by Mel McCoy
“At least I’m trying. Unlike someone I know, who is goofing off.”
Loretta scoffed. “I’m not goofing off. It’s called having some fun. Maybe you should try it, Ruth.”
There was a ding, and the door slid open, revealing deck four in all its glory.
“Wow!” Loretta’s eyes scanned the red-carpeted floors and the gold decor that glistened on the walls. She stepped out of the elevator. “Which way?”
Ruth swiveled her head toward the right and then to the left. “Let’s try this way.” She pointed to the left.
As they continued down the hall, chimes and bells could be heard. Loretta squealed in delight. “Oh, look, Ruth! The casino!”
“No, Loretta, stay focused.”
Loretta clicked her tongue. “You really don’t know how to have any fun, do you?”
As they passed the casino, Loretta frowned but quickly recovered when Ruth spotted the karaoke lounge. “Here it is!”
“Yes, finally.”
They walked in. “Look, Ruth. They have a stage and everything.” Loretta rushed over to the DJ, and Ruth followed. Great idea, she thought. They would just ask the DJ if he’d seen Kelvin. It would save them time. But instead, Loretta grabbed a pen, writing on a clipboard that had been set out.
“What are you doing, Loretta?”
“I love karaoke.” Loretta finished signing her name. “Can’t let all those vocal lessons go to waste!”
Ruth rubbed her temples before regarding the DJ herself.
“Hey!” she called out to the DJ. He was surrounded by so many electronics, Ruth couldn’t identify a single one except the computer he was working off of. She called out again, and he glanced at her.
With a smile, he said, “If you want to perform something, the book of songs we have is over there. Just sign your name and write what song you want to sing on that clipboard there.” He pointed toward where Loretta stood as she finished signing up.
“No, sir. I was wondering if you’ve seen a crew member by the name of Kelvin?”
“Who?” His voice barely carried over the music—a man, attempting the first lines of “Sweet Home Alabama,” sang entirely off-key.
She shouted over the noise, “Kelvin! Do you know a crew member named Kelvin?!”
The man’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, Kelvin! Yeah, he’s here a lot.”
“Have you seen him this evening?”
“Uh…” The man placed a finger to his chin, thinking. “No, I don’t think I saw him at all today. But he might be in later.”
Ruth nodded. “Thank you.”
She nudged Loretta, who was still flipping through the songbook. “C’mon.”
Ignoring Ruth, Loretta yelled out to the man, “Don’t you have anything from Lesley Gore or Eartha Kitt?”
“Who?” the man asked.
“You know, ‘You Don’t Own Me’ or ‘I Want to Be Evil.’”
The DJ scrunched his face up in confusion. “If it’s not in the book, then no.”
Loretta shook her head. “What a shame.”
“Loretta, are you coming?” Ruth asked.
She held a finger up to Ruth as she continued flipping through the book.
Ruth rolled her eyes. “Fine. While you’re messing around here, I’ll be looking for Kelvin.”
Loretta didn’t seem to care and carried on, talking with the DJ. Ruth sashayed around the tables, when she heard her name being called.
“Yoo-hoo,” came a familiar voice. “Over here!” Debbie Devore, waving at Ruth, couldn’t be missed with her fourteen-carat diamond bracelet dangling from her wrist, catching the light. Next to her were Mrs. Larson, the twin daughters, and eight-year-old Will.
As Ruth approached, Debbie said, “Well, lookie who we have here. Why, you clean up real nice.” Her smile stretched between the glistening earrings that drooped from her earlobes, and she had on a stylish brimmed hat that matched her white outfit.
Ruth put on her best charm. It was her job, and besides that, she had become quite fond of the Larsons and Debbie Devore. “How are all of you enjoying yourselves?”
Mrs. Larson set down her large, bright-pink margarita drink, licking the salt from her lips and then patting them with a napkin. “This is amazing. This trip has been nothing but perfect.”
“Glad to hear. Well, I best be going—”
“Oh! Don’t go!” Debbie said. “You should join us. The children will be performing next.”
The beautiful twin girls beamed. They were dressed in matching dresses that Ruth thought were simply adorable.
“Yes,” Mrs. Larson said. “They have been taking professional lessons.”
Ruth waved her hands in front of her. “I couldn’t intrude.”
“Nonsense, darling!” Debbie patted the chair next to her. “Please, sit.”
Ruth hesitated, then took a seat. She was itching to find Kelvin, but she didn’t want to be rude to the passengers. “So…” Ruth searched for something to say. “Uh, you all hang out like this in the evening?”
“Why, I’m just a lonely ol’ widow,” Debbie said. “So I travel a lot. I’ve learned how to make friends through those travels, and I’ve simply become smitten over the Larson children. They are so smart and talented!”
Ruth glanced over at the kids, who were throwing their carrots at each other.
Mrs. Larson took another sip of her massive margarita, ignoring the commotion between her children. She motioned toward Debbie and nodded. “She’s been a lot of help. See, my husband is so busy. He runs a charity in Chicago and has been nominated for the Illinois Gold Star Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was so determined to have a family trip, but something happened. I guess some money is missing, and now he’s been on damage control.” She took another swig of her drink.
“That’s terrible.”
Mrs. Larson flipped the air with her hand. “It happens. He’ll figure it out. He always does. It’s just being nominated for this award is causing him to go crazy over making sure nothing happens to tarnish the name or his nomination.”
“Ah.” Ruth turned to Debbie. “So, you’re from…”
“Georgia. Savannah, Georgia.” Debbie wore a bright smile. “Born and raised.”
There was feedback on the microphone, then a man on stage read from a card. “Next up, we have Lindsay and Larissa Larson and their little brother, Will. They will be performing ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen.’ Let’s give them a round of applause!”
The twins jumped up on their flats and skipped to the stage.
Mrs. Larson nudged Will, who didn’t share the same enthusiasm as his sisters. “Go on. Show off that talent!”
Will groaned and sauntered behind his sisters to the stage.
Debbie Devore clapped and whistled.
The music started, and the girls went right in. They even had a dance routine. Ruth raised her eyebrows at the amount of talent the kids had.
“Now look who’s not staying focused,” Loretta whispered.
Debbie and Mrs. Larson’s eyes were glued to the stage. Ruth got up, and she and Loretta stepped away from the table. “I’m trying, but they recognized me, and you know we can’t ignore our guests.”
Loretta turned her attention to the stage. “Wow, they’re outstanding!”
“Yeah, but the boy doesn’t seem like he’s having a good time.”
On stage, Will swayed back and forth unenthusiastically, singing in a monotone voice. One of his sisters frowned at him and gave him a nudge, before focusing again on the audience and giving a Hollywood smile.
Loretta chuckled. “A boy his age, singing ABBA with his sisters…Do you blame him?”
Debbie turned all the way around in her chair and put her hand on Ruth’s arm. “Aren’t they just darlin’?”
Ruth nodded. “Extremely. Their routine is adorable.”
“And perfect pitch. See, they’ve been getting lessons for the past nine months.” Debbie noticed Loretta standing alongside Ruth. “Why, who’s your fri
end here?”
“Oh, this is Loretta. She also works in the kitchen. She’s a baker, like me.”
Debbie put out her hand. “Lovely to meet you, Loretta. Both of you sit.” She motioned to two empty chairs.
Mrs. Larson nodded at Loretta. “I’ve seen you in the dining hall.”
“Yes. I work there with Ruth.”
“That’s marvelous!” Debbie leaned in closer. “So, did you hear about there being an emergency on the ship? I think a Code Alpha, whatever that means. But I heard that something happened, and they are keeping it a secret from the passengers.”
Ruth swallowed hard. There was no way she could reveal the fact that there had been a murder.
“I think it’s a travesty for a cruise ship to keep such secrets,” Mrs. Larson said.
Debbie smoothed out her cloth napkin on the table. “You wouldn’t happen to know what a Code Alpha means?”
Slamming her margarita glass onto the table, Mrs. Larson leaned forward. “Yes, do you know what it means?” she asked, not hiding her anticipation and excitement for mystery.
Ruth and Loretta were silent for a brief moment before Loretta choked back a scoff and chuckled. “That’s a code the higher-ups use, so even the crew doesn’t know what’s going on.” She wasn’t lying about that. No one knew what had happened except for the sea officers, Ruth, Loretta, and Janice.
Mrs. Larson cocked her head. “Really?”
“She’s right,” Ruth said. “No one really knows.”
“Hm, that’s a shame,” Debbie said.
“I heard it had something to do with a cook in the very kitchen of the dining hall,” Mrs. Larson said, raising an eyebrow. “You work in the kitchen. Is it true?”
“Uh—” Ruth stammered as she and Loretta exchanged glances.
“Mrs. Larson!” Debbie said. “I don’t think we are being polite by asking such questions.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Loretta said. “She’s right. Our chef was under the weather, and they announced the code to get help in the kitchen.”
Ruth agreed. “Structure and routine are very important in our line of work, you see. Without our head chef, we need someone to take charge and lead, so we can whip up the best entrées and desserts possible for our passengers.”
“You see,” Debbie said, “it was nothing. Just as I thought. And you all do a fine job.”
“Thank you.”
The ABBA song the Larson children were performing ended, followed by a roar from the audience. Each of the kids took a bow, including Will, then stepped off stage, making their way back to the table.
Mrs. Larson stood, lifting her glass to Loretta. “Kids, this is Loretta. She works with Ruth in the dining hall where we have our dinners.”
Both of the Larson twins curtsied. “Good evening, Loretta,” they said in unison.
Loretta put a hand to her chest. “Well, isn’t that precious.” She gave them a curtsy back. “Nice to meet you both.”
“And this is Will.” Mrs. Larson gave Will a light shove toward Loretta.
He raised his arm and put out his hand in several awkward, jerky motions. “Nice to meet you,” he said in his best robotic voice.
“Will! You’re not a robot. Introduce yourself properly.” His mother let out a nervous giggle. “He’s a bit of a jokester.” She shrugged. “You know, boys his age.”
Loretta flashed a smile, taking the boy’s hand and giving it a shake. “The pleasure is mine, Will.”
He grinned, his boyish smile contagious.
The man on stage began, “Next we have Loretta More…More-Ran…?”
“Oh, excuse me, Will,” Loretta said. “I’m up!”
The announcer continued, “She’ll be performing Barbra Streisand’s ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade.’”
Will shouted, “Good luck,” to her. She gave him a quick thumbs up, then sauntered up to the stage. As the music started, Loretta was high energy, singing and directing most of the lyrics of the song toward Ruth. Ruth shook her head, knowing that it was no coincidence that she had picked the song to send a message to Ruth.
The kids cheered, and Mrs. Larson clapped along. “She’s not bad!” she called over to Ruth.
Ruth smiled at the woman.
When the song concluded, Loretta bowed. Clearly, she enjoyed the attention. Then she stopped and shouted, “Hey, you!” She pointed to someone behind them at the door. “Hey, I need to talk to you!”
The man fumbled with the doorknob and exited.
Loretta slid the microphone back onto the stand and raced down one of the side steps off the stage, then down the aisle to the door. Ruth met Loretta in the aisle.
“That was Kelvin!” Loretta pointed at the door. “Why didn’t he stop?”
“Who’s Kelvin?” Debbie asked, clutching the cloth napkin to her chest. But Ruth and Loretta ignored her, heading out the door to follow the man.
Chapter 15
Bursting through the door out of the karaoke lounge, Ruth and Loretta glanced down the corridor in either direction. No sign of Kelvin.
An elevator dinged off in the distance. Ruth pointed toward the sound. “That way.”
They headed to the elevator as fast as they could, but by the time they reached it, the door had closed. Loretta slammed her palm on the door. “Darn! We almost had him.”
The lights above the elevator door lit up one by one. “Wait. It looks like Kelvin’s going up. We can see where the elevator stops, and we can search that deck for him.”
Loretta smiled. “Great idea.”
They watched as each number lit up. Then it stopped at deck fifteen.
“Bingo!” Ruth hit the button for the elevator.
When the empty elevator returned, they hurried into it. Ruth hit the button for deck fifteen, and they waited as the door slowly closed. The ride up was filled with silent, nervous energy.
Hurry up! Ruth screamed within.
Finally, they reached deck fifteen, and the doors slid open. Ruth hurried out, approaching a receptionist stationed at the far wall, beside the door leading to the outside deck.
“May I help you?” she asked.
Ruth strained to keep her composure. “Have you seen a crew member, Kelvin?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know a Kelvin.”
“He’s of medium height, reddish-brown hair—”
“And walks as if he has a chip on his shoulder,” Loretta added.
The woman shook her head.
“He must have just gotten off the elevator only a minute ago. You haven’t seen him?” Loretta asked.
“No, I’m sorry. Maybe check out there.” The receptionist pointed her thumb toward the door behind her that led outside. “That’s where everyone goes. We have a pool, bars, and lounge chairs—and parties. That’s probably where he went.”
“Right.” Ruth rushed outside, Loretta on her heels. When the door closed behind them, they stopped, scanning around. There were crowds of people everywhere.
“What do we do now?” Loretta asked.
“Well…” Ruth threw her hands in the air. “Maybe you’re right, Loretta. Maybe we should just enjoy the time we have left on the ship.”
Putting her hand on Ruth’s shoulder, Loretta said, “We’ll find him. Don’t worry; even if we don’t find him, I’m sure they will figure out that we are innocent.”
Ruth knew better. She’d watched many crime shows depicting people who had been accused of their spouse’s murder. Some even confessed to such crimes because of the brutal interrogation that was conducted in those situations. Ruth wasn’t so sure she and Loretta would get off scot-free. Loretta was right—as soon as she reached port, she too would have to find a competent lawyer, and her dreams of working on a cruise ship would probably be over for good.
She looked up at Loretta, feeling a bit defeated. “Maybe you’re right.” She needed to take a load off, relax, and she knew just the place to go. “You want a drink?”
Loretta let out a sharp breath. “Do I?”
Ruth gave a weak smile. Though it seemed like her life was about to be in shambles, for the first time, she was glad to have Loretta to share the misery with. “I know a great place. C’mon.”
Ruth led the way to Geoff’s bar.
Geoff’s wide grin was a welcome sight. “Well, look what the cat drug in! And the victim has a friend this time.”
Ruth chuckled, fully aware of his interesting choice of words. “Hey, Geoff, this is my roommate, Loretta.”
“Loretta! I heard so much about you.”
Loretta gave Ruth a sideways glance. “Really?”
Geoff shrugged. “Well, you know, the standard ‘cabinmate and I are struggling to live in such tiny spaces.’ So, what can I do for you?”
Ruth dropped her palm to the counter. “Give us your strongest, most powerful drink!”
“Well, now, ladies, I don’t think you are fully aware of what you are asking for.”
Loretta leaned toward the man. “No, bartender. Seriously, hit us hard!” She pounded the counter with the side of her fist.
A twinkle of mischief shone in Geoff’s eyes. “Okay, but just remember, if things get crazy, I told you so.” He got right to work, whipping up some concoction that he then poured into two tall glasses.
Loretta raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “A Long Island iced tea?”
Flipping a hand towel onto his shoulder, Geoff leaned in, his hands splayed on either side of the counter. “It may look like two ordinary Long Island iced teas, but I assure you, there is enough rum in this to make an elephant tipsy. Go on, try it.”
They picked up their glasses simultaneously.
Loretta grinned. “Bottoms up.”
They clinked their glasses together and took a drink.
Coughing, Ruth put her glass down and watched as Loretta took a few more gulps.
Loretta smacked her lips together. “Nicely done, sir.”
Geoff took a small bow, and she laughed. Then he leaned in, setting his elbows on the counter. “I heard about quite the epic scene that happened at the crew bar earlier this evening.”
“Oh?” Ruth asked, pretending to not know what he was talking about.
“Something about a woman that fits your description, putting a man by the name of Dart in his place.”