A European Voyage Cozy Mystery Bundle: Murder (and Baklava) (#1) and Death (and Apple Strudel) (#2) by Blake Pierce

Author:Blake Pierce [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2021-02-16T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOUR

Kirby Oswinkle, London thought, mulling over the name in her mind.

Something about the arrogant way the man said his own name suggested that she ought to know who he was already.

Of course, she realized.

She’d met him briefly when he’d boarded the Nachtmusik in Budapest, and although he hadn’t made much of an impression at the time, she did remember that nautical cap.

And also that he hadn’t been especially pleasant.

Since then, she’d memorized every name on the ship’s manifest, and she knew that Kirby Oswinkle had a suite on the Menuetto deck—not a grand suite, but still very nice accommodations.

“What can I do to help, Mr. Oswinkle?” she asked.

“I think you know,” Oswinkle said, crossing his arms. “I brought it up with your concierge on the second day of our voyage. Nothing has been done to take care of the problem.”

London squinted with thought.

What problem?

Then she recalled Amy approaching her about a passenger with a “small complaint” the day before yesterday.

“Well, not a small complaint as far as he’s concerned,” Amy had added.

Now she remembered. And now she was also pretty sure she knew who the maintenance chief had meant when he’d mentioned a passenger with an impossible demand.

“Oh, yes,” London said to Oswinkle. “You were anxious about the temperature in your room.”

“Anxious?” Oswinkle scoffed. “I believe I put it in stronger terms than that.”

London nodded.

“You want the temperature in your stateroom to stay at seventy-eight degrees,” she said.

“Constantly at seventy-eight degrees,” Oswinkle said. “And I do mean exactly, not so much as a fraction of a degree higher or lower.”

Bryce had come back from the kitchen. He placed a full to-go bag and a plate of apple strudel on the table in front of her, then stood listening quietly.

“I’m sure our concierge is doing her best to—” London began.

“No, she’s not doing her best,” he interrupted. “Your concierge came to my room and saw the problem for herself. But she hasn’t done anything about it.”

“But are you sure the temperature varies—?”

Interrupting, Oswinkle produced a digital thermometer from his pocket.

“I know it for a fact. I don’t trust thermostats to tell me exactly what temperature it is. They’re too approximate. That’s what my personal gauge is for. It tells me when the temperature varies even the slightest. And it does vary—sometimes by as much as half a degree!”

Half a degree! London thought.

No wonder Archie Behnke had told Amy this particular task “just can’t be done.”

Then London noticed that Oswinkle’s agitated manner was attracting the attention of people at nearby tables. Some were openly staring at him and others were smiling or even starting to giggle. Then she realized that Sir Reggie was also paying rapt attention to Oswinkle. Sitting on the chair next to London’s, the little dog kept tilting his head sympathetically at everything Oswinkle said.

The other passengers were beginning to find the whole scene amusing, especially the dog.

London started to worry.

If Mr. Oswinkle notices …

London stood up to talk with him more confidentially. “Is this due to, uh, health concerns?” she asked in what she hoped was a soothing tone.

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