Chapter 34
Millie waited until ten on the dot to track Cat down. “Any word from Juji?”
“Not yet. Patterson is with me. We’re calling her now.”
“Where are you?”
“On the promenade, starboard side.”
“I’ll meet you there.” Millie pivoted and headed toward the meeting location. Thinking they might be at the other end, she turned toward the aft of the ship when she spotted them standing near the railing.
Cat noticed her first and waved her over. “You made it just in time.” She tapped the screen and dialed Juji’s number.
A familiar voice echoed over the line. “Cat. Oh dear. I forgot to call you. We have another ship in port. As soon as I unlocked the door, customers arrived.”
“It’s all right. Have you had a chance to talk to the other shop owners?”
“I have. You’ll be pleased to know a disposable cell phone was purchased yesterday with the exact number you gave me assigned to it,” Juji said.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a description of the customer, would you?”
“The store owner, a friend, is almost certain it was a cruise ship passenger, although he can’t remember what the man looked like.”
“Does the store have surveillance cameras?” Patterson asked.
“It does,” Juji replied.
“Could you give us the name of the store and owner? I would like a copy of the recording.”
“I did not finish. The store has cameras. The owner is having trouble with the recordings. He is trying to retrieve them as we speak, but so far has had no luck.”
“Bummer,” Millie sighed. “We’re so close to nailing him.”
“I may have a spot of good news,” Juji said. “I have the last four digits of the credit card used to purchase the burner phone.”
Millie quietly clapped her hands.
“What are they?”
“Five eight two two.”
Patterson repeated it. “5-8-2-2.”
“The phone was a low end model without many features. The customer paid sixty dollars, which is higher than mainland prices but reasonable for Grand Turk.”
“Jeremy wouldn’t need many features if he planned to use it only once,” Cat said. “This is wonderful. Thank you, Juji.”
“You are welcome. I hope you match the number to this person.”
“We do too.” Patterson thanked her and ended the call. “If Jeremy set up an onboard account using a credit card, we’ll be able to match the number he put on file to the number used to buy the burner phone that called in the bomb threat.”
“He could have multiple credit cards,” Cat said.
“If this is the case and we don’t get an immediate match, we’ll search his cabin.” Patterson jabbed his finger in Millie’s direction. “Again.”
“And look what I found?” She pointedly changed the subject, reminding him Tohan had told her he had limited credit cards. “I’m gonna bet the card we have on file is a match.”
As luck would have it, the promenade deck was only steps away from Guest Services.
Nikki saw them coming and hurried to the counter. “Uh-oh. Triple trouble.”
“You mean double trouble,” Patterson replied. “We need to check a passenger’s onboard account. Jeremy Manning.”
“From my PPP list?”
“PPP?”
“Potentially problematic passenger list,” Nikki said. “Based on the rumblings I’ve been hearing, it’s an accurate assessment.”
“Maybe even more so after you answer our question. We’re looking for the last four digits of the credit card Mr. Manning is using to charge on his account.”
Nikki lowered her gaze, focusing her attention on the task at hand. “I have it. The last four numbers are 4209.”
“4209? We don’t have a match.” Millie’s heart plummeted. “I thought for sure it was Jeremy.”
“I can do a reverse trace. What are the last four digits?” Nikki asked.
“5822.”
Nikki scrolled through the screen. “It isn’t the one Jeremy used for his account but I found one in the system. It belongs to J. Manning.”
“J. Manning,” Patterson repeated. “Is this an extra card you have on his account?”
“No. Actually, I’m not sure why I have it on file,” she admitted. “I can tell 5822 belongs to J. Manning but that 4209 is the card linked to Jeremy’s account.”
Millie drummed her fingers on the counter. “Maybe he thought he was being clever, using a different card to buy the burner phone, thinking we couldn’t link it to him.”
“It’s possible,” Patterson agreed.
“Those are the same four numbers from the card used at the store in Grand Turk. We have confirmed the identity of our bomb threat caller.” Patterson reached for his radio.
“I’ll take great pleasure in locking Manning up until we return to Miami, at which point Majestic Cruise Lines fully intends to press charges. ”
“Music to my ears,” Millie sing-songed. “There’s only one Manning on board and we can one hundred percent link the credit card to him.”
Cat’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen. “It’s Juji.”
She pressed the answer button and put it on speaker. “Hi Juji.”
“Hello, Cat. I have a spot of good news. The store owner was able to retrieve the surveillance footage of the person who purchased the burner phone. Where would you like me to send it?”
“She can send it to me,” Nikki whispered.
Patterson spoke. “I’ll give you an email address.” He motioned to Nikki, who rattled it off.
“It has been sent.”
“Thank you, Juji,” Cat said. “We believe we know who it is but visual evidence will help nail this person, for sure.”
“You are welcome. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.”
“I have it.”
Patterson, Cat and Millie joined Nikki behind the counter. She clicked on the link and pulled up the attachment.
A grainy image of a small store appeared. A man, in his forties if Millie had to guess, stood near a display case. A male wearing cargo shorts and a light-colored button down shirt approached.
With his back to the camera, Millie struggled to make out the man’s features.
“Can you enlarge the screen?” Patterson asked.
“Sure.” Nikki made it larger.
The store employee removed a boxed phone from the cabinet and set it on the counter. For several long seconds, the two discussed the contents. The customer nodded. The store employee rang up the purchase and placed the phone plus a receipt in the bag.
Finally, the man turned.
Millie’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at the screen in disbelief and said the first thing that popped into her head. “Liz was right. Suspect the least suspicious.”