Undercurrent. Sara K. Parker

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СКАЧАТЬ we’re talking a long shot.” Sam peered up at the hole in the ceiling. “I’d say there was more to it than a few bulbs popping. Do you agree?”

      Neither man seemed eager to share more, but Sam was sure they were all following the same line of thought. Someone had caused the chandelier to fall. Deliberately.

      “Off the record,” he assured them. “I’d be the last one to spread word that could incite panic.”

      Nick turned to Sam, a troubled expression in his eyes. “The most unlikely scenario, of course—it could have been a bomb.”

      Sam said nothing. The theory didn’t surprise him. Several times he had replayed the sounds he’d heard, the loud pop, the explosion. And that chemical scent.

      “Why unlikely?” Sam asked. In his opinion, a bomb was the most likely possibility.

      “Our security policies are tighter than even air-travel policies. It’d be tough to get explosives on board,” Nick said.

      “Looks to me like someone may have figured out a way,” Sam said. “You can’t ignore the extent of the damage.”

      “Hard to believe the pianist made it out alive,” Nick said. “You said you were there when it happened?”

      “I was a few feet away.”

      Nick glanced at him, assessing. “Some witnesses said an unknown man pushed the pianist out of the way just before the chandelier came down. That you?”

      “Yes.”

      “You see anything or hear anything before then?”

      “Thought I did,” Sam said. “Saw a man rushing through the crowd and into the coffee shop over there.” He pointed in the direction of the shop. “Almost as soon as he was gone, I heard the loud pop, and the chandelier burst into flames.”

      “Did you get a good look at him?” Nick asked, eyes lit with interest.

      “No. Just saw his back in a passing glimpse. Dark jacket, black ball cap, dark pants, maybe cargo-style.”

      Nick turned toward the coffee shop. “I’ll have my team pay close attention to footage from that angle, too.”

      “Excuse me, I’ve got a briefing with my team,” Colton said from behind them. “Callahan, we’ll catch up later. Sam, good to meet you.” He hurried back toward the steps and away from the accident scene.

      “Any chance I can get a look at that security footage?” Sam asked, and Nick hesitated.

      “Let me get back to you on that,” he said. “I’ll need you to verify the person you saw when we get ahold of the image. And I may ask for your assistance if I need more hands. If this was just an accident, that’s one thing. If it wasn’t...”

      He let the thought trail off, but Sam knew where he was going.

      If it wasn’t, there could be more trouble to come, and days from land, they were in a vulnerable position. Getting six thousand people safely into lifeboats would be a nightmare. Sam had stood through the muster station drill before the cruise set out, and he’d listened as a fresh-out-of-high-school crew member instructed them on ship-evacuation procedures. As if everyone would simply follow the muster rules in the case of an emergency. Sam had spent nearly a decade in law enforcement, and he’d seen people in desperation. Knew one human truth: in times of disaster, most people cling to just one rule—every man for himself.

      * * *

      Black water stretched before them under a moonless sky. Dark clouds had rolled in, bringing a cool breeze. Kat tugged the blanket around her shoulders. She was chilled, but happier outside than in. Couldn’t stand another minute breathing in the stench of smoke from her dress. At least out here, the breeze carried the odor away.

      “Nothing as far as the eye can see. Just water and sky and stars. All of it a testimony to God’s creative genius.” Alice spoke the words softly. “I always wanted to go on a cruise with my Frank. I wish we’d had the chance.”

      “Frank?”

      “My husband. He had an artist’s soul and would have enjoyed every moment. It wasn’t meant to be, though. He passed away a little over a year ago. We had booked this trip already. It was to be our fiftieth-anniversary celebration.”

      “I’m sorry.” Words were never enough, but they were all Kat had. “This trip must be hard for you.”

      Alice watched the waves, silent for a moment. “I do wish he was here. But God’s been good to me. Frank and I spent forty-nine wonderful years together, raised four children, became grandparents. We even got to be great-grandparents. Many people don’t get that chance. I can’t complain. Plus, Frank wouldn’t have wanted me to come on this cruise and moon over the past.”

      “I’m sure it gets lonely, though, sometimes.” Kat knew the feeling all too well.

      “If I let it,” Alice said. “Happily, I’m not alone on this cruise.”

      “Sam came with you.”

      “Sam. Yes.” She sighed deeply. “My babysitter. He can be a stick-in-the-mud, such a rule-follower. Always has been. But my Red Hat Society ladies make up for it. Three of them came, actually, to make sure I had a good time. And let me tell you.” She leaned close, eyes sparkling. “We’ve been having a blast!”

      “Does that mean you’ve been causing trouble?” Kat asked, amused with Alice’s sense of mischief.

      “Causing it? Never! Trouble just seems to find me.”

      “So you really are a trouble magnet, Alice?”

      “That’s what my family says. All because of a few very minor incidents. But let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about Sammy. He’s a lot like my Frank.”

      “Is he?” Kat murmured, resistant to the turn in conversation. Alice clearly had an agenda that included finding a woman for her grandson, and Kat didn’t want to encourage her. She’d learned at a young age to take care of herself, and she’d done it well until Max had come along with his charming words and pretty promises. She’d let herself start dreaming then. What a mistake that had been.

      “Oh, yes. He likes rules and quiet and order.” She said it as if it was a bad word, and Kat laughed.

      “I like those things, too,” she admitted.

      Alice smiled. “But Sammy, he’s got an edge to him, too. His mom calls him her adrenaline junky.”

      “I guess that explains the Secret Service job.”

      “Yes. And he even looks the part,” she said slyly. “Quite a good-looking young man, isn’t he?”

      Kat laughed again, heat flushing her cheeks. Good-looking wasn’t the right term. Devastating. Yes, that was the one. And Kat had experienced enough devastation for one year. For a lifetime, really. “Very, and you’re quite the matchmaker, aren’t you?”

      “Guilty as charged.” Alice smiled. СКАЧАТЬ