Murder on the High Seas - The Devereaux CaseFiles Book 3

Chapter 2

Three months later and Reed had taken care of everything. Marley was safely tucked away in a federal prison, waiting on the day when he would talk and tell Murray everything he knew. His statement and Ayah's had been taken by Raidon the morning after the ordeal and the whole matter was resolved. Two days later a visit to the doctor confirmed that not only was Ayah pregnant but that they only had six months to wait until the baby arrived.

For the first three months, he and Ayah had initiated the first step in their new life. They had made all the arrangements for their move to New York, he had got a job as a stockbroker and Ayah had decided she would open up her own little shop, a bookstore of rare and antique books. They were finally going to be settled somewhere new, where no-one knew them. With that done and dusted, they were able to get a house close to his work, where Ayah found her bookshop, and everything was prepared for their move after a brief and quiet holiday. The nursery was ready and decorated after just a weekend stay, his job was waiting for him to start.

Gideon had decided he would help Ayah start her new store by getting it kitted out and stocked, all ready for her to come back from her holiday and open up to budding new customers. He and Anita had found each other again at his Criminal Law course and quickly started dating. So with permission, the new couple would stay in their New York home, take care of the dogs and get the shop ready while they enjoyed some well needed time away from it all. Everything had returned to normal.

That day, the fifteenth of a new and shining June, at precisely ten o'clock, they boarded the cruise liner Paradise Island, for a twenty-one day cruise around the Mediterranean. It was just the thing they both needed to help them relax and enjoy some quality time together before things started getting hectic. Once they were back home it would be nappies and crying, teething and learning to walk. And on top of that they had Gideon and Anita staying with them over the holidays from university. It would be like having three kids and having to get used to them all at once.

But at least they had twenty-one days before they had to go back to the two grown children, and a few more months before the baby came along. Until then, they were going to enjoy a quiet, relaxing holiday together, with no interference from anyone, no-one they knew hanging around and no disasters interrupting them.

The ship was a beauty, there were nine decks holding four hundred and fifty passengers and balconies for almost every cabin. There were restaurants and clubs and sports options, music and dancing, a gym and everything they didn't need for a relaxing holiday. As far as Reed was concerned all he needed for his holiday was Ayah. But he supposed that if in the unlikely event they ever got bored of each other, the gym and the putting green, the spa and the shops would keep them both busy enough to do their own thing if they wanted to. But more than that, they would be having a good old travel round Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Italy. Ayah would get to travel to a few more places in the world she had never been before and even if she decided not to make port but stayed on the ship the entire time, it was a photo opportunity they couldn't miss.

Reed was looking forward to all the good stuff: movies under the stars, complimentary on deck massages, shore excursions with private visits not open to the public, even the water sports on offer; snorkeling, windsurfing and water skiing. He had to admit that he was missing a little of the adrenaline rush his job gave him. But apart from the water sports, he planned to spend the entire holiday making sure his adrenaline never rose for any other reason than that Ayah got him hot under the collar and they were enjoying some romantic time together.

Unfortunately, although they were due to board at ten, they were held up with what he heard the crew call 'Level 3' security measures and it looked like it was going to take a while. All their baggage and carry-on luggage was screened, ship stores and cargo were checked by the coast guards since the ship had just come into the dock. There was an intense screen of all passengers, with the crew and staff going through the passenger list and checking identifications. Everyone was checked to make sure they weren't on the INS 'Prevent Departure' list and most of the crew and staff were busy buzzing about implementing on board security measures and making sure that the restricted access areas, such as the bridge and the engine room, were securely shut off from the passengers.