Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark Page B

didn’t miss the way Winston had eyed him with nosy curiosity. “I won’t be but ten minutes, sir,” he said. He stood up and made a gesture of starting toward his room. Then as soon as the Commodore left the suite, he dumped the twohors d’oeuvres his uncle had not eaten onto his plate.
    Bull’s-Eye had been complaining about being hungry. Maybe this will hold him over, Eric thought, with increasing desperation. It was safe enough to leave those two in my room during the boat drill. But now I’ve absolutely got to get them out of here until Winston has turned down the bed and changed the towels. What a dope I was to say I had stubbed my toe in the shower. Winston can tell I’m nervous. He’ll be sure to poke around in my room. And I can’t leave Bull’s-Eye and the Bean Counter in my bathroom. If Winston found that door locked he’d send for the engineer pronto.
    These were the thoughts torturing Eric as he raced into his room to meet the cold stare of his two stowaways. Both of them, still wearing the Santa Claus outfits but without the beards and stocking caps, were sitting side by side on the bed.
    Eric handed the plate to Bull’s-Eye. “As far as food goes, this is the best I can do for now. I’ve got to get you out of here right away.” The tone of his voice was somewhere between a direct order and a plea for understanding.
    Both men just stared at him.
    â€œI have a place for you that’s sure to be safe.”Eric’s words were tripping over each other. “The Chapel of Repose is on this deck. Nobody will go there. Then, after dinner I can sneak you back in before my uncle comes upstairs.”
    â€œYou call this dinner for us?” Bull’s-Eye demanded as he reached for a piece of sushi.
    â€œNo. No, I’ll get you more. I promise. Please, we’ve got to go. Winston has a TV in his pantry. If I know Winston, he’s in there polishing off the rest of the champagne and watching Jeopardy! That’s what he does in my uncle’s house. He’s a nut for Jeopardy! Took the test to get on the show and almost made it. Come on! ”
    â€œYour price for getting us out of the country just went down,” Highbridge snarled. “You’re not getting another dollar from either one of us.”
    â€œAnd if anything happens and we don’t get to Fishbowl Island safely, the orders to my people are to have you whacked.” Bull’s-Eye’s tone was calm. He might have been saying, “Pass the salt.”
    Eric opened his mouth to object, but the protest died on his lips. Why did I ever listen to Bingo Mullens? he asked himself as his mouth went dry and his hands went clammy. He told me he knew an easy way to make big money. What had Bingo said? “Your uncle has a boat. He trusts you. I figured out a no-brainer.”
    Bingo had been arrested for illegal gambling inMiami last year and had met Bull’s-Eye in the lockup before both men posted bail. A month ago he’d contacted Bull’s-Eye and told him he had a safe and sure way of getting him out of the country before his trial started. Bull’s-Eye went along with it, to the tune of one million dollars. Bingo’s cousin was a gofer for Highbridge in Connecticut. That’s how Eric had made that connection. Now they’re both sitting in my room, and unless I can keep them hidden we’ll all be arrested, and that will be the least that will happen to me, Eric thought, his heart racing.
    He had to keep the two men hidden for the next thirty-three hours.
    Knowing that his very life depended on that gave Eric courage. “Put on those caps and beards,” he ordered briskly. “Let’s go!”
    Eric checked to see if the coast was clear. The corridor was empty. He waved to the two of them to follow him. His final instructions were whispered with a nervous tremor that made his voice come out as a squeak. “Remember, if