He bowed politely. “We have a request. Would you be willing to play the violin again tonight? Just two pieces, in the same place as yesterday, before dinner…”
Mito’s narrowed eyes flared with anger, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “I have no instrument.”
The captain shook his head. “Mr. Soga says he will lend one to you.”
“What? That’s not true! I just asked him, and he refused. He told me that if I wanted to borrow an instrument, I needed to bring back the stolen Stradivarius.”
“It seems that Ms. Hasekura convinced him to change his mind. She said that she wanted to hear another of his violins and to have the girl prodigy play it, if possible.”
Hinata recalled the elderly woman saying something along those lines back at the restaurant.
Mito pursed her lips and clenched her fists. “W-well, if that’s true…”
“Are you willing to do it?”
“I can’t simply pick up an instrument and play. I’ll need to test it out and practice with it.”
The captain nodded. “That was part of the deal. But if you are to play it, you must do so in Mr. Soga’s room…”
“Because he doesn’t want it stolen, too, I suppose?” A corner of her mouth curled upward. “Very well. I’ll head over right now.”
“Thank you. Please come with me…,” the captain said, bowing again.
✦ ✦ ✦
Time passed without any progress in the search for the missing violin, and sunset drew nearer.
Chihori was called off to do some other work, so Hinata, Mayuka, Kobayashi, and Chris wandered aimlessly around the ship.
Out on the foredeck on the seventh level, they mimicked the famous scene from Titanic. Then they went to see the big pool on the same deck as the kennel. The air was chilly, so hardly anyone was swimming in it, but the hot tub nearby was buzzing with activity.
Here and there, they spotted security guards looking for the violin. But the other guests didn’t seem to notice and continued enjoying their cruise.
When the four of them returned to the third deck, the captain and several staff members were holding a meeting in the lobby about Mito’s concert. They were deciding the location of the piano, the seating arrangement, and other such details.
Once again, security guards were standing in the corners, keeping a close eye on the guests and looking around.
“I wish those guards would just find the stupid violin already,” Mayuka said with a sigh. “Any brilliant ideas, Hinata?”
“Nope… It’s hard enough just to find our way around this gigantic ship. It would take a miracle to locate that tiny violin. Plus, if someone’s hidden it in their cabin, we’ll never find it.”
“Agreed. We’re completely powerless here…,” Kobayashi said, hanging his head.
I guess there’s nothing we can do…, Hinata thought. He looked down at Chris, who seemed say, “Don’t I get to do anything?”
“Okay, Chris, you’re up,” he said. “Follow the scent of that violin!”
“Wuff?” Chris tilted his head in a questioning manner before lifting his snout and sniffing the air. He looked at Hinata and Kobayashi in turn, then barked.
“Hmm? Did you find something?” Kobayashi asked, leaning forward. Chris started trotting away, eyes sharp and full of purpose.
The rest of them followed skeptically as Chris crossed the lobby with absolute confidence and approached a magnificent desk with leather chairs placed in front. On the other side of the desk was a female employee typing on a computer keyboard.
“It’s the concierge’s desk,” Kobayashi murmured.
“What’s a concierge?” asked Mayuka.
“It’s the staff member who handles guest inquiries. If you have any requests or problems, they’ll help you with them.”
Chris circled around the desk and started sniffing a leather clutch bag resting on a seat next to the woman. He proudly announced his presence with a loud “Woof!”
The woman had been so absorbed in her work that she jumped at the sound.
“Oh!” She laughed and picked up the bag. “This is very important. I’m watching it for someone. No touching!”
As Hinata pulled on Chris’s leash in a panic, the captain came running over from across the room.
“Thank you, Catherine!” said the captain in English, taking the clutch bag from the staff member. “Pardon me, that’s my bag,” he added, nodding at the others. Then he tucked it under his arm and returned to the meeting.
The four of them awkwardly moved away from the concierge’s desk and regrouped outside the elevator.
“So the captain left his bag there during the meeting,” said Mayuka, summarizing. “What’s up, Chris? Why did you go to the captain’s bag?”
Chris’s white, round eyebrows drew together, as if he was saying, “I did my best…”
Hinata had seen Chris act like this several times since the day before. He took a moment to consider what it meant. Chris had looked so confident, so certain that he would be praised for doing a good job.
But I still don’t understand. I’m sorry, Chris. I just can’t figure out what it is you’re trying to tell me…