Ginger had an idea, relayed it to Haley, and they parted ways. Ginger dropped Boss off at her room, then headed back to the starboard corridor and knocked on Miss Guilford’s door. As if she was expecting company, Nancy Guilford opened it, her expression of glee slipping into dismay. She wore a slinky dress and held two empty champagne flutes.

“Celebrating?” Ginger said. She didn’t wait to be invited in and pushed herself past the actress.

“Hey, wait a minute. You got no right to barge in here like that.”

“Who are you waiting for?” Ginger countered. “Your partner in crime?”

Nancy fell into the role of an innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She put the flutes down on the sideboard and lit up a cigarette, this time using an ebony holder. She slid languidly into a chair, crossing long legs.

“Have I mentioned I’m a big fan of yours,” Ginger said. “I’ve seen all your films.” Nancy perked up a little at that.

“As a courtesy and because I’m such a big fan, I thought I should tell you...” She held out the sentence until she was certain she had Nancy’s attention.

“Tell me what?” Nancy prompted impatiently.

“I thought you should know that Mrs. Elise Walsh has implicated you for the murder of her husband.”

Nancy blew out a puff of air. “Well, that’s not so astonishing, is it? Of course, the wife would accuse the mistress.”

“She says she has proof.”

For the first time, Nancy looked troubled. Her eyelashes fluttered. “She’s bluffing.”

Ginger noticed the door to the adjoining room had slid open a crack since they arrived and wasn’t surprised when the eavesdropper slipped in.

“Hello, Miss Applebalm.”

Patty pinned Ginger with a steely gaze, but spoke to Nancy. “Is everything all right, Miss Guilford?”

“Everything’s hunky-dory, Patty. Mrs. Gold was just leaving.”

“Suit yourself,” Ginger said casually. “Forewarned is forearmed, you know.”

By the time she got to the door, someone knocked on the other side. “Chief Officer MacIntosh! Fancy meeting you here.”

MacIntosh’s eyes darted from Ginger to Nancy, and Nancy just shrugged. “She showed up uninvited.”

“Is this another example of your courtesy?” Ginger said. “Making sure a passenger is comfortable? I’m still waiting for a visit from you, in that case.” She folded her arms. “In fact, I’m growing more and more ‘uncomfortable’.”

MacIntosh straightened and called on the authority of his position to excuse himself. “Miss Guilford, would you like to accompany me to... somewhere else, where we may discuss matters in private?”

She stamped out her cigarette in a large porcelain ashtray and jumped to her feet. “Yes, please.”

“But, Officer MacIntos—” Ginger started.

He pointed a thick finger in her direction. “I don’t have to justify my actions and whereabouts to you, Mrs. Gold.” Just as he reached for the knob, there was another knock.

“Is there a party scheduled in my room today that I didn’t know about?” Nancy said. The door opened to Mrs. Walsh. Her bloodshot eyes and the fiery redness in her cheeks spoke volumes. She was unable to compose herself, even after registering that Nancy Guilford wasn’t alone.

“Are you quite all right, Mrs. Walsh?” MacIntosh said.

“What are you doing here?” Nancy said.

Elise Walsh glared at Nancy and hissed, “We need to speak in private.”

“Why? So you can accuse me of murder?”

Mrs. Walsh stepped across the room. “Like you accused me?”

Haley had delivered the same message to Elise Walsh as Ginger had relayed to Nancy Guilford, planting the accusation from one to the other.

Nancy shouted. “I didn’t accuse you!”

“Ladies, ladies,” Ginger said. “Perhaps I can help.” She produced the cuff link, and silence fell as everyone stared at it. “This dropped onto the deck, Miss Guilford, when Miss Applebalm removed your scarf from her bag. It belonged to Captain Walsh.”

MacIntosh’s eyes locked on Nancy Guilford.

“It’s no secret I was involved with the captain,” Nancy said defensively.

“Mrs. Walsh, I believe you have the other one?” Ginger said.

“So? Why wouldn’t I have my own husband’s cuff links?”

“Ah, well, you did have both of them, didn’t you? You’d taken them from your husband’s dressing table so that he couldn’t wear them again.”

“Why would I do that?” Mrs. Walsh said bitterly.

“Because you knew they were given to him as a gift from Miss Guilford. It was why he said they had sentimental value.”

Nancy gulped. “How do you know that?”

Ginger opened a sideboard drawer and removed a receipt. “A silver set of cuff links with the fleur de lis engraved, purchased recently from the Boston Jewelers Exchange.”

Nancy’s full mouth tightened.

“I managed a little peek when we came to visit,” Ginger explained. “You really should close your drawers properly when company calls.”

Nancy grumbled and folded her arms over her chest. “It was a wasted effort on my part to get him to leave the witch, but I didn’t kill him.”

Ginger turned to Patty Applebalm. “You love your niece deeply, don’t you? She’s all you have left of your beloved sister.” Then she repeated the words Mrs. Fairchild had said earlier. “You’d do anything for Nancy, wouldn’t you?”

Nancy sat up. Her eyes found Patty Applebalm’s, and the room seemed to still. She shook her head. “No, no, it’s not what you think.”

Ginger cocked her head and held up the cuff link. “Isn’t it?”

Miss Applebalm pointed a finger at Elise Walsh. “She struck him first!”

“Patty!” Nancy’s face was now an unflattering shade of red. “Shut up!”

“‘Struck him first’?” Chief Inspector Reed’s voice came from the open doorway. “Does that mean that you hit him the second time, Miss Applebalm?”

Ginger looked to Haley, who stood at the doorway, and gave her a thumbs-up sign. But, in the next instant, Patty Applebalm was behind Ginger, and she whipped Nancy’s colourful silk scarf around her neck.

Patty Applebaum’s voice trembled as she shouted, “Everyone out, or I’ll hurt her!”