Sam gave me a look that was half bewildered, half amused. “I just don’t understand why her assistant got so angry. He was actually almost yelling at us.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I think if we hadn’t been in such a public place, he would have really been shouting. But the crazy part is that the whole vegan thing wouldn’t have been a big deal at all if Petal hadn’t focused so much on it in her classes. I thought I was being funny by pointing it out, but… I guess they didn’t really find the humor in it.”
“It’s the hypocrisy of the whole situation that gets to me,” Sam continued. “If Petal has these cravings—which I totally don’t blame her for, by the way—then why can’t she just tell her trainees the truth?”
It was certainly a good question but one I didn’t have the answer to. But Sam was right. It was hypocrisy. It was a lie. And if she could lie about something as seemingly silly and trivial as whether or not she was actually a vegan, then… what else had she been lying about?
“Petal must feel like there’s some benefit to keeping the lie going,” I shrugged. “Maybe she thinks being a vegan is sort of a part of her identity at this point. Her brand, even.”
“I think it would just be nice if she felt free to be who she really is.” Sam sighed then nodded toward the corridor ahead. “I should probably get back to work. What are you going to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
I hesitated a moment, then grinned. “Would it be crazy if I said I really want to attend Petal’s afternoon class?”
Sam’s mouth dropped open and then she laughed. “Yes, definitely crazy. But also hilarious. Do you think she’ll let you in? Tomek will probably tackle you before you make it through the door.”
I joined in her laughter but shook my head. “I won’t be trying to cause a scene, so I hope he won’t, either. I just feel like that incident at lunch brings up even more questions for both of them than I had before. Maybe I can get a chance to talk to them again in private and clear the air on some of this stuff, you know?”
She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. You’ll have to let me know how it goes.”
“Trust me, you’ll be the first to know.”
We said goodbye, and she went ahead down the corridor while I turned and backtracked toward the other end of the ship where I knew Petal’s afternoon class would be starting soon.
Along the way, I took a few candid photos of the passengers sunbathing, enjoying the pool, dancing on the deck—just normal, fun cruise life—and I was relieved to see that none of them seemed to be worried or upset at all. Hopefully, that meant the news of Rock’s death hadn’t spread very far.
I didn’t know how long our luck would hold out before word eventually made its way through the entire ship, but I was grateful for the delay. It meant I had a little more time to help with the investigation, but it also meant we had to work quickly.
Contrary to Sam’s prediction, Tomek wasn’t guarding the door to tackle me and carry me out, but he and Petal still instantly noticed when I walked in. They watched me from the other side of the room as I gave them a polite nod on my way to my usual seat in the back.
One of the ladies near me was finishing up a delicious looking plate of food when I sat down. She smiled and gestured with her fork. “Did you see the buffet set up in the conference room? I’m sure there is plenty of food left if you’re hungry—and it’s all one hundred percent vegan. I never knew there were this many vegan options!”
“I just had lunch,” I said, glancing back toward Petal and Tomek. They were still watching every move I made. “But thank you. It does look and smell delicious.” Then, because she had brought it up, I asked, “Do you think being strictly vegan is an important part of the, um, lifestyle we’re learning about here?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded without hesitating. “How else are we going to model the kind of clean, life-affirming behavior for our own students when we get off this ship and out into the real world if we don’t walk the walk as well as talk the talk?” Then, answering her own question, she continued. “No, we have to be willing to set the example. We have to be the change we want to see in the world.”
I didn’t totally disagree. Setting a good, positive example was always a good thing, in my opinion. I just wasn’t sure why it had to be an all-or-nothing sort of thing. Especially when it came to something as personal as dietary restrictions.
But I certainly wasn’t going to argue, and I also didn’t want to antagonize Petal or Tomek any further now that I knew how serious they were about Petal’s vegan predicament.
It turned out that I didn’t have time to say anything else anyway, because Petal stood up with a dramatic flourish and cleared her throat to make an announcement.
“Everyone, I’m so sorry but I’m not feeling well.” She placed the back of her hand against her forehead as Tomek rushed to her side to steady her. “I need to retire to my cabin for rest and meditation. Please feel free to finish eating your lunches, and we’ll hold another session tomorrow morning.”
There was a hushed murmur that went through the room, but Petal didn’t elaborate or stay to answer any questions. If I was going to get another chance to speak with her one-on-one, this was it.
I started to move toward the front of the room, but Tomek was already ushering her out the door.
“Petal,” I called out quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to myself as the rest of the class was still talking among themselves. “Tomek? Can I—”
They slipped into the adjoining conference room and closed the door behind them before I could catch up to them.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I should risk causing a scene by trying to follow or if I should take the not-so-subtle hint and leave through the opposite door.
I looked back over my shoulder at the rest of the class. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be paying any attention to me. I opened the conference room door and hurried inside before I could talk myself out of it.
But they were already gone. The only thing waiting for me in the room was a thoroughly picked over vegan buffet.
There was only one other door that led out of the room, but the real question was how far I intended to push my luck. I was still on duty and part of the ship’s crew. If they decided I was being a complete nuisance, they could easily make my life—and my job—more unpleasant.
Then again, wasn’t it also part of my responsibility to make sure each guest had a nice time while they were on board? And wouldn’t Kelly and the captain have wanted me to do everything I could to ensure Petal had been taken care of?
Right.
That excuse was good enough for me.
I crossed the conference room and opened the door then stepped out into the corridor that ran along the other side of the ship. I knew from check-in day that Petal’s suite was immediately to my right and that Tomek had an adjoining cabin one door down.
What I hadn’t expected was to see a mostly empty room service cart just outside Petal’s door. After looking around to make sure nobody was coming down the corridor from either direction, I walked over and gingerly lifted the lid from one of the serving platters on the cart.
Leftover roast beef and gravy.
Another platter held a T-bone with half of the steak missing, while a third serving plate held the remnants of at least half a dozen chicken wings.
Aside from the little green sprigs of garnish, there was nothing vegan about any of those dishes.
I was tempted to knock on Petal’s door and give her my excuse that I just wanted to check on her, but it didn’t take any kind of psychic ability to know how that conversation would have played out. I’d ask questions and she would lie about the answers. She might even make the lies seem more palatable with some flowery phrases and an overly sweet smile.
No, wasting my time with Petal wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
Instead, I walked past her room and knocked on Tomek’s door. Not that I really expected him to answer, but I knew that he w
as much more likely to give me a direct—probably blunt to the point of rudeness—answer to any question I might ask.
“What do you want?” he asked as soon as he cracked open the door wide enough to see me. “I’m busy, and Petal isn’t feeling well, so you’ll just have to—”
“I’ll only take a moment of your time.” I smiled as I placed my hand on the door and gave a gentle push. He scowled but took a step back to let me in. “I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier, and I just wanted to come by and, um, apologize if I upset you.”
That hadn’t been my original intention at all, but I didn’t mind offering an apology if it meant he might loosen up a little. He looked genuinely surprised, and his expression actually softened for a split second before he apparently remembered to frown again.
“Your apology isn’t necessary, but… thank you.” He gave me a hard look. “Now, if that’s all you need, I really am busy.”
He glanced back over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze to the laptop he’d set up on the small desk next to the window.
“Is that Petal’s website?” I asked, taking a step in that direction so I could get a better look.
“Yes.” Tomek moved to block my view with his body. “I run the website for her. Always have, since the early days.” His frown slipped as he puffed out his chest with a burst of pride. “That’s how we met. I started by taking care of her website and then I took on more and more responsibilities until she realized how well we worked together and how much she needed me—needed my expertise, I mean.”
“It seems like her success has grown quite a bit with your help behind the scenes,” I noted, hoping to encourage him to say more.
Every time I’d been around the two of them, I’d gotten the impression that Tomek was more of a harmless—if a little pushy at times—sycophant who basically lived to serve Petal’s whims. He clearly saw himself as something much more than that. And seeing how strongly Tomek felt about his place in Petal’s business and in her life, it made me wonder how she viewed their relationship.
“Petal deserves every bit of success she’s had,” he nodded. “And then some. Unlike some other so-called gurus,” he practically spat the last word, “Petal is authentic. She is the real deal. Mark my words, she’s going to be a household name someday soon. You’ll see. They’ll all see.”
I took a step backward toward the door. I needed to leave. Not just because I’d heard everything I needed to hear from him in that moment, but also because he was creeping me out.
“I won’t take up any more of your time, Tomek.” I forced a smile as I turned to go. “Please let Petal know that I hope she’s feeling better soon.”
He simply nodded. Neither of us said anything else.
Once outside his room, I took a moment to catch my breath and collect my thoughts. He was obviously devoted to his boss. Very, very devoted.
For the second time that day, I found myself wondering if Tomek’s devotion to his job and his boss might have made him do something drastic. Something unimaginable to most people.
Something like murder.
Chapter Thirteen
This had been the longest, most exhausting, most stressful day I’d experienced in a long time. By the time I’d finished my impromptu investigation and then had finished updating the ship’s social media accounts—aka the job they actually paid me to do—the sun had already gone down and it was nearly time for dinner.
There was one thing that sounded even better than food, though, at least for that moment.
Cocktails with the girls.
Thankfully, Sam and Cece had already come to the same conclusion and were waiting for me in the cocktail bar that overlooked the Grand Atrium. The view was nice. The feeling of relaxation as I sat down at the small bistro table and got off my feet for the first time since earlier in the afternoon was even nicer.
But best of all?
The frozen margarita that was already waiting for me when I arrived.
“You are a life saver.” I smiled my thanks to Sam as I took a nice, long sip. “Oh my goodness, that’s perfect. Definitely hits the spot.”
“We have some snacks on the way, too,” Sam grinned. “It’s definitely going to spoil our appetites for dinner, but… I kind of don’t care?”
“That makes two of us.” I sighed, then turned to Cece with a weary smile. “Hopefully, your day was less hectic after all of the craziness this morning.”
She snorted. “Every day is hectic for the housekeeping staff. No more dead bodies turning up in strange places, though, so I guess that’s a plus.”
Sam and I both instinctively looked back over our shoulders to make sure nobody else in the crowded lounge had heard the part about dead bodies.
Cece winced. “Oops, sorry. But yeah, I’m glad this day is over. Did either of you find out anything else about…” She paused then looked around and continued with a hushed tone. “About the incident this morning?”
“Not really.” Sam shook her head. “Nothing that was very helpful, anyway.”
“Well…” I began, shifting my gaze between the two of them. “I don’t know. I think we know a little more now than we did before. We just haven’t really narrowed down the list of suspects yet.”
“I think it was the wife,” Cece said in a matter-of-fact way before taking a sip of her drink. “She had the motive. She had the time. And it’s almost always the spouse, right?”
“Sometimes it is,” I conceded. “But I don’t know if it’s Babs…”
It was something I’d been going over in my own head all day. If it wasn’t Babs, though, who was it? Who had killed Rock?
Tomek?
Petal?
Shakti?
Or was it someone else we hadn’t even considered yet?
“I’m still not convinced that Guru Shakti didn’t have something to do with it,” Sam confessed. “And then there was that whole business with Tomek and Petal at lunch earlier today.”
Cece’s eyes widened. “Oh, what happened?” She held her drink up. “Hello, this is girls’ night. Holding back juicy gossip is totally against the rules.”
I laughed. “Well, I don’t know how juicy the gossip is, but it was definitely an eye-opening experience.”
“We basically found out that Petal is a fraud,” Sam said. “She talks about how great the vegan lifestyle is and how she is trying to set such a good example for her trainees, and then—”
“And then she orders cheeseburgers and steaks and roast beef when she thinks nobody’s looking,” I finished.
“Oh, wow,” Cece whispered as her mouth dropped open. “Petal isn’t really a vegan?” She sat back in her seat and shook her head. “I never would have guessed. And if she’s been lying about that…”
I nodded. “Exactly. If she’s been lying about something as seemingly insignificant as that, what’s to stop her from lying about something serious?”
Cece leaned in closer. “So you think Petal could have done it?”
“Who knows?” I shrugged. “Maybe. But Shakti also had a motive. I’m just saying it’s still too early to say for sure.”
As I spoke, I heard someone at the table behind us mention Shakti’s name at the same time.
Oh, no.
Had I just blown our cover?
Sam and Cece must have heard it, too, because the three of us glanced over there at the same time. But the people at the other table weren’t paying any attention to us. They were all engaged in their own increasingly loud conversation.
“What are they saying?” Cece whispered.
“I’m trying to listen,” I mouthed, but I didn’t want to be too conspicuous. Aside from walking over and joining in, the best I could do was to subtly lean back and eavesdrop as I sipped my margarita.
One man’s voice stood out above the others. “Can you believe how biased he is toward her?” he asked his friends.
“Of course,” a lady answered. “Why wouldn’t he be biased? They’ve been together foreve
r.”
“Together?” another woman whispered so loudly that I was pretty sure everyone in a ten foot radius could have heard. “As in… dating? Shakti and Tara?”
I felt my own eyes go wide as I leaned in to share what I’d heard. “They’re talking about Shakti and Tara,” I said, keeping my own voice as low as possible. “They’re upset because Shakti is playing favorites.”
“Oh, wow,” Cece rubbed her hands together. “This is getting good. What else are they saying?”
Sam motioned for us to be quiet. She was also sitting close enough to overhear some of the conversation. Since Cece was on the opposite side of the table, she had to rely on the two of us.
“They’re saying some wild things now,” Sam laughed quietly. “The guy just said they might have a secret baby together.”
“And did you hear what the lady just said?” I asked, hardly able to believe the things I’d just heard. “How Tara wants to turn the whole thing into a cult and start a commune out somewhere in the desert?”
Cece’s eyes looked like they were in danger of popping out of her head. “Are you joking? Are they seriously saying those things?” Then, a half-second later, “Do you think those rumors are true?”
I shook my head. “You know how rumors go. There might be a kernel of truth in some of them, but really? A secret baby? A cult in the desert?”
Sam joined in. “Yeah, I think Shakti likes the money and the fame a little too much. It’s hard to be rich and famous when you’re locked away in the desert.”
“That’s a good point,” Cece nodded. “Still, there’s obviously some sour grapes in the Roar Power group if people are saying all of these crazy things.”
Cece was right. While some of their stories were a little difficult to believe, it was clear that Shakti had a bit of an image problem when it came to his alleged relationship with Tara. And if he really was playing favorites, well… that wasn’t usually a great way to build a community.
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