Deadly Reunion (25 page)

What I’d been instead was a girl ridden with angst and uncertainty.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

“What?” I asked, shocked out of reverie.

Gil slipped an arm around my waist. Beside me, he stared out the window.

I peered out there. Blue rolling water. White-tipped mountains. In the distance, a glacier that our ship would probably stop to watch. Everyone would listen to it rumble and groan. Most likely while we remained near, it would calve with an explosive crash as a massive section of it shot off into the sea.

“I guess it’s okay.”

He looked at me, forehead wrinkled. “Just okay?”

I knew there was some reason I wasn’t happy with Gil, but it wasn’t important. “Have you gotten any more information that you haven’t told me?”

His wrinkles deepened. He gave his head a slight nod.

“I need to know. Tell me everything,” I persisted.

He blew out a long breath and loosened his grip on my waist. “You know there’s a brig on board. If they find that anyone caused her death, they’ll lock up the person in that small padded room. It has a small round window so they can watch the prisoner.”

“Okay, so do you know if anyone caused her death?” I watched his eyes, waiting to see if they’d flinch, more satisfied when they didn’t.

“I wouldn’t know that.”

“All right. What else?”

His gaze shifted upward. “They need to find a funeral home that will accept the…Tetter. The Chief Purser and Hotel Director will let her family know what they locate.”

I shut my eyes, imagining the anguish her family might feel. The pain was too great. Drawing my eyelids apart, I nodded at Gil to continue.

“These are things my uncle told me would happen after Jonathan Mill died. I haven’t gotten to talk to him except for brief e-mail since Tetter fell.”

“Tell me what you know.”

“The manager of the photo department is in charge of taking all of the pictures, with and without clothes, from all angles.”

“Stop!” I shoved a hand toward him and the other one over my mouth, ready to gag. “Don’t tell me the guy in charge of taking our pictures also snapped pictures of my friend naked?”

“You wanted to know.”

“Not that.”

“I’m sorry. Besides, we probably had a different photographer. After Jonathan fell, and I asked my uncle what happens on a ship when a person dies, those were some of the things he told me. I’m not aware of any specifics about your classmate.”

“Why were you giving an interview on TV? To get your name out there?” I was ashamed the minute I spewed the words and wished I could retrieve them.

He lowered his gaze. I’d hurt him. Why couldn’t I rip all meanness out of me?

“That reporter saw me coming out of the library, so he knew I’d been questioned. He wanted to know what I could tell him about Tetter. I only said she was a nice person.”

I gripped his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m just…you know I can’t be myself right now. Or maybe I can, and I’m really a horrible person.”

“There’s nothing horrible about my Cealie. Except she lost a good friend.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ll see you later.” Gil kissed my forehead and walked off.

I could have run after him and apologized. But I had already done that. I could have said how terrible I was. But Gil was right. I was riding an emotional rollercoaster, full speed ahead toward a volcanic eruption. Until I learned what caused my classmate’s death, I could not remain stable.

I ambled down the long hallway, glancing in bars to see if any of my classmates were inside. A few rowdy passengers gyrated on the dance floor, something I was not interested in doing anymore.

From the crowd ahead in the hallway, a familiar friendly face came into view. I smiled as Jane headed toward me.

She swung her index finger toward my face, her face pinched in a scowl. “You screwed my little brother?”

Everyone around faced me. Most looked shocked. Others grinned. What high entertainment.

“Let’s go somewhere private to talk.” I gripped Jane’s arm.

She jerked away as though I’d tried to share leprosy. “I don’t need to go anywhere private with you. You seem to have spent lots of private time with my brother. Darn, Cealie, my naïve little brother.”

“But we only went out a few times.”

“And did what?”

People sucked in closer, wanting to hear my sordid story. I flung a furious stare at them. They scattered like sprayed roaches.

“Jane,” I said, aggravation building with my louder voice, “it’s none of your business what I did on a date. I never asked what you did on dates.”

“I never went out with your brother!”

“Who told you I dated Carl?”

She shoved her face closer to mine. Her breath smelled of spearmint. “You should have told me you were seeing him. Or putting out with him.”

“You have absolutely no idea what we did when we went out. But Carl’s the one who should have told you. He’s your family.”

“I guess he was embarrassed to tell us he dated you.” Her face twisted with anger.

Her statement hurt. I chose to believe she only said it out of anger. “He wanted to get that new little blond in our class jealous. It’s the only reason he asked me to go out a few times. And then he got her.”

“Right. And I’ll sell you that mountain.” She flipped her hand toward the nearest large window, spun, and stomped away.

“Who told you?” I yelled.

She didn’t turn back. “Ask the guy from our reunion.”

Randy
.

Why would he tell Jane I’d dated her brother?

Chapter 21

I needed to find out why Randy told Jane about my few dates with her brother. Especially, why now?

Jane was my very best friend from school and on this ship, except for Gil. If they were both angry with me, who would I do things with? I could accept her talking to me the way she did because I admired her so much, and I probably should have told her I went on those few dates with Carl.

I walked on, wondering who might help me discover what really happened to Tetter.
Had
someone killed her?

And had that person also killed Jonathan?

I quit moving. Of course security would have thought of the possible connection. I needed to speak to those in charge, to tell them more and insist they give me answers.

I headed toward the inquisition room and slowed, recalling all of the TV cameras and curious people. Now would not be the time to return to their location. Glancing out a large window, I noticed a heavy mist had rolled it. It probably kept more people than usual inside.

My ankle ached. Time to give it a rest so I could think better. I entered a bar with only one couple inside and stretched on a cushioned love seat against the wall. I shook my head at the bartender to let him know I didn’t want anything.

“It’s water,” he said, carrying a glass to me. “You look like you could use it.”

“Thanks. You’re right.”

I sipped my icy water, deciding to take a pain reliever for faster respite. The couple in the bar shared secret smiles and kisses. I looked away, allowing their privacy. The TV on the wall was off.

“Would you mind turning your TV on the ship’s channel?” I asked the bartender.

“Sure thing.” He remoted the set.

Our cruise director appeared on the screen wearing a wide smile. “Here you can see the fun you experienced during the Captain’s Party your first night aboard. And don’t forget—all of your excitement and entertainment is being captured right here with our onboard cameras. You will be able to purchase a tape reminding you of your exciting cruise before you leave the ship.”

These same scenes would be playing in staterooms and elsewhere on the ship, anywhere to get passengers’ attention so they would look for themselves in scenes and want to purchase a reminder of their fun.

My time during this cruise was anything but fun, except for brief moments. I concentrated on the screen. Security members would be doing this, too, all of us looking for anything out of the ordinary that might relate to two dead passengers.

They would search for any scenes showing Jonathan or Tetter. By now they’d know of those victims’ friends on the ship. Surely they’d found the photos of our group sharing our little class reunion. Tetter stood with all of us.

Would they notice Randy glaring at me in those pictures when I’d purposely shoved myself between him and her?

Of course they would. These people were trained to look for problems.

But they didn’t know the relationship between all of the people in our group.

Did I?

I wasn’t certain and didn’t know what else to do now. Slipping off my shoes, I relaxed my legs up on the love seat.

Onscreen, waiters and waitresses served trays of complimentary hors d’oeuvres and stemmed glasses of champagne and lime-green margaritas and pink daiquiris to seated guests in the massive theater. The camera panned the room, getting close-ups of people wearing dressy casuals with smiling faces.

I searched for our group, also hoping I would see Gil. I missed him. I’d annoyed him—but before being any good with him, I had to know what caused my friend’s death. He was so forgiving of all my faults.

Guests streamed into the theatre…

“Your trip started soon after you boarded, and we made sure you were all safely aboard before we embarked, and that you knew how to protect yourself should any problem arise,” a man’s voice said, waking me. I glanced around and saw I was prone on the love seat in the bar. I set my feet down on the floor and sat up. I was alone except for the bartender. The TV showed scenes from the first day. Stewardesses inside a large room displayed the proper way to fasten life jackets and checked on guests who were having problems. Many passengers donned theirs quickly.

The man telling how safe those jackets would keep passengers sent my blood pressure pumping higher. How safe had those jackets kept Jonathan and Tetter?

“This safety drill took place in many stations before you left shore,” the unseen narrator said. One passenger snagged my attention. The bride in her strapless gown.

“Can I get you anything?” the bartender asked me from across the lounge.

“No thanks, but would you raise the volume?” Intent on the screen, I tried to hear background talking as the camera closed in on the bride and groom. He nudged her breast while bringing her life jacket strap around her and hooking it in front.

Motion from the side of the newlyweds grabbed my interest. It was me, walking away right after I’d congratulated them. I was looking for Sue then because she was no longer where she and I had stood.

“As soon as our all-clear is given, you will be able to return your jackets to your staterooms, and we will be on our way,” our instructor onscreen said. I watched a stately couple holding hands and walking right behind her. My heartbeat sped. That woman was Sue. She gripped the hand of a man wearing a hot-pink shirt. Jonathan, the man who’d died later that day.

I swallowed, watching myself heading for Sue. She spied me and dropped Jonathan’s hand. Immediately, she jabbed her finger downward as though toward another place, maybe his cabin, where I imagined she’d said she would meet him. She didn’t signal up toward the sports deck that held the spa where she’d insisted to us that she later went.

The camera jumped to a new scene, and I hopped to my feet. Sue had lied to us that evening. Now I had proof.

Or did I?

Knowing she’d pointed to Jonathan and downward and later told us she’d gone to the spa when it probably wasn’t open yet didn’t prove a thing.

But I could tell the security staff.

Did I want to?

Why? I considered, sagging against the wall.

My friends and I never cared much for her, but that was no reason to start a witch hunt if none existed.

Gil had suggested Sue might have gone to Jonathan’s room and once they stripped down, ready for action, Jonathan might have teased her and put her down so badly she wanted him dead.

Why might she have killed Tetter? No reason I could think of.

“I appreciate the water—and nap,” I told the bartender and turned to leave a tip. I glanced at the TV.

“Have a good one,” the bartender said.

“Here is the evening meal from your first day with us,” an unseen announcer mentioned on television, showing a dining room. It was ours, I could tell, recognizing our maître d’. Sconces on walls, fresh flowers on beautifully appointed tables. Staff members looked splendid in tuxes and anxious to please. Most of the guests who gawked were most likely on their maiden voyages.

Our table was near the door on the left. The camera panned the area on the right as passengers entered. Many people speaking and dishes clattering prohibited my hearing any individual words. But I noticed something that I feared would have a major impact on some people’s lives.

My breaths slowed, and I stepped against the bar. The bartender said nothing as I peered up, watching the scene unfold. First, the pink and orange paisley printed shirt snagged my attention. Then the chin length cut of Tetter’s white-blond hair. A table steward checked her sailing card and pointed beyond the ten-foot wooden partition at the dining room’s entrance, certainly to show her where to locate our table. But she shook her head and showed him she was going in the opposite direction. She rushed ahead, her face brightening more than I’d seen it during this cruise.

A man stood near a wall. Randy.

He pushed away from the wall and broke into a massive smile, not one of surprise at seeing her. A leer built in his eye.

More shocking was Tetter’s response. She threw her hands out toward him. The camera panned her face as she ran a searing gaze over him, starting at his face and stopping at the most intimate part of his body. Her passionate smile widened.

“Wow, hot stuff going on there, huh?” the bartender told me with a grin.

I caught my breath, not believing what I watched. I could not take my eyes away from the set.

The scene cut to more passengers coming into the dining room. Another cut took up into a galley, where the unseen narrator said our food was prepared. I looked for Gil’s chef or the headman. Didn’t see either one.