Marcia Talley: Dark Passage

‘What question was that?’

‘Who was in cabin 8620.’

Paul was silent for a moment, working it out. ‘Ah!’

‘Exactly,’ I said. ‘The lock on Carney’s door would have been child’s play to a lockmaster like Channing and, once inside, he could easily drag his victims through the communicating door that led into his own cabin.’

Paul kissed the top of my head. ‘Clever girl.’

‘Thank you,’ I said.

Paul gave me a hug. ‘So, other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the cruise?’

‘Ha! Don’t know about my sisters, but I, for one, am all cruised out.’

‘Do you have anything good at all to report?’

I thought for a minute. ‘Yup. I made some new friends. The hot tubs were divine. And, I’m now an expert on signal codes. “Adam, Adam, Adam…” I hope I never have to hear that one again. Sierra means they’re sending a stretcher, and Oscar means man overboard.’ I snuggled closer. ‘One of the bartenders who used to work for Disney told me that Code Winnie means there are feces in the swimming pool.’

Paul was so quiet, that I thought he didn’t get it.

I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. ‘Winnie the Pooh, silly.’

He guffawed. ‘Don’t suppose there’s a Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey… meaning the bar is now open.’

I rocked my head back and forth against his chest. ‘Hung out in a lot of bars this cruise, but never heard that one, I’m afraid. Alpha means fire, and Delta stands for a disaster of some kind.’ I swiveled my head around so I could look into his face. ‘Tango, Tango, Foxtrot!’

‘Huh?’

I giggled liked a teenager. ‘Let’s dance.’

Paul cradled my head in his hands. ‘Code Hannah, Hannah, Hannah.’

‘And what does that mean?’

He bent his head and brought his lips to mine. When I came up for air, Paul said, ‘It means, “let’s go to bed.” ’

After sharing a room with my sister for more than a week, it would have been crazy to refuse.

MARCIA TALLEY is the author of four previous books featuring Hannah Ives. A winner of the Malice Domestic writing grant and an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel, Ms. Talley won an Agatha and an Anthony Award for her short story “Too Many Cooks.” She is the editor of two mystery collaborations, and her short stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. She lives with her husband in Annapolis, Maryland. You can visit her website at www.marciatalley.com.

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