Chapter 2 - The Calls I Stopped Mentioning

For nearly two months before the cruise, someone claiming to represent the cruise company had called me, over and over. At first the calls seemed legitimate — the man knew my booking number, my departure date, even my cabin deck. He offered excursions, upgrades, airport transfers.

Then the questions turned strange. Was I traveling alone? Would I be bringing jewelry? Would anyone be staying at my house while I was gone?

The moment I realized how wrong those questions felt, I hung up. He called back from a different number.

I mentioned it to Nora. She was horrified when she found out I'd already confirmed my home address before I caught on. I blocked the number. Another one started calling within the week.

Eventually I stopped telling her, because I knew exactly what she'd do — try to talk me out of the whole trip.

Gerald nodded. "The calls kept coming after that."

"How do you know that?"

"Because whoever contacted you had access to passenger information."

"From where?"

"We still don't know."

"We?"

"Ship security."

The room suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

Gerald picked up one of the photographs — the man in the blue cap. "He's traveling under the name Wesley Cole. We don't believe that's his real identity."

"Who is he?"

"We believe he's part of a theft operation that targets older passengers traveling alone."

I almost laughed, because it sounded absurd. Then I realized how perfectly I fit the description.

Gerald explained it plainly. The group contacted people before their trips — posing as travel agents, insurance reps, cruise employees — gathering information before the vacation even started.

"What do they steal?"

"Cash. Jewelry. Credit cards. Passports. Banking information. House keys."

Then he added something worse. "In several cases, the victims came home from vacation to find their houses had already been broken into while they were away."

My legs went weak. I sat down.

"So Nora called the cruise line because of those phone calls."

"Yes."

"And somehow that ended with you sitting next to me at dinner every night?"

"Not exactly."

"Gerald."

He sighed. "Security had gotten similar complaints from other passengers. Local authorities got involved. I still consult occasionally for a fraud task force."

"At seventy-six?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're seventy-three and you just followed a suspicious man into a restricted part of a cruise ship."

I glared at him. "Keep talking."

His face went serious again. "Your name turned up on a list recovered during another investigation."

That frightened me more than anything he'd said yet. "What list?"

"Potential targets. Mostly older passengers. Mostly people traveling without a spouse."

"How many people on this ship?"

"Fourteen."

I looked at the photographs. "So security was watching all fourteen of us."

"Yes."

"But you were watching me specifically."

"Yes."

"Before we ever met."

May you like

My Daughter Brought Her Fiancé Home Before the Wedding — Then He Said Fo...

Chapter 1 - The Dinner Before the Wedding"Mom, those are the good plates."I looked down and realized I was holding the china we on...

My neighbor tore up my late husband's garden with his motorcycle and shr...

Chapter 1 - The Garden Walter BuiltMy husband built that garden without asking me a single thing about it.It was the summer of 199...

My Husband Said I'd Never Touch His Money Again — Then His Mistress Disc...

Chapter 1 - The Envelope on the TableDerek Whitfield had always liked arriving early when there was an audience. That morning was...

"Yes."

That answer stung more than I expected.