouldn't get too worried. I guess we have some decisions to make. At least we have nine months."

"If we don't stop this killer we may not be the ones making the decision."

"You mean...I catch the killer."

Nancy crossed her arms, "Adam remember we talked about this on the phone. I am going to continue to do my normal duties until about eight months from now."

"Six months."

"Adam." Nancy shook her head.

"Seven months?"

Smiling she said, "We'll see."

"How's he doing anyway?" Adam rubbed her belly.

"How do you know it's a he?"

"I mean it has to be right?"

"Of course it is Adam." She smiled. "Let's get back to this case, or would you rather look through baby book name books?"

"Let's see...Adam Jr. has a nice ring."

"Don't push it Adam."

He pulled her close, "okay, let's get back to the case."

Chapter 23

The non-descript man quietly exited his cabin, a knapsack slung over his back with a bright orange beach towel hanging out of the top of it. He was wearing swimming shorts and a sleeveless top, showing his chiseled muscular build. On top of his head a dark pair of sunglasses lay nestled in his wavy brown hair. He looked like any one of the thousand passengers anxious to step onto the sands of Nassau. The Captain had just made the announcement they would be docking in about thirty minutes, causing a rumble of activity below the deck, passengers scurrying about trying to get their belongings ready and be first in line at the gate. The non-descript man stepped into the empty elevator and rode it down several decks before he stepped off and began walking down a long hallway full of economy-sized cabins. When he reached the end, he opened the stairwell door and climbed down another three flights of stairs reaching the lowest level of the ship available to passengers. There were several pool halls and a nightclub called the Dungeon that blasted hardcore music all night long at volumes that would make most people uncomfortable, but it always drew a large crowd, something about being near the bottom of the ship. He quickly strode past the empty dark Dungeon door, sliding a small pick into the white door next to it that said maintenance on top. In less than three seconds, he opened the door and disappeared into a gulf of darkness. He felt his way through the dark hallway until he found the small winding staircase taking him deep inside of the Calypso's hull. He couldn't see an inch in front of his face as he descended the steps and he could hear the ocean passing beneath the large hull. A diesel odor stung the air, causing his nostrils to flare as they grew accustomed to the foreign odor. Despite entering this area several time previously, he had to rely on his sense of feel more than his memory due to the extreme darkness. He had a small flashlight in his backpack if he needed it, but so far he was doing fine without it. After he reached the last step, he walked across the concrete floor until he found a small door that required a key that he pulled out of his pocket. He had plastered the lock the last time he had come down here. He entered the large room, and as he stepped in he could hear the hum of the engines a hundred feet or so behind him. He was in one of the container rooms. The crew sometimes stored spare parts or maintenance items rarely used. And in the Calypso's case, the only things in here were just empty pallets. He slowly walked to the center of the room, removed his backpack and pulled out various explosives, firearms and an unassembled rifle that he carefully put in a trash bag that was tucked under one of the pallets. He quickly tucked it back under the pallet and made his way back through the darkness until he reached the elevator taking him topside and off of the Calypso. He quickly passed by the security checkpoint, showing his passport and left the Calypso and entered the Bahamas.

Chapter 24

Agent Mulkin and the two ATF Agents stood on the pier watching the last of the passengers step off the ship. As soon as the last one was gone, they climbed up the long white portable stairway that led into the interior of the ship and were quickly greeted by Adam.

"That appeared to go smooth." Mulkin said with a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, I guess if no one got killed it is considered smooth." Adam chided.

"So how did you get this gig anyway?"

"A long story that I don't want to bore you guys with."

Mulkin shook his head. "Well they still talk about you and Nancy at the Bureau. You guys were legends."

"With all due respect Mulkin, there is only one legend at the Bureau and that is you. You look great by the way." Adam patted him on the back. "Still working out I see."

"You know it, only way to keep an old dog looking young." He looked at the two ATF Agents who were curiously listening. "So tell me what kind of a mess have you gotten yourself into here?"

"As we briefly spoke on the phone," He turned his head, looking all around. "I think we have some kind of killer imitating a CIA assassination program or something."

"Interesting, I would really like to meet this James Parker, who you say is some kind of security expert." He paused. "By the way, this is Agent Smithson, he is stationed in Miami. He has a lot of resources at his disposal." He pointed to a large, very well built African American man with a serious expression on his face. "Nice to meet you Agent Smithson," Adam shook the man's firm grip.

"And this is Agent Paul's. He's an explosives expert. Adam extended his hand to the slender man who wore glasses and appeared to be losing the battle against hair and was wearing the dreaded comb over. "Nice to meet you too Agent Pauls. I look forward to you guys helping us out."

"Well do what we can." Mulkin curiously looked at the enormous room they were standing in. "This is some boat you work on."

"Ship Mulkin...ship."

"Oh sorry, I guess I need to get up on the lingo huh?"

Laughing Adam said, "Yes." He pointed towards the elevator bank. "Well as I see it we have two full days here in Nassau before the ship heads out again, so we might as well get started. How about I show you guys around first?"

"Sounds good." Mulkin said, the two Agents nodding in agreement.

They spent the next two hours meticulously examining each crime scene as well as a few of the interesting attractions on the Calypso. After grabbing a bite to eat at Subway they headed to the Captain's office.

"So what have you guys found?" Captain Spence asked looking around the group.

Mulkin quickly answered. "We're still going on the theory that these are specifically targeted victims, and if you want to learn who the killer is you need to learn who the victims are."

"We have examined the backgrounds of the three victims. I'll let Nancy fill you in on the rest." Adam replied.

Nancy quickly scanned through the papers on her lap. "I have researched their backgrounds as much as possible, considering we are on a cruise ship out at sea." Everyone nodded. "About the only thing in common they have besides all being males is their lack of background. We are only able to access so much information on each one, which isn't much." She looked at Agent Mulkin. "Maybe you can get more with your current ties to the FBI Mulkin."

"Perhaps, I will send in what you have to my investigators and see what they can come up with." Mulkin began writing in his small notebook.

"What were you able to get?" James Parker asked.

Nancy began to respond, but Mulkin immediately jumped in. "No disrespect, but I'm not really sure who you are Mr. Parker. I understand from you're introduction you are a Naval security expert, but aren't you a passenger?"

James Parker looked at Adam, who nodded. "Yes, I am a passenger on the Calypso, but I happened to have some first-hand experience with the explosives that were used the other night."

"And that is from where, might I ask?" Agent Paul's eyes were over-magnified under his glasses.

"Like I have already discussed with Mr. Meluzzo, I was a Navy Seal and now I work in security. I offered to help and he accepted."

Adam nodded. "That is correct. He has been extremely helpful."

"Well for what it's worth. I did some checking into your background as well Mr. Parker while I was waiting for the Calypso to dock and you're background isn't very well known either." Mulkin stated.

A look of agitation spread across James Parker's face. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning, besides your Navy career there isn't anything else," Mulkin barked back.

"That's because the Navy is my life."

"For the record, I'm still a little uncomfortable having a passenger who claims to have all this knowledge actively participating in an on-going investigation. How do we know you're really who you are?"

Adam raised his hand. "How about we move past this for now. There is no evidence that James is anything other than he says, a Navy man offering his expertise on a ship. It sounds good to me."

Mulkin frowned. "I disagree, I'll move on because we have less than two days till we head back out."

"I figure there are two things we need to get started with." Adam looked around at everyone. "First, we need to somehow do a physical search of the ship. The guy is obviously storing a weapon and explosives on here and second we need to go through the passenger lists again."

Nancy called out, "I have put together a database with their photo ID's names and cabins, so that should at least narrow it down a little bit."

"I would like to get a look at that." James Parker said.

"I'm sure you would," mumbled Mulkin.

"I think that's a good idea James, maybe with your background you'll see something or someone the rest of us wouldn't. Why don't you and Nancy work on that and the rest of us will work on the physical part." Adam looked at Nancy.

"How do you plan on going about us searching a few thousand cabins?" asked Mulkin.

"We can start with the ones in the vicinity of the victims as well as questioning the witnesses further." Adam looked at the two ATF Agents, "Any chance on getting an explosives dog?"

Agent Pauls quickly answered. "I think we can arrange that. May take a couple of hours to get one, but I think it would be beneficial."

Chapter 25

Tom and Karen stepped off the water taxi and strode on to Paradise Island, the jewel of the Bahamas. They both stared at the massive pink structure called the Royal Towers containing one of the most expensive room rates anywhere in the world starting somewhere north of $25,000 a night. The buildings are recognizable to most, but to see them in person is to see real art. They were created by Sol Kerzner, a South African hotel magnate who built his vision of both beauty and opulence of the lost world of Atlantis and had exceeded by great measure. They slowly walked along the grassy lawns exchanging looks between the buildings and the breathtaking views of both the harbor and ocean. A few minutes later, after a grunt of pain from Tom they reached the massive lobby filled with its huge pillars and paintings depicting Atlantis lining the ceiling and walls. There was no detail spared in the massive structure, its grandeur filling the warm tropical air. They were both excited to enter into Atlantis and explore the various sights. The first thing they had done as soon as they had stepped onto land was to call Tommy back home. He was so excited to hear from them, especially Tom. Tom couldn't believe how much he missed the little boy. Every time they saw another young child with their parents he would feel his heart long for his son. He had told him on the phone that next year they would all come back down to the Bahamas and enjoy Atlantis after Walt Disney World. He knew Tommy would love the aquarium and water park full of exotic and exciting slides. He had somehow convinced Karen to let him enjoy a few of the slides today. He had said they had to...you couldn't come to Atlantis and not experience this. He used his favorite line, "What would Tommy say if we didn't have a little fun?" It always worked on her no matter how hard she tried to protest. The bruises on his legs were aching, but nothing he couldn't overcome once he entered the giant water area. They decided to tour the water life first and headed for the underwater passageway. It was a tunnel that took you completely into one of the world's largest fish tanks. It was as if you were walking directly through the middle of the tank. Everywhere you looked there were sharks and large sea life creatures swimming nearby. It made you feel as though you were part of this underwater world. Tom felt the excitement creep into his body as he entered into the tunnel amazed by the closeness of the large fish, especially the massive sharks passing only a few feet over his head. They continued observing the sea life living in over 11 million gallons of water filled tanks with over 50,000 different fish and observations built to accommodate and preserve nature at its finest. They even observed a diver inside the tank feeding the fish. He entered the tank from above using tiny suction cups to climb down the massive glass walls and then remained on the bottom allowing the large creatures to take their meals right out of his hands. Karen saw the sign for swimming with the dolphins and knew that it would only be a matter of time till Tom had them in there. It wasn't that she didn't like the water, she just felt strange swimming with a large mammal despite how friendly and engaging they are, but she knew she better put her fears beside, especially since Tom had purchased the underwater digital camera on the Calypso before they got off. They knew they had two nights till the Calypso left and they were debating whether or not to spend the extra money and stay one of the nights at the resort. They wouldn't come anywhere near spending $25,000 a night, but they could spend an enjoyable night at the Cove Atlantis, a more moderate lodging that was full of amenities, and was especially geared towards couples without children. They spent the next several hours enjoying the various sights until they found a small outdoor café that overlooked the ocean and had the great taste and delicacy of the Caribbean. Once they walked off their large meal, they changed into their bathing suits and spent the rest of the afternoon going from slide to slide, swimming in the pools and experiencing the warm flowing water on the white sandy beaches. After three hours and a maxed out memory card Tom finally gave in to exhaustion and curled up next to Karen on one of the private secluded beaches waiting for the sun to set. They had reserved a room and were planning on ordering room service and spending the night on their small balcony over-looking the beach.

"Tom, this is turning out to be so nice after all. It's nice to get off that ship." Karen said grasping his hand tightly. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I'm doing okay. I think my bruises have developed new bruises, but it was fun."

"Have you ever heard of slowing down a little?"

Tom shook his head. "Karen we're in the Bahamas."

"Yes we are Tom and that can mean relaxing too, remember?"

"I guess, but what would Tommy..."

"Say if we didn't have a little fun." She said finishing his sentence. "Tommy is not here right now, just you and me." She leaned over and gave him a long hard kiss on the lips.

Tom smiled. "I guess I can stop saying that, but how about swimming with those dolphins tomorrow?"

Karen shook her head and looked out at the never-ending darkening sea. "We'll see Tom we'll see. Do you remember how lucky you are to be alive? I mean just the other day I almost lost you to a go-cart, so maybe we should just take it easy tomorrow."

"I guess I can find other ways to entertain ourselves." He gently kissed her on the lips pulling her close.

A few hours later, they were seated on their balcony enjoying the plush view. It wasn't waterfront, but it was pleasant and besides they would have a full ocean view balcony once they boarded the Calypso again. Tom was curious to get back on board to see how the investigation was going. He had made sure not to mention anything about it to Karen. She had mentioned several times she wanted to leave it behind for now, so he had complied. After an hour in the hot tub, his legs felt much better, so they decided to head down to the casino. It was one of the largest ones they had ever seen and they had been to both Atlantic City and Vegas. There were close to a thousand slot machines strategically lined up and almost completely occupied. Both Tom and Karen started pulling levers until their cups became empty and then they moved onto the blackjack tables where Tom had a lucky run bringing him in a few hundred dollars. He had wanted to continue but Karen convinced him to quit while he was ahead but after a heated argument and a promise for another turn in the hot tub he gave in. On the way back to their room, they bumped into several celebrities whom Tom was ecstatic at seeing and he knew Tommy would have gone nuts seeing the three NBA superstars walk by. Tom and Karen both smiled the whole way back to their room.

Chapter 26

Agent Mulkin left the explosive debris to the ATF Agents and followed Adam down the stairs and into the "D" deck or as Adam called it the Dolphin deck. He was amazed at the amount of detail that had gone into every aspect on the ship. He had never taken a cruise, never had any desire to do so. He just wasn't that comfortable on boats and without a wife or companion there was no one to convince him to do so anyway, and besides who needed a vacation when working cases was all he wanted to do. He really had no hobbies or any other interests besides crime solving. When he wasn't working which was rare, he would find himself studying case files. It was just something he did. Constantly reading over every case he ever worked on trying to figure out how he could have done things better and solved the case quicker. He knew in a matter of time this would be one of those cases he would pull out and read, but hopefully it would be to learn something from, not about. At the moment, it seemed to be an impossible task. There was something like five thousand passengers and a thousand crew members who all had to be screened and double-screened to be ruled out. He was glad Nancy was going through the passenger lists and with any luck she would find something. She just had that knack, which was why she had been such a terrific Agent. He just wished for both of their sakes that awful tragedy hadn't occurred. It had not only shaken the lives of Adam and Nancy but also that of the whole Bureau. They had immediately changed many of their procedures in exchanging gunfire with suspects and had probably caused a few agents to hesitate on their triggers. There were at least two or three other agents working with Nancy. He knew this was their best chance at cracking the killer, but it was that James Parker guy that really bothered him. He just seemed to possess too much information about what was happening, despite his claim of being a naval security officer. Mulkin had taken the time and did a full background check on the guy and everything so far had come back legit, but something just didn't feel right. He had seen it before. It was kind of like an instinct he had after so many years of doing this when he just knew something was out of place, but he just couldn't put his finger on it, and plus Adam seemed to trust the guy implicitly. He must have said something to Adam to convince him, because he had known Adam as a fine Agent with great instincts. He didn't have the raw talent that Nancy had, but he was a gifted investigator and always found his way down the right path. He remembered their first encounter. He had been a senior agent and Adam, brand new had just been assigned to his office. Within a day of his arrival, he had been tasked to solve a kidnapping. One of the most stressful crimes for any agent, but for a brand new one it must have been overwhelming, but not Adam. He calmly and confidently tricked the kidnappers into showing up prepared to get the ransom money at some determined drop point and Adam all alone took out two out of the three kidnappers and forced the third one to take him to the child whom he then brought home safely to the parents. He had been given one of the highest awards for that and was on his way to a successful career with the Bureau until the shooting at the bank happened. He watched Adam stop at the first room and knock on the door. This was going to be a long day, but with any luck the team of dogs that had been sent from Miami would be landing soon and could help sniff out any explosives or recently fired weapons. Adam had ensured them no guns had left the ship because, before each passenger could disembark they had to step through a metal detector and be searched by one of the security personnel on board. Apparently, they didn't even find any contraband, which was a first, but would certainly change upon the return to the Calypso. After not receiving an answer on the door, they stepped into the large cabin. Mulkin couldn't get over the amenities. It reminded him of the Tiffany's in Manhattan. Everything was perfectly set and decorated to match in the every fashion, no detail was left behind.

"So this is what first class looks like?"

Adam quickly scanned the room, looking under the bolted super-king sized bed and the lavish bathroom, "yes, these are the best of the best. Kind of reminds you of home huh Mulkin?"

"Shut up Adam. I have paid my dues and then some with the Bureau. I was never in it for the money."

"Obviously...I mean who goes into law enforcement to become rich."

"Looks like you guys got a pretty good gig here on the ship and all." Mulkin said following Adam out the door and into the quiet hallway.

"It is what it is. There's not a day that goes by that both Nancy and I don't think about the Bureau." They paused outside the next door looking at the cabin where the first murder had taken place. "What's your story anyway? Why do you still do this? I mean you could be making some real money or living on the beach somewhere."

Shaking his head, Mulkin answered, "It's in my blood. I think I bleed FBI."

Adam nodded in agreement as they entered into the empty cabin that obviously wasn't occupied.

"You must get a lot of empty ones in this section? Mulkin asked briefly glancing at the empty room.

"Believe it or not, the Dolphin deck is almost always full. In fact I haven't seen an unoccupied room up here in the last year. Remind me to have Nancy check on this one."

They continued down the rest of the hallway, spending a few extra minutes in James Parker's cabin. Mulkin shook his head as he ripped open one of the two suitcases stacked in the closet. "How can you explain a Government man like Parker staying in a room like this, just doesn't make sense."

Adam smiled, "you really have it out for him don't you?"

"He just doesn't add up. I mean look at all the coincidences." He held up three fingers. "He just happens to be booked three doors down from the first murder. He magically appears at the sight of the explosion and has no alibi for the murder at the night club except to say he was sleeping."

Adam curiously stared at Mulkin as if he were seeing him for the first time. "I hadn't thought of it that way. I mean the guy did check out."

Sighing Mulkin said, "C'mon Meluzzo I know you better than that. You're not getting soft on this big luxury liner now are you? Anyone could have set up some background info."

He watched as Adam opened the blinds and looked out on the balcony. "I say we keep him close anyway." He looked out at the large pier the Calypso was tied to. "What is the expression, keep your friends close and you're enemies closer."

"Something like that. I just think we need to watch him very close. I just feel he is up to something."

Adam stepped back into the room and set on the edge of the bed and pulled out a small notebook. "Okay, here's who we have for suspects now." He pointed at a sheet with words scribbled on it. "James Parker, Derek, the computer engineer I was telling you about and the so-called fiancée of the first victim."

Mulkin quickly pointed at Parker's name and said, "So which one would you say fits the bill?"

Adam immediately folded the sheet and placed it back in his pocket. "Okay, so we need to look at Parker some more. I agree. I'd also love for you to feel out Derek just to make sure."

"You got it. Let's do that after this hallway." They reluctantly stepped out of the room and knocked on the next door surprised to see an elderly couple, easily in their eighties answer. Adam quickly responded, "Hi, we are with security and our conducting an investigation into the incidents that have occurred on board. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man squinting as if he were looking into the sun responded, "Sorry, we are a little busy right now. Can you come back later?"

Mulkin feeling his impatience rapidly rise held out his credentials and badge. "FBI Sir. We need to talk now."

James began feeling the numbness finally began to wear off in his head, it wasn't that he couldn't handle analyzing data, it was just he was an action man and he needed to be where things were happening. He was glad when Nancy said she needed to take a break and lie down for a while. He immediately headed to the sight of the explosion and carefully watched as the ATF Agents combed through the remains of the bomb. He had always been fascinated by explosives, even as a kid. He would rush home after school and instead of heading to the playground to throw a ball around with the neighborhood kids he would head deep into the woods behind his house and light up pipe bombs. He loved making them, almost as much as setting them off. Luckily, growing up in Connecticut, there were plenty of large boulders lying about that actually had small caves that he could ignite them in and absorb the sound. He only remembered one bad experience where the police came out looking to see what was going on, but he was able to quickly gather his stuff and run deep into the woods until they left. As far as he knew they had never returned, probably figuring it was some kid playing with firecrackers. After high school, he attended UConn and immediately signed up for the Naval ROTC program and set his sights on nothing less than the Navy Seals which he ended up leading one of the elite teams. After about two hours had gone by, he realized he had better get back down to the security office to assist Nancy again. He knew she was pregnant, but she was also the type that would let nothing get in her way to solving a crime. She reminded him a lot of Leanne. He was imagining the day when she announced they were going to have a baby as well. He knew it would be the happiest day of his life. He really wished she were here. It seemed like so long ago they had been together, but for now he would have to settle for the phone calls. He picked up another stack of passengers and began to scan them for anything that looked out of the ordinary while Nancy continued to punch away at her laptop.

Captain Spence sat high above the deck watching a few passengers climb back aboard. Most of them had decided to take advantage of the free hotel rooms the Calypso had arranged. It really hadn't been that difficult with all the business Southern Winds brought to the Bahamas. He had heard most of the restaurants were offering free meals if the customer had a Calypso boarding pass as well. They all knew they would be back, in fact in six more days they would be bringing another five thousand high-spending Americans. He had laughed at the story that Adam and Agent Mulkin had told him earlier that they had gone to check one of the rooms and apparently almost walked in on an elderly couple opting to spend the two days locked romantically away in their cabin. Adam had said Mulkin forced his way into the cabin with his credentials and they were both taken aback by the amount of romantic toys and videotapes skewed about. Adam said it reminded him of one of those adult's only stores back in the States. He hadn't been surprised that they hadn't found anything or anyone suspicious on their search of the ship. Even the eight dogs that searched and sniffed every crevice and cranny came up empty except two boxes of fireworks and of course the shotgun shells from the skeet shooting. Southern Winds Management had boarded earlier and decided they would definitely go on with the cruise continuing the tour of the Bahaman islands and then stopping at Bermuda on the way back to Virginia. With the extra FBI and security onboard they had assured the passengers that their safety was guaranteed. Captain Spence and both the security and law enforcement onboard had opposed the term guarantee but Southern Winds was determined to keep the cruise going and had sent out a message to each passenger in those exact terms. Captain Spence along with the staff mostly stayed on the ship during the two-day stay, cleaning it up and preparing for the onslaught of passengers boarding at this moment. It was exciting to see the crowds fall into place many of them with drinks already in their hands and ready to enjoy themselves. With the kind of money they paid, by all means they should. But that was what made this Country so great anyway, thought Captain Spence. We are just resilient people by nature and keep on going no matter what the circumstance. He always thought back to September 11th 2001, he was out at sea of course, but there was only one direction America was headed on that day and that was forward. There was never any doubt in anyone's mind of turning back no matter what had occurred. He couldn't wait to get down there and mingle with the passengers. He knew they would have so many great stories to tell of their time in the Bahamas. He had heard all of them before, but it was fun to hear them again. Tonight was the famous Captain's dinner, where everyone got all dressed up and ate in the main dining room with him, in shifts of course. He was definitely looking forward to that. He would wear his dress whites and be seated at the head of the room and address the guests before eating. He had already planned his remarks, and only hoped to speak of the murders briefly. He would reassure everyone that the security staff had everything under control, although he wasn't sure, because they didn't seem to be any closer to solving it. They would be serving the traditional swordfish and roast beef cuisine prepared by the very talented cooking staff. The Captain usually dined three meals a day prepared by the cooks, luckily, being the Captain he didn't have to go to the dining room to enjoy his meals because they usually brought them up to him on the bridge or even to his cabin. He slowly walked back into the bridge watching his crew prepare for departure. They were scheduled to leave in less than two hours and were currently checking the engines and instruments. Despite the countless backups there were still many things that could go wrong and just as in airplanes the departure and arrival were the most stressful times for any cruise ship. He sat in the helmsman's chair, reminded of his very first boat. It was a tiny Boston Whaler with a twenty-five horsepower engine on it, but it could move out in the open water. They had lived near enough to a river that he could fire that thing up every afternoon after school and cruise up and down the river passing all the working boats. He could have never imagined one day he would be in command of a ship with the size and stature of the Calypso, but here he was in perhaps the most challenging time in his life, not facing Mother Nature or the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, but instead a mad man killing passengers under his watch. He knew he had to leave the investigating and security to the experts and concentrate on his first priority, which was to safely guide the ship on course, but he couldn't get the fear out of his mind of another innocent life being lost. He had always been prepared to go down with the ship if necessary but this was different. He looked out at the ocean through the large port. It was something he always did before heading out. As much as they relied on the technology that had changed the boating industry a few years ago, it was gut feeling and true experience that guided a true boatman. Just like many years ago on the Boston Whaler, Captain Spence relied on instinct before everything else and right now it was screaming to him that something was wrong and somewhere out there on the horizon was something really bad. Two hours later they cast away from the pier on a destination with the horizon.

Chapter 27

"Derek this is Agent Mulkin." Adam watched as Derek slowly lifted his gaze from the laptop up at them.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Mulkin reached out over the desk shaking Derek's hand. "I was wondering if we could talk for a few minutes."

"Can we do it later?" He studied the screen. "I'm right in the middle of something." Derek asked.

"I only need a few minutes of your time." Mulkin glanced at Adam.

"Just talk to him for a minute Derek. We just need your help with this." Adam calmly said, walking over to his office. "You can use my room."

"So does he think I'm involved in this too?" Derek pointed at Mulkin.

"Derek, no one thinks you're involved we just need all the information we can get." Adam looked at the computer. "You know it's like trying to solve a computer problem, you need all the information you can get."

"Fine." He abruptly closed the laptop lid. "Please make this quick. We are departing soon."

Mulkin pointed him towards the office. "Let's get started."

Derek quickly entered the office sitting in the chair closest to the door while Mulkin comfortably slid behind Adam's desk briefly glancing at the photos of Nancy.

"So how long have you worked on the Calypso?"

Derek quickly responded, "Since it was launched, I think it has been about four years."

Mulkin wrote something in his notebook, looked up. "What about before that?"

"I was a computer support technician with Verizon."

"How did you end up on the Calypso?"

Derek paused, staring at Mulkin's stern composed face that didn't blink or change expression. He reminded Derek of a mannequin, never showing any emotion. "My Dad knows the Captain and I guess he pulled a few strings."

"Sounds like a nice deal you got here." Mulkin looked out at the desk where Adam was still seated. "You have complete access to everything on the ship, all the computers, servers, cameras and passenger databases correct?"

Derek's face crumpled. "Wait a minute. I thought you said you needed some information. Why so many questions about me?"

"I always like to get to know the person who is providing the information first...makes me understand things better."

"Well, just so you know. I didn't send any emails or control any cameras during the crimes." Perspiration was forming on his forehead.

"As I'm sure you know...all three murders involved some kind of technology access that only a computer engineer could have." Mulkin leaned back in the chair.

"That's not true. The Captain, Adam and Nancy also have complete access." Derek looked out at Adam for some help but he had his back to them.

"Let me re-phrase that then. You're the only one who has complete access and the know-how." He briefly closed his own eyes and then looked directly into Derek's dark brown ones, trying to decipher what he was thinking. Mulkin wasn't a computer expert by any means, but he had enough experience to know how they worked as well as network systems, and was certain that these crimes were committed by someone who had to be on the same level of expertise as Derek.

"That still doesn't mean anything." Derek cried back.

Mulkin reached into his pocket and placed a piece of paper on the table in front of Derek. "Explain this."

Derek pushed the printed email away. "Look I already told Adam that I didn't send that and he believes me. I don't care what you think. Someone hacked into the system."

"What proof do you have of that?" Mulkin snatched up the email demanding the second lifeboat drill and placed it back in his pocket. "I spoke with the engineers over there at Southern Winds and they have you logged into the email server at the same time this email was sent."

"I told you it was hacked." Derek brushed his forehead with his sleeve.

"Don't you guys require smart cards to log in?"

"Yes." He clenched his teeth.

"And do you have yours in your possession?"

"Yes"

Mulkin leaned forward, "so as far as you know it wasn't stolen at any time?"

Derek pulled out a chain from around his neck revealing a card. "No, I always have it right here."

"Great. So my point is confirmed." Mulkin's eyes radiated in their sockets.

"But it wasn't me."

"Since you designed the system, is it possible to login without a card?" Mulkin slowly leaned backwards waiting for a response.

Derek didn't answer right away realizing he was going to implicate himself. Finally he mumbled, "No."

Mulkin leaned forward. "What did you say?"

"I said no...all right." He slammed his fist on the table so hard that it caused Adam to turn his head. "I feel like I'm being interrogated."

Ignoring him, Mulkin asked. "Did you setup all the cameras?"

"I don't have to answer these questions."

"Then don't." Mulkin didn't take his eyes off of Derek's. "You can always wait until you get in front of a jury."

"Shut up. I didn't do anything."

"Then just answer the questions." He paused. "Did you setup the camera system?"

"Yes, with some help from a contractor of course."

"I'll need that information."

"I'll get it for you when we're done." He looked down at his hands noticing them twitching. He caught Mulkin staring at them too.

"Little nervous Derek?" Mulkin asked his eyes fixated on his hands.

Derek immediately placed his hands out of view in his lap. "This is ridiculous."

"What is?" Mulkin asked raising his eyebrows dramatically up.

"This whole conversation."

"Why don't you let me decide that." He looked down into his notebook, turned a few pages. "So how well do you know James Parker?"

Tommy's eyebrows immediately joined. "Who?"

"You know the passenger who is helping out Adam on this investigation."

"Oh him." Tommy looked back out towards Adam who was busy talking into his cell phone. "We talked a few times about computers."

"Have you two ever talked before?"

Derek nervously moved his eyes back and forth. "No that's the first time I had ever seen him."

Mulkin picked up the notebook, closing it in his hands. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't know that guy."

Mulkin stood up and extended his hand. "It was nice talking to you Derek."

Derek slowly stood up limply shaking his hand and stormed out the door past Adam and into the hallway.

"So what was that all about?" Adam asked snapping his cell phone shut and sitting across from Mulkin who was still seated at his desk furiously writing in his notepad.

He stopped writing and looked up. "I was just feeling him out."

"And?" Adam raised his hands in the air.

"I didn't like what I heard."

"What does that mean?"

Slowly standing up Mulkin said, "It means I think he has something to do with it."

Adam shook his head. "C'mon that guy is as innocent as they come."

"Not necessarily."

"What did he say in here?" Adam asked curiously.

Mulkin calmly placed the pen and notebook in his pocket. "It's more what he didn't say that bothers me." He stared hard at Adam. "I mean let's face it; there is no one else who has both the know-how and the access to do what he did."

Adam stood up. "You're telling me you think that guy is capable of three high-tech assassin style murders because he is a technology wiz?"

"No, but I think he helped someone who is."

Adam stared into the eyes of Mulkin. He had never realized how beady they actually were. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. I mean he had thought about Derek being a suspect earlier. It was he after all that added him to the list but he had never actually thought of him assisting someone. It did make sense. He was the only one who could pull it off as Mulkin had said. "So what do you want to do?"

"I want to search Derek's background some more and then have a little talk with your friend Mr. Parker."

"I told you he's clean." Adam' raised his voice slightly.

"I think I may have an idea of what's going on now."

Adam's eyes full of confusion asked, "What do you mean?"

"They may be in on it together."

"Derek and Parker!" He felt himself smile. "You're kidding me right?"

"It makes sense. I mean put them together and what do you have?" He looked at Adam. "The know-how, the capability and the access."

Shaking his head Adam responded, "I have to agree it's actually not a bad theory now that I think about it." He started to laugh. "I was just thinking you might be getting a little too old for this job, but you might be on to something. I guess that's why they keep you around."

Mulkin smiled, flexing his large bicep, "you damn right Meluzzo. I always knew you would have made a great agent." He tapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go find Parker."

Chapter 28

Tom and Karen stood on the bow watching the Nassau lighthouse disappear. They would only be at sea for a few hours as they made their way to Freeport, their last stop in the Bahamas.

"You ready honey?"

"For what?" Karen asked curiously eyeing Tom who had gotten a mischievous look on his face.

"You know for another trip up that wall." He pointed over her shoulder at the center of the ship that housed most of the recreation activities.

"I don't think so mister." She placed her hand on his forearm. "You are going to take it easy. How about we take a nice walk and then get some coffee."

"There's a Starbucks right near the pool."

"Tom." Karen said shaking her finger. "We can maybe try the Jacuzzi. I still don't know how you got me in the water with those fish."

"Dolphins Karen, dolphins. They are mammals. They don't have gills like fish."

"Okay. Okay." She smiled. "Let's take that nice walk to the coffee shop, and no running."

Tom laughed as he felt the big ship speed up. He looked around feeling a new spirit taking over the Calypso. It was like they had left the three murders back in Nassau and were starting the cruise today. The deck was full of people smiling, talking and breathing in the fresh crisp air. It was going to be another beautiful day in paradise. They had taken so many pictures. Tom couldn't wait to share them with Tommy who would be full of questions especially about Atlantis. They would probably spend an hour just looking at the shark pictures. Tom had even taken a picture of the basketball court on the Calypso. He was sure his son was playing ball right now, probably standing out on the driveway pushing his red white and blue John Wall basketball up in the hoop or at least towards it. He probably wished his parents were standing near him encouraging him like he and Karen always did. Like most kids he thrived on praise and Tom and Karen always had plenty of it for him. They had tried the video system in the computer room when they first re-boarded the ship. Tommy had been sleeping, so they just left a video message that he was sure he had seen by now. He really missed him. They still had another four or five days till they docked back in Norfolk, so he was going to enjoy himself till then and he and Tommy could run around and be Karen's two kids as she called them both when they were together. They just had a unique bond. Whenever they were together it was all fun and games. Karen constantly got on him about not disciplining Tommy, but he was just such a good kid that there wasn't really much to get on him about. Occasionally, he would get out of control, but from what he saw with other kids it was perfectly normal, so he usually just let it go despite Karen's uneasiness with it. He still felt a little guilty about being here and not with Tommy because he travelled a lot with his job and knew as soon as he got out his suitcase Tommy's usual happy face would almost melt from the sadness, but he knew Karen would take care of him. She might not be able to match the physical playing, but she excelled at other things like reading and homework which Tom knew he lacked, but he was getting better. They continued walking along the ships enormous deck. They were both still amazed at the sheer size. It was literally a floating city. Tom felt Karen squeeze his hand as they walked past an elderly couple both with tennis ball equipped walkers struggling to make their way across the deck. She quietly whispered, "I want that to be us one day, but you need to stop being Mr. Daredevil."

"As long as I can still walk faster than you even with a walker," Tom said looking back at the couple. A second later he turned back around and Karen was gone. She had just been right by his side. He had only taken his eyes away for a second. He felt his heart rate immediately increase. It reminded him of the time he had not been able to locate Tommy at the mall. It had only been about thirty seconds, but it had been the longest thirty seconds of his life. They had been walking through the toy store at the mall, a miniature FAO Schwarz type store when Tom's phone began to buzz. He looked down at the message, reading through the whole thing and then looked up and Tommy was nowhere to be found. He remembered the rush of adrenaline shooting through every vein in his body and for the next thirty seconds he was out of control, spinning and running in every direction until he found Tommy standing outside the store in the middle of the mall looking at him through the glass window. He never ran so fast and snatched him up not letting go of his hand the rest of the day, even after they got back home and causing a few odd questions from Karen that she let go unanswered. He quickly scanned the area around him and still didn't see her. It was like she had just vanished. He wasn't concerned, but just confused. He stopped thinking, maybe she was hiding somewhere. He even regretfully looked over the railing in case she was in the water. Just then he saw something orange out of the corner of his eye. It was about a hundred feet or so in front of him. He couldn't believe it. He immediately took off running, almost at a full sprint. He easily cleared a hundred feet in no time and as soon as he passed the pool there she was seated at the Starbucks her feet up on the table.

"You said you would still be able to walk faster than me." She was laughing. Her smile was from ear to ear."

"I ought to..."

Immediately cutting him off, she said, "what get some legs, c'mon old man I thought you could move faster than that. It wasn't even close."

Tom laughed, seeing that familiar "I won again" grin take over her face. "This time my dear, but you wait."

"I think I did wait while you had to catch up." She was loving it. "Now how about getting us some coffee?"

Tom stepped up to the line and ordered two espressos. "I think it is time for a rematch." He pointed at the climbing wall on the other side of the pool.

"You got it, but let's wait another day to make sure my old man is really ready for that."

"It's a deal." He held out his hand.

She shook his hand and said, "But promise me after that we end these silly games."

"Okay, this will be the last race. I mean it." He clasped her fingers with his. "As long as I win."

"Tom. You promised. Besides, if you really got hurt I would have no one to whoop up on."

Tom smiled and said, "So what do you want to do in Freeport?"

"How about we do some hiking and exploring? I read there were some nice trails along the ocean, but remember casual no racing."

"You got it." Tom answered.

"Why do I get the impression you are up to something."

"Me?" He pointed at his chest.

"Yes, you."

"Just a nice husband wanting to make sure his wife has a good time tomorrow."

"Until the rock climbing wall right?"

He smiled. "It's the final race. I have to be ready."

"You are too much Mr. Wilson. I hope Tommy isn't as crazy as you are, but I suspect it is already too late, because he not only looks exactly like you, he acts like you as well."

"Just a chip off the old block."

"Something like that." She reached over and pulled him close to her, staring into the deep emerald colored ocean.

Chapter 29

The non-descript passenger stepped out from his cabin. He was dressed as one of the ships stewards...white shorts and a navy blue knit shirt with the name Calypso emblazoned high on his chest. He was also wearing one of his many wigs. This one gave him very dark wavy hair and a thick mustache, making most think he was of a Hispanic origin. He even darkened his skin a few shades. He continued down the hallway past several passengers whom barely noticed him. He politely nodded to each of them. That was how first class passengers were, they didn't necessarily want to engage you but they expected you to recognize them which he expertly did. He was very familiar with these kinds of people because they were the same people who had raised him. His father was one of the most successful cardiovascular surgeons on the east coast working out of Johns Hopkins and his mother who wasn't content at being another rich doctor's wife took it upon herself to become a top litigator. He had really been raised by hired help. He would often go a week or two without even a conversation with either one of them, both so caught up in their own lives and careers. It was like they just forgot all about him. At first it had been tough, but after he got a little older he actually relished it. He had two people whose job it was to watch him, but they didn't really care they just wanted a paycheck, which he doubled for both of them if they agreed to look the other way and let him be as he wanted. He would often leave for days on end as a teenager learning his craft while his two servants covered and answered any questions if his parents happened to ask which they rarely ever did. He had read in the paper a few years ago his father had suffered a stroke, but he hadn't bothered reading the rest of the article. He didn't believe in media and newspapers. He felt it took away from his being. He had just happened to be working a street that particular day and in a moment of weakness, that he punished himself dearly for later, he caught a glimpse of a newspaper and had seen the headline. He pushed the button on the elevator and politely stepped aside as two couples came bounding out. He was just about to step in when one of the males tapped him on the shoulder and slipped him three twenty dollar bills. He whispered in his ear to keep up the good work in cabin thirty. The non-descript man nodded and jumped into the elevator before its doors closed. He pushed the up button taking him to the "D" deck again. He exited the elevator, quickly walked down the hall and entered a few empty rooms. He had checked which ones were empty moments before on his laptop. He pretended to be going about his business of tidying up the cabins. He continued this process in all the rooms until he finished with room 25B where he spent a few extra minutes. Ten minutes later, he was back in his own cabin beginning another intense workout.

Chapter 30

"You still got your nose in those books?"

Nancy looked up from her desk at the two familiar men slowly walking towards her desk. "Yes, and unfortunately I haven't found anything or for that matter anyone yet."

"Why don't you take a break?" Adam said gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I will. I just want to get through a few more lists." She shuffled a thick stack of papers in front of her.

"What kind of info do you have?" Mulkin asked curiously eyeing the paper.

"The usual, you know passports and addresses all that kind of stuff."

"By the way, where's Parker?" Adam asked looking around the empty office.

"Probably planning his next kill," Mumbled Mulkin.

"What?" Asked Karen. "James just went for something to eat."

"Mulkin has an interesting theory." He looked directly at Mulkin who sat down opposite Karen. "He thinks it's possible that Parker and Derek are in on it together. At first I thought it was crazy." He watched Karen nod in agreement. "But it makes sense. I mean put the two together and you have an explanation for each murder."

Karen shook her head. "No way, first of all I doubt Derek ever even stole a piece of candy when he was a kid." She looked at Mulkin, "and James, well he doesn't strike me as a killer."

"Most of them don't," Added Mulkin. "What time did he say he would be back anyway?"

"He should be back soon. He left about an hour ago." She looked down at her silver Tiffany watch...a gift from Adam last Christmas.

"Mulkin is going to give him one of his famous interrogations."

"What about Derek? I don't see why you think he's involved."

"I just had an interesting conversation with him." Mulkin rubbed his close knit crew cut. "He agreed he was the only one who could pull this off and that he knew Parker."

"That still doesn't make him guilty." Nancy said.

"No, but it definitely makes him someone I want to watch, and after I talk to James hopefully I'll be able to put it all together."

Nancy, well aware of Mulkin's motivation, and success rate responded, "I am convinced I have the killer right here in front of me. I just need to figure out who."

"I respect your abilities. I know your one of the best when it comes to this kind of stuff, but I think we still need to get a better look at these two."

"Be my guest. I'll be right here." She calmly picked up another stack.

"Or you could go back to the cabin and lay down for a while." Adam added rubbing her neck.

Nancy slowly leaned away and looked at him, smiling, and "Remember Adam I am still Assistant Director of Security and I intend to fulfill my role."

"I think you should listen to the lady Adam." Mulkin chided, quietly laughing.

They all turned towards the door as James Parker strolled in. "Hey everyone."

"Hey James, how was dinner?" Nancy asked.

"You know they have a Five Guys on here?"

"A what?" Mulkin asked.

"A Five Guys Mulkin. You know those huge burgers. Delicious wasn't it James?" Adam slowly rubbed his stomach.

"You know it. If I didn't eat all day tomorrow I would still be full."

"Good. Then we'll have plenty of time to talk." Mulkin sternly said pointing at an empty office.

"Sure. What do you mean? What do you want to talk about?" James asked curiously looking between Mulkin and Adam.

Adam quickly responded, "He wants to discuss what you know about the killings thus far."

"Absolutely, whatever you want to know Agent Mulkin."

"Let's get started." He pointed at the office. "Can we use this room?"

Adam nodded, looking at Nancy. "Sure. I think we are going to go and take a break, right Honey?"

"Adam." Nancy laughed. "This is going to be a long nine months. I can already tell"

James and Mulkin laughed as they walked into the small conference room shutting the door and sitting at the table. It had four chairs around it, about the size of a small dining room table. It was often used for small meetings and planning.

"All right Mr. Parker. As you can probably tell I don't like you very much. I know your type."

A placid look on his face, James answered, "Not one to hold back your thoughts, huh Agent Mulkin?"

"Been in this business way too long to waste time." He leaned forward on his elbows inching closer to James'. "Now I don't know what your story is, I mean you may have them fooled, but not me."

James took a long hard stare at Mulkin, his weathered face, obviously dyed crew cut and eyes that looked as though they could pierce right through your sole. "I'm not sure what you think I am doing. All I am trying to do here is help." He slowly leaned back creating a greater distance between the two. "As I'm sure you know...I have a certain degree of expertise in what is happening."

Mulkin immediately cut in. "I know."

"Look." James voice became harder and more stringent. "I was a Navy Seal. I know about killing. Trust me. I had my fair share of activities, I would choose never to discuss again. I don't even like to think about them, and from what I see is going on here we have something similar."

Smiling Mulkin responded, "Keep talking you're making my job easier."

Shaking his head, James asked, "I'm not sure I understand what exactly we are doing. I'm getting the impression you think I am somehow involved in this. I am not involved here Agent Mulkin. I am trying to help."

"It's a little ironic that you just happened to know exactly what was used to kill the last passenger and now you are predicting the exact means of the next three or four I understand." Mulkin raised his hands above his head. They both turned as Adam led Nancy out the door in the next room.

"Yes, it is true I gave Mr. Meluzzo some information on what I think will happen to the next few passengers. It's just a theory which I am sure you use in your line of work. It doesn't mean I can see the future or I'm going to be the one committing them." He paused. "I just thought it might help prevent someone else from losing their life. Isn't that the objective here Agent?"

"Yes it is, but I find it a little suspicious that you seem to have some inside knowledge on what is going to happen next wouldn't you agree." Mulikn frowned. "Would you care to explain this foresight you seem to have?"

Shaking his head, "no I would rather not at this time."

"See what I mean?"

"What?"

"You're hiding something." Mulkin leaned back. "I don't have time for games Parker. If you want to play them find another ship. If you really want to help, then help us out otherwise stay the hell out of my way or I'll have you arrested for obstruction."

James stood up and calmly said, "Nice talking to you."

"I didn't say it was over yet."

"You don't have to. I did." James grabbed the doorknob.

"How about explaining your past then?" Mulkin asked quickly rising to his feet. "Or would you rather not discuss that either.

"I bet you have it written down right there in that little notebook of yours." He pointed at Mulkin's small notebook.

"That's the problem. There's nothing here besides your Navy career, which I have my doubts about as well."

"I'm out of here. I don't know what kind of witch hunt you're on, but it stops with me right now." James opened the door quickly walking to the outer exit.

"Would you care to explain this then?" He held up a small piece of paper with a photo attached to it.

James quickly walked back towards him grabbing the paper. "Where did you get this?" He held up the photo of him and Leanne outside a Las Vegas hotel.

"Now according to your naval security job you say you're currently employed at, you were in London at this time. I mean you're even registered at the London Hilton." He pulled out another photocopied sheet. "But clearly here you are in Vegas. How do you explain that?"

"That was Leanne's veterinarian convention. She was getting an award."

He reached into a briefcase and pulled out another sheet. "I know I have that here as well. In fact we are going to go talk to her very soon."

James took another step closer. "Stay away from her Agent Mulkin."

"Then tell me how you are going about killing these passengers."

James looked at him, turned around and headed towards the door. "I've said all I'm going to say. Have a nice day Agent Mulkin." He disappeared into the hallway.

Chapter 31

"So what do you think of Mulkin's theory? Asked Adam?"

Adam slowly turned toward Nancy. He couldn't help but closely examining everyone everywhere he went trying to figure out who was going to be the next victim and the small café was no different. If Parker was correct, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. The next death would appear like an accident. Which made things difficult because with thousands of passengers and thousands of activities, how would they be able to distinguish a real accident from a fake one especially if the guy was as good as they say he was? He looked around the busy café, there were mostly families enjoying a snack or a light dinner, most of them were engaged in conversation and appeared to be having a good time. It was true what they say about cruise ships that eating was such a big part of it, especially when you worked on one, but he was able to keep himself in top condition with the amount of gym equipment available. He was actually in better shape now than when he had attended the Academy despite Nancy saying something different.

Nancy twirled the straw in her diet soda. "I don't buy it. How many people had the means to commit crimes when we were in the Bureau, but weren't guilty."

"I agree, but the guy is a little creepy." He took a small bite of his sandwich. "I mean how many times have you had someone tell you what crime was going to happen next."

"Nothing has happened."

"Not yet."

Shaking her head, she said, you're really convinced this is going to continue because he said it will. He's playing some crazy twisted kind of game right?"

"Yeah I guess." He looked at his watch. He still wore the watch his father gave him after he graduated high school. It was a Timex, nothing fancy or expensive, just the way his dad was. "I'm curious to see what Mulkin found out after their talk."

"That guy still freaks me out."

"Parker?"

"No, Mulkin." She took a small sip. "I mean I know he's good and has almost an unheard of closure rate, but he seems like he's too quick to jump to a conclusion."

"Maybe he doesn't like ships, and just wants to get back on land."

Nancy smiled. "Perhaps...speaking of what do you want to do?"

Looking confused Adam asked, "What do you mean?"

"About... as you call him, our son." She rubbed her stomach area. "Do you want to raise him at sea or back home?"

Speaking softer, he said, "Part of me wants to keep him on here, but what about school and friends and everything."

"I was hoping you would say that." She smiled. "What about our jobs?"

"We can find others, besides you'll be home raising Adam Jr."

She shook our head. "So I see you have already named him and I am going to be a stay at home mom huh?"

Adam took a big swallow. "It has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

"And what if it is a girl?"

"Adama."

"What did you say? Adama. That's not a name."

Adam laughed out loud causing a few nearby people to turn their heads. He felt his pager began to vibrate and as if on cue both he and Nancy stared at each other after reading the message for a second before springing to their feet. They quickly ran up the stairs avoiding the busy elevator and reached the deck in less than three minutes. They raced towards the hot tub where two of Doc's staff were violently trying to revive a young woman. Her name was Samantha Brown; she couldn't have been more than thirty years old with short wavy brown hair. Her face was as white as the cement she was lying on. Adam knew it was too late, but was relieved the medics were giving her a chance and trying to save her. After another sixty seconds or so they stopped and covered her body with a sheet. Adam and Nancy directed the security team who were quickly arriving to rope off the area. Passengers frantic with fear were scurrying about trying to get a look at the young woman and the security.

"So what happened?" Adam asked, looking at the lifeguard who had been working on the Calypso for almost two years.

Breathing fast he answered, "she was walking by the hot tub, slipped slammed her head on the edge." Adam turned towards the hot tub where he saw the blood stained cement. "And then she fell into the water. I pulled her out as quickly as possible, but it was too late."

Adam nodded looking at Nancy who was shaking her head. "I don't think this is number four. This sounds like a legitimate accident."

"I agree, but we better investigate." He turned towards the young medic whose face was still flushed from performing CPR. "What do you think?"

"She has a nasty head wound and then her lungs filled with water. I think by the time they got her it was too late. It is pretty slick over here."

Adam rubbed his foot along the slippery cement, turned around and found himself staring directly in the face of Agent Mulkin. "Hey Adam. What the hell happened?"

"Apparently the woman was getting ready to go in the hot tub and then she slipped and slammed her head on the cement." He pointed at the bloodied area.

Mulkin raised his eyebrows. "Damn shame." He reached down and pulled back the sheet, "So young too."

"I don't think this was connected." Adam said looking out at the sea.

"You may want to think again. Look whose over there." Mulkin pointed towards the large pool fifty feet away. Adam turned his head and saw James Parker quickly turn away and head towards the back of the pool area.

"What is he doing here?" Adam scoffed.

"Exactly, that is the question of the day. What is he doing here? What is he doing on this ship?" Adam faced Mulkin. "I think we both know the answer to that."

"You're telling me you think he caused this lady to fall?" Adam asked.

"You tell me. He's the one who said the next one would be an accident. Funny how he happens to be here isn't it?" Mulkin looked over at the pool.

"What is he some kind of psychic then?"

"No he's a killer Adam, a true evil killer." Mulkin explained.

"C'mon Mulkin she slipped and fell. Anyone could have walked by here at this time."

"That's my point. He probably pushed her or something." Mulkin looked up above. "Any surveillance out here?"

"Nothing that would cover this area close enough. I spoke with the lifeguard and he witnessed the whole thing." They both looked over at the nervous man standing next to the medics. "He said she just walked by and fell."

Nancy called out holding her cell phone to her ear. "I'm on the phone with Southern Winds. Apparently, she was traveling alone and the numbers they have for her are disconnected."

"See what I mean Adam?"

"See what Mulkin?" Adam curiously asked.

"She fits the pattern."

"She's a woman. All the others were males."

Mulkin began dialing his cell phone. "Hold on a minute. I guarantee you'll see what I'm talking about." Adam looked over at Nancy who was still talking on her phone. He walked over to the lifeguard. "Are you sure she was over here by herself?"

"I'm sure. She just got here and removed her shirt and was heading over to the hot tub then I saw her fall out of the corner of my eye." He looked down. "Mr. Meluzzo, I froze."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"I didn't immediately jump out of the chair. It was like it happened in slow motion and I was watching a movie. I might have been able to save her."

Adam placed his arm on his shoulder. "You did a great job. The medics said she probably died right away." He watched the lifeguard walk back to the medics. He knew he would never be the same again. He began looking for other witnesses when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Mulkin. "I told you."

"What?" Asked Adam.

"She has no background. All the records we have only go back a few years just like the other three." Mulkin closed his cell phone.

"So you're telling me you think she was murdered?"

"It adds up." He looked towards the pool.

"How?" Adam looked back at the hot tub and called out. "All right guys check that surface to see if anything was added to it to make it more slippery." He watched as the security guards eyed him curiously before they began checking the surface. He felt his insides began to crumble. He couldn't imagine how someone could stage this woman to slip and fall killing her instantly. It was almost impossible, but what Mulkin said kind of made sense. She had the same mysterious background as the others. Parker had said the next one was going to be an accident and worst of all he had been nearby. Something wasn't adding up, he could feel it. He looked at Mulkin who was watching the security team try to get a sample of what was on the surface. Nancy was still on the phone, probably discovering the same thing Mulkin had just found out. They were due in Freeport in a few hours. They needed to get a CSI team to check the surface, but maybe his team could get something.

"We got something here boss?" He heard Jimmy call out.

"What is it?" Adam ran over to the hot tub, slowing down as he neared it.

"There's something on here." He pointed at the surface, "Some kind of bluish liquid."

"That could be what they use to clean it." Adam added waving for the lifeguard.

"If it is then we are about to get hit with a major lawsuit, because this stuff is like pure ice." Jimmy said rubbing the surface with his index finger.

Adam called out. "Hey what do you guys clean this with?"

The lifeguard looked at the tub. "You know chlorine, the usual chemicals to meet the standards for hot tubs."

"Not the water the cement." Adam said.

"Uhh...we don't clean the cement. At least I don't. They might do it when were docked for cleaning, but we don't do anything."

"Thanks." Adam looked at Mulkin who frowned and immediately pulled out his cell phone again.

Chapter 32

"All right, so what you're telling me is you think this woman was murdered?" Captain Spence asked stroking his beard, his face in disbelief.

Adam looked around the Captain's office. It had only been hours before that they had gathered the security team in the same room to come up with a plan. He had also learned he would become a father in the very same room. He needed time to figure everything out. Were they going to stay on the Calypso or find a place back in Virginia? He had already told Nancy he wanted to leave. He wasn't sure anymore. He wasn't sure about anything anymore. How had they gotten to the point of calling an accident a murder, but that's what was happening. Nothing made sense anymore. He hadn't slept more than a few hours since this started and more importantly neither had Nancy. He had to get her off the case, even though he knew she would never budge. She was carrying a baby, their baby. They couldn't let the job overtake their lives, but it was and he felt his heart growing heavier by the minute. "I'm afraid so Captain. We haven't proved it, but it is looking that way. I still can't believe it myself, but there was definitely some kind of chemical added to the surface."

Captain Spence twirled a ball point pen in his fingers. "Someone could have spilled something right?"

"I thought the same thing, but then we looked into the victim's background and it's just like the others. Someone is targeting certain passengers and I think they are following that pattern I told you about. Hold on a second." Adam frantically began dialing his cell. As soon as Nancy answered he said, "Nancy, why don't you separate all the passengers who have little or false background info now that we know what he is targeting." He thought he heard her quietly laugh. "We're already doing that my dear. James and I have already found six or so names that seem to have the same kind of background."

"Parker is there?" Adam felt his pulse rate pickup. This was the guy they suspected of performing these murders and he was probably only a few feet from his wife.

"Yep, he is right here helping me out." She responded.

"All right just be careful."

"I'll be fine. I need to get back to work. I love ya."

"Love you too." He heard the phone click.

"She'll be fine Adam. I know it's tough but she's a tough woman." Captain Spence calmly said.

"I know it's just different now that she's pregnant."

Captain Spence folded his arms across his chest. "You know it's one of God's little secrets." He looked directly at Adam. "He made woman stronger than men. Could you imagine if we had to go through that for nine months?" Adam shook his head. "Trust me Adam I have seen it first hand and it's not easy."

"You're right Captain."

"I'm not comfortable putting this out to the passengers unless we know definitively that it was a murder and not an accident."

Adam nodded in agreement. "I agree Captain. We'll leave it as an accident for now. Besides, I don't foresee any way to prove it otherwise. It just doesn't add up."

"Especially after what you told me Parker said."

"That's the part that scares me the most."

"What do you mean?" Captain Spence looked confused.

"Well if this was the accident, the next method according to Parker is a mass attack disguised to target one person." Adam felt the numbness growing in his stomach.

"Great. How do we plan to deal with that?"

Adam looked down. "Captain it may be time to call off this cruise."

"This is all speculation based on one guy who you say might be a suspect right?"

"Yes, but if this accident was really a murder, it seems to be coming true." Adam watched the Captain lean back and close his eyes.

"Here's the deal. Get to the bottom of this accident and if you're convinced it was really a murder, were heading home." He opened his eyes staring at Adam. "Southern Winds will have to reimburse the passengers or do whatever they want. Safety has to come first."

"I got some CSI guys in Freeport coming on board to do an investigation on the surface near the spa. Hopefully, they'll be able to tell us."

"Keep me posted." Captain Spence stood up. "We should arrive in about three hours. I need to get started on docking procedures. By the way how's Derek holding up? I haven't seen him in a while."

Adam stood up. "He's staying low. I think he's really upset about the whole thing. I don't think he's involved, but Mulkin seems to think so."

"Keep an eye on him Adam, and hang in there." He lightly tapped Adam's shoulder. "I know you'll get him."

Adam slowly walked out of the Captain's office walking past the bridge. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the crew hard at work guiding the large ship. He hoped they would guide them directly back home, but the Captain said they should wait until they could say it was definitely a murder. Adam was slowly becoming convinced that it was the more time that passed by, but maybe his mind was clouded from Parker. Maybe that was what he wanted. He just seemed like a decent straight up guy, but he knew all the stories of straight-up guys who were really serial killers, but this was different. He looked off towards the starboard side of the ship and off in the distance, some of the islands of the Bahamas could be seen. He had only been to Nassau and Freeport because that's where they went every ten days but he often wondered what it would be like to live on one of those small islands where the only thing you worried about was what you were going to have to eat, or what beach you were going to swim at next. It would be a great life for the three of them, raising their child in an uncontaminated area where there were no crazy criminals but just peaceful paradise, but as his pager began to vibrate reality struck its ugly face. He was on the Calypso and it was his responsibility to stop the killing and let these passengers get home safe. He remembered when they had accepted the job a few years ago, it had seemed like it would be such a boring and uneventful job and for the most part it was. There were the early years of figuring out what to do with the drunks and the fistfights, but they had worked all that out and until this started it had actually began to become both routine and relaxing. He actually missed the routine and relaxing, he hadn't checked the scores in days, didn't know who the Redskins were trading for or gearing up to play. Free agency was just around the corner. He had missed the big USC – UCLA game last night, something he wouldn't have missed any other time. They had to get to the bottom of this and the more he thought about it the more he was beginning to feel Mulkin might be right, maybe the murderer was right under his nose and he had just become too soft to see it. He looked down at the pager and read that Mulkin was asking him to meet him at the hot tub. He had found something important.

Chapter 33

The non-descript passenger hurried along the deck, his swimming trunks were still dripping from the chlorinated water. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed the water. He had spent so much time in it over the years that it felt good to get back in. He had been amazed at how deep the pool actually was; it went down to about twelve feet in the diving area giving plenty of space for the towering diving board above. Behind it was the rock climbing wall that he had sat and watched as various people strapped on the safety lines and climbed up. He couldn't quite understand the fascination with climbing a wall, but it obviously had an appeal due to the amount of people partaking. Some were up in less than a minute while others struggled and never made it up. He wrapped the towel around his chiseled body as he carefully avoided two young children walking without looking. There were no adults with them which surprised him to some degree and they appeared to be upset and perhaps lost, but he walked by oblivious to their condition and turned down onto the staircase taking him below decks. He stepped into the elevator along with a middle-aged woman whom he noticed was eying him the whole time and rode down two more levels. He quickly stepped off ignoring her leering stares, taking her for one of the lonelier passengers. He entered into his cabin, removed the dark black wig, pulled out his crumpled piece of paper and scratched off name number four, the only female.

Chapter 34

Tom and Karen stepped into the large dining room amazed at the attire of the passengers, most of the men including Tom were dressed in crisp black tuxedos rented from the tuxedo shop below and the woman were covered in everything from silk to floral encompassing the entire fashion realm. It reminded Tom of his senior prom, only the average participant was about twenty years older. He hadn't wanted the tux, but Karen had insisted so they had made the trek down to Wan's Tuxedos, an amazing place that could measure you and then a few hours later hand you your tux fitted and ready to go. He couldn't believe how well it fit. It was as comfortable as his wedding day attire and actually a lot less expensive. He had felt very awkward in it walking up here, but now that he saw everyone else dressed the same he knew he would have felt awkward without it. They stood in line just inside the door shaking hands and greeting the various crew members who made up the receiving line. At the very end of the line was a distinguished looking man with facial hair that they recognized as the Captain. They slowly made their way through the line shaking the hands of the mostly young crew all dressed very impressively in their dress white uniforms resembling a group of highly decorated Naval officers. After twenty minutes or so, they finally reached the Captain, he reached out and offered Tom a firm handshake and told them to enjoy the cruise. They had just casted off from Freeport and were headed to Bermuda. This was not normally part of the cruise, but had been scheduled due to a large party that was held there for the staff once a year by the largest shareholder of Southern Winds. He lived on Bermuda. In fact he apparently owned about a quarter of the small island and a good portion of the resorts and housing which was where he made his money. He had started in Florida buying up small rental houses and after a few years he began buying hotels and now was actually building resorts. Tom gently squeezed Karen's hand as they made their way across the room to their table. The room was definitely overcrowded, and Tom knew had they had been on land a fire marshal would have a field day in here with the fire codes, but out at sea it seemed to matter little to anyone and in fact he seemed to be the only one who noticed. Everyone else appeared to having a great time. He looked over at Karen. She was outfitted in a light blue evening gown that was sensual but conservative making her appear almost angelic. She usually moved smoothly, but tonight she looked as though she was effortlessly gliding across the floor making him feel like a big klutz. He could still feel some aches and pains from his go-cart accident, but other than that he felt good and couldn't wait till they climbed the wall tomorrow. He had to win and put an end to their non-stop competiveness, but the way she was moving tonight he was beginning to feel somewhat powerless and would maybe have to schedule another contest after. He had been getting better at basketball since Tommy had taken it up. It was one sport he had never played as a kid. There was no apparent reason why, there had always been plenty of courts in their middle-class neighborhood, but he had always had a passion for baseball and spent most of his childhood throwing and catching baseballs no matter what time of year. He had grown up a big fan of George Brett, the legendary hitter, even though he played way out in Kansas City. It was just something about the guy, his intensity was beyond that of any of his peers and it showed in the numbers he put up year in and out. There hadn't been a bare wall in his room that didn't have some kind of George Brett memorabilia. Even now, he would still get out his baseball cards and show Tommy his favorite ones. The biggest highlight came about two years ago when Brett was in town and he and Tommy got to meet his idol and have their picture taken with him. He had it sitting on his desk in his office and glanced at it almost daily. Karen used to tease him about having the picture and idolizing a retired ball player, but he knew she would never understand, so he just accepted it laughing with her.

"Cat got your tongue Tom? Why you so quiet?"

"Just thinking."

"Don't think too hard, don't want you to pull something and wimp out tomorrow." She laughed.

He faced her and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be ready. I'll have my number five with me."

"What?" She asked looking confused.

"You know my lucky George Brett number." He patted his back wallet.

Karen began laughing. "We really need to do something about your boyhood man-crush, although he was kind of cute when he was younger."

"Oh get out of here." He squeezed her hand.

"Do you really still carry that stupid patch in your wallet?"

He began to pull out his wallet. "Everywhere I go, I got this at my first big league game." He felt around in the wallet for the familiar patch that they had given out when the Royals had come to town. It was worn and the royal blue had faded into a light blue, but it had a large five sewn onto it over the Royals logo. He still felt like it brought him good luck.

"Put that back, I don't need to see that old thing." Smiling, she pushed his hand away.

"Okay, but if you ever want to see it, it's right here." He firmly patted his wallet.

"I'll keep that in mind. I think you care more about that than your wedding ring?" She joked.

He paused, the said, "it has brought me good luck."

"Like that the go-cart accident."

"No but it brought me you." He quickly responded back causing her to stop and look at him and smile. "Very good line Mr. Wilson, I'm impressed." Karen pulled him close. "I would say you get a win for tonight.

Captain Spence watched as the last of the passengers arrived at their seats and then he took his own. He calmly waited a few minutes making casual conversation with the guests at his table. Seated around him were two of his senior crew members and a family from Arkansas that had been invited to sit with him. Apparently, they had been chosen because they had lost everything except the clothes on their back to a fire, and their community had gotten together and paid for their cruise. Captain Spence carefully listened to their story as each member of the family added their own details. He had heard and seen so many similar stories over the years, that it almost felt like he was listening to a fictional story based on some fictional family, not the people seated before him. Every cruise, his staff would choose a family or individual to sit at the Captain's table. The first seating had been an Iraq war veteran who had lost both legs and was walking for the first time on prosthetics. He was an amazing guy with a strong spirit and a very supportive family. He waited until they were through then signaled the nearby cruise director who turned on his mic. A few minutes later, he was standing at the podium giving almost the same speech he had given an hour earlier at the first seating. He talked about the history of the Calypso and Southern Winds and how many wonderful opportunities the passengers had to enjoy on their stay. He briefly mentioned the hot tub accident calling it an unfortunate accident despite what Adam and Mulkin felt. Until he had definitive proof, he was going with the accident theory. He had been on the phone with Southern Winds a little while earlier and they had agreed to downplay it until further notice. He had spoken with Adam again after leaving Freeport a few hours ago and the CSI technicians had not found any definitive evidence, but as Adam and Mulkin explained it is normal for them not to find anything until they get back to the lab. They were headed to Bermuda. Captain Spence was looking forward to getting to the large resort. They always held the party all day and usually all night at the luxurious Grotto Bay Beach Resort which was of course owned by the shareholder. It was a beautiful place, nearly twenty-one acres of lavish beaches, spas and pools, something for everyone to do and enjoy. Southern Winds even flew in a temporary crew to tend to the ship while the real crew was enjoying their time away. He only hoped that the whole murder thing would be wrapped up by then. Then they would really have something to celebrate, not that a cruise ship crew needed a reason to celebrate he had found that out after the first year's party that had lasted close to twenty-four hours. He quickly wrapped up his remarks and turned the mic back over to the director who called for the food to be delivered. He sat back down observing the passengers all around him. Most were engrossed in conversation, probably discussing their upcoming time in Bermuda or their past experiences. He was pretty sure of one thing. They weren't talking about the murders anymore. He was glad they were still calling it an accident. He could only imagine what the mood would be like in here if he had announced it was the fourth murder on the ship. Everyone was dressed to the nines and they deserved a good night. If he had to break the bad news, it would be better to do so at a later time anyway. He politely spoke with the family seated around them who were excitingly asking questions about Bermuda.

James listened to the Captain's speech awed by the man's speaking ability. Adam had been right, the guy was definitely suited for politic. His voice just had that natural upbeat cadence. He looked around at his table; all the regulars were there, the elderly couple, the young newlyweds and the massive Long Islander immediately to his right, who was salaciously eyeing the waiters as they began to bring the salad and rolls.

"So what did you think smart guy?" The Long Island man asked his eyes glued to the salad bowl in front of him, his hand already moving at an incredible speed.

"Nice speech." James said pulling his bowl closer to him noticing the massive man had already consumed half of his own in less than three seconds.

"Ever been to Muda?" He shoved a huge piece of over-buttered bread into his mouth, the butter dripping off his lips causing a weird yellowish glow.

"To what?" James asked looking confused trying to eat his salad as quickly as he could as he watched the man's glassy eyes glare at his still full bowl.

"Tell em Grandma." He pointed at the elderly couple.

"He means Bermuda of course. "We love Bermuda, don't we Charlie?" She tapped her husband's shoulder. He nonchalantly looked up and then went back to nibbling on his salad. "We go every year." She looked around the table. "In fact a few years ago we went up the Gibbs Hill lighthouse." She grabbed her husband's hand. "Charlie loved it." This time he didn't even bother to look up. "You guys are all young you should climb up it. It's a lot of steps though, but the view is worth it. You can see all of Hamilton and the ocean too."

James nodded his head. "Thanks I may try that." He figured he would probably be staying on the ship helping out with the investigation, although after Mulkin's little interrogation he wondered if he should just go to Bermuda and enjoy himself.

"Now this year, I think we're going to try the bus tour and do a little sight-seeing. Charlie wants to see the other side of the island."

James nodded again surprised that her husband was actually able to get a word in with that woman. She was sweet, but she could sure talk. He often had the opposite problem with Leanne. He would have to prod her sometime just to get her to open her mouth. She was usually pondering some kind of treatment option for one of her patients or second-guessing something she did.

"I'm gonna get me to one of them big beaches and soak up all the sun and beer I can find." The Long Islander said as he swallowing another large piece of bread whole without even chewing making James wonder why he even had teeth.

"What about you guys? What are you going to do?" James looked at the newly-weds who only seemed to have one hand on the table at all times. He assumed they must be holding hands underneath, not daring to let go. He really missed Leanne. He had called her earlier, but had only been able to leave a message.

"We're going to rent mopeds." The young woman replied smiling. "We read that you can drive all over the island and see everything."

The elderly woman quickly responded, "That should be a lot of fun. Just be careful and make sure you where your helmets. Me and Charlie, we're getting a little too old to be driving mopeds."

"I hear they make them with three wheels now Grandma." The Long Islander said.

"We'll see dear." She calmly answered twiddling her fork in her hand.

"So what do you think of the Captain calling that lady in the hot tub an accident? Sounds bogus to me, what about you smart man?"

James took a deep breath and swallowed another bite of lettuce. "I heard what the Captain said and I agree it sounds like an accident."

"Didn't you see all those tarps they had up there? They was testing something today I think she was murdered, probably drowned."

James picked up his fork. "I think you might be jumping to conclusions too fast. We don't want to scare anyone."

"Did I tell you this guy is smart?" He took another large roll and threw it down his throat then quickly looked away and let out a loud belch causing the people at the nearby tables turn their heads. "I'm still no taking any chances, right Grandma?" He rolled up his sleeve and flexed his bicep. "Offer is still open to any of you to come to my cabin and I'll protect you. Even you smart man."

James curiously eyes him. "Thanks. I guess, but I think we'll be okay...all of us. Besides, we'll be in Muda as you say in what twenty-four hours."

"If we make it that far," The Long Islander finished a full glass of iced tea with one long sip.

"You're really scaring everyone. I wish you would stop and listen to what the Captain said." James pushed his unfinished salad plate away to the empty chair beside him. Apparently the passengers had not shown up for their cruise, at least that was what the cruise director had said when the elderly woman had inquired about the two empty spots. James wished they were here, anything to get away from this man. He saw the staff began to bring out the main course from the other side of the room. Instinctively the large man noticed as well and his eyes followed the line of waiters and waitresses as a large predator might do with its prey. James watched in amazement as the man grabbed another roll and buttered it without even taking his eyes off the waiters who were nearing their table. He just wished it were sooner.

"I wonder if we can get their dinners as well. No point wasting good food." He pointed at the two empty spots. "Kind of reminds you of the last supper." He let out a loud snicker as he banged his fork onto the table causing all the glasses to shake. "A man needs to eat before he stares death in the eye."

"What is he talking about?" The newlywed anxiously asked looking at James.

"I don't know. I think he's just hungry you know like when they get ready to feed the lions at the zoo." James calmly reassured her.

"C'mon everyone, we've got a serial killer on board...who knows how much time we got left." He bellowed out each word gaining volume. "You making fun of me smart man?"

"Please stop you're really starting to scare us." The newlywed cried out clutching her husband. James began to speak, but before he was able to get the first word out a waiter sat a large piece of glazing roast beef in front of the man and his words were quickly drowned out with food. James and the rest of the table enjoyed the rest of their meal in silence as the food continued to pour onto the table and magnetically land in front of the Long Islander and quickly disappearing into his mouth. James left the table after taking several small bites into the apple cobbler knowing the rest of it had probably already disappeared.

Chapter 35

Adam ducked under the remaining yellow tape lining the hot tub area, tearing it down as he stepped onto the platform. The investigators had completed their evidence collection and had taken everything down except the last piece encircling the water. They had even drained the tub, but Adam had informed the crew to begin filling it up and getting it ready for use. As the Captain had said it was officially still an accident despite what he and Mulkin felt. He looked down into the large tub watching the water slowly rise up from open valves located somewhere near the bottom. He would be really surprised if anyone would actually use it knowing that a woman was killed in it, but you never know and as they say in the cruise industry "life goes on as normal." He looked down at his watch wondering where Mulkin was. The guy was always punctual. It was actually beginning to drive him crazy, but he knew that was just the way he was and his old school ways weren't about to change for anything. As soon as he finished up from here, he was planning to go get Nancy and take a break. She would protest, but he would be firm and hopefully, she would be able to get away from things for a while. He was really getting worried about her. He knew he was more worried than he should be. He closed his eyes and imagined throwing a ball to a little boy. He couldn't believe he was going to be a father, it was intimidating, more than anything else he had ever faced and he had faced some tough characters in his short FBI career. Every time he began to feel anxious about things he thought of his own calm reassuring father. He had always been there for him no matter what. He remembered the time he had borrowed his Mom's car without her knowing and of course she reported it stolen. He had been so worried when the police showed up when he crashed into a guard rail, but then his dad arrived, still in his work clothes and informed the police he had permission to use it and even came up with a cover story until it was repaired. His mother never knew what really happened. He and his dad had worked things out in their own way sometime later.

"Adam watch out!"

"What?" He quickly opened his eyes feeling his body falling towards the still nearly empty hot tub. Suddenly a firm strong hand pulled him back onto the platform.

"You okay?"

Adam quickly turned around and nodded to Mulkin who was still tightly gripping his shoulder. "I'm okay. I just lost my balance. Thanks."

"Any time." Mulkin released his grip on Adam's shoulder. "We don't want another accident here."

"I was just testing the accident theory." Adam quickly replied back smiling and now fully alert and trying to laugh.

"I think we know the answer to that. Did you hear from CSI yet?"

Adam stepped down from the platform and stood next to Mulkin, "Nothing yet."

"Well, you know as well as I do, it wasn't an accident." He looked at the hot tub. "I've been doing this for too long to know when I see a murder."

"I agree. So what is it you wanted to tell me?" Adam curiously eyed Mulkin whose face was eerily white with the sun shining directly on him.

Mulkin took a seat on one of the lounge chairs. "Couple of things, first, we found a witness who saw Parker over here before she was killed."

"I remember seeing him by the pool." Adam pointed towards the pool.

"Not the pool, the hot tub."

"They are sure it was him?"

Mulkin nodded his head. "Yep, ID'd him on the first try."

"I guess it is beginning to look more and more like him." Adam took a seat next to Mulkin.

"I've got some Agents heading to Bermuda to take him into custody."

Adam quickly turned his head towards Mulkin. "Do you have enough evidence?"

"We've got him at the crime scene on more than one occasion. He seems to know exactly what is going to happen next." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "And from what we've been able to gather James Parker isn't his real name."

"What do you mean?"

"The Navy has a James Parker registered as a Seal ten years ago and they did confirm it was him, but before that he didn't exist."

"Couldn't he have been on a top secret mission or something?" Adam looked back at the hot tub, wondering how he got himself into this situation.

"Maybe, but he had to go to high school and college somewhere. I mean he was an officer."

Adam shook his head. "Maybe you're right."

"I told you about this Navy security job he keeps talking about. No one has heard of him or recognizes him that we have made contact with from naval security. Something is not right here." He rubbed his stomach. "My gut is telling me he is playing us for fools."

"I think we need to go have a little talk with him." Adam pulled out his phone and called Nancy. A few minutes later he disconnected.

"What did she say?"

"She said he was supposed to come back and help after he went to the Captain's dinner, but that was hours ago and she hasn't heard or seen him."

Mulkin quickly stood up and dialed his cell. He spoke briefly and quickly hung up. "He was seen going into his cabin an hour ago."

Looking confused Adam asked, "How do you know?"

"I started having him followed a little while ago."

Adam shook his head. "I wish you let me know these things."

"I would have, it's just you were so hung up on him being helpful and everything." Mulkin responded.

"Okay whatever. Let's go see him." They both sprang down to the nearest stairwell and exactly seven minutes later they were knocking on Parker's cabin. After no response for several minutes, they entered using Adam's pass card. With their guns out in front, they slowly pushed the cabin door open expecting Parker to be hiding behind it. As soon as they stepped into the room they couldn't believe what they saw. They both began frantically looking under the bed, in the closets and all the drawers because it was completely empty. Parker had moved out. There wasn't a trace that anyone had even been in here.

"What the hell is going on here?" Adam called out.

"It looks like our Mr. Parker has moved on. I bet he is planning number five."

"The massive killing," Adam said feeling his insides suddenly rise."

"We need to abort this cruise and turn around." Mulkin frantically said.

"Captain said he won't go back unless CSI rules the hot tub woman a murder."

"He's going to have a lot more to worry about than that damn hot tub if we keep going." Adam nodded and stepped out onto the balcony. "You said the Agents saw him go in, and not come out."

Mulkin stepped outside leaning against the rail and looking at the ocean, "Yep, they are still posted out there now.

"Then what did he do vanish into thin air?" Adam yelled out of frustration.

"Or jumped."

"Never seen a jumper take all his belongings with him." Adam looked back and forth at the two balconies on both sides. "Wait a minute."

"What?" Mulkin stepped back into the room and stared at the bed.

"The first victim, Charlie Donovan, we couldn't figure out how he got into the room. I think I know how."

Mulkin stepped back onto the balcony, "How?"

Adam pointed at the balcony. "He climbed from the one next door into Donovan's. As I recall the room next door was empty."

"I'll be dammed." Mulkin said. He looked at the two balconies. "That is one crazy dude. I mean one slip and you're shark food."

"Well, it looks like Parker has done it twice, first to murder Donovan and now to give the slip to your Agents." Adam immediately pulled out his cell phone, called Nancy and revealed their findings. She said she would look into the empty cabin next to Donovan's, but warned him she didn't think it was Parker.

"I think we better go see the Captain before things get out of control Adam." Mulkin called out.

"Let's go."

They both raced out the door and arrived on the bridge startling both the crew and Captain with their sudden entrance.

"What is it guys?" Captain Spence quickly jumped to his feet.

"We need to turn around now Captain." Mulkin ordered.

Captain Spence slowly rubbed his beard. It was beginning to whiten as it grew in length. "I thought we already had this discussion. Southern Winds has ordered us to continue unless we hear otherwise about the accident." He looked at both men. "Have we?"

Adam quickly responded, "No Captain we probably won't hear anything for another twenty-four hours."

"We should be in Bermuda by then." He looked towards the helmsman who was busy staring into a computer screen.

"Parker is missing." Mulkin said lowering his voice so only Adam and the Captain could hear.

"What do you mean missing?"

"I've been having him followed and it looks like he escaped out the balcony of his cabin. We don't know where he is."

Captain Spence frowned. "You're telling me he jumped off his balcony. I don't buy it."

"No Captain. He climbed from his to the one next door and escaped through another cabin." Adam replied.

"Are you sure?"

Mulkin looked at his watch. "An hour ago, my two Agents observed him go in his cabin and didn't see him come out. We just went in there, and he as well as all his belongings are gone. I think he's going underground before number five."

"I know that's the mass killing." The Captain visibly rubbed his beard very quickly. "What should we do?"

"Turn around, go back to Freeport or the States or we're going to have a disaster." Mulkin begged.

"The problem is we're right in the middle and actually Bermuda is the closest port to us."

Mulkin shook his head. "Then speed this boat up Captain. I'm serious. We don't know what this guy is capable of."

"We will do that. Now this is still all based on the hot tub not being an accident right?"

"Captain it wasn't accident." Mulkin said, anger resonating in his voice.

"We have a witness that saw Parker near the hot tub area right before it happened." Adam calmly said.

"I've got all my Agents looking for him and Adam has the security team looking." Mulkin said the anger slowly dissipating.

"Keep me posted of what is happening. I'm going to call Southern Winds." He looked towards the helmsman, "and in the meantime. We're going to speed up, so hopefully we'll be in Hamilton in twenty hours."

"Let's hope that's soon enough Captain." Mulkin answered following Adam out the door.

Chapter 36

James Parker entered the cabin on the "A" deck and placed his belongings onto the bed. He didn't feel right taking another room for his own, but after he had found those two men trailing him everywhere he went on the ship he knew it was time for a change. He had tracked down the room of the couple that was supposed to be sitting at his dinner table knowing it would be empty. It had been relatively easy getting the room number. The waiters had a list of all the names and cabin numbers of each place at their assigned tables. James had just simply informed them that the couple was supposed to be traveling with him and he was curious if they had the room next to him. Surprisingly, the waiter had given him the information on the first try. It was an interior room, so he would miss the balcony, but he had gotten his share of balconies a little while ago when he jumped from his to the one adjoining him. He was thankful it had been unoccupied at that moment. He could only imagine what the men who had been following him would be thinking when he didn't come out. He didn't think they would enter the cabin. They would probably assume he was just staying in, but then again Mulkin was probably capable of anything. He knew he was the one behind the two tails. The guy just didn't trust him and appeared to detest him as well. He had called Leanne a few minutes earlier and had luckily caught her between the animal hospital and their house. He told her how they had a picture of them in Vegas at her convention last year and that someone may even approach her. He didn't want to tell her anything, but he couldn't take the chance of someone talking to her, or even worse threatening her or causing her any harm. He had been supposed to meet Nancy after dinner, but right now he was planning to just lay low until they get to Bermuda and then he might actually go on the island and take the tour as had been suggested over dinner. Once he saw the men following him, something just went off in him causing him to have to put his angry feelings in check. It had been something he had always been able to control, no matter how mad he got at someone he would never lose his temper. He would either walk away or use his breathing techniques learned from his high-tension combat experience from his days as a Navy Seal. It still felt fresh in his mind, almost as if it were just the other day, but it had been over ten years since he had participated in his last Seal Team mission, a scathing raid in the Mediterranean that resulted in the rescue of five American citizens. It had not made the media, and according to anyone who participated or knew of it, it never happened, but that was pretty much the extent of James Parker's life. He had attended Hampton University in Virginia, and like many college age kids, he had no idea why he was there. He had no major or direction, just general classes and a heavy social calendar. After two years, of wasting time, he entered the Naval ROTC program and found his natural athleticism and quick thinking was a perfect match. He immediately flew to the top of the program, graduating with honors. Upon graduation, he opted for the grueling Seal training and after many sleepless nights in the cold ocean, he completed it and was assigned as the assistant officer in charge of Seal team 8 where he was immediately respected and followed due to his natural leadership. After two years in that position he was awarded his own team and granted the title of officer in charge where he spent the next eight years declining the various staff opportunities that would have allowed him the security of a desk. He knew the field was where he belonged and was one of the main reasons he opted to end his Navy career. He had been forced to choose either a staff position or leave the Seal teams. He chose to leave the Navy altogether and serve his country in another capacity. He sat down on the bed and opened his suitcase. He found the right clothes, and slipped on the glasses and wig he had bought at the costume shop located in the ship's lobby. He wasn't sure exactly why they had a costume shop on a cruise ship but he guessed it probably had something to do with the Captain's formal dinner where it looked like every woman was wearing hair extensions or a wig as well as some of the less follicle blessed men. He stepped in front of the mirror straightened out the glasses, grabbed the scissors he picked up in the gift ship and cut the wig appropriately to look realistic. Luckily, he had a lot of experience wearing wigs and disguising himself, so that within five minutes he looked like a totally different person. Even he was surprised at the transformation with the limited supplies available. He stepped outside the cabin, and walked by two couples who didn't even glance at him convincing him further that his disguise had been successful. He ended up on the main deck and despite the late hour, there were still plenty of people roaming about. He stopped by the edge of the deck, leaned onto the railing and stared out at the dark sea. There were no lights in any direction. It felt like they were in the middle of nowhere and all alone. It was an eerie feeling. The moon was crescent-shaped only emitting a small glimpse of light that was calmly reflected on the active ocean. He looked down and realized that they were traveling faster than they had before. He was still able to notice things on the big cruise ship that many non-naval passengers wouldn't such as the speed and general direction of the ship. He was amused at the amount of people who fell sea-sick on the Calypso. It seemed every time he stepped onto the deck there were several people hunched over the railing looking and feeling green to the gills. Just the size of the ship kept it relatively smooth and that was without the assistance of the large stabilizers that he had observed in use at least two times. They weren't out tonight, despite the sea appearing to become a little unsteady, maybe because of the extra speed at which they were traveling...probably trying to outrun a storm. They were typical this time of the year in this area. He walked towards the stern of the ship, his mind churning the apprehension of the fifth method of the Crescendo.

Chapter 37

Adam entered the security office relieved to see Nancy seated by herself. She was seated at a large table partly hidden by large stacks of paper. She was fully engrossed, a ball point pen stuck in the corner of her mouth, her head leaning to the right resting on her palm. Her eyes were completely focused on the sheet in front of her. To her right was a laptop, its soft glow casting a beam of light across the otherwise dark room. Adam quietly stepped into the room and waved to Nancy who immediately looked up and smiled.

"Hi Honey"

"How's it coming along?"

"You were right about the cabin next to the first vic, it was empty." She pointed at the computer screen.

"We're convinced that Parker somehow got into that cabin and climbed over the railing and then climbed back."

She looked directly at Adam. "Are you still really convinced it is James? I just don't see it."

Adam sat down next to her. "He's gone from his cabin, apparently cleared out all of his stuff. His name isn't really James Parker, Mulkin has found out."

Nancy shook her head. "That may all be true, but it still doesn't make him a killer. I mean he was just here a few hours ago."

Adam stared at her hard. "Where is he now?"

"Maybe he is hiding from someone else or maybe he's hiding from Mulkin." She asked twirling her pen.

"Nancy, he was at the hot tub minutes before the woman was killed."

"I thought the lifeguard said he didn't see anyone?" She slowly stood up.

"There was another witness who saw him over there." Adam placed his fingers in hers.

"Promise me you'll just take it slow with him. I have a good intuition that he is innocent, despite everything you said."

"I'll try and keep my options open."

Nancy quietly laughed. "You keep your options open? That would be a first." She continued to laugh closing the laptop lid. "I'm getting the impression that Mulkin is even less patient than you."

"We do have all staff on the lookout for Parker."

"Just promise me you'll take it easy on him when you find him, remember everyone is innocent first. Don't let Mulkin change you're ways."

"Okay. I promise. Not sure why you are so convinced but let's go take a break." Adam pointed at the door.

"Good idea. We need to talk about our newest family member."

"He'll be here in less than nine months." Adam joked.

"Still going with the boy angle huh?"

"You know it."

"Ever heard of daddy's little girl."

Adam pulled her close and hugged her tight. "I'll be happy with a boy, girl or whatever we have. I love you don't I?"

She hugged him back. "Yes, you do, but I'm hoping we'll get a boy or girl and not a whatever.

"Speaking of whatever," Adam laughed. "What do you say we take a walk down to the food court?"

"You and that food court," She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "I hope our little one doesn't inherit his daddy's eating habits."

Adam laughed, gently pulling Nancy out the door. "So how are you feeling lately?"

"A little better, but after this maybe it will start up again."

Adam rubbed his stomach. "What about that new chicken wings place?"

"Adam. Don't push it."

They happily walked down the hallway towards the elevator when both their pagers began to vibrate. "Now what?" Adam called out glancing at the Captain's phone number. He quickly dialed the three numbers and connected with Captain Spence.

"Adam, we have bad news." Adam could hear the urgency in his voice. He couldn't bear the news of another murder. He increased the volume loud enough for Nancy to hear as she glanced up at him with sluggish eyes.

"Have you noticed we have slowed down?"

Adam looked over at Nancy who just shrugged. "No Captain. We haven't. I remember you said you were going to increase the speed to get to Bermuda quicker."

"Well here's the thing." He could feel the tension in his voice climbing through the phone. "We can't increase the speed past ten knots."

"Why. I'm not sure I understand." Adam squeezed the phone tightly still looking at Nancy.

"As you know we run on a computerized system and the system has placed a lock on itself that won't allow us to increase the speed."

"There has to be an override Captain?" Adam asked feeling confused.

There was a slight pause. "There is, but here's the thing. We can't disengage from the computer system. It won't allow us."

"I admit I don't know much about computers, but there has to be a way around it." Adam watched as Nancy slowly nodded.

"I just called Derek and he is heading down to his office now to try and figure it out." He listened as the Captain ordered someone to clear the cache. "Now we've been doing this for what four years now and nothing like this has ever happened, and with all the computer things that have been going on this cruise." He paused. "I thought we better check it out."

Adam felt his mind go numb thinking of the possibility of Parker or even worse Derek having a hand in slowing the ship down. "Was it because they wanted more time to commit the crimes, or sabotage the ship or was it simply a computer glitch that Derek would figure out in a few minutes." He didn't dare say anything out loud.

"I'm sure Derek will figure it out Captain. Nancy and I will head right over there and check with him." He looked behind him. "We're only a minute away."

Adam thought he could feel less tension in the Captain's voice but he wasn't sure. "Thanks Adam, hopefully it's nothing. Any luck in finding Parker?"

Adam carefully kept his eyes trained on Nancy. "Not yet, but we are searching for him and anyone else who seems suspicious." He watched Nancy nod in approval.

"I thought you guys had pretty much ruled out anyone else." The Captain asked, his voice sounding confused.

"We're pretty sure he is the one, but we want to keep all options open." He watched as Nancy nodded in agreement as they stepped into the security office and saw Derek fully engrossed in front of his computer.

"So what did you find?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know. I just got into the system and it looks like something has got an override on it."

"What's that mean?" Adam asked leaning against the desk.

"It means another program or user has the system engaged and won't allow me to access it." Derek responded not taking his eyes off the screen.

"What about just rebooting everything?" Adam naively asked.

"I can't do that. Everything is controlled by it. We would lose control of the ship."

"You're telling me the Calypso is totally under control of a computer?" Adam asked staring at Derek his eyes sinking into his head.

"Basically, that is correct. Besides, it doesn't seem to allow me to access anything. It's like I'm not a full admin anymore on the Calypso's system either." Adam could see the frustration growing in his face. "I need to call Southern Winds and see if they can help me."

Adam and Nancy headed for the door. "We'll be out and about. Contact us immediately if you find anything out." They looked back before stepping back out into the hall and watched Derek pick up the phone. "He's probably calling Parker now." Adam muttered.

"Adam. You promised you would stop accusing him of being involved in this till you had all the facts." Nancy called out.

"You're right. I'll stop. Although, I should let Mulkin know about this." He reached for his cell phone.

Nancy grabbed his arm pushing the cell phone back into his pocket. "How about we wait till after we get something to eat to call him? I think he needs to learn some patience as well."

"Okay. Let's go eat. I think I can hear those wings flying over here already."

Nancy softly laughed. "Adam what am I going to do with you?"

Chapter 38

Seth Vincent, his wife and their two friends sat in the small booth located just inside the bow sitting deck area on the ship. They had missed the Captain's dinner earlier deciding instead to settle for a late dining experience at the Pearl Café, a small Mediterranean restaurant catering to late night couples either leaving or going to the ships clubs. Because of the relatively early hour, the café was still somewhat empty leaving the wait staff additional time to assist Seth and his friends. They had each ordered a seafood variation filled with assorted herbs and beans as well as oils native to the region. This was Seth's second cruise. He and his wife had enjoyed an Alaskan adventure a few years back and had been fascinated by the sights. They had such a wonderful time that they convinced their neighbors to come on this one with them. They both were working couples in their early forties with no children and college funds to worry about, leaving them plenty of discretionary income to play with. Despite the extra money, the cruise in Alaska was also their last real vacation. They all took scattered weekends over the years to beach houses and ski chalets. But for the most part, they spent most of their lives concentrating on their busy careers. None of them had paid much attention to the murders that took place earlier on the cruise; instead they had spent their time concentrating on just having a good time and making the most of their cruise. They had all read the bulletins that had been sent out about the three victims, but they figured that as the norm on a cruise ship. Besides, it seemed like every other week there was a news story about someone either being pushed or falling off a cruise ship and never being seen again. None of them were even aware of the hot tub incident and if they had heard about it they would have just assumed it was an accident. The Alaskan cruise ship had been much smaller and intimate due to the climate. They mostly had to stay indoors because of the cold temperatures and got to know their cruise mates, but on the Calypso, the number of passengers was just so great that one could easily become lost as you would in a large city. Seth and his wife Marcy had been enjoying both the late nights and the late mornings. They chose to sleep well past nine almost every morning, which was unheard of back home where they both were usually up and about by six or even earlier if they were going to work out. Seth was on the road quite often for days at a time and was enjoying the solitude and non-excitement that usually went along in his normal day. He felt like he was re-connecting to Marcy again, similar to when they first met, some twenty years ago. They had both met their senior year of college at Notre Dame, having been in many of the same classes all four years but never having said a word to each other. It wasn't until the professor had randomly placed them together on a political debate team that they instantly connected and had been doing so ever since despite the constant separation due to his travel. She worked for a local wine distributer as an account rep and when Seth wasn't home she would mind to their dog Rex, a seventy-five pound German Sheppard who felt as though their queen sized bed belonged solely to him. He would sprawl out along the bottom half of the bed, making them feel as though their legs were in their mouths and they had to curl up to avoid kicking Rex and waking up the sleeping beast. They had tried many other sleeping arrangements and even had a dog trainer come into the house and work with Rex, but nothing else worked. If they forced him to sleep somewhere else at night, he would wine so loud they wouldn't get any sleep, so they compromised and let him sleep just at the bottom. It had taken six months just to accomplish that. Beforehand, he would nuzzle between them like a small child would do with his parents. Luckily, he had taken a liking to one of their other neighbors who never wanted to own a dog, but enjoyed caring for one on a temporary basis and was happily staying at his house till they returned. Whenever they returned from one of their excursions they couldn't help but notice how tired he looked, but they never asked. They enjoyed quiet conversation over the next several hours until topping it off with hot coffee and Lemon Panna Cotta with blackberry sauce. Afterwards, they took a quiet stroll out onto the bow deck enjoying the bright moonlit sky softly casting onto the deck. An hour or so later, they were back in their cabins preparing for bed when they became violently ill, extreme vomiting, diarrhea and a feeling of dizziness worse than any overabundance of alcohol could ever produce. After conferring on the phone all four of them proceeded to the infirmary. Seth and his neighbor Chris ceased living minutes after arriving, despite the staff's gallant effort to save them and Marcy and the other woman were both fighting for their lives in gravely critical condition. Doc Pearson was urgently running every test he could on the two still alive while his assistant was examining the two dead men to see if there were any clues as to what had taken their lives so suddenly and violently. He also immediately called for emergency transport to a land-based hospital, unsure if it would be too late by the time they arrived. He continued to monitor the two women, hooking them up to IV's and administering the appropriate medications. Once he was satisfied there was nothing else he could do, he called the Captain and Adam.

Adam sensed his pager vibrating before it actually did. He had woken up about an hour ago when he felt the ship slow down even more. He had immediately called the Captain despite it being 1:00AM and he informed him that the computer had slowed down the Calypso even more. Adam then called Derek, who was still in the office trying to figure out what was happening. He said he wasn't having any luck in overriding the system, and that he had spoken with the Southern Winds IT department back in Florida and they had said it was something on the Calypso's local system. They reinstated all of his administrative rights so he could have full access. He had told Adam that he had determined there was a small program running in the background that was controlling the Calypso's system. He just wasn't able to shut it down. He said it was being controlled by another administrator on the system which as far as Adam knew was not possible. He tried to keep the suspicion out of his mind that Derek was playing them along and it was another scheme to slow the ship down. He hadn't talked to Mulkin yet, but he knew that was what he would say. The guy was still convinced Derek was involved as well as Parker. It still made sense to him, because for someone to be able to install a program into the system that would override everything that controls the ship they would not only have to have the know-how but also the access and it did point to Derek. He had explained this to Nancy, but she still stood firm that Derek and Parker weren't involved in this. He wasn't sure what to believe, but he usually trusted his wife no matter how outlandish something sounded because she just had that natural intuition despite Mulkin's logic which also made perfect sense to him. His pager began to buzz as well as Nancy's on the nightstand. She had gone back to sleep after he had spoken with the captain, but Adam hadn't been able to. He just lay there as if he were waiting for something to happen and sure enough something was happening because the number on the pager was Doc's. Adam immediately shot out of bed, waking Nancy and dialed Doc's number.

"What's happening Doc?" Adam asked. He usually laughed and said "what's up doc?" when he saw him, but he sensed this might not be the appropriate time.

He heard a long pause on the other end of the line. "I've got bad news Adam." He heard Doc clear his throat. 'I've got three more dead bodies down here and another one on the way if we don't get her help soon."

Adam felt a rush of air escape his lungs. "What? How Doc?"

"Apparently, it was something they ate. Two couples arrived here a little while ago vomiting and struggling to breathe and then two of them went into convulsions and died." He paused. "Then the other one just passed away a minute or so ago and I have a medevac on the way for the fourth one, but I would be really surprised if she makes it that long."

"Did they say anything before they died?" Adam watched the concern growing on Nancy's face as she leaned into the phone to listen.

"They said something about eating at the Pearl Café earlier and that was about all we could get out of them. It looks like they were poisoned."

"That doesn't sound good." Adam began getting dressed as he listened to Doc. "I've never heard of food poisoning killing someone that quickly Doc."

"It's possible, but it usually takes a much longer period of time. I mean this was just a matter of hours. It would be my best guest that it was more than bad food."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked quickly tying his shoes.

"I think something was added to the food." Doc slowly stated.

"We're heading to the Pearl now. Thanks."

"Anytime Adam, do you think these people were killed like the others?"

"That's what I'm going to find out. Unfortunately, my hunch is yes. I'll keep in touch. Let me know if you find out anything else."

"Will do," He heard the connection end. He immediately dialed Mulkin who said he would meet him at the café.

Ten minutes later, Adam and Nancy met Mulkin in front of the café. It was closed but they could see the staff inside still cleaning up. They burst through the front door, both Adam and Nancy held back Mulkin as he barged straight to the first person he saw, his credentials out in front.

"Which one of you is the manager?" Mulkin called out his voice echoing off the walls.

A tall thin man no more than thirty wearing a tan polo shirt and khakis bounded out from the kitchen area responding to the noise. "How can we help you?" He politely asked looking at Mulkin then recognizing Adam and Nancy.

"We just had three people die from food poisoning and a fourth is next." Mulkin's eyes bore into the man. "And the last place they ate was here."

They watched as the man's face turned a dark shade of crimson and it appeared as though he lost several inches in height at the same time. "What? That can't be? Tell me that's not true Mr. and Mrs. Meluzzo."

"I'm afraid it is." Adam softly said.

"We just spoke with Doc Pearson and all four passengers ate here several hours ago and now three of them are dead." Nancy added looking around the tiny restaurant.

"Are you sure they ate here?" The manager said. "I mean we serve the highest quality foods. I pick it out myself."

"We need to see all your employees right now." Mulkin demanded pointing at the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room.

"Sure, no problem," The manager said wiping the moisture off his brow. He disappeared and then returned with two men dressed in white and a young woman still wearing her waitress apron. These are all my employees, plus Susan who it looks like you have already met." He pointed at the young woman now seated at one of the table who Mulkin had pushed his badge onto. Mulkin walked up to the two male employees and eyed them very closely. Adam quickly joined him while Nancy stayed back speaking to the two women.

"So which one of you cooks the food?"

"I'm the chef." The small round faced man with the mustache answered looking puzzled.

"Three people have died as a result of eating your food. Can you explain that?" Mulkin yelled as the man's heavy body began to crumple. Adam quickly grabbed a chair for him, placing the fallen man into his seat.

"We need to talk to you about four people who were in here a few hours ago." Adam asked.

"We've had many people in here tonight." The manager responded, his color slowly coming back to normal.

"Adam, I just called Doc, he is faxing up a picture of the people so maybe they will recognize them." Nancy called out from the other side of the room.

"They're dead?" The Chef asked again.

"Yes." Mulkin barked back. "Where's your fax machine?"

The manager slowly walked towards the back of the restaurant and stepped into a tiny office. As he opened the door, a piece of paper appeared to be sliding out of the machine. Each business on the Calypso was equipped with an internal fax machine to be able to share documents despite the height of technology on the ship. Adam knew this was one of Derek's projects he was working on to remove all paper communications. Adam immediately stepped into the office and picked it up. He could see the four faces of the victims, their eyes were closed, but they would be easily recognizable.

"Here they are." He held up the sheet. "Anyone recognize them?"

"The waitress still sitting down jumped up. "I do. They were my first customers they sat right over there." She pointed at the table closest to the door.

"We need to find out exactly what they ate and drank." Adam said. He watched the manager disappear into the small office again clicking on the computer. A minute or so later he returned with a print out of all their orders.

"Has anyone else been working here tonight?" Mulkin asked. He watched as they all shook their heads.

"Wait!" The manager said quickly turning around and facing Mulkin. "The new cruise director came here about the same time they were here. That's why I don't remember seeing them. I was busy dealing with him."

"What did he want?" Adam asked.

"He said he needed to taste the food for an excursion they were planning."

"Was he back in the kitchen?" Mulkin asked looking at the kitchen.

"Ahh...yes." The manager replied. "You don't think he did something do you?"

"I don't know." Adam responded. "Was he back there by himself?"

"No. Teddy and Karl were there too." He pointed at the two men. The heavy one still seated his face covered by his hands.

"I was busy getting everything ready for the usual rush." He said not removing his hands.

"What did he look like?" Mulkin asked walking away shaking his head.

The manager quietly responded, "I don't know, brown hair, average build, probably no more than forty. I can't remember his name. I think this is his second or third cruise."

Mulkin looked at Adam and smiled. "I told you it was him."

"That describes fifty percent of the people on this ship Mulkin." Nancy said.

"Who are you talking about Mulkin?" Adam asked.

"You know our little security expert."

Adam lowered his voice so only Mulkin and Nancy could hear. "Mulkin he's talking about Jason Reynolds, a new cruise director."

"Are you sure?"

"I think so. He's the only new one we have hired recently and he fits the description."

Mulkin looked over at the manager. "Could you identify him in a picture?"

"Yes, definitely. I'm sure we all could."

He lowered his voice again, "Adam can you get some pictures together including our suspect and the cruise director?"

"No problem. Have him come down to the security in about fifteen minutes."

"What are you going to do if he identifies Jason?" Nancy asked looking at Mulkin.

"We'll take it from there." He looked at his watch. "I'll see you in fifteen."

Chapter 39

The non-descript passenger remained seated in the lounge chair talking to a young brunette as the Calypso's head of security hurried by. He had watched as Adam Meluzzo, his wife and the FBI Agent had rushed into the café a few minutes ago. He had tried to listen to the conversation, but the young lady's voice was a bit too loud to hear anything. He didn't mind though, because he knew exactly what was happening anyway. They were going to have one of the employees, probably the manager he had spoken to a few hours ago view a photo lineup and see if he recognizes anyone. The non-descript passenger knew he could walk into the café right at that very moment in front of the manager, his staff and the law enforcement personnel and not one of them would know or suspect he had been the cruise director that had come to sample the food. He had easily found one of the newer cruise directors, learned everything about him, his mannerisms, his appearance, his way of speaking and had easily pulled off eliminating the target. He had even watched the medics in the infirmary, claiming to be seasick while waiting for some Dramamine. He knew he was taking more chances than usual, but he needed to make sure he had removed the target and he had been pleased when he frantically saw the doctor performing CPR on Seth Vincent and then finally giving up. He looked over at the brunette, she was still talking. He hadn't even heard a word she had said, but he nodded in all the right places, so she kept going. He had approached her earlier and invited her for a drink at the upper bar. She had gladly accepted. He was dressed in a light gray suit with dark wavy hair. He had added about ten years to his face and nearly ten pounds to his frame removing any resemblance to the young cruise director. As the young woman continued on about her family back in California he pulled out the wrinkled sheet from inside his jacket and crossed off the name next to number five, Seth Vincent.

Chapter 40

Adam carefully laid out the eight digital photographs he had quickly printed from the computer. There was the cruise director, a photograph of James Parker that Mulkin had somehow obtained and six other male employees roughly the same age and appearance. Luckily, he had been able to access the employee database. As soon as he placed the last one down, Mulkin, the manager and Nancy entered the office. Derek who had curiously been eyeing Adam's actions immediately left the main office and entered into one of the small interior ones once he saw Mulkin enter. He said he thought he was getting closer to finding a solution on the slowing speed. The ship was now traveling at less than five knots which the Captain pointed out could become dangerous if they ran into a large storm. Fortunately, there was nothing building up in their vicinity, but they had run into that on the last cruise as well, so he wasn't feeling all that confident about it. The manager appeared to be a little more nervous than before as Adam led him to the desk and a chair. His eyes didn't leave the table once and he didn't speak for nearly five minutes, he just stared at the photographs appearing to examine each one over and over again. Adam watched Mulkin trying to gauge what he was looking at, but it was nearly impossible. Finally he looked up. "I think it was that one." He touched the picture of the cruise director. "But I'm not a hundred percent sure because he looks different in this picture."

"What do you mean?" asked Adam studying the picture.

"I don't know. I mean of all the pictures this is the one that looks most like the man, but I don't think it was him now."

"Before you said it was Jason." Adam pointed at his picture.

"I know, but now that I see his picture. I really don't think it was him. I mean like I said it looked like him, and if I saw him from a distance I would probably think it was him, but something is different." He stared at the picture. "It's the eyes. They are definitely different."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"Yes."

"I'll tell you what. I'll call Jason and have him come down here to be sure." Adam walked over to the desk and began flipping through a small book. A minute later, he was talking into his phone. "I woke him up. He'll be down in a few minutes."

Mulkin stepped in front of the pictures. He placed his arm on the manager's shoulder and spoke quietly. "Do me a favor and look at the rest of these pictures while we're waiting. Concentrate on the eyes and try to imagine each of them wearing the cruise director's uniform with the same hair and everything else." The manager slowly nodded and began examining each picture again spending several seconds on each one. A few moments later he looked up shaking his head. "I don't think he's here. I mean a couple of them are similar, but I don't think it was him." Mulkin sat down in a nearby chair. A second later the door opened and a man walked in wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. He was close to six feet, a medium build, and appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

"Hey Jason, sorry to wake you," Adam reached out and shook his hand. "You weren't up in the Pearl Café tonight were you?"

Jason looked confused. "No, that's the one in the bow right?"

Adam nodded. "Yes."

"What's going on?"

"We had a bad case of food poisoning and we're trying to figure out what happened."

He shook his head. "Sorry I can't be of more help, but I was stuck doing bingo all night."

Adam couldn't help but smile. They always placed the new directors in that job. It was one of the least glamorous roles a cruise director could perform, but it was something they had to do. He looked over at the manager who shook his head indicating it wasn't him.

"Thanks for coming down Jason. Sorry to bother you again." Adam led him into the hallway speaking to him briefly before he came back in. He let the manager head back to the café.

"I told you it was Parker." Mulkin picked up the picture.

"He didn't identify him Mulkin." Nancy responded.

"You heard him there were a couple that could have been the cruise director. We need to shut him down now, especially now that he is wearing disguises." He looked at Adam. "By the way when are they going to speed this thing up?"

"Derek is working on it now." Adam pointed at the closed door on the other side of the office.

"Or working to slow it down," Mulkin added.

"Dammit Mulkin you're really getting on my nerves accusing him and James all the time." Nancy's features tightened up. "You don't have any proof, just a hunch. I've got twenty other worthy suspects right here." She held a sheet of paper with names scribbled on it.

"Well check them out, but I'm telling you you're wasting your time. Look we just had method number five, the mass killing. I bet he was after one of the victims."

Adam closed the lid on his cell phone. "Apparently you are correct Mulkin, one of the victims; Seth Vincent has no background at all. I had Jimmy working on it. All the others have normal backgrounds and he could track them down, but not Vincent's."

"Let's go Adam. We need to find Parker now. Check the cameras near the café." They both quickly ran into the room where Derek was seated hunched over a computer.

"Derek can you pull up the cameras near the Pearl Café, say for the last two hours?" Adam quickly pulled a chair up beside him.

"No problem. Let me just get out of this." He clicked his mouse quickly closing all the open windows.

"Any idea on the speed thing?"

Derek typed on the keyboard. "I have some ideas I am working on, but I need to research it a little more before I try anything."

"Buy a little more time right?" Mulkin said forcing Adam to wave him off.

"Look, I'm trying as hard as hard as I can to stop this but I can't." He quickly typed into the computer pulling up the video system. A few seconds later a list of cameras could be seen on the screen, each one with a number corresponding to a map of the ship. A minute later he had the front of the café on the screen. "Here it is. Let me rewind back a few hours ago." He moved the mouse forcing the video to play backwards. "What the...?"

"What is it?" Adam asked impatiently.

"You're not going to believe this, that camera was turned off for about an hour. It just began recording again about ten minutes ago." He clicked on the lower part of the screen.

"Dammit!" Adam pounded his fist onto the desk causing the monitor to flicker. "How about any other cameras in the area?"

Derek continued frantically clicking. "Yep, same thing turned off. In fact all of them in the whole area were turned off."

"This is unbelievable. Isn't there some kind of an alarm or something that tells us when they are off?" Adam asked. He stood up looking at Mulkin who had a serious look on his face.

"Yes. It goes off if they are turned off by someone who isn't an administrator." Derek answered.

Mulkin stepped forward. "Who's an administrator?"

"Well actually just me, but Adam, Nancy and the Captain have admin rights as well, but not to the camera system."

"So what does that tell you?" Mulkin's eyes bore into Derek.

"What do you mean?" Derek pushed the keyboard away.

"It means this isn't happening by itself." Mulkin was almost yelling. "Someone is making it happen, someone with administrative rights and that someone happens to be you."

"Easy Mulkin, we think we had someone using his account earlier to turn off the cameras." Adam calmly said.

"C'mon Adam how is someone going to get his administrative account? They have to know his password and smart card."

Derek looked down at his hands resting near the keyboard. "Yes."

"There you go, sounds pretty secure to me."

"It is. Or was," replied Derek. "We've somehow been compromised."

"You're trying to tell me Parker hacked into your computer system, got your password and smartcard and the disabled the cameras and killed all these people." He shook his head. "I wasn't born yesterday. Let's take him into custody Adam." Mulkin stepped closer to Derek.

"At least give him a chance to speed the ship up."

"I'm done with chances. We're never going to stop them. They're working in tandem, only thing that makes sense." Mulkin was yelling.

Derek looked up. "Please Mr. Meluzzo just give me a chance to speed the ship up. I'm so close to figuring it out. I promise I didn't turn off the cameras or anything."

Adam looked at both Mulkin and then Derek. "One more chance, but you have to work out there where Nancy or someone can see you." Mulkin stormed out of the room slamming the door. Adam led Derek out to where Nancy was and explained to her what happened. She just shook her head. Adam nodded and headed out the door. A moment later, he saw Mulkin standing near the top of the stairs on the deck his eyes looking upward. Adam could feel the loud rumble violently shaking the deck. He climbed to the top of the stairs and looked up watching a large rescue helicopter hover fifty feet or so above the deck. He could feel the downward surge of air being forced at him from the choppers huge blades, but he didn't even blink. He just stood frozen next to Mulkin as Doc Pearson and his staff prepared the only survivor from the food poisoning incident. A moment later a large basket was dropped from the helicopter attached to a thick steel chain. Doc and his staff loaded the woman into the basket and secured her. Adam caught a glimpse of her lifeless face as the basket swung towards him and watched her lift off towards the chopper. He knew her chances of survival were slim, but at least she was off the Calypso and on her way to a well-equipped medical facility. He agreed with Doc that they needed to do something about a heliport on the Calypso, it had been one of the flaws not built into the ship, but at this point just about every piece of the large deck was covered with recreational activities or lounge chairs for the passengers and it would be a little difficult to build one into it, but maybe now things would change. He watched the basket reach the helicopter and the woman's body was carefully placed inside. It continued to hover for another minute and then the engines roared to life lifting it off and disappearing into the dark night. Adam and Mulkin continued to watch until it was completely gone.

"This is bad Adam."

"It is. We really need some kind of break here."

"I hope you know what you're doing with that computer kid." Mulkin pointed at the horizon. "I mean it is like we're standing still out here."

Adam looked down at the ocean. "He'll get it going again Mulkin. I have my doubts about him too, but he's been here since I started and he always gets the job done. He's always been trustworthy."

Mulkin shook his head. "I don't doubt it, but Parker probably offered him a lot of money to make things happen, and he took it."

"Could be, but I think I at least owe him the benefit of the doubt until I see otherwise." Adam responded.

"How much more do you need to see? The guy is turning cameras off, slowing down the ship and you said he probably sent that email about the life boat drill that got that other guy killed."

"I agree, like I said I have my doubts, but we really have no choice because no one else knows the system and if he is innocent, he's the only one who can fix it."

"And if he's guilty he's the only one who can make it worse."

Adam looked down, "Point well taken. I have him next to Nancy. I say we give him a few more hours and if he doesn't fix it then we'll pull him away." He paused. "Let's say you're right that he is the one that slowed it down then he should know how to speed it back up again and maybe he will come to is senses."

Mulkin began to walk away shaking his head. "Wishful thinking can get you hurt in this business Adam."

"Right now it's all we got."

Mulkin stopped and turned around. "Okay I'll give him a couple of hours, but after that I'm throwing cuffs on him. In the meantime let's figure out a plan to find Parker." Adam quickly caught up with him and continued walking towards the stern of the ship.

Chapter 41

Tom and Karen woke up to bright beams of light protruding into their cabin. They immediately headed out onto the balcony breathing in the fresh sunlight and warmth from the ocean. They had enjoyed a quiet night in their cabin ordering several pay per view movies and an expensive merlot. Tom hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. His body was fully recovered and the horrors of the beginning of the cruise were far behind them. He held Karen tight as she looked off at the horizon trying to figure out where it begins. They had called Tommy last night and told him they were headed to their last stop and would be with him in a few days. He had sounded so excited. It was the longest period they had ever been apart, but he sounded like he was doing okay. His parents had told him that Tommy was being good as gold. The only time he was upset was right before he went to bed because both Tom and Karen would lay in bed with him and read to him until he became sleepy. His dad was trying to do the same thing, but according to his mom it was his dad that was falling asleep not Tommy.

"Is it just me or are we barely moving?"

Tom stepped forward and looked down at the water far below. "We are not moving at all or not very quickly."

"Do you think something is wrong?"

Tom watched the concern quickly grow on Karen's face. He immediately held her tighter. He remembered their first flight together. They had flown out to Vegas just after they had been married and as they were getting ready to land one of the engines blew out, apparently a bird had flown into it. They had been sitting just behind the wing so they witnessed the whole thing, first the loud noise, then a puff of smoke and even some flames. He had immediately heard the screams of terror echo through the cabin and felt his own usual nerves of steel begin to crumble until he looked over at Karen she was as calm as could be and even had a slight smile on her face. It was as if she were in perfect control, just looking at her dropped his pulse by probably fifty beats and he just squeezed her hand tightly as the captain slowly and safely guided the plane in for a safe landing. He had been amazed at her control in danger, it was much greater than he could ever hope to be and he practiced controlling his system all the time. She was still a rock, but since the birth of Tommy he had seen a different side of her. Like the time Tommy fell down and cracked his head, she totally panicked and Tom actually had to have her leave the room while he tried to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived, but he figured that was because she was Tommy's mother and she was supposed to worry about him despite everything else.

"I think they are just slowing down." Tom shook his head. "You know like an airplane does before it lands, maybe they are trying to stall time."

"Like we're ahead of schedule," Karen smiled.

"Exactly, just think how many Bahama Mama's they can sell on board before we get to Bermuda."

Karen shook her head, "You and those Bahama Mama's." She turned towards him and kissed him on the lips. "And here I thought I was you're a Bahama Mama."

Tom laughed and began to slowly edge towards the door. "I'll race you to the shower."

Karen reached out and grabbed his shirt as he began to run. "Remember we race up the wall today and that is it Tommy boy."

Tom stopped and reached for her, but she moved too quickly zipping past him. "Last one to the shower is an old man." She yelled out. Tom took off after her, laughing so hard he wasn't able to run.

Looking back from the bathroom door, her bathrobe hanging halfway off, Karen called out, "you okay old man?"

James woke up immediately feeling the calmness below him. He went to head out onto the balcony before remembering he was in a different cabin. He had enjoyed a full night's sleep despite the eventful evening. He had woken up several times during the night, looking out into the hallway and listening for any strange sounds. He didn't figure they would be able to track him down so quickly, but he wanted to make sure. Besides, he had called Leanne a few times during the night. She was staying up all night again at the office nursing a small poodle. She had been appreciative of the calls and sounded excited that he would be home in a couple days. He was looking forward to getting back home and away from the Calypso. It had turned out to not be what he had expected despite all the events that had happened. Maybe it would have been different if Leanne had been on board. He headed to the shower grabbing a granola bar on the way. He had a busy day planned and he was anxious to get started right away. He walked by the disguise he had out and was satisfied it would do the job. Twenty minutes later he was walking down the long hallway. He immediately headed out onto the deck and as soon as he stepped into the fresh air he could see groups of passengers staring off into the horizon. He inched up to the first group. They were mostly middle-aged and appeared to be professionals. "What's going on? Why's everyone looking at the ocean?"

A tall and unusually slender man quickly turned around, he reminded James of a puppet the way he moved, his head and eyes would respond first then his long arms or fingers would follow. "We're all trying to figure out why we're going so slowly. Someone said we are having engine trouble." The man pointed to a shirtless tanned man who was leaning over the rail and talking about how if the engines go the ship could turn upside down. James debated whether or not to argue and decided to instead walk away. He quickly ran back to his new cabin, changed into another outfit and headed back out again. Instead of heading up, he took the elevator to the lowest deck available and then ran down two staircases until he reached the bottom of the hull. He knew he was at the bottom because he could feel the water moving underneath the ship's hull. It almost felt as though the floor were vibrating. There wasn't much down on this level. There was a long hallway lined with locked doors mostly used for storage. He slowly walked down the dark hallway, with no windows only small dim lights lining the ceiling every twenty feet or so. It was quite dark. It reminded him of the naval ships he had served on minus the gray paint. He didn't remember seeing this part of the ship on the Calypso's brochure. He continued walking towards the stern he knew he was getting closer as the hum of the engines began to fill the narrow hallway. The long hallway ran about half the ship, with doors located on both sides, probably every ten feet or so. He entered a few of the locked rooms for curiosity and was surprised at how empty they were. He had found one filled with lifejackets and another one with Christmas decorations. He couldn't imagine Christmas on a cruise ship, but what did he know. He remembered his first Christmas aboard the destroyer he had been stationed on. The Captain had allowed a single small Christmas tree that they kept in the cafeteria. Everyone had said that it reminded them of the one Charlie Brown picks out in the Christmas special, but after a couple of days it was surrounded by gifts. One of the seamen had started a gift exchange program that had apparently caught on because by the time Christmas arrived they had to move the tree and gifts on the deck because there was no more room in the cafeteria. James suddenly slowed down. He heard something up ahead that didn't sound like the engine. It sounded like a door closing. He immediately stopped, leaning against the wall. He pretended to fumble with his keys. There was someone up ahead. It was difficult to see, but he could see movement and whoever it was, was coming his direction. He wasn't sure what to do if it was Mulkin or one of his men. He knew he couldn't get caught, at least not yet. He had a lot more work to do. Maybe he had tripped an alarm or something he thought. He quickly looked behind him for any kind of sensor and didn't see anything but figured they could be hidden. There didn't appear to be any cameras or anything for that matter down here. The figure was now about fifty feet in front of him and coming directly at him. It was too late to hide now. All he could do was either fight his way out of it if he had to or run away. He watched and as the person grew closer he could see it was a crew member dressed just like him, white Calypso shirt and white pants. He prepared his lines in case the man challenged him. He knew there were a lot of crew members on the ship and they couldn't possibly all know each other, but how many were supposed to be down here. The man began to slow down as he approached and seemed to be eying James very closely. He looked to be around forty or so, dark brown hair and glasses and about the same height and weight as James. If it weren't for the glasses they would almost appear identical. James watched as the man now only ten feet away still eyed him not taking his eyes off him for one second. Both of them were headed directly for each other on the right hand side. James waited for the man to move but it looked like he was going to run him down...James thought of the game of chicken. At the very last second the man veered to the other side, quickly hurrying past him. James watched him go by and turned around a few seconds later but the man was gone. He stood in disbelief looking everywhere. It was dark, but there was no way someone could just disappear. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he better get out of there. He took one more look behind figuring the guy must have slipped into one of the rooms, but he hadn't heard any sounds. James picked up his pace and began running towards the engine now. Something didn't feel right. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew he had to keep going. He kept looking behind him, but there was no sign of the mysterious man. Five minutes later, he slowed down. He was outside the engine room. He heard voices. He slowly peered around the corner of the wall separating the hallway from the entrance and saw the Captain and a group of men glaring into the massive engine room. As soon as he heard Adam Meluzzo's voice he confirmed what he had come down here for. He slowly turned quickly heading back down the hallway, his eyes totally focused in front of him in case someone suddenly appeared. He felt his phone vibrate and looked down and saw it was Leanne. He couldn't miss her call. He missed her so much so he ducked into one of the storerooms near the stairs and after ensuring he was alone he felt his insides began to shake when he heard the terror in her voice. He listened to her for the next five minutes until he was so furious that he stormed out the door and didn't even notice the man standing fifty feet away at the other end of the hallway. He quickly ran down the rest of the hallway, climbed up the stairs and headed out onto the deck, his mind meticulously contemplating his next move.

Chapter 42

Adam closed his cell phone. "Captain that was Agent Mulkin upstairs, he just received word from the CSI guys that there was a foreign substance placed near the hot tub minutes before she fell." Adam watched the Captain look away from the powerful engines and back at Adam. "So that confirms it. It was a murder than?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Captain Spence slowly shook his head. "What about cameras of the hot tub?"

"They were turned off Captain. I had Derek run a check on that."

"Of course they were. They always are turned off." He replied back sarcastically.

"In every instance the cameras have been de-activated. Like we said earlier we do have a witness that places Parker at the scene."

Captain Spence stepped away from the engine room and into the hallway. "Then what are we waiting for? Why can't we catch this guy? I mean we're on a damn ship. How far can he go?"

"We've got every resource searching for him. I even have most of the crew on the lookout." Adam paused. "Here's the problem. We think he is wearing disguises, so it may be impossible for someone who doesn't know him to find him."

"Doesn't he have any family?"

"Not that we can find. We don't even think that's his real name. Apparently he has a girlfriend that Mulkin has some Agents talking to now. He is going to try and get her to meet us in Bermuda."

Captain Spence frowned and looked back at the engine room. "Bermuda? At this rate we may never make it to Bermuda. We're barely moving over one knot now."

Adam could see the intensity in Captain Spence's face. It was something he had never seen before. The guy had seen it all, but apparently a murderer aboard his ship and a stalling engine at the same time was a first and it was beginning to take its toll on all of them. "Derek did say he is making headway."

"I sure hope so. We've got two Coast Guard cutters on their way to us, but they are at least five or six hours away. Do you think that is too long?"

"I hope not. We're really hoping Mulkin can get a read on his girlfriend and maybe she can reel him in for us."

Captain Spence placed his arm on Adam's shoulder. "I really hope so, because this is getting bad Adam...really bad. We haven't even put anything out to the passengers yet about the four people that died from the food poisoning."

"Three people Captain." Adam corrected.

"Four now, the fourth woman died while being airlifted to the hospital."

Adam felt his eyes moisten, he was generally not someone who wore his emotions on his sleeve, but things were getting beyond control. He needed to go find Nancy and make sure she was okay, but he had to meet Mulkin first. Mulkin had said to meet at the hot tub area again. He couldn't imagine what he was going to say this time. He figured it would probably be more bad news. He looked over at the Captain who appeared to be lost in his own thoughts and nodded, then left.

Five minutes later he stepped into the gated area containing the pool and hot tub where the accident-murder occurred. "What's up Mulkin?"

"The substance used was something based on Crisco oil." Mulkin pointed at the hot tub.

"Like they use in a kitchen?"

"A derivative of that, I don't have all the details."

Adam stared at the concrete surrounding the hot tub, still amazed that someone was able to conjure an accident to look like a murder by making someone slip and hit their head. "It still sounds a little far-fetched Mulkin."

'The guy is a pro. Remember he was a former Navy Seal."

"I don't remember ever hearing about Seals killing people with Crisco."

Mulkin quietly laughed before his face suddenly tightened up. "Look I have an Agent with Parker's girlfriend right now. We're trying to get her to come to Bermuda, but she insists she can't leave her veterinarian practice."

Adam shook his head remembering his experiences with Scamper, their family dog when he was growing up. The dog was hit by a car and the doctor stayed with him all night till he passed away. "They are some of the most dedicated people you'll ever meet."

"Apparently, she is in contact with him quite often. She said he calls at least twice a day. We've already got the cell company triangulating."

"I don't see many cell towers out here. It must be a sat phone." Adam smiled looking out at the ocean.

"It is and we have the number. The carrier will send a notification the next time he dials out or receives a call, so we should have no problem tracking him."

Adam eyed him curiously. "Do you really think they can pinpoint him down on the ship? I mean there are over five thousand people aboard."

"They say they can get him within fifty feet."

"Do you know how many people can fit within fifty square feet on this ship?"

Adam watched the anger build on Mulkin's face. "No I don't and I don't care because if we can get within fifty feet of him we might be able to prevent another death."

"When was the last call?" Adam asked choosing not to respond to Mulkin's last remark.

"She called him about an hour ago, but we didn't have the trace on yet," His face still full of discontent.

"So we may not get another call for a while."

"Probably not, but I want to be ready."

Adam looked down at his phone. "I'll have a group standing by to respond."

"Thanks. Now tell me what Parker said about the sixth method in this so-called Crescendo that he seemed to have made up." He pulled out his small notebook. "I have checked with every CIA contact I have and no one has heard of it. I mean the CIA gave up assassinations years ago."

"I agree, but if we are to accept this hot tub accident and the food poisoning as murders than he is doing exactly what he described." Adam paused and his voice dropped. "Did you hear the fourth victim died in the medevac?"

"Damn. How many more is it going to take? We both agree those were murders right?"

Adam nodded his head, "Yes, of course. By the way, they are performing the autopsy on her tonight, so we should find out what she ate."

"Any more on Seth Vincent from you're end?" Mulkin asked.

"Nothing, same as the others. I am convinced that is the link. That is the one thing they all have in common."

Mulkin closed his eyes. "But yet none of them appear to have known each other as far as we can tell. I've got DC working on it. They'll figure it out soon."

"I hope so, because the Captain said we may not be in Bermuda for a while."

"All right, so what is the sixth method he told you?"

Adam pulled out a small sheet of paper. "It says the sixth method is a sniper style attack." His eyes quickly scanned the sheet. "The seventh is a knife attack and the eighth and usually last is man to man."

"This is going to go down in the books as one of the great ones. I mean the guy told us what he was going to and then went ahead and did it right in front of us."

Adam quickly added, "And all we can do is watch."

"I got a call from the Deputy Director earlier. He's freaking out about the news agencies. Apparently they are starting to get wind of something big going on out here."

Adam frowned. "That's all we need is the press out here. That is the one thing I like about this job, it's like the commercial says "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

Mulkin smirked. "This isn't Vegas anymore my friend."

Chapter 43

The non-descript man quickly changed into another outfit and headed out the cabin and up onto the deck. He was glad to feel the sun's strong ray's work their way deep into his body after spending so much time in the ship's lowest decks. He had been down there for almost an hour with the smell and feel of plastic explosives and diesel finally escaping his pores. He was dressed appropriately for the sun, a pair of sunglasses, a floppy hat and a deep dark tan he had carefully rubbed in ensuring he didn't miss any part of his exposed body. He climbed into an empty lounge chair on the upper deck high above the pool, overlooking the crowded climbing wall. It was nestled between two large tropical plants strategically placed to allow the passengers some extra privacy. Not everyone could access this deck, only the ones who displayed their card, you had to pay extra for the privacy. He looked down at the crowded deck below him filled with mostly overweight bodies trying to soak up the sun's plentiful energy for themselves. He was thankful he had paid the extra money for the card, but he always accounted for everything, so it was no surprise that it worked out. He gently placed his rolled up towel on the cement alongside his lounge chair and slowly laid it down his feet facing the pool and climbing wall below. He had plenty of time, so he took out his Time magazine and laughed to himself as he read the articles containing stories of trivial things like politics, sports and money. Twenty minutes later, there were only two other people still on the deck, they were both facing away from him optimizing their bodies to get the most direct sunlight. He remained in the same position.

Chapter 44

Tom and Karen quickly jogged onto the deck and hurried to the large climbing wall. The sun was bright and a slight breeze was flowing across the deck despite the slow speed of the Calypso. There was still no report out on why they had slowed down so much. As far as Tom could tell they weren't having engine trouble, so they continued to shrug it off as normal, and from the sight of the other passengers on deck they were doing the same. He knew they were placing way to much weight into this race. There would be others, there always were. They just had that nature about themselves. He stopped as he approached the massive wall. It appeared so much larger than it had the last time they ventured up it. He watched as a father and his teenaged son raced up. The father, obviously in good shape beat his son and grabbed the certificate first causing his son to playfully slam his fist on top of the wall. The wall was wide enough for about four or five people to go at once, but usually the spotters allowed only two, it was easier to control and most people liked the one on one competition.

"What's the matter champ? Getting cold feet?"

"Just coming up with my plan of attack," Tom quickly replied back watching Karen step into her safety harness.

"I hope you have your number five in your wallet because you are going to need it today." She pumped her fist up and down causing the two spotters to laugh.

"You know it." Tom yelled back touching his back pocket. "Would you like to see it? It might bring you some luck."

"No. You keep that thing far away. Besides, I don't need luck. I have skill."

"All talk and no action. Let's see what you're really made of." Tom placed the safety harness over his feet and pulled it up to his waist letting the spotter secure the ring. "I take it we have a race on our hands?" The twenty-something man asked.

"Not just a race, the race." Tom called back loudly.

"Oh, don't listen to him. Everything is a race to him. He thinks this little wall is going to determine who the best is."

"I see." The man tightened Tom's cord and then Karen's. "I think you guys are ready to go as soon as they are finished." He pointed at two teenagers ambling up the wall. They didn't appear to be racing just leisurely climbing the wall. Tom stood quietly watching the two figures slowly reach the top. The taller of the two grabbed the certificate first and proudly held it up displaying it for the hundreds of sunbathers scattered all around. The climbing wall was in the middle of the swimming area and if a pool had been a few feet closer you could actually jump off the top and land in the water, but it looked like they had purposely built it just far enough away so no one would attempt it. He knew he could make it to the top in probably about forty-five seconds if he hit all the right footings and grips, but he couldn't make any mistakes. He mentally mapped out his path seeing himself go up the wall ahead of Karen. Last time he had been too cautious and worried about his footings, but this time he was going to go for it, just go up and don't look back. He could already feel the certificate in his hand. He couldn't wait to hold it up in front of Karen and feel so proud. He worried that she might go slower and let him win, but he knew once they heard the word "go" that would all change it was just her nature. He watched as the two spotters assisted the girls down. They came down gradually landing on the cement with their certificates tucked into their pants and quickly both ran up to two proud looking adults who Tom assumed must be their parents. He made his way towards the wall surprised at how many people had gathered behind him. Someone had alerted the crowd that a race was about to happen. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't even heard the commotion. He looked at Karen. She winked back at him. Tom reached the base of the wall and looked up at it. He was feeling victory but at the same time the anxiety was pumping through his body. He felt like he was about to step out onto the field on Super Bowl Sunday. A moment later he felt the snap of the safety line and the countdown to the word "go". He jumped up onto the first step immediately grabbing the one above. His body lifted up as though an angel was pulling him and by the time he arrived on the third one he was well ahead of Karen. He quickly looked back seeing the determination in her eyes. Just as he had expected she was giving it all she had. He could feel the plastic slithering by his feet and hands as he continued his ascent. He was halfway up when he looked out at the ocean, now far below him. It was magnificent from up here, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen before. It felt as though everything else was blurry except for the steady waves rolling across the horizon. He kept his eyes trained on the water as his body continued to lunge upward. He could feel the strains amid aches of his muscles from the go-cart accident begin to take toll, but they weren't slowing him down, nothing was. He was on his way to victory. He was three quarters of the way up and he could see the top, just a few more seconds and he would have that certificate in his hands, maybe it would even replace the George Brett number 5 he kept in his wallet. He could feel Karen inching closer as he continued to climb. She was only about a foot behind him now. It was going to be close, but he knew he had it this time. Something was different. The air was a little smoother allowing him to glide on through it. He knew this was how Karen felt in every other competition they had, this was what the edge felt like. For once in his life he had it. He was only a few feet from the top now. He took one last look at Karen and saw her face was covered in sweat and her eyes were keen, sharp and focused on the top. For a second she looked at Tom and almost smiled before she lunged forward, but she was not quick enough because he reached his hand out and grasped the certificate. It was firmly in his hand, he had done it. He had won the race. He reached the top of the wall first. He heard a loud thunderous applause below and he held the certificate up high in the air. He couldn't wait to tell Tommy. He had never felt this elated in his life. He looked down at Karen and watched her face turn completely white, she was screaming but he couldn't hear anything. He never heard the gunshot or felt the bullet land in the back of his head. His body immediately fell off the top of the wall dangling lifelessly by the safety line while below him the crowds ran in all different directions screaming with fear and hiding behind any structure they could find.

The non-descript man calmly wrapped the rifle back into the beach towel and left the deck area, throwing the towel and gun off the side of the ship when no one was looking. He slowly made his way down the stairs and then joined in the panic and despair happening. He followed a young couple and hid with them behind one of the lifeboats. There were ten or so others already behind it. He joined in asking everyone what was happening. While he was listening to their responses, he watched the Calypso's security officers rush by. The FBI Agent was right behind them, his gun and badge out in front of him. They were being directed towards the climbing wall where the non-descript man could see the body slowly being lowered down. He had placed a perfect shot. Once again, his plan had been right on, but then again it always was. He almost felt like smiling, but he quickly composed himself and five minutes later he was angling towards the climbing wall with the rest of the passengers slowly emerging from their hiding spots as the security personnel took control of the scene and ensured everything was safe. He watched the medical team work on the man's body, but it was too late the trauma had been too much and had stopped life immediately. The non-descript man was able to get close enough to see his features, they were still close together showing total shock and disbelief, but not understanding what was happening.

Chapter 45

Adam felt his body began moving before he even felt the vibration of his phone. He was already sprinting towards the aft of the ship. In less than two minutes he was staring into the face of Tom Wilson. Behind him, he watched Nancy calmly embrace a hysterical well-fit attractive woman whom Adam figured must be the man's wife. She had tears running down her cheeks and her eyes clenched tightly shut. A moment later, Adam took a deep breath as Doc Pearson covered the man's body with a sheet. Adam quickly looked away catching Mulkin up above on the private bathing deck for the high-paying passengers. He and Jimmy appeared to be examining an area near a lounge chair. Adam assumed they were trying to figure out where the shot had come from. It was about a hundred feet away, almost a perfect unobstructed angle. He listened as witnesses described how the man had just reached the top of the wall before they heard the shot. Most of them were pointing in all different directions trying to guess where the shot had originated from. His officers were quickly writing in their note pads trying to get as much information as possible, but in all crime scenes every story was different. He still couldn't believe this was happening. This was cold-blooded murder in broad daylight. The guy was getting too brazen. He slowly scanned the crowd looking for Parker...he was sure Mulkin was doing the same. There was no point relying on the cameras, they would be turned off that he was sure of. He wondered if Nancy had been with Derek when it went down so they could either eliminate him or lock him up. It was getting to the point where they just had to do something or the passengers would revolt. He could see the panic in their eyes. The anxiety from the terror building up to a point that would surely soon erupt or become dangerous. He looked over at Nancy again. She was leading the woman away from the wall, probably below deck. He made his way up the locked stairs to the private lounging area.

"What did you find Mulkin?"

Mulkin didn't respond right away, Adam noticed he was holding his pistol. He looked over at Adam. "We've got a shell casing." He pointed at the gleaming gold shell lying beside the chair.

"Any witnesses?"

"A man who said he witnessed the whole thing." He pointed over at Jimmy who was speaking with a man who was in his sixties with short gray hair and glasses. "He was seated over there." He pointed at another lounge chair on the other side of the deck. "He said he happened to look up and saw a man lying here on this lounge chair holding a rifle, or at least part of one."

"What does that mean?" Adam looked over at Jimmy.

"Apparently, it was wrapped in a beach towel, but he could tell it was a rifle and he heard the shot."

"Did you get a description?"

"Yeah, but it describes half the people out here and he never got a look at his face, said he was wearing sunglasses and a floppy hat."

Adam turned and looked at the crowd. He immediately saw three men with floppy hats.

"Don't think so Adam. He's long gone by now. You know that."

"You're right."

Mulkin pointed at the casing. "Here's the thing...this guy." He pointed at the man with Jimmy. "He followed our shooter. He said he immediately left the deck and threw the towel and rifle, along with his hat and sunglasses off the side of the ship and then disappeared into the crowd."

Adam looked over at the man again. "Does it sound like Parker?"

Mulkin shook his head. "What do you think?"

Adam felt his pager vibrate again. He looked down and saw Nancy wanted to meet him in the security office to talk to the widow. "I'm heading down to talk to the wife."

"I'll be right there. Let me just get Jimmy to collect this evidence. I think this deck will be off limits for a while." Adam watched him walk towards Jimmy and then he climbed back down the stairs making his way through the large crowd. As he dodged the passengers he heard the Captain's voice echo out through the ship's loudspeaker. He was trying to reassure the panicked passengers that everything was under control despite the chaos. Adam walked into the security office. He could see Nancy and the distraught woman seated in the inner office. It appeared she was trying to talk. He stopped behind Derek and peered down at his computer. "Any luck yet?"

Derek slowly looked up from the computer. "I'm getting close. I think I have the problem narrowed down. I should be able to get something in an hour or so."

"Keep it up." Adam patted his shoulder and headed towards the office. "By the way, see if you can get anything on the camera near the climbing wall or the private deck."

Derek began striking keys quickly. "You mean that little deck above the pools?"

"That's the one."

"Is that where the shooter was?" Derek asked.

"Yes...how would you know that?" A deep voice bellowed out behind Adam. Mulkin quickly stepped in front of Derek's desk causing him to lean even further into the computer. "Nancy was sitting right here when she got the call." He pointed at the chair next to him. There were papers and books strewn everywhere.

"C'mon Mulkin let's go talk to the wife." Adam pointed at the office.

As soon as he stepped into the office, Adam felt his heart began to flutter. He recognized the woman. He had spoken with her and her husband. It was around the time of the first murder, they had been nearby. He placed his arm on her shoulder and introduced himself and Agent Meluzzo. They sat down across from her while Nancy remained seated beside her, her arm securely intertwined with Karen's. Adam watched as her eyes met his, reciprocating the recognition.

"She says she can't understand why her husband Tom was targeted. He works for the Government as an electronic engineer." Karen slowly nodded. "They were just enjoying a vacation."

Sobbing, Karen Wilson said, "We knew about the others. I mean but we didn't think it would happen to us."

Adam slowly nodded and looked over at Mulkin who surprisingly hadn't said a word yet. Adam noticed he was still looking out at Derek, who was at work on the computer.

"Can you tell us anything else about what Tom does?" Adam asked. "Does he travel?"

She took a deep breath. "He works for the State Department. He usually goes to the various embassies, mostly in Europe to work on their computers and electronic security equipment." Adam watched as Mulkin immediately turned his head staring directly at Karen.

"I mean he's the greatest dad in the whole world. We have a little boy at home whom idolizes him. I don't know how he's going to react. It will crush him." She began crying uncontrollably as Nancy hugged her tight in her arms. Mulkin stepped outside the room placing his cell phone to his ear. Adam watched Nancy as she continued to support the woman. A minute later, Mulkin stepped back into the room. "Ma'am, I hate to have to ask this, but how long have you two been married?"

"Ten years." She proudly blurted out.

"Has he ever gone by a different name?"

She immediately stopped crying, her mouth hanging wide open. "What? "What kind of a question is that?"

"Just trying to get to the bottom of this," Mulkin quickly responded.

"No, his name is Tom Wilson always has and always will." She yelled out.

"Okay. I don't have a Tom Wilson with the State Department that does what you said you're husband does. In fact there is no Tom Wilson at all with the State Department." Mulkin said. Adam watched as the sadness turned to anger in the woman's face. "Look. I don't know what you're talking about, but my husband works for State. I know his boss. I've been to his office. Our son has been to his office. Maybe you should call someone else." Mulkin quickly rose up to step outside when at the same time Derek excitedly arrived at the doorway. "I've got it." He called out.

"You figured out the problem?" Adam asked rising up.

"No, even better, I have the whole thing on camera."

Adam and Mulkin quickly stepped outside the room and ran over to the desk where Derek's computer was. They watched in amazement as medium built man wearing a floppy hat and sunglasses calmly took aim with a rifle covered by a beach towel and shot Tom Wilson. "That's Parker." Mulkin yelled out pointing at the screen. Nancy rushed out from the office and watched the tape. "How can you tell?"

Mulkin touched the screen. "C'mon look at him. Same build same mannerisms, same everything. We have our man on tape. I guess he's starting to slip. He forgot to turn off the cameras." He quickly looked over at Adam. "Wait a minute."

"What is it?" Adam asked curiously.

"You were with Derek when this happened right?" He looked at Nancy.

"Yeah," She shrugged her shoulders, keeping her eye on Karen still seated in the office, her head between her hands.

"That explains why Derek here couldn't turn off the cameras, because you were right there."

Derek looked towards Nancy. "I had nothing to do with this. How many times do I have to tell you?" His face turned bright red.

Adam turned around thinking that Mulkin might be on to something.

"I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing." Nancy said. "I couldn't even see his screen, so he could have turned the cameras on and off and I would have never known anyway."

Mulkin shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The reason he didn't do it was because you were here." He turned towards Derek grabbing his shirt. "Now tell me where the hell Parker is?" Derek stunned by the aggression slumped forward and hit his head on the desk when Mulkin let go.

"Get the hell out of here Mulkin. Adam, take him away from here." Nancy yelled out.

Adam pulled Mulkin with him as they headed out the door.

Chapter 46

James Parker slowly turned around and began to walk away from the climbing wall. He had stood amongst the crowd and watched the medical team try to revive the lifeless body. The screams and panic had begun to die down and shock was settling in. James almost laughed when he heard the Captain's voice in the loudspeaker reassuring the passengers that everything was okay and that they had everything under control, "if they only knew," he thought. He was still surprised that he was carrying an eerie feeling. He never felt that way before and he had seen and caused a lot of death in his life, but after seeing the face of Tom Wilson up close before they had placed the sheet over him, something had been shaken up inside him he didn't know existed. He wasn't exactly sure where he had known him from, but he did. They had worked together before, more than once his brain told him. He hadn't felt anything when he had seen him from a distance, but as soon as he looked into his face, he felt it, something wasn't right. The only thing he remembered was that this was a good man. He had been surprised at how long it had taken them to cover up the body or even to get the crowd under control. Adam hadn't shown up for at least ten minutes. James figured he would have been the first one on the scene, but instead Mulkin had sprinted over with his gun and badge out like a cowboy in the Wild West. They had both walked directly past him. Adam had been less than five feet away and had even looked directly at him when he was at the base of the wall and then he had gone on to see Mulkin on the upper lounge. He had been happy that Nancy had escorted the wife right away. She just had a natural way with people. He had almost wanted to say hello when she and the shaken woman walked by, but instead he stayed focused on Tom Wilson. He was trying to shake the image from his mind as he walked up the small flight of stairs that led towards the center of the ship, but he just couldn't. He kept seeing his face and was trying to recall where he knew him from. He knew it would eventually come. He was just hoping it wouldn't be a memory that he had blocked out for a reason. He stopped by a small group of empty tables that were used for people to eat at when they visited one of the two snack bars located nearby. They were empty just as the rest of the deck. It felt like everyone had jumped overboard. They had just disappeared so quickly. He imagined everyone was hiding in their cabins behind the security of a locked door. He quickly dialed Leanne and reached her voicemail. He chose not to leave a message and hung up instead. He was still fuming that Mulkin had contacted Leanne and had even sent an agent to try and get her to come to Bermuda to get him to turn himself in. Apparently, the agent had told her he was responsible for the deaths on the Calypso. He had laid out a case complete with facts and proof, so much so that during their last conversation Leanne had asked him point blank if he was the killer. He had of course denied it, but he was wondering if she was now avoiding him because of that. She said the agent had gone through some of his stuff and had even tried to access his gun safe. Fortunately, he hadn't been able to do so and even more fortunately Leanne had come to her senses and told them to leave. He was hoping she was back at her practice too busy to take his phone call, but his mind was trying to tell him something different. He suddenly felt the ship lurch forward, it felt like someone had accidently pushed the throttle too fast. He quickly rose up and headed to the side of the ship. Just as he grabbed a hold of the rail, the ship revved up again. He watched as the remaining passengers on the deck scrambled towards the side of the ship. Something was happening. He quickly let go of the rail and ran down the closest stairwell taking him below deck near the cafeteria.

"What the hell was that?"

Adam opened the door to the balcony and stepped out onto it. "I don't know everything looks okay out here."

Mulkin quickly followed him out. "Maybe you should call the Captain."

Adam dialed the number of the bridge, but quickly hung up. "They said they don't know. They are investigating it."

Mulkin threw up his hands. "Wonderful, let's see what else can possibly go wrong. Maybe it's time we sink."

"Don't say that Mulkin. It's like saying an airplane is going to crash while you're in flight."

"Okay. Whatever, let's get back to the Wilson's room."

"Wait a minute."

"What is it Adam?" Mulkin grumbled.

"Do you see that?" Adam pointed at the ceiling just inside the entrance from the balcony. "It's a wireless transmitter." Adam reached up and grabbed it.

"How did we miss that?"

"You can only see it of you come in from the balcony."

"Damn it. Not now." Mulkin reached into his pocket.

"What is it?"

"Cell phone." Adam watched as Mulkin briefly spoke on the phone. "Parker just tried to call his girlfriend from somewhere in the center of the ship."

"That helps."

"He's on the deck somewhere."

"What...really...they can tell that?" Adam shook his head. A second later he was speaking to Jimmy. "He's on his way."

"He'll be gone." Mulkin shook his head. "So now we find out where this transmitter is going and we catch him."

Adam held the transmitter between his fingers. "I think I have something that can help with that in the office."

"Well now we know how he knew they were going to the climbing wall."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked placing the tiny transmitter up to his ear.

"Parker's been listening to their conversations."

Adam nodded and quickly opened up his cell phone. "That was Jimmy. You were right Mulkin there's no one up there resembling Parker."

"Shaking his head, Mulkin responded, "I knew it. Damn it. How are we going to get him?"

"Let's go check this thing out." They both headed out of the Wilson's cabin and felt the ship suddenly surge ahead again.

"I don't like this." Mulkin muttered under his breath.

The nondescript passenger felt his pulse vibrating on the steel blade pressed closely to the inside of his wrist as he carefully walked across the large cafeteria. It was virtually empty, there were only twenty or so diners trying to catch an early meal. He had hoped there would be a few more and he was pleased when he looked behind him and saw the small crowd gathering near the entrance. His plan had changed dramatically, but so had everything else and besides who was to stop him from having a little fun they weren't going to catch him anyway. He had enjoyed the rush he had gotten seeing the passengers scramble when he had shot Tom Wilson. He needed to feel that again. It was almost like an uncontrollable hunger had emerged from somewhere deep within and he needed to fill it. He would have normally pushed it aside as he always did when he felt distractions, but things were going so well he figured he would let this one be. He might actually enjoy it. He pushed the knife deeper against his wrist. He could feel the sharp edge of the blade rubbing against his skin, it wasn't cutting, but it was causing enough pain for him to press a little harder. He knew that damn FBI Agent and security director were reviewing the video now from before, but he didn't care. He didn't look anything like that anymore, and even if he did, they would still be miles behind. He had shed some thirty pounds after he quickly found a restroom and flushed the gel down the toilet. It was great stuff, flesh colored and easily disintegrated in water. He also removed the wig, replacing it with his own hair for once. He hadn't had time to get back to the cabin and change. Or maybe he just couldn't wait for the thrill. He wasn't quite sure what was happening to him. He didn't even workout today, the first time in probably five years he had missed a day. He would double up tomorrow. He strode confidently across the dimly lit cafeteria. He didn't care about the cameras in here because it would be too dark anyway. He knew where both of them were and he purposely walked in front of one of them. He was tempted to wave, but he restrained himself and remained focused on the mission. He brushed past two waiters who barely noticed him and made his way towards the full table at the other end. There were six people seated there, an older couple, three middle-aged men and a small child. He wasn't sure who the child was with, but it looked like she was being tended to by the elderly couple. He headed directly towards the man seated with his back to him. He was tall and broad shouldered even sitting down. He had well-cropped reddish brown hair and was wearing a navy blazer and khakis, almost a mirror image of himself. He arrived directly behind the man causing the others at the table to take notice of him. Without any effort he reached around the man and sank the knife deep into his chest where his two lungs meet, causing them both to immediately collapse. He heard the shrieks and saw the horror explode on their faces as the man stood up gasping for air. He wanted to stand there forever and enjoy the moment and the terror, but he slowly turned around and quietly walked back towards the entrance. The other diners and wait staff immediately parting ways. He took one look back at the man and saw that he was now lying on the floor. Two men were kneeling down next to him trying to assist him, but it was too late, there was nothing they could do. It wasn't the quickest way to take a life, but he knew it was the surest as long as there were no medical personnel nearby which he had made sure of before the attack. He casually walked out the door and prepared to defend himself if someone tried to stop him, but unfortunately no one did so he entered the stairwell and raced down three flights to a small closet where he quickly changed into a somewhat stocky steward.

Chapter 47

"I don't believe it!"

"What is it?" cried Mulkin desperately trying to keep up with Adam sprinting down the hallway.

"Someone was just murdered in the main café." Five minutes later, they entered the cafeteria and saw the crowd gathered around a man lying face down. A crimson puddle had formed near his side. The stressed paramedics were already there, but Adam could immediately tell it was too late.

"What happened?" Mulkin called out. Both of them listened to the witnesses describe the man with the knife and his actions. Adam called the security team and they searched the vicinity, including the staircase, but after thirty minutes, they determined he was gone.

"I'm losing control of the ship guys." Adam turned around looking into the dazed eyes of Captain Spence. He quickly explained what had happened.

"By the way what's going on with the ship?" Mulkin asked.

"The jumping?"

Both Adam and Mulkin nodded.

"That's Derek trying to fix it. He's gotten it to work a few times, but then it snaps back. The Coast Guard cutters are about two hours away now. I just talked to them on the radio." He looked down at watch. "What are we going to do? I've got passengers frantically calling up to the bridge every few seconds. Some of them are suggesting we put everyone in lifeboats." He shook his head. "They want off the ship guys. They are scared."

"I frankly don't blame them Captain. This guy has gotten scary brazen. I think he's starting to lose it." Adam stated.

"Parker lost it a long time ago." Mulkin said. "I think we need to blast his picture out all over the ship."

"What picture? He looks different every time we see him."

"I don't care. We need to get something out there."

"I agree." Captain Spence said looking at Adam. "I mean from what you're telling me he just went and stabbed this guy in cold blood in front of all these people and then just walked out the door."

"That's what they are saying. I just called down to Derek. He is pulling the video now."

"I mean what's he going to do next?"

Mulkin quickly responded. "According to what he told Adam, the next phase is a hand to hand fight, but if he's unraveling, who knows what he'll do." He paused. "This is classic behavior for a serial killer. They go on for a while acting very methodical and logical and then they just lose it. We need to lock down the ship."

Both Captain Spence and Adam looked at Mulkin. "Impossible. We have over five thousand people on here." They felt the ship lunge forwards again followed by screams of terror.

"You need to get Derek to stop that Captain. It's making things worse."

"He's right Captain. At least get on the loudspeaker and let people know what's going on." Adam added.

They watched as the Captain quickly turned around and walked out of the cafeteria without even looking back. Adam couldn't even imagine how he felt. He knew the Captain took everything personal on the ship and knew this must be killing him. He had never seen him look so bad. His usual crisp white uniform appeared to be full of wrinkles and sagging as he staggered out the door. He didn't even acknowledge the crew members standing at the door. The warmth and love that everyone so endeared, was slowly spilling out of him. They had to do something. He watched the Captain turn the corner and disappear. It reminded him of a horror movie when a ghost walks into the wall and vanishes. He turned back towards the crime scene. Mulkin was busy trying to get a description of the killer. Apparently, he was wearing a dark polo shirt and tan khakis. He had short parted hair and a friendly normal face, kind of your typical male that would be in the cafeteria at this time of the day. Adam quickly looked around at all the faces. Most of them were still in complete shock witnessing a brutal violent murder right before their eyes. The medics had told him the man basically suffocated to death without having the ability to use his lungs. It was a precise knife strike in a location that would not only cause death, but also suffering. He felt really badly for the man. He didn't appear to be married, but he had been on the cruise with several friends, though none of them seemed to be able to provide any useful information about the guy. They had found an ID card with the name Kurt Ridgeway on it, but there was no address and nothing else. Mulkin had placed a call to the FBI office to try and track down something about the guy but apparently even he had come up with nothing leaving them both to know immediately that he had a similar background to the others. There had to be something between all them that was a common link. He couldn't be picking random people that just happened to have strange or limited backgrounds. He figured maybe Parker was using his naval security job to look into the backgrounds of his victims, but he also couldn't get the thought of what Mulkin had said that no one in naval security knew who he was. It was all very strange and scary at the same time. He didn't feel that his life was in danger, but he felt for the passengers. It was impractical to lock everyone down. They had plans in the books for almost every possible scenario that could possibly happen on a cruise ship, but an unraveling terrorizing killer was not something they had planned for. He felt his phone began to vibrate and was relieved to see Nancy's number appear. Before she could even start talking, the Captain's deep voice again echoed out of the ship's loudspeaker. He told the passengers what had occurred the last two days and that the security and law enforcement were working on it. He also explained that they were working on the engines and trying to increase the speed of the ship, so they might feel a sudden jump or vibration. He concluded by telling the passengers that they should remain on high alert and stay in their cabins as much as possible and that the Coast Guard would be on board in less than two hours. It was a good statement, Adam wasn't sure if it would actually calm anyone down, but at least it would make everyone aware of the danger lurking aboard the ship and the engine issues. He hoped people would listen, but he knew there would still be that group that felt they were invincible and would wander about the ship as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, there would also be the group that hunkered down in their cabins unrealistically fearing that there was a killer lurking outside of their door. He expected they would get a lot of panic calls resulting in false alarms, but maybe one of them would lead them to Parker. He ended his call with Nancy. She didn't have anything new to say, she just wanted to hear his voice and make sure he was okay. He was worried for her. She still wasn't sleeping. She spent hours and hours poring over the passenger lists. She said she was making headway and had actually found a few good leads. She still wasn't convinced it was Parker and she adamantly denied Derek had anything to do with any of this. She said he was maybe an hour away from getting the Calypso back to cruising speed. He had just cracked the last password and was now rebuilding the program. Maybe she was right, Derek was just an innocent whose username and password were compromised, but like Mulkin said it requires a smartcard so he wasn't sure. He definitely sided with Nancy on Derek, but he was going to keep his options open until he found something definitive.

"Hey Adam we need to go check out that video."

Adam watched Mulkin work his way over to him. He was so confident and somewhat brazen with the passengers. He usually held his badge out in front of him, making sure they got a good look at it before he even asked any questions, it seemed to work. People just seemed to talk to him, probably because they were just plain intimidated. Jimmy was working the other side of the room. His style was similar to Mulkin, but he was a little slicker and smoother but it had the same effect. Adam tended to be softer with people, it was just his personality, whereas Nancy always seemed to be a step ahead of the person she was questioning. They all had their own unique styles that all seemed to work in one way or another. What he couldn't figure out was how one man on board a ship was staying ahead of all of them. He couldn't be that good. No one was. He had dealt with so many sophisticated criminals over the years, but Parker appeared to be the cruelest, most lethal and perhaps the most intelligent because they were making no headway at all. They entered the security office. As soon as they entered, Adam noticed something different about Derek, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he seemed more confident.

"C'mere Adam. I've got the whole thing on tape."

Adam and Mulkin stood behind Derek as he clicked on the play button on the bottom of the latest Windows Media Player. It was dark and grainy, but a man wearing a dark polo shirt and khakis stepped into the frame and almost too casually walked up to the unsuspected man seated at the table. A few seconds later, they all watched in amazement as the man expertly plunged the knife into the man's chest and casually walked off. It was too dark to see any features, but Adam could definitely see a resemblance in size and build to Parker, despite a disguise. Parker's hair had appeared to be a little longer than the man on the video, but that could easily be cut or styled differently. They continued watching until Derek cut it off when the man began convulsing on the floor and his friends tried to aid him.

"Can you rewind that again Derek?"

A minute later they studied the figure again, trying to look for a definite sign of Parker, but it was just too dark. They spent the next several minutes watching it over and over, not drawing any conclusions except that it appeared to be Parker in action. Adam couldn't understand why all of sudden the killings were being seen on camera. He supposed Mulkin's theory that Derek was now being watched may have had an effect on it, but he was more inclined to believe the guy was taunting them, purposely performing right in front of them and thinking there was no way he would be caught and for the most part he was still correct.

"I have the speed issue figured out."

"What...what did you say Derek?" Adam asked opening his eyes and realizing how tired he really was.

"I'll have us going at full speed real soon."

"Good. We need some good news right now Derek we really do. Captain Spence said at this rate we're still twenty hours away from Bermuda."

"Well I should be able to cut that down."

"What was the problem anyway?" Adam looked at Mulkin who frowned. "Never mind, just keep at it."

"Let's check out that transmitter Adam." Adam fished the small unit out of his pocket."

"We have to go down to the communications room. Follow me." Adam led Mulkin out the door waving to Nancy on the way out. She was back at the table, her head buried in the lists. She said Karen Wilson had gone for a walk and would be back if she remembered anything.

Chapter 48

The non-descript passenger carefully stepped off the last step and onto the lowest deck of the ship again. He calmly strode down the hall with his steward uniform pulled tight around his body. He was somewhere near the center of the ship and was heading aft where the engines were trying to come to life. He kept feeling the surges and knew that in any minute the ship would be back at full speed. He entered a door on the left side of the hallway. It was totally dark inside and there was nothing in it except for flotation devices that probably hadn't been used since the ship was launched. He went over to the furthest group of them and lifted up a large box containing four medium sized industrial cases. They were about the size of a standard suitcase and equipped with a handle. He picked up two of them and carefully covered the other two back up. He quietly slipped out the door happy not to see anyone, although he wouldn't mind confronting someone since he had a large knife neatly tucked into his pants pocket. He had practiced earlier. He could drop the suitcase and have the knife out in less than a second if anyone challenged him, but more than likely they wouldn't waste their time, instead they would take him to be a lowly crew member assigned to the bottom deck. He walked a hundred yards or so down the hallway, much closer to the engine now. He could hear and smell the large diesels. He found the door he was looking for and struck his keycard into it, opening it immediately. It was a small empty storage closet, probably used by maintenance when they were cleaning the ship off-season or out of the water. He opened one of the suitcases, lifted out the box containing the white rubbery substance. He placed the detonator into it and powered on the electronic activator. He closed the suitcase and left the small room and quietly snuck into another tiny room opposite the engine room. The doors of the engine room were still open, he ensured no one was nearby when he entered the little room. He emptied the second suitcase into it, repeating the same procedure. He left as quietly as he entered and headed back down the hallway to retrieve the other two cases. He quickly found the other two locations and was happy to see four green lights on the small activator he was carrying. He had tested out the explosives on an old tanker ship one night out at sea a few months ago, so he knew exactly where to place them and exactly how much. Once he sent the signal to light the fuse it would take approximately seven minutes for the bottom of the ship to fill with water and began sinking it. He knew it probably wouldn't take too many lives and that wasn't his intention. He just didn't want to leave any traces behind and the surest way of doing that was to destroy anything his hands and body had touched and besides he was looking forward to seeing the passengers panic. He was still feeling the rush from the knife attack upstairs. He wanted to watch the video once he got back to his cabin. Destroying the evidence was his usual M.O. for almost every job he had worked, although in some cases it wasn't practical and he had to take extra precautions with gloves and hair from falling out to prevent any chance of his DNA to be found. So far, he had been perfect and he was sure in this case he was too, but there was no reason not to go the extra step, and especially in this case because this job was a little different. It was personal. The others had been strictly for business.

Chapter 49

Nancy was seated at her desk staring into the empty office. Derek had left an hour or so ago to tell the Captain the ship would be back up to normal speed any minute. Apparently, the program was getting ready to restart or something like that, but it had been an hour so she wasn't sure what was happening. She had Jimmy take Karen back to her cabin a few minutes ago. She was still feeling her emotions coming apart. The woman had been so torn up that she could barely function. Jimmy ensured her he would post a guard outside her door throughout the night. She just hoped she would survive. She couldn't imagine losing Adam especially now that he was going to be their child's father. She couldn't even imagine Karen having to tell her son that his dad wouldn't be coming home. Things would be tough for a long time with them. She vowed to stay in touch with Karen long after this cruise was over, if it ever ended. She still had a few leads she was working on. They were single males in their thirties and forties that fit the profile, but she needed to investigate them further and because Adam and Mulkin were so hooked on Parker she would have to do it herself. She hadn't been feeling well all day. It didn't help that she was dealing with a grieving widow, but it had started before that, actually this morning when she woke up. Luckily, Adam hadn't been there when she was hanging her head over the toilet, but he hadn't been to bed in days. She made sure she lay down and got a few hours of sleep every night despite everything going on. She wasn't about to cause another tragedy and jeopardize their pregnancy. They had waited too long for this. She felt her stomach area, she didn't feel any larger, but she had actually gained a few pounds. She couldn't wait till she was showing and had to wear those maternity gowns that tie in the back. It was what she had always dreamed of. She was excited to meet the baby, but she also wanted to enjoy the whole experience, carrying, labor and of course Adam's obsessive behavior. Just as she turned her attention back to the papers in front of her, she felt a weird sensation on the back of her neck. It felt like someone was watching her. She quickly looked towards the door and saw a shadow suddenly dart across it. She immediately rose up heading for the door. Normally, she would have her gun out in front of her, but she left that with her FBI career, so she carefully snuck up to the door and glanced through the pane. After a minute or so of listening and looking she was convinced whoever was out there had left. She slowly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was empty and almost eerily quiet. She was about to go back in when she noticed a small sheet of torn paper in front of the door on the floor. She reached down picked it up and un-crumpled it as she walked back into her office. There was a name written on it. It was printed very neatly, almost as if someone had used traceable letters like kids use in grade school. She studied the name and read it over and over again, "Tom Rossen...Tom Rossen." It didn't mean anything to her, but she brought it back to the passenger lists and couldn't find it listed. She figured someone must have left it there on purpose. She began typing on the computer and checking all the databases available. Finally, she called an old friend in the Bureau who promised she would get back to her. Sure enough ten minutes later her phone rang and her friend said she was sending an email. Nancy impatiently tapped on her keyboard as she waited for it. Usually it would have arrived, but when you're on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean it can be delayed. She kept clicking on the send and receive button until finally she saw "downloading email" flash by on the screen. She watched the green bar fill up from left to right as her computer accepted the file. It was a large file, probably because it contained an attachment. She waited until it was completely downloaded and then opened it up with Adobe Reader. It was a DMV file. She couldn't believe it when she saw the picture next to the name "Tom Rosen". She wasn't sure what to do. She watched as a second email came through from her friend again. It had a confidential attachment that she quickly opened. She sat in amazement as the information about Tom Rossen filled her screen. It was definitely him. Tom Wilson and Tom Rossen were one in the same.

James slowly walked past the engine room again. He could hear the shouts and joys as the ships two large diesels began to fire up to their normal power. They were on their way to Bermuda again. James had actually been enjoying the solemn of the ship casting away at sea with no roar and push from the engines. It reminded him of sailing back at the academy when the only horsepower they had was what the wind provided. Some days it wasn't much, making it very challenging bringing a forty-two foot ketch into the dock with no breeze, but they had somehow managed without causing any damage to the vessel. He quickly walked back down the long hallway shaking his head waiting for the surge of people to appear. They would want to come and see the engines performing their jobs, but luckily he didn't see anyone and he found the stairs at the far end of the hallway leading up to somewhere near the center of the ship. He still was trying to shake the image of Tom Wilson from his mind. They had spent a lot of time together training many years ago and had run into each other periodically around the world, but he hadn't even thought of him until this morning when he saw his face. Despite his eyes closed he could vividly remember the curiosity and life that existed in them. He looked down at his cell phone in his hand. He was trying to make it ring with his mind, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. He had left several messages for Leanne, but she wasn't returning his phone calls. She always called back to him no matter where he was or whatever time it was. Something wasn't right. He felt like something had happened to her or Mulkin had really spooked her. He was hoping for the latter. He quickly dialed one more time hoping he would hear her voice, instead he heard the four rings and the computerized voice asking him to leave a message. He didn't bother. He disconnected instead and forcefully shut the phone. He made his way up the stairs. He had to get something to eat. He didn't even realize how many hours had gone by since his last meal. It had been the Captain's dinner. He couldn't even remember how many days it had been since he had been sitting there, so much had happened since then. He exited the stairwell and entered into the main deck, slowly walking by the cafeteria. It was barricaded with yellow police tape and closed for the remainder of the cruise. There was a sign directing everyone to a secondary one on the floor above that was offering the same cuisine. James strode into the elevator and rode up alone. It was a different ship now. There were very few people about. He didn't even see any staff or crew. He had changed out of his crew uniform and back into an overweight passenger. He stepped into the cafeteria, there were maybe a hundred people seated in there, but it appeared empty. The room wasn't necessarily large, just roomy and filled with mirrors creating the illusion of great size. It was usually used for private parties or concerts, but had been turned into the ship's main eatery. James had heard most of the restaurants had changed their menus and prices and were offering meals at reduced rates and some places even free just to get the passengers to come out of their rooms, but from what he had seen it wasn't working. He imagined people were running to the stores and buying food or paying the extra charge and having their meals delivered to them in their rooms. He couldn't believe it. He was about halfway into the room when he saw the large Long Islander and the young married couple seated together at a table. There were still a few empty seats next to them he reluctantly sat down.

"Hello again, How are you guys holding up?"

They all turned towards him looking at him like they were trying to remember if they knew him, but after a few seconds they realized they didn't. James immediately remembered he was wearing a disguise and said, "Can I join you?"

The Long Islander took another long hard look at him causing James to squirm. There was just something about him that scared him. He wasn't sure why he had chosen to sit with them and he was starting to wish he hadn't. "Of course you can join us." He held out his hand. "Frank." James shook back. "Brian, nice to meet you." He nodded at the two newly-weds. He was happy to see they were still inseparable. Their hands were clasped tightly together. None of them had received their food yet and James was relieved when the waiter came over and took his order. The Long Islander was still staring at him.

"You know you look a little like this cat who sat with us downstairs."

James nodded and took a sip of water, wishing he had spent more time with the makeup. "You know why we are up here now right?"

James nodded. "I saw all the police tape."

The Long Islander stuffed a roll down his throat. "It was a blood bath down there. Man took a knife and almost cut someone's head off." He ran his finger across his throat. "Me, I'm not hiding anymore. I'm waiting for this guy to pop out and I'm gonna snap his neck." James watched him open two packs of butter and throw them in his mouth. "Where's the food? How long ago did we order?" He looked at the couple.

"It's been about five minutes." The young lady responded. "Do you think he is going to kill more people?"

The Long Islander cleared his throat causing James' stomach to almost do a flip. "Hell yes he will kill more. This guy is a killer. I mean how many people has he done so far." He held up his fingers and began counting. "I think the decapitation downstairs was five."

"You sure he was really decapitated?" James asked.

"I heard it was close. Guy had a knife this long." He stretched his arms far apart. "They say he would have killed a lot more with the rifle but it jammed."

James wanted to laugh, whenever people were around terror the rumors always developed. They were so off-base that he had to say something. "I think it was one sniper-style shot."

"You crazy man, you just like that other cat that used to sit with us. I told you...you look like him...acts like him too doesn't he guys?" He looked at the couple and pounded on the table, they both nodded. They still hadn't gained enough nerve to dispute the man. They were probably more scared of him than the killings. "Like I said, I'm gonna end this little rampage." He patted his pants causing James to wonder if he was carrying a gun. James watched as the waiter delivered the biggest steak he had ever seen and placed it in front of the man. It looked like they had just brought an entire animal out. He watched in amazement as the man emptied an entire bottle of steak sauce on the steak and was almost halfway done after only two or three bites. James and the couple slowly ate their chicken to the slurps and grunts coming from the man next to them. Finally, after fifteen minutes and two helpings of desert, James gladly handed over his blueberry pie and excused himself feeling much better that his stomach was full. Unfortunately, that good feeling only lasted a few minutes because he tried to call Leanne again and was welcomed by the annoying computer voice

Chapter 50

Adam gave Mulkin the thumbs up as they felt the powerful ship beam up to speed.

"I still don't buy it. Something is going on. They slowed it down for a reason." Mulkin said speaking loudly over the noise of the electronics in the communications room.

"Maybe we'll know more in a minute." Adam placed the transmitter on to the table. "This should tell us where it's going."

"How do you know how to do this?"

"Used to do it in the Bureau all the time, we had so many of these." He flipped on a switch on a small black box.

"That's right you were in bank robberies."

"And major crimes," Adam responded watching the meter on the box.

"You can't tell me you don't miss it anymore."

"Honestly, Mulkin. I really don't. Not that I really like doing this but I don't miss the hassle of having to answer to some guy tied to a desk barking out orders."

Mulkin laughed. "I know exactly who you're talking about. He's gone. They retired him about six months ago."

"Ron was quite the guy. You know he only spent one year in the field before he got hurt...or claimed to get hurt."

"He was a Harvard grad." Mulkin sat down in the small wooden stool next to Adam.

"Maybe so, but he couldn't run an op if it hit him. So what's up with you? How much longer are you going to run around doing this?"

Mulkin closed his eyes for a couple seconds. "To tell you the truth, right now I just want to get through this. It's so damn frustrating because we had the guy right next to us. I knew he was up to something from the start."

Adam looked down at the box watching the dials. "I apologize. I should have listened to you when you said we shouldn't involve him."

"Don't feel bad. You know what we said keep your friends close but you're enemies closer. That's basically what we did. Who would have known the guy was actually going to go through with it."

Adam pounded his fist against the box. "So much for this, it's not transmitting anymore."

"Of course not. Why would we get a break?" Mulkin sighed sarcastically. "By the way, he keeps trying to call his girlfriend. I've gotten a dozen messages that he is trying to call out."

Adam quickly turned his head towards him. "Why didn't you tell me? I have the guys standing by."

Mulkin scrolled through the messages on his phone. "They haven't been able to pinpoint any of them. Apparently, they have all been made from too far below decks."

"That can't be right, because I can get a signal from every deck except for...the bottom one." Adam watched Mulkin snap his head up.

"Let's go. I bet that's where he's been hiding. What's down there?"

"Besides the engine room, which is about a quarter of it, the rest is just storage rooms we don't use anymore. Damn, why didn't I think of that before?"

The non-descript man heard the tiny beep from within his pocket. He pulled out the transmitter and saw one of the four lights had turned red. Something was wrong. Something had happened to one of the explosives. He had to get back down there. He casually walked back down to the cabin he was staying in and changed into his crew uniform again. He was getting quick at changing from one to another. He could do the makeup and wig in less than ten minutes now. Satisfied, he looked into both the bathroom mirror and the one in the cabin examining his face in two different light sources. He exited the cabin making the journey down to the bottom. He had the knife tucked into his pants pocket again, but he wasn't in the mood to use it. He didn't like when things didn't go right, it meant his plan was astray or in his case something other than perfect. He couldn't imagine what had gone wrong. He didn't think anyone had found it. He had it tucked under an enormous flattened cardboard box that was coated with dust, the kind most people would never touch. He arrived in the long hallway and walked towards the engine room. He placed his hand into his pocket as he usually did about every ten minutes or so now out of habit. He happily felt the paper with the list of names was still there. He knew he was losing time on his final victim now that the ship was moving again and with the malfunction with the explosive. He felt his emotions began to swirl. He sharply pinched his upper arm to forcing his mind to focus. Most times it worked and he knew now was not the time to lose concentration. He was down to the last one, the most important one and toughest one. This was the challenge, this is what it all came down to for him and he wanted it to be perfect like everything else. As he neared the engine room, he could hear the steady call of the engines. The ship was running at full speed again. He arrived at the small closet, placed his key card into the sensor and quickly pushed it open allowing it to close behind him. He stuck a small flashlight between his teeth allowing both hands to be free. It looked like nothing had been disturbed, but something definitely wasn't right, because he couldn't hear the low hum of the transmitter coming from under the box. Most people wouldn't hear it unless they knew it was there, but his ears were trained for it and he knew immediately it was off. He carefully lifted up the box and immediately figured out what happened, when the ship had started moving again, the main transmitter wire had come loose. Luckily, he hadn't set the backups on or it would have set off the explosive. He snapped it back in place and laid the box carefully back down. He reached for the door and froze when he heard the door slam and two voices just a few doors down the hall. He quickly pulled the knife from his pocket and slid it behind his forearm and listened. Whoever it was, they were checking every room as if they were looking for someone. He couldn't believe someone had tipped them off. He had been so careful. He vowed to punish himself severely if he got through this, which he knew he would. It would just mean changing his plan and taking more lives than he had accounted for. He carefully scrutinized the voices and almost hit his head on the door when he recognized the voices of Agent Mulkin and Adam Meluzzo. He knew they would be armed. He would have to make his move. Timing would be everything. It would have to be a quick strike, going for fatal blows on each man before they even had time to react. He knew it could be done. He just had to be perfect, which of course he knew he would be. He always played through every scenario successfully in his mind before doing it. They call it seeing yourself be successful or something like that. He never read literature or any motivational material, but he remembered when he first got into this, someone he had worked for was full of little tidbits like that, drove him crazy, but for some reason this one stuck and he actually followed it. He bent down and placed his ear against the door. They were getting closer. He could hear their footsteps just a few feet away now. There were still a few rooms between them so he had another minute or so until his attack. He was already contemplating what to do with the bodies. He figured he would hide them in one of the small rooms. Besides, the ship would be on the bottom of the ocean in just a few hours anyway. He wished he had more time to prepare for number seven though. He looked at his watch. He hated being on someone else's terms especially with number seven still out there. He still had hours of research to do before his final match. He knew the cabin of his final victim and most of the background info, but he wanted to find out his weaknesses and strengths especially in hand to hand combat. He knew everyone had them, except for him. He really didn't have many weaknesses except his left was a little slower than his right, but he made up for that with power. He smiled realizing he could use the impending knife fight with the two law enforcement personnel as a warm up. They would be no match for him of course in hand to hand, but it would be a good opportunity to work on his left hand speed. He gripped the knife back and forth between his two hands finally settling on his left.

"Where is he?"

"It's gotta be the engine room. There are tons of little rooms in there. Let's just check out these last three." Adam pointed towards the nearest door. "They are mostly just closets, so I doubt he's in them." Adam placed his card into the first door, pulling it open while Mulkin leaned in next to him. It was a small empty room. The light didn't work so Adam shined his flashlight quickly combing the empty walls and floors.

"Let's do the next one." Mulkin watched as Adam quickly opened the door revealing some kind of tool room. It was filled with wrenches and piles of nuts and bolts used to repair the engine.

"What's all this stuff for?"

"The guys that work on the engine, I think they only come down here when they need to. The fumes can be a little much."

Mulkin touched his nose. "You think. I can't wait to get off this ship."

"What do you mean? You have almost earned your sea legs." Adam smiled.

"These old legs are meant for land." Mulkin lightly slapped his thigh

"You'd be surprised. I was never a boat guy, never even been on a cruise till this job." Adam shook his head. "Now I'm on one every week. I walk on land my legs feel funny."

"So what about the baby?"

"You mean when our son is born?"

Mulkin quietly laughed. "What if it's a girl? You know what they say about girls right?"

Adam quickly turned his head towards Mulkin. "What?"

"Relax Adam." He patted Adam's shoulder. "You know the expression? You can't live with them and you can't live without them."

"I'm married Mulkin remember."

"Just don't forget that, especially when it's two in the morning and she is too tired to get up and change the baby's diaper."

Adam smirked. "I will. I have to say this is a surprise. I would have never expected from you."

"What?" Mulkin eyed Adam curiously.

"Baby and Marriage advice."

Adam watched Mulkin's face form a smile. "Been there and done both of them several times. Trust me you'll enjoy it whether it's a girl or a boy."

"I still think it will be a boy though."

"You are a stubborn one aren't you Meluzzo?" Mulkin shook his head back and forth.

"If it's a boy are you going to encourage him to follow in your footsteps?"

Adam looked at the last door before the engine room holding his access card in his hand. "I guess if he wants. Hopefully, he'll do something different, like be a doctor or a NFL quarterback."

Mulkin laughed out loud. "You're killing me Adam. My son is a police officer in Atlanta. I think it's just in their blood or in your case both yours and Nancy's. You know the FBI is highly recruiting women?"

"Get out of here Mulkin." Adam lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "You ready?"

"Let's do it." Mulkin leaned in next to Adam as he swiped his card into the slot and pushed the door open.

"What the hell?" Mulkin yelled feeling his neck explode as his eyes witnessed a flash of movement. He immediately fell back onto the floor grasping the side of his neck with both hands. Adam reached for his weapon, but it was too late. The blow struck him on the side of his head causing his vision to become blurry and his head to slam against the door frame. He saw a man scramble by him. He tried to reach out with his hand but he was too quick. The man expertly maneuvered into the hallway like he was supernatural. Adam looked over at Mulkin who slowly rolling over, his hands were still covering his neck. "Parker, get back here. We know where you are." The both lay frozen, unable to move because of the precise blows and watched as the man scurried down the hallway. He turned his head around one time revealing a face that was covered with makeup because they could clearly see unnatural blemishes from the skirmish. They watched as he disappeared out of sight. Both Mulkin and Adam were aiming their weapons at the hallway, but they knew he wasn't coming back. Adam called on his radio and described him as best he could. Brown hair, medium build, makeup and wearing a crew member's uniform. As soon as he clicked off the radio his phone rang and Nancy frantically asked if he was okay. She said she was sending Doc Pearson down there and she was on her way. Adam looked at Mulkin who was still in obvious pain and said, "What the hell just happened?"

Mulkin grimaced still clutching his neck. "We were jumped by a former Seal that's what happened. Let's go get that damn guy." He aimed his weapon down the hallway. Adam lightly pushed the muzzle towards the floor. "Please put it away. Nancy and Doc are on their way."

"Damn it Adam." Mulkin slammed his fist into the door. "We had him. What is he doing down here anyway?"

Adam looked into the empty storage room lined with folded boxes. "I think he was hiding."

"He's a dead man now. I don't care."

"I've got the guys heading down this way right now to try and cut him off." Adam looked at his radio waiting to hear the good news.

"Let me know if you hear anything because I want first dibs at him."

The non-descript man carefully made his way up the stairs. He exited at the first doorway off the landing and bolted down the hallway. He knew it was the crew's quarters so he would blend in. He passed several men dressed similar to him. They just nodded, not even paying him a second look. He didn't have an escape plan. He was improvising, something he rarely did and something he adamantly detested. He needed a plan. Everything was supposed to be scripted. That was why he went to extreme difficulties in planning each murder. He meticulously planned every detail with at least five backup plans, but right now he had nothing except instinct. He knew the security team would be coming for him any minute. He had one advantage. He knew the ship probably better than any one of them. He was still upset with himself for not using the knife, but when the door opened, he didn't feel his left hand was up to the job, and he didn't have time to switch it back so he used his fist and expertly landed blows to the precise points he had wanted to, temporarily disabling the two men and plus they were law enforcement. Not that it bothered him, to take the life of a law enforcement official, but it may make it more difficult to complete the job of his final victim. He reached the end of the hallway and made a decision for the elevator. He figured they would be coming down the stairs and wouldn't expect him to be on the elevator. He took it up two flights and exited out into a passenger hallway. There didn't appear to be anyone out or about. Everyone was either up topside or locked in their rooms for fear of another killing. "If they only knew he was right outside their doorways." He almost laughed. He rounded the corner and stopped when he saw a uniformed security guard at the other end of the hallway. He was talking into his radio, his back turned towards him. The non-descript man quietly slowed down, pretending to check rooms when he turned towards him. He began quickly walking towards him. He edged the knife against his forearm, keeping it clearly out of view but ready for action. He watched as the security guard approached. He looked to be no more than twenty-five years old. He was probably on board for the woman or hoping for a future in law enforcement. He looked like the type who spent too much time on his biceps and not enough on his defensive muscles. He was prepared to take him. The only weapon he saw was a night stick and what looked like a canister of pepper spray.

"Hi Sir, Can I see some ID please?"

The non-descript man slowly reached into his back pocket with his left hand and pulled out his official Calypso ID card with the name Henry Welch on it. He handed it to the guard and watched him carefully study it. He seemed to be taking a long time with the picture and then he stared directly at his face. He had cleaned up the makeup in the crew hallway, actually removing it all with a wet towel he found in one of the open rooms, so he appeared quite a bit different form the picture. He watched as the security guard took two steps back. "Hold on one second Sir. I just need to check and make sure this is valid." He watched as the security guard made a fatal mistake leaving his back to him. He wasn't worried about the ID verification, everything would check out. He had made himself part of the staff. He was just concerned he might call down to the head of security, so he quietly stepped forward reached out with his right hand and quickly plunged the knife into the man's carotid. He moved out of the way of the blood, grabbing the pepper spray and began spraying in all directions as he ran back up the hallway away from the dying guard. He looked back and was happy to see the radio had fallen and was out of reach. He ran into the stairwell and blazed up two flights of stairs before tucking into a men's room where he had hidden another outfit and quickly changed hiding the crewman's uniform in the ceiling panels. Three minutes later he walked out of the men's room and calmly headed back to his cabin passing several more security officers rushing by who didn't even bother to look at him. He wasn't just good. He was the best.

"You're sure you're okay Adam?"

Slowly standing up Adam replied, "I'm fine Nancy. He just stunned me." He looked over at Mulkin who was sitting against the wall while Doc Pearson held an ice pack against his neck. Adam could see the redness and swelling quickly forming. "How you doing Mulkin?"

"Doing better it just burns." He touched the side of his neck. "That Parker is one quick guy. You see him fly out of here."

"Yeah that was about the only thing I saw. I never saw the punch coming."

"Man's like a cat. Any word form you're guys?"

Adam shook his head, "Nothing yet. I'm sure he's long gone by now."

"Remember what I said. He's mine now."

Nancy leaned in close to Adam's ear. "We need to talk when you get a chance."

Adam's eyebrows quickly rose up and he whispered "Are you okay? How's the baby?" He looked over at Doc.

"Baby's fine Adam," She said. "It's about the case."

Adam eyed her curiously. "Sure" He said feeling the vibration on his waist. He reached down and looked at the message. He immediately began running towards the stairs. "Let's go, two floors up. It's Rocky." His face was full of emotion. Doc assisted Mulkin to his feet and followed Nancy and Mulkin up the stairs. Adam felt his legs fall out from under him as he ran into the hallway. Ahead was Dennis Hammel or Rocky as everyone called him because of his muscular physique sprawled out in the middle of the hallway not moving and covered in a sea of blood. He looked back and watched Nancy lean against the wall almost unable to hold herself up. They had personally recruited Rocky two years ago. He had been a neighbor's son who wanted to become a police officer and now he was lying lifeless in the middle of the hallway. Adam and Nancy had convinced him and his parent's that it would be a good experience and stepping stone into law enforcement. The kid was almost done with his bachelor's degree in criminal justice too. He couldn't believe it. How could something like this happen? He slowly walked towards him. There were passengers standing in their doorways trying to see what had happened, but he didn't see any of them, he just saw Rocky, and Jimmy kneeling over him, shaking his head and sobbing. He watched as Doc quickly ran past him, but he knew there was nothing he could do, there was just too much blood. It was too late. Poor kid had probably been stabbed in an artery causing almost instant death. He watched Doc reach him and try to find some sign of life, but after a minute or so he stood up shaking his head. Adam turned around grasping Nancy. He felt like his whole body was about to explode. This couldn't be happening. His world was falling apart it. It felt it would break at the seams. He looked back at Mulkin who just stood there dumbfounded. He was holding the ice pack on his neck and just staring at the fallen security guard like an attack dog being restrained by a leash. His whole body was tight and anxious and appeared ready to leap at any moment. He had probably only met Rocky briefly and probably didn't even remember him. He was a quiet kid despite the muscular appearance. He was always very polite and did whatever Adam and Nancy asked of him no matter how meaningless or time consuming. He knew he had to call his parents. He was already dreading it. They were the happiest of people and Rocky was their only kid. It was going to be so tough. He felt so bad. He looked into Nancy's eyes knowing she was feeling the same thing. He held her as tight as he could and closed his eyes hoping when he opened them it would all go away and be like it was before, but he knew that would never happen. He snapped himself back into action and called Captain Spence to let him know what had happened and how far out the Coast Guard ships were. He wasn't sure how they were going to help, but the Captain had said they were sending a group of armed men. At least he could have them patrol the ship. It would give the passengers a sense of security and maybe Parker would do something stupid and they would catch him again. He only wished they had been more prepared down below. They should have known he would be hiding and spring out on them like that. If they had been ready they might have had a chance, but then again, maybe not because the guy seemed to move much faster than anyone he had ever seen. He had watched him run down the hallway. He just carried himself different than most people. It reminded him of the way a tiger or a cheetah moved about in a zoo. They just look like they can outrun anything. It was going to be a tough night. The Captain said they should be in Bermuda sometime around noon tomorrow. He had the ship going at twenty-six knots and the seas and weather appeared calm. He only hoped they made it that far before. His head felt like it was on fire. He wasn't sure if it was from the blow he had taken or the stress and sadness of finding Rocky. Poor kid had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was no match for Parker. No one was. He turned around and saw Mulkin walk back down the hall and into the elevator. He had his cell phone pressed to his ear, probably trying to round up more support at Bermuda. Adam watched as Doc Pearson and his team of medics, who just arrived, wrap up Rocky's body and begin to transport him down to the already too full temporary morgue area. He looked over at Nancy again. She grasped his hand and led him back towards the elevator that Mulkin had gone up. He felt the tears begin to fall down his cheeks. He didn't care anymore. He just let it all out as he stepped into the elevator. Nancy pushed the number twelve button taking them back to their cabin. They both knew they had to make the phone call first and pass on the bad news before they could do anything else. Adam was trying to figure out what to say, but by the time the elevator reached the floor he had forgotten and figured it didn't really matter what he said, there was no easy way.

Chapter 51

James Parker sat on the edge of the bed. He had the cell phone gripped tightly in his hand. He was debating whether to try again. He had called at least ten times and left probably five messages, each one sounding more and more concerned. He knew she was checking them, he had checked her voicemail and her mailbox was empty. He couldn't figure out why she was avoiding him. This had never happened before. They had always been so open and honest in their relationship. It had always been that way since the first day they met. He had been out to eat at a local diner, eating all by himself when she walked up to his booth and asked if she could join him. He was so stunned, he didn't speak, instead he just nodded and she sat down across from him. She had explained how she was supposed to meet a friend there but she never showed up, and she saw him seated all by himself. She said something about misery loves company. He explained that he wasn't miserable. He just didn't know anyone in town. He had just been assigned to Northern Virginia and didn't know how to cook. They both remained seated in the booth for hours until finally the manager asked them to leave because it was getting time to close. They found they just had so much in common and could not stop talking. He promised to call her again tomorrow, but instead he ended up going to her house for dinner and never left. A few months late he broke the lease on his place and moved his belongings into her spacious Arlington townhouse. He couldn't remember a night they were actually alone though, she always had some kind of animal staying over, whether she was watching a friend's dog, taking in a stray or was nursing a sick dog or cat, but he didn't mind because they were together. He even missed the animals. He would give anything to hear a whimper or a bark in the middle of the night right now. His job required constant travel, but they always made it a point to say goodnight to each other no matter where he was or what they were doing. His friends and co-workers called it a ball and chain, but he knew it was love. He never said that to them of course, but he craved her right now. He just wanted to hear her voice. He vowed he would never take a vacation again no matter how great it sounds without her, and furthermore, he was going to purchase a ring as soon as he stepped foot onto Bermuda. He only wished she would answer the phone. He reluctantly dialed the number again. He didn't even have to look at the keypad. His fingers knew exactly where to go. He listened as the phone rang four times. He was about ready to hang up when he heard a faint voice say "hello."

"Leanne. How are you? Where have you been?" He said into the phone. He didn't hear an immediate response so he called out her name again. Finally, a moment later she said, "James, I don't think this is a good time to talk."

"What do you mean hon?"

"James the FBI, the ATF and every other agency has been here today asking questions and telling me what you have done." Her voice was soft and shaky.

"Leanne, you have to believe me I haven't done anything they are saying. I mean it." He gripped the phone even harder.

"I believe you, but I looked through your computer after the last guy left and in almost every trip you told me you were on, it shows you were someplace else." He could hear her crying. "Are you seeing someone else? Is there someone else on the cruise with you?"

"Is that what this is about?" He caught his reflection in the mirror and immediately ripped off the wig.

"I'm not sure what this is about. Is your names really James?" He could hear her breathing become heavier.

"Of course honey. What are they telling you?" He began scraping off the makeup with a washcloth.

"They showed me a picture of you before we met and you had a different name."

"What?" He stared at his reflection. "They are trying to get to you. Plus you know about my job with the Navy sometimes I have to go undercover."

"That's the other thing they said you don't work for the Navy."

He looked towards the door hearing sets of footsteps appear to be running by. "You've been to my office." He quickly jumped up when he heard the security radio in the hallway and looked out the peephole. He watched several security guards walk by. Something wasn't right.

"I don't know what to believe James. I love you though, but we need to talk."

"I know we do. I'll explain everything later. I really have to go." He heard voices throughout the hallway.

"What is it?" She asked. He could hear her begin to cry again.

"Nothing I just need to check something out. I'll call you back as soon as I can. Please believe me. I didn't do anything and I love you more than the world."

He could hear her sobbing much louder now. "I love you too." He quickly hung up the phone and began getting dressed. It was time to go extreme. He knew what he had to do.

Adam felt the vibration on his waist as he rolled over and looked at Nancy. Her eyes were still shut. He looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. They had slept for about two hours. They were both still in their clothes. He looked down at the pager and saw it was Mulkin, "now what?" He wondered out loud causing Nancy to roll over. He slowly rolled out of bed and stepped into the living room.

"What's up Mulkin?"

"We got him." He said excitedly.

Adam rubbed his eyes not believing what he had heard. "What? How?"

"We traced his cell down to the "L" deck. We're down there right now getting ready to go room to room."

"You're sure it was him?" Adam asked lowering his voice despite his excitement. He didn't want to wake Nancy.

Mulkin quickly replied back. "We actually have him narrowed down to one half of the hallway."

"I'm on my way down there. Be there in a minute."

"Don't kill yourself getting down here, we have the hallway sealed. He isn't getting out."

"What and put myself out of this misery." He laughed. "Besides, I have heard that before."

"What?"

"That we have him sealed in."

"I can promise you he's not getting past us this time." Mulkin stated confidently.

"Damn."

"What's wrong?"

Adam looked towards the bedroom. "I just woke up Nancy."

Adam heard Mulkin laughing into the phone. "What's so funny?"

"I was just going to say she needs all the sleep she can get so you're future quarterback, I mean WNBA player well-rested."

"Get out of here Mulkin. I'll see you in a minute." He clicked the phone off.

He watched Nancy slowly walk into the room. He thought he could see an increase in her stomach area, but he didn't dare say anything. "What's going on?" She asked sheepishly.

"Mulkin's just being his usual chauvinistic way." Adam shook his head. "Actually, he thinks he has Parker cornered on the "L" deck."

"Really? From what the cell phone calls?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm heading right down there, but you please stay in bed."

"Okay, but I still think you guys are chasing the wrong guy. I don't think it is Parker."

Adam leaned forward and kissed her softly on her forehead. "I know you don't, but he's all we got right now."

"I just hope the real killer is not out there staking out his next victim."

Adam slowly walked backwards towards the door lost in thought until she said, "I need to talk to you about something too."

"As soon as I get back, let me know. But it could be all over by then." He forced a smile watching the concern grow on her face.

"Just promise me you'll be careful and keep an open mind."

He nodded, bolting out the door. He opened the door to the "L" deck surprised to see his whole staff minus Nancy and Rocky of course walking up and down the hallway. There were two guards at each end while the rest were lined up outside one of the passenger cabin doors. Knocking on the door was Mulkin, his pistol and badge out in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Adam called out

"Going room to room," Mulkin screamed waving the guard to place the card in the door.

"You can't do this you're going to scare the passengers."

Mulkin looked from Adam to Jimmy standing slightly behind him. "Look what happened to Rocky."

Adam slowly nodded walking in the other direction of the hall. He quickly stopped turning around. "Wait a minute. I have an idea." He watched as they all turned towards him. "Why don't we at least check the empty rooms first? I can get a list in a minute. I bet he would hide in there first."

Mulkin and Jimmy nodded in agreement, while Adam called up to the bridge hoping to either get the Captain or Derek. Ten minutes later a crew member appeared carrying a list. He handed it to Adam. "Okay guys, according to this we have four rooms that are vacant." Adam pointed out the rooms amidst all the people that were now standing in their doorways trying to figure out what the commotion was in their hallway in the middle of the night. Adam continually told everyone everything was okay and they were just looking for someone, but most of the people continued to stand in their doorways. Several even left the hallway after getting thoroughly checked by Adam and his staff. They lined up outside the first door. Adam was in the front with the card, Jimmy and Mulkin were next. Mulkin aimed his weapon at the center of the door and Jimmy and the rest of the guards prepared to grab him if he came jumping out. Adam felt the tension increase as he slid the card across the reader. He felt the familiar click and pulled the door open quickly. He expected to hear a gun fire or feel a sudden burst of pain across his neck or head, but instead he felt nothing. The room was completely empty and appeared untouched. They quickly searched the room and proceeded to the next one getting the same result. The last two rooms were located at the other end of the hallway, so they slowly began walking towards them causing many curious and frightful glances from passengers. They watched as two young women left their cabins near where they were headed and exited out the far entrance where two guards were standing. They both had come from different rooms and appeared to be very scared. Adam watched as the guards at the door tried to reassure them before they left to another part of the ship. He didn't blame people for leaving and being scared. He would have been too, in fact he was a little scared as to what he was going to find behind the next two doors. They repeated the same process for the third one and found nothing. When it was time to open the last one, Adam swiped the card a little faster and he saw Mulkin and Jimmy and the rest of the guards ready themselves. He pushed open the door and waited for something, but again nothing happened. As soon as they stepped into the room, it was obvious someone was staying in there. He double-checked the number and it was supposed to be empty. They did a quick search and found no one, but there were clothes and towels strewn all about. The bed was unmade and the bathroom appeared to be recently used, the shower was still wet. Adam looked at Mulkin who shook his head. This had to be the room he was staying in unless they had someone else living in empty cabins. It wouldn't be the first time. Adam remembered one of the first cruises he had been on; a husband was keeping an empty cabin as his love nest when his wife was asleep. They finally found out about it at around three in the morning and burst into the room surprising the man and the young woman he had picked up. He begged them not to tell his wife, but since she was staying across the hall it had been a little difficult when she came out to see what all the noise was and there was her husband standing half-naked next to a twenty-something year old girl in handcuffs.

"Adam look at this." Adam looked over at Jimmy. He was holding a shopping bag that appeared to be full of wigs and molding makeup to change one's facial features. Adam and Mulkin immediately walked over looking in the bag.

"How'd he get out of here? Looks like he left in a hurry?" Adam looked around at the various items left on the floor and bed. There were no personal things like wallets and keys just clothes. "Jimmy can you run prints?"

"I'm on it boss." Adam watched as Jimmy quickly left the room.

"What do you think Mulkin? No balcony for him to climb out of this time."

Shaking his head. "He slipped by us out there."

Adam closed his eyes trying to picture everyone that walked through the hallway. "Let's check the hallway cameras." He pulled out his cell phone.

"If Derek's awake, it's a sure bet the cameras will have been turned off." Mulkin muttered. Adam chose not to respond and stepped out into the hall.

A few minutes later he walked back in. "Derek has the video. He's bringing it down here on his laptop." Mulkin rolled his eyes continuing to search through drawers and any other place something could be hidden, a moment later Jimmy entered with a fingerprint kit. He began in the bathroom. Adam hoped Parker wasn't wearing gloves. They really needed some kind of break. It seemed like every time they got close he somehow outmaneuvered them. He sat down on the bed and looked into the mirror hanging on the wall above the TV. He tried to picture himself as Parker sitting on the bed and planning his next hit. He still couldn't believe the guy who had been so helpful just a few days ago was a hard blooded killing machine, but the evidence was becoming indisputable. He watched Jimmy pack up his prints. Mulkin had given him an email address to send them to so they could get an instant match to make sure it was Parker in this room, not that he really had any doubt. He turned his head as the door burst open. He instinctively reached for his weapon, but quickly relaxed seeing Derek enter holding a large laptop.

"All right, here it is." He pointed at the screen that was split with two different camera views, one from each end of the hallway. Derek set it back about thirty minutes prior to when Mulkin received the call that he was on his cell phone. Adam looked over at Mulkin. He was holding his cell phone next to his ear and watching the video. There was no activity in the hallway until Derek fast forwarded the video. They watched the security guards enter the area led by Jimmy. Adam happily watched them immediately secure each end of the hallway before Mulkin strode in. He was talking on his phone, probably to Adam. Five minutes later Adam saw himself enter the hallway. "Hold it for a second Derek." Adam watched him put the video on pause. "No one left before we got there, so he had to be one of the people that we let pass through." He watched everyone's face zoom in on the laptop screen. Mulkin placed his phone into his pocket.

James Parker strolled across the deck. He had been lucky. He had seen the woman leave her cabin across the hall from him so he followed her out at the same time easily passing the two security guards blocking the entrance. He had immediately started a conversation with her as soon as they reached the elevator. She said she needed to get away from all the commotion. She had witnessed the climbing wall shooting and it was just getting too much for her. They reached the railing on the port side of the ship. It was a peaceful night almost too calm, but there was a slight breeze blowing and moving the tropical air over their faces. James felt his long locks blowing and he casually reached his hand onto his head ensuring that the wig was secured. He had dressed as a woman many times in the past few years. It was one of his best disguises. He one time even struck up a conversation with Leanne at her vet and she never suspected it was him. He wore pads on his hips and chest giving him a female body type and with the right makeup and hair, he easily passed as a woman, actually a somewhat attractive one at least that was what he had been told. He actually enjoyed when men would try and pick him up. It was amusing to him to hear how desperate most of them sounded. He would always play along for a few minute and then turn them away and watch them pray on another victim. He was wearing a long sweatshirt and sweats similar to the woman standing next to him. She indicated they should go find a late night restaurant and grab a cup of coffee which he quickly agreed to. He had no place to go. He figured out how they had tracked him down to the new cabin, it was the cell phone. They must have been tapping Leanne's phone. He knew he wouldn't be able to call her back anymore, and they really needed to talk. He didn't like how they had left it off earlier, but he had no choice. He was sure the guards and Agent Mulkin would shoot him on site. There wouldn't be any questions or trials it would be instant death. He wasn't going to take the risk of them finding him. He was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to track him as a woman but he would have to be sure. He still had a few costume changes stashed away in strategic places throughout the ship, but his options were becoming limited. He had to act soon. He wasn't sure how far out they were from Bermuda, but the ship was running at full speed now so he figured it would probably be morning. In the distance he could see a group of bright lights. They were ships headed to the Calypso, probably the Coast Guard or the Navy. He wasn't sure who had jurisdiction out here. They looked like they were coming fast and would be alongside shortly. He looked over at the woman standing next to him. She was oblivious to the boats on the horizon. She was fixated on the nearest entrance below, probably thinking about a Latte. He followed her down the stairs constantly on the lookout for anything suspicious. He hoped the place would be crowded from the closing bars, but he doubted it, this wasn't the same ship it was on the first night. He knew everyone wanted to go home and end this cruise from hell. He couldn't wait to see Leanne. He just wished there was a way he could contact her. He thought about calling her mom, who lived about twenty minutes away but he didn't want to get her all concerned, who knew what would happen then. He knew email would be off-limit. They would be monitoring that. He would just have to bare it out and hope her love for him was strong enough to get through this, but first of all he had to keep himself alive. He smiled when they arrived in the food court, there were probably at least two hundred or so people scattered throughout the various café's and Starbucks. He would easily blend in here. His only concern was keeping this woman here for as long as possible. He knew as soon as she went back, the security staff would be asking her all kinds of questions. He figured by then they may even be onto him. They found a small café and sat near the back in one of the empty booths. He listened as she explained how she was recently divorced and had come on the cruise trying to cheer herself but, but had ended up scared and miserable after all the mayhem. She had even debated getting off in the Bahamas and flying back home, but like most of the other cruisers she figured it was just an isolated thing. Once she witnessed Tom Wilson's murder on the climbing wall, she realized her mistake and wanted to get back home. This was the first time she had left her cabin since it happened, and the only reason she did so, was because she saw all the security staff outside her cabin and figured someone had been killed nearby. She said she had been very relieved when she saw James right behind her. It felt good pairing up with another woman. James wanted to laugh, but he agreed with her. He told her he was in a rocky relationship with a guy back home who was causing her all sorts of grief and that was why he had taken the cruise. He said he was mortified by everything that was happening.

Chapter 52

"It's definitely not those two." Adam pointed at the screen as a couple walked past the camera. Neither one of them could have been taller than five-foot-three. They watched as three more people left the hallway one was a very slight elderly man, who Adam had Derek play several times before they ruled him out. The other two were thirty-something year old women who came from separate rooms at the same time. "Zoom in on that Derek." Adam said pointing at the taller and more attractive woman leaving her cabin.

"I'll be dammed, that's room 402." Mulkin called out. "The guy's dressing as a woman. Can you believe that?" He stared at the screen in disbelief.

Adam leaned in closer. "Any way you can zoom in on the face?"

"I'll try." Derek answered.

"I'm sure you will." Mulkin muttered causing Adam to angrily peer at him. "Hey we still don't know for sure if he's not involved."

"Damn Mulkin, can't you see he's helping us out here."

"How do we know he's not playing us just like Parker?" Adam took a long hard look at Mulkin. He wasn't sure what it was, but he looked different. He just appeared a little older than and maybe not as intimidating as he used to be. He figured it was probably due to lack of sleep. The guy hadn't slept since he had come aboard and didn't like ships either, some combination. Adam almost felt for him but he knew he was doing his job, and he was one of the best in the Bureau, but he was relentless with Derek especially right in front of him. He agreed with him on Parker, but he was having his doubts about Derek. He just didn't have it in him. He wasn't the money hungry type of guy, so he didn't think he could be bought off. He just liked technology. It was like computers were a part of his being. Every aspect of his life involved some kind of electronic gizmo. He ate, breathed and drank technology. The poor guy volunteered his off-duty hours when the rest of the crew were either sleeping or hanging out in an empty club. He was in the internet café helping customers. He looked over at Derek. He was typing away on the keyboard as if it were attached to his hands. He had never really noticed how fast he his hands actually moved, it was like witnessing a great concert pianist in action. He wished had had a quarter of that talent, but he could barely turn the things on and half the time when he did get it on, it would stop working. He really felt in his heart Mulkin was wrong about Derek, but he couldn't completely shut the door because he knew from his experience in the FBI there was always a slight chance the person you least suspect could be the culprit. He had learned that first hand many times. He thought back to one of his first cases he had been assigned to soon after graduating from Quantico. It was a kidnapping case and he had ruled out the family members after interviewing and interrogating them thoroughly. He had even included some of them in part of the investigation filling them in on details they had no business knowing. He had just been so confident it was an outside kidnapper. There had been a ransom note and even a phone call demanding money. What he didn't know was that the parent's had staged the whole thing to get money from the mother's parents. He definitely learned his lesson after that learning to always keep an open mind in every investigation no matter how convincing something seemed. He was glad Mulkin was here, as much as certain parts of his personality troubled him, he was good and right now they needed good, in fact they needed very good.

"Adam...Adam."

"What? What is it?" Adam answered looking all around.

"The Captain is calling you." Derek said looking up from his computer. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He wiped the moisture of his brow and picked up the two-way. "Hey Captain."

"Adam, can you guys come up here? The Coast Guard is here."

He rubbed his eyes, "Were on our way Captain."

Adam arrived on deck followed by Mulkin. They stood next to Captain Spence whose eyes were glued to the three large sparkling white ships painted with the synonymous red stripe across the bow indicating they were part of the Coast Guard. They watched as the Cutter gracefully berthed beside the Calypso, it was amazing how easy they made it look despite both ships traveling well over twenty knots and bouncing around in a sea that had suddenly become turbulent. Adam wasn't quite sure how he felt watching a group of well-armed men climb aboard. It just didn't seem right, kind of like on September 12th seeing armed guards patrolling the nation's airports. It just wasn't something you were used to seeing and now seeing two more ships drop off another forty or so soldiers he felt the same eerie feeling. After the last ship cast away, two of the Cutters went to the sides and the third one to the bow. Adam and Mulkin followed Captain Spence introducing themselves to Lieutenant Chaplin, the leader of the group. He was a tall, razor thin man somewhere above forty who had spoken of the many drug raids off the coast he had performed in. They decided the best use the soldiers was to have them patrol the ship, mostly on deck and on the lookout for anything suspicious. Mulkin handed them copies of Parker's picture as well as a general description that he might be dressed as a woman. He also explained what he had done and what he thought he was capable of doing. The Coast Guard team appeared anxious and ready to get started so Adam and Mulkin left them to their leader with detailed instructions on how to get a hold of them if they needed. They had given clearance to fire at Parker if they felt threatened and if no passengers would be harmed. Adam wasn't really comfortable with this directive, but Mulkin and the Captain had insisted despite his plea for the danger a stray round could cause. Lieutenant Chaplin who Adam heard everyone called "Charlie" for obvious reasons explained that his guys were some of the best there were and used hollow point rounds designed not to penetrate structures. Despite his best judgment and lack of sleep Adam finally complied heading back towards his cabin to check on Nancy and maybe to get another hour or two of sleep before morning. He was happy the cruise was coming to an end in just a few hours. Southern Winds had decided to end it in Bermuda. Passengers would be shuttled back to Virginia by airplane starting tomorrow and then be refunded for their cruise and given a voucher for a future vacation. He wasn't sure how it was going to go over, but they needed to get the people off for their safety despite how much money they were going to lose. There were even rumors that the Calypso would be out of service for an extended period of time, but he wasn't sure how true they were because the Calypso was the company's largest source of revenue and to shut it down would do extensive damage to the company and possibly the future of the cruise industry. He knew one thing that was for certain, cruising and the Calypso would never be the same again, and he doubted he would be either.

The non-descript man walked amongst the passengers enjoying their last morning on the Calypso. He caught snippets of conversations from people passing by. He even spoke with a Coast Guard officer who was patrolling the starboard side near the bow. He was a young guy from somewhere out west who had a passion for the sea. He had joined the Coast Guard with the intention of stopping drug smugglers and so far he had seen plenty of action. He was looking forward to this assignment being over so he could get back to what he enjoyed doing the most, but he understood the importance of this and was on guard and searching for a killer. The non-descript man wished him luck and continued his trek to the bow of the ship. He walked as far up as possible. He looked out over the railing separating the passengers from accessing the area where the anchors were located. He turned his body so it was facing the anchor and that no one behind him could see what he was doing. He reached in his pocket, first feeling for the sheet of paper that had become his companion since the cruise began and happily felt its comfort in his pocket. In his other pocket, he slowly removed the transmitter and checked all the lights. They were still all green causing him to relax, not that he was feeling any tension, but he just wanted to make sure he finished the job completely. He knew who his target was and where to find him. He had spent the last several hours studying every aspect of him since their last connection. He even knew who he had sat next to in third grade. There was no sign of Bermuda yet, and from his best estimate he had about four hours to make everything happen. He placed the transmitter back into his pocket, happy that everything was going well again. The only mishap he had was the one time it had gone off-line and luckily the FBI Agent and the security director had been too dumb to check the storage room for explosives. He wasn't sure if it meant he had luck, but things always seemed to work out for him. He had never even had a close call, not once. He knew this one would be successful too. He just had to remain in full alert for the next four hours and finish the job. He wasn't sure what his next assignment would be, he would work that out after the rescue boat picked him up once the Calypso began to sink. He had timed it perfectly, the slowing of the engine had bought him just enough time for the explosives to ignite at a location close enough where the boat would be able to pick him up and take him to Bermuda without causing any suspicion. He knew the three Coast Guard Cutters surrounding the Calypso would be distracted trying to save the passengers and they wouldn't even notice a small high-speed inflatable zoom away from the Calypso. The way he had the explosives set to go off, it would cause the ship to sink stern first. It was designed to blow four large holes in the stern of the ship, and with the weight of the engine in the stern it would pull the ship under with it. He figured they would probably lose close to a thousand people due to the explosion and sudden submersion. The total process would take approximately seven minutes, but the stern and about half of the ship would be completely under in two and a half minutes. They would be southeast of Bermuda still about two hours away, so the only boats available would be the Coast Guard. He had accounted for them being there in his planning. He had actually figured there would be a couple more ships, but it didn't really concern him because his main goal was eliminating the specified targets not the ship, that was just part of the cleanup. He didn't care if everyone survived. He had no weapon on him, he had thrown the knife off the ship an hour or so ago. The last part of the Crescendo was hand to hand, no weapons allowed. He was ready; fighting was something he thoroughly enjoyed. He rarely found anyone worthy of his skills. He trained in all the bars until he grew tired of dropping drunk muscle men with one quick hit or kick and he moved on to waiting outside karate clubs and starting with the well-fit guys who were full of egos. They didn't provide much more of a challenge than the bar fights, but at least most of the participants had some kind of training. He had even tried boxing and sparring in some of the clubs, but he couldn't get past the pads, it just wasn't the same. He knew his last target had plenty of years of hand to hand combat experience and he was looking forward to a worthy challenge despite already knowing the outcome. He would easily win, but at least he hoped for a couple of hard fought minutes though he knew more than likely it would probably be a few seconds. He took one last look at the vast horizon in front of him, turned around and began the process of eliminating the final target.

Chapter 53

Adam woke up to an empty bed, somehow Nancy slipped out without waking him. He must have been really tired. He usually was a light sleeper and awoke to the slightest of sounds but he had really been out of it. He looked at the clock. It was almost 9:00AM. In just about three hours they would be docking in Bermuda. He opened the shade that Nancy must have pulled shut and squinted as his eyes focused on the bright gleaning sky and ocean. He quickly remembered his pager and slightly smiled seeing no messages. The final attack hadn't occurred yet, but on the same token they hadn't captured him either. He knew the next three hours would be the most important ones in his life. This was it. Parker was going to strike at least one more time. There was no probably it was definite. He was following the Crescendo just as he had outlined. He only wished he could figure out who the target was going to be before it actually happened, but he figured they probably wouldn't have any luck. They hadn't had anything thus far. He rolled over and saw a note scribbled on a piece of paper from Nancy. It said she was back down at the security office trying to figure out who the killer was and who his next target was. He had to give her credit. She held to her guns, she still adamantly believed it wasn't Parker. He was just about to call her when his phone rang, it was Mulkin.

"Good morning sleepy head." Mulkin's chipper voice sailed out of the cell phone's tiny speaker.

"What's up Mulkin?"

"Got some big news, I ran into Nancy, she gave me an order not to call you till nine." Adam turned and looked at the clock. It was 9:00 AM exactly. It had to be something important. "We got the print information back. "It turns out our friend James Parker's real name is James Reinhardt." Adam slowly rubbed his eyes wishing his body would begin to respond.

"Who is he?" Adam asked.

"That's where it gets weird. It looks like James Reinhardt faded away sometime during his military career and morphed into James Parker. We have his complete military file."

"And?" Adam listened for Mulkin to respond.

Finally, he heard Mulkin's voice, although much quieter. "He was actually quite the war hero. He has two silver stars and was actually put in for the Congressional Medal and probably would have gotten it but." He listened to Mulkin clear his throat. "I spoke with some of his Seal team buddies and they corroborate the file, but they say he mysteriously disappeared during the second year of his second tour."

"You think that's when he began this lifestyle."

"Lifestyle? Strange way to describe a killer, from what I can tell this isn't the first time he has done something like this. I have them sending me over the details, but apparently, there are many similar style unsolved killings throughout the US and overseas and in each case the description of the assailant matches him, you know costumes, makeup."

Adam let it sink in for a moment before speaking, "Okay, so where do we go from here?"

"I just checked in with Charlie Chaplin, you know the Coast Guard guy."

"You have such a way with words Mulkin."

"Yeah, yeah, anyway his guys are going deck to deck now and the Captain wants to start unloading procedures early so we can try and screen everyone before they disembark."

"You're starting to sound like you belong on this ship with words like that. I'm heading down to the office to check on Nancy."

"I'll meet you down there."

Adam hung up the phone still in deep thought on Parker's background. He couldn't help but wonder how a guy could go from a career like that to one of destruction of lives, but he had heard the stories of many soldiers who just snap from the extreme stress they are under in combat. He quickly dressed and headed out the door.

Nancy sat her desk staring at the piece of paper in front of her. She couldn't believe it, on it were the names and complete backgrounds of six of the victims. She had found it in her locked middle desk drawer that only she had the key to. Someone was aiding with the investigation and it was the who that was bothering her. Yesterday they had slid the name under the door that she was still staring at and now this. She hadn't told Adam yet and she wasn't going to tell Mulkin, she knew exactly what he would say. Next time she saw Adam she would let him know though. This changed the whole investigation. She now had an idea who the next victim was going to be. She pulled out her list and began checking the names to the new identities she had just received. She knew she would be able to figure it out, it was just the question whether or not there would be enough time before he acted again things were starting to make sense. She quickly turned her head towards the door as it opened. In stepped Adam and Mulkin.

"Hey Nancy, I let him sleep just like I told you he would."

"Thanks Mulkin." She nodded her head towards him.

"What are you working on there?" Mulkin asked walking towards the desk.

"Just looking through the passenger lists again." She carefully sorted the papers placing the newest one behind the others.

"I don't know why you waste your time. We know who is doing this. We just need to find out where he is going next."

"That's exactly what I'm working on Mulkin. I should have an answer real soon." She watched as Adam winked at her. "Did he know that she was receiving these things?" She didn't think he did. She knew he didn't have a key to her desk. She was the only one. And he was terrible at picking locks. She remembered whenever they had to open a locked door she would always do it and he would watch in amazement. She wanted to walk over and place her arms around him. She missed him so much. They hadn't spent any time together lately. The case had almost consumed them. She was a little concerned about the baby but she didn't want to say anything to him though. She had to leave this morning before he had woken up because she had been feeling nauseous. She knew he would like to pull her off the case, but with only a couple of hours remaining until it was out of their hands she would finish it out. She wasn't sure what was going to happen once they arrived in Bermuda, but she knew they had to take some time off. She had heard there would be a team of FBI Agents waiting on the dock as well as local authorities. She was sure they were expecting to search each and every passenger. It was not going to be a fun time watching thousands of passengers standing in long lines getting searched by aggressive agents. She was convinced it wouldn't come to that; something was going to happen before they arrived in port, and that she was sure of. It was just a matter of where not when. She knew Mulkin and Adam were doing everything they could possibly do, patrolling the ship and investigating every lead they had, despite the lack of. She felt as though she had let them down not giving them anything concrete, but she knew if she could just spend a little more time and examine the new evidence she would figure it out. She was so close. She had spoken to Karen Wilson a few moments ago by phone and had confirmed that she had no idea who her husband really was. She had read the background information several more times still shocked by what she read. Tom Wilson was a CIA operative, who was not only just an operative but was involved with the CIA's most elite team of experts. He was someone who spent his time traveling the world eliminating dangerous terrorism targets. Nancy couldn't picture the guy she had seen in Doc's infirmary all banged up after his go-cart race, a dangerous killing and fighting machine. She was relieved when Adam and Mulkin left the office heading back out.

Captain Spence carefully followed the Cutter's lead. They were due in less than three hours. There wasn't a muscle in his body that didn't feel tense. He knew it probably wasn't healthy, but at least they were coming to the end of the road. He took a long hard look in the small mirror barley recognizing the image that looked back at him. He saw an older man with a full gray beard who appeared haggard and too tired to go on. He had spoken with Southern Winds off and on for the last several hours, they had demanded that he take the Calypso into Bermuda and then they were going to overhaul it. He was being placed on administrative leave as soon as they touched the pier. He understood their actions, he was the Captain and he was the one responsible for the goings on that had occurred on the ship. They had informed him that there would be every major news network waiting for them to arrive. He was to read a statement and then take questions answering them following the guidelines that Southern Winds had given him. It was up to him to save the company they had told him. Despite the tragedies that had taken place under his watch, there was still a chance he could give the company a positive image. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that, but the media relations director had assured him that he had to. He was going to be one of the first ones that come aboard as soon as they tie up. He was going to meet with him and stage a mock press conference and prepare him for all the tough questions that would arise. He only hoped they could capture that damn Parker before they got there. He didn't blame Adam, he was doing everything possible. Nancy was down below doing her thing with the records and Mulkin, despite his ill feelings toward the guy was actually making progress in finding Parker or so he said. They had last seen him leaving a cabin on the "L" deck dressed as a woman. Since then apparently they had received quite a few leads that the Coast Guard force had checked out finding them all to be false. Adam and Mulkin were convinced he was going to strike again. He was ready as best as could be expected. He just didn't want to have to make another call to Southern Winds explaining another murder had taken place on his ship. He was pretty sure this would be the end of his career one way or another. It was just the way of the business. Someone had to be the fall guy, and Southern Winds had too much to lose by not placing someone up front. He couldn't imagine all those years he had watched the cameras on Fox News would now be pointed at him. The whole world would be watching him. He had tried to avoid the news the last few days, but the few times he had tuned in all the headlines were pointing at the Calypso and his name. He left his cabin, watching the door close behind him. The small sign above the door read "Captain's Quarters" he stood for a minute or so just staring blankly at the sign wondering just what it meant. A few seconds later, he straightened out his hat and confidently strode towards the bridge possibly for the last time.

Chapter 54

James entered the lowest deck of the ship happy that it appeared empty. He spent a lot of time down here for obvious reasons, but now was when he needed to be out of sight and out of mind for as long as he could. He heard the large door close behind him as he entered into the hallway. He didn't need to look back. He knew exactly who was standing there. It was another man dressed almost identically to him. Both men were approximately the same height and size, dressed in crewmen's attire. James quickly ripped off the mustache from his face not even feeling the usual sharp pain that one experiences with that. He slowly turned around watching the man slowly work his way towards him. He already had his arms raised. This was going to be it. He watched as the man ripped off his shirt exposing a fighter like body ripping with muscles. He didn't walk like an ordinary man, but one who was built for combat.

"How you doing Frost? It's been a long time." The man didn't respond just kept coming. They were no more than fifty feet apart like two lions circling each other prepared to fight to be king.

"I knew it was you. I figured it out yesterday. You're the only one who could pull this off." James yelled out still not getting a response from the man. "C'mon Vincent Frost don't you speak?"

James watched as the man suddenly stopped. "Let's finish this here and now."

"Why because you didn't make it?"

"I was the best and you know it."

"If you were the best then why didn't you pass the Crescendo with the rest of us?" James asked his eyes never leaving the man's hands.

"The rest of you are dead, there is only you and I left." He muttered back. It looked like his mouth didn't even move when the words came out.

"No, you're wrong Frost. I'm the only one left. You were never a part of us." He could see the anger building up on his face despite his effort to try and contain it.

"That's because you guys made it so I wouldn't pass."

"That's not true. Face it you just weren't good enough." James was trying to throw him off and let his anger get the best of him. But he watched the anger disappear from the man's rigid body and confidence and spry take over.

"For your information...I have just completed a second full Crescendo and you are my final test."

James shook his head. "I've noticed, but you didn't have to take all their lives. Those were good men and women. Most of them had families and good careers at Langley."

He watched as the man smiled. "Not anymore. I just wish I had done this before, but when I heard you guys were all on the same ship together it was perfect...just like I have been."

James curiously eyed the man as he began stepping towards him again. His pace had slowed down but he was still coming. "You weren't perfect Frost you failed the first time."

"Dammit Parker! He curled his fists into tight balls. "I told you it was because of you guys getting together and tipping him off that I was coming."

"Even if that were true, if you were as good as you thought you were you should have been able to overcome that." James smiled slightly.

"I would have, but I didn't have chance."

"Stop making excuses. You lost and you need to admit it and move on."

James could see the anger building up again. He knew he had to keep going. "Whatever you say is false, and regardless I'm here now to finish it off with you just like the other guys."

"I still think that was cowardly to murder them while they were on vacation, especially with their families." He felt his emotions tie him up as he thought of Tom Wilson's wife at the bottom of the climbing wall.

"Do you think I care after what they did to me?" He was almost yelling. James could feel his voice vibrating off the walls. He had moved to within twenty-five feet of him. "I killed them all fair and square just like the manual said."

"Vincent, the CIA is no longer authorized to assassinate people. That policy stopped years ago." James calmly stated. "Besides how did you find out about the cruise?"

"I have my ways." James watched him reach into his pocket and remove a crumpled up sheet of paper with what looked like seven names written on it. "I tapped into the computers at Langley and found out each of you were being rewarded with this cruise. It was the perfect opportunity." James wanted to laugh, but there were too many lives lost. He was amazed how he spoke with such a phony confidence. He hadn't changed much over the years. He still had that hollow glow in his eyes like there was no soul. He remembered the first time he had met Vincent Frost. They were all gathered in a small conference room. There were about ten or twelve of them seated around a table waiting for the instructor. Frost had been seated directly across from him. James remembered the intensity burning off of him. He just looked like the type of guy who wouldn't be able to turn it off. As it turned out over the next several months of training they learned a few other things about him as well. He was strictly out for himself. He had no interest in assisting anyone else. In fact he would often sabotage other people's work to better himself. Once they had reached the time to prove themselves in the Crescendo there were only the eight of them left. They all supported each other in getting through the tough acts until it was time for Frost to complete his final act. He wasn't sure who it was, but he believed it was Seth Vincent that tipped off Frost's target. Apparently, Frost had gone to South America to take out a major terrorist. He had done all the pre-work and intelligence and was expecting the guy to be unarmed, but when he arrived on the scene at the guy's house he was confronted with weapons and instead of improvising he ran away from site to save himself. The next day he was let go from the program. James had often wondered what had happened to him after that. He figured he went on to something else or hired himself out to the highest bidder. After all, he was a highly trained killer and from what he had done on the Calypso it looked like he was keeping up to date with his skills. He watched as Frost moved closer. He was moving faster now and was almost within striking distance. James had to act. He knew it was going to be a tough fight. Vincent was quick, very quick in fact, and knew how to strike. He had sparred with him many times in training receiving many strong blows. The key to this fight was going to be who got the right punch or kick in first. They both knew the fatal targets and it was going to more of a mental fight than a physical one. James was still in reasonably good shape despite his new job of supervising agents in the field. He would fly to meet with various agents throughout the World and advise with them on how best to recruit and perform operations. He actually enjoyed his new position. His cover was that of a naval security officer. He performed those duties during the day on trips. He was a little concerned after hearing Mulkin's comments about no one knowing who he was. That wasn't a good sign. His job was to analyze weaknesses of the different Government buildings he was visiting which were usually embassies or military bases. He still found time to work out and continue his training, but the last few years he was definitely spending more time supervising and less time preparing for a fight. He was just hoping he would have enough left to hold his own against Frost. They were now squared off, no more than five feet apart. This was always the most intense part of any fight, who would strike first and where. He was debating where to throw a punch but before he could even react Frost's right leg was in the air and slammed into the side of his head. He felt his vision go in and out, everything become blurry. He had to do something. By instinct he spun around and ducked avoiding the other leg from connecting on the other side of his head. This was going to be tougher than he thought. He slowly regained his balance and vision, planning his next move. He made sure to concentrate on his opponents limbs not his eyes, because the eyes can be deceiving especially these eyes.

Adam felt his phone vibrate, it was Nancy, "Hi Nancy." He could hear the excitement in her voice immediately. "What is it?"

"I figured it out Adam." She yelled.

"What is it?"

"I know who the last victim is." He listened to her breathing increase.

"Who?" Adam asked almost dropping the phone.

"It's James."

"What do you mean James?"

"He's the last victim?" She answered still out of breath.

"How can he be a victim? He's the suspect."

"Listen Adam, there were seven CIA Agents awarded a cruise." He held the phone close to his ear. "These weren't your typical agents either; these were deep undercover ones who were all trained as assassins."

"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"James was awarded a vacation too, just like the other six. No one was supposed to know." He listened carefully.

"That explains the lack of background info on the victims."

"Exactly," She answered. "Look, we need to find him before our killer does."

Adam didn't respond instead, he just stared off into the ocean still confused by what he was hearing. "How did you find this out?"

"Let's just say I had a little help." It almost sounded like she was laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain later." She answered.

"I've heard that before."

He waited a minute until she responded. "I'm sorry I didn't want to say anything until I was sure and you know Mulkin."

"Okay. Okay I believe you. So how do we go about finding him now?" He asked as he watched one of the Coast Guard soldiers walk by and nod.

"I would say he needs to find out he doesn't need to hide from us. He needs to know we'll help him."

"I think it's too late for that. If he's a CIA operative he's way undercover. We'll never find him." He took a deep breath. "I still can't believe all those people that were killed were CIA. That's a real shame."

"Don't forget the innocent victims as well," her voice much softer now.

"The killer's name is Vincent Frost. He was apparently part of the same group, but got washed out in training for some reason."

"Let me talk to Mulkin. Oh Damn!"

"What is it Adam?"

He was staring at his pager. "It looks like we may have just found him."

"What? She yelled into the phone.

"Mulkin just sent a message that there is a reported fight going on near the engine room between two men and one of them resembles Parker. I'm on my way." He quickly closed the pager and began running towards the nearest entrance.

"I'll see you down there. Be careful honey."

"I will." He hung up the phone waving at the Coast Guard soldier to follow him and sprinted down the stairs two at a time.

Before he could even blink Frost delivered two strong blows to his mid-section, the guy was good. In fact, he was better than he had been when they used to spar. James faked right and went in with his left, but it was too late Frost blocked his punch and answered with a blow to his kidney from an instep kick. He was in trouble and he knew it. At least he was taking his time. He seemed to be enjoying it a little too much. James knew if he wanted to, Frost could just attack and the fight and his life would probably be over in seconds, but he was calculating each and every move. James tried a quick kick with his right, but again it was blocked. He spun around trying to catch Frost with a back blow from his elbow but he missed to high. He felt the back of his head explode, Frost connected with a head butt directly to his head. He knew his time was getting very limited. He had to come up with a plan. He pictured Leanne's face.

"I see you've been training Vincent." He mumbled, his mouth trying to cooperate with his jumbled brain.

"Don't try and talk you're way out of this Parker. You're going to die, just like the others and I then will have passed the Crescendo and be a member...the only member." His mouth curled in a weird peculiar way.

"Vincent. There are no members anymore. The group is over. We don't do that anymore." James replied back, feeling his eyes and brain start to come back into focus.

"I told you Parker no more talking. James felt two more blows to the side of his neck cutting off the oxygen to his brain. He was beginning to feel really woozy. He heard something behind him, but he wasn't sure what it was. Everything was beginning to spin around him. He waved his hand out in front of him and somehow landed his fist on Vincent's face. He didn't know how he got the blow in until a second later his eyes came back into focus and he could see Frost focused on something behind him. He took advantage and delivered another blow to Frost's head with his right fist connecting directly on the temple. Frost wobbled back in pain, gained his composure and began an attack like James had never seen. He was kicking and punching from all different directions and angles. He looked like he was out of control, but James could still see his calculating eyes watching every movement. James was able to block some of them and deliver a few of his own. He was somehow still in the fight, he wasn't sure how but his body was acting by instinct. It was an all-out fight, someone wasn't going to walk away that he knew. He just hoped it wasn't him. He was using every ounce of strength and training in his body. He was still holding his own, but the pain was becoming insurmountable there were constant blows to his head, back and midsection that felt like his body was being ripped into a thousand little pieces., but he kept swinging and connecting...there was no way he was going to stop till he stopped breathing.

"Back off Parker or you're going die." He heard Mulkin's loud obnoxious voice bellow behind him. What was he telling him that he didn't already know? "I'm serious Parker. Stop now or I'm pulling the trigger." Parker couldn't believe it. He was not only going to get killed in the fight he was going to get shot too. He figured the gunshot would be less painful, so he opted for that.

"Drop it Mulkin." Adam yelled running into the hallway.

"What?" Mulkin yelled his finger firmly grasping the trigger and clearly waiting for the right time to shoot.

"He's not our man. It's the other guy." Adam screamed pointing at Frost.

"What are you talking about? Parker is going to kill him using the hand to hand method just like he told you."

"No he's not. He was telling the truth." Adam watched as Mulkin tightened his grip on the pistol still aiming directly at James.

"I warned you Parker, stop now or I'm shooting." Mulkin yelled ignoring Adam.

Adam watched as Parker continued to fight, blocking and throwing fierce punches, the guy could fight. The other man was dressed almost identically and could pass for Parker in the right environment. He watched Mulkin. He knew he was going to fire any second. He had to do something. He was convinced that Nancy was right, but here was Mulkin preparing to fire at Parker. He had to make a decision. Was Mulkin right or Nancy? It appeared that Mulkin was correct, because Parker looked like he was trying to kill the other man and it was going down just as he said, but he had never doubted her before. He watched Parker land a horrific blow to the other man's face, spewing blood onto the white walls. He didn't know what to do. Mulkin's finger was beginning to move the trigger. This was it. Adam quickly pulled out his own weapon and fired hitting Mulkin in the leg. Adam watched as Mulkin dropped the weapon and fell to the floor grabbing his leg. He couldn't believe it. He had just shot an FBI Agent. He really hoped Nancy was right. He watched as the two men looked in amazement as Mulkin stumbled down. Adam quickly ran over to him, calling on his phone for Doc at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as the Coast Guard team led by Nancy appeared in the hallway. He heard three quick shots and looked back and saw the other man lying on his back clutching his chest and gasping for air. Parker was okay. He slowly walked over to him and stood next to Adam and very quietly uttered, "thank you." before collapsing onto the floor.

"What the hell did you shoot me for?" Yelled Mulkin still clutching his leg.

"You were going to shoot the wrong guy." Adam replied as Nancy and Doc Pearson arrived. Doc immediately began working on Mulkin while his team members took to James.

"He's right Mulkin." Nancy held up a few sheets of paper. It's all right here."

Adam quickly turned his head when Lieutenant Chaplin began calling out orders. "What is it?"

He watched as the lieutenant held up some kind of small electronic device he had pulled from the man's pocket. "It's a transmitter for explosives."

"What?" Adam said running over. "Where are they?" He called out. He watched one of the Coast Guard men try and rouse the man, but it was too late, he was already gone. He began going through his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper that he handed to Adam. Adam quickly scanned the list and read all seven names of the murdered CIA Agents. "Are they going to go off?" He called out to no one in particular.

"It looks like they are on some kind of timer. This just tells him that they are active. Wait."

"What is it?" He watched the officer push a button on the transmitter. "It's locked. There's no way we can turn them off without knowing the password."

Adam felt his pulse quickly rise. He looked over at Nancy who was still assisting Doc with Mulkin. He had to call the Captain and abandon the ship. He had no idea where the explosives were or what they were designed to do, but he didn't want to take any chances. He pulled out his phone.

"Wait a second." He heard a small voice say behind him. It was Parker. He was up and slowly limping towards him. Let me see that." The officer looked at Adam who nodded and handed it to Parker. "I've seen this before. The codes are a series of five numbers. Usually you use a different number for each one. Only problem is we need a laptop and a password hacker and someone who knows what they're doing."

"I know just the person." Adam quickly dialed. He watched Doc wheel Mulkin away down the hallway. It looked like he was going to be okay. Adam felt bad but it was the only thing he could do. Mulkin just stared at him, not saying a word as the gurney rode by. Two minutes later, Derek appeared with his laptop. He and Parker spoke for a minute and then Derek sat down against the wall holding his laptop and plugged a cable into the transmitter. Parker had said there wouldn't be enough time to get everyone off the ship anyway. They had found the time on the transmitter and it was counting down, they figured they only had less than three minutes.

"I know." Adam yelled and took off running towards the engine room. He swiped his key in the door directly across from it. "This is where we found him yesterday. He was in here." He watched as Parker slowly entered the closet alongside Adam and a minute later they lifted the box and found the molded plastic explosive.

"Damn. This isn't good. There's enough here to blow a hole the size of a house down here and he's got three more of these around here. He was planning on sinking the ship." Parker remembered from his training that they said to always cover your; tracks. Frost had been planning on doing that. They both ran back towards Derek, whose brow was completely moist and he was frantically typing on the keyboard. "I've got three password hackers working this. We're down to about thirty seconds. I don't have a good feeling though."

Adam ran over to Nancy, and hugged her as tightly as he could. "Run out of here Nancy. Go upstairs."

"I'm staying right here with you." He grimaced and held her even tighter placing his hand directly on her belly.

"Here it goes." He watched Parker looking at the back of the transmitter while Derek continued typing. "ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one..." They all closed their eyes and waited but nothing happened. Everyone looked at Derek who was standing up and smiling. "It cracked the code with three seconds to go."

Parker tossed the transmitter into the air and caught it. "It must have deactivated it when it broke the code."

They all cheered. Adam and Nancy kissed and hugged Parker and Derek as well as Lieutenant Chaplin and the two other soldiers who remained down there.

Epilogue

Eight months later...

"Charles Donovan...Russell Stein...Paul Zecker...Samantha Brown...Seth Vincent...Tom Wilson," Adam clutched Nancy's hand trying to hold in his emotions as the newly appointed CIA director finished reading the list of names to be added to the CIA's Memorial Wall. They watched as navy blue cloth was removed revealing six new stars bringing the total to ninety-three. Adam gently pressed his other hand against her swollen stomach. He couldn't believe the baby was due next month. He still felt a little nervous, they both felt as though were as ready as they could be. They had finally agreed on a name after a long battle, set up the room and then purchased almost every possible conceivable thing to go in it. He had even attended a baby shower, something six months ago he would have scoffed at. He had found himself actually enjoying it, unwrapping onesies and baby outfits that Michael Joseph Meluzzo would soon be wearing. He laughed when someone had given them a Redskin uniform complete with a soft helmet. Yes, they were heaving a boy. They had found out a few months ago during the sonogram, the technician asked if they wanted to know and Adam so enthusiastically replied yes, that even Nancy succumbed and gave up her notion of wanting a surprise. They both cried when the technician uttered the words "you're having a baby boy." Adam had attended every doctor's appointment thus far, despite protest from Nancy. He even referred to them both as carrying the boy. Every night, before they went to sleep he would softly lie his head on top of her belly and talk to the boy. Sometimes, he would rant and rave about the Redskins, while other times he would offer advice from everything from girls to politics. Nancy would just lie there and listen, enjoying the transformation of her husband into fatherhood. She was little nervous about the actual pregnancy, but Adam had purchased two GPS units one for each car and had them both programmed to go to the hospital each with five different routes. He even spent the extra money for the ones with traffic detection. He slowly looked around the small crowd as the director spoke of the remarkable service of each fallen hero. It was truly a sad day. Next to him, his new business partner had a solemn expression that Adam imagined was both proud and sad at the same time. He was proud to see his comrades saluted for their exceptional service, but many of them had been friends and true patriots and he hated to see their lives ended so early and for such an inexcusable reason. They later found the keys and laptop that had allowed him to perform such a horrible crime. Although there was never any mention of him or any of the CIA Agents on the news, Adam felt good about the solemn ceremony before him. James Parker had recovered okay, only thing he had suffered was a few bruises and a concussion, but other than that he was back to normal a week later. He and Adam formed an investigation company in Northern Virginia soon after Adam and Nancy ended their time on the Calypso. It had been tough at first, but they had immediately formed a few good relationships based on both of their contacts. James figured it was time to give up the CIA when Leanne had accepted his engagement ring. The wedding was scheduled for this summer. Adam was going to be the best man. Standing next to Parker was Captain Spence. He had shaved his beard after officially giving his resignation to Southern Winds. They had actually begged him to stay despite their warnings of placing him on administrative leave or firing him. He had performed so well in the press conference in Bermuda and on all the talk shows that followed that he was now in the running for a congressional seat in the State of Virginia and it appeared that he was going to win. Last time he checked, he was up by fifteen points in the polls. Adam was happy for him. He was a good man and had moved on and was now reaching for his true passion. "Who knows maybe one day he'll be running for President," thought Adam. On the other side of the Captain was Agent Mulkin, he had decided it was time to finally turn in his gun and badge with the Bureau. They gave him a hero's retirement party that both Adam and Nancy had proudly attended. He had been sad to go, but he had done his time and figured it was time to move on to bigger and better things. He had forgiven Adam for shooting him and actually thanked him at the retirement party for stopping him from making a dumb mistake. His leg had recovered. The wound hadn't been much deeper than a superficial one and he had given up the crutches only after a couple of weeks. Adam took a long hard look at Mulkin noticing the specks of gray running through his hair for the first time. He had been pleased but even more surprised at Mulkin's new career choice. He was now the Director of Security on the Calypso taking Adam's old job. Although, it was no longer called the Calypso, it was now called Cross Winds or something like that. Adam wasn't sure. He just smiled every time he thought of Mulkin chasing down some drunken partier in the middle of the night. He had heard Derek had been promoted to Assistant Director of IT for Southern Winds after saving the lives of thousands when he broke the password on the explosives. He was no longer on the ship, he was working at the Southern Winds headquarters in southern Florida, and from the last email they had received he was loving it, although it sounded like he was working twelve to thirteen hour days, but he was surrounded by technology. Apparently, he was designing a new security system for the cruise ship that would be impossible to penetrate, or so he said. He felt a tear stream down his cheek as he watched Karen Wilson hug her son Tommy. The boy was a striking image of his father Tom and looked as though neither of them had gotten over the fact that Tom Wilson wasn't coming back. He had spoken with the boy briefly before the ceremony and had reiterated how great his father's service to the Country had been, but he knew it was going to be long time till they were able to move on. Beyond them were the rest of the widows and family members each trying their best to live their lives and keep the hidden memories of their loved ones in their hearts. Finally, he looked over at Nancy and squeezed her hand a little tighter. She was going to be a part-time security consultant for his new company and a full-time mother to Michael Joseph. He was so proud of her. She was handling the pregnancy so well and of course putting up with him and his over-protective ways. He leaned his mouth into her ear and whispered that he loved her and then he did the same thing to her belly before wiping the tears from his face as the sole musician sounded out the harrowing notes to "taps".
