The Missing Passenger Read online

  Everything they’d worked for and sacrificed would be destroyed all over immaterial rumors.

  Her thoughts were disturbed by a flutter of something in the wind that caught her eye. Gabriella looked up, but saw nothing. She hugged herself in the crisp evening air as she stepped farther out on the deck to see what had caused the movement. She scanned the surrounding space, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw another flap of white reflected in the dim lantern lighting.

  Gabriella picked up her pace as she traversed round the side of the deck, the evening wind whipping at her bare arms. She shivered as she rounded the corner, her shoes echoing eerily as they clapped against the wood. Gabriella paused for a moment, studying the open passageway down the side of the ship.

  It was just as she had suspected—absolutely nothing.

  She was just about to turn back when she saw the flutter of white again, farther away from her. It looked like a sheet of fabric wrapped around a form that seemed to reach its arms out to her. The wind flapped at the white around the figure, and Gabriella’s heart started pounding as she broke out in a cold sweat.

  “No, it can’t be…” she muttered. “Who are you and what do you want?” she yelled at the figure who seemed to emit a low, heart-wrenching wail. She swore she could hear the words ‘Help me’ floating in the wind, stinging her ears.

  She forced herself to move towards the thing, her shaky knees threatening to buckle as she placed one foot in front of the other. Her arms felt electrified, every single hair standing on end. She then realized the chattering sound was coming from her own teeth. But despite her body betraying her, Gabriella refused to be afraid, knowing there had to be a logical explanation.

  “What do you need help with?” she choked out, hating the wavering note of terror in her voice.

  At that point, the wailing dissolved into imperceptible ghostly moans and cries that ripped at Gabriella’s heart. A gust of sea breeze kicked up again, catching the end of the white sheet and whipping it away from the figure and out to sea. Gabriella followed the whir of ghostly white through the starry sky for a brief second before turning back to the passageway, only to find herself alone with no one else in sight.

  Chapter 6

  Treasure Map

  The next morning saw the largest boom of passengers charging off the ghostly ship and into the safety of sunny Puerto Vallarta.

  Gabriella had never seen the ship entirely emptied at a single port before. Though this seemed to forebode further disaster for the future of the Fischer cruise line, she relished the tranquility of a morning without additional ghost sightings and supernatural complaints. Perhaps the petty poltergeist would also take a break and venture out into the warmth of the island air too.

  “This is eerie,” Sarah commented as she rushed nervously up to Gabriella, obviously afraid to be alone.

  Gabriella smiled at her friend. “Well, I’m enjoying every second.”

  “But it’s creepy,” Sarah complained, her eyes darting around. “A vacated cruise ship is feeling worse than an empty school or a graveyard in the middle of the night.”

  Gabriella chuckled, though she also felt the gloom of the situation and found it hard to shake. “This could ruin us, you know…”

  “I know,” Sarah agreed gravely. “But I also know you’re the smartest person on this ship—no offense to Captain Nick. Anyway, if anyone can figure out what’s really going on here, it’s you.”

  “Thanks.” Gabriella’s olive skin glowed faint pink from the unexpected compliment. “It means a lot you have so much faith in me. I feel like I’ve lost some of my confidence, to be honest.”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Well,” she breathed out with an air of subject change, “we have two new passengers boarding today.”

  “Two? I thought we only had space for one?”

  “When Peter Newland’s cabin became available, the slot was booked as soon as it was visible online. I guess someone was desperate to board this cruise.”

  Gabriella stared at Sarah in horror. “Was the passenger warned about the potential disaster about to unfold? I’m fairly sure someone will be stampeded to death at disembarkation. And now we have a cruiser staying in a dead person’s cabin.” Gabriella shook her head.

  “Regardless,” Sarah continued, “they’re going through baggage check now and will join us shortly. I thought you’d like to join me in welcoming them and perhaps,” she hesitated for a few seconds, “explain to them the… uh… atmosphere we have on the cruise right now…”

  Gabriella laughed. “Of course,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “I’ll assist with explaining the inexplicable.”

  “Great. Billy’s bringing them up now.”

  Sarah and Gabriella both fixed expert smiles onto their well-trained faces, hiding their internal distress and unease.

  “Good morning,” Gabriella burst excitedly as the two new passengers ranged into view. “Welcome aboard our Fischer cruise line, where we offer a one-of-a kind experience of a lifetime.”

  “That’s for sure,” Sarah stammered. It suddenly dawned on her she recognized one of the new passengers. “Sebastian!” she exploded, stepping forward to plant a kiss on his lips before realizing a confused Billy Harlow was watching.

  “Surprise!” Sebastian winked at her, extending his arms to receive a hug and then hesitating awkwardly when Sarah didn’t reciprocate it.

  All cruise lines, including Fischer Cruises, maintained a strict policy on relationships between staff and passengers. If such a relationship was to be discovered, it would cause the immediate termination of an employment contract. Hence, Gabriella understood the awkward conundrum a surprise visit from a previous passenger, now current boyfriend, posed for Sarah Lang.

  With her most capable crew member’s focus otherwise occupied, Gabriella’s eyes widened in disbelief as she realized just how much more complicated their cruise had become. “Welcome, Sebastian,” she said, attempting to seize control of the situation. “It’s lovely to have you onboard again. But I’m afraid you won’t find this voyage as tranquil and picture-perfect as the previous one.”

  “I’m Mr. Harlow.” Billy cleared his throat and forcefully shot out a hand in Sebastian’s direction. “I’m head of security and will deal with any,” he eyed Sebastian up and down, “suspicious characters onboard.”

  “Sarah, perhaps you would like to escort Sebastian to his cabin and explain to him the delicacies of the room he’ll be staying in,” Gabriella said.

  “Yes, Gabi.” Sarah nodded curtly before giving a confused Sebastian a grave look.

  Gabriella turned to the second new passenger, who’d gone unnoticed during the shock of Sebastian’s arrival. “And who is our second cruiser?” Gabriella asked, her professional smile back in place.

  “Hi,” a bubbly woman in her early twenties with wavy brunette hair responded. “I’m Rachel Newland.”

  “Newland?” Gabriella spluttered, fighting to regain control of her face.

  “Yes,” the excited woman chimed. “You probably recognize my last name from another passenger onboard.”

  It felt as though her blood had frozen in her veins when Gabriella’s lips formed the words. “Peter Newland?”

  “Yes! He’s my grandfather!”

  It was then that Gabriella realized the excited young woman did not understand her grandfather had passed away. More than likely, she had already crossed the border into Mexico before a relative had gotten the chance to give her the news.

  Billy shared a grave look with Gabriella as he slowly backed away, giving her privacy to relay the terrible news to the unsuspecting young woman.

  “I think we should step into one of the private coffee lounges,” Gabriella whispered.

  A look of concern shadowed Rachel’s cheerful face as she allowed herself to be led into the secluded room. Gabriella closed the door behind them, resting her head for a second against the door before taking a deep breath and turning around to face a very confu
sed Rachel. “I’m afraid I have some awful news,” Gabriella began, remembering all too well how the last attempt to deliver the news had gone. “Your grandfather, Peter Newland, is no longer with us. He passed away unexpectedly two nights ago.”

  “No!” Rachel squeaked, her throat choked. She collapsed into a chair and buried her distraught face in her hands.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Gabriella continued, conscious of how her futile words fell. “I notified a Kevin Newland yesterday morning.”

  “That’s my father,” Rachel explained through sobs. Her voice turned venomous. “He didn’t even care enough to let me know my grandfather was gone! He hated our relationship!”

  Gabriella seated herself in proximity to Rachel and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Yes, I’m afraid your father was less mournful than I would have expected…”

  “He probably asked you to courier the death certificate at your next stop so he could get his greedy fingers on the will, didn’t he?”

  Gabriella remained silent, unwilling to poke her nose into family affairs that didn’t concern her, although her heart desperately yearned to get involved.

  “I’ll take your silence as a yes,” Rachel said bitterly. “Don’t do it, ma’am. I’ll take the certificate with me and see the will for myself first. My grandfather’s lawyer trusts me. But please, don’t let Kevin get anywhere near that will with his own army of lawyers. They’ll alter it for sure!”

  Gabriella nodded, thinking carefully before responding. “I’ll honor your wishes. If I’m honest, I had no intention of sending him the death certificate until we officially disembarked on U.S. soil again. It just seems like the safer, more logical option.”

  “Thank you.” Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “This is just all so confusing.”

  Gabriella knew Rachel was twisting something in her fingers as she spoke. “I know. Can I ask how you knew your grandfather was onboard?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when I called your father, he was still under the impression Peter Newland was safely tucked away in his old-age home in California.”

  “Oh, you mean his old-age prison?” Rachel shook her head in disgust. “You go, Grandpa. You go,” she whispered before turning to Gabriella and offering her the twisted sheet of yellowing paper she’d been clutching.

  “What’s this?” Gabriella asked, slowly unrolling the paper. “It looks like some kind of treasure map…”

  “It is.” Rachel smiled through her tears. “I received it a month back in the mail with dates and instructions. My grandfather knew it was the best way to draw me out. He appealed to my curiosity and thirst for adventure.”

  “Where does it lead?”

  “Through quite an adventurous process. It led me to Puerto Vallarta, where I discovered my tickets and luggage all packed and ready to board this cruise ship.” Rachel grinned through her pain, her voice filled with the warmth and fondness of a doting granddaughter. “I was to meet him here.” She lowered her head sadly.

  Gabriella frowned at the hand-drawn map. “What a spectacular man. I’m so sorry you couldn’t join him on his last adventure.”

  “In a sense, I did,” Rachel said sadly. “At least I found out the truth before my conniving father stole millions from Grandpa’s legacy without me even knowing he was no longer alive.”

  “May I ask a personal question?”

  Rachel shrugged.

  “Your grandfather mentioned to a friend of mine that he only had one relative that really cared about him. Is that you?”

  Rachel nodded again. “My grandfather is…” Her voice trailed off as she painfully adjusted to the past-tense of his existence, “was a brilliant man. He was highly intelligent. His inventions made him money, and the money financed his hobby as an archeologist. I can’t think of a country he hasn’t travelled to and unraveled some secret. After he married my grandmother, she followed him wherever he went, besotted with him until the day she died. That’s when things changed.

  “After Grandma’s death, my grandfather fell apart. He went into a dark depression and drifted off to another continent without telling a soul. He disappeared for almost a year. My father—who’d always resented my grandfather—immediately took advantage of my grandfather’s absence, signing himself on all the business ventures and investments my grandfather was in control of.

  “When Grandpa Pete finally came home, he found out we had shut him out of everything. Kevin had seized all of his assets and had his own father committed to an old-age facility in California. He bribed the manager to keep a close eye on Grandpa, and he’s been trapped there under lockdown ever since. Little did my idiot father know that Grandpa had millions stashed elsewhere. But sadly, my grandfather couldn’t access his money on his own—until now, I guess. Kevin knows about it now and is hell bent on inheriting it, which is why he’s so desperate to get his filthy hands on the original will.”

  “That’s awful!” Gabriella said, horrified that anyone could do that to their own father. “So that explains why your grandfather escaped and boarded a ship.”

  “He must have gotten someone he trusted to help him access all his secret millions. Otherwise, he could never afford to do all of this. He never told me where he kept the money because he thought Kevin had my phone tapped.”

  “That’s why he communicated with you using secret treasure maps and codes…” Gabriella smiled down at the map, amazed by the brilliant mind behind all the hand-drawn lines.

  “Yep. And Kevin never suspected a thing until it was too late. I think my grandfather wanted to tell me something. I really believe he brought me here for a reason.”

  “Your grandfather wasn’t well the day I met him,” Gabriella admitted, handing the treasured map back. “He had a twinkle in his eyes, but he carried himself like a sick man suffering internally.”

  Rachel frowned as she raked her memory. “But he didn’t have any known conditions. Just a broken heart.”

  “He was taking pills regularly, and they didn’t have any stamp identifying what they were.”

  “That’s odd.” Rachel scowled and scratched her chin. “I can’t think what he would need to take. He was fit and strong when I last saw him.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Maybe two months ago,” Rachel said, scrolling through her phone’s photo gallery. “Here—this is us just under two months ago.”

  Gabriella shook her head slowly. “That’s not the man I met. He was frail and wobbly on his feet, not tall and strong like in the photo.” She furrowed her brow, knowing something was definitely wrong. “Maybe his health took a sudden turn for the worse?” she suggested, though not convinced.

  “Maybe…” Rachel sighed, though Gabriella could see she didn’t really believe it either. “I know this will sound strange, but is there any chance I could see him one last time?”

  “It’s not strange at all.” Gabriella patted Rachel’s delicate, slumped-over shoulder again. “You need some closure. And it would help us complete identifying the body and finishing the paperwork for you.”

  “I’ll follow you,” Rachel said with a heavy sigh. “I feel like throwing up though.”

  Gabriella wormed her arm around Rachel’s shoulders and gave them a squeeze. Despite having only just met the young woman, she already felt a connection to her, and a desire to help her as best she could.

  Rachel gave her a grateful half smile as she bravely followed Gabriella to the ship’s morgue.

  Chapter 7 – M.I.A

  “Billy,” Sarah hissed, “could you just hold up for a second?”

  “I’m placing this man under arrest,” Billy announced, forcefully cuffing Sebastian’s hands behind his back. He had Sebastian pinned against a wall. And even though Sebastian towered over Billy, Sebastian responsibly chose not to fight back.

  “I did nothing wrong,” Sebastian said in a muffled voice, his face plastered against the wall.

  “You’re overreacting!” Sa
rah complained, tugging at Billy’s arm. “Just leave him alone!”

  “He’s been following you all over the ship like some kind of pyscho stalker!” Billy growled.

  “I’m not stalking her! I know her!” Sebastian grumbled as Billy flung him around.

  Other tourists and passengers hurried past quickly, whispering to each other behind their hands that perhaps the ghost had finally been arrested.

  “He’s not a ghost!” Sarah said in annoyance, her professional smile wavering. “We’re just experiencing a minor misunderstanding. Please continue to enjoy the rest of your cruise,” she delivered in a sing-song voice that bordered on neurotic.

  The nervous cruisers, who only travelled together in groups now, hurried anxiously past, their eyes darting suspiciously at Sebastian as they went. It was strange what fear did to people.

  “Sarah,” Billy continued in a low voice, “it is essential I explain to you the urgent need I have to protect you from all of this crazy business onboard. I feel very… strongly for you…” He hesitated awkwardly, wiping the sweat that had formed on his brow. “Anyway, I suspect that this Sebastian,” spittle escaped his lips as he spat the name, “is involved.”

  Sarah groaned and rolled her eyes. “He can’t be involved if he’s only just boarded! Look, Billy—I’know that you have developed a certain liking for me—”

  “A what?” Sebastian said, it finally dawning on him what was really going on. “He’s chasing after you?”

  “Can everyone just calm down,” Sarah yelled.

  “I will not calm down when some other guy is flirting with –”