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Authors: Laura Charles
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want to show up in that dull khaki skirt and white blouse uniform. She put on that adorable pink dress and a cute pair of Steve Madden wedge sandals that she'd been saving to wear on a special occasion. She touched up her makeup and put on a bit of her favorite perfume, a scent called Lovely .
She really wanted to make an impression on Ryan tonight.
They'd agreed to meet at the crew bar and she was there at eleven thirty, right on schedule.
Ryan was nowhere to be found. She waited for an hour, and he never did arrive. She began to grow more concerned. The ship had long since left port; they must be a hundred miles from the Caymans by now.
What happened to Ryan? She needed to find out. But how? She'd never been to his cabin and didn't know even know the name of his roommate.
There wasn't much she could do tonight; she'd had a long day and needed to work early tomorrow. She went back to her room and checked her email, hoping to see some sort of message from Ryan. Nothing.
Jessica went to bed crying and spent a fitful night trying to sleep.
-------------------------------------------
At 6 AM, Jessica was awakened by a pounding on her door. She quickly threw on a robe and opened the door slowly. Outside stood two members of the ship security team.
“Jessica Steel?”, asked a burly man security man with a mustache.
“Yes.”
“Could you come with us, please?” He didn't seem to be particularly friendly. Then again, ship security is serious business, and the cruise line didn't hire these people for their congeniality. Besides, nobody is friendly at 6 AM.
“What is this about?”
“Please get dressed and come with us.”
She quickly threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, put her hair in a ponytail and followed them to the security office.
The office fairly small and had a couple of desks, two computer terminals, and a small holding cell in the corner for the occasional criminal. There are rarely problems with violent crimes on cruise ships, but it's better to have an available cell than not, just in case. There were a couple of portholes to let in a bit of early morning light, but on the whole, the office wasn't particularly attractive. It was just a place to conduct business.
The burly man held out a photograph. “Do you know this man?”, he asked.
It was a photo of Ryan. Jessica's heart began to race.
“Yes! That's Ryan Stevens! He got left on shore in Grand Cayman. Did he make it back to the ship?”
“We don't know, and we were hoping you could tell us. We're looking for him ourselves.”
“Why?”
“It appears that Mr. Stevens may be an industrial spy. Our evidence and surveillance video suggests that he was here to steal a copy of the software that runs MHI's new drive system. How well do you know him? Do you know where he's gone?”
Jessica's mind was racing. Ryan a spy? How could that be? How could an industrial spy infiltrate the ship's mechanical crew?
“We've had a couple of drinks and a date or two. We spent some time on the beach yesterday and he missed the last tender back to the ship. That's all I know.”
The burly man with the mustache looked at her sternly.
Jessica fidgeted nervously in her chair. “Am I under arrest or something?”
“Not at the moment, but you are prohibited from leaving the ship until further notice. We may have some further questions for you later. You may go.”
Jessica realized that she was a bit overdue for work at the Passenger Services desk. How was she supposed to get any work done now?
Is Ryan really a spy? How could I have been so foolish to fall for him? And how am I supposed to get through my remaining months of my work contract? I can't even leave the ship!
The day, like all work days, did eventually
She really wanted to make an impression on Ryan tonight.
They'd agreed to meet at the crew bar and she was there at eleven thirty, right on schedule.
Ryan was nowhere to be found. She waited for an hour, and he never did arrive. She began to grow more concerned. The ship had long since left port; they must be a hundred miles from the Caymans by now.
What happened to Ryan? She needed to find out. But how? She'd never been to his cabin and didn't know even know the name of his roommate.
There wasn't much she could do tonight; she'd had a long day and needed to work early tomorrow. She went back to her room and checked her email, hoping to see some sort of message from Ryan. Nothing.
Jessica went to bed crying and spent a fitful night trying to sleep.
-------------------------------------------
At 6 AM, Jessica was awakened by a pounding on her door. She quickly threw on a robe and opened the door slowly. Outside stood two members of the ship security team.
“Jessica Steel?”, asked a burly man security man with a mustache.
“Yes.”
“Could you come with us, please?” He didn't seem to be particularly friendly. Then again, ship security is serious business, and the cruise line didn't hire these people for their congeniality. Besides, nobody is friendly at 6 AM.
“What is this about?”
“Please get dressed and come with us.”
She quickly threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, put her hair in a ponytail and followed them to the security office.
The office fairly small and had a couple of desks, two computer terminals, and a small holding cell in the corner for the occasional criminal. There are rarely problems with violent crimes on cruise ships, but it's better to have an available cell than not, just in case. There were a couple of portholes to let in a bit of early morning light, but on the whole, the office wasn't particularly attractive. It was just a place to conduct business.
The burly man held out a photograph. “Do you know this man?”, he asked.
It was a photo of Ryan. Jessica's heart began to race.
“Yes! That's Ryan Stevens! He got left on shore in Grand Cayman. Did he make it back to the ship?”
“We don't know, and we were hoping you could tell us. We're looking for him ourselves.”
“Why?”
“It appears that Mr. Stevens may be an industrial spy. Our evidence and surveillance video suggests that he was here to steal a copy of the software that runs MHI's new drive system. How well do you know him? Do you know where he's gone?”
Jessica's mind was racing. Ryan a spy? How could that be? How could an industrial spy infiltrate the ship's mechanical crew?
“We've had a couple of drinks and a date or two. We spent some time on the beach yesterday and he missed the last tender back to the ship. That's all I know.”
The burly man with the mustache looked at her sternly.
Jessica fidgeted nervously in her chair. “Am I under arrest or something?”
“Not at the moment, but you are prohibited from leaving the ship until further notice. We may have some further questions for you later. You may go.”
Jessica realized that she was a bit overdue for work at the Passenger Services desk. How was she supposed to get any work done now?
Is Ryan really a spy? How could I have been so foolish to fall for him? And how am I supposed to get through my remaining months of my work contract? I can't even leave the ship!
The day, like all work days, did eventually
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