Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Read online

  Millie shifted her gaze to the army of workers darting back and forth inside the kitchen. “True.” Her shoulders sagged. “I hope the investigators are able to figure out what happened to Mr. Falco.”

  A light tap on the outer doorframe interrupted their conversation. “Miss Annette?”

  Annette made her way to the exit and Millie followed behind. It was Amit. He glanced from Annette to Millie. “Miss Millie. Suri just come back from his break. He say he pass Mr. Patterson and Mr. Walker on deck two. They were walking toward the jail and Mr. Walker was wearing handcuffs.”

  Chapter 3

  “They arrested Andy?” Millie blinked rapidly as she tried to digest the tidbit of information. “But Andy didn’t kill Falco.” She shifted her gaze to her friend. “We have to do something.”

  Annette rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “This is terrible news and you’re right.” She glanced at her watch. “Unfortunately, it’s crunch time for dinner so we’ll have to wait until later. Meet me back here around 8:30.”

  “I – I have karaoke at 9:00 and if Andy is locked up, I’ll have to cover for him.” Millie continued. “I’ll try to swing back by around eleven, if you’re still here. The main shows will be over, the dance clubs will have opened up and I’ll have more free time.”

  Annette patted Millie’s arm. “Don’t worry, Millie. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “I hope so.” Millie stepped out of the galley and made her way to the gift shop to chat with Cat, but Doctor Gundervan was inside and they appeared to be having a serious conversation so Millie kept moving. She was on the fence about warning Cat that she’d contacted a female psychologist to meet with her in St. Thomas.

  She would still need to get clearance from Captain Armati to allow Dr. Johansen to board the cruise ship so she could meet with Cat.

  Captain Armati had invited Andy and Millie to join him at the Captain’s Table for dinner, along with some of the VIP passengers, but those plans may have changed now that Andy was locked up.

  The captain and Millie had been dating for several months now, although dating seemed like an odd word to use since they couldn’t actually “date.” There was nowhere to go, other than dine in the captain’s quarters.

  On rare occasions, when they both had free time and the ship was in port, the captain and Millie ventured off to explore the islands.

  Captain Armati…Nic…had mentioned taking Millie snorkeling while they were in St. Thomas but that might not work now that Annette and she had planned an intervention for Cat, not to mention the fact Andy was in the slammer.

  Millie frowned at the thought. She needed to track down Dave Patterson to see what on earth was going on, but first she had a job to do, and that was to head down to deck five to greet passengers who were returning from their day on the island of St. Croix.

  Danielle was already there, chatting with the young man she’d been chasing after earlier. She turned when Millie approached. “Lorenzo, this is my cabin mate, Millie Sanders. Millie is also Siren of the Seas Assistant Cruise Director.”

  Millie shook the young man’s hand as she studied his face. He was attractive, with olive colored skin, dark, brooding eyes and jet-black hair. “Slick” was the first word that popped into Millie’s head.

  Lorenzo lifted Millie’s hand and kissed the top. “Millee.” Her name rolled off his tongue. He gave her hand a small squeeze before releasing it.

  “Ah, there are so many beautiful women on board this ship,” he murmured.

  Millie cleared her throat. “Lorenzo. You must be new. I’ve never seen you around ship.”

  “Yes, I uh, just transferred from Marquise of the Seas.” Marquise of the Seas was one of Majestic Cruise Lines’ older ships. It sailed shorter cruises, mainly to the Bahamas and the cruise line’s private island, South Seas Cay.

  “I see,” Millie nodded. “What department do you work in?”

  Lorenzo gave Danielle, who gazed at the man like a love struck teenager, a quick look. “Housekeeping for now, but I’ve already put in a request to transfer to bar service.”

  The conversation ended as a small group of passengers descended on them and Lorenzo excused himself.

  After directing the passengers to the lido deck and the grill area, Danielle turned to Millie. “I heard they took Andy down to the holding area,” she whispered. “That means they think he had something to do with the crewmember’s death.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Millie said. “There’s no way Andy killed that guy. I don’t care what they suspect.”

  She wondered what evidence they had uncovered, but didn’t have time to dwell on it as another group of passengers made their way over.

  Millie caught a glimpse of the uniformed officer who had questioned her in Andy’s office. He and the other officer disembarked the ship and she was relieved to see that a handcuffed Andy wasn’t with them.

  After the last passenger had boarded, the crew removed the gangway and shut the outer door. Millie made a beeline for Dave Patterson’s office while Danielle headed upstairs to check on the sail away party.

  The lights were on in Patterson’s office and she could hear the faint murmur of voices on the other side.

  Millie tapped lightly on the door and when she heard a muffled reply, she turned the handle and opened the door.

  Inside the room were Dave Patterson and Oscar, as well as Donovan Sweeney. Captain Armati wasn’t there, but Antonio Vitale, the ship’s staff captain, was.

  “Come in, Millie.” Patterson waved her into the office. “Please close the door behind you.”

  Millie quietly eased the door shut and stood next to Oscar. “Rumor has it you arrested Andy and he’s down here in one of the holding cells.”

  “He is.” Patterson leaned forward in his chair. “We told the St. Croix authorities we were holding Andy pending further investigation.”

  Millie’s heart plummeted. “You can’t be serious. Surely you know Andy had nothing to do with Luigi Falco’s unfortunate demise.”

  Donovan Sweeney, who was standing in the far corner, shoved his hands in his front pants pockets. “As soon as the ship sets sail, the captain has full authority over the vessel and he plans to release Andy to return to duty.”

  “Does Andy know?” she asked.

  “Yes. We’re waiting for the ship to reach international waters,” Patterson confirmed. “But it doesn’t mean we aren’t in the process of a thorough investigation of Mr. Falco’s death. Unfortunately, it appears Andy was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Patterson’s eyes narrowed as he studied Millie. “In no way does this give you a green light to start your own investigation,” he warned. “This is a serious matter. You need to let us get to the bottom of Falco’s death.”

  Millie nodded. “I understand what you’re saying,” she answered vaguely. “Is it possible the man’s death was accidental?”

  “As I said before, we are investigating the matter thoroughly, not only to clear Andy’s name, but to ensure the safety of all passengers on board the ship.”

  “I appreciate you sharing that information. There’s no way I can fill Andy’s shoes,” she said as she reached for the door handle.

  “You’ll need to keep this under your hat,” Donovan Sweeney said.

  “Of course.” Millie nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She slowly made her way down the corridor. The first person she planned to talk to was Andy.

  She remembered Annette commenting that Luigi Falco wasn’t the most popular employee on board the ship. Could it be someone had overheard Andy and Falco’s heated discussion upstairs and saw the perfect opportunity to kill the man and set Andy up as the fall guy?

  There was the possibility Luigi Falco’s death had been accidental, but Millie felt in her bones that wasn’t the case.

  If Patterson and his men determined Falco’s death wasn’t accidental and they were unable to track down Falco’s killer, Captain Armati would be forced to tur
n Andy over to the authorities when the ship docked in Miami.

  The ship’s seven-day cruise was halfway over. They had already visited San Juan and just left St. Croix. The last port stop would be day after tomorrow when they visited the island of St. Thomas.

  Dave Patterson would have to move fast if he planned to solve the mystery of the man’s murder before the cruise ended.

  Millie decided right then and there that it wouldn’t hurt to do a little investigation of her own, as long as she didn’t get in the way of Patterson and his men.

  Chapter 4

  Millie darted from event to event, making sure the ship’s activities were rolling along like the well-oiled machine Andy had created. She could have asked some of the other entertainment staff to lend a hand, but Millie didn’t want to tip anyone off to Andy’s current situation, although she was certain that more than half the crew already knew what was going on.

  There were hundreds of crew and staff on board Siren of the Seas, but even with a large crew, it was more like a close-knit community where everyone knew everyone else’s business. Not only that, but the higher the ranking, the more the crew seemed to know. The arrest of the ship’s cruise director would be big news.

  Millie headed to the atrium and noticed the workers were wrapping up the finishing touches on the new karaoke venue.

  “We’re almost done.” Marcus, one of the workers Millie had talked to when she’d stopped by earlier, dropped the wires he was holding. With the tip of his work boot, he nudged them under the edge of the stage.

  “It looks fantastic.” Millie smiled and nodded to the other workers before she turned her attention to Marcus.

  “Yes, Miss Millie. There’s enough juice running to these speakers so the passengers on the pool deck will be able to name that tune,” he joked.

  Millie lifted her eyes and gazed at the glass ceiling as she envisioned the passenger’s rendition of Sweet Caroline echoing in the rafters. “Better warn Cat in the gift shop she should stock up on earplugs.”

  Marcus chuckled. “It will be fun. Perhaps you will sing too?”

  Millie shook her head. “You don’t want to hear me sing, Marcus. Trust me. Passengers will be jumping ship if they hand me the mike.” She changed the subject. “I’m sorry to hear about your co-worker’s death.”

  Marcus’ expression grew somber. “Me, too. He married man and leave a wife behind in Cochem,” he said in a thick accent.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Millie said. She wondered if Mr. Falco’s wife had heard the news and offered a small prayer for her, for his entire family.

  “But I think she be the only one who is sad,” Marcus admitted. “He was a difficult man.”

  “Was he your boss?” Millie asked.

  “Yes.” Marcus nodded. “Not for very long. They keep moving him around, you know. He get so many complaints others refuse to work for him.”

  One of the workers wound the extra cable around his arm and made his way over to Marcus and Millie. “We’re all done here,” he said.

  “We make good time.” Marcus turned to Millie. “I will check back later to see if you have any problems. What time does karaoke start?”

  “Nine o’clock, on the dot,” Millie said.

  “I be back a little before nine,” Marcus promised.

  Millie watched as Marcus and the other workers loaded their tools and equipment onto a small utility cart. After loading the cart, they made their way to the bank of elevators on the other side of the room and then disappeared inside.

  She turned her attention to the stage and inspected the equipment one final time before heading upstairs to the pool deck to check on Danielle and the sail away party.

  Millie wandered along the railing, picking up empty dinner plates and drink cups as she walked. She stopped near the back of the lido deck and leaned on the railing, watching as the tropical island became a small dot in the distance before it finally disappeared from sight.

  The sounds of steel drums echoed from the deck stage as Millie dropped the dirty dishes in the bin near the bar.

  “Time to see if Patterson released Andy,” she muttered under her breath as she wiped her hands on the front of her work pants and headed down the steps.

  The theater was dark. On the other opposite end, Millie could hear the hum of a generator motor, something she’d never noticed before. She wondered if it had something to do with the recent accident.

  Millie spied a dim light inside Andy’s office and made her way across the stage, her footsteps echoing on the raised stage. “Knock, knock,” she said before peeking around the corner.

  Andy was seated at the small conference table, his head bent over his black schedule book. He looked up. “Millie.”

  “Thank God they let you out,” Millie said.

  “Can’t keep a good man down,” Andy attempted a smile. “Hopefully Patterson and his men can figure out how Luigi Falco ended up dead outside the theater before we reach Miami. If not…” Andy made a slicing motion across his throat. “I’m history.”

  “Don’t say that,” Millie groaned as she pulled a chair out and plopped down. “They can’t pin this on you. Yeah, you had a verbal disagreement with the guy hours before his body was found outside your office, but it doesn’t mean you did him in.”

  “It doesn’t mean I didn’t, either.” Andy said.

  Millie’s eyes widened. “You killed him?”

  “No,” Andy rolled his eyes. “Of course not.”

  “Maybe he accidentally electrocuted himself,” Millie theorized.

  “I thought the same thing.” Andy rubbed the faint stubble on his chin. “From what I was told, they found a large electrical burn on the palm of his hand, which means there was juice flowing to the electrical panel he was working on at the time of his death.”

  “Surely he would have enough sense to shut off the power before working on it.” Millie’s mind whirled. “Do you think someone turned the power back on and he got zapped?”

  “Patterson didn’t come right out and say that, but that’s what I think happened.”

  Andy continued. “I was here in my office when the lights flickered and I heard a popping noise. I was the one who got to him first.”

  “Do you have anyone who can vouch for you? Perhaps one of the dancers was backstage while you were in your office?” Millie asked.

  “Not a soul, which makes me the obvious suspect.”

  Millie leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her. She gazed at Andy thoughtfully. “It gives you opportunity, but what about motive?”

  “Well, therein lies the crux of the whole discombobulated disaster. I filed a complaint against Mr. Falco after our exchange in the atrium and he had done the same, telling Donovan Sweeney I threatened him.”

  “But you didn’t threaten him,” Millie said.

  “I did say that I thought someone needed to clean his clock and put him in his place.” Andy sighed deeply. “One could argue the argument escalated and that I feared my career was in jeopardy.”

  “That’s a stretch,” Millie said.

  “Is it? People have murdered for a lot less.”

  Andy had a point. Millie had seen that first hand. She remembered how one of the galley crew had poisoned several of the ship’s officers in an attempt to oust a rival and steal her job. “I’m going to start a little investigation of my own.”

  “I don’t think you should do that.” Andy shook his head, but he knew from the expression on Millie’s face he was wasting his breath. “Patterson won’t be happy.”

  “I know,” Millie said. “This Luigi had plenty of enemies. I think someone set you up. They overheard the heated discussion and saw the perfect opportunity to get away with murder.”

  Andy’s radio began to squawk. It was Danielle. “Andy, do you copy?” She sounded frazzled.

  Andy picked up his radio. “Yes, Danielle. Go ahead.”

  “I’m up here on the VIP deck. We’ve got a little 911 emerg
ency.”

  “Radio security. I’ll be right there.” Andy pushed his chair back, clipped his radio to his belt and hurried out of his office. Millie hustled behind him.

  When they reached the VIP deck, they found Danielle pacing in front of the bar area.

  A sudden movement caught Millie’s eye. It was a bikini-clad passenger. She was shimmying barefoot across the gleaming bar top.

  Dario, one of the bartenders, lifted his shoulders, as if to say, “I don’t know what to do.”

  “You must come down from there!” Danielle told the woman. “You’re going to fall and break your neck.”

  The woman ignored Danielle’s pleas as she continued strutting back and forth.

  Millie hurried forward but before she could reach the bar, she watched as the woman lost her footing and her arms began flailing wildly in the air.

  Millie squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the sound of the crash, which never came. She opened her eyes. The woman was dancing again, having apparently regained her footing.

  It didn’t help that a crowd had gathered and began chanting, “Dance! Dance! Dance!”

  Millie tried in vain to quiet the crowd, which only seemed to grow.

  Andy hurried to the far end of the bar area and motioned Millie to the other end. “You must get down before we have security remove you from the area and escort you to your cabin,” he warned.

  It was as if the woman hadn’t heard a word Andy said, and she probably hadn’t. Judging by her jerky movements, Millie suspected she’d had one too many drinks.

  Security arrived on scene moments later and surrounded the bar.

  Andy took a step back, unclipped his walkie-talkie, lifted it to his lips and pressed the talk button. “Turn the speakers off in the VIP bar area,” he murmured into the radio.

  The music that had been blaring out of the speakers above the bar abruptly stopped and so did the woman. “Why’d ja go and turn the music off?” Her words slurred as she shifted sideways and stepped into thin air. Her arms spun in wide circles as she scrambled to regain her footing but it was too late. She was going down.