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Vadim sat at a small table in the rear of the Schooner Lounge, his thick hands clasped around his fourth tumbler of vodka. Who in the hell is that woman with the dog? I know I’ve seen her before. The fact that he couldn’t identify her bothered him. Vadim never forgot a face. He continued to sip his drink as he watched the passengers come and go.
Tonight was a formal night aboard The Regina Mediterranean. Most passengers were in evening attire. Women sported long sequined dresses, statement jewelry, and elaborate stilettos, while the men looked GQ in suits and tuxedos. Again, loneliness engulfed Vadim. Anger and pain permeated his body as he imagined what it would be like to be aboard this cruise with his beautiful daughter and grandbaby. But oh no, hell no, he’d never share a cruise with the people he loved most in this world because they were dead. Dead at the hands of an incompetent female surgeon. He cursed to himself as anger wrenched through his heart. He signaled the waiter for another vodka, and continued to watch the crowd as they shuffled by. He saw a lovely young woman fall. He automatically rose to assist her, but several men beat him to it. He looked at her shoes and noticed they were probably over four inches tall. These women were crazy to wear shoes with those kinds of heels. But of course, his Ana had worn them as well... and she hadn’t been crazy.
Several minutes later, Vadim checked his watch. He still had about thirty minutes before he had to show up at the senator’s stateroom. He’d assured Snake he could handle things alone. The truth was that he didn’t want Snake getting in his way. He stared into his colorless drink, once again consumed by anger and sad memories. A feeling of rage overcame him. Vadim tried to shake the feeling, but he knew he’d never beat it. It was a feeling he’d encountered and learned to live with over and over for many years and he knew what would happen.
He signaled the waiter for his tab and charged his alcohol to Snake’s stateroom. He smiled at the waiter, straightened his lapel pin, and walked slowly, with the use of a cane, out of the Schooner Bar to the main bank of elevators. He pushed the button for deck six. He exited the elevator mid-ship and took a right turn down a long corridor of staterooms. He stood in the shadow of the ship’s laundry room and peered up and down the hall. Finally, after about ten minutes, he saw the tall, silver-haired senator approach his stateroom door, reach in his pocket for his room key, and enter his room. Seconds later, the lock clicked into place.
Vadim scanned the hall and was pleased there was no one coming or going. He continued to hide in the space by the laundry room and waited another ten minutes. Then he moved near the senator’s door and pressed his ear to the wall. He heard the sound of running water.
Perfect. Just Perfect. This was gonna be a piece of cake. Vadim smiled to himself delighted with his good luck. He waited another minute as he anticipated his kill. He heard the shower shut off and waited another two minutes until he figured the senator had toweled himself dry. No reason to deal with a slippery, wet body.
Several seconds later, Vadim picked the lock and slid quietly into the senator’s large stateroom. The bathroom door was half closed and he quickly moved to the other side of the door where he could watch the senator’s movements.
The bathroom was steamy from the senator’s shower. Vadim watched in the mirror as the senator towel dried his hair. Vadim lunged through the bathroom door.
“What the—” Bostitch began, but he never finished his sentence. Those were his last words. His eyes were wide with shock as Vadim flashed him an evil grin and showed him his brightly polished knife that flashed and shone in the bathroom light.
Minutes later, Vadim wiped the blood from his knife on a towel he dropped on the floor and left the room. He felt good. Really good. At least for a little while, he would no longer be angry at the world. Killing made him feel good. Completed. Sated. And that was that. Vadim was a new man and the good Senator Bostitch never knew what hit him.