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Ruric patted Levka on the shoulder. “Got our rooms.”
“Were they already available?” Levka asked.
“One of them was. We needed two more to accommodate us this time. Two single beds in each room. For them, I had to wrangle some moves.”
“What?” Caitlin asked, her eyes wide. “Did you do the same on the other ship? Dylan was furious he got stuck with snoring Michael.”
Levka raised his brows. “You wouldn’t object, would you?”
“Not for him. But who did we move on this ship?”
Arman puffed up his chest. “Just what I like. Someone with a conscience.”
“A widow and a widower are now sharing a stateroom. They seem very content with the arrangement.” Ruric flashed a toothy grin. “Everyone should be a couple on long voyages, just like in deep space.”
“That gives us one room. Who else?”
“We have to have rooms, Caitlin,” Levka said, taking her hand.
“Two kids had separate accommodations from their parents. The parents needed more family time.” Ruric folded his arms, as if waiting for her agreement.
“All right.”
“Good.” Levka pulled her toward the ship’s theater as the ship moved away from port. “If all goes as Vlad plans, he will arrive at Fort Lauderdale and wait for us to appear at the airport.”
“But instead?”
Stasio cleared his throat. “The ship will dock at port.”
“If people die on these cruises, where do they put the bodies?” Caitlin asked, suddenly wondering how they could keep the bodies for so long.
“In cold storage,” someone behind them said. They turned to see a crewman wink. “We have a storeroom to keep the ice for the ice sculptures and flowers in refrigeration. That’s where we keep the bodies. But we already removed the two we had.”
“So there’s room for more?” Arman asked.
“Yep.”
“What about their traveling companions?” Caitlin asked. “It must be horrible for them.”
“One was with a tour group. She just went face down in her potato soup. The rest of the guests finished their meal while we took her away. She was widowed. The other was a man. His wife sent him home at St. Martin, but she’d paid for the cruise, and she intended to finish it.”
“I guess it’s not such a bad way to go, if you like cruises,” Caitlin said.
Levka rubbed her arm. “I didn’t even ask if it was okay to take the ship back, Caitlin. I’m sorry. I should have asked.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to get used to the water, one way or another.”
When they reached the theater, music was playing and couples dancing. Older men serving as dance chaperones were seeking single ladies to dance with.
“Dance with me,” Levka said, offering Caitlin his arm.
“You know I’m not very good.”
“For me, you are perfect.”
To the dance escorts’ surprise, Stasio, Arman, and Ruric spread out and escorted ladies up to the stage to waltz. Flattered at the attentions of younger men, the older women didn’t hesitate.
But an hour into the evening, Caitlin leaned against Levka, the strength she had dwindled.
