“Hallway still clear?” Bert asked, preparing to move to Colin’s room.
“All clear. You’re good to proceed.”
The connecting door between the suites opened silently, and Bert moved into Colin’s space. The contrast was immediate and stark. Where Diane’s room felt sterile and controlled, Colin’s was lived-in and chaotic. Clothes were draped over chairs, and an open, partially unpacked suitcase was on the floor. A laptop sat on the desk, closed but not locked in a safe. Bert considered trying to access it, but decided against it. The risk of Colin noticing someone had tampered with his computer outweighed the potential benefits.
Bert photographed everything, working with systematic efficiency. Beside the laptop were a few pamphlets from their tours and basic ship information. There were no prescription bottles in Colin’s bathroom, and his toiletries were scattered randomly on the counter.
The drawers were empty, but the closet did hold Colin’s more formal clothes… suits, shirts, and dress pants. Going back to the open suitcase, Bert carefully searched through T-shirts, polos, socks, and underwear, and found several pill bottles tucked in a corner. They had no label, so he photographed each one, as well as the actual pills inside.
“Oh, hi, Diane. Colin.” Mary’s voice came through the earpiece, urgent but controlled. “Did you have a good game?”
“Yes, it was lovely. I lost, but it’s still such a fun game to pass the time after dinner.”
Bert’s pulse and hands stayed steady as he made sure the suitcase was left as he found it. Then he slipped out of the sliding glass door and closed it securely. After flipping the lock with a special tool, he easily dropped to the deck below.
Bert couldn’t hear their responses, but Mary’s next words came with the kind of easy charm that made his heart clench with pride and love. “My headache is so much better, thank you for asking. Bert and I thought we’d wander in the moonlight, enjoy the views from the deck. But it’s chillier than I was prepared for, and I forgot my jacket. Bert went back to get it for me.”
Once inside, he walked around the corner with Mary’s jacket in his hands, prepared for their agreed-upon reason for him to be away. “Got your jacket, sweetheart. Ready to go?” Bert’s voice carried the easy warmth of a man who’d been on a simple errand. He moved toward Mary with the unhurried pace of someone who had no reason to be tense. Colin had turned at Bert’s voice, his hand on Diane’s door, but his attention sharp and assessing. Bert met his gaze with the bland pleasantness of a man who had nothing to hide, then transferred his attention to Diane.
“Good night, Diane. Colin.”
Diane replied, her smile wide and bright. “You two enjoy your evening. The moonlight on the water is beautiful tonight.”
“We will. Sleep well.” Bert reached Mary’s side and draped the jacket over her shoulders, the gesture both protective and affectionate. His hand settled on her wheelchair, and they moved together toward the elevator with the easy synchronicity of a couple who belonged together.
Bert pressed the call button, very aware of Colin still standing in Diane’s doorway, watching them. He kept his posture relaxed, his hand resting casually on Mary’s shoulder, everything about his body language suggesting a man with nothing more on his mind than a romantic evening with his fiancée.
The elevator arrived with a soft chime. Bert maneuvered with Mary inside, turned, and offered Colin a friendly nod and smile before the doors closed.
The moment they were alone and ascending, Mary released a breath that might have been relief or exhilaration or both. “Oh my God. That was close.”
“That was perfect,” Bert corrected, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple. “Your timing was flawless, your cover story was natural, and you kept them engaged long enough for me to get clear. Mary, you were brilliant.”
“I was terrified,” Mary admitted, but she was grinning. “But also? That was amazing. I’m so glad I was there and not stuck in the cabin wondering what was happening.”
“You’re a Keeper, same as any of us. Your skills are different, but no less valuable.”
Her smile filled her expression and reached inside his soul. He had just leaned down to kiss her when the elevator reached the main deck. They exited into the lounge where a few passengers were still enjoying evening drinks. Bert and Mary moved through with the casual ease of a couple as they headed out onto the deck where the night air was cool.
Once they were alone at the railing, far from any other passengers, Mary turned to Bert with eyes that shone with excitement, pride, and something that looked a lot like joy. “We did it,” she said. “We actually did it.”
“We did.” Bert pulled up the camera feed on his phone, scrolling through the images he’d captured. Dozens of clear photographs of prescription bottles with Diane’s name and the pills inside. “Sisco and Sadie can work on these to identify the exact medications.” He explained the difference in Diane’s stateroom and Colin’s, as well as the unlabeled pill bottles in Colin’s suitcase.
He sent the photographs to LSIMT via secure upload, then pocketed his phone and pulled Mary closer. “But right now, we take a breath. We did good work tonight. You did a good job. Let yourself feel that.”
Mary turned in his arms, shifting as much as she could in her wheelchair, and looked at him with an expression that made his heart stutter. “You came. As soon as I called with a worry, you came. The way you trust me, the way you make me feel like I’m still capable of anything… Bert, do you know what that means to me?”
“You are capable of anything,” Bert said, meaning every word. “The wheelchair doesn’t change that. It just means you adapt, find new ways to apply your skills. But you’re the same brilliant, competent woman you’ve always been.”
“I love you,” Mary said, the words coming easily now, without the fear that had shadowed them before. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Bert kissed her, slow and deep, pouring months of longing and love into the connection. When they finally broke apart, both breathing harder, he rested his forehead against hers, letting emotions speak what words couldn’t convey.
They held each other for a while longer as the ship cut through dark water and stars wheeled overhead. Tonight, they’d worked together as partners. A team that trusted each other completely. And that made all the difference.
Once back in their stateroom, he pulled out his laptop. “Sadie sent an update. Let me see what she found.”
He logged into the secure server and pulled up the files as Mary rolled close to read over his shoulder. Bert scrolled down. “Sadie dug deeper into George Watson’s background.”