Voyage in Time: The Titanic (Out of Time #9) (17 page)

Simon stood up straight.
 

“I didn’t say anything before because I wasn’t sure. But … It was in the reception room. He was talking to someone. I couldn’t see who it was, but they gave him something.”

Simon’s entire being tensed. “What?”

Edmund shook his head. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see much. The person he was talking to had his back to me. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I was—”

“But you did see our man? With someone else?” Simon asked, his stomach tightening. “You’re sure?”

Edmund gave it some thought but nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Dammit.”

Simon started back toward the doorway.
 

“What’s wrong?” Edmund asked, as he trailed after him.

“We thought the German was working alone, but if you saw him talking to someone else …?”

“Then he has a partner?”
 

“And Niels is still in danger.”

E
LIZABETH
RINSED
HER
MOUTH
and stared at her pale reflection. She looked sick. She felt sick. She’d been sick.
 

Another wave of nausea came and she splashed cold water on her face to try to push it back down. At first, she’d been sure it was just seasickness, but she’d never suffered from that before and the movement of the ship was almost imperceptible.
 

Then she’d decided she’d picked up a bug, but now she wasn’t so sure. Actually, she was pretty dang sure she’d picked up something, but it wasn’t the flu.

Something inside her, some little voice, had known all along what was happening, only she hadn’t listened. But this morning, when she’d felt yet another tidal wave of nausea and realized she was another day late, she knew.

And she wanted to cry.

What should have been the most wonderful moment of her life was the most frightening. She wasn’t responsible for just her own life anymore or for Niels’. In that instant, with that realization, everything changed. She understood Simon’s dilemma in a way she hadn’t before.
 

When he’d come back into their room late last night and woken her, he’d told her everything Edmund had said, what they’d realized it meant. What he didn’t tell her was why he’d been up in the first place, but she knew. She knew the internal struggle he was having. His expression, no matter how inscrutable to everyone else, was an open book to her. And now she understood his anxiety in a way she hadn’t before.
 

She’d thought about this moment so many times in the last few months and how wonderful it would be. Now that it was here, she felt paralyzed. All she wanted to do was share this with Simon, but now she wasn’t sure she should. He was already under pressure pushing him to breaking; if he knew she was pregnant ….

He’d probably try to send her away, to use the watch and key and go as far from here as she could. And, God help her, she’d be tempted. But she couldn’t leave him. She couldn’t leave Niels. There were the thousands upon thousands of lives that might be lost if Niels died. She couldn’t live with herself if she let that happen. But could she live with herself if she lost her child trying?

A new sort of sickness took root in the pit of her stomach and tears joined the water running down her cheeks.

A knock on the bathroom door startled her.
 

“All right in there?”

She sniffled and scrubbed away her tears with the palms of her hands. “Fine! I’m going to take a quick bath.”

“All right. We’ll be up on the top deck.”

“Okay!” she said, hoping she sounded normal. Although what normal was anymore she didn’t know.

She took a bath and managed to pull herself together. It was only a few days, she told herself. She could keep the secret that long.

She left the bathroom and picked out some clothes from the wardrobe. She laid her dress on the bed and saw that a small, beautiful bouquet of flowers was on her pillow. The petals were small and delicate and a deep, rich blue, almost purple.

She brought them up to her nose and inhaled. They smelled almost like vanilla. Where had he found them? She smiled and put the small bundle on the nightstand.
 

He might not even know what was wrong, but he knew how to make her feel better.

She dressed and hurried up to the Boat Deck. She found Niels, Edmund, Simon and Dr. Hass standing by one of the lifeboats chatting. Simon kissed her cheek as she joined them.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He looked confused.
 

She smiled at him and the words nearly came tumbling out. They sat perched on the end of her tongue waiting to be said. Somehow, barely, she managed not to say them.

“I am going for a late breakfast,” the doctor said. “Would any of you like to join me?”

They all declined and he said his goodbyes.
 

“He seems like a good man,” Niels said.

“Most of them do,” Simon said. “We can’t rule anyone out at this point, though.” He looked at Edmund. “Can you remember anything else about this other man?”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t paying much attention.”

Simon frowned deeply and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Edmund added.

“No, no. You’ve helped us tremendously already.”

“I’d like to help more,” he said.
 

“We don’t even know what or who we’re dealing with.”

“Someone wants to kill,” Edmund started then lowered his voice, “do away with our friend here.” He jerked a thumb toward Niels. “I look after my friends. Look, I know I’m not a professional, but I’m good in a fight.”

And thank God he was, Elizabeth thought. He’d saved their bacon last night. As guilty as she felt about involving him, she was glad to have any help she could at this point.

“Being friends with us can be … dangerous,” she said.

He nodded soberly. “But you say he’s important.” He nodded toward Niels.

“He is,” Simon said.

“Everyone but me seems to think so,” Niels added.

“It’s enough that they do.” Edmund looked at Elizabeth and then Simon.
 

“We’re dealing with very dangerous people, Edmund,” Elizabeth said. “Are you sure you want to be involved?”

“It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? Something that needs doing?”

He glanced at Simon and something she didn’t understand passed between them.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said.

He smiled. “Then we’d better find out who our mystery man is before he tries to bump off old ‘Nicky’ again.”

He clapped Niels on the shoulder.
 

“That is one way to put it,” Niels said.
 

“All we have to do now,” Simon said, “is figure out which of the over two thousand people on board it is.”

“We know it’s a man, so that cuts it down some.”

Simon’s face was flat. “Yes, make that one thousand.”

“Where did you see him?” Elizabeth asked. “Maybe if we go there, it’ll jog your memory.”

Edmund agreed to try and they all went down to D Deck and the First Class reception room outside of the dining area.
 

“He was over there.” Edmund pointed to a corner of the room. “I came to listen to the music. A little highbrow for my taste, but the piano player was good.”

“Yes,” Simon said, impatiently, “and the two men?”

Edmund led them over to the corner sofa. “The German fella was sitting there. The other one was here in the chair.”

“With his back to you?” Simon looked back over at the piano. “And you were over there?”

Edmund nodded. He hadn’t been far away from them, maybe twenty feet.

“All right, good. Just try to remember. Anything could be helpful. Was it crowded?”

“Not really. There was a couple over there and a bunch on the other side.”

“And you couldn’t hear anything?”

He shook his head. “The music was too loud.”

“All right,” Simon said, trying to lead him through his memory. “But you noticed him?”

“His face. It was different.”

“Creepy,” Elizabeth supplied.

Edmund jerked his thumb toward her. “Right.”

“You said before that the other man gave him something?”

Edmund frowned as he tried to remember. “It was small, white. About the size of a man’s hand. But I barely saw it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Elizabeth said. “You’re doing great.”

Edmund didn’t seem to agree. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you smell anything?” Niels asked suddenly.

They all looked at him oddly and he indicated a man passing by with a cigar. “Were they smoking?”

A smile came over Edmund’s face. “Yeah. The other one was. A cigarette.”

A cigarette hardly narrowed it down and Simon’s face reflected all of their disappointment, but Edmund’s eyes were still narrowed as he tried to remember.
 

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked.

“It was a cigarette, but kind of … I don’t know, different.”

“Like a cigar?”
 

Edmund shook his head. “Not really. A little sweet?”

“Maybe Turkish?” Niels suggested.

He looked embarrassed. “I don’t know. I’ve only been outside of London once in my life.”

Elizabeth’s heart went out to him. “Right now?”

He nodded, sheepish. “I wouldn’t know a Turk from a turkey.”

Elizabeth laughed but felt a wave of sadness. How she hoped his first trip wouldn’t be his last. “It’s all right,” she said. “We’ll figure it out.”

Simon put his hand on Edmund’s shoulder. “You’ve done well.”

“So what now?”

“Might I suggest,” Niels said, “we sniff around a little?”

They began to wander around the reception room. As they did, Simon took Elizabeth’s elbow and leaned down. “Are you all right?”

She nearly said it again, nearly blurted out the truth, but managed somehow not to. “I’m fine.”

He studied her closely and with every passing second she felt the words climbing up her throat.

She cleared it and gently bumped into him with her shoulder. “I’m fine.”

He seemed ready to press the point when Niels and Edmund returned to their side.

Edmund shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Why don’t we try the smoking lounge?” Elizabeth said quickly.

They all agreed and started for the grand staircase. There hadn’t been many people in the reception area and most of the smoking took place in the smoking lounge or on deck anyway.

As they walked up the stairs, Elizabeth could feel Simon still watching her. She fell into step with Edmund and laced her arm through his. He smiled brightly at her and they made their way back up toward A Deck.

Somewhere between C and B, Edmund stopped. He sniffed the air and his eyes lit up.

“That’s it.”

Elizabeth looked around for the source of the smoke. A man with a cigar had just passed them. She turned Edmund around. “Is it him?”

He looked uneasy, but she gave him a gentle shove and he hurried back down the stairs and took a sniff near the man’s back. The man must have heard him because he turned around with a scowl.

Edmund spun back around and shook his head as he beat a hasty retreat and came back up to the small landing.

“What about that one?” Elizabeth said.

“Find something?” Simon asked as he and Niels joined them on the small split-level landing.

“He got a whiff.”

“Where?” Simon asked.

Elizabeth shook her head and then she smelled it or smelled something. It was exactly like Edmund had described. It was a cigarette, but different. Nicer somehow.

She could tell by the looks on Simon and Niels’ faces that they didn’t smell it. Like a bloodhound on a scent, she started back up the stairs. She stood at the top of them with Edmund. Then he took off to his right and Elizabeth and the others followed.

He stopped suddenly and turned his back as a tall man with enough whiskers to hide a kitten in passed by. Elizabeth could smell the unique aroma of the wide cigarette in his hand.

“That’s it,” Edmund said with a grin. They turned to watch him walk toward the deck. “Do you think that’s him?”

Simon and Niels joined them again, but instead of elation, Simon frowned.
 

“What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, but whatever the reason for his change in mood, it wasn’t good.

“I do not recognize the man, do you?” Niels said.

“Colonel Weir,” Simon said.

“German?”

“American. And not the sort I’d suspect to collude with Germany.”

“Everyone’s a suspect until they aren’t,” Elizabeth reminded him.

He nodded, but he was clearly unsure.

They started to trail after the colonel when Elizabeth stopped.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?” Simon asked.

She took a deep breath and smelled it again. Abruptly, she realized that taking deep breaths of cigarette smoke wasn’t the brightest idea for a pregnant woman and pushed the air back out quickly.

Luckily, Simon didn’t notice and ask her what was wrong. Again. She glanced over at him and saw the light go on in his eyes as he smelled the distinct odor, too.
 

This time, the smoker was a woman they didn’t recognize. Both she and her companion had the same short stubby cigarette the colonel had.

Simon’s expression grew grim.
 

“What’s wrong?”

“I think we’ve been on a wild goose chase.”

He indicated that they should go up one more deck. They did and made their way to the smoking lounge. As soon as he opened the door, they were all assaulted by the smell.

The same cigarettes were everywhere.

Simon opened one of the complimentary boxes on the small tables and, lo and behold, inside were row after row of them.

“Gauloise,” a short, portly man said, appearing on the other side of the table. “Uniquely French. Rich, full flavored, a little Turkish spice. Complimentary, of course.”

“Thank you, no,” Simon said and closed the lid to the box.

“Hoping to introduce them to America. Hard to beat the Virginians though.”

“Yes,” Simon said, absently as he turned his back on the man.

The tobacco salesman blinked in surprise at Simon’s curt reaction, but trundled off to sell his wares to another newcomer to the lounge.