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

  A male voice echoed from the PA system. “Ladies and Gentlemen, guests of Siren of the Seas, our spontaneous second fire drill has ended. We appreciate your cooperation. As a token of our appreciation, each guest will receive a complimentary ship on a stick to take home.”

  Millie groaned and rolled her eyes. “That’s it? Everyone is getting a ship on a stick?”

  Annette snorted. “I’m sure they’ll be swarming guest services to pick up their coveted souvenir.”

  Andy gave her a dark look and focused his attention on Dave Patterson, who turned to go. “Thanks, Dave. We can take over from here.”

  The maintenance crew finished installing the plastic cover over the fire alarm and hurried out, which left Annette, Danielle, Millie, Andy and the four guests on the couch.

  Annette cleared her throat and glanced at her watch. “Well, I best get going. If this place isn’t burning down, passengers are gonna start getting hungry any time now.” She turned on her heel and strode out of the dark room.

  Andy placed a hand on the older boy’s shoulder. “It was an accident…” He turned to the woman seated next to him.

  “Brandon,” she said. “His name is Brandon.”

  Andy crossed his arms and tapped his index finger on his chin. “That name. It sounds familiar.”

  It sounded familiar to Millie, too. It suddenly dawned on her. “The contest!”

  Majestic Cruise Line had recently run a series of contests throughout the United States for a free cruise and one of the contest winners, a family from Texas, had chosen to sail on Siren of the Seas. The winner…or winners, two young brothers who had won a chess championship, were booked on this cruise with other family members.

  The woman, G’ma Rae, nodded. “My grandsons, Nathan and Brandon, were the winners of the chess championship and won the cruise.” She pointed at the lovely, young brunette seated on the end. “This is their sister, Courtney.”

  Millie smiled at Courtney. “Let me guess, big sister.”

  Courtney rolled her eyes. “Yep.”

  “Is it just the four of you?” Millie asked.

  “Our parents had to work so G’ma Rae volunteered to take the cruise,” Courtney explained.

  Millie lifted a brow. She thought about her own grandchildren, Noah and Bella. Millie knew they would love to go on a cruise. Maybe someday soon…

  Andy shoved his hands in his pockets. “The girls will get you signed up for the youth club.” He turned to Millie. “When you’re finished, I’d like to see the two of you down in my office.”

  Millie assumed it had something to do with Danielle. She couldn’t wait to get Andy alone to find out what the heck he was thinking to put Danielle and her in the same cabin.

  Florescent light filled the room and Tinker, the bubbly young woman who ran the youth camp, bounded through the open door, her bright blue eyes twinkling. “I heard we had a little excitement in here.”

  G’ma Rae’s face turned red.

  Courtney buried her head in her hands.

  Nathan pointed at Brandon. “He did it.”

  “No worries,” Tinker laughed. “We shall have a splendid week!” She turned to Courtney. “We have a 16 – 18 year old teen group if you’d like to join.”

  Courtney shook her head and looked at her grandmother.

  “If she wants to,” G’ma Rae said. “Maybe we can check it out later,” she added.

  It appeared Tinker had the situation under control.

  Millie reached down and shook Courtney’s hand. “Stop by guest services when you have time and tell them you’re looking for Millie.” She grasped the edge of her nametag and pulled it forward. “I’ll give you the grand tour of the ship.”

  Andy had informed Millie earlier that the crew was to treat the contest winners like VIP’s and Millie intended to do just that.

  She solemnly shook Nathan’s hand and then Brandon’s hand before turning to G’ma Rae. “Let me know if you need anything at all.”

  G’ma Rae smiled. “Thank you. I…we sure will.”

  Danielle followed Millie out of The Shed. “Looks like the grandmother has her hands full.”

  Like someone else I know, Millie said silently. Aloud, she said, “The fire alarm should have been covered.”

  “True,” Danielle replied. “Now what?”

  “We need to check in with Andy.”

  The girls found Andy seated at the small conference table located in the back of the stage area, his head bent over his daily planner.

  “Ahem.” Millie cleared her throat so she wouldn’t scare him half to death.

  He looked up, dropped his pen on top of the open book and folded his hands in front of him. “Hello ladies. Have a seat.”

  Millie took the seat to the right and Danielle slid into the one on the left.

  He faced Danielle. “All settled into your room?”

  Millie frowned.

  Andy grinned. “I’m sure you and Millie will get along splendidly.”

  He turned to Millie. “The Kingman family…you’ll be sure to take extra good care of them?”

  Millie’s face went blank.

  “The family that won the contest. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten them already.”

  Millie shook her head. “No. I didn’t know their last name.”

  Andy turned to Danielle. “Now you, young lady.” He picked up his pen and began tapping it on the palm of his hand. “I think I’m going to assign you to The Shed.”

  Millie smiled.

  Danielle’s mouth fell open. “I thought I was gonna be Millie’s sidekick!”

  Andy slowly shook his head. “Millie is my sidekick.”

  Millie let out the breath she’d been holding. Thank the Good Lord she wasn’t going to have Danielle underfoot!

  Danielle wasn’t going to give up that easy. “But…but…we work so well together.” She looked at Millie helplessly. “Right?”

  Millie clasped her hands together. “Andy is the boss.”

  Danielle could tell from the look on Andy’s face the matter was settled. Danielle was going to work in The Shed. “You’re young. You can handle it. Besides, I’ve been meaning to have some extra hands on deck in the youth department. Maybe you can come up with some exciting new activities.”

  Andy tugged a sheet of white paper from underneath his scheduler and slid it across the table. “Here’s your schedule for the rest of today. Report back here tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. to pick up tomorrow’s schedule.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Tomorrow is a sea day. The following day, the ship will dock at a new island. It’s one we’ve never been to before.”

  Millie’s ears perked. This was the first she had heard of a new island added to the ship’s itinerary. She rubbed her hands together. Somewhere new…how exciting. “Where is it?”

  “Kiriban,” Andy said.

  “Kiriban.” Millie rubbed her brow. “The name rings a bell.” She had heard the name before.

  Danielle tugged on a stray strand of hair. “Kiriban was on the news not long ago. A family of four set out on an excursion and then mysteriously vanished into thin air.”

  A shiver of fear ran down Millie’s spine. She glanced at Danielle and remembered how she had almost gotten lost in the jungles of Mexico when Annette, Cat and she had tried to track down Danielle.

  Millie was in no hurry to visit any sort of jungle any time soon!

  Danielle’s eyes lit up. “Sounds exciting. I wonder what happened to them.”

  “Eaten by the natives?” Millie suggested.

  “Nah!” Danielle waved her hand. “That’s crazy. They probably disappeared on purpose,” she theorized.

  Andy pointed at Millie, and then Danielle. “Don’t you two go getting crazy ideas about trying to find these people,” he warned.

  Millie had a penchant for solving mysteries. This one would be right up her alley, except for the jungle part. Andy did not have to worry about her trying to track down the missing vacationers. They w
ere on their own.

  Still, the idea of a new island sounded exciting and Millie couldn’t wait to check it out! She pushed her chair back and stood.

  Danielle followed her lead.

  “Oh! One more thing.” Andy stopped them as they turned to go. He pointed at Danielle. “I’m putting you in charge of making sure the Kingman family is treated like VIP’s.”

  “I-I thought Millie was gonna…”

  Andy cut Danielle off. “Millie already has a full plate. On top of that, it will help you learn the lay of the land, so-to-speak.”

  He waved his hand in the air. “Show them around, give them the grand tour.”

  It sounded perfect to Millie! It would keep Danielle out of her hair. “I agree,” Millie said. “What better way for Danielle to explore the ship.”

  Andy glanced at his watch. “I told Mrs. Kingman to meet you in front of guest services after dinner.”

  Danielle followed Millie across the stage and down the steps. “What should I do with them?”

  Millie wasn’t sure. The boys seemed adventuresome. It was hard to tell what might pique the interest of the girl, Courtney.

  “You’ll figure it out,” she assured Danielle.

  Millie’s stomach began to grumble again. “Let’s head down for a bite to eat.”

  Danielle followed Millie to the crew deck and to the crew dining room.

  They stepped inside the double doors. Millie pointed to the food counter. “You go first,” she told the young woman.

  She watched as Danielle grabbed a brown plastic tray, placed it on the metal runner and reached for a cheeseburger and plate of fries.

  Millie followed behind and reached for a small dish of cottage cheese. She added a bowl of minestrone soup and apple to her tray before following Danielle to a table in the back.

  Danielle settled into a chair, reached for her napkin and placed it in her lap. She glanced at Millie’s tray and wrinkled her nose. “Is that all you’re going to eat? I would starve to death.”

  To prove her point, she lifted her cheeseburger with both hands and took a huge bite.

  The burger looked delicious and Millie’s mouth watered. She was trying to lose a few pounds before her break when she would travel back to Michigan to see her family.

  Millie wondered if they would recognize her. She had lost several pounds, her hair was longer now and she was sporting a nice tan, thanks to the sunny Caribbean seas and sunshine.

  Millie reached for the peppershaker and shook a generous amount of pepper on top of her cottage cheese. “I’m trying to watch my girlish figure.”

  “You look hot for a lady your age,” Danielle said.

  Millie took it as a compliment. After all, she wasn’t exactly a spring chicken but since she’d joined Siren of the Seas as assistant cruise director, she felt better than she had in years!

  Her thoughts drifted to Captain Armati, who was on leave, on his way back to his native hometown of Bertoli.

  Millie had looked it up once. Not to spy on him or anything, but because she was curious about where such an intriguing man had come from.

  It looked exactly as Millie had envisioned with its high cliffs and tall stucco homes built into the rock walls overlooking the sea. It also looked romantic. She imagined the food was incredible. Millie loved Italian food.

  “Check that out!” Danielle exclaimed.

  “Huh?”

  “On the television. It looks like more visitors have disappeared from Kiriban!”

  Chapter 3

  Danielle pointed at the small television hanging in the corner of the dining room. “Shh.”

  “…tells us this is the second group of visitors who have vanished on the small Caribbean island of Kiriban in less than a month.”

  The news reporter continued. “Authorities are warning guests to stay in the main tourist area of St. Parrot and not to venture off on their own until the whereabouts of all missing persons can be accounted for.”

  Danielle lifted a fry and chewed the end, fascinated by the news. “Wow!” She whacked Millie on the arm. “We need to check this out.”

  “No way!” Millie shook her head. Memories of chasing Danielle through the jungles of Mexico filled her head.

  She bit into her apple and studied her new cabin mate. Millie smelled trouble…T-R-O-U-B-L-E. The gleam in Danielle’s eye said it all.

  “If you decide to search for these people, you’re on our own,” Millie warned.

  Millie was concerned about the missing people. In fact, she couldn’t fathom the heartbreak the family of the missing vacationers must be going through.

  The story ended and Danielle turned to Millie. “Well, I’m not ruling out a quick search of the island,” she said.

  Millie didn’t bother telling Danielle she may have to work and even if she didn’t, she might not have enough free time to get off the ship.

  Danielle would find out soon enough. Instead, she changed the subject. “What’s your plan for the Kingman family?”

  Danielle reached inside her pocket and pulled out a pamphlet. It was a diagram of the ship’s layout. “I’m not sure.” She unfolded the pamphlet. “Where should I start?”

  Millie scooped a spoon full of cottage cheese from the dish and popped it into her mouth. “For the boys, I would show them the sports arena, the game room, the pizza place.”

  Danielle nodded. “Yeah. Good start.”

  Millie went on. “After that, I would find out the interests of the grandmother and granddaughter. Maybe they like cooking or would be interested in learning how to make towel animals.”

  Towel animals were popular with first time guests and even returning guests. The room stewards were experts at making elephants, monkeys and floppy-eared dogs. Some of them even knew how to turn towels into stingrays.

  Millie had vowed to learn how to make the towel animals, certain her own grandchildren would be thrilled, but had never gotten around to it…not yet anyway.

  Danielle popped the last bite of her burger into her mouth. “Do I have to stay with them 24/7?”

  Millie laughed. “You mean like I had to do with you?” she teased.

  Danielle grinned. “Yeah.”

  Millie didn’t think so. In fact, Andy hadn’t said she had to. All she had remembered him saying was Danielle was given the task of “showing them around” and treating them like VIP’s. “No. I would show them the lay of the land and point out areas of the ship they might be interested in.”

  She had another thought. “Give them your cell phone number. If they have any questions, they’ll be able to reach you.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

  Millie wiped her mouth with her napkin and then placed the napkin on top of her empty bowl. “No, I’m not.”

  She placed her dirty spoon on top of the napkin. “I doubt they’re going to burn up your cell phone, calling you day and night.”

  Danielle wasn’t convinced, but then she didn’t have a choice. Andy was now Danielle’s boss and the boss had given Danielle her marching orders.

  The women dropped their dirty dishes in the bin near the door and then parted ways. Millie headed topside to check the lido deck and Danielle headed to guest services to meet with the VIP guests.

  Millie stopped by Ocean Treasures gift shop to check in with her friend, Cat. The store had opened for business not long ago and several guests were inside.

  Cat was in the back, behind the counter. Millie zigzagged through the maze of displays and made her way to the back.

  Cat tucked a loose strand of her beehive hairdo in place and smiled when Millie got close. “Heard you got a new cabin mate.”

  News traveled fast around the confines of their floating world.

  Millie rolled her eyes. “Yeah! How did I manage to get so lucky?”

  Cat tapped a long fingernail on the glass top. “You’ll be fine. Danielle seems to have a lot of spunk. Plus, she loves a good mystery. You two should be able to get into all kind
s of trouble together.”

  Millie nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she admitted. She told Cat about the island of Kiriban and how guests had disappeared and Danielle was already chomping at the bit to try to track the missing tourists down.

  Cat shook her head violently. “You can count me out!”

  She remembered their last misadventure where Millie had dragged her friends, Cat and Annette, to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. They had missed the boat, literally, and had the distinct pleasure of having to board the cruise ship via a shuttle boat.

  On top of that, Cat had had an allergic reaction from something she came in contact with in the jungle and ended up in the ship’s medical clinic.

  The experience had traumatized Cat, who was in no hurry to join in Millie’s next adventure. She was content to keep both feet firmly on board the ship – or solid ground.

  A customer approached the counter with a basket full of items.

  Millie took her cue to leave and headed back out the door and into the hall. She had just enough time to check in with Annette in the kitchen before heading up to the lido deck.

  She caught a glimpse of Annette, her cropped dark hair bent over the stainless steel counter. Amit, Annette’s right hand man, was standing next to her. “We gotta keep this on the down low, Amit. No one is to know…”

  Millie leaned over Annette’s shoulder and whispered, “Know what?”

  Annette jumped.

  Amit took a step back.

  “We have a little 911 situation going on.” Annette muttered under her breath. “Suri mixed a half container of cayenne pepper in the chili instead of chili powder.”

  Millie’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Holy smokes. I bet it’s hotter than heck!”

  Amit nodded. “It burned my lips…among other things.”

  “Amit downed half a gallon of milk to quench the fire.”

  Amit clutched his stomach. “It was very bad, Miss Millie.”

  Millie patted Amit’s arm. “You are a good man, Amit. I hope you feel better soon.”

  She left them to solve their chili dilemma and vowed not to eat any chili during the voyage. The last thing she needed was cayenne pepper cleaning her out!