Murder Under a Honey Moon

Murder Under A Honey Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery

Mona Moon, an American, has married Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, and they are on the RMS Majesty traveling from New York to Southampton, Great Britain. They have just discovered the theft of Mona’s jewels which were used as collateral on a loan for the Brynelleth estate. And they don’t realize they are being followed on the ship and their lives are in danger! It is December, 1934.

6

“Where the bloody hell is the captain?” Robert demanded.

First Officer Caruthers replied, “He’s on the bridge, Your Grace. I’m afraid he’s rather busy at the moment as the storm has been upgraded to a hurricane.”

Mona and Robert glanced at each other regarding this declaration.

The first officer continued, “Can you explain to me what has happened, Your Grace?”

Just then the ship listed to the starboard side before righting itself.

Grabbing the back of a chair to steady herself, Mona waved at the sitting room. “As you can see, Mr. Caruthers, our stateroom has been ransacked this evening. We’ve been robbed. It is most distressing.”

“When did this occur?” the first officer asked.

“Must have happened between dinner and our return,” Mona replied, perturbed.

Mr. Caruthers said, standing firmly on his sea legs as the ship rocked. “You locked your door?”

“Of course we locked our door, and the portholes were locked as well,” Robert blustered.

Mona replied, “Mr. Caruthers, we had to unlock the door to enter, which means someone has an extra set of keys to our stateroom. Who knows what other keys he or she might possess?”

“There have been no other reports of any mischief, Your Grace.”

“Doesn’t mean there won’t be during the voyage in the future,” Mona answered.

“What has been stolen?” Mr. Caruthers asked, glancing about the disturbed sitting area.

Mona replied, “All my jewelry.”

“Are you sure?” Mr. Caruthers asked.

Mona snapped, “Of course I’m sure. I searched the entire suite before we called you. The only reason the robber didn’t get my bracelets is because I was wearing them.”

The first officer glanced at Mona’s white and yellow diamond bracelets, still flashing on her wrists. “Why didn’t you entrust your jewelry to the purser for safekeeping?”

“You ought to know,” Robert said. “You were the one who marched us off to be locked in our stateroom. We had no opportunity to take the jewelry to the purser’s office when first boarding, and when we did, the office was locked.”

“Can you tell me what was stolen?” Mr. Caruthers asked, nonplussed.

Mona answered quickly, “A diamond tiara, an emerald and diamond necklace with matching earrings, a pearl necklace with matching earrings, two diamond bracelets, and a sapphire ring. An antique Egyptian collar and several lapis necklaces. Several gold brooches with gemstones—one in the shape of a peacock with multi-colored stones on the tail, a diamond starburst, and a leopard brooch with ruby and diamond spots.”

“Anything else?”

Mona answered, “Yes, what you might consider costume jewelry. Somewhat expensive but store bought—nothing like the fine jewels.”

“What would you estimate to be the value of the missing items?”

“Easily over ten thousand pounds,” Robert replied.

Mr. Caruthers glanced up at the Farleys. “Ten thousand pounds?” He gulped and pulled at his collar. “You can document this?”

Mona said, “Yes, we’ll wire my lawyer in the morning, and he can verify the pieces. He has a complete list and photographs, complete with gem weight, carats, clarity, and so forth.”

“What will be done, Mr. Caruthers?” Robert asked.

“Nothing until the storm has passed. Everyone is busy. I’ll report this to the captain and as soon as possible, he will order a search. I know you are upset, Your Grace, but the thief has nowhere to go. We are heading into the middle of the Atlantic. We’ll catch him.” The first officer gave Robert a curt salute and left.

“What do you think, my dear?” Robert asked Mona, who was picking her strewn clothes off the floor.

“I think you look a little green around the gills,” she answered.

Robert put his hand on his stomach. “I’ve never been good on boats and certainly wasn’t expecting a hurricane. Our honeymoon is not off to a good start.”

“That’s not the issue, Lord Bob. The tiara and the emerald set were part of the Brynelleth estate! We must find those pieces.”

Robert sat down in a chair while Mona curled in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. “You don’t need to tell me that we are in trouble, Mona. Improvements we’ve made to the estate haven’t had time to turn a profit. Those pieces were collateral for the loan I took out two years ago plus what the estate owes you. I know you won’t call for the note to be paid back, but I’m not so sure of the bank. Once they hear of the theft, they will want their money. I simply don’t have it.”

“I’ll pay it if it comes to that,” Mona reassured Robert.

Robert placed his hands gently about Mona’s face, forcing her to look at him. “No, darling, you won’t. Brynelleth and its people are my responsibility. You’ve

done enough for us.

“Now, don’t be a crosspatch. I’m your wife. I should help.”

“And I’m a husband who needs to stand on his own two feet.” Robert shook his head slightly. “Sorry, dearest, but this is my problem if we can’t find that jewelry.”

Mona laid her head back on Robert’s shoulder. “Then we will just have to recover the loot ourselves before the ship docks.”

Robert stood Mona on her feet. “Listen. Listen. No more rain.” He walked over to the porthole, pulled away the curtain, and opened it. “The rain has stopped, Mona. The ship’s not listing. Let’s go see the captain.” He made for the door until Mona pulled him back.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Lord Bob?”

“I don’t think so. Come on. We need to jump on this.”

“We are in the eye of the storm, Robert. It will be calm for a few more minutes before it starts again.”

“Then you think this is more than a bad thunderstorm, Mona?”

“I think we are in a rogue hurricane.”

“In December?” Robert asked.

“It has happened before. Rare I admit, but still. I think we should take precautions.”

Robert teased, “Well, let’s hurry to bed then, as there is nothing we can do until the storm stops. I’m afraid neither one of us is going to catch much sleep tonight, tossing and rolling with the waves. Let’s hope we don’t hit an iceberg.”

“That’s not funny, Robert.”

“Sorry, dear. The comment was in poor taste.”

Mona bit her lip before replying, “No, I’m sorry. My nerves are raw from this storm, and I’ve felt odd ever since dinner. A bit dizzy. Yes, let’s retire. As Mr. Caruthers said—where can the thief get off to? We’ll see the captain first thing in the morning. There’s nothing we can do tonight.”

Robert wedged a chair under the doorknob of the stateroom door. “That should keep any scoundrel out.” He escorted Mona to their bedroom after turning out the lights in the sitting area.

Neither one saw a stranger cup his hands together to better press his face against the glass and peer in through the porthole where Robert had forgotten to close the curtain. Only lightning from the storm moving in again lit up the room and the stranger’s face. For a brief second, the stranger saw the disarray with the steamer trunks and the ransacked room.

He seemed pleased and hurried back to his cabin.