Chapter 32
Auckland was not Samuel’s only and last stopover before reaching Vancouver. He knew he would have to get lost for at least a week while travelling in the direction of his ultimate destination. The best way to do that in the middle of the Pacific was to take a cruise. Seven days at sea would give him time to plan his next move once he landed in Vancouver. He had left his laptop and cell phone in Melbourne at the hotel. Even if the police would ever get their hands on either item, they would not be able to track him down. He had destroyed the hard drive from the computer and taken the memory chip out of the cell. He bought another laptop and disposable cell at the airport’s duty-free shop in Auckland, and since there was still time to get to the cruise line’s office, he took a cab to the port. He looked at the board of departing ships for that night or next morning and opted for a cruise that would take him to Fiji. From there he could take another cruise either to Vancouver or to Central America, depending on how he felt at the time. Mossad had taught him a long time ago never to rush to a destination or let any pursuer deduce where he was intending to go in the end. Costa Rica would be another option, he thought.
Since he didn’t want to be noticed amid the favourite passengers, or being asked ‘to the Captain’s table’ anytime during the cruise, he decided to book the trip travelling on the lower deck of the ship. He got a cabin with bunk beds, shower and private lavatory. That arrangement suited him just fine since there wasn’t anyone else booked in the same cabin.
The ship sailed at 7:00PM that evening. Samuel was aboard a half hour prior to sailing, which allowed him the time to make it to the upper deck and watch the farewell dance on the pier performed by the local Maori dancers.