Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2) (13 page)

“So I need you to take note of how the suspects sign the receipts. Jot it down on a piece of paper and let me know,” Millie told Cat. “Have they all been in here at some point in time?”

Cat scrunched up her nose.  “I think so.” She waved a hand.  “Either way, we’ve having our 50% off sale tomorrow and
everybody
comes to that.  I’m on it.”

“Thanks Cat!  I’m counting on you!” It had been a long day and Millie was whupped. The heat had made her even more tired and she wasn’t necessarily a spring chicken, anymore.

Millie’s last task for the day was to head up to the lido deck to check on the sail away party.  Throngs of passengers crowded the area with their sunburned bodies. 

Millie headed to the deck that overlooked the main pool. She stood at the rail and watched the island disappear. The storm clouds had moved away and the sun was just beginning to set. The view was incredible.  It was God’s magnificent creation. 

The rail was crowded as passengers squeezed in with their cameras and drinks to toast the island and get one last shot.  She glanced down the row.  There, a few passengers to the left, was Kim and Justin Bain, Maisie’s parents. 

They were both holding drinks with cute little umbrellas.  As they toasted each other, Millie studied their hands.  They were both holding the drinks in their right hands. She let out a sigh of relief and tentatively crossed them off the list of suspects.

Millie headed down to theater.  She hoped that Zack was working the bingo game that was about to begin.  Her heart raced when she saw him at the front. He and another dancer, Felix, were carrying the bingo table to the center of the stage.

He waved when he saw Millie. She smiled and waved back.  Millie slid into a front row seat and watched for several more minutes.  Guests began to wander in, purchase the bingo cards and fill the empty seats. 

Alison stood off to the side.  She was in charge of selling the bingo cards.  The line was long.  Millie began to tap her foot on the floor as she grew impatient.

Finally, it was time to start the game.  Millie’s eyes followed Zack across the stage and over to the table and bingo cage.  Her eyes grew wide as he reached down to grab the microphone – with his right hand! He turned the mike on and lifted it to his face.  “Ready to win some cold, hard cash, ladies and gentleman?”

Millie popped out of the seat and headed down the aisle.  Zack was off the hook!

That left Adam and Melissa West. And Chloe Earhart. Millie was closing in on a killer - or killers!

The casino was open when Millie walked by. She caught a glimpse of Dario out of the corner of her eye.  He waved her over.  “Miss Millie.  Did you find the killer?”

Millie glanced around. “Getting close, Dario.  Thanks to you,” she whispered.  He nodded, his face beaming brightly. 

Millie exited the other side of the casino and nearly collided with Dave Patterson.  “I’ve been looking for you,” he told her.

Her heart fluttered a bit.  Patterson’s eyes pierced a hole in Millie.  She was certain he knew she hadn’t given up the investigation.  Her eyes dropped to the floor. She quickly looked back up.  She had always heard looking away was a sign that you were trying to hide something.

“Come with me.” He didn’t wait for Millie to answer. He led her down the stairs to Deck 2 and  his office.  There was no idle chitchat as they walked.  Millie’s steps started to drag.  She felt as if she were heading to her own execution! 

Patterson popped his key in the door and pushed it open. He stepped inside and held the door for Millie. He waved her over to the seat. 

Millie pulled out the chair. It was then she noticed something on Detective Patterson’s desk. It was bundle of blue material.  A dress.  The dress Courtney Earhart was wearing the night of her death. 

Patterson rounded to the other side. He held up this dress.  “Does this look familiar to you?”

Millie nodded.  “Yes.”

“This is not the dress Courtney was wearing when she died.”

Millie shook her head.  “No.” She thought they had already gone over that.  Maybe she missed something. 

“Did Chloe Earhart give this to you?”  Millie had told her to give take it to Patterson.

“No.” He sunk down in the chair and dropped the dress on the top of the desk.  “We searched Kyle and Courtney’s room a second time and found it shoved in the corner of the closet.  Buried, really.  As if someone wanted to hide it.”

He clasped his hands together.  “You don’t think Courtney committed suicide.”

“No,” Millie admitted.  “I’m quite certain she didn’t.”

Patterson tipped back in his chair. “Why?”

Millie took a deep breath.  “Look at the dress.  Courtney was right handed. She spilled her drink down the right hand side of the dress.”

“Go on.”

Millie pulled her phone from her pocket. She scrolled to the picture of the suicide note. She tapped the screen and enlarged the photo then handed it to Patterson.  “The suicide note was written by someone who was left handed. Courtney was not left handed.  Although the writing is similar to Courtney’s, the person who wrote the note dragged their hand through the wet ink, causing it to smear.”

“How do you know Courtney Earhart wasn’t left handed?”

Millie sucked in a breath. “I found a picture of Courtney and Kyle up in the photo gallery.  They were up on deck before sail away – holding drinks – in their
right
hands.”

Patterson picked up the phone and studied the image.  “Hmm. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t left handed.”

“True,” she admitted, “but judging by the way she held her drink and the fact that the stains were on the right side means she, at the very least, favored her right hand.”

Patterson’s eyes narrowed.  Millie was right. 

“I’ve got it narrowed down to three possible suspects.” She held up her index finger.  “One Chloe Earhart. Two Adam West. Three Melissa West and only because I haven’t been able to verify whether they are left or right handed. The rest in the group.” She ticked off Zack, and Kim and Justin Bain. “Are definitely right handed.”

Patterson touched his index fingers together and brought them to his lips. “Uh-huh.”

Millie picked up her phone and dropped it in her pocket.  “I should have answers on the rest before the day is out.”

Patterson was studying her intensely.  Her armpits began to sweat and her eyelid twitch. He was probably working out the details on how he was going to make sure the captain fired her. 

He abruptly rose from his chair.  “Let me know what you come up with.”

Millie jumped from her chair and bolted out the door.  She could feel his eye bore into the back of her skull.  She was tempted to turn around and stick out her tongue – but that did not seem particularly professional so she resisted the urge.

That 60’s Show
was the headliner for the two evening theater performances.  Millie stood off to the side and watched the first set.  Zack was in his glory as he danced and spun around the stage.  Millie’s chest puffed with pride.  He was such a good kid.  The fact that he wasn’t a killer didn’t hurt, either. 

After the show, she stopped by Cat’s shop, hoping she had found something. The place was deader than a doornail.  All of the guests were either at the show or in the dining room if they had reservations for the second seating.

She stepped inside.  “How was business today?”

Cat groaned.  “It was pure chaos.  You’d have thought we were giving stuff away!” Millie had to admit she looked a bit on the frazzled side.  Her normally meticulously coiffed and perfectly centered beehive hairdo was a bit off kilter. “Busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony.”

Millie chuckled. 

Cat placed a hand on each side of her hairdo and shifted it back in place.  “There.  That’s better.” She snapped her fingers.  “I’m centered again.”

“Oh! I got my handy dandy little list right here.” Cat lifted the ladybug paperweight on top of the counter and grabbed a small sheet of paper. She handed it to Millie.  “The results.”

Millie slipped her reading glasses:

Adam West.  Right hand.

Melissa West. Right hand.

Chloe Earhart. Right hand.

Kim Bain. Right hand.

Justin Bain. Right hand.

Millie’s heart sank.  This wasn’t going to work.  All of them were right handed! The killer was left handed.  Millie crumpled the list.  “They’re all right handed.  The killer – the one who wrote the suicide note – was left handed.”

She was back to square one…right where she started! 

“Maybe the killer was so good, he
pretended
to write it left handed,” Cat theorized.

Millie shook her head.  The killer wasn’t that good, unless they were a professional, which she seriously doubted.

Millie was depressed. She thanked Cat for the list and trudged out.  She was so sure the killer was left handed!

Millie headed down below.  It was time to give Dave Patterson the bad news.  Luckily, she caught Patterson in his office.  The look on Millie’s face said it all. She plopped down in the chair.

“You look like your best friend just died.”

Millie let out an exaggerated sigh.  “Almost!  All of the suspects are right handed.”

Patterson picked up his pen and tapped it on the desktop.  “So your investigation is at a standstill.”

Millie tugged on the corner of her ear.  “This is the hardest case I’ve ever had to crack.”

Patterson grinned. “This is only the second case you’ve ever had,” he pointed out. “That I know of, anyways.”

Patterson had a point.  Still, she was so certain. So sure she could catch the killer red handed. Or in this case, left handed.

Patterson began drawing small circles on his notepad. “What’s the plan now?”

Millie groaned. “That’s why I’m here.  I mean, you’re the paid professional!”

“True,” he admitted. “Your enthusiasm makes up for your lack of experience.  I have to admire your tenacity.”

Patterson stopped drawing on the pad. He gave his full attention to Millie.  “I know you want to believe there’s something more to the case.  But the fact is, Courtney Earhart killed Kyle Zondervan.  Consumed by guilt, she decided to take her own life.”

Maybe Millie was grasping at straws.  Trying to make something out of nothing. She wondered if she’d ever mentioned Courtney’s confession about being threatened. “Courtney said that she had been threated. That she felt her life was in danger.”

Patterson leaned forward and listened intently.  “Did Courtney show you the threatening note she supposedly had?”

Millie shook her head.  “She was so far gone, I was lucky I was able to get her back to her cabin before she passed out. That is another reason I don’t believe she had the ability to write the note or take those pills.”

“And change her clothes,” she added.

“What if she sobered up?  It was several hours, late morning before the cabin steward discovered her body.”

“So you’re going to let the case stay as it is,” Millie said.

Patterson stood.  “I don’t have much of a choice. Unless the killer decides to come forward and confess. We’re running out of time.  A couple more days and the passengers disembark and if there is a killer, he or she walks off.”

Millie shuffled back to her cabin.  She was tired and hungry.  She was so exhausted that tired outweighed hunger. Last but not least, she was discouraged.

The only silver lining was that Zack was off the hook.  Not that she ever really believed he could be a killer anyways.

Millie decided to skip dinner and go straight to bed.  Which would have worked out fine if Captain Armati hadn’t been standing outside her cabin door, waiting for her.

He smiled when he caught sight of Millie. She patted her windblown hair, certain she must look like a wreck. She sure felt like a wreck. 

Her heart sank.  She was probably in big doo, doo now.  He probably heard about the brownies. Or maybe someone had spotted Scout watering the palm tree on the mini golf course.  Or it could’ve been…

“Hello, Millie.  Did you have a nice day on the island?”

She let out the breath she’d been holding.  Judging by the tone of his voice, she wasn’t in trouble after all. 

Her heart skipped a beat.  Maybe something had happened to Scout!

“It was a nice day.  Hot but nice,” she replied.  “Is Scout okay?”

The captain nodded.  “Scout is fine.  I think he missed you, though. He watched the door all day.”

Millie eased her tired body against the hall wall.  “Then I can take him out tomorrow?”

The captain nodded.  “Follow me.” He started walking. Millie pulled herself upright and followed along.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Millie shook her head.  “I was thinking about skipping it.  You know, the heat and all.”
And the failed investigation
, she added silently.

He stopped, put his hands behind his back and nodded thoughtfully.  “You’re not hungry?”

Her stomach grumbled in protest.  The captain? Dinner?  Her appetite was making a strong comeback.  “Well, I guess I probably should eat something. I always told my children never to go to bed on an empty stomach.”

“That’s true.  I’m heading to dinner myself.  Would you care to join me?” His eyes crinkled kindly.

A lump lodged in her throat. “That would be nice,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again.  “That would be nice.”

“Good!” He nodded.  “Scout will be thrilled to see you.”

He started walking again. “How does surf and turf sound?”

Lobster was a luxury. Something that Millie had tried only a handful of times.  “It sounds great, although I’ve only had it a couple times,” she admitted.

They were in front of the elevator now. The captain pressed the button. When the door opened, he motioned Millie in first.  She looked down at her crumpled, sweaty shorts, wrinkled shirt and then over at his crisp, clean uniform.  “Maybe I should change first.”

“I think you look fine just the way you are,” he assured her.

Millie felt the familiar burning sensation on the outer part of her ears and knew that right about now, they were fire engine red. 

If Captain Armati noticed, he was too much of a gentleman to comment.

Millie was relieved when the elevator reached the 10
th
floor. She hadn’t dared mention her aversion to elevators! 

It was a short walk from the elevator to the bridge.  Millie smiled at Staff Captain Vitale as she followed Captain Armati to the center of the bridge and down the small hall leading to his private quarters. 

The captain punched in the code on the key pad and pushed the door open.  Millie followed him in.

Dusk was beginning to set and the interior cabin glowed in a soft light.  Her pulse started to race.

A small shadow darted out from underneath the table and ran right into her.  It was Scout!  Millie leaned down and picked up the wiggling bundle. He was moving so much, Millie could hardly hold onto him!

He licked her face, her hands, anything his small pink tongue could reach.  Finally, he calmed down long enough for Millie to put him back on the floor. He promptly circled her several times. 

“Wow!  He doesn’t even do that when I’m gone all day!” the captain joked.

“Dogs and kids.  I know how to attract ‘em,” Millie answered wryly.

Millie brushed her hands on the front of her pants. Her eyes traveled to the table tucked off in the corner.  A crisp, white tablecloth covered the table.  In the center was a tall silver candleholder with a long tapered candle inside. Lit and giving off a romantic glow.

Millie’s ears started to burn again and her eyelid began to twitch. 

The captain handed Millie a wine glass.  “Care for a glass of wine?”

Millie wasn’t a drinker.  A glass of wine on a special occasion was the extent.  But she was nervous and the wine might help calm her nerves.

Next to the table was an ornate silver wine cooler. Inside the cooler was an open bottle of wine. She nodded.

The captain filled two glasses and handed her one.  He motioned toward the balcony.  “We should enjoy what’s left of the day.”

He slid the slider door open and waited for her to step out first.  Scout was right on their heels.

Good. A chaperone,
Millie thought to herself.

They settled against the railing and Millie sipped the wine.  It went down smooth.  Too smooth.  “This is a nice wine.  What is it?”

“Santa Cristina Chardonnay.” He swirled the wine in the glass before taking a sip.  “It’s Italian.”

He lifted his glass.  “A toast.”

Millie raised her glass.  “A toast.”

“To the ocean and adventure,” he said.

Scout was nibbling on her ankle. “And Scout,” she added.

They tapped glasses and she took another sip. 

“Are you still enjoying life on board?”

Millie nodded.  She
was
enjoying life on board the ship.  She loved the adventure, the activities, her new friends, and the detective work.

She snuck a quick glance at the captain. 
Romance. 

“Yes.  This is so different from anything I’ve ever known,” she confessed. “Every day is new and exciting.”

He slowly nodded as he stared out at the water.  He wondered if the ocean would get in her blood like it had his.  Of course, he knew even when he was a young boy that he wanted to sail the seas.  He never wanted to play with action figures or toy trucks or trains.  It was always the boats. 

He had grown up near the water, in the small village of Bertoli, on the Mediterranean Sea, where he would stand at his bedroom window for hours and watch the larger boats as they sailed by the small village.  He loved the smell of the ocean air, the sound of crashing waves, wondering what lie in the bottom of the deep blue sea.

Niccolo, or Nic as his family and friends called him, had been married to his wife for 40 years before she died in a car accident. 

Nic had been at sea when it happened.  When the news of her sudden death reached him, it took long, agonizing days for him to make it home.  He made it just in time for them to put her in her final resting place.  His deepest regret was not having the chance to tell her good-bye.

Captain Armati’s daughter, Fiona, had been angry with him for months. Angry that he was not there for her when her mother died.  Finally, slowly, her anger faded. But Nic had made a solemn vow to himself. To never marry again.

Lisa was a wonderful wife.  She was irreplaceable and always in his heart.

Nic gave himself a mental shrug.  He hadn’t meant to go there…not tonight. 

He caught Millie’s eye.  The woman intrigued him.  She was different.  Different than his other crew.  Different from any other woman he had ever met.  She had spunk.  He liked that.  He wondered what made her tick.  Maybe it was because she was an American.

Millie tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear and looked away.  She knew he was studying her. 

“What is your favorite assignment so far?”

Millie turned back. She squinted her eyes.  “Hmm.  I’d have to say the dance lessons are fun.  Of course, I’ve enjoyed hosting the trivia.  But then there was the scavenger hunt the other day.” She shrugged.  “It has all been fun.”

Nic laughed.  “Okay. Maybe it would, uh, be easier if I asked you what you
haven’t
liked about your job so far.”

Millie’s eyebrows drew together.  There wasn’t too much she hadn’t enjoyed.  Other than not being able to solve the stinkin’ murder, but she wasn’t about to bring that up!

“Hmm. Maybe the tiny quarters,” she admitted.

“Ahh.” He nodded. “Well, there isn’t much I can do about that.”

They heard a light tap on the outer door. 

“That would be the arrival of our dinner.”

Millie followed him indoors. She waited off to the side while the steward pushed a covered cart to the table.  The cart was loaded with trays!  A sterling silver half-moon cover concealed the contents of each plate.  It was a very elegant presentation. 

The captain pulled out a chair and motioned for Millie to have a seat.  He pushed her chair in and took the seat across from her.

“Shall I stay?” The young man asked.

The captain shook his head.  “You can serve the first course and then you’re free to leave. We will serve ourselves.”

The man lowered into a small bow and backed out of the room.  Millie was 100% certain that the rumor of the captain dining with the assistant cruise director would spread like wildfire through the ranks. 

That is, unless, of course, the captain entertained women on a regular basis. Then it would be ho-hum.  Millie frowned at the thought. 

The first course was a small tossed salad.  Along with the salad was a selection of dressings.  Millie picked the ranch and scooped a small spoonful over the top of her salad.

She lifted the corner of the cloth that covered the breadbasket and studied the contents, searching for a piece that wasn’t too awful chewy – one that wouldn’t stick in her throat. She settled on a slice of rye.

Millie had always prayed over her food.  She clasped her hands together and bowed her head. Much to her surprise, the captain did the same.  She whispered a small prayer and asked the Lord to help make sure she didn’t embarrass herself in front of him.

When she lifted her head, he was watching her, a small smile on his lips.  “Ah. Now I know what is so special about Mildred Sanders.  You are a praying woman.”

Millie blushed. Just a teeny bit this time, and nodded her head.  “The Lord has been good to me,” she said simply.

“And to me, as well.” He tilted his head to the side.  “Have you been to chapel and met Pastor Evans?”

Millie spread a thick layer of creamy butter on top of her bread and nibbled the edge. “Yes. Last Sunday. It was a lovely service.”

It reminded Millie that tomorrow was Sunday and she had the morning off.

She slid the butter dish across the table.

Captain Armati picked a crusty baguette.  He broke the piece in half and reached for his butter knife.  “I would go.  Occasionally I do go.  Most Sunday mornings are port days and I have to be on the bridge to guide the ship to dock,” he explained.

“But tomorrow.  Perhaps I will go,” he added.

Millie finished her salad and set the plate, along with her fork, on the lower level of the cart. 

The captain pushed back from his chair.  “No.  You are my guest.  I’ll take care of that.”

He nestled his empty salad bowl inside of her bowl and set them on the cart. Then he lifted a covered dish from the tray.  He uncovered the dish and set it in front of Millie.

Millie studied the contents.  It was a small bowl of gazpacho soup.  One of Millie’s favorite. 

“I hope you like tomatoes,” he told her.

Millie loved tomatoes.  And peppers. And cucumbers.  It made her think of the large garden she normally planted in the spring.  “This is my favorite,” she gushed.

Pleased that he had made the right selection, Captain Armati set the second bowl of soup on his side of the table.  “Mine too,” he confessed.  “I could probably eat this every day.”

When they got to the main course, surf and turf, Millie looked down at the lobster tail in dismay.  She frowned, not sure how to crack the hard shell.

The captain sensed her hesitation and quickly reached over to take her plate. “May I?”

Millie nodded. “Have at it.”

With expert precision, he plucked the fins off and then twisted the body.  Using the tip of his knife, he pushed the meat through the shell. It landed in the center of the plate.

“Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t attempt to do that,” she muttered. Visions of flying lobster crossed her mind.

He handed the plate back. There was a round tin of melted butter. She cut a small piece of lobster and dipped it in the tin.  It was a bite of pure paradise. She rolled her eyes.  “This is delicious!”

Nic repeated the same steps for his lobster and then dropped the shells and tail into a bucket.  He cut a large piece and drizzled butter over the top. He cut a smaller section and took a bite.  “Yes. Very good,” he agreed.