July 5th dawned over the Marin home. Unfortunately, Kate and her family were not there to see it. They were on a plane flying to the town of San Juan.

San Juan was gray and dull that morning. A slight drizzle was falling, and pedestrians scurried quickly to avoid getting wet.

Kate looked at her mother, who was asleep over the paperback novel she had meant to read during the flight. Kate’s father, across the aisle, was typing into his laptop, no doubt sending a boring email to his equally boring coworkers.

Feeling bored just thinking about her father’s work, Kate rummaged in her bag and took out the embossed invitation. In pompous terms, it invited “Emily Therese Bell” to a “Caribbean Cruise”.

Kate hadn’t seen her grandmother since she was twelve, but she remembered that visit well. Therese had stalked into the house, demanding coffee and making scathing comments about the decorating style and condition of the furniture.

She had complained, as always, about Kate’s last name, insisting that “Katherine Lia Bell-Marin” was too much of a mouthful, and that the hyphen was an abomination.

The “Bell-Marin” had actually been a compromise between Therese (who wanted only Bell) and Adam and Emily (who wanted only Marin). Again, Kate’s opinion did not count – though she was just a baby then. But still Kate felt resentful. Why couldn’t she have a normal name, like her friends at school?

Although, Kate thought darkly to herself, hardly anyone from my middle school is going to the same high school as I am. She hated trying to make new friends – it was impossible to tell if they were going to stick by you, or abandon you at the smallest prospect of getting a cooler friend.

Kate thought bitter thoughts against her parents as the three of them walked towards the port. Surely, nobody could have more quarrelsome, out-of-date, and just plain uncool parents as she did. It just wasn’t fair.

Kate was aware that she was being spoken to.

“What?” she asked.

Adam rolled his eyes and repeated himself. “Therese didn’t say what time we had to meet her, so she has no right to be angry if we’re late. It’s half-past two, and that’s early enough for anybody.”

They had reached the docks. Kate looked around for what might be Therese’s ship, and found it. It was easily the largest, most extravagant, and most gaudily decorated in the whole dock. It was painted neon green, with orange trimming. The lettering on the side read The Big Galoot. What that meant, Kate could only guess.

“Are we just supposed to board,” asked Emily anxiously, “or check in with someone?”

But a tall, red-haired boy came running towards them. He was dressed in some kind of uniform, and had a spray of freckles all across his face and on his arms where his sleeves were rolled up. He looked about Kate’s age.

“You would be Ms. Bell and family?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s us,” stammered Emily.

“Excellent!” said the boy. “I’ll just show you to your rooms. I expect we’ll be launching soon – you’re the last ones to arrive. By the way, my name’s Jimmy.”

As he spoke, he led them down the dock and up three steps leading to The Big Galoot. They went through a door and took several rights and lefts.

“My uncle’s the captain, so if you need anything, just call on me.” He gave Kate a friendly smile and left, leaving them in front of a set of double doors. The key stood in the lock. Kate looked around at her parents, who nodded. She stepped forward, grabbed the door handle, and pulled.

Kate stepped into the room, expecting to see something gorgeous and immense (after all, Therese could afford it) – and received a nasty shock. Every single item in the room, from the bedcovers to the curtains to the telephone, was a dingy, dirty, mud-brown color. And it was tiny. The main room was cramped, and two doors led to an even smaller bedroom and a miniscule bathroom.

Adam grunted, “Nice decorating.”

Emily looked disappointed as well. “It is, um… unusual. I’m sure Therese has something planned. Maybe all the rooms are different colors, or something like that.”

Kate didn’t bother to conceal her feelings. “Why did she do this? It’s hideous!”

“Now, Kate,” began Adam.

Kate left without listening to the rest of what he was saying. She turned right and stormed down the hallway, only to find a dead end. Getting even angrier, she turned on her heel and ran smack into someone else, causing them both to fall to the ground.

“I’m really sorry!” Kate told her victim hurriedly.

The victim straightened up and adjusted her glasses. She was a girl with long dark hair like Kate’s but it was straight instead of wavy. She was slender and tall, and she had a face that looked very young, but she had to be around thirteen or fourteen.

“I’m sorry,” the girl said. “I should have been watching where I was going. I was trying to figure out where my room was from this map.” She held up a piece of paper that she had been studying when Kate ran into her. “All these rooms look the same, and they don’t have names on them.”

“Well, I’m really sorry for knocking you over,” said Kate, feeling embarrassed. Why did this girl have to be so nice to her? “I’m Kate. My rooms are somewhere over there,” she indicated by pointing.

“I’m Lilah Krantz,” said the girl, smiling. “My grandmother was Therese’s best friend in college, and because I had nowhere else to stay, I came along. Everyone on this boat is connected to Therese in some way. What about you?”

Kate hadn’t wanted to tell Lilah this. “Therese is my… grandmother.”

Lilah gasped. “Oh, you’re so lucky! You probably get to see her a lot, and read previews of her books –“

“No, I actually don’t,” Kate broke in. “I don’t see her very often, and we have to buy her books just like everyone else.”

“Oh,” said Lilah, looking disappointed. “Well, it was nice meeting you. There aren’t very many kids on this boat. I saw a toddler, and another girl with a camera, and that boy who was helping with suitcases. I think his name was Harry.”

“Jimmy,” said Kate, blushing a little without quite knowing why.

“I’d better find my room and help Grandma unpack. See you later!”

Kate watched Lilah go. She seemed nice, but Kate hadn’t made a very good first impression. Maybe Kate could go up on the deck. She didn’t feel like facing her parents again, so she followed the signs for “Deck”, climbed a flight of stairs, and stepped out.

It was sunset, and the lights along the railing and in the cabins had already been lit. The sky glowed with pink and the ocean was a deep blue.

At first Kate thought that the deck was deserted, but then she spotted an elderly couple who were arguing in vaguely Russian accents.

“I thought you were going to handle the luggage,” the woman said.

“I thought I checked them, Anna,” said the man.

“Then why was my purse not among the items we unpacked?”

“I am not in charge of your personal belongings! I just unpacked whatever was in the suitcases.”

“Well, then you must have missed one, Dmitri, because my purse and everything in it is not on this boat!”

Kate moved on, so she wouldn’t have to hear them bickering. It was bad enough to hear her parents fighting.

She walked to the railing and looked out. The waves were slightly choppy, but they didn’t move The Big Galoot from its path. Where were they going? Maybe it would stop at an island and Kate could get some souvenirs to give to her new friends in high school, if she had any.

The Russians seemed to have resolved their argument, or at least shelved it for later, because they went inside. Kate wished she had brought a sweater. But who would bring one to the Caribbean? Now that the sun had disappeared, it was cold. Maybe…

“What are you doing out here?” a voice inquired from behind her. Kate jumped and turned around.

The voice wasn’t very threatening (in fact, it sounded friendly), but Kate did not like being confronted in the dark.

“Who’s there? What do you want?” Kate asked.

“It’s not like you’re in trouble or anything,” the voice assured Kate. “I was sent to tell any stragglers that dinner is served in five minutes.”

“Oh,” said Kate, feeling relieved. “I’ll just come in, then.”

“Sounds great,” said the voice comfortably, and whoever it was turned around and went into the main suite of room. Kate followed.

Once they were in the light, Kate saw that the voice belonged to a teenage girl, with frizzy red hair. She was wearing a football sweatshirt over what appeared to be a party dress and heels.

The girl followed Kate’s gaze and explained, “The dinner is semiformal, but I didn’t want to go on deck wearing just a dress.”

“I didn’t know we were supposed to dress up,” said Kate, feeling uncomfortable.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” said the girl jovially. “I’m sure no one else is going to, but I have to, because my uncle’s the captain.”

Kate remembered something from earlier that day and asked, “Are you Jimmy’s sister?”

“No, no!” exclaimed the girl, laughing. “Jimmy’s my cousin. Captain Peterson (or Uncle Charlie, as I call him), Jimmy’s dad, and my dad are all brothers. My name’s Rosalie Peterson, but everybody calls me Rose, or sometimes even Rosie. Is that your family over there?”

They had entered the dining room, and Emily and Adam were beckoning to Kate.

Rose said, “Well, I’ll leave you to them. I have to go sit with my own family.” She turned to leave, but then rushed back. “I almost forgot to tell you! I’ve invited all the other girls to my room later tonight – right after dinner and the speech. Room 21A. See you there!”

Rose dashed away, leaving Kate feeling exhausted just from listening to her chatter. She also had questions: who were the other people Rose had invited? How was she supposed to find anybody else’s room? And what was that last part about the speech?

Kate wondered as she sat down between her parents. She looked around at the other diners, who were receiving plates of food from uniformed waiters.

I guess we don’t get to order what we want, Kate thought irritably as a plate of fish (yuck!) was set in front of her. Would no one care what she wanted to do?

Kate picked at her fish and sipped her water while everyone else ate. After what seemed like an eternity, the last plates had been cleared away and the focus of attention was a stage at the back of the room. It was empty, but there was a single spotlight in center stage with a microphone. A woman walked up to it.

Kate immediately recognized Therese. With her floor-length black satin dress and magnificent ruby necklace, she had an imposing presence. Her long neck, gleaming dark eyes, and elaborately styled hair made her very distinctive looking.

“My friends and family,” Therese began, “let me firstly say welcome, and thank you for joining me on this cruise, which I am sure will be enjoyable for all.” There was polite applause at this.

Therese continued, “As you doubtless know, I have just released a new book, and I plan to start another soon. But first I need a vacation from the daily grind of life. I was sure that you all needed one too!” There was some laughter but it seemed forced.

“And now, let me tell you our destination –“ the audience leaned slightly forward in their chairs – “I have no idea.”

There was a collective sound of shock from the audience. But Kate wasn’t surprised. Just another one of Therese’s antics. It was rumored that once she had thrown a car away because a bird pooped on it.

“My friends and family, this has apparently come as a shock to most of you, judging by your expressions. Though indeed, some of your faces appear to be permanently surprised. But let me continue – I do not know where we are going because I am having our captain draw our location randomly out of a hat. In a few days we will dock there, and I will stay at whichever country it is and set my book there. The rest of you will return to San Juan and then go back to your lives as usual. Understood?” She barked the last word so fiercely that many audience members jumped.

“Well, I hope you have,” said Therese, “because I find it very wearisome to explain anything, and I wouldn’t have repeated myself anyway. Go to bed now. I’m sure the captain has some elaborate party planned for tomorrow, so enjoy yourselves, if you can.” With that dark threat, Therese left the stage. It was unclear whether they should clap or not; so Kate and her family joined in after someone else started it.

“That was weird,” Adam remarked as they were retiring to their rooms.

Kate remembered where she should be. “I almost forgot! I met a girl and she invited me to hang out.”

“Fine,” said Emily, “just don’t stay up too late.”

After navigating the ship’s corridors cautiously, Kate finally found Room 21A. She was positive that she was late; the speech had ended more than an hour ago. She knocked on the door – quietly at first, until, feeling slightly rebellious towards everything, she pounded confidently and loudly on the metal door.

It was opened by Rose. “Oh, you’re here! I was wondering if you’d forgotten. I heard your knock the first time and I was telling you to come in when you started hammering, and then you couldn’t hear me. But it doesn’t matter now.”

Yes it does, thought Kate. There were only three other girls her age on this boat, and she had just embarrassed herself in front of all of them.

For they were all there: Rose, who had just settled herself back onto her bed; Lilah, who was sitting in a folding chair; and a girl Kate had never seen before. She wore thick black rectangular glasses and had blond hair. Her age was hard to determine – maybe twelve or thirteen. She was dressed in a baggy t-shirt, jeans, and a peace sign necklace.

“Well,” said Rose, “you haven’t missed much. We’ve mostly been introducing ourselves. You know me.”

“And me,” said Lilah.

“I’m Joyce Lakefield.” said the new girl.

“My name’s Kate,” said Kate, feeling somewhat shy. All these girls seemed to feel so comfortable around each other – except Lilah. Now that Kate was looking closely, she saw that Lilah was sitting off by herself. So Kate pulled up another folding chair next to Lilah, who looked grateful.

“Now that we’re all here, I thought we could watch a movie,” said Rose. “I brought Titanic.”

But Kate couldn’t suppress a feeling that there was something wrong. As they sat around the old black and white television (Rose said it was best that way) Kate kept looking around furtively. She felt as if something malevolent was going to leap out of the shadows. It’s nothing, Kate told herself as she said goodnight to the other girls and went to bed. It’s nothing.

Kate didn’t sleep well that night. She felt exhausted when she dragged herself out of bed in the morning.

She joined her parents in the cramped living room. Emily told her, “We got a message this morning to eat breakfast in our rooms and then meet at 10:00 in the ship’s dining hall.”

Kate vaguely wondered why, but didn’t bother about it too much. She was too tired to care about anything.

At 9:55 the Marins went to the dining hall. Kate immediately noticed Rose, Lilah, and Joyce, who were sitting together. She joined them. Was she always going to be the last one there?

“I’m glad that you’re here,” Lilah whispered to Kate. “Nobody seems to know what’s going on, but all the staff look serious.”

Kate started to watch the waiters, but then a man stepped up the microphone where Therese had been last night, and began to speak.

“Hello everybody,” he said. “Many of you already know me – but I’m Captain Peterson, for those who don’t.”

Rose’s and Jimmy’s uncle, Kate thought. So that’s who he is.

“There has been an unfortunate incident.” He seemed to struggle with words for a while. “There’s no real way to say this right – but, Therese Bell’s body was found in her room at 5 o’clock this morning.”

Shock, and then horror swept through the room like a flooded river. People whispered to one another and some looked nervously around, as if a murderer were going to jump out from under a tablecloth.

All Kate could think was How? How had it happened? She looked over at her parents, who were getting up from their chairs.

“I have to go,” Kate told the other girls, who were staring at her. They must know that I’m her granddaughter - Kate hurried after her mother and father.

Back at the room, Emily collapsed into an armchair. Adam sat down, but did not open his laptop.

Kate went into the small bedroom to think. She had always known that Therese would die someday – she was in her sixties. Kate cursed herself for thinking in the past tense already. And she really should call her Grandma.

How had it happened? Therese – Grandma didn’t seem to be the kind of person to kill herself, and it would be hard for it to be an accident. After all, how many loaded guns or bottles of poison could there be on this ship? No, Kate was sure that it was no accident or suicide.

That left only one option – but how could Kate face it?

Everyone on this ship was supposed to be Therese’s friends. If there was one thing Therese prided herself on, it was the ability to tell character.

Kate knew that she should be feeling sad. But she couldn’t cry. She felt like one of the tough heroes in movies who would conceal their feelings until they got revenge.

That gave Kate an idea. Why couldn’t she look for the murderer? But wait… who would allow her to? Then Kate got into one of her rebellious moods, the kind that Emily said she got from Therese.

Therese wouldn’t have let anything get in the way of what she wanted. And Kate wasn’t going to either. Ablaze with righteous fury, she marched out of the bedroom, past her parents, and out the mud-brown door to find a person on this ship she thought she could trust.

Kate stormed through the corridors, making wild turns and guessing at direction. The never ending teak-colored carpet and walls stretched before her. Come on, she’s got to be around here somewhere, Kate thought, as – smack!

For the second time in as many days, Kate found herself on the floor after running into someone. But this person wasn’t Lilah. She was a stern-looking old woman, who was glaring at Kate. “Haven’t you got any common sense?” she demanded.

“I… I didn’t know – “stammered Kate.

“Watch where you’re going, hooligan! My granddaughter never does anything like that.” Now she looked more sad than angry. “But I don’t really blame you. I suppose we’re all just feeling wretched on this terrible day.”

“Did you know Therese?” asked Kate.

“Knew her? Of course I knew her! She was my roommate and best friend at college. Oh, the pranks we would get up to – cutting class, having loud parties – ah, well. You only ever get one chance to meet a person like Therese. She may have been snappish at times, but she was one of the best people I know.”

The old woman paused, caught up in memories. All of Kate’s previous defiance had drained out of her, and she was left feeling miserable again.

She jerked to attention when the old woman snapped at her, “What did you say your name was?”

With a sinking feeling, Kate said, “Katherine Bell-Marin, ma’am. I’m… Therese's granddaughter.”

The old lady looked shocked. “Oh, my poor dear, no wonder you’re tearing around like that. Come on, let’s go to my room and maybe you will feel better after a little snack.”

Kate didn’t want to go, but she didn’t dare be rude again.

“Here we are,” announced the old woman as they stopped in front of a door that was identical to all the others, with the name “THURGOOD” written on it in ink. “I never can remember which one is which – there was a map, but I don’t member where it went –“ but Kate had just looked into the suite of rooms.

“Lilah!” she exclaimed as she recognized her.

“Kate?” said Lilah, looking confused. “What are you doing here?”

“She ran into me,” said the woman, “and knocked me over.”

“That sounds familiar,” said Lilah, glancing at Kate.

“I just invited her in for a little snack to recover from the shock,” explained the old woman. She bustled over to the mini-fridge.

“That’s my grandmother, Mary Thurgood,” said Lilah quietly. “She isn’t in the habit of introducing herself.”

Lilah’s grandmother came back a few minutes later with a plate of cookies and mugs of something hot.

“How about you two take these into the bedroom, so I can watch my stories,” Mrs. Thurgood suggested.

Kate could barely wait until the door closed to start telling Lilah what she had thought about the murderer.

Lilah gasped a few times, but Kate wasn’t sure if she really believed her. “Come on Lilah, it’s obvious!” said Kate, annoyed, as she took a sip from the mug and immediately choked it back up. “What is this stuff?”

“Earl Grey tea,” said Lilah nervously. “And I do understand what you’re saying. But I don’t know why someone would possibly want to kill Therese.”

“There are lots of reasons,” said Kate impatiently. “Revenge, money…”

“Well, if it’s money, then your family would have the most reason to,” said Lilah.

Kate’s stomach sank. Of course! Her family was going to inherit most of Therese’s money. That’s what Kate thought, anyway. Therese had never let any of them read her will.

Kate stammered a thank you and good-bye to Lilah and her grandmother, and ran up to the deck.

It was a beautiful Caribbean day. The warm sunlight that bathed the deck was balanced with the cool ocean breeze. But not many people were out enjoying the weather. And who could blame them?

Kate spotted red hair and shouted, “Rosalie! Rose!”

The head turned, but it wasn’t Rose. It was Jimmy.

“Hi,” he said. “Are you looking for Rose?”

Most other times Kate would have been more polite, but she was in a hurry. “Of course I’m looking for Rose!” she snapped at Jimmy - and immediately felt awful as his face fell. “I mean… yes, I am. Do you know where she is?” she asked in a kinder tone.

“Yeah, she’s in the steering cabin with my uncle,” said Jimmy, jerking his thumb towards it. “We’re not supposed to let passengers in there, but if it’s an emergency…”

“Thank you,” said Kate, feeling relieved.

“Follow me,” said Jimmy.

Rose looked up as they entered and ran over to them. “Oh Kate,” she said, “I’m so sorry about your grandmother. If there’s anything you need from me, just stop by my cabin anytime.”

“Thanks,” mumbled Kate. Remembering her purpose, she said, “What is the procedure if there is a murder on the ship?”

Captain Peterson looked up from his computer. “If there is a… incident, then we advise the passengers to take precautions, and we dock as soon as possible.”

At first, Kate felt better that her family wasn’t going to be questioned, but then her heart sank. “You mean – you’re not going to try to find out who did it?”

“That’s the police’s job,” said Captain Peterson. “I’m sure that they’ll handle it, after we get back to the U.S. in two days.”

“But then the murderer can just walk off the boat!” yelled Kate. She didn’t care if she was being rude.

Captain Peterson looked affronted. “Control yourself, young lady.” He turned to Jimmy. “What is she doing in here, anyway? I told you about the no passengers policy. Now, please escort Miss Bell outside.”

“No! I’m not leaving until I get answers!” Kate said defiantly.

At the beginning of the cruise, Captain Peterson had seemed like a kind, jovial man. But now he turned into a furious, sputtering, red-faced bull.

“Why, you…”

“Uncle Charlie, I’ll do it,” said Rose, stepping between them.

Kate felt slightly embarrassed at how immaturely she had behaved. She followed Rose silently out of the room under Captain Peterson’s scathing look.

“I think I know someone who can help,” said Rose. “But we have to keep it quiet.”

Rose led Kate into a corridor filled with the identical doors of the passenger’s rooms. She consulted a list in her pocket and knocked on one of the doors. It was opened a few seconds later by a small girl with big brown eyes.

“What do you want?” she asked them. “Daddy and Mommy went to lunch, so it’s just me and Doy-Doy now.”

Kate thought “Doy-Doy” must be a stuffed animal or other toy. But then the girl who was introduced to Kate last night – Joyce – appeared, shoving the little girl out of the way.

“Janie!” she said, annoyed. “You’re not supposed to tell people that we’re here alone!”

“Wait, I thought we were supposed to, Doy-Doy!” complained Janie.

“You can come in,” said Joyce to Kate and Rose. “We’re just here because Janie won’t eat anything that’s not cheese and crackers, so I have to watch her.”

Kate was wondering why Rose had brought her here. How could this girl help her?

“I suppose you came for my expertise?” said Joyce. Rose nodded.

“What’s your expertise?” asked Kate, slightly confused..

“I have read every Nancy Drew book ever written,” boasted Joyce. “And most of the Hardy Boys books too. I know how to conduct a crime investigation.”

“But isn’t Nancy Drew fictional – “ began Kate.

“So, of course you would come to me about your grandmother,” said Joyce airily. “Now, the first thing we need to do is make a list of suspects.” She pulled out a blue notebook and pencil. “Preferably we would have a photo of each, but just the names will have to do. Suspect #1,” she said, writing, “Katherine Bell-Marin.”

“Why am I on the list?” Kate was almost yelling again.

“Because of what is in Therese’s will,” said Joyce.

“How did you find that out?” asked Kate, outraged. “My family doesn’t even know!”

“I did some snooping,” admitted Joyce. “Anyway, here’s the facts: Therese left almost everything to you, Kate.”

Kate couldn’t answer. She couldn’t think. Why had Therese left so much to her? She was her only grandchild, but still…

“It’s kind of funny,” said Joyce, “even though Therese knew hundreds of people, only three are mentioned by name.”

Joyce’s voice was starting to get on Kate’s nerves. Actually, everything about Joyce was.

“I have to leave,” said Kate rudely.

“But we haven’t finished our investigation yet,” complained Joyce as Kate left. Rose just stared after her in a sympathetic way.

I don’t want your sympathy, thought Kate, I want some real help!

She stormed into the bedroom, noticing that her parents weren’t there, but not really caring. She flopped onto the bed to organize her information, what little she had.

Even though she hated to use any of Joyce’s ideas, she got out a sheet of paper and started listing.


A. Therese’s body was found at 5 AM this morning in her room. No more details are known.

B. The Big Galoot is going to dock in San Juan in two days. The murderer will go free then.

C. There was no known motive.

D. Except if they knew about the contents of the will.

E. Then they would either know they were getting something valuable, or

F. Did they know that I was getting everything?

G. That wasn’t really a point.

H. Neither was that.

I. This is stupid.


Kate crumpled the list up into a ball and threw it away. What now? For want of something better to do, she started reading the paperback Emily had brought on the flight.

Kate jumped as there was a knock on the door. Her mother entered.

“Kate,” she said, “It’s 5 o’clock. Time to go down to dinner. We’ve just been watching the water from the deck,” said Emily. “It’s pretty relaxing, actually-”

“Kate! Get out here!” shouted Adam. He was in a foul mood after all the “ocean-watching nonsense.”

Kate sulkily got up and followed them through the corridors and into the dining hall for the third time.

This time, all the tables had black table cloths, and the walls and stage were draped with black velvet.

“Where did they get all this black stuff from?” wondered Kate aloud.

Adam shushed her. Kate didn’t think this was quite fair, it was a reasonable question.

In a short time, all the passengers were assembled. There were no waiters or menus. Kate was very hungry; she had barely eaten all day, and even the ship’s food sounded good right now.

Kate noticed the Russian couple she had seen arguing the other day sitting by themselves. They looked bitter about something; maybe they had never found the purse.

There was a tap on Kate’s shoulder, and she turned around.

“I was looking for you,” said Joyce in that know-it-all voice of hers, “because I found a very important clue.”

“What is it?” asked Kate wearily, aware that both her parents were listening to the conversation.

Joyce bent down and whispered in Kate’s ear, “I overheard one of the maids say to another that Therese was stolen from yesterday.”

“What was taken?” Kate whispered back, curious in spite of her dislike for Joyce.

“One slipper and a bag of cough lozenges.” Joyce was wearing a smug grin.

“What does that have to do with anything important?” Kate said this out loud, not caring about her eavesdropping parents.

“Well, everything!” said Joyce, shocked. “It gives us important evidence as to who we’re looking for.”

“So, someone missing a slipper and who has a cold?”

“Exactly.” Joyce smirked. “This case is in the bag.”

The room fell quiet, and Joyce returned to her own seat, as Captain Peterson stepped onto the stage and began to speak.

“I’m sure that we are all mourning our dear friend Therese,” said Captain Peterson, with a bored expression, “ but that is no reason why we should not still enjoy this fabulous opportunity that Madame Bell so generously provided for us.”

You don’t even bother looking sad, Kate thought. I guess the death of your client doesn’t matter as long as you get paid.

“We have plenty of recreational activities on the Big Galoot,” the captain continued. “There is an indoor swimming pool, as well as rooms with billiard tables, tennis courts, and more. You only have until Wednesday to utilize them, so I hope that you take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime cruise.”

Two days left, Kate thought.

“Now, good night, and enjoy all the ship has to offer tomorrow!” With one final scowl, Captain Peterson exited the stage.

Is Rose’s uncle ever not grumpy? And was that whole speech directed at me, because of my outburst earlier?

Kate had even more unanswered questions during the silent dinner at the coffee table back in the Marin’s rooms. The meal consisted of crackers, bananas, and fruit punch. Adam pulled out his laptop and started typing away.

“Mom,” said Kate cautiously, “do you know anything about Grandma’s will?”

“Who? Oh, Therese’s,” said Emily. “I really don’t know. She certainly never discussed it with me. But I do know that there’s a provision for one of Therese’s friend’s granddaughter. She was raised by her grandmother, and Therese wanted to make sure that she got a good education. She’s about your age, actually. I think her name is Caleb, or Kent, or –“

“Lilah Krantz?” asked Kate.

“Yes! that’s it. I remember Therese telling me about her years ago. But wait – do you know her?”

“I met her yesterday,” admitted Kate. “She seemed pretty nice.”

“That’s good.” Emily seemed to be getting very tired. “Yes, I know that Lilah Krantz inherited a couple thousand, but I have no idea where Therese’s millions are going to.”

I know, thought Kate glumly. And I wish that I didn’t. I don’t even know what I would do with millions of dollars!

Most grandchildren inherit a bauble or keepsake, but then again most grandparents aren’t multimillionaire writers.

Because Adam was frowning at the interruption to his concentration, Kate decided to go to bed. She would try not to think about what had happened that day.

Her plan halfway worked. She went to bed, but she could not stop thinking about everything that had been said and done. She just couldn’t believe it.

Around 1 o’clock, Kate’s stomach informed her that crackers, bananas, and fruit punch was not a very filling meal. She couldn’t sleep anyway, and welcomed the chance to walk around for a while.

Kate got up and opened the fridge. There was absolutely nothing to eat. She left the room, taking the key and a flashlight, and tiptoed down the hallway.

Where was the kitchen? Maybe she could scrounge a snack there.

As Kate turned the corner, she saw a very large door. It must have been three times as big as all the other doors were. And it was ajar.

Kate walked over to it and, by the light of her flashlight, read a small metal plaque that said THERESE C. BELL.

Everything was dark and silent around her. Kate looked right, left, and then behind her. No one. So she cautiously pulled the door open. Then she snapped it shut and flipped on the light switch.

It didn’t look like a crime scene. Sure, it was messy, but no blood, or signs of a struggle.


Therese's possessions were thrown all around the room. But one thing looked distinctly out of place - a small red baby's pacifier. Kate picked it up and put it in her pocket.

Kate couldn’t learn anything here. She took out her key and tried to remember how to get back to her room. Then the light was turned on in the hallway and footsteps approached.

Kate nearly jumped out of her skin, and dropped the key. But she didn't notice that as she looked for a place to hide. She scrambled behind an dresser pushed away from the wall.

The footsteps got closer to the door, came right in front of it - and kept on walking. Kate felt relieved. She straightened up and got out of there.

Kate wasn't even remotely hungry anymore. What to do now? She could go back to her room and try to sleep again - but wait. Kate felt in her pocket, getting increasingly more frantic. Where was the key? She must have dropped it. And after what had happened, her parents would not be too thrilled to hear pounding on their door in the middle of the night.

Then Kate thought, Rose!

Of course! Rose had offered that Kate could come over any time when she needed something. And Kate needed something now. She walked as quickly as she dared, trying to remember where Room 21A was.

It took her a while, but she thought she'd found it. She knocked quietly, and then a little louder. She had raised her fist to pound again when the door was opened and light blazed out. Kate felt mortified as she looked at the disheveled, sleepy face of Jimmy Peterson.

Kate opened her mouth to say something apologetic, but just then a small shape came flying at her from inside the cabin.

“Tammy, no!” Jimmy yelled.

But Kate had been knocked down and now was being licked by a very small cream-colored spaniel. Tammy was full of joy for the new playmate, but Jimmy pulled her off Kate.

“Sorry about that,” said Jimmy. “I try to keep her in my cabin, but she’s pretty crazy about new people.”

“You were allowed to bring her?”

“Yeah, but only because my parents didn’t want to watch her.” Then he asked the obvious question. “Why are you here? It’s not really safe to be wandering around.”

“I’ll just go to Rose’s room,” said Kate. “That’s where I meant to go in the first place, before I got lost.”

“Okay,” said Jimmy. “See you later, Kate.”

As Kate turned to leave, he caught her arm to say one last thing: “I’m sorry about your grandmother.” Then he let go, closed the door, and a few seconds later the light was turned off.

Kate wished that she had been able to say something back to him. And his condolences seemed somehow sincere.

Kate turned her flashlight on and tried to read the room numbers. 21B, it read on Jimmy’s door. 21A was right next to it. Angry at herself for disturbing the wrong person, Kate knocked on it. A sleepy “Come in if you’re not the murderer” floated out from inside.

Very funny, thought Kate as she opened the door.

“Kate?” asked Rose. “Why are you here?”

Kate had no better answer for this question than she had when Jimmy asked.

“I went for a walk and got locked out of my room,” said Kate. This was mostly the truth.

“Oh!” said Rose. “Do you want me to get you the extra key?”

“That would be great,” said Kate, feeling embarrassed again. “And, if you have a map of the ship, that would help too.”

“I have one right here,” Rose said joyfully. “Just make sure you get it back to me – I borrowed it from my uncle. Then I lent it to Lilah, but then she figured out where everything was, so I got it back again.”

Kate followed Rose and her chattering into a small room that she had never seen before. One wall was covered with room keys.

“Mabel, Mallory, Marin!” Rose pulled the key down. “There you go – just use it tonight and give it back to me tomorrow morning.”

“I will,” Kate promised. “Thanks so much, Rose.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Rose assured her. “My favorite thing to do in the whole world is help people. Come back anytime!”

Kate felt warm inside as she walked back to her room, following the map carefully.

This time, she was able to sleep, and woke up next morning feeling ready for anything.

At AM, the Marins went down to breakfast - the meal turned out to be pancakes. Finally! Something Kate could eat.

After breakfast, Emily said, “I think I’ll go to the spa and get a massage, and maybe go swimming after.”

Adam grunted, “I’m going to be working.”

“I suppose I’ll go out on the deck,” said Kate glumly.

This brought a small smile from Emily and a scowl from Adam, but then again, her father hadn’t been in a good mood since they left.

Kate did go up the deck, and she watched the waves for a couple minutes. The day was cloudy and slightly cold. Then she started to feel a little queasy from the pancakes added to the motion of the ship.

Kate was leaving to go inside when she felt a tugging at her back pocket. She turned around and found a small brown-haired boy holding the map of the ship in his hands.

“Hey, give that back,” said Kate wearily. The boy smiled a cherubic dimpled smile at her and waddled away.

Kate followed after him. “Please give it back,” she begged. She really didn’t want to make a scene in front of the other passengers.

The boy toddled over to some deck chairs, where a woman (presumably his mother) was sitting reading. She had long brown hair and wore a sun dress.

She looked up as they approached. “Sammy, what do you have this time?”

The boy, Sammy, proudly showed her the map.

“And it’s yours?” the woman asked Kate.

“Yes,” said Kate. “I kind of need it back.”

“Sure,” said the woman. “I’m Julia Russell, and you’ve met my son Sammy. He is quite a troublemaker. You won’t believe the stuff he steals – last week I found some cough drops in his toy chest, and they certainly weren’t ours.”

Cough drops, thought Kate. Well, at least I know the identity of the thief.

“Is this yours?” Kate asked, pulling the red pacifier out.

“Yes, it is!” exclaimed Julia. “Thank you so much! Where did you find it?”

“In a hallway,” lied Kate. Then, saying goodbye to Julia and Sammy, she wandered back to the railing to think.

Kate looked over at the blue sea. Where are we now? she wondered.

Suddenly Kate was overcome with a feeling of grief for Therese. Who killed my grandmother? Why? Kate had never thought that she would have to ask herself these questions. She shivered as she thought about the chance that her own grandchildren would face Kate’s situation.

She forced herself to think analytically. She needed to answer three questions: How was Therese killed? Who killed her? And how did they get in?

Kate thought about the last question. Therese locked her door every night – she was very paranoid.

The key! Kate almost fell overboard with her excitement. Of course! Rose had shown her the wall covered with all the room keys. If someone got into the cabin, it would have been easy to break in.

Kate had to find out if the key was gone, and, if it was, who had it now.

There was only one flaw in her plan – she wasn’t technically allowed in the cabin. But wait! She still had the spare key that Rose had given her early this morning. While returning it, Kate could check if the other key was missing. She went to look for Rose.

She had entered the inside of the ship when she stopped, seeing Joyce a few feet away, but with her back to Kate. She was carrying her blue notebook. What is she up to now? Kate thought.

Joyce walked straight ahead for about ten paces, then suddenly turned into a swinging door on the left. Kate realized that Joyce had just entered the kitchen. Her loud, obnoxious voice drifted out the door.

“So, you must be pretty scared about the murderer on the loose, right?” Joyce asked somebody.

“Oh, yes,” a voice answered. “It’s all been terrifying! I’ll be glad when we dock tomorrow.”

“Have you seen anything fishy around here?” Joyce inquired. Kate had snuck close enough by now to see Joyce talking to a young woman in a white uniform.

“Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” said the woman, “but the captain has been having his meals in his cabins. The crew doesn’t see him much these days.”

“Really,” said Joyce, taking careful notes. “I think that’s all for now, so I’ll just be going now.”

Kate barely had time to pretend that she was studying Rose’s map when Joyce barged out of the kitchen, looking smug – as always.

“Oh,” she said, noticing Kate. “Hello. I’ve just been digging up some very juicy clues. Did you know that in Ms. Bell’s will, everything she is giving away has to wait three years before it can be claimed?”

“No, I didn’t, and I wish that you would stop snooping about Therese’s will!” Kate yelled. “How are you connected to her anyway?”

“My mom edited one of her books once,” said Joyce.

Kate found herself disliking Joyce more and more. “I have to go,” she said.

“Wait, maybe we can work together!” Joyce said, running after her.

“No way!” said Kate. Joyce’s hopeful face shattered, and she ran off.
Kate felt awful. Joyce was just trying to help. But she couldn’t let herself get distracted now. She wandered around the ship for quite a while, looking for Rose. She appeared to be nowhere, not even in her room. So Kate would have to look for the key on her own.


The best time would be during the formal dinner. Captain Peterson would most likely come out and make an end-of-the-cruise speech.

The ship bell rang twelve tones loudly. Time for lunch. Today it was squid pie. Kate nibbled at the limp greens that came with the pie as her stomach growled. Most of the other passengers seemed dissatisfied as well.

Kate was leaving when she saw Jimmy. He looked so lonely that Kate walked over to him. He was sitting by himself.

“Hi,” she said, and then realized that she had nothing else to say.

“Hi,” said Jimmy.

“You look sad about something,” said Kate, after a pause.

“Yeah. I was going to stay with my uncle Charlie this summer, but my dad doesn’t want me to anymore, after what happened.”

“Do you like spending time with your uncle?” Kate asked, a little incredulously. Captain Peterson had always seemed to be a sourpuss.

“He takes me fishing and cool stuff like that. My dad is…” he blushed a little, “…handicapped. He had one leg amputated at the knee, so he doesn’t get around a lot.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kate, not knowing what else to say.

“Dad was invited to come, but he didn’t,” said Jimmy glumly.

They both sat there for several minutes as the waiters cleared the tables around them and started setting dishes for supper.

“Hey, do you want to play pool with me this afternoon?” Jimmy asked suddenly. “Or any other game, really…”

“I’m really sorry, Jimmy,” said Kate, feeling very sorry indeed, “but I think I’m kind of sick, so I don’t think that I can. I’m really sorry,” she said again, hoping that it would help.

“Oh,” said Jimmy, downcast. “Okay. Well, see you later.”

Kate hated having to lie to him. But finding the murderer was more important than Jimmy. Maybe, she thought.

Kate went back to her room. Luckily, neither Adam or Emily was there. All the better. Kate had work to do.

She opened her father’s laptop and typed in the password she had guessed five years ago: AdamM. She still rolled her eyes every time she remembered it.

The computer allowed her access and Kate got out the map of the ship that Rosalie had given her. Sure enough, there was a complete passenger list. Kate started entering in the names, skimming the results for any criminal record. This took hours.

Nothing. None of the passengers turned up anything. A huge waste of time. No doubt Therese had already checked everybody out.

Kate looked up at the clock and saw that it was four o’clock already. She wrote a letter to her parents:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have a really bad headache, so I’m going to try to sleep in the bedroom for a while. I know I’m going to miss dinner, don’t try to wake me up please.




- Kate

It was just as bad lying to her parents as it was to Jimmy. Kate ate a couple crackers, and closing the bedroom door and leaving the note on the coffee table, left the apartment.

She walked quickly but carefully down the winding hallways, following Rose’s map. To carry this plan out successfully, she needed some help. If the key was gone, then Kate would search the whole ship until she found it.

Kate stopped in front of the now familiar door and knocked.

Lilah answered it. “Kate?”

“Lilah, I need you to help me with something,” said Kate. “It’s really important.”

“Okay, do you want to come in?”

“No, I just need you to tell your grandmother that you’re eating dinner with me.”

“Okay,” said Lilah. Turning over her shoulder she called, “Grandma? I’m going with Kate.”

“That’s fine, just keep yourself out of trouble,” Mary Thurgood called back. Ha, thought Kate. Keep out of trouble. Sure.

Kate took out Rose’s map and studied it. “This way,” she announced, starting down a hallway.

“But Kate, where are we going?” asked Lilah.

Kate looked around to make sure nobody was listening. “I need you to help me find the murderer.”

Lilah gasped. “How?”

“I know a room where all the spare room keys are kept. Someone could have taken the key to her room.”

“Oh! I see!” said Lilah. She added, dejected, “I guess, all we have to do is look through all the bedrooms to see where it is.”

“We can do it!” said Kate forcefully.

“If you say so,” said Lilah doubtfully.

“Now, all we have to do is wait until supper, when everyone will be gone,” said Kate.

“Kate, what will happen if we get caught? You know, searching the rooms?”

“We won’t get caught,” said Kate, sounding more confident that she actually way. “It’ll be easy. You’ll see.”

Kate had to check the map again to make sure of where she was going. They had walked for a few minutes when the ship’s bell sounded.

“It’s time for dinner,” whispered Kate. “Let’s hide over here by the lifeboats.”

“Why are you whispering?” whispered Lilah.

“I don’t know, I just don’t want to be overheard.”

They waited several minutes. The bell was near them, and the attendant loitered around for a while before finally leaving.

“Okay,” said Kate. “It’s right over here…” – she tried the door – “Yes! unlocked!”

“What do I do?” asked Lilah.

“You be the lookout. Stand here, and make a loud noise if anyone comes.”

“What noise?”

“Oh, anything you can think of.”

Kate opened the door and started searching the names. Ball, Beauford, Bettie – where was Bell?

Kate started over. Still no Bell. She noticed a small door on the left side of the room, but it probably didn’t lead to more rooms of keys.

Then she heard the ship’s bell ring. Why would it be ringing? she wondered. Then she realized – Lilah’s signal! She frantically looked for a place to hide. But Kate was too late.

The door burst open and a very angry Captain Peterson entered.

“You again,” he growled. “I told you to stop poking around.”

Kate was very scared. All her excuses fled out of her head like frightened rabbits.

“Now, now, Charles, I’m sure we can work something out,” a genteel voice said.

Captain Peterson looked, stunned, at the small door Kate had noticed before. Kate turned too – and she couldn’t help herself.

“Therese!” she shouted.

“Yes, Kate,” said Therese. “I made a mistake, and I will try to correct it. But for now, what are you doing here, my dear?”

“I was trying to find out who killed you,” said Kate, feeling embarrassed. “I thought that I could look for whoever had your spare room key, and then…” she trailed off.

“You were trying to do a very brave thing, Kate,” said Therese. “Unfortunately for your plan, there is no spare key to my rooms. I find myself much more secure that way.”

The door opened again, but this time it was Lilah.

“Ms. Bell?” she asked, confused. “You’re alive?”

Therese sighed. “I feel that I have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I had the idea three years ago,” began Therese. “I was swamped with requests for autographs and interviews when Dark Dreams came out. I wasn’t able to start work on my next book for quite some time. This annoyed me to no end, so I thought – what if I could just disappear?” Therese smiled as she thought back to her plan. “It would be have been so simple – so easy. I didn’t count on you, though,” she said, looking at Kate.

“It wasn’t fair!” Kate burst out, before she could stop herself. “Do you know what my mom has been through in the last few days?”

“I wish that it didn’t have to be that way,” Therese said regretfully.

Captain Peterson interrupted. “Are you just going to let her tell about your plan and get off? She admitted that she was going to search the rooms, not to mention that she showed severe disrespect of security –“

Therese waved him off. “Kate did break the rules, but it was all for me.” She laughed.

Captain Peterson glared at Kate, but didn’t say anything.

“Well, I supposed I’d better go break the news to everyone else,” sighed Therese. “Coming, Charles?”

They left together. Kate felt sick inside.

“Do you want to go down to dinner?” asked Lilah.

“No,” said Kate. “I… I just want to be by myself.”

Kate left Lilah and walked back to her rooms.

Therese was alive. She had lied to everyone to get some peace. Kate took a while to accept that.

It was late by the time Emily and Adam returned to the rooms. Emily was crying.

“Oh, Kate, I don’t believe it!” she sobbed.

“She wants to speak with you tomorrow.” said Adam. “Therese says to come after breakfast to the bow of the ship.” He scowled. “I always knew she was a loony old bat, I just didn’t know she was that loony until now.”

“What does she want to talk about?” asked Kate.

“How should I know? Frankly, I don’t trust her farther than I can spit.”

“Adam,” said Emily. “Therese already explained why she did what she did. That should be enough for you.”

“Really?” said Adam. “I don’t call pretending to be dead alright –“

“Will you please not argue about this?” interjected Kate.

Kate’s parents looked at her, surprised.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter that much,” grumbled Adam.

“No, it doesn’t matter,” agreed Emily.

The Marins all went to bed peacefully. In the morning, Kate woke, ate breakfast, and went to look for Therese.

Therese had dressed that day in a crimson dress and black shawl. “Hello, Kate,” she said.

Kate had many questions, but she had to pick one to start. “Why did you leave me so much in your will?”

Therese looked out at the sea. “It was because I thought that I was a bad grandmother. I had this ridiculous idea that somehow leaving you a fortune would make everything right.”

Therese seemed to grow farther away from Kate as she thought. “I never was a very good mother, either. My husband Robert died from cancer when Emily was young. Oh, Emily had plenty of nannies growing up, but I was always too busy to take care of her. She hates me, you know.” she added.

“No, she doesn’t,” said Kate vehemently. “If there’s one thing I do know for sure, it’s that Emily does not hate you. Didn’t you see how happy she was last night?”

“Well, she used to hate me, at least. I gave her a miserable childhood. One day, when Emily was seventeen, she became so angry at me that she grabbed the manuscript I was working on and threw it in the fire.” There were tears in Therese’s eyes now.

“Emily moved out that day. She got a job, met your father, and had you. I sent her gifts every Christmas and on her birthday – not cash of course! – and she sent cards back. I was surprised when she brought you to see me. That touched something inside me that I had locked up for years, and I apologized to Emily for everything that I had done. We both cried, and then left, feeling better. But the crack between us was never totally healed. So, I tried to have you not hate me as well.”

Now Kate was crying too. “I could never hate you, Grandma.” They held each other for a while; then, Therese pulled away. She was all business again.

“By the way, I want you to give this to Anna Ramsokov,” she said, holding up a large brown purse. “I borrowed it to use in my book, but I don’t need it anymore.” Therese’s eyes misted over. “I’ve changed the subject of my next book – it’s going to be about a brave girl, named Kate, who helps her dotty old grandmother see what it means to have a family.”

Kate didn’t know what to say. “Thank you,” she finally said. “But make sure that the “dotty old grandmother” comes through in the end.”

“If you insist,” said Therese, nodding. “Now, go return that purse. The Big Galoot will be docking in less than an hour.”

While Kate was walking back, she heard a familiar sound – arguing. She had found Anna and Dmitri Ramsokov.

“Excuse me,” Kate said, “but I think this belongs to you?”

“Why, yes, where did you find it?” said Anna, astonished.

“It was mixed up with someone else’s luggage,” lied Kate. No need to get Therese in any more trouble.

“A hundred thanks!” cried Anna, hugging the purse.

“You’re welcome,” said Kate, a little embarrassed.

She returned to the room to find that Emily had finished packing everything.

“It was nothing,” said Emily when Kate started to protest. “Now you have time to say goodbye to your friends.”

“You have ten minutes,” said Adam. “We have a plane to catch.”

Kate ran out onto the deck.

The first people Kate saw were Julia and Sammy Russell. Sammy was carrying a toy dinosaur and had the red pacifier in his mouth.

“Hi!” said Julia, beaming. “How are you?”

“Great,” said Kate, and meant it. “Bye, Sammy! Hope you had fun!”

“Gooh-bye,” he said, waving.

Kate turned around and almost ran into Joyce.

“It was nice to meet you,” she said. “We should keep in touch.”

Great, thought Kate uncharitably. But then she said, “It was nice to meet you too. Good luck solving more cases.”

“Thanks!” squealed Joyce. “I was so close on this one.”

“Kate!” Kate turned to see Rosalie.

“I’m so happy about Therese,” Rose said, giving her a hug.

“Thank you,” said Kate. Then, remembering, “Here’s your map back, and the spare room key.”

“Oh, I had forgotten about those!” Rose said. “I’ll make sure to get these back to Uncle Charlie.”

Kate felt a tugging at her shirt.

“Here,” said Janie. She pressed a small marble into Kate’s hand.

“Thank you,” said Kate, surprised. She put the marble into her pocket.

Janie trotted off to where Joyce was waiting to leave.

Kate looked around at the emptying deck and saw them.

“Lilah!” she shouted.

Lilah and her grandmother stopped and came over to Kate.

“Hi, Kate,” said Lilah shyly.

Mary Thurgood looked a lot less forbidding now. “Hello,” she said graciously. “I knew that Therese was going to pull some trick on us, but I had no idea that it would be this big.” She shook her head.

“Maybe I’ll see you again sometime?” Kate asked Lilah hopefully.

“I don’t know. But I can send you letters! Grandma doesn’t let me have email.” She made a face. “But I’ll write my address down, and you can send me a letter, alright?”

Kate nodded, and Lilah scribbled three lines on a napkin from a nearby table.

“See you,” said Kate, as Lilah and Mrs. Thurgood left the Big Galoot.

The deck was empty now, except for Kate. She was somewhat disappointed. She would have liked to be able to – Kate was suddenly bowled over by a ball of cream-colored fur.

“Tammy!” The spaniel was lifted off Kate and she looked up at the freckled face of Jimmy.

“Sorry about that,” they both said at the same time.

“She really is a menace,” apologized Jimmy.

“It’s okay. She’s cute,” said Kate.

“Okay,” said Jimmy. “Hey, here’s my email –“ he gave her a slip of paper – “maybe if your family wants to go on another cruise?”

“Okay,” said Kate. Why am I blushing? “But I don’t think we’ll be going on any more cruises for a while, not after this one.”

“Well, then, maybe-“

“Kate! Get over here!”

Adam and Emily were standing on the dock.

“Talk to you later!” Kate called to Jimmy as she ran to her parents.

“Bye, Kate!” he said.

Walking to the airport, Emily asked, “Who was that boy?”

“Oh, just somebody,” said Kate, blushing again.

“Hmph,” said Adam.

But Kate didn’t mind. She might just take Jimmy up on his offer. Who knew? As the last week had shown, anything could happen.