Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2) (14 page)

The dinner was the nicest meal she’d had on board, which may have had something to do with the company she was keeping…

There were a few times, she caught him cutting small pieces of his porterhouse steak and then sticking his hand under the table to feed Scout.

After dinner, he poured two cups of coffee and uncovered a tray of tempting bite size desserts. “Shall we finish out on the balcony?”

Millie balanced the dessert plate and opened the slider while he carried the carafe of coffee and two cups.  He set the dishes on a small table between the chairs. It was perfect for the space.

Millie poured a dash of cream in her coffee and took a sip.  “Thank you for inviting me to dinner.  It was lovely, Captain Armati.”

“Nic.  Please.  At least in private, call me Nic.”

“Nic.” It rolled off Millie’s tongue.  His name was fitting.

They chatted about home and their children for a long time. Millie glanced at her watch.  It was getting late.  She needed to get to bed if she planned to get up for church in the morning.

“You must be tired,” he told her.

And smelly,
she thought.  She nodded.  “Yes. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

Her mind wandered back to the investigation, or what was left of it.  She had all but given up on it. 

She followed the captain back inside. Scout was waiting by the door, as if he somehow knew she was getting ready to leave.  “I’ll see you after church,” she promised.

Her only answer was the lick of his tongue on the side of her face.

The captain led her out, through the bridge and opened the outer door. He gave a small bow as Millie stepped into the hall.  “Thank you for a lovely evening.”

Captain Armati smiled.  “Yes, it was lovely.  Thank you, Millie, for joining me.” He didn’t wait for a reply.  Instead, he slowly closed the door as Millie walked away.

Millie floated back to her cabin.  The evening had been almost magical.

Millie unlocked her cabin door and stepped inside.  She wondered if she would even be able to fall asleep. 

Sarah was nowhere in sight.  Millie quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, pulled her pajamas on and crawled into bed.  It was only 10:00 p.m. but Millie was whupped. She whispered her prayers and pulled the covers to her chin. 

Millie had just dozed off when her radio, which she forgot to shut off, began to crackle.

“Miss Millie.  Are you there, Millie?”  It was Dario.

She switched on her night light and crawled out of bed.  The radio was on the desk.  She almost didn’t answer but decided to find out what Dario wanted.  It was unusual for him to radio her and he sounded excited.

She turned it up and pressed the talk button. “Go ahead, Dario.  I’m here.”

“Miss Millie,” he said breathlessly.  “I have news.” He lowered his voice. Millie could barely make out his words.  “I have news on the investigation.  You’ll never guess what I just found out.”

Millie was torn.  Should she put her clothes back on and find out what “news” Dario had that sounded so promising?  Could it wait until morning?

Millie knew there was no way she would be able to sleep.  No way that she could. “I’ll be right there. Where are you?”

“In the casino, Miss Millie.”

Millie slipped on a clean pair of shorts and t-shirt. She grabbed her flip-flops from the shelf and shoved her feet in. 

She studied her reflection.  At least she didn’t have bed head.  Millie slipped her lanyard with her ID and room key around her neck and headed out the door. 

Her mind was whirling.  What on earth could Dario possibly have stumbled upon that would move the investigation forward?  He seemed so excited.

The casino was packed.  Dario was pacing the floor when Millie stepped inside. Millie had never seen it this busy.  Of course, she didn’t spend much time on this floor, especially at night.  She spent most of her evenings in the theater. 

When Dario spied Millie, he hurried over.  “What’ve you got, Dario?”

“Well, you know how you look for someone that write with their left hand?  Someone that was on your list?”

Millie nodded.  “But everyone on my list was right handed. We checked.”

“Yes.” Dario’s head bobbed up and down.  He pulled out two drink receipts. He handed the first one to Millie.  He pointed at the signature.  “They sign this using right hand.”

“Okay.”

He laid the second receipt on top.  “This one. They sign using
left
hand.”

Her eyes widened.  “They’re ambidextrous.”

Dario grinned.  “They sign using
both
hands.”

Millie’s eyes traveled to the top of the receipt and the name printed there.  She sucked in a breath and held it.  “Oh my gosh!”

The receipts fell from her loosened grip and fluttered to the floor.  She picked them up and shook them in her hand.  “Still, this isn’t concrete proof that we have the killer.” She folded the receipts in half and handed them back to Dario.

“We need to trick them.  Make them think we have evidence and hope they confess.”  It might just work.  Millie was running out of ideas.

She patted Dario on the back.  “You’re sharp, Dario.”

Dario puffed up his chest.  “I join your team.” His eyes shot up.  “You need someone like me.”

He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.  “I love that TV show.  What is it?  Detective Gumbo!

Millie grinned.  Detective Gumbo.  She used to love to watch the old reruns. Back in the day when she had a TV - and a house. Yeah, the show was great but now she was living it!

Millie slowly walked back to her room.  She had only a couple more days to get a confession.  Time was running out.  Tomorrow morning was church and she had to work in the afternoon.  She needed to come up with a plan and fast!

Millie, Cat and Annette sat together at the morning church service.  Millie had just enough time to tell them they had a good lead on the killer when Pastor Evans started the service.  His message was one of patience.  Not one of Millie’s strong suits.  In fact, some people described her as downright impulsive.  The key verse was:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 (NIV)

After the service ended, the girls wandered down to the crew cafeteria for brunch - if you could call it that.  It was a hodgepodge selection of food: eggs, bacon and toast.  They also had chicken tenders, wraps and sub sandwiches. 

Millie was in the mood for breakfast.  Something she normally didn’t get a chance to sit down and eat because she was working.  She was lucky most mornings if she had time to grab a slice of toast and a cup of coffee.

The girls headed for a table in the corner.  Cat set her tray down and slid into the open seat.  “What’ve you got?”

Millie told them what Dario had discovered.

“We should add him to our team,” Annette suggested.

Millie had to agree.  Dario’s position as bartender gave him access to many of the ship’s passengers.  He spent most of his days working in the casino but he occasionally worked on lido and he was always on the island.

“He offered,” Millie told them.  “I think he would be perfect!”

Cat picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.  “What’s the plan?”

“I think if we allude to the fact that the investigators have evidence and are about to make an arrest.”

“So you’re going to lie?”  Annette was surprised Millie would use this tactic.

“Oh no.” Millie shook her head.  “Not a lie. Just kind of put it out there like…” She paused. She didn’t have the exact wording yet.  This detective stuff was still new to her and Millie was pretty much flying by the seat of her pants.  “I’ll find a way to wheedle it out.”

Scout was waiting for Millie when she got up to Captain Armati’s apartment.  The captain himself was nowhere in sight.  The woman in the bridge told her he had stepped out.  The captain had given Millie the code to his door the night before so Millie entered the code and let herself in.

It felt odd being alone in the captain’s personal quarters, although she wasn’t really alone. Scout dashed to the door and pranced in circles around Millie’s feet. 

The first thing Millie did was take Scout out to his potty pad on the deck before she grabbed his carrier and they let themselves out of the apartment. 

Scout was so excited to be out and about, he wiggled all around in his carrier. Millie had to use both hands to hold him.

She had less than an hour to round up her suspect and get a confession.  After that, she had to report to Andy’s office for her afternoon assignments.

Millie knew there was a 50/50 chance she would find her suspect on the upper deck, soaking up the rays near the VIP area. 
Returning to the scene of the crime,
she thought. 

Millie was in luck.  There, sitting in one of the padded lounge chairs, was Chloe Earhart.  She looked up when Millie wandered over and blocked her sun.

Millie stuck her hand on her hip.  The girl was too pretty to be a killer.  Maybe she was blacker than coal on the inside.  Millie grabbed the edge of a nearby chaise and dragged it close. 

Chloe set her book on her lap.  “I was looking for you earlier, wondering how the investigation was going.  We’re running out of time,” she pointed out.

Millie thought the exact same thing, which was why she was there!

Millie set Scout’s carrier on the deck and unzipped the door. He stepped onto the deck and began to sniff the chair. “Stay close,” she warned him.

Scout looked back. Millie could almost swear that he nodded. 

She turned her attention back to Chloe.  “Oh!  Great!  Security is about to make an arrest.” This, technically, might be the case if Millie could just get a confession!

She watched as Chloe’s hand went to her throat. Her other hand tightened on the pages of her book.

“Th-That’s great news!” she stuttered. “Do you know who it is?”

Millie looked at her solemnly. “Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.”

The color drained from Chloe’s face. She slid her sunglasses on top of her head.  “Who is it?” she whispered.

Scout was back.  He stared at Millie and began to whine. She picked him up and set him on her lap.

“We both know who the killer is, don’t we, Chloe?”

“I-I don’t know who it is. That’s why I asked you to help me.”

Millie rubbed Scout’s chin thoughtfully. “Courtney was right handed.  Someone who was left handed wrote the suicide note. Or, quite possibly ambidextrous. You know, someone who can write using both hands.”

Millie went on.  “Last night in the casino, you ordered two drinks from the bartender.  You signed one with your right hand.  The second one, you signed with your left.”

Millie moved in for the kill.  “Why did you kill your sister, Chloe?  Did you hate her that much? Was it because she stole your boyfriend?” Millie glanced down at Chloe’s arm.  The arm that had Kyle’s name tattooed on it.

Chloe’s mouth set in a straight line. She closed the book and sat upright in her chair.  “She killed him.  Courtney killed Kyle. She took him away from me!  She had to die.”

Now it was Millie’s turn to be shocked.  Courtney had killed Kyle?  Why would she do that?  What could make Courtney so angry that she pushed her fiancé, Kyle, overboard?

Millie shifted her gaze to the girl sitting across from her.  Chloe was ready to talk. 

Luckily, they were sitting alone in the chairs.  The nearest passenger was several feet away. 

“Kyle and Courtney had been fighting even before they got on the cruise ship.  Kyle wanted to postpone the wedding.  He confided in me that he was having second thoughts, that all they ever did was fight.”

Millie had to wonder if it didn’t have something to do with all of the women that were fawning over him. 

“Courtney never admitted it, but I think Kyle told her he was still in love with me.  That was the real reason he didn’t want to marry her. When she found that out, she became so enraged she pushed him overboard. If she couldn’t have him, no one would.”

“So you killed her.”

Chloe lifted her arm.  The tattoo was large – and clearly visible.  It was colorful.  Pink and blue.  Kyle’s name was blue.  The heart around it was pink.  “We were meant to be together forever and Courtney ruined it.”

The tears began to roll down Chloe Earhart’s cheeks.  “Now I don’t have Kyle or my sister and it’s all Courtney’s fault.”

Millie shifted in her chair.  It was Courtney’s fault that her sister had killed her?  That was so messed up!

“So when Courtney confessed to you she had pushed Kyle over the rail, you decided she deserved to die,” Millie prompted.

“Only after the doctor. What was his name?”

“Gundervan.”

Chloe nodded.  “Courtney told me she pushed Kyle in a fit of rage.  When Doctor Gundervan told me Kyle was dead, I began to plot how I could get rid of Courtney.  It was the only thing that helped me deal with the grief.”

“Revenge,” Millie interjected.

“Exactly.  Since Court and I had similar handwriting, it was easy to write the note.  I let myself in her cabin using Kyle’s key. When I got inside, she was so drunk; she had passed out on the bed.”

Millie frowned. That must have been right after she left.

“So I woke her up and told her to change.  I told her that the doctor had been wrong and Kyle was still alive.”

“I snuck into Melissa and Adam’s cabin through the connecting door and grabbed the dress from their closet.  We changed Courtney’s outfit and then I grabbed the pills from my bag.  I told her to take a few to calm her nerves and then I promised her that we would go get Kyle.”

“She was so drunk, she kept gagging on the pills,” Chloe scoffed.  “Finally, she just passed out so I took one of the pillows from the bed and…”

“You suffocated her?”

“Yeah.” Chloe shrugged.  “I thought it would be harder than that.”

“So you decided to stay on board the ship and make sure that Melissa West was blamed for her death: the dress, the unlocked door between the cabins.”

An evil grin spread across Chloe’s face.  “It was so easy.”

The grin disappeared. “You weren’t supposed to figure this out.  You were
supposed
to see the obvious clues and figure out that it was Melissa!”

Scout was getting restless. He clamped down on the edge of Millie’s blouse and began to tug.  Millie and Scout stood.  “Wait here.”

The tears began to flow again.  “I wish Kyle had lived.  Why did he have to die?” Chloe began to wail loudly. 

Millie pulled her radio from her belt and lifted it to her lips.  “This is Millie Sanders. I’m looking for Dave Patterson.

“Patterson here.”

Millie pressed the button.  “I need you to meet me outside the entrance to the VIP area.  Stat.”

She fastened the radio to her belt and stared down at the young woman.  “They have to arrest you.”

Chloe wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  “I know.” She lifted her head defiantly.  “I’d rather rot in jail than know Courtney got away with murder.”

Courtney get away with murder? 
Millie shook her head. 
Talk about sibling rivalry,
she thought.

Patterson was on deck in no time, accompanied by two somber faced security guards. “Chloe just confessed to killing her sister, Courtney Earhart.”

Millie lifted her phone.  “I recorded the confession.” Millie had heard this was illegal in the U.S. without the other party’s consents.  Of course, they weren’t in the U.S.

The two guards cuffed Chloe and led her away as Scout and Millie looked on.  Patterson followed them out.

She patted Scout’s head.  “I had that one half right.”

Millie shuffled into Andy’s office.  He was sitting at his desk, his head bent over a clipboard.  He dropped the pen and leaned back in his chair when he saw Millie.  “Two for two.”

Millie let Scout out of his carrier.  He promptly wandered around the small office to explore. 

She sunk into the chair next to Andy and stuck her fist in her hand.  “Not quite.  I only had half of it right.  Courtney pushed Kyle overboard. When Chloe found out, she was so enraged, she killed her sister.”

Andy raised his eyebrows. “Good heavens!”

“I know. Right? On top of that, I almost ran out of time.”

“But you didn’t,” he pointed out.  “Speaking of that, it’s time to get back to work.” He shoved a piece of paper across the table. “I have a new assignment for you.”

Millie slipped her reading glasses on and picked up the piece of paper.  “What do you mean I have to take a self-defense class?”

Andy leaned back.  “If you insist on continuing to live on the edge, you need to learn to protect yourself.”

“But…”

“No buts.  Meet me in the gym in 45 minutes. Bring your Taser.”

The end.

The series continues…Click here to get Book 3, “LETHAL LOBSTER” Now!