Vanishing Vacationers (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 5) Read online

  Vanishing Vacationers

  Cruise Ship Chronicles

  Cozy Mystery Series Book 5

  Hope Callaghan

  ***

  hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2016

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  ______________________________

  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: http://hopecallaghan.com

  To Nathan, Brandon, Courtney and G’ma Rae…

  “May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.” ~~ Trenton Lee Stewart.

  Thank you to Peggy Hyndman for not only your meticulous attention to detail, for making my books shine, but also making sure all my “I’s” are dotted and “t’s” crossed.

  To Jean Pilch. Thank you for taking the time to pre-read Vanishing Vacationers, picking up on the odds and ends I missed, and for making me laugh.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  About The Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  FREE Books and More!

  Annette’s Awesome Breakfast Bake

  Super Easy “Impress the Guests” Homemade Biscuits

  About The Author

  Hope Callaghan is an author who loves to write Christian books, especially Christian Mystery and Cozy Mystery books. Born and raised in a small town in West Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her husband.

  She is the proud mother of one daughter and a stepdaughter and stepson. When she's not doing the thing she loves best - writing books - she enjoys cooking, traveling and reading books.

  Hope loves to connect with her readers!

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  Other Series Books by Author, Hope Callaghan:

  DECEPTION CHRISTIAN MYSTERY SERIES: (Samantha Rite)

  Samantha Rite is in desperate need of a vacation. Her life is shattered when after 21 years of marriage her husband walks out on her, leaving her for another woman.

  As Sam is trying to pick up the pieces and start over, her family decides now would be the perfect time for her to take a relaxing vacation. Before she can change her mind, she and her older sister are booked on a week-long Caribbean cruise.

  Just days before the trip, her sister is involved in a horrible accident and is unable to go. Persuaded to take this trip alone, Sam finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly adventure of a lifetime. Will she make it out alive?

  Waves of Deception is the first book in the Samantha Rite Adventure Series and offers a perfect blend of blossoming romance and action-packed adventure and suspense.

  GARDEN GIRLS CHRISTIAN COZY MYSTERIES SERIES: (Gloria Rutherford)

  Nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Belhaven. Nothing that is, until a body is found in the woods behind the local elementary school.

  With the entire town in an uproar, "Garden Girl," Gloria Rutherford makes it her personal mission to find the killer or killers and solve the mystery with some help from her friends.

  With a little amateur detective work, Gloria is able to uncover enough clues that point right to the murderer. She's about to discover, however, things aren't always as clear-cut as they appear.

  CRUISE SHIP CHRISTIAN COZY MYSTERIES SERIES: (Millie Sanders)

  What do you get when you combine a recently divorced and heartbroken senior female, with the most exciting job on the high seas? Millie Sanders, of course! She is the new assistant cruise director for the mega cruise ship, "Siren of the Seas."

  Within minutes of stepping on board the ship, Millie finds herself right in the middle of a murder investigation.

  With a little help from her new friends, this amateur senior sleuth begins to discover clues and secrets that could possibly turn the ship upside down!

  Will the old saying..."Loose lips sink ships" hold true or will Millie survive her first week onboard?

  SWEET SOUTHERN SLEUTHS (Short Stories) (Loretta and Lacy Sweet):

  Loretta Sweet and her identical twin sister, Lacy, have recently inherited a home in Misery, Mississippi, from their distant relative, (Aunt) Tess McCoy.

  Their aunt's attorney insists that the girls meet him at the property to discuss the specifics of the will. When the sisters arrive for the meeting, they discover that there is more...much more to the will than just inheriting a home.

  As the attorney prepares to go over the details of the will, one of the "stipulations" makes a dramatic appearance, along with a body that is discovered in the bathtub.

  Will the Sweet sisters turn tail and run or will they stick around to help solve the murder?

  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 NIV

  Chapter 1

  Millie stared in disbelief at Sarah, her cabin mate, who was packing her suitcase and moving out. “What do you mean; I’m getting a new cabin mate?” Millie demanded.

  Sarah glanced up and then neatly folded her uniform and placed it inside the open suitcase. “Andy stopped by not more than an hour ago to tell me I was moving in with Nikki.” Nikki was Sarah’s close friend and crewmember who worked in Guest Services.

  Millie frowned. It was great news for Sarah…not so much for Millie. She wondered who would replace Sarah. She hoped it wasn’t someone with disturbing habits like sleepwalking or a night owl who stayed up all night.

  The two women had shared a small space and Sarah had been the perfect cabin mate. It didn’t seem fair.

  Sarah reached over and patted Millie’s arm. “I’m sure you’ll get along with your new roommate just fine,” she assured her.

  Millie pulled out the small desk chair and slumped down. She glumly watched Sarah finish tossing the last of her belongings into her suitcase.

  Sarah zipped the suitcase shut and then shifted it to the floor. “I’ll come back and visit,” she promised.

  “It won’t be the same,” Millie grumbled.

  Her gaze followed Sarah to the door and she watched as Sarah opened the door and disappeared into the hall and out of Millie’s life.

  The door had almost closed behind her when
it flew back open and a blonde-haired ball of fire burst in, dragging a large purple suitcase.

  Millie’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was Danielle Kneldon aka Ariana Teliar…Millie’s pain in the rear responsibility from the previous cruise!

  It took a fraction of a second for Millie to come to the realization Danielle was dragging her suitcase through the door for a reason.

  Danielle pulled the bursting-at-the-seams suitcase to the edge of the bed and propped it upright. “I’m so excited! We’re going to be cabin mates!”

  ***

  Millie could only imagine the look on her own face, her jaw hanging open. She clamped her mouth shut and attempted to swallow the lump that lodged in her throat. “W-who, I mean what…”

  Danielle grasped both ends of the suitcase, lifted it up and then plopped it in the center of the lower bunk. “I’m guessing the lower bunk is mine.”

  Danielle guessed wrong…dead wrong.

  “Oh no!” Millie shook her head. “Uh-uh. You get the one on top.” She jabbed her index finger at the upper bunk.

  Visions of tumbling out of bed and breaking a bone or two filled Millie’s head.

  Danielle’s smile disappeared. “But you’re in great shape,” she argued. “I figured you could take the top bunk, no problem.”

  Millie saw right through the ploy. Danielle was trying to flatter Millie into switching bunks but Millie was onto her and it wasn’t gonna happen. “Nope. Seniority rules and I keep the lower bunk.”

  Danielle’s shoulders slumped. “Well, beggars can’t be choosers.” She reached around to the end of the suitcase and began to unzip the side.

  Millie leaned back in the chair. The case was bulging at the seams and she was certain it would explode at any moment…that as soon as it was open, clothes would shoot out like missiles on a mission to attack Millie.

  Millie eyed Danielle as she unpacked. She made a mental note to have a very long talk with Andy about how she managed to end up with Danielle in the same cabin.

  Millie had recently been tasked with guarding Danielle, or Ariana as Millie had originally thought, during the last cruise. Things weren’t as they seemed and although Millie had helped save Danielle’s life and everything had turned out just peachy, Danielle had been a stinker during the voyage. Millie was anxious to put the entire experience behind her and get back to work.

  Danielle lifted a tidy stack of clothes from the suitcase and carried them to the closet. She opened the door and reached for a hanger. “I guess Andy thought with your penchant for sleuthing and my police background, we would make a good team.”

  Millie opened her mouth to reply but was still too stunned to wrap her head around the fact Danielle was standing before her, unpacking her bags and the two women would be living in the same small, confined space, day after day…

  Danielle finished hanging her clothes, returned to the suitcase and reached for her makeup bag. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Millie pointed to the small door on the far wall.

  Danielle stepped over to the door, grasped the handle and pulled it open. She flipped the light switch and peered inside. “This bathroom is tiny.”

  Millie couldn’t agree more. The cabin was shrinking by the minute with the presence of the “larger-than-life” Danielle inside.

  Danielle stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

  Millie dropped her head in her hands and began to pray. “Dear God. I know patience is a virtue and mine is sometimes lacking, but do You have to teach me patience by sending me Danielle, of all people?”

  “Are you all right?”

  Millie nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn’t heard Danielle emerge from the bathroom and when she touched her arm, it freaked her out.

  She pressed her hand to her chest. “You scared me half to death!” She sucked in a deep breath and filed the fact that Danielle was stealth to her mental list of things to know.

  Millie’s stomach churned. She said the next thing that popped into her head. “I-I think I’m hungry.”

  Danielle nodded. “Me too. The tasing this morning zapped all my energy.”

  Millie nodded. The whole event…Danielle’s rescue…seemed like weeks ago, not hours.

  Millie slid out of the chair and started for the door. She reached for the handle.

  Three long blasts of the ship’s horn sounded. It was the ship’s fire alarm!

  Chapter 2

  “What was that?” Danielle turned to Millie.

  “The fire alarm and this is no drill!” Millie had memorized the schedule of all safety drills and she knew with 100% certainty this was the real deal. The mandatory muster drill all passengers and crew were required to attend had been held less than an hour ago.

  She grabbed Danielle’s hand and dragged her into the hallway. The hallway was flooded with other crew who were making a mad dash for the exit. Fire onboard a ship was a serious matter.

  The ship had left port with the new round of guests a few hours ago. They were too far out to get back to port quickly.

  The girls jostled through the crowd as they made their way to the exit. Thankfully, they reached the upper decks and the lifeboats without being trampled.

  Millie had been an integral part of all shipboard drills and she had her role in the process down pat. The first thing she needed to do was contact Andy on the radio to see how she could help passengers.

  She unclamped her radio from her belt and lifted it to her lips. “Andy, do you copy?”

  “Yes, Millie. Where are you?”

  “Standing in the hallway aft of passenger deck three.”

  “Meet me at the entrance to, ‘The Shed.’”

  The Shed was the youth club for passengers between the ages 9 – 11. It was located on deck seven. Millie had not yet worked with the junior passengers but had been inside the area many times to do a quick check to ensure things were running smoothly.

  Millie frowned. It was an odd place to meet. “10-4.” She clipped the radio to her belt and turned to Danielle. “Let’s go.”

  The crew was still trying to make it to their assigned stations and Millie and Danielle were going against the flow of traffic as they struggled to reach the stairs. More than once, other crewmembers gave them odd looks as if to say, “You’re going the wrong way.”

  Millie trusted Andy and if he told her to head to The Shed, that was where she was going.

  Millie rounded the corner. Danielle was directly behind her when she ran smack dab into her friend, Annette Delacroix. They both stopped abruptly, just inches from a head-on collision. “You’re going the wrong way,” Annette pointed out.

  Millie shook her head. “Nope. Andy told me to meet him at The Shed,” she explained.

  Annette glanced at the crowded hallway. “I’ll go with you,” she said. “If the ship goes down, at least we’ll all be together.”

  Danielle whacked Annette’s arm. “That’s not funny.”

  Annette, realizing that Millie was not alone, turned her attention to the blonde standing next to Millie. “You!” Annette raised a brow. “What are you doing still onboard the ship?”

  So much had happened since morning; Annette hadn’t heard the news that Andy had hired Danielle. Not only that, but Millie and Danielle were roommates. Of course, none of that would matter if the ship were on fire…

  “It’s a long story,” Millie sighed. She gave Annette a look that said, “I’ll explain later.”

  Annette nodded. “Gotcha.”

  The area near The Shed was deader than a doornail. Andy was nowhere in sight. Millie hoped she had heard him correctly.

  She reached for the door handle, opened it and stepped to the side. She waited for Annette and Danielle to enter.

  The room was dark, the lights off. Millie waited by the door to give her eyes a minute to adjust to the lack of light. She heard the murmur of voices on the other side of the DJ booth, just out of sight.

  “Over there,” Millie nodded her head.
<
br />   The girls hustled across the room and rounded the corner. Andy was off to one side. Dave Patterson, Head of Security, stood next to him.

  The two men were talking earnestly to a group of passengers seated on the couch. Millie could see two younger boys, a teenage girl and a woman, their expressions serious.

  As she got closer, she overheard the tail end of Patterson’s conversation. “…a terrible mistake and one I’m sure won’t happen again.”

  Andy glanced up as the trio got closer. He motioned them closer and waved to someone who had entered the room after them. It was a member of the maintenance crew. “Over here.”

  The crewmember followed Andy to the side wall and pointed. On the wall was a fire alarm.

  The first thing Millie noticed was the lever was down, as if someone had pulled it. The second thing she noticed was that the clear plastic box that covered all fire alarms onboard the ship was missing.

  Millie had a good idea what had happened. Her eyes drifted toward the guests still seated on the couch. Someone had pulled the alarm and she was certain it was someone seated on the couch.

  She automatically ruled out the woman, whose brown eyes met Millie’s own. She looked mortified. Millie tried to give her a reassuring smile, to tell her it would be okay, although she wasn’t 100% certain it would be okay.

  It was hard to gauge by the tone of Patterson’s voice how the meeting was going. He talked in the same calm, even tone at all times, even if the ship was on fire.

  Millie turned her attention to the girl seated at the far end of the sofa. Her light brown hair fell across her face and she stared at her hands, folded in her lap.

  One of the boys, the younger of the two who sat next to the girl, sat straight up. “I’m telling you, G’ma Rae, I swear I didn’t do it!”

  “We can talk about this later, Nathan.” The woman, G’ma Rae, shifted her attention to the older boy seated next to her. He lifted his brown head and glanced up, then quickly looked down again. “It was an accident.”