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

  She started to tell Annette about it but changed her mind. She needed to do a little research before pointing fingers.

  Annette rubbed her hands together. “What do we do next?”

  Other than talk to Darna, she didn’t really have a “next.” After all, this was her first case. Roger had never really shared his step-by-step method for investigating or solving his mysteries. Looking back now, she wished she had asked more questions. Paid better attention to the details. Tied him up and thrown him in the river…

  She shook her head to clear the evil thoughts that were creeping in. “I’m on my way to talk to Darna,” she said.

  Annette raised her eyebrows. “Darna the bartender?” She crossed her arms in front of her. “Yeah, that makes sense. He and Olivia were tight, you know. They hung out together on their days off.”

  That seemed a bit odd to Millie considering Zack was her boyfriend-of-the-month at the time of her death. “What about Zack, the dancer?”

  Annette waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, Zack was just her little minion. I think she was using him. Had him at her beck and call. Poor boy. She’d say jump and he’d ask how high.”

  They were on the atrium floor now. Annette trailed behind Millie as they made their way over to the bar area. She set her plate of food on top of the bar and hopped onto the barstool in front. Annette hopped onto the seat beside her.

  The bartender had his back to them. He was shaking a stainless steel container back and forth. He turned around and gave the two women a sideways glance as he removed the lid from the container and poured liquid into a martini glass. He slid the glass to a young woman seated in front of him. He rang up her tab and set her card on the bar top, along with a receipt.

  Annette cast a suspicious glance as she watched the young woman, dressed in one of the shortest dresses Millie had ever seen, walk away. “I hope you carded her.”

  Millie was just thinking the same thing. Of course, the older she got, the younger these women looked. Like middle schoolers.

  Darna grinned as he wiped his hands on the towel. Millie picked up her pickle spear and bit the end as she studied Darna, who didn’t look like a “Darna” at all.

  Of course, she had never known anyone named Darna so maybe that had something to do with it.

  She pictured a dark, mysterious man. The man behind the counter had short blonde hair and it was smoothed back, slicker than a greased pig.

  He was tall and thin as a rail, with just a hint of a moustache on his upper lip, which Millie knew was a “no-no” for crew to have even a little stubble, although staff was a different story. That’s how Andy got away with it. Somehow, the look worked for Darna and somehow, she had a feeling that Darna did as he darn well pleased.

  Millie and Annette were the only ones at the bar now. He made his way over to the other end. “Two of the most beautiful women on board have come to pay me a visit,” he flirted. “So what do I owe this honor?”

  Millie immediately liked him. His face was kind and warm, his smile genuine. Annette snatched a fry from Millie’s plate. “Millie’s here to meet the famous Darna.”

  He put one hand across his stomach and the other behind his back before he took a bow. “At your service.” The smile vanished as he leaned over the counter and cupped his chin in his hand.

  Annette didn’t wait for Millie to start the interrogation, uh, investigation. “We’re here to ask you about Olivia.”

  He lifted his head and looked away. “Cat told me they’re treating her death as a homicide.”

  Millie nodded. “I heard you and Olivia were good friends and I was hoping you could tell me a little bit about her.” She took a bite of her sandwich and set it back on her plate.

  “Olivia and I were close. We almost always spent our free days together hanging out.”

  “How long have you known Olivia?” Annette asked.

  Darna opened his mouth, then closed it. Millie could see he wasn’t sure if he should answer the question.

  “Yeah, can I get some service down here?” A man at the other end was waving his card in their direction.

  “Be right back.” Darna headed to the other end of the bar to take the man’s order.

  “He’s hiding something,” Annette whispered in a low voice.

  Millie nodded. “Yes. I believe you’re right.”

  They waited several more moments for Darna to return. “Can I get you ladies a Coke or water or something?”

  Millie nodded. “I’ll take a water.” She glanced down at her wrist. Trivia started in ten minutes. She took a huge bite of sandwich and chewed as fast as her jaws would allow.

  Darna set the water in front of her and watched her chew. “Looks like you’re gonna need this.”

  Annette grabbed a second fry from Millie’s plate and pointed it at Darna. “You were about to tell us how long you’d known Olivia.”

  Darna ran a hand over the top of his jelled locks. He lowered his voice and leaned in. “I’ve known Olivia my whole life,” he said. “She was my sister.”

  Chapter 9

  Millie nearly fell off the barstool…Darna and Olivia were brother and sister? Millie had read the company handbook from front to back. She knew that it was against company policy for family to work on the same ship. That included brother and sister.

  “We kept that a secret.” Darna’s jaw tightened. “It was against company policy and if anyone found out, we both would have been fired.”

  Annette smacked the top of the counter. “Holy smokes! I had no idea!”

  Darna’s eyes filled with tears. “I couldn’t even go home to tell my parents about Olivia. The company sent a representative.”

  Millie’s heart went out to Darna. Poor thing. His sister had died right before his eyes. He couldn’t even mourn her properly.

  She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I am so sorry Darna. But why not admit it now?”

  He shook his head. “They would still fire me,” he answered. “I need this job. My family relies on my income to survive. I have a young son back home to support.”

  Millie knew all about how the crew came from countries with little resources and how the workers would take every penny they earned and send it back home.

  Right then and there, she vowed to add Darna and all the other crew to her prayer list. It was a hard way to make a living.

  “I’ll be praying for you, Darna,” Millie promised, but for now, she had to get going. She hopped off the barstool. She had three minutes to make it to the bar area outside the casino for the trivia contest.

  Annette followed her out.

  “Please don’t tell anyone,” Darna begged.

  Millie turned around but didn’t slow her pace. “Your secret is safe with me. With us,” she pointed to Annette.

  Annette made a zipping motion across her lips. “My lips are sealed.”

  Millie darted across the floor at a good clip. Annette was doing a great job of keeping up. “I have two minutes to get to the casino area,” Millie hollered back.

  “Take the stairs!” Annette suggested.

  Millie did just that. She power-walked to the stairs, then climbed them two at a time. It was two flights up to the casino. She made it in record-time, with a full minute to spare. Every seat surrounding the bar area was taken and all of these people were waiting on her!

  Beads of sweat popped out onto her forehead and she nervously wiped them away as she silently counted the crowd of people.

  Annette sidestepped Millie as she headed back to the kitchen. “You’ll do fine,” she whispered in her ear as she headed to the kitchen.

  Millie grabbed the pads of paper and pencils and handed them out to the guests. She found the folder containing the answers tucked into a small cabinet in the wall next to the bar. She slid her glasses on and picked up the trivia list.

  Halfway through the game, Millie warmed up to the crowd and was having a ball. Andy stopped by to check on her and gave her the thumbs up after listening to her enga
ge the crowd.

  Several of the guests stopped by to chat after the trivia ended. They made a point to tell her it had been the most entertaining trivia game they had ever played. Millie was thrilled. She’d finally found her calling on board the ship. That and solving mysteries.

  She put the trivia folder and pencils back in the cabinet and started in the direction of Andy’s office behind the theater. She glanced in the gift shop window. The door was shut but she could still see Cat inside. All the shops and casino closed while the ship was in port.

  Millie tapped the window and Cat motioned her inside. Cat was rearranging a display case. Her hair was in the same beehive style she’d had before, except this time she had a bright yellow ribbon tied around it. Long locks of hair flowed down and rested on her shoulders.

  She fixed her cat-green eyes on Millie. “I heard you’re knee-deep in the Olivia LaShay murder case.”

  Cat dusted a glass penguin figurine before setting it back down.

  Millie nodded. “There’s no lack of motive, that’s for sure,” she said.

  “I’d be careful if I were you,” Cat warned. “There are a lot of people who think you’re sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

  “Like whom?” Millie asked.

  Cat shrugged. “Just people. I don’t want to name any names.”

  Millie decided to change the subject. “Have you found a replacement yet?”

  Cat paused, duster in midair. Her green eyes narrowed. “As a matter of fact, Maribelle, Olivia’s cabin mate, just took the job.”

  She turned her attention back to the display case. “It’s a step up, you know. Moving from the wait staff to the stores. Plus, it’s more money,” she explained.

  Millie was sure it was more money and not as tiresome of a job. There was more time off, especially since the stores closed while the ship was in port and more ports equaled more time off.

  “Are you happy with the replacement?”

  Cat nodded. “There’ll be a lot less drama with Maribelle than there was with Olivia.”

  Millie didn’t doubt that was true. She wasn’t sure how anyone could have more drama than Olivia. That, and more boyfriends.

  Millie wandered back to her room. She ticked off the list of suspects. First, of course, was Maribelle. She had motive and opportunity; but why would she leave such obvious evidence in her room? Then again, maybe it was the reverse psychology thing.

  Then there was Andy. The fact that several people suspected him gave her reason to pause. She made a note to do a little research on the dead fiancé. What was her name? Gloria? No. That was her cousin’s name! Aurora? No. That wasn’t it, either.

  She snapped her fingers. It was similar to her car, still parked in the garage at home. Crown Victoria. She had the first name down pat. And the last name. Dowry. No, it was similar to dowry. Dowden. That was it. Victoria Dowden!

  Next on the list was Doctor Gundervan. Just the fact that he lied and told them that he had never met Olivia and that Annette had heard them arguing made him suspect. Besides, he was married or at least Millie thought he was. Maybe he and Olivia were having a fling and she was blackmailing him.

  She scratched Darna off the list. Instead, she decided to add him to her prayer list. Poor thing.

  Last but not least, was Cat. The woman hadn’t cared for Olivia. That was obvious. She had the least motive. Unless there was something more than knowing that Olivia was telling people Cat was about to get fired and she (Olivia) was going to get her job.

  Maybe Cat had a boyfriend and Olivia was after him, too. Another notch in her belt so to speak. She almost crossed her off the list but changed her mind. There was something about her…

  She opened her cabin door with her room card, stepped inside and stepped on something. Something that crunched. She looked down. It was a piece of paper. She bent down and picked it up.

  She turned on the light and slipped on her glasses.

  “The itsy bitsy spider crawled into Millie’s room.”

  Millie’s heart began to pound. No one had ever threatened her before and this was definitely a threat.

  Her eyes darted around the room as she checked for the slightest movement. Spider moves. Was someone planning to put a deadly spider in her room?

  Millie’s shoes felt as if someone had filled them with lead, making it impossible for her to move. She was standing in the same spot when Sarah came in moments later.

  Sarah noticed the look of terror on Millie’s face right away. “What’s wrong?”

  Millie thrust the note in her direction. “Here. Read this.”

  Sarah scanned the note and handed it back to Millie. “Where did you get this?”

  “I found it right here.” Millie pointed down. “Someone shoved it under our door.”

  Millie sat down on the edge of her bunk bed, the note still in her hand.

  “What are you going to do?” Sarah didn’t want to see Millie get hurt.

  What if someone planted a poisonous spider in their room? Sarah shuddered. “I think I’m gonna run out and get some bug spray.”

  The ship would be in port for several more hours, giving Sarah plenty of time to get off and track down a can of insect killer.

  “I’ll go with you.” Millie wanted to be anywhere but in that room.

  The girls grabbed their backpacks and headed to the exit. It was a long hike from the ship to the shops. The heat was stifling as it radiated off the concrete dock.

  Millie’s scalp grew damp and her hair clung to her forehead. “It must be like a hundred degrees out here,” she complained.

  Sarah stopped in her tracks. “Will ya’ look at that.” She pointed at a group of people up ahead.

  Millie shaded her eyes. It was hard to see through the haze of the Sahara-like heat. “Over there.” Sarah was pointing to a couple walking at a brisk pace. Although not quite touching, they were close together.

  Millie didn’t recognize them. At least not from the back. She frowned. “Who is it?”

  “Donovan Sweeney and Alison Coulter,” Sarah hissed.

  Millie had met the tall blonde dancer the first day on the ship. The girl with the legs that went on forever. Millie wasn’t sure how she could’ve missed them. Alison was a head taller than almost everyone in the vicinity. “Wow! The crew on this ship is straight out of a soap opera.”

  The girls stopped inside the first gift shop they came across. Millie’s heart sank. The place not only didn’t have bug spray, they didn’t have a suggestion on where to find some!

  “How can a tropical island not sell bug spray?” Sarah complained.

  They continued on to the next shop. Finally, four stores later, they found a small plastic container of insect repellant.

  The price was ridiculous! Sarah picked it up and turned it over. “Seven dollars and seventy-nine cents for this tiny thing?”

  Millie took it from her. “I’m buying it. After all, it’s my fault we’re even here.” She looked around. “Maybe we should buy some gas masks while we’re at it,” she joked. She quickly paid for the spray and they headed out.

  Millie was quiet on the walk back to the ship. Sarah correctly guessed it had everything to do with the note. She reached over and touched her arm. “Don’t worry about it, Millie. I think it’s just an empty threat. You should probably turn it into security though.”

  Millie nodded. That was a good idea. At least if something did happen to her, they would know it wasn’t an accident. She made a mental note to stay away from the railings.

  Sarah headed to their room with the bug spray while Millie headed to the security office. She’d never had a reason to see security. Of course, she’d only been on the ship a couple of days.

  She followed the placard on the wall, down the long corridor until almost to the very end. There, on the right hand side, was a frosted glass door with the words “Security” in bold, black letters.

  Millie suddenly realized it wasn’t far from the infirmary – and Docto
r Gundervan’s office. She turned the knob and stepped inside.

  At first, Millie thought the room was empty. She heard a small shuffling noise coming from the back. “Hello?”

  She waited. “Be right there,” a muffled male voice echoed from the back.

  Millie glanced around the small room as she waited. There were several plaques on the wall. She leaned in to study the one that was closest. She squinted as she studied the name: Dave Patterson. In the corner of the frame was a picture of a smiling man. He looked to be about her age. “Can I help you?”

  Millie nearly jumped out of her skin as she swung around and came face-to-face with the bluest set of eyes she had ever seen. She swallowed nervously as the eyes gazed directly into hers. Like a clear blue sky on a sandy white beach. “I-I uh…”

  The corners of his eyes crinkled kindly.

  She tried again. “Yes. Uh…” Millie wished she could turn around and kick herself! She felt like a bumbling idiot.

  Millie cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m Millie Sanders, Assistant Cruise Director.” She tugged at the corner of her damp shirt.

  He smiled at her now, displaying a straight row of white teeth. “Ah. The infamous Millie.”

  He headed around the back of the desk and settled into the chair. He waved to a chair on the other side. “You’re trying to steal my job,” he teased.

  “Well. Uh.”

  He shook his head. “That’s okay. I don’t mind. Really,” he assured her.

  He leaned back in his chair. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  Millie fumbled with the zipper on her backpack. The man was completely unnerving her! She pulled the folded note from her bag and slid it across the desk. “I found this in my cabin earlier. Someone shoved it under the door.”

  The smile left his face. He pulled a pair of reading glasses from the desk drawer and slipped them on. He unfolded the note and read the words.

  His eyes narrowed over the top of his glasses as he studied her. “You have any idea who might’ve left this?”

  Millie shook her head. “None.”

  He folded the note and set if off to the side. “I’ll need to keep this for evidence,” he told her.