Murder [and Baklava] (A European Voyage #1)- Blake Pierce Page 0,29

the Nachtmusik.

The sight took her aback for a few moments, then she realized that a boat like this must be a rare sight here. Although the little town was easily accessible by bus or rail, the people must be surprised that such a ship had ventured all this way into the heart of Gyor.

She knew that most tour boats wouldn’t even attempt to make it up this tributary of the Danube to the place where the river narrowed and converged with the Rába and Rábca. Even though the modest-sized Nachtmusik was well-designed to reach unusual destinations, the pilot had to be exceptionally skilled to manage that passageway through the Moson Danube, or Small Danube.

Beyond the curious crowd, the other side of the river was a fanciful, densely packed assortment of quaint buildings with tiled roofs. London could see by the angles of their walls that the streets must be twisty and irregular. It was a less majestic city than Budapest—but if anything, it seemed more charming and fairytale-like.

Gyor’s Old Town, she realized. She had never been here before, not even with Mom and Dad.

As she turned away from the window, London glanced at the silver compote on her table. Only a few crumbs and a few drops of sticky syrup remained there beneath it. She closed her eyes and felt as though she could taste that delicious baklava all over again.

Who left it there for me?

Maybe today she could solve the mystery of the baklava’s origin.

Meanwhile, she had a busy day ahead. She put on her uniform and got ready for work. But as soon as she stepped outside her room, her spirits sank. Amy Blassingame was striding down the hallway toward her.

“London, I was just coming down to see you!” Amy cried out. She kept chattering as she came to a halt, blocking London’s way. “I’ve been simply frantic all morning, going from room to room to take care of all those things on that enormous list of yours. And I’m afraid I’ve run into a problem. A passenger came to me with a small complaint—well, not a small complaint as far as he’s concerned.”

“What is it?” London asked.

“He said his room temperature wasn’t absolutely perfect. Something about it having to stay exactly at seventy-eight degrees. He said it was wrong, I can’t remember whether he said it was too high or too low. I told him I’d bring it up with you. I said I was sure you would make sure it got fixed.”

London winced a little. Then she thought back to what Elsie had told her yesterday.

“Just remember—you’re her boss, not the other way around.”

And after all, this was an issue for a concierge to take care of, not a social director.

The time had come for her to exert her authority.

But how could she do that without making unnecessary waves?

Politely, she decided.

She smiled pleasantly.

“Well, please check in with the maintenance manager, will you? Tell him about the complaint. Maybe he can figure out some way to fix this. Or maybe he’ll tell you that the temperature just can’t be set any more precisely than it is. Either way, kindly talk to the passenger and explain to him how things are. I’ll leave it up to you.”

Amy’s smile faded.

“But I’ve got so many other things to do,” she grumbled.

“And so do I,” London replied. “But I have confidence in you. I’m sure you can take care of it.”

Amy stood glaring for a moment, as if about to protest. But of course, she couldn’t very well complain about being asked to do her job—especially when she’d been asked nicely.

“All right, then,” Amy said. “What else is on the agenda?”

“I’ve got a large tour group for today,” London said. “We’ll be leaving after breakfast.”

“Really?” Amy said with a wistful sigh. “And I suppose I’ll be spending the whole day aboard while you’re out … well, never mind.”

London had to admit that it didn’t seem quite fair.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’ll take them out for the morning and through lunch. Then we’ll take a break and you can take over.”

Amy smiled.

“Oh, that would be nice,” she said.

“I’ll need some help before we leave this morning, taking names of who will be on the tour. You can help me with that after breakfast on the gangway.”

“Very good,” Amy said. “I’ll be there.”

As Amy went away, London breathed a sigh of relief. Giving orders was still new to her, but she knew Elsie would be proud of how she’d asserted herself