Chapter 30
Bert and Mary headed back to their cabin after leaving Diane’s stateroom, moving through the ship’s corridors, both silent.
He had no idea what Mary had been up to, but he was furious that she’d placed herself at risk.
He’d watched in surprised silence as she pretended to sneeze, grabbed a tissue from the nightstand, and snagged the small drinking glass, slipping it into her bag with such a smooth motion.
An elderly couple passed them on their way to their cabin, and a crew member pushed a service cart past them.
Both times, he managed a greeting, hoping no one could see his frustration.
He kept his hand on Mary’s shoulder, maintaining their cover as a devoted couple, and waited for privacy before finding out what the hell she was up to.
The moment the door closed behind them, and he’d verified they were truly alone, Mary rolled into the center of the room and spun her wheelchair around to face him.
“What the hell was that?” He looked down at her, struggling to hold on to his temper. “Mary, you stole a glass, putting yourself at risk if you had been caught—”
“I don’t think Colin is who he says he is.”
The words came out certain, cutting through his anger and replacing it with stunned confusion. He stared at her for a long moment, trying to process what she’d just said and failing to make it compute.
“What?” He moved to the chair across from her and sat, needing to be at eye level. “What are you talking about?”
“Diane mentioned Colin hovering. It unnerves her, but since he is her only living relative, she is indulgent. Then she started showing me photographs… she and her husband, Robert. Then her sister, Catherine, and brother-in-law, and their child, Colin. Colin’s dad was tall, dark-haired.”
“Okay, slow down. Take a breath,” he said, scared at the way Mary’s chest was heaving as she spoke so quickly.
Mary swallowed audibly and nodded through a long, slow inhalation.
Once she let the breath leave her lungs again, she continued.
“Then Diane showed me a picture taken at Colin’s graduation with some friends.
” Mary pulled out her phone and opened the image she’d captured.
“Look at these two men. The one in the middle is who Diane identified as Colin, and the one to his left was his best friend and roommate even after college. She never met him and can’t remember his name. ”
Bert studied the photo, seeing what Mary had seen. The two young men looked remarkably similar—same height, same build, same dark hair and sharp features. “Okay… they look alike. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know… maybe Diane’s brother-in-law had an affair and had another child? Colin might not be the only heir if Catherine’s husband had another child? Am I crazy for even thinking this? Maybe it’s just a coincidence, and I’m losing my mind!”
Bert shook his head, trying to sort through the various scenarios Mary was presenting. “What else did Diane talk about?”
“Diane said they were roommates in university. And Bert, she also said that years went by during which she didn’t see Colin. College, then his job, and life getting in the way. They reconnected when her husband died. The reunion was at a funeral, when everyone was emotional and grieving.”
The pieces started clicking together in Bert’s mind, forming a picture that was both far-fetched and terrifyingly plausible.
“You think the man who looks like Colin might be a relative who would have claim to Diane’s inheritance?
” The two remained quiet as his mind filtered through the possibilities.
Blinking, he reached down to grab her hand.
“And you think the man we know as Colin isn’t actually Colin. ”
Mary pressed her lips together and shrugged.
“I think it’s possible.” Mary’s hands twisted in her lap.
“Or what if the two men aren’t related? What if something happened to the real Colin, and the roommate who looked similar enough to pass for him took his place?
Showed up at the funeral claiming to be Colin, and no one questioned it because they hadn’t seen him in years, and everyone was too upset to look closely? ”
Bert’s mind was already running through the implications. “If he’s an impostor, that means the real Colin is probably dead. And if our Colin murdered his roommate to steal his identity—”
“Then Diane is in danger from someone much more violent than we thought.” Mary’s voice was steady, but Bert could see the fear in her eyes.
“That’s why I took the glass. Colin brought it to Diane, so his fingerprints should be on it.
The staff all wear gloves, so any prints should be his or Diane’s.
If we can get them analyzed, compare them to any records that exist for the real Colin Morrison—”
“We might be able to prove our Colin is an impostor,” Bert finished.
“Or we can get some DNA from him and prove that he is Colin… or a half brother… or not related at all. Maybe…” She shook her head and then sat straighter in her chair. “I’m not being rational and thinking logically. Bert, we need to take this one step at a time.”
His initial anger had transformed into respect for Mary’s quick thinking, mixed with fear for the risk she’d taken. “But Mary, you took a huge chance. If Colin had seen you take that glass… if he’d realized what you were doing—”
“I know.” Mary met his gaze steadily. “It was impulsive, crazy, and completely not like me. But we need to know, Bert. And maybe this is a wild goose chase. Maybe he’s Colin.
Maybe he’s exactly who he says. We still know that he may be giving her medication that wasn’t prescribed for her.
And if by some tiny piece of luck, I’ve stumbled onto a sinister plot that’s even more sinister than we thought, then Diane doesn’t just need protection from financial exploitation.
She needs protection from someone who’s playing a long-range game to get access to her money and probably won’t hesitate to kill. ”
Bert wanted to argue, wanted to lecture her about taking unnecessary risks, wanted to explain all the ways that could have gone wrong.
But looking at Mary’s face and seeing the determination there, the fear for Diane, and the willingness to put herself at risk to protect someone who needed help, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
This was who Mary was. This was what made her a good Keeper. She saw someone in danger, and she acted, even when it meant taking risks, even when it scared her.
“Okay,” Bert said, taking a breath to steady himself. “You’re right. We need to know. And I have a digital fingerprint kit in my tactical bag.”
He retrieved the compact kit from his gear. While Mary watched with sharp attention, Bert carefully extracted the glass from the tissue, handled it only by the base, and began the process of lifting the prints.
The glass yielded several clear prints, exactly as Mary had predicted. Colin’s fingers wrapped around the glass, his thumb on one side, three fingers on the other. Perfect impressions that Bert photographed with the kit’s specialized lens, ensuring every ridge and whorl was captured.
“Got ’em,” Bert said, satisfaction mixing with grim determination. “Clear prints, multiple points of comparison. If Sadie can access any records for the real Colin Morrison, such as fingerprints from background checks for employment, she should be able to get them analyzed.”
“We need to call Logan,” Mary said. “Get everyone on speaker, tell them what we’re working on.” She winced. “And if Logan needs to chew me out for the risk, I’ll take it.”
Bert snorted as he set up his laptop and initiated the secure video call, connecting to the operations center at LSI Montana. It was early morning in Montana, but the team was already assembled. Logan, Sadie, Timothy, and several other Keepers were all focused and alert.
“Bert, Mary,” Logan greeted them, his expression serious. “What’ve you got?”
Bert looked at her and nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead.”
“Okay… something came up today, and I’m working on a theory,” Mary said. “And possibly evidence to support it, though it sounds crazy when I say it out loud.”
“Go for it,” Logan said.
She walked them through everything that Diane had said, including the photograph showing two remarkably similar men, Diane’s comments about not seeing Colin for years before reconnecting at his parents’ funeral, and the possibility that the man they’d been watching was actually an impostor.
“I know it’s fantastical… he might be the real Colin, he might be a half brother of Colin’s, but even if there is the remotest chance that he’s not… ”
The operations center was silent for a moment after Mary finished, then low whistles, “what the hell” and a few “fucks” were heard from the other Keepers.
Sadie leaned forward, her expression intense. “Send me the photograph,” she said.
“Sure, um… but there’s more.” Mary explained how, once the idea took hold and Colin came in carrying a water glass, she’d snagged it when no one was looking.
Bert interjected and explained how he’d already taken fingerprints from the glass.
“Holy shit, Mary,” Timothy exclaimed. “You go, girl!”
“I don’t have to tell you what a risk that was, do I?” Logan’s hard expression was staring right at her through the call.
“Um… no. Bert’s already taken care of that,” she muttered.
“Send me everything,” Sadie said. “I can run facial recognition software on the grad photo, and see what other records are out there. At least, we can get the friend’s name from past leases.
And if the real Colin had any fingerprints on file from possible employment background checks, I can run the comparison program on them. ”
Bert transferred the files while Mary continued her explanation.
“I know it sounds far-fetched. Identity theft on this scale, with family members… it should be nearly impossible to pull off. But Diane said years went by without contact. If Colin’s appearance wasn’t that distinctive, if the roommate knew enough about the family to fake it, if he showed up at an emotionally charged time during a funeral when no one was looking too closely—”
“It could work,” Logan said grimly. “Sadie, how fast can you work this?”
“Give me two hours for facial recognition and basic background checks. If I need to dig deeper, it might take longer.” Sadie was already typing, multiple screens lighting up around her. “But Bert, Mary… if you’re right about this, if Colin is actually an impostor—”
“Then he’s dangerous in ways we haven’t fully appreciated,” Logan finished. “Which means you two need to be extremely careful. No more solo visits to Diane’s cabin, no confronting Colin with suspicions, no taking risks.”
“Understood,” Bert said, though Mary’s expression suggested she was less willing to promise complete caution.
“I’m contacting my Canadian liaison now,” Logan continued.
“Updating them on your theory and the evidence you’ve gathered.
They were already monitoring the situation based on the medication evidence, but this changes things.
If Colin is an impostor with a history of violence, they need to move faster. ”
“How much faster?” Mary asked.
“I’ll push for action within twenty-four hours. But Mary, Bert… until then, you maintain your cover. Stay close to each other, stay alert, and for God’s sake, don’t do anything to tip Colin off that you’re suspicious.”
“Roger that,” Bert said. “We’ll check in every four hours, more frequently if the situation changes.”
They disconnected, and he sat back in his chair, processing everything they’d just learned and theorized.
He turned his attention back to Mary. “You did good work.” Shaking his head, he met her gaze. “Risky as hell, but good work. That photograph, spotting the similarity, making the connection about identity theft. Everything. Fucking good luck.”
“I just hope I’m wrong,” she said quietly.
“Because if I’m right, it means a young man might have died years ago and had his identity stolen by someone he trusted.
And it means Diane has possibly been living with her nephew’s murderer, never knowing the man caring for her killed the real Colin.
Or the man she thinks is her nephew is actually her brother-in-law’s illegitimate son.
” Dropping her chin down, she groaned, “Oh God… too many conjectures to think about.”
“If you’re right, we’ll prove it. And we’ll make sure Diane is safe and that Colin, or whoever he really is, will be turned over to the Canadian police.”
Mary nodded, but he could see the fear beneath her professional competence.
They might have uncovered something bigger than they’d anticipated, something darker.
And until Canadian authorities moved, until Sadie could prove or disprove Mary’s theory, they were stuck on a ship with a potential murderer who couldn’t be allowed to realize they were onto him.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Now we wait. We maintain our cover, keep eyes on Colin and Diane, and trust that Sadie and the other Keepers will work fast enough to get authorities moving before anything else happens.”
“And if something does happen? If Colin makes a move before authorities can act?”
“Then we intervene,” Bert said simply. “Whatever it takes to keep Diane safe, we do it. Even if it means blowing our cover and putting ourselves at risk.”
Mary reached out and took his hand, her fingers lacing with his. “Together.”
“Always together,” Bert agreed.
They sat in their stateroom for a while longer, holding hands and processing the implications of what they’d discovered. Outside the window, the Canadian coastline slipped past, beautiful and serene and completely at odds with the danger unfolding on the ship.
“I’m glad I’m not here alone,” Mary said.
He smiled, leaned forward, and kissed her softly. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you.”