“Why? Why didn’t she want me to know?”

He hesitated, then said, “For two reasons. The first is that she didn’t want you to get hurt. She was afraid-after the way the Milington’s treated you-she didn’t want you to feel as if I were more important to her than you are. I’m not Sarah-honest to God, I’m not.”

When she didn’t reply he said, “You’ve been her granddaughter for years. If you don’t want to share her, I’ll understand.”

“Oh, it’s not that!” she said. “It’s just-just a lot to take in.”

“Yes, it’s a lot for me to take in, too, and I’ve had a year to get used to the idea. She didn’t even know I existed. I managed to track her down when I was trying to learn more about what happened to my grandfather-to Elliot Parsons. Ada and my father were estranged.”

“Because of his stepfather? Ada next husband?”

“Yes. So you know about that?”

“Not much.”

“When my dad died, I wanted to learn more about his side of the family, and meet this grandmother of mine. I also wanted to know more about my grandfather. At first, I just wanted to find out if my father’s story was true, that his father had died aboard the Queen Mary, while on the passage to Europe. I learned much more. And I told Ada what I had learned.”

“About his murder?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the second reason she didn’t want to tell me?”

But before he could answer, there was a knock at the door of the suite. “Robert? Sarah?” they heard Ada ’s voice call.

Robert opened the door to admit Ada and Captain Dolman.

“Here’s your key, Grandmother,” Sarah said.

Ada studied her as she took the key, then rounded on Robert. “You told her!”

“No,” Sarah said, and explained how she had learned that Robert was Ada ’s grandson. “And he is just about to tell me the second reason you didn’t want me to know about it.”

“Nonsense!” she said firmly. “Now, although the party was wonderful, I’m completely exhausted, so all of you will please leave my room. All except Sarah.”

“ Ada -” Robert began.

“Now,” she said, giving him a look that would have sent an emperor running. It was more than enough for Captain Dolman. For several long minutes, it seemed that Robert would refuse to obey.

“I’ll be all right,” Sarah said. His frustration evident, Robert finally followed Dolman’s lead.

But in the meantime, Sarah had given some thoughts to the events of the day, and when the door closed behind Robert, she asked, “Where is Senator Hastings?”

“How should I know?”

“You know. Why did you invite him?”

“He practically invited himself.”

“I don’t believe that. He’s not running in your congressional district; he’s not your state senator. And he is certainly not the type of person you would back in either race.”

“Whom I invite to my own birthday party-”

“A party on a ship where, according to Robert, your first husband was murdered-”

“Robert will have to learn to keep quiet. Although I daresay you might receive more of his confidences than anyone else would.”

“I should hope so. I’m his cousin.”

“He doesn’t think of you in that way, Sarah. I can guarantee you that much. And that is not to say that he doesn’t want to be related to you.”

Blushing, Sarah said, “Don’t try to change the subject, you wily old woman.”

Ada smiled, but didn’t reply.

“You invited two men I’ve never heard you mention before, and you were with both of them before the festivities began. One of them disappeared not long after the party starts. The other man hasn’t been three feet from your side all night; you have a funny little caricature of him drawn by your late husband.”

“What you think you’re getting at, I’m sure I don’t know,” Ada said.

“I think you were getting at something-or rather, someone tonight, Grandmother. Maybe it’s too late for justice-legal justice. But you’ve arranged for revenge, haven’t you?”

Ada said nothing. She moved to the porthole, looked out at the harbor.

“Grandmother, you can trust me. I-I may not be family, but I love you as much as-”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Ada said, her voice quavering. “Of course you’re my family. I don’t want you to come to any harm, don’t you see? And you wouldn’t like this particular brand of revenge.”

Sarah took a deep breath, and said, “Have you murdered a state senator, Grandmother?”

Ada turned to look at her. “You think I’m capable of that?”

“No,” Sarah answered.

“Thank God for that, at least.”

“Well, if you haven’t killed him-” She looked around the room, an idea suddenly occurring to her. Horrified, she said, “Grandmother-the trunk! You’ve locked him in the trunk!”

“Yes,” Ada said.

“Where is it? Where’s the trunk?”

“Sarah-”

“It’s in Robert’s room, isn’t it? That’s why Robert had the other key to your room-you didn’t give it to him, he already had it.” Her eyes went back to the carpet. “The wheel marks-that’s what made them. Oh, Grandmother! It isn’t right.”

“Where are you going?” Ada asked in alarm, as Sarah hurried toward the door.

Sarah didn’t answer.

She could hear the phone in his room ringing, even before she got to the door. It was quiet on the ship now most of the guests had turned in for the night.

When he answered the door, she said, “I don’t care what Grandmother said to you just now-”

“Come inside,” he said, glancing up and down the passageway.

Once the door was closed behind her, he said, “She only wants to protect you, Sarah. I’m in too deep now, but you don’t have to be involved. It would be better if-”

“Remember that painting?” she interrupted. “The one of the dancers, in the Observation Bar?”

He nodded.

“I don’t want to be an outsider, Robert. We’re all in this together. Please, Robert-”

“All right,” he said, “but Sarah-”

She heard a muffled thumping sound, and pushed past Robert into the bedroom.

The trunk lay near the foot of the bed. She heard the thumping sound again. Her face pale, she turned to Robert and said, “Let him out!”

“In a moment, when your Grandmother and Captain Dolman arrive.”

But images from her own nightmares surrounded her, and when she heard the thumping again, she turned to Robert with such a look of horror on her face that he relented, and began unfastening the trunk’s latches.

As he lifted the lid, she saw that Hastings was bound and gagged. His face bore an expression that quickly passed from relief to anger.

“Wait in the other room,” Robert said. “I’ll bring him out.”

A few moments later, an irate Archer Hastings was led to a chair in the sitting room.

“You’re out that box thanks to Sarah,” Robert said. “But if you raise a ruckus of any kind, you’ll go right back into it.”

Sarah saw the fear in Hastings eyes.

“The trunk is custom made, isn’t it?” she said to Robert. “It’s built to be the same size as a soldier’s berth on the ship.”

“Yes.”

There was a knock at the door, and in another moment, Ada and Dolman had joined them.

Hastings glared angrily at Ada.

“You’d like to see me arrested, wouldn’t you?” Ada said to him.

He nodded vigorously.

“The feel is mutual.” She turned to her granddaughter. “Do you know how Elliot died?”

Sarah shook her head.

“Tell me, Sarah, was the Queen Mary air conditioned?”

“Not all of it-not until later years, after the war.”

“And before the war?”

“Not on all decks. It wasn’t necessary. The ship was built for travel on the North Atlantic. The electric fireplaces in the first class cabins-”

“Never mind the fireplaces,” Ada said. “You just made an important point. The ship was built for North Atlantic crossings.”

“You knew that, didn’t you Mr. Hastings?” Robert said.

Hastings made an angry sound behind the gag.

“Oh, pardon me. I’ll remove the gag, but I’ll expect you to keep your voice at a conversational level. If you don’t-” he nodded toward Captain Dolman, who held a gun aimed at Hastings. “I’m afraid Captain Dolman, who is an excellent shot, will be allowed to fulfill his fondest wish.”