Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Read online

  Millie held her breath, waiting for Maribelle to go on. “Andy.”

  Andy. Millie’s eyes widened. “You mean Andy, the Cruise Director, Andy?”

  Maribelle nodded. “He always kind of had a thing for Olivia. Of course, they all did. She started getting these odd little notes and for some reason, she was convinced they were coming from him. Whenever I questioned her about it. You know, what made her so certain it was him that was sending them, she would clam up.”

  Millie remembered Andy being on the scene when they covered the body. Her heart sunk. Was she working for a killer?

  “Do you know if the notes are still around?”

  Maribelle dabbed at the corner of her mouth and threw her napkin on top of the tray. She set the silverware on top of that and started to get up. “Yeah. She hid them in the room. I completely forgot about them until just now when you reminded me.”

  Millie jumped to her feet. Her belt caught the edge of the tray and almost flipped it over. In a quick move, Millie grabbed the tray to stop the contents from hitting the floor. “Can I see them?”

  Maribelle glanced at her watch. “My shift on deck starts in 15 minutes. I can take you down to my room now if you want.”

  Did she ever! Millie scooped up her trash, dumped it on the tray and darted over to the trash bin before Maribelle could change her mind.

  She followed Maribelle out of the cafeteria and down the hall. Sarah had been right. Maribelle’s room was only a few doors down from theirs.

  Maribelle slipped her card in the slot and pushed the door open. Millie followed her in. The room was identical to Millie’s. Except a whole lot messier. “Are you getting a new cabin mate?’ Millie wondered.

  Maribelle strode over to the bunks. She lifted the mattress on the upper bunk and stuck her hand underneath. “I haven’t heard yet.”

  Millie’s first thought was, what if the spider was under there? She started to say something but clamped her mouth shut. She really wanted to take a peek at the notes.

  Maribelle pulled out a small pile of papers. Three in all. She handed them to Millie.

  On the cover of the top note was a sketch of a cruise ship. In the far, right-hand corner were the words Siren of the Seas.

  Millie flipped the top up and squinted at the words. Luckily, she’d remembered to bring her reading glasses with her. She slipped them on and the words came into focus.

  She read the first note aloud:

  “You are so beautiful, Olivia. I long for the day I can tell you face-to-face how much I love you.”

  She folded the note and slipped it under the other two. She read the second one:

  “I saw you talking to Darna the other night and it made me angry. Why are you trying to make me jealous?”

  She looked up at Maribelle. “Who is Darna?”

  “Darna is the bartender. He mostly works down at the atrium bar,” Maribelle answered. The atrium bar. The same bar where Olivia had died.

  Millie read the third one:

  “Zack is not the one for you, Olivia. He doesn’t love you like I do. If you don’t stop seeing him, I’ll be forced to stop you.”

  That sounded like a threat to Millie. It also sounded like a real psycho. This was not going to be an easy case to solve. Olivia had more enemies than Bonnie and Clyde.

  Millie handed the notes back to Maribelle. “What about Zack? Do you think he is capable of murder?”

  Maribelle’s face drooped. It dawned on Millie that Zack had been Maribelle’s boyfriend and Olivia had stolen him from her. She reached out and touched the woman’s hand. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  Maribelle sniffled and wiped her eyes. She sighed. “It’s okay. I mean, if he really loved me, he wouldn’t just up and leave me at the crook of Olivia’s finger.”

  She had a point. No man was worth it if he left her for another woman. Like Roger.

  Millie’s heart went out to the poor thing. She lost her boyfriend. It looked as if someone had murdered her roommate and she was a suspect. She glanced around the small space. On top of that, there was a good chance she had a deadly spider roaming around!

  “Thank you for showing those notes to me.” Millie pointed at the stack. “You really should turn those over to authorities.”

  Maribelle nodded. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

  Maribelle’s eyes narrowed as a sudden thought occurred to her. Millie worked for Andy… Had Andy set Millie up to question her? To try to find out what Olivia might have said to her?

  Maribelle’s eyebrows scrunched together. Her mouth drew into a thin, straight line. “I should get upstairs,” she said stiffly.

  She didn’t wait for Millie to reply. She walked to the door and opened it. She waited for Millie to step out before she closed the door and wiggled the handle.

  Something had changed. Millie was at a loss to smooth things over. Mostly because she wasn’t sure why the sudden change in Maribelle’s attitude. She watched the woman walk down the long corridor then disappear out of sight.

  Millie headed back to her own cabin. She pulled out the small chair and plopped down. She grabbed a pad of paper and pencil from the drawer under the desk.

  At the top of the small sheet of paper, she wrote the word Suspect and underlined it. The first name she put on the list was Maribelle.

  Under Maribelle, she wrote Andy’s name, although she didn’t want to. She added Zack and Darna to the list.

  Last, but not least, she wrote Cat’s name. Five suspects. Five people she needed to check out.

  Satisfied she’d had a good first day on the job and that her investigation was shaping up nicely, Millie changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She crawled into bed and shut off the light.

  Millie closed her eyes and began to pray. “Thank you, Lord, for giving me a good first day and for all the other blessings in my life. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone or lonely. Please help me to do the best job ever and if You don’t mind, please help me solve Olivia LaShay’s murder. Thank You for Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ.”

  Millie wasn’t scheduled to work until noon the next day, which meant she’d have time to attend the church service upstairs before guests started arriving. The thought was no more out of her head, when she closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. She didn’t even hear Sarah come in the room hours later.

  Chapter 6

  Ding…ding… Millie opened one eye and stared out. The room was pitch black. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was or where the strange noise was coming from. Then it dawned on her. It was the alarm on her wristwatch.

  Millie groped above her head as she reached for the light switch when she remembered Sarah. She could hear the faint sound of someone snoring.

  She quietly flung back the covers and tiptoed over to the bathroom. She had remembered to put her church clothes – one of the skirts she’d brought with her, and a pink button-down blouse - in the bathroom before she went to bed so she could get ready without disturbing Sarah.

  When she stepped out of the bath half an hour later, Sarah was awake and the TV set was on. Millie’s heart sunk. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Sarah smiled. “You didn’t. I woke up on my own.” She stretched her arms as far above her head as the ceiling would allow, which wasn’t much. “I have an internal alarm clock,” she joked. “It goes off every morning at 7:30 a.m.”

  She eyed Millie’s skirt and shirt. “You’re all dressed up,” she said.

  Millie looked down at her outfit. “I’m heading up to the chapel for the Sunday service.”

  Sarah nodded. “Maybe next week I’ll go with you,” she told her. She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and dropped to the floor.

  Millie glanced at her watch. If she didn’t get a move on, she’d be late for church!

  When she stepped inside the chapel, she was surprised that it was almost full. Of course, full was only around 40 people. She glanced around in search of an
empty seat.

  A few of the congregation eyed her curiously. One of them was Annette. The food director. She scooched over and waved to Millie to join her.

  Millie slid onto the hard, wooden bench. “Thanks for the seat,” she said gratefully.

  Annette nodded. “I come every Sunday.” She glanced at the others in the pews. “Most of us here are regulars,” she added.

  Millie looked around. She recognized a few of the faces. People she had seen around the ship. “Well, how did you fare your first day on the job?” Annette seemed genuinely interested.

  Millie leaned closer. “The job is great.” She changed the subject. “Did you happen to know Olivia, the young woman that died?”

  Annette lowered her gaze. “Only her name. She had quite a reputation on the ship.” She started to say something else, then stopped. “I don’t want to be one to gossip. Let’s just say, she had her share of enemies.”

  Annette straightened her back. “Hey! I heard someone. I think it was Andy, tell me you and your husband used to own a detective agency.”

  Millie’s face turned beet red at the thought of her cheating husband. She scowled. “Yeah. He did the detective work. I worked behind the scenes. You know, paperwork, billing. The boring stuff.” Then Millie said something else. “I was always interested in the sleuthing end of it. Sometimes I even helped Roger, my ex-husband, solve some of the mysteries.”

  Annette raised her eyebrows. “So are you doing a little detective work on this one?”

  Millie wasn’t sure if she could get in trouble for poking around. “I have to say that I’m very curious to find out how that young woman died,” she confessed.

  Annette made a confession of her own. “I just love a good mystery! My favorite show is “Murder, We Wrote.”

  Millie didn’t have a chance to reply. Pastor Evans stepped to the podium. The congregation stood and they sang a few hymns from the hymnbooks that were under the pews. After the singing ended, Pastor Evans talked about having faith and hope in the Lord. The key scripture was:

  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

  The message had Millie’s name written all over it.

  When the service ended, Annette and Millie wandered out of the small sanctuary and onto the back deck. “Do you have any suspects yet?” Annette wondered.

  Millie grinned. “Yep. I guess I do.”

  Annette snapped her fingers. “Let me guess.” She didn’t give Millie a chance to reply. “One of them has to be Cat,” she decided.

  Millie nodded.

  Annette tapped the top of the railing with her nail. “Then I would add Olivia’s roommate - what’s her name? Clarabelle? Annabelle?”

  “Maribelle,” Millie answered.

  Annette leaned forward. “You need some help?” She rubbed her hand along the top of the wooden deck rail. “I have a suspect of my own,” she added mysteriously.

  Millie was all ears.

  Annette glanced around. When she was certain no one was within earshot, she said. “Doctor Gundervan. I caught him arguing with Olivia the day before she died.”

  Millie shook her head. This girl sure did make her rounds – and enemies.

  Annette looked down at her hand. “You know, I did get a bit of a grease burn earlier. I should have Doctor Gundervan take a look at it.” She winked.

  Annette tapped the side of her cheek with her index finger. “What if you go with me to visit the doctor? We could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I get to see how you interrogate. Uh – question – a suspect and you get to meet the doctor.”

  Millie glanced down at her watch. If the doctor was around, she would have just enough time to see him before heading back to the cabin to change into her work clothes and report to Andy. “If we hurry,” she told her.

  Millie followed Annette down the stairs. She had never noticed a doctor’s office on board the ship. It didn’t take long for her to figure out why. It was down on Deck 2, near the passenger exit. Right next to a door marked Security.

  Annette pushed the metal handle on the door marked Medical Center. Inside the room was a small sitting area. A blood pressure cuff and small table with a row of glass jars sat in the corner. Beyond that was another open door. Millie could see two hospital beds pushed up against a stark, white wall. A tall, red cabinet separated the two beds.

  She was just about to walk through the second door when a young man wearing a white button down shirt appeared. Around his neck was a stethoscope. He lifted a brow. “Hello, Annette,” he said.

  He was young. Much younger than Millie had envisioned. She immediately wondered if maybe Olivia was having a fling with the doctor. She looked down at his hand. He was wearing what appeared to be a wedding band.

  “Hi Doctor Gundervan.” Annette thrust out her right hand. “I burned my hand this morning on one of those Sterno cans and was wondering if you could take a quick peek at it.”

  He glanced down at the microscopic wound while Annette jerked her head at Millie. Millie frowned and gave a small shake of her head. She had never actually interrogated anyone before. That had always been Roger’s job.

  “This doesn’t look too bad.” He grabbed a tube from one of the drawers inside the red cabinet. He glanced at Millie’s tag as he unscrewed the top off the tube. “Millie.” He smiled. “So you’re the new assistant cruise director.”

  Millie nodded. “Yeah. I thought I’d run down here with Annette so I could meet you. Not that I hope I ever have to see you again,” she joked. Smooth. Real smooth, she berated herself.

  Annette was giving her that look, as if to say, “Aren’t you going to ask him anything?”

  She laughed nervously. “Yeah, yesterday was a little stressful. The first thing I came across as soon as I got on the ship was a woman lying on the floor in the atrium.”

  Doctor Gundervan’s head shot up. His eyes narrowed as he studied Millie’s face. “Such a shame and waste of a young life.”

  He turned his attention back to Annette’s microscopic wound as he dabbed the ointment on it. “Yeah. They brought her down here before the ambulance arrived. Looks like she may have been bitten by some sort of poisonous spider.”

  Millie took a step forward. “I ran into the woman’s roommate, Maribelle. She told me Olivia had plenty of enemies and authorities didn’t think her death was an accident.”

  Doctor Gundervan shrugged his shoulders. He screwed the top back on the tube and set it back in the drawer. “I wouldn’t know anything about that.” He stepped over to the small sink nearby and turned the faucet handles. “I think I met her maybe once in passing.”

  He turned to Annette as he grabbed a paper towel to dry his hands. “Did you need anything else?” The conversation was over.

  He shuffled to the door and opened it. Their cue to take their leave.

  “No. Thanks so much doctor. It feels better already,” Annette told him.

  Back in the hall and out of earshot, Annette whispered. “Did you hear that? He said he never knew her!”

  Millie nodded. How could he have a heated argument with someone he claims he didn’t know?

  Chapter 7

  Millie met Andy near the gangplank, their prearranged meeting place, for what Andy jokingly called “show time.” Millie stood next to Andy near the entrance. She smiled as she watched the passengers walk through the door and catch their first glimpse of the magnificent cruise ship.

  “Welcome aboard!” Andy’s booming voice echoed over and over. He was in his element. It was obvious Andy loved his job. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t look like a killer. But then, what did a killer really look like?

  Millie quickly figured out which passengers were newbies and which ones had cruised before. Her favorites were the ones who had never been on a cruise ship before. The expressions on their faces were priceless as they stared in awe at the siz
e and elegance of the ship.

  A handful of passengers wandered over to Andy and Millie. Some of them had questions but others recognized him. Amazingly enough, he even greeted some of them by name.

  There were thousands of passengers sailing this trip and each week the names and faces changed. How he could remember even one of them astonished her.

  After the last passenger had boarded, the doors closed and the long, glass ramp pulled away from the ship. Millie swallowed hard. This was it. This was her home and this was her job. Fortunately, she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  During a lull in passengers, Andy leaned to the side and lowered his voice. “I trust you had a nice morning off.”

  Millie nodded. “I went to church.”

  Andy smiled as a young couple passed by. “Annette Delacroix attends the service.” He headed for the office door. Millie followed behind.

  “Today is a full day for us. Bingo starts in ten minutes. After that, we have a trivia contest in the Paradise Lounge. Starting at 2:00 is the belly flop competition out on the lido deck and after that is the art auction at 3:00 which coincides with wine tasting in the atrium.”

  He waited for Millie to catch up. “Of course, we don’t worry about the art auction. That’s run by a separate company.”

  Millie nodded. She didn’t know that but filed it in the “need to know” section of her brain.

  She and Andy headed to the theater to prepare for the evening’s first performance. The dancers and performers were already practicing behind the red velvet curtains.

  Millie made a beeline for Zack. “Are you feeling better today?” she asked.

  Zack smiled when he saw Millie standing there. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much for your prayers.”

  The afternoon flew by as Millie and Andy moved from one event to the other. She was so busy, she completely forgot about lunch. When six o’clock rolled around and it was time for her hour break – in between contests and the evening’s stage show, she was starving.

  Andy had told her she could eat in Waves, the buffet area, and mingle with the guests. In fact, he encouraged her to do just that. So that they would feel comfortable approaching her with questions and comments.