An Ocean Away

AN OCEAN AWAY

It was an extremely hot summer day in New York City. Temperature in the upper 100’s, and with these skyscrapers, the heat was pretty well held in. Lydia and I were out shopping in this heat wave. Tomorrow, we leave on the Ship Atlanta for an ocean cruise to Italy. We’ll be gone for 4 weeks and I hope I make it through the first. I’ve never been on a ship before. So here we are, out in the heat, getting all the last minute little things like new toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and, of course, dramamine. Could not go without that!

We arrived back home about 2 hours later. We are both tenants at The Greystone Apartments. Lydia lives on the floor below me. Oh, and by the way, my name is Francesca. Born in Vasto, Italy and came to the USA when I was just 10 years old to live with my Zia Jiulia. My parents thought I would have better opportunities in the US. That was 15 years ago. Lydia and I met at a nightclub called, “The Avenue”. It’s over on 10th Avenue. We’ve been besties ever since.

Well, our big departure day was finally here. We boarded the ship at precisely 9:15 a.m. Departure was at 11 a.m. The ship was outstanding and stunning to say the least. Loads of shopping and huge. I felt I would be fine on it. I mean, after all, how could a huge ship like this rock and roll? Yeah, well within 5 hours it was dramamine time, but only after I hung my head over the side of the ship and had myself a good vomit.

Our room was a bit on the small side, but we were able to stumble into bed and get some sleep. We had one small portal for a window, but I got to see a view of just……. well, ocean. Our morning began with a super breakfast, of you name it, and it was on the tables. My breakfast would end up in the ocean in a few hours. Then time for lunch! The day was actually perfect. No more sickness, just more dramamine, but it helped tons. My favorite thing was to just sit on the deck and read. Some spots were sunny and warm with a cool breeze and it felt wonderful.

The ship had an actual ballroom, which we decided to try out. I’ve never danced a waltz, but learned fast and absolutely loved it. During my attempt at a Tango with a very nice man named Frank, there was this loud screaming on the deck. Someone screaming, “MAN OVERBOARD.” People could not get out there fast enough. This dear woman was in such a fright and saw the whole thing. Apparently someone had been pushed over the rail. The Security Guards were on the scene within minutes. Everyone grabbed as many life preservers as we could find and threw them into the water. The ship’s flood lights were turned on, but no one was to be seen. The poor woman was being questioned, and all I could hear was that it was dark out and all she could see was a dark shadow, but the person was tall and thin. Nothing more could be said as to the description other than she thought it was a man. He was much too tall to be a woman. He took off up to the second floor deck according to this woman, whom I found out her name was Roslyn Manning. She was a woman maybe in her mid 50s and a bit on the plump side, but seemed quite lady like and very cordial. The poor man who was no longer onboard, was found to be a jeweler. He was actually bringing diamonds to Italy to a store in Venice called, Eredi Jovan. Dear Roslyn had purchased a lovely ring from him earlier on in the day, and found out this information as they spoke.

Lydia, Frank and I went up to the second deck where we spoke with someone who saw a very tall, thin man running up the stairs and over toward the pool area. They caught a glimpse of him in the moonlight, but couldn’t be completely sure. Frank ran for one of the Security Guards, who came up right away and was told this man had a beard and wore glasses. He was wearing a suit but wasn’t too sure of the color. Could be black, or navy blue. As they were talking, I walked away from them and around the corner of the deck. Just in my looking, I found a matchbook on the deck floor. I opened it and saw the cabin number A24 written on it. The name on it was Robert Wentsworth. Not sure if it had anything to do with this case, I turned it over to the SG. We all promptly went to the cabin and knocked on the door. No answer. The door was a opened just a crack, so Mr. Travers (the Security Guard) entered with us behind him. As it turned out, it was the jeweler’s room. Name of Robert Wentsworth of Wentsworth and Buckley Jewelers. However, there was no jewelry to be found. Mr. Travers contacted the others, who arrived quickly and a search of the cabin was started. Frank left to get some sleep, but Lydia and I remained to help as much as possible. We went through the closet and found nothing. We went into the very small bathroom and found nothing. As I turned around, I saw a small piece of paper stuck in the portal window. I went over to it and it had the name of a man called Frank Myles. Off to the register list we all went to find out who Frank Myles was. As it turned out, he was a professional dancer who came onboard for a contest that was to take place in 2 nights. I know the Frank I danced with was an excellent dancer, but did not know his last name. Could it be that he was involved in some way? I think my mind was just getting the better of me.

We were getting a bit on the tired side, so Lydia and I excused ourselves and returned to our cabin for the evening. Morning came all to soon and there was a knock on the door, who turned out to be Mr. Travers. He apologized for stopping in so early, but he had some news about the case and a few questions. As it turned out, Frank Myles WAS indeed, the gentleman I danced with. Mr. Travers asked if anything went missing from our room. We said no, nothing that we were aware of. Frank was now an accessory to murder. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe what I was about to hear. Frank Myles was to dance with me, as the suspect entered OUR room and stole an antique bracelet from Lydia, Mr. Travers said, as he handed the bracelet back to Lydia. How did he find out it was Lydia’s? Well, when we boarded ship, we had to check in anything that was worth a good amount of money and Mr. Travers went to the security desk for this information. Frank Myles was found sleeping in one of the life boats, totally under the cover. He was taken in for questioning, where it was discovered that he had a brother who was also onboard. A very tall thin brother, named Henry Myles. One thing led to another, and Henry was finally located seated with a lovely lady in the Bali Barroom. He was taken under custody for the murder of Robert Wentsworth. Man overboard! Frank was the accessory to the murder. Quite a trip I’d have to say. We arrived in the Port of Civitavecchia just a day later and into the open arms of my parents, Rosa and Giuseppe. We went straight on to Vasto, where we spend one week with my parents. Then on to our travels to Rome, Venice and Milano. Home safely just in time for Fall weather to begin. Needless to say…………what a journey!