Double Crossing Read online

  "Let me say it another way," Frank said. "Moe, would you do me a favor?"

  "Why?" Moe said.

  "I'll tell you what the favor is. I want you to check this cabin without me. I can't handle a long conversation with the guy in there. Okay? No big deal?"

  "No big deal," Moe said. "But what did you come along for?"

  Frank didn't answer. He just stood off to the side, out of sight, as Moe knocked on the baron's door.

  "Good afternoon," said the baron, opening the door. "What may I do for you?"

  "Got to inspect your cabin. Plumbing."

  "I've seen no leaks," said the baron.

  A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  "Got to inspect your cabin. Plumbing."

  "Well, I guess I only have to be told twice," said the baron with a chuckle. "Do come in. However, would you be especially quiet? My wife is not feeling well, and she's napping on the bed."

  "Don't have to inspect the bed. Plumbing," Moe said, stepping into the baron's cabin. "Hey—it smells funny in here."

  The cabin door closed. A few moments later the door opened and Moe rejoined Frank in the hall. And then, to Frank's dismay, so did the baron! He and Frank stared at each other for a moment.

  "Frank!" said the surprised baron. "How fortunate running into you. You'll never guess what I'm going to ask you. It's a very simple question. I want to photograph the sunset with a fifty-millimeter lens. What f-stop should I use, and am I better off using a fast film or a slow one?"

  The very simple question turned into a very lengthy discussion, and since Frank was crew, he had to stand tough and take it. After about ten minutes Frank was ready to tell the baron to buy an instant camera and stop worrying.

  Finally, when the baron excused himself to check on his wife, Frank moved down the hall—and ran right into Joe.

  "Moe," Frank said, "I'll catch up with you

  Double Crossing

  in a minute." Frank waited until Moe was inside the next cabin and then turned to his brother. "What's up?"

  Joe put a piece of gold jewelry in Frank's hand.

  It was a large gold cuff link, with lots of diamonds and very expensive.

  "Look what I found," Joe said. "It was sort of hidden under a stack of life preservers on the Empress Deck."

  "So? I don't get why you're showing it to me," Frank said.

  "Listen," said Joe, "I've done some checking. No one's reported it missing or stolen. And, believe me, if I lost this little gold mine, I'd be checking the lost-and-found every ten minutes. Wouldn't you?"

  "Yes, so?"

  "So," Joe went on, "maybe the person who lost this doesn't want it to be found."

  "Why not?" Frank said.

  "Who knows? Maybe it has bloodstains on it. Or maybe it has fingerprints. Too bad we don't have a forensics lab on board."

  "Yeah," Frank said. "But I won't believe there's anything fishy until we try to find its owner."

  "Okay," Joe said. "I'll get George to make an announcement at dinner. Meanwhile, keep your ears open."

  A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  After he was down the hall a few steps, Joe asked confidentially, "How's the search going?"

  "Nothing yet," Frank answered.

  "Maybe you'll catch the cabin thief while you're looking for Marcy."

  "Fat chance," Frank said glumly.

  "How's Nancy doing?"

  "I wish I knew," Frank said.

  Nancy and the purser had already inspected more than fifty rooms. "Well, only a few hundred more to go," the purser said, joking.

  Nancy managed a wan smile.

  "You don't talk much, do you, Nancy?" asked Elliot as they walked up to the next door.

  "Sorry, Elliot," Nancy said. It was hard to be friendly when she knew there might be a corpse in the next closet she opened.

  "What are we doing?" Elliot asked, laughing. "This is your cabin." Sure enough, they were standing in front of Cabin Thirty-seven.

  "Well, she's not in there, but you should check it, I suppose. I'll go around the next corridor and start there."

  "Meet you in a couple of minutes," said Elliot.

  Rounding the corner, Nancy started down another long hallway. These rooms were most-

  Double Crossing

  ly staff quarters. She knocked on the first door. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Reaching for the passkey the captain had given her, she opened the door.

  It was dark and quiet inside. As Nancy reached for the light switch, a man's thick, hairy arm grabbed her from behind. It came around her throat and pulled her chin up so she couldn't breathe. Like a vise, his hand held her shoulders tight.

  Before Nancy could yell, before she could even think, she felt a cold sharp edge at her throat. She didn't need the lights to know what it was. It was a knife!

  Chapter Seven

  w:

  hat do you want?" the man holding Nancy asked in a deep, raspy voice.

  The arm around Nancy's throat gripped even tighter. She didn't dare move with the knife so close to her throat. So she froze, hoping her silence would make her attacker relax.

  It worked.

  He backed away a little and kicked the cabin door closed before snapping on the light.

  Nancy turned around slowly to face a small man in a white uniform and a tall chef's hat. Around his waist was a black leather holster

  Double Crossing

  for a long kitchen knife. But the knife wasn't in its holster. It was pointed at Nancy.

  "What are you doing in my cabin?" he asked.

  "I'm part of a plumbing-inspection team," Nancy said.

  The man jerked the knife toward Nancy as a warning. "You're not a plumber, and you're not crew," he snarled. "So what are you doing in my room?"

  There was a knock on the door. Nancy didn't move or utter a sound.

  Another knock. "Nancy, are you in there?" Elliot said from the hallway.

  Nancy looked at the cook before answering, "Yes!" '

  The cook tapped the knife flat against the back of his hand. "Nobody comes in my cabin again. Now get out."

  Nancy opened the door quickly and ran out.

  "Find anything?" Elliot asked.

  "A very strange guy. He had a knife like this," Nancy said, holding her index fingers about ten inches apart.

  "Oh, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone." Elliot winced. "I thought Chef Borka would be in the galley. He really guards his privacy."

  "Why? Does he have anything to hide?" Nancy asked.

  A Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  "No one's ever dared to ask," said Elliot.

  When they were almost done, Frank and Slow Motion Moe caught up with them. At Nancy's questioning look Frank shook his head. They hadn't found Marcy either.

  After that they finished their search without anything dramatic happening.

  "So what are the possible explanations?" the captain asked when Nancy reported that they hadn't found Marcy.

  "One: she fell overboard. Two: she was murdered and thrown in the ocean. Three: she was kidnapped and hidden somewhere on the ship." Nancy laid the possibilities out for the captain methodically because she knew that was what he wanted.

  "Well, it's my ship. I'm going to assume she's gone overboard," Captain Helgesen said. "Until you prove otherwise. Now I'll call in her friends to inform them."

  "Captain," Nancy broke in, "would you mind very much if / told them? It might help me find out a few things."

  The captain considered for a moment. "I don't see any reason why not," he said.

  "Thanks." Nancy was pleased. Breaking the news to Marcy's friends might be very useful. But first she had to organize her thoughts. She went down to the promenade on the Palace level and sat down in a deck chair. Piano

  Double Crossing

  music drifted out of the Paradise Lounge during the predinner hour.

  It was strange to watch passengers walk by, laughing and havin
g a good time, while she and the Hardys were dealing with something so evil.

  Nancy looked up and saw a man at the far end of the promenade. He seemed to be staring at her. That's odd, Nancy thought to herself. She didn't recognize him. Why was he watching her?

  A moment later the man walked away, and Nancy relaxed. Maybe it was nothing. In any event, it was time to pay a visit to Gail to let her know that the search for Marcy had been a washout.

  Nancy knocked on the cabin door that Grail and Marcy shared. "Just stay calm," she said, steeling herself. It wasn't going to be easy.

  But Nancy was in for a shock. When Gail answered the door, she was actually smiling! "Oh, it's you," she said perkily.

  "Gail, I'm sorry," Nancy said. "We didn't find her."

  "Oh?" Gail said flatly. "Well, it's okay. She'll turn up, I guess." With that, she started to close the door.

  "Wait a minute," said Nancy, holding it open. "What's going on here?"

  A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  "Who is it, Gail?" asked a voice inside the room.

  Gail looked at Nancy and looked behind her as if she couldn't make up her mind about something. Finally she moved away from the door so Nancy could come in. "Nothing's going on here," she said, her smile vanishing. "See for yourself."

  Demetrios, David, and Connor were all sitting on the couch watching television with the volume turned way up, but Nancy knew she hadn't heard the television when Gail came to the door.

  What was happening? Nancy wondered. None of Marcy's friends seemed to care that she had disappeared. But why? Was it an act they were putting on for Nancy's benefit? Or had something changed—something basic— since that morning, when Gail was so upset?

  "Can I look around at Marcy's stuff?" Nancy asked.

  "What?" asked Gail. She couldn't hear Nancy because Demetrios kept turning up the sound with the remote control.

  Nancy tried again, but Demetrios had his thumb on the remote control volume. The three guys didn't look at her. They just stared at the television.

  "Turn it down," Gail finally shouted, and Demetrios lowered the volume a little.

  Double Crossing

  "I don't want to break up the fun," Nancy said, "but I was just all over this ship looking for Marcy, and I didn't find her."

  "So much for the great detective." Demetrios snickered.

  It was a contagious snicker—everyone caught it except Nancy.

  "Don't you care if she's in trouble?" Nancy asked, looking directly at David. He seemed very uncomfortable, even embarrassed. But he didn't come to her rescue.

  "Who doesn't care? Of course we care," he said defensively. "We're her friends."

  "You could have fooled me," Nancy replied. Was this the same guy George was falling so hard for? It was as if David were a different person when he was with his friends.

  "We're not trying to fool you," Demetrios explained, the cruel snicker resurfacing in his voice. "We're trying to ignore you. What's happened to Marcy is none of your business."

  "No, it's not my business that a passenger is missing. It's the captain's business. And he's very concerned. In fact, he's about to notify her parents."

  Demetrios laughed.

  "Fine. Let him try," Connor said. "Her father's on assignment in Central America somewhere, and her mother's been dead for years."

  A Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  "David—what about you? Is this all you're going to do? Sit here and pretend nothing's going on?" Nancy asked.

  "Look, Nancy. We'll take care of it, okay?" David said more gently this time. "I'm sorry I got you involved."

  "Yeah—bye," Connor said, picking up the remote control and turning the volume up.

  Nancy stared at the four blank faces. There was no sense in trying to get through to them. Without another word she walked out of the room. A couple of steps down the hall and she heard the door slam behind her.

  She went straight to the dining room. Dinner was being served, and Nancy was hungry. But more important, she had to talk to George. Nancy had to warn her about David before the budding romance went any further. It wasn't that Nancy didn't like David—she did—but he was hiding something, she just knew it, something dangerous.

  "Hi, Nancy! Wish I had time to sit with you, but we're getting everything ready for the lotto game tonight." George was gone before Nancy could say a thing to her.

  Sitting down at a table, Nancy decided to eat before she even considered what her next steps would be.

  She was just finishing her meal, when some-

  Double Crossing

  one tapped her shoulder. David Carlyle was standing beside her.

  "Is this seat taken?" he asked shyly, indicating the empty chair next to Nancy. When she shook her head no, he sat down and smiled at her as if nothing had happened.

  "George really looks great tonight, doesn't she?" he remarked, nodding toward where George was standing, wearing a teal blue jumpsuit.

  "She always looks great," Nancy said pointedly, trying to figure David out.

  "Nancy, maybe you could give me a little advice," he stammered, blushing a bit. "What's the best way to impress her? I mean, you've known her for a long time, and—"

  "David," Nancy said, interrupting him, "is that why you sat down here? To ask me how to impress George? You seem to be forgetting what just happened down in your cabin."

  David looked down at the table. "Oh. That," he said. "I'm sorry I acted so weird—" He started playing with a napkin as he spoke.

  "David, something happened between this morning and now—something having to do with Marcy. Everything's changed, hasn't it?"

  David nodded slowly, silently.

  "Have you found Marcy?" Nancy asked him. "Have you heard from her?"

  A Nancy Drew &» Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  "No," David said. "But we're pretty sure we know what's going on. So don't worry about it anymore. Really."

  Nancy turned to face him. Did David really want her to let it go at that? "Okay, what's going on?" she asked.

  "We decided not to talk about it," David said.

  "I see," Nancy said. "And did everyone decide you should apologize?"

  "No," David said, raking his fingers through his hair. "That was my idea. I acted like a jerk, and I know it. Can you forgive me?"

  Nancy relaxed a little. "All right," she finally said. "Apology accepted. But, David, I wonder if you realize what you're getting into—the people you're dealing with are dangerous. I can help, but you've got to trust me."

  David studied her, biting his lip. He seemed unsure.

  "Attention, everyone!" George was standing on the dais, microphone in hand. "I have a couple of announcements to make. First of all, a man's valuable cuff link has been found. If you've lost it, please contact me. And if you don't want it back, please lose the other one so I'll have a matched pair.

  "After dinner tonight," George continued, "the movie in the theater is Singin* in the Rain, and the dance in the disco is a fifties sock

  Double Crossing

  hop. So come dressed to jitterbug!" George turned off her microphone and started for Nancy's table.

  "Hi," David said, standing up when George got there. "Nancy and I were just talking about you."

  "Oh, good," George said, smiling as she sat down. "Don't let me stop you. Just pretend I'm not here."

  David took out a piece of folded ship's stationery from his pocket and said, "I have a short list of questions I'd like to ask you about your friend George, Nancy."

  Nancy put on a very serious face and nodded that she was ready.

  "What is George's favorite perfume? Isn't she afraid of anything? What's—"

  But before David could say anything more, Joe Hardy interrupted them. He appeared out of nowhere and started pouring ice water into Nancy's glass. "I've got news," he whispered in her ear. "Meet me in E two seventeen in fifteen minutes." Then he walked away.

  Nancy glanced over to see if David had noticed any
thing, but he was gazing at George. The two of them looked as if they'd forgotten Nancy's presence completely. Guess it won't be too hard to get away, Nancy thought. They won't even notice I'm gone.

  "Well, I'm off," Nancy announced a few

  A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

  minutes later. "I want to get to the library before it closes."

  "Bye, Nancy. See you later," said George. George probably thought Nancy was just giving her a chance to be alone with David.

  When Nancy got to cabin E two seventeen, Joe Hardy was waiting.

  "Whose cabin is this?" Nancy asked as he closed the door behind her.

  "Maxwell Schweidt's," Joe said. "He won't mind if we use it—believe me, he won't mind. He's a passenger Frank and I invented to trap the cabin thief."

  "Nice idea," Nancy said. "But that's not what you wanted to tell me."

  "Huh-uh," Joe said with a devilish look on his face. "It's better than tell I have something to show you."

  Nancy laughed and braced herself for what might be a practical joke. "Okay, what is it?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

  "This." Joe held up a piece of white paper. "I found this note on the bulletin board in the crew locker room," he said triumphantly.

  "You took it?" Nancy asked.

  "Of course not. I copied it down," Joe said. "I left the original there."

  "What does it say?"

  Joe read from the slip of paper.

  Double Crossing

  "For sale: Very valuable collection of compact disks still available. Will exchange for information about Pipeline. Leave message in cabin A forty-three."

  "Pipeline!" Nancy said. 'That's the girl's code name. And the rest of that note is in code too, I'll bet. Compact disks must mean computer disks."

  "Right," Joe said. "But you aren't asking the numero uno question."

  "Oh? What's that?" Nancy asked.

  Joe held up the piece of paper and snapped it with his finger.

  "Who wrote the note?"

  Chapter Eight

  Wh

  ho wrote the note?" Nancy said, repeating Joe's words. "Who sleeps in Cabin A forty-three?"