Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9) Read online

  “You woke her up?” Millie asked. “Great. She’s going to be cranky the rest of the day.”

  “Who’s cranky?” Danielle ambled into the office.

  “Nice do.” Millie grinned as she pointed at Danielle’s blonde hair, matted on one side and sticking up on the other.

  “What?” Danielle raked her fingers through her long locks. “Andy said he needed me down here ASAP.” She eyed Millie’s uniform and meticulously groomed hairdo. “Did you sleep in your clothes?”

  “No. You were out like a light. I woke early and got ready before heading upstairs to watch the ship pull into port,” Millie said. “The Miami skyline in the early morning light is gorgeous. I even caught a glimpse of the beautiful mansions on Palm Island all lit up.”

  “Meh.” Danielle yawned. “You won’t catch me up that early. Maybe someday but don’t hold your breath. I like my sleep too much.” She turned to Andy. “So what’s the 411?”

  Millie turned her attention to Andy.

  “I want to go over a couple things before passengers start disembarking this morning. We had a brief meeting with Donovan Sweeney late last night to go over the schedule.”

  Donovan Sweeney, Siren of the Seas’ purser, was also in charge of both the ship’s crew and staff.

  Danielle leaned forward. “Let me guess. You’re giving Millie and me a week off paid since we won’t have passengers on board.”

  “Not even close. You’ll still be responsible for helping get the ship shipshape.” Andy chuckled. “Get it? Shipshape.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes.

  “Here’s your detailed list of duties for the coming week.” Andy slid a sheet of paper toward Danielle and another toward Millie.

  Millie slipped her reading glasses on and scanned the list. “Clean, organize and help repair stage costumes, inventory, update and replace trivia materials, update the karaoke playlist.” She set the paper down. “Looks good to me.”

  “What?” Danielle gasped as she studied her list. “Inventory library books, check board games to make sure all the game pieces are there.” Her eyes widened. Millie couldn’t wait to find out what was next on her co-worker’s list. “Clean the bingo balls?” She waved the sheet of paper in Andy’s face. “How do you clean bingo balls?”

  “Thanks for the reminder.” He motioned for Danielle to hand him her sheet and he quickly scribbled a side note and handed it back. “You need to weigh them too, to make sure all bingo balls are exactly the same.”

  For once, Danielle was stunned into silence. All Millie could think of to say was, “Danielle’s least favorite place on board the ship is the library.”

  Danielle crumpled the paper and began forming a ball. Andy cleared his throat and she uncrumpled the paper. “Okay but I object.”

  “On what grounds?” The corners of Andy’s eyes crinkled as he fought to keep from laughing.

  “Inhumane treatment of an employee.”

  “I’ll trade your least favorite to-do item for one of mine,” Millie said. “We’ll sort it out later.” She turned to Andy. “Is there anything else we should know?”

  Andy glanced at his watch. “It’s almost show time! You have just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before meeting me at the passenger exit in forty-five minutes.”

  Millie stood and saluted her boss. “Yes sir.”

  Danielle and Millie headed out but not before Danielle left a parting shot. “I have no idea what I ever did to you, but whatever it was, I’m sorry.”

  Andy patted Danielle’s shoulder. “It’s nothing personal Danielle. If you and Millie want to swap tasks, I’ll leave that up to you.”

  He followed them to the door and waited for them to step out onto the stage before closing the door.

  “I’m sure the buffet is a zoo,” Millie said. “Let’s head down to the crew dining room.”

  The crew mess was as busy as Millie envisioned Waves buffet would be. The line snaked around the food counter, down the outer wall and to the entrance door.

  There wasn’t an empty seat in the place and after filling their plates, they stood at the long counter which ran along the wall.

  While they ate, Millie told Danielle about the scene she’d observed right after the ship docked and how they had loaded Brody into the back of the ambulance and drove off. “Did you hear anything about a brawl on board this cruise where a passenger ended up in the clink?”

  “Nope.” Danielle said. “It must have been pretty bad for them to take Brody away in an ambulance.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes while they finished their food. Millie downed the last of her lukewarm coffee before the women carried their dirty plates to the bin near the door.

  Danielle headed to the cabin to get ready while Millie hurried up the steps to deck five where the guests were lined up, patiently waiting to exit the ship.

  Suharto, the ship’s gangway security employee, gave the thumbs up.

  Andy moved the black velvet rope off to the side and waved the first guest in line forward. “Thank you for sailing on Siren of the Seas. We can’t wait for you to cruise with us again.”

  Several passengers stopped to ask questions about luggage, security and customs clearance. There was even a couple, still in their pajamas, who wanted to know the latest they had to vacate their cabin and exit the ship.

  Hours later, the majority of the guests had “dinged” their keycards and made their way off the ship.

  Millie caught a glimpse of Dave Patterson and a man who limped slowly as they boarded the ship and walked towards Donovan Sweeney’s office. When the men got closer, Millie did a double take. It was an injured Brody.

  Chapter 3

  Millie’s mouth fell open as she stared at her friend in disbelief. “Oh my gosh. Brody! What in the world happened?”

  “Someone attacked Brody while he was making his rounds early this morning,” Patterson replied. “He was knocked unconscious, so as a precaution I called an ambulance to take him to the hospital to be checked out. Brody twisted his ankle when he fell but other than that, the doctor gave him a clean bill of health.”

  Patterson nodded toward guest services. “We’re going to let Donovan know we’re back.”

  Millie watched them disappear inside Donovan’s office. “That’s terrible. I wonder who attacked Brody.”

  Another wave of passengers descended on them and Andy and Millie quickly switched back to cruise director mode.

  It was another hour before the majority of the passengers had exited and only a few stragglers lingered, determined to stretch their vacation until the last possible moment.

  “There’s Donovan,” Andy said. “I’d like to see if he has an update on what happened to Brody.”

  Andy hurried across the lobby to guest services where Donovan stood talking to an employee. Millie was hot on his heels. “Do you have an update on Brody’s attack?”

  “Follow me.” Donovan waved them into his office and closed the door behind them before stepping behind his desk and easing into his chair.

  “Brody was assigned to supervising the night crew for the upcoming dry dock project. According to Brody, he was patrolling one of the lower maintenance decks when he thought he heard thumping and grunting noises coming from one of the side corridors. He hurried over to investigate and said he found a man wearing a maintenance uniform. The man was sprawled out, face down on the floor. Brody said he leaned over to check on him and felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.”

  Donovan paused to let his words sink in. “Brody said the next thing he knew, Doctor Gundervan and several crewmembers were standing over him. They loaded him on a stretcher and took him to medical where Doctor Gundervan examined Brody. Gundervan and Patterson decided he needed to be taken to the hospital for a more thorough exam.”

  Millie interrupted. “What about the maintenance guy Brody found unconscious?”

  Donovan shifted in his seat. “We have no idea what happened to him. Another security crewmember was the
one who found Brody. He said there was no one else there. It was just Brody.”

  “Brody hit his head so hard, he’s imagining things?” Millie lifted a hand to her lips. “That’s terrible.”

  “Patterson has launched a full investigation,” Donovan said.

  “I would,” Andy said. “A thug is roaming the ship and needs to be apprehended.”

  Andy stood. “We better head out. I need to check with Suharto to see how many guests are still on board.”

  They returned to the atrium and approached the gangway where Suharto informed them there were only two passengers who had still not exited the ship. “It is Kelly and Dan Avery. They are in cabin 3444.”

  Andy turned to Millie. “How much you wanna bet it’s the two passengers who came down earlier in their pajamas?”

  “I’ll go light a fire,” Millie said.

  She left Andy and Suharto and wandered down to the main deck and to the rear of the ship. She knocked sharply on the door of cabin 3444 and waited.

  Millie could’ve sworn she heard a muffled thump from inside the cabin so she knocked again, this time harder.

  There was still no answer. “This is Millie Sanders, Assistant Cruise Director. You must vacate the ship,” she hollered through the door.

  “I’m coming in.” Millie made good on her threat as she removed her lanyard and used her master keycard to open the cabin door.

  A young couple sat lounging on the bed, munching on fruit and sipping coffee. At least they were dressed. “W-what do you think you’re doing?” the young man stuttered.

  “Mr. Avery,” Millie said calmly. “The last call to exit the ship was over half an hour ago.” She jabbed her finger at the speaker overhead. “We have been announcing final departures for over an hour now.”

  Avery popped a grape in his mouth and turned to the woman sitting next to him. “I didn’t hear anything. Did you?”

  “Uh-uh.” The woman shook her head but avoided eye contact with Millie. “I had no idea.”

  Millie pulled her radio from her belt. “I’m going to give you precisely one minute to gather your belongings and accompany me to the gangway before I call security.”

  “We better go,” Kelly Avery whispered.

  “All right.” Avery scowled at Millie as he set the half-eaten plate of food on the nightstand. “Now that you’ve got all our money, you’re ready to toss us overboard.”

  “The. Cruise. Is. Over,” Millie gritted between clenched teeth. “We’re thrilled you loved it so much you don’t want to leave but all good things must come to an end.”

  She watched them pick up their backpacks and Ms. Avery’s purse and then waited for them to step into the hall.

  The cabin steward hovered in the hall and Millie waited until the couple was several steps ahead.

  Millie winked at the cabin steward and he smiled widely. “Thanks Miss Millie,” he whispered and then hurried inside the empty cabin.

  She personally escorted the couple to the exit and let out a sigh of relief when the couple dinged their keycards, rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

  “Good job, Millie.” Andy joined her by the exit. “You have the magic touch,” he teased.

  “I have something all right,” Millie shot back. “Magic touch? I’m not sure about that.”

  “What are you doing for lunch?” Andy asked.

  “Is that an invitation?” Millie asked.

  “Yes. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you and thought we could do it over lunch.” Andy placed a light arm around Millie’s shoulders. “I know this fabulous little buffet restaurant not far from here.”

  Millie chuckled. “I hear the prices are very reasonable.”

  “That they are.”

  The captain had announced the Waves buffet was open to all crew and staff for lunch. The place was packed, but instead of impatient, grumbling passengers, there was a sea of smiling faces.

  Although Millie, Danielle and the other entertainment staff was allowed to mix and mingle with guests in the common areas, including the dining rooms, the other crew…wait staff, housekeeping, maintenance and all other workers, were not allowed. There were times Millie felt guilty about the special privilege.

  The lunch buffet boasted a feast of food - everything ranging from Italian to Greek to Indian. Even the sushi bar was open and loaded with an array of dishes.

  Millie wasn’t a fan of sushi and it was probably a good thing. The line was long…longer than the buffet line.

  She eased a wedge of lasagna, a thick slice of roasted turkey, a piece of crispy fried chicken onto her plate and topped it with a crusty roll.

  She squeezed into a corner table for two and waited for Andy, whose plate was piled high with fries, a greasy cheeseburger and a chilidog. He’d even managed to fit a slice of pepperoni pizza on the plate and it teetered precariously on top of the mountain of food.

  “You must not be very hungry.” Millie grinned.

  Andy placed the plate on the table and patted his stomach. “I decided to go for a light lunch. I’m trying to watch my girlish figure.”

  He slid into the chair opposite Millie and waited while she silently prayed before unfolding his silverware and placing his napkin in his lap.

  Andy’s expression grew serious. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  Chapter 4

  Millie’s first thought was that she was on the chopping block but quickly dismissed it. Surely, Nic would’ve given her a heads up if that were the case, unless he didn’t know.

  “My mum has taken a tumble back home. She’s staying with my sister, Sarah, right now but we’re going to be moving her from the family home to a care home.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Millie reached out and touched Andy’s hand.

  “I know that it’s short notice, but I’ve booked a flight to the UK. It leaves early Saturday morning, the day Siren of the Seas sets sail for its first voyage after the dry dock.”

  “Is someone going to fill in for you while you’re off?”

  Andy shifted in his seat. “That’s where you come in, Millie. I’ve talked to Donovan and Captain Armati and we all agree you can cover for me for the couple of weeks I’ll be gone.”

  The blood drained from Millie’s face. “Me?” she squeaked. “Andy. I can’t fill your shoes.”

  “Yes, you can,” Andy insisted. “Remember when I got food poisoning and was laid up? You handled my job like you’d been doing it for years.”

  “It was for one day. Not a couple of weeks.” Millie briefly closed her eyes. Of course, she knew almost all of the onboard activities like the back of her hand, but there were other things Andy did Millie had no idea about. “I want to help, Andy. Really, I do.”

  “Great.” Andy cut her off. “I knew I could count on you.” He bit the end of his pizza and smiled between bites. “Danielle will be moving up to take your place during my absence.”

  “You’re kidding,” Millie said.

  “She’s stepped up to the plate the last couple of months, especially while you were on break. Danielle can handle it.”

  “She might be able to handle my job but I’m not so sure I can handle Danielle,” Millie groaned.

  “You’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  There was no way Millie wanted Andy to feel guilty for returning home to care for his mother. She would’ve done the same thing had she been in his shoes. In fact, Millie and her older brother had dealt with a similar situation when they discovered their mother, Grace, no longer remembered who they were.

  It had been a sad time in Millie’s life and her mother had lived only a couple years inside a nursing facility before passing on.

  Grace had hated every minute of it, missed her home and Millie couldn’t blame her, but she also couldn’t care for her mother 24/7.

  Millie pasted a smile on her face. “You’re right, Andy. Don’t worry about a thing. Danielle and I, along with all of the other ama
zing entertainment staff, will keep things humming along.” She wagged her finger at him. “But don’t be getting any ideas. If you don’t come back, I’ll hunt you down.”

  “I have no doubt you will,” Andy said. They finished their food and after taking care of their dirty dishes, made their way onto the empty lido deck.

  Millie wrinkled her nose at the overpowering fumes of floor cleaner that filled the air. Several crewmembers were hard at work stripping and sanding the floorboards behind the lido bar area. “I’m going to run up to the bridge to talk to N-Captain Armati and after that I’ll start on my to-do list.”

  “Now that you’re on board with covering for me while I’m gone, I’ll have a chat with Danielle,” Andy said.

  “Be sure to tell her she has to behave,” Millie said.

  “Will do.” Andy gave her a thumbs up.

  Millie watched as he strolled to the other side of the deck and descended the steps. “This ought to be interesting,” she muttered under her breath.

  Millie slipped inside the empty bridge and caught a glimpse of Craig McMasters, the ship’s first officer. He was standing on the bridge deck gazing out at the dock below. The door was open and she tiptoed across the floor.

  Millie cleared her throat when she got closer.

  “Millie.” McMasters turned, a smile lighting his face. “I hear y’ear gettin’ to be the big dog on the upcomin’ cruise,” he teased in his thick Scottish accent.

  “It looks like I have no choice,” Millie said. “Sink or swim. Hopefully I do the latter.”

  “You’ll do great, lass,” he said confidently and then nodded toward Captain Armati’s private apartment behind the bridge. “The captain just took a wee break to check on Scout.”

  “Thanks.” Millie made her way across the bridge and down the small hall to the captain’s door where she rapped lightly.

  When the door opened, Scout, the captain’s teacup Yorkie, barreled out of the apartment and pounced on Millie’s shoe. She bent down to pick him up and held him close as he pawed her chin. “You act as if you haven’t seen me in days.” She nuzzled him close before setting him on the floor where he promptly darted into the bridge to greet Officer McMasters.