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

  The ship’s bright lights illuminated the waters and cast a warm glow across the bay. Millie had never been on shore to gaze at the cruise ship at night. It was an impressive sight. If not for the feeling of impending doom, she would have loved to take a few pictures to send to her family.

  Millie stuck close to Patterson as they cleared the docking area and reached the edge of the small town. The drug store was several buildings down. The small village was quiet and she wondered if the drug store was even open!

  Her eyes darted back and forth. She searched frantically for a sign of her friend and her beehive hairdo. The sidewalks were empty, not a soul in sight.

  She turned her attention toward the small restaurant Annette and she had eaten at that morning. It seemed like an eternity ago.

  Millie trailed behind Patterson as he stepped inside the empty drug store. The only person inside was the girl Annette and Millie had met earlier, Cherelle.

  The girl looked up from her paperback book, a small flicker of recognition in her eyes when she spotted Millie. “Hello mum. You’re back!”

  Millie tugged on the edge of her lanyard. “Unfortunately, we’re not here to buy something. We’re looking for one of the ship’s employees who told us she was coming here a short time ago to buy some vitamins.”

  Cherelle frowned. “What did she look like?”

  Millie lifted her hand. “About this tall, thin. Her hair is black and it’s piled up on top of her head.”

  Cherelle shook her head. “No one has come in the store that matches your description.”

  A wave of fear washed over Millie. Cat had never made it to the drug store! The color drained from her face.

  “You’re certain?” Patterson took a step closer.

  “Yes sir. I have been here all day with only a brief lunch break around noon.”

  Patterson glanced around the small shop, stepped over to the counter and leaned an elbow on top. “You look like a very bright young woman,” Patterson complimented. “Very observant.”

  Cherelle smiled. “Yes sir. Not much gets past me.”

  “So you would notice anything unusual.”

  “Yes and since da people start disappearing, we have a lot of strangers in our small town.”

  “Like reporters?” Millie prompted.

  “Yes, them too, but also some scary people,” Cherelle said.

  Millie’s ears perked. “Scary?”

  The young woman shivered and rubbed the tops of her arms. “Yes mum. Today a man come in here. He has dark eyes….like he have no soul. His face…it remind me of death.”

  She went on. “He buy a pack of gum and ask a lot of questions.”

  “About the missing people?” Patterson probed.

  “No,” Cherelle replied. “About da cruise ship. He ask questions about the ship like how long it be here and do many ship employees and passengers come into town.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  She shrugged. “Dat we get many visitors from ship both employees and guests.” Cherelle pointed to the door. “After he leave, he stand in front for a long time watching people before he disappear. I hope he never come back.”

  “What did he look like?” Could this man hold the key to the passengers – and Danielle’s – disappearance?

  “He have dark moustache and a tattoo of a snake right here.” Cherelle pointed to the right side of her neck. “The snake eyes were red. It mean that he have no soul.”

  Cherelle closed her book. “He have shaved head but it look like his hair would be black with some grey. He not real tall but tin.”

  Millie frowned. The guy could be just about anybody. It was apparent he was not a cruise ship passenger, especially if he was asking questions about the ship.

  Patterson gazed out the window. “There is a small airport in town. Do you know the schedule…how often visitors arrive?”

  Cherelle smiled. “Yes sir. My boyfriend, Jimmy, is one of da pilots. There are only tree days planes fly in each week. Today was one of dem.”

  Patterson turned to Millie. “It might be helpful if we could get our hands on a copy of the passenger list for today and even the last couple of weeks since the Roush family went missing.”

  He focused on Cherelle. “Is there any way we can talk to Jimmy?”

  “Sorry sir. He be gone out again to the mainland. He won’t be back now until the next flight comes in day after tomorrow.”

  Patterson rocked back on his heels. “Can you contact Jimmy to see if he can tell you who was on the passenger list?”

  Cherelle wasn’t sure if she should, or shouldn’t do that. Surely, there was some sort of privacy policy. Still, the man was bad news and if he had something to do with the disappearance of the island visitors, she would do whatever she could to help solve the mysteries.

  “Yes. I will call him later. I left my cell phone at home. Stop by in the morning and I should have a list.”

  Millie rubbed the sides of her arms. “What time will the store open?”

  Cherelle shrugged her shoulders. “When we have visitors, we open at nine. Other days, mebbe ten or ten tirty.”

  “So you’ll open at nine?” Patterson confirmed.

  “Yes.”

  Millie plucked her cell phone from her back pocket, turned it on and clicked on her saved photos. She scrolled through the photos until she spotted one Cat was in.

  Millie double clicked the screen and then turned the phone so Cherelle could see it. “This is our friend, Cat. If you see her, please tell her to contact the ship immediately.”

  Cherelle nodded solemnly. “Yes mum. I will say a prayer for her. Too many people disappearing on da island. It ‘tis not safe to be out on your own no more.”

  She pointed to the restaurant across the street and down the block. It was the only other business open. “Stefan may have seen your friend. You should check wid him.”

  Patterson turned on his heel and headed for the door. “We’re going there now.” He grasped the knob and then turned back. “Are there any other businesses in St. Parrot that are open this evening?”

  Cherelle shook her head. “No. I am afraid not. This is a small place. We are lucky we have what we do.”

  Millie thanked the young woman for the information and followed behind Patterson as they stepped out onto the sidewalk and made their way across the street.

  Stefan’s restaurant was busy…well, as busy as a restaurant on a little island could be. Patterson and Millie made their way to the counter near the back, passing by several tables on the way.

  Millie recognized a small group of patrons at one of the high top tables drinking beer. It was some of the ship’s crew. She smiled and kept walking.

  Stefan was behind the counter ringing up a customer. He spun around, handed the customer the change and turned his attention to Millie and Patterson. “You’re back for more of my scrumptious island food?” he asked.

  Millie shook her head. “No, Stefan. It was delicious. Unfortunately, I am here for a completely different reason.”

  Patterson placed both hands on the gleaming counter. “We are looking for someone.”

  Stefan slid his hands in his apron pocket and slowly shook his head in disbelief. “Not another one!”

  Millie pulled her phone from her pocket, turned the screen to the picture of Cat, and handed the phone to Stefan. “We’re looking for our friend, a ship employee. Her name is Cat.”

  Stefan narrowed his eyes and studied the picture. He slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry but I have not seen her.” He handed the phone back. “I would remember a woman like that.”

  Cat was an attractive woman, making her an easy target for unsavory characters. Millie hoped that wasn’t the case. “If you see her, could you please tell her to contact the ship immediately? We are concerned for her safety.”

  Stefan lifted a hand to his forehead and saluted. “Yes ma’am.” He lowered his hand and dipped his head toward the ship’s employees, seated nearby. “You should chec
k with the crew over there.”

  Patterson thanked Stefan and they wound their way through the maze of tables until they reached the crew.

  Patterson recognized several of the faces and addressed the group as a whole. “We’re looking for Cat Wellington, one of the ship’s employee who works in the gift shop. Have you by chance seen her?”

  One of the crew lifted his hand and made a swooping motion around the top of his head. “She is the lady with the hair like this?”

  Millie grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation. “That’s the one.”

  Another crewmember shook his head. “No. We came off the ship about an hour ago and I didn’t see her.”

  The group agreed they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Cat. They told Patterson and Millie they would keep an eye out and would make sure she made it safely back to the ship if she surfaced.

  One of the crew closest to Millie nudged the guy next to him and reached for his beer. “What about that freaky dude we ran into on our way here?”

  Millie’s heart froze. Was he talking about the same suspicious-looking man Cherelle had mentioned?

  The man nodded. “Yeah. He looked psycho, like scary movie kind of psycho.”

  The blood drained from Millie’s face. If the crew had left the ship close to the same time Cat had told Maribelle she was going to run over to the drug store, the unknown stranger probably saw Cat…alone. “I’m scared,” Millie whispered.

  Patterson ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the restaurant. “We need to do something and fast.”

  Patterson and Millie exited the restaurant and stood off to one side. He pulled his cell phone from his front pocket, scrolled through the screen and then pressed the call button. “Yes. I need as much security as we can spare to meet me at the gangway in ten minutes.”

  Patterson pulled the phone from his ear and then shifted it against the side of his face. “Bring flashlights. As many as you can get your hands on,” he barked.

  Patterson disconnected the line and set his mouth in a grim line. “We will search tonight.”

  Millie didn’t dare ask if she could help. The look on his face was one she had never seen before. Patterson was angry. Seething would be a better word. If anyone could find Cat, it would be Patterson.

  She only hoped it wasn’t too late and they would find Cat alive.

  Chapter 15

  Patterson walked Millie back to Siren of the Seas and waited until she was safely on board before he joined his security staff to go over the plan to search for Cat…and Danielle and the boys for the matter.

  A total assembled group of thirty men, armed with flashlights, Tasers, radios and working in pairs, fanned out across the small town.

  The men searched every nook and cranny of St. Parrot. They could not find a single clue, a solitary shred of anything that could lead them to Cat, Danielle or the two Kingman boys.

  Patterson was not a man given to superstition but even he had to wonder if the small island of Kiriban was cursed.

  They searched for hours, pounding on resident’s doors, checking abandoned shacks and even walking the deserted beach.

  Finally, Patterson called off the search and the discouraged crew returned to the ship.

  Millie’s shift had long since ended. She tracked down Annette and the two women paced the open area near the gangway, praying for a miracle, that all four had been found.

  Millie spotted Patterson first. She took one look at his face and knew the search had been in vain. He waited for his men to head to their workstations before facing Annette and Millie. “We couldn’t find one single clue. We searched every inch of St. Parrot, knocked on doors, woke residents.”

  He shook his head grimly. “We will search at first daylight. All we can do for tonight is pray.”

  The girls watched as Patterson, his shoulders slumped, stepped into the open elevator. If thirty men couldn’t find Cat – or Danielle - in the small town, she wondered how anyone could.

  Annette and Millie crept up a flight of stairs and made their way to the I-95 corridor.

  Annette’s cabin was at the opposite end of the corridor. “See you at 6:00 a.m. with bells on.”

  Millie nodded. “I feel so helpless.”

  Annette agreed. Her gut told her the four missing people were somewhere on the island. If only they knew where!

  “Don’t forget Danielle took the tracker with her,” Millie reminded Annette. If only they knew where Danielle had gone.

  The only thing she knew was the young woman planned to search for the missing Roush family. Millie remembered Cherelle telling her about Hassadona Pass. Was Danielle crazy enough to drag the boys into the jungle in search of the pass?

  A knot formed in the pit of Millie’s stomach. She had a bad feeling that was exactly what Danielle had done!

  Millie’s steps dragged as she made her way down the long hall to her cabin. Was she ready to face her fears and do what needed to be done?

  ***

  Millie stared into the darkness, her eyes wide open. Sleep wasn’t elusive…it was non-existent. She lay in bed for hours, her mind racing.

  The Roush family had disappeared after Simon Roush, the father, flashed large wads of cash in front of the locals. Millie could see where the family might have run into foul play because of the father’s foolishness.

  Next were the two investigators who disappeared after arriving on the island. Had they met the same fate as the Roush family? Was it possible they stumbled upon something and been killed because of what they had discovered?

  Millie swallowed hard. She thought about Danielle, and Nathan and Brandon Kingman. What had happened to them? Were they lost in the jungle, waiting for someone to rescue them? At least they had some hope of finding Danielle and the boys…if they could get a hit on the tracking device.

  Last, but not least, was Cat. Cat hadn’t acted rashly and wandered off in search of the Roush family. All she had done was make a quick trip to the drugstore.

  Millie finally gave up trying to sleep. She sat upright in bed and stared at the clock. It was 4:45 a.m. and she hadn’t slept a wink.

  Millie tromped over to the bathroom, flipped the light on and stepped inside.

  By the time she got ready, the early riser’s breakfast buffet was open on the lido deck. She had a feeling today was going to be a very long one so she decided on a hearty lumberjack breakfast…something that would tide her over if she wasn’t back by noon, or if she vanished without a trace, just like the others.

  Millie loaded her plate with hash brown rounds, crispy bacon, an egg that resembled a flying saucer and two slices of wheat toast.

  On the way to the table, she stopped to fill a drink glass with orange juice. She juggled her tray carefully and slid into the seat closest to the window.

  Millie stared out the window. Far off in the distance, lights from the village twinkled brightly. How could such a small, quaint island be filled with so much evil? It was as if a black cloud hung over the island of Kiriban.

  She wondered if Cherelle had reached Jimmy and if he was able to give her the names of the passengers who had been on the small shuttle plane the day before.

  Millie dipped one of her hash brown rounds in a glob of ketchup and popped it into her mouth.

  “Great minds think alike.” Millie turned and watched her friend, Annette, set her plate on the table. She pulled out the chair opposite Millie.

  Annette transferred her plate from the tray to the table and then set the empty tray on the chair next to her. “Whew! I didn’t sleep a wink.”

  “Me either,” Millie moaned. “I finally gave up and decided to get ready and grab a bite to eat.”

  Annette smoothed her napkin in her lap. “You never know…this may be our last supper,” she joked.

  Millie gave her a dark look.

  “What? Lighten up. I was kidding. Sheesh.” Annette lifted the top of her English muffin and set it off to one side. Next, she scooped a large spoonful of scramble
d eggs on the muffin. She carefully arranged three strips of bacon on top of the eggs and placed a slice of cheddar cheese over the bacon before replacing the second half of the muffin. She lifted the sandwich and took a big bite.

  Millie looked down at her limp piece of dry wheat toast. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Annette lifted her napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth. “Gotta get creative when you eat buffet food.”

  Annette and her galley crew had a friendly rivalry with the kitchen crew, who was in charge of the buffet and outdoor grill area.

  Past guest surveys, revealed passengers preferred the dining room food, hands down. The grill came in a close second. The sea day brunch, a meal Annette and her staff were responsible for, came in a distant third.

  Annette had been working on a new menu for the sea day brunch for weeks now and was tight-lipped about the offerings. So far, Millie had not been able to wheedle it out of Annette. “How ‘bout to celebrate us finding Cat safe and sound, we spend a girls’ night in the kitchen whipping up one of your super-secret dishes for the new sea day brunch menu?”

  Annette grinned. “You’ve got yourself a deal. I need some guinea pigs…I mean volunteers to try the dishes anyway.” She gobbled the rest of her makeshift sandwich, wiped her mouth and tossed the dirty napkin on top of the empty plate.

  She glanced at her watch. “We have half an hour before daylight.”

  Millie picked up her last piece of bacon and chewed the end. “Yeah. I’m ready to get this show on the road.” She finished the piece of bacon and slid out of the booth.

  The dining room was starting to fill with guests dropping by for a quick cup of coffee before they joined the other walkers out on the jogging track.

  Annette stopped in front of the fruit tray, reached inside and grabbed an apple and banana. She set her backpack on the floor, unzipped the front and dropped the fruit inside. “You never know if we might need it.”

  “Great idea!” Millie selected a couple boxes of dry cereal, a few pieces of fruit and placed them in her backpack. “I already packed some bottled water.”

  Annette slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Yep. Me too. Plus bug spray.”