Southampton Strangler

by Hope Callaghan

  Millie wasted no time showering and dressing. Her first stop was the early morning meeting with Andy and the entertainment staff. He addressed a handful of passenger issues and then reminded them it would be all hands on deck for the duration of the trip. “Our only break will be near the end when we stop in Bermuda overnight. I’ll warn you right now the ship is at capacity, so I’m not approving time off.”

  There was an inaudible murmur among the staff, and Andy’s eyes traveled around the room. “Dare I hear any complaints?”

  “Complaints? No. Disappointment? A little,” Felix said. “Bermuda isn’t part of our normal itinerary.”

  “Bermuda is like any other island. It’s tropical. There are palm trees and beaches.”

  “Party pooper,” Felix mumbled under his breath.

  “What did you say?” Andy’s eyes narrowed.

  “I said you’re a good party planner.”

  “That’s what I thought you said. You’re dismissed. Now, get out there and make some fun.”

  Millie swung by the buffet to grab a container of yogurt and then ate it on her way to Sunrise Stride, the early risers trek around the jogging track. She ran into Annette, who was already on her second lap.

  “I’m glad to see you’re taking this getting-healthy-to-control-your-angina exercise routine seriously.” Millie fell into step and picked up the pace.

  “Me too,” Annette said. “I’m no longer huffing and puffing, which is probably another reason I enjoyed yesterday’s outing.”

  Millie changed the subject. “Nic heard back from the Southampton authorities. Clarissa, the strangler’s most recent victim, injured him, or her, during her attack.”

  “No kidding. How do they know that?”

  “The authorities aren’t saying, at least not yet. Please don’t mention this to anyone. They don’t want this getting out to the public.”

  Annette made a zipping motion across her lips. “My lips are sealed. What does Patterson think?”

  “He wasn’t around last night, which reminds me I need to stop by his office this morning.”

  Several passengers joined them, and by their third lap around the track it was packed. She and Annette passed a few and were passed by others.

  The sun was rising, and Millie could tell it was going to be a beautiful day—warm and sunny. It reminded her of the balmy Caribbean temperatures minus the humidity.

  They finished their walk, and Annette and Millie stepped off to the side. “If you’re interested, I’m tinkering with a new breakfast recipe and need some feedback.”

  Millie patted her stomach. “I had a container of yogurt earlier. What time?”

  “Ten-thirty-ish,” Annette said. “Midway between the breakfast and lunch crowd.”

  “I’ll be there.” Millie gave her a thumbs up before heading downstairs. Once again, Dave Patterson wasn’t around, but Oscar was there. “Where’s Patterson?”

  “Making his rounds. He is very much…” Oscar paused as he struggled to find the right words. “Hands on for this voyage.”

  “Because of the strangler, not to mention the number of sea days,” Millie guessed, and Oscar nodded. “We are a long way away from help if something happens.”

  “And there are only so many jail cells on board the ship.”

  “Yes. We always have one or two troublemakers.”

  Millie thanked him and then made her way to the lounge for morning trivia. Deciding to do something special, she ordered coffee and donuts, which were promptly delivered by one of Annette’s galley crewmembers.

  The server unloaded the tray on a nearby table, passing by the Ellises, a couple who were part of Clarissa’s group. They found a table for two in a dark corner, and Mr. Ellis promptly pulled out his cell phone.

  His wife began chatting with the couple next to them. Since the ship was spending most of the time at sea, Millie decided a trivia game about the ocean was a perfect fit and had even learned a thing or two while doing some online research.

  The first was that the Atlantic Ocean was the second largest body of water, with the Pacific Ocean being the largest.

  The final question was a fun fact, and Millie’s favorite. “Here’s my final and favorite question. Where can you find a peacock mantis shrimp?”

  She finished timing the question and then stood. “Time’s up. Swap answers with the group to your right.”

  When they finished, she made her way down the list. “Did anyone get the peacock mantis question—about where you can find them—correct?”

  A few raised their hands. “The answer is the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It’s a fascinating and colorful creature, able to punch hard enough to break glass in the blink of an eye.”

  She announced the winners and handed out Siren of the Seas’ pens and discount coupons to the winners. Millie thanked them and began making her rounds, clearing the tables.

  Hilda Ellis hurried toward her. “Hello, Millie.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Ellis.” Millie offered the woman a smile. “Thank you for joining me.”

  “It was fun, but I was a little disappointed.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “In your explanation of the peacock mantis shrimp. You could’ve taught the group a thing or two.”

  Hilda’s husband wandered over, sporting the same sullen expression he was wearing when he arrived. “Let’s go, Hilda. I’m hungry.”

  Hilda cast him an annoyed look. “Hang on a minute. As I was telling Millie, the mantis shrimp is fascinating. You should do a better job of researching your trivia.”

  “I did my research. I learned the shrimp is not only amazingly colorful and quick, punching fifty times faster than the blink of an eye, it’s tiny, only a few inches in length.”

  “I also took issue with you not giving us a little more in-depth information about the Atlantic Ocean.”

  “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the trivia,” Millie apologized.

  “Oh, I enjoyed it but thought it was a bit…lacking. I attended your trivia yesterday, and it seems to me you were a little more…shall we say, on your game?”

  “On my game?” Millie sucked in a breath.

  “You know.” Hilda snapped her fingers. “Sharp.”

  “I see. Well, I shall try to up my game.”

  “When is the next round?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not hosting it.”

  “Let’s go, Mrs. know-it-all.” Bruce rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on his wife’s back and propelled her out of the lounge.

  Millie’s stomach started to rumble, reminding her it was almost time to sample Annette’s breakfast goodies. She finished putting the supplies in the closet and locked the door when her cell phone rang.

  It was Halbert. She made her way to the window for clearer reception. “Hello, Halbert.”

  “Millie? Can you hear me?” Halbert’s voice was faint, and she had to strain to hear him.

  “I can hear you. You sound as if you’re in a tunnel. How do you like your new phone?”

  “It’s great. I didn’t mean to bother you but wanted to tell you I called my niece. She’s picking me up and taking me to her house for dinner this evening.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks to you, Millie.” There was a moment of silence. “I watched the ship leave port but couldn’t bring myself to come out to wave goodbye. I figured maybe if I didn’t wave goodbye, it would somehow mean one day you’ll be back.”

  A lump lodged in her throat. “Look on the bright side, when I see you again, we’ll have so much to catch up on.” If I see you again, Millie silently added.

  “Yes. I’ll let you go. I just wanted to give you the exciting news.”

  “Thank you. We’ll talk soon.”

  “Wait. I had something else to tell you. It’s about the strangler.”

  Millie perked up. “What is it?”

  “A dockhand was there right after the authorities showed up. He told me he overheard one of them
say Clarissa fought the strangler and injured him during her attack.”

  “Do you know how she injured him?”

  “Scratched ‘em with her fingernails. He also said her glasses were missing. She wore prescription glasses. There’s one other thing,” Halbert said. “They think the strangler may have boarded your ship.”

  “I heard the same.”

  “Be careful, Millie.”

  “I will. Thank you, Halbert. We’ll all be careful.”

  After ending the call, Millie stared at the phone. There had to be a reason the authorities believed the strangler was on board the ship, which meant they knew more than Nic or the ship’s security team, but were withholding their findings.

  Disturbed by Halbert’s call and the increasing number of reports the killer was on board, Millie stopped by the apartment to grab her stun gun, something she hadn’t kept on her for a long time. She checked the device to make sure it was operating properly and then headed to the galley for breakfast.

  Cat was there, along with Danielle and Amit. Millie stepped inside, sniffing appreciatively. “Something smells delish.”

  “Bacon. I’m tweaking a bacon breakfast pizza.”

  “You had me at bacon.” Millie hopped onto the barstool, hungrily eyeing the dishes on the counter. “What’s in it besides bacon?”

  Annette finished slicing the pieces and grabbed a spatula. “Sautéed onions, red bell pepper, cheese and pizza crust.” She placed a wedge on Millie’s plate while Amit went along behind her and added a scoop of fresh fruit on the side.

  After portioning out the samples, Annette fixed a plate for her and Amit. She sawed off the tip. “Bon appétit.”

  Millie studied her wedge before taking a big bite. She let out a moan of pure delight. “This tastes as good as it smells.”

  “Here, here.” Danielle picked up her piece and bit the end. “I love pizza. I love bacon and combining the two for breakfast is sheer bliss.”

  “It is,” Cat agreed. “Are you thinking about adding it to the breakfast menu?”

  “No. I’m adding it to the brunch menu.”

  “It’s a winner.” Millie gave a thumbs up before nudging Cat. “So, how did the date day go?”

  “It was wonderful.” Cat’s faced turned a tinge of pink. “It would have been even better if the cops hadn’t stopped me and Andy on our way back to the ship.”

  “The police detained you?” Annette asked.

  “Andy.” Cat explained Andy had gotten off the ship early the previous morning to meet with the sailboat’s captain to pay for and arrange the final details. “He passed by the park before the authorities found Clarissa’s body, and they wanted to know if he’d seen or heard anything.”

  “Obviously, he hadn’t,” Danielle said. “Otherwise, I’m sure he would’ve reported it.”

  “Yeah. It was kinda crazy. Once they found out he was British, they really started grilling him.”

  Millie grew quiet. Andy hadn’t mentioned being detained by the police. He was British. He was familiar with the UK. No, Millie, she silently chided herself . There’s no way Andy is the Southampton Strangler. “It can’t be Andy. He’s been out of the country.”

  Annette leaned an elbow on the counter. “I’m not saying Andy is the strangler, not by a longshot, but I get where the authorities might want to take a closer look at him. Think about it. He’s British. He returned to the UK around the time the strangler started striking again. He was in the area of where the last woman’s body was found.”

  “What about the other incidents?” Millie was certain the ship was somewhere else when Edith Branson, the first victim, not to mention the young woman from “uni” was murdered…or was it? “I’m sure the authorities cleared Andy from suspicion.”

  Cat wrinkled her nose.

  “You think they seriously suspect him?” Danielle asked.

  “I think he’s a person of interest, and so does he.”

  “He got a clunk on the head. He has a real shiner from being hit by the sailboat’s boom,” Cat said.

  Millie remembered what Nic had told her, how the authorities believed the latest victim had fought back and the strangler had been injured. Halbert mentioned Clarissa scratching her killer. What if she had not only scratched her killer but also conked him in the head?

  If Millie were in a life and death battle, she would fight with everything she had, which is what Clarissa had done. And left her mark.

  “I have some pictures of our sailing adventure.”

  The others gathered around Cat as she turned her cell phone on and began scrolling through the pictures. The first was of them boarding the sailboat.

  Cat had taken a picture of the tantalizing tray of goodies. It warmed Millie’s heart when she saw the picture of them cuddled up together.

  There was one more of them lounging in the sun, a silly grin on Andy’s face as Cat leaned in to whisper in his ear.

  There was something else in the picture Millie noticed…bright, red scratches on his arm.

  Chapter 6

  Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “Poor Andy. First, he clunks his head and then he ends up with nasty scratches on his arm.”

  “Scratches?” Cat reached for her phone. “I never noticed them yesterday.”

  “I gotta get going.” Danielle hopped off her stool. “Thanks for the delicious breakfast, Annette.”

  “I need to head out, too. I’m hosting a ship tour, and it includes a stop by the captain’s apartment, so I want to make sure it’s tidy.”

  Annette began stacking the dirty dishes. “I wouldn’t like that, not one bit. I wouldn’t put it past some of the female passengers who become enamored by the thought of a romantic fling with the ship’s captain to try something sneaky.”

  “Like hide in our coat closet and pounce on Nic when he comes home?” Millie joked.

  “I’m serious. They see a handsome man in uniform and go nuts.”

  “Some of them do get a little…shall we say, enthusiastic about Nic.”

  Annette batted her eyes and patted her chest. “A man in uniform. Maybe I should hide in the captain’s closet and surprise him when he comes home.”

  “You’re hilarious.” Millie chuckled. “I already have them leaving him notes, inviting him back to their cabin. You’re going to have me checking the bedroom closets at night.”

  “Better safe than sorry.”

  “True. I’ll see you in a few. I would like to start the tour here if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  Millie hustled home for a quick inspection, making sure their private quarters were shipshape. On her way back out, she gave Nic a heads up she was bringing the tour group through.

  Several passengers were already waiting at the designated spot near guest services when she arrived. Millie’s heart sank when she discovered Hilda and Bruce Ellis were a part of the group.

  She waited until the last person on her list arrived and then gave them an overview of the areas they would be visiting. As promised, she started the tour in the galley by introducing them to Annette.

  She stood near the back, listening while Annette spouted off some interesting facts about the amount of food consumed on board the ship during a typical seven-day cruise before showing them the freezers, the refrigerators, and the prep area. She finished by giving them a tour of each of the stations.

  Millie knew trouble was brewing when Hilda pulled a notepad from her pocket and flipped it open. “I read on your website there are eighteen kitchens on board this ship.”

  “There are eighteen galleys on board Siren of the Seas. This is the largest galley, serving all the main dining rooms,” Annette explained.

  “Will we be touring the others?” Hilda asked.

  “No,” Millie answered.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it would take all day to visit all the galleys.” Millie forced a smile. “Shall we move on?” She thanked Annette for the tour and then led the group out into the corri
dor.

  Their second stop was the theater’s backstage where Andy was waiting. He led them to the dressing rooms, the costume closets, and the costume repair area, all the while spouting off tidbits and fun facts about not only the productions and performers but also the cost of the costumes.

  Up next was the engine room, which wasn’t far from the laundry center, another part of the tour, before they made the trek up the steps to the bridge.

  Both Nic and Captain Vitale were on hand. Millie introduced them before stepping off to the side.

  Nic caught his wife’s eye and winked before addressing the group.

  “Welcome to Siren of the Seas’ bridge.” He gave them the ship’s position, their current speed, and the number of nautical miles traveled since leaving Southampton. He answered several questions before Millie continued their tour by leading them down the hall to their private quarters.

  Scout was waiting inside. She scooped him up and then held the door for the others. “For security and privacy, I’ll only be showing you the kitchen, the dining room, living room and the apartment’s balcony.”

  Hilda and her husband, Bruce, brought up the rear.

  “What a cute little pup.” Hilda patted his head. “I didn’t know dogs were allowed on board the ship.”

  “They’re not. Scout is an exception. He’s Captain Armati’s dog.”

  “Bending the rules for the captain?” Hilda curled her lip.

  “Hilda,” her husband scolded. “It’s none of your business.”

  “Just making a comment,” she airily replied as she strolled into the living room. “This is larger than I thought it would be.”

  “The apartment is approximately eleven hundred square feet. There is one bedroom and two bathrooms. As I mentioned, we’ll only be touring the kitchen, along with the dining and living room areas.”

  “This isn’t really a behind-the-scenes tour if we can’t see it all,” Hilda sniffed.

  “The captain’s bedroom suite is off limits,” Millie bluntly replied.

  Hilda’s sharp eye took it all in. “I thought it would be more masculine. I see a woman’s touch.” She pivoted, eyeing Millie. “Is the captain married?”