“Well, if the Craig Oliver we know isn’t the real Craig Oliver, then where is he?” Bess said.
“Only the phony Craig Oliver knows that, and he’s back in Port Huron,” George said. “Right, Nancy?”
Nancy didn’t say a word. Bess had to break the silence. “Nancy?” she said.
“Maybe the Craig Oliver we know is the real Craig Oliver after all,” Nancy said.
“But that would mean that Amber is lying,” Bess said, “and I don’t think she is.”
“She was really upset, Nancy,” George said. “That didn’t seem like an act to me.”
“You’re right, it didn’t,” Nancy said. “But how can these two men have the same name?”
“Amber’s boyfriend did something with the real Craig Oliver and took his name,” Bess suggested. “Amber only knew him as Craig Oliver.”
“That’s a possibility. We know there’s a Craig Oliver who works for Interpol,” Nancy said. “And there’s a Craig Oliver who’s a petty thief? It’s too much of a coincidence. It must be something like you’re suggesting, Bess.”
“This is confusing, Nancy,” George said. “What do you plan to do?”
“Whatever I can. With or without Craig Oliver—whoever and wherever he is—there really is an ongoing investigation,” Nancy said. “I’ll just turn over any information I uncover to Interpol.”
Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder shook their suite.
George walked over to the porthole and looked out. “Where did those storm clouds come from?” she said. “They look really bad.”
Nancy and Bess joined George at the porthole.
Nancy frowned. “I hope we pass through this storm before we reach Lake Erie,” Nancy said. “These Great Lakes storms are as dangerous as storms on the high seas.”
“We must already be in Lake St. Clair,” George said. “We still have to go through the Detroit River before we reach Lake Erie.”
A brilliant flash of lightning startled them away from the porthole.
After a moment Nancy returned to the porthole. “I think the storm is heading to the southeast,” she said. “That’ll take it over Canada and then onto Lake Erie.” She turned away from the porthole and looked at Bess and George. “Maybe it’s moving faster than we are.”
“I hope so,” Bess said. “I don’t like to think about getting seasick.”
“Should we try to eat while our stomachs are still in good shape?” George asked.
Bess and Nancy agreed that that was the right idea.
As the girls started to leave the room Nancy said, “Maybe we should call Amber to see if she wants to join us.”
“It might make her feel better,” Bess said.
“She also might remember some more details that would help Nancy with the investigation,” George said.
“True,” Nancy agreed. “It would help if she could remember something that might lead us to the Craig Oliver who was on the ship.”
Bess went over to the telephone and dialed Amber’s cabin. She let it ring several times. “She must not be in,” she said, hanging up the phone.
“Well, I guess she’s not too upset to leave her room,” George said.
“She might not be answering,” Nancy said. But somehow Nancy felt that George was right—Amber wasn’t there.
Nancy locked the door to the suite, and they headed for the elevator.
When they got to the restaurant, they saw Amber sitting at her table. She seemed engrossed in her food and wasn’t paying attention to anyone else.
Laura Houston and the Lowes, on the other hand, were engaged in an animated conversation when Nancy, Bess, and George walked up to the table.
“We were just talking about the storm,” Mrs. Lowe said. “Do you think the captain will try to ride it out?”
“I doubt it. He may dock somewhere in the Detroit area if it gets too bad,” Mr. Lowe said. “Laura here says she hopes he doesn’t, so we won’t be delayed.”
“I need to get to Canada as soon as possible,” Laura said. “I have some business to take care of.”
“I’m sure the captain will do what’s best for the passengers,” Nancy assured Mr. Lowe. “I imagine he’s looking at weather maps right now.”
“Let’s change the subject,” Bess said. “I get seasick just talking about storms.”
“Good idea,” Laura said. She picked up her menu. “What am I going to have tonight?”
For the next several minutes they discussed what was available for the evening meal. Their waiter appeared just as the last person was making her choice.
Soon the conversation shifted to what was happening on the ship. Nancy was surprised that Laura and the Lowes had heard that Craig had not reboarded.
“I understand that his girlfriend is now stranded,” Mrs. Lowe said. “I think that’s really awful!”
“So do I,” Laura said. She looked at Nancy. “Tell us again, how do you know her?”
“We met her at a new boutique in River Heights,” Nancy said. “She had never gone on a cruise before, and she wanted some help picking out some clothes.”
“Well, this will probably be the last cruise she ever goes on,” Mr. Lowe said. “I can’t imagine that it’s been a pleasant experience for her.”
Nancy was trying desperately to think of a way to shift the subject away from Amber, since she didn’t want to answer too many questions. She didn’t have to worry, though, because just at that moment the ship’s horn sounded.
“What’s that for?” George asked.
“We’ve entered Lake Erie. We have one more stop before Toronto: Lake Erie Beach,” Laura said. “There are several wonderful small candy factories there. I’m really looking forward to picking up some boxes to take back with me to New Orleans.”
“I don’t think that any candy can beat those New Orleans pralines,” Mr. Lowe said. “They are absolutely delicious.”
That started a long discussion of candy. It lasted for almost an hour and made everyone hungry for something sweet.
“I think I’m going to have to stop off at the gift shop before we go back to the cabin,” Mrs. Lowe said. “Their candy may not be the best, but it’s some—”
Before she could finish the sentence, a loud clap of thunder rocked the boat. It was followed by a brilliant flash of light and a loud crashing sound.
Several passengers screamed.
Mr. Lowe jumped up. “A bolt of lightning must have hit the ship!” he said. He sniffed the air. “I can even smell the lightning. We get a lot of this in Texas.”
Just then a voice came over the loudspeaker. “This is your captain. Unfortunately, one of those Great Lakes storms is passing right over us. Please return to your cabins. These generally don’t last very long, but the ride will be a bit choppy for a while.”
The crew began shepherding the passengers toward the exits. Nancy looked in the direction of Amber’s table and saw Amber look around furtively. She got up and headed toward the kitchen.
That’s strange, Nancy thought. She pulled Bess and George aside. “Amber just ducked into the kitchen. I’m going to follow her,” she said. “You two go on to the suite.”
“Okay,” Bess said, “but be careful.”
“Are you sure you don’t need some help, Nancy?” George asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Nancy said. “I’m just going to see what she’s up to.”
To get to the kitchen, Nancy had to swim against the tide of people leaving. She managed to make it to the side of the restaurant, where it was a little easier to walk.
“Miss!” one of the crew members shouted at her. “You need to go the other way!”
“I forgot something!” Nancy said to the young man, not giving him time to question her.
Nancy finally reached the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, and she slipped inside.
The kitchen staff was so busy securing utensils and cleaning up food that had spilled that they did not even notice her. As Nancy maneuvered her way through the kitchen looking for Amber, she thought maybe Amber had hidden in the kitchen in order to steal some food. After a quick run through the room, though, Nancy realized that Amber hadn’t stayed in the kitchen.
Nancy slipped through a row of sinks filled with dirty dishes and found a rear entrance. When she tried to open the door, it felt as though someone was on the other side, pushing against it. Nancy finally managed to get the door open enough to realize the force of the wind had been pushing the door closed. With a supreme effort, she was able to slip through the door, and she found herself right at the edge of the ship. Only a metal railing kept her from falling into the rough water below.
Suddenly, the ship severely rocked. Another flash of lightning illuminated a huge wave coming right toward her. Nancy tried to open the door again, but it had locked behind her. She grabbed hold of the railing just before she was slammed by the wave.
For several seconds Nancy lost all sense of direction. The force of the water pushed her back toward the door to the kitchen, but she clung to the metal railing with all her might. As the wave washed back off the deck of the ship, it pulled Nancy against the railing. Again, her fingers held tight.
Finally, Nancy was able to stand up—although the ship was still riding the waves at such sharp angles that she was strongly pushed and pulled.
Nancy knew that somehow she had to make it into one of the interior corridors. She had to get away from the fury of the lake.
Nancy slowly made her way around the edge of the ship, sliding her hands along the railing. She tried to recall what she could of the layout of deck 3. She knew the restaurant took up almost a third of it. The kitchen was at one end of the deck. She’d have a ways to go until she could reach a door that would lead to the area where the cabins were located.
Why would Amber have gone this way? Nancy wondered. Surely it wasn’t a shortcut to her cabin. Was she planning to meet someone in another cabin? Who could it be?
The boat suddenly tilted to one side, and Nancy found herself slammed against the deck wall. When the ship tilted toward the lake, Nancy almost fell over the railing.
Just as the ship righted itself again and Nancy had started to move slowly along the railing, a hand clamped over her mouth—and another hand started pushing her over the railing.
It took Nancy’s brain only a split second to understand what was happening. This had to be the same person who had wanted her to have an accident on the stairs.
Nancy tried to scream, but nothing came out through the person’s fingers.
Just then another wave washed over the railing, momentarily freeing Nancy from the person’s grip. She slammed onto the deck, and her mouth filled with water. Out of the corner of her eye, she barely made out a hooded figure rushing away.
Nancy began coughing. She was finding it difficult to breathe. She knew that she had to escape, though, or she’d be tossed into the lake.
Slowly, Nancy started crawling along the slippery deck. It was almost impossible to move forward, as the motion of the ship kept forcing her back, but she mustered as much strength as she could. She had to get away from the person who was trying to throw her overboard.
Nancy could feel her fingernails break as she clawed at the deck floor to keep from sliding backward.
Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her from behind, pulled her up, and once again tried to shove her over the side.
Nancy clung desperately to the railing. The ship was now tilting from side to side. Just as Nancy thought she could no longer hold on, the ship tilted so that it forced her attacker back against the wall of what Nancy was sure must be the restaurant. Unfortunately, there were no portholes along this part, so there was no one who could see what was going on.
The ship quickly tilted the other way, and Nancy found herself hanging onto the other side of the railing.
“Help me!” Nancy screamed. “Help!”
But she knew that the storm was making so much noise that no one could possibly hear her cries.
Her attacker was trying to pry her fingers off the railing. Nancy hung on tenaciously. The ship began rocking back and forth even more violently than before. Suddenly, Nancy’s fingers slipped off the railing. She began falling.