The Honeymoon From Hell: Book Nine: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter Ten

They decided to walk around the ship before they headed to the dance floor.

It was windy outside, and Keith frowned.

“I don’t like the look of the sky,” he told Adrianne. “Look over there, to the west.”

“I can’t see any stars,” she said.

“That’s because there’s heavy cloud cover, and this wind is cooler than it should be. The sea’s a little turbulent. I think we could be heading into a squall. Oh, well, it shouldn’t last long...”

An hour later, the ship sailed straight into the squall Keith had foreseen, but it wasn’t just a squall, it blew into a major storm. At first, all was fine, but suddenly the ship began to pitch and yaw heavily as the winds and driving rain picked up force.

“What the heck!” exclaimed Keith. “I think the stabilizers have failed! That’s almost impossible with the system we saw this afternoon on our tour!”

By now people were beginning to be alarmed and one or two of them were looking sick. Glasses began to slide around, and it wasn’t long before the first one hit the floor and shattered. Waiters hurried around with trays to pick up everything on the tables and prevent major breakage, struggling to maintain their footing.

Keith and Adrianne helped an elderly couple off the dance floor and up to their cabin.

They stood outside the door and looked at each other.

“I think it’s time to let George Lawson know this is suspicious,” said Keith. “I’d like to get up the Bridge and see what’s wrong, and I can’t do that without his help.”

“I’ll wait in our cabin and try to raise somebody at their Head Office,” said Adrianne.

George had Keith up on the Bridge within minutes and he spoke to the anxious young Captain, who had no clue what was wrong.

“The Engineer’s having a look now,” he said.

Keith checked the weather radar.

“If you sail twenty degrees East, we’ll be out of this storm within half an hour,” he told the Captain.

“How do you know?” asked the man in charge of Caribbean Queen.

“I’m a Captain myself,” Keith said sharply and turned to the Officer on the helm.

“Adjust course twenty degrees East,” he barked, and the Officer obeyed instantly.

“Aye, aye, Captain Knowles,” said the junior officer who’d sailed under Keith three years ago.

The Caribbean Queen’s Captain stared at both of them, but didn’t countermand the order.

Recognition filled the First Officer’s face.

“Captain Knowles,” he said gladly. “I thought I recognized your face. I’m Cyril Sharp, Sir. I served under you on the Calypso about five years ago.”

Keith smiled at the man.

“I thought it was you, Officer Sharp.”

“And I sailed under you three years ago as Officer Cadet,” piped up the helmsman. “I’m Ian O’Sullivan, Sir.”

Cyril Sharp pulled Keith aside.

“Captain Gray is new, Sir. Captain Schultz became ill before we arrived in Guadeloupe and Captain Gray flew in to replace him. Frankly, he’s even less competent than Ridley Monroe,” he said in a low voice. “We told him this squall was blowing in and it was going to be severe but he refused to change course even when the stabilizers failed.

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