by Mel McCoy
“Oh, Felipe!”
He took her hand. “We can now dance all night under the stars!”
Loretta giggled and swooned as he pulled her close. “I never got a chance to ask,” she started. “Where do you work?”
“Work?” His forehead crinkled. “I don’t work.”
Loretta furrowed her eyebrows, stepping back. “Then, who are you?”
“A stranger in the night. A man who knows what he likes.” He eyed her up and down.
“Wait…So, you don’t work here?”
“Of course not!” He scoffed. “Work? I’m retired!”
Loretta gave him a skeptical look. “Who am I?”
“Angelina!”
Loretta shook her head.
“Margarita!”
“Security!” Loretta shouted.
“Oh, darling, don’t be mad at me. I can’t help it. I’m forgetful sometimes.”
Loretta called for security again, and Ruth laughed.
A half an hour later, Officer Humphrey, Janice, and a few other “higher-ups” returned to their respective cabins for the night, but the party on deck fifteen continued on into the night. At the Lime Twist Bar, Ruth sat with Loretta, drinking another one of Geoff’s special concoctions.
“So, what’s in this?” Ruth asked. “Really?”
“I can’t tell you,” Geoff said. “It’s a secret.”
Loretta let out a long breath that made her relaxed lips flap in indifference. “We know a lot of secrets now. We’re definitely not newbies anymore.”
“You really want to know?” Geoff asked.
“Yeah, I think I have a right to know. It’s going into my body.”
Geoff chuckled. “Sugar.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ruth said. “I mean, what kind of alcohol?”
“Sugar,” Geoff repeated. “I don’t put alcohol in it. Like you said, Ruth, we’re not allowed to drink on the job.”
“So, you give us a sugar high instead?” Loretta asked. “That’s a shame.”
“No shame,” Geoff said. “No inebriation on the job, and you get a boost.”
“But I’m not on the clock, Geoff,” Loretta said. Then she added, “Boo!”
“Well, whatever it is, this is the last one.” Ruth lifted her half-filled glass toward him.
“I’ve heard that before.”
Ruth waved his words away. “I don’t care what you say. We have a lot to celebrate.”
It was true. Ruth had made it through her first week, and she was proud of what she and Loretta had accomplished—she knew her family would be proud of her as well. She couldn’t wait to tell them all about her first week in an email and phone call she planned to send them before the next group of passengers embarked on the Splendor of the Seas. With a new best friend and roommate, an unexpected new position as head Pastry Chef of the Mermaid’s Dinner Room, and the anticipation of her future with the cruise line, as well as the respect she’d obtained with her fellow shipmates, she wondered if she’d ever top her first week.
She raised her glass to the stars. “To a great first week aboard the Splendor of the Seas!”
Geoff hollered. “Here, here!”
Loretta raised her glass next to Ruth’s, and they clinked their glasses together before they drank. As she swallowed the sweet nectar of Geoff’s concoction down, Ruth wondered what kind of crazy people and adventures lay ahead for them tomorrow, when the next batch of passengers boarded the Splendor of the Seas.
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CHAPTER 1
“HE’S DEAD, Detective Dunsten.”
Dunsten let out a heavy breath, flipping her dark hair behind her ear. She glanced at the medical examiner, who was crouched down over the body of a man that lay sprawled on a Victorian rug. “How long has the victim been dead?”
The medical examiner tugged the tips of her gloves, removing them. “Rigor mortis hasn’t set in yet. This is pretty recent.”
“Poison?”
“It’s likely. We’ll test for it in the lab.”
Dunsten turned to her partner, Detective Ambler, who slowly shook his head in disappointment.
“Okay.” Ambler got to his feet. “Let’s dust the place for fingerprints and find out who had contact with the victim in the last twenty-four hours.”
“What about the dog?” Dunsten asked.
“Dog?”
Dunsten pointed to a dog bowl that held several bits of kibble, and next to it was a half-filled water dish. The name of the pet was printed on the front of both bowls in bold letters.
“Good catch, Detective.” Ambler scanned the room. People were bustling around the victim’s apartment. “And let’s see if we can find our victim’s dog, Sir Sniffers!” he called out. He glanced down again at the victim, his voice now grave and dramatic. “We will find Sir Sniffers. And I will not rest until we find out who did this and bring you justice!”
Ominous music followed as the title of the show, Crime and Justice, popped up on the twelve-inch TV screen before the commercial break.
“Well, how do you like that?” Loretta’s eyes were still glued to the screen as she continued to wipe the same spot on the counter in front of her. She and Ruth were in the kitchen of the Mermaid’s Dinner Room of the Splendor of the Seas luxury cruise ship, waiting for their next assignment. Finally, she turned to Ruth. “A dead body and a dognapping! This show just keeps getting better and better.”
“Sure does,” Ruth said in agreement. Though, she was privy to the discrepancies of the show. But, without them, Ruth understood it would be a rather dull story, and no one would watch.
Crime and Justice was a show that Ruth’s granddaughter, Emma, had gotten her addicted to last year. Now, she had pulled her co-worker and friend, Loretta, into the program as well. If it wasn’t for their own crazy murder story, Ruth and Loretta wouldn’t be as close as they were now, but the show drew them even closer. So, whenever they had downtime, they would flip to Channel 9, where they ran marathons of the show during the afternoon, while everyone was at work and in school. It was better than the judge shows and soap operas, in Ruth’s opinion.
“I wonder who the murderer is,” Loretta said. “Who do you think did it?”
Ruth scratched her head. “In these stories, you never know. Probably the person you’d least expect.”
“Yeah, like the dog.”
“The dog?”
“Yeah, Sir Sniffers. He’s the least likely suspect. A dog can commit crimes, too, you know.”
“But it’s very unlikely, Loretta.”
“Exactly!”
Ruth tilted her head, quizzically. “What’s the dog’s motive, then?”
“Maybe he didn’t like the food.”
Ruth let out a soft chuckle. “That doesn’t make much sense, because now Sir Sniffers has no one to feed him.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s not there. He went off to find a new owner with better food.”
“I’m sure it’s not the dog. But the writers of the show do like to withhold information to keep you engaged and wondering. In real life, it’s usually the spouse. The simplest explanation is usually the answer.”
The ominous theme music for Crime and Justice sounded from the TV, signaling the end of the commercial break.
Loretta perked up. “Oh, look, Ruth! It’s back on!” She leaned into the counter, watching.
A man’s low voice emanated from the television speakers: “Detective Ambler, I think we found something,” said a man in suspenders. He and the detective were in an office. Telephones were ringing on desks, and people were chattering in the background while the man in suspenders handed Ambler a file.
Ambler opened it, scanning the pages. He looked up from the folder. “A secret affair?”
“Exactly. My theory is that the wife found these letters and poisoned his drink.”
/> Ambler furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s a great theory, Officer Finkleberry, but my intuition says we are missing something. It’s right in front of our eyes, yet we are not seeing it. Keep searching!”
“See,” Ruth said, glancing over at Loretta, “in real life, that would be it, case closed. But it’s a show, so it’s got to be something much more dramatic.”
“Shh.” Loretta flapped her hands.
Onscreen, another man strolled into the office, a Border Collie in tow. “Sir, we found the dog!”
Ambler’s eyebrows rose. “Great job, Gooseman!”
“Should I put him in the interrogation room, sir?”
“Wait! Hold that thought.” Ambler knelt down next to the dog, inspecting its black fur. “What is that white stuff?”
Gooseman joined Ambler next to the dog. He touched the white powder, rubbing his fingers together. Scrunching up his face in confusion, he brought his fingers up to his nose and sniffed before daring to taste it. “It’s poison, sir!”
Loretta whipped around to Ruth. “I told you it was Sir Sniffers!”
Ruth rolled her eyes as the door burst open. Janice Hassley’s confident footsteps rhythmically made their way into the baking section. “Okay, everyone, can I get your attention?” Janice did a double-take at the TV that was still running the program. The last thing Ruth saw was Gooseman lying on a hospital bed while the entire department surrounded him. Janice shut the television off, and the screen went black, revealing only their blank faces staring back at them.
Janice raised her clipboard. “We have a few things to go over. We’ve hired a new baker for the team.” She paused, looking around, then shouted, “Mr. Anderson!”
A gangly kid of average height shuffled timidly into the baking section. His baker’s jacket hugged him loosely, and his hat was a tad too big for his head.
Janice motioned to the young man. “This is John Anderson. He’s our new pastry chef.”
“Our new pastry chef?” Loretta asked, brows furrowed. “He looks like he was plucked straight off of a playground.” She quickly regarded the poor guy. “No offense…”
John put up both hands. “Uh, none taken.”
Then Loretta faced Janice. “With all due respect, Chef Hassley, we lost three bakers in the past several weeks. How are we going to function with only one of them being replaced?”
Janice folded her arms, clipboard still in hand. “He graduated from the Preston Academy of Culinary Arts—one of the best culinary schools in the country. And he graduated in the top ten of his class. So, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say any of that.” She unfolded her arms and glanced at her clipboard again. “As I was saying, John Anderson will be helping you from now on, and that’s good news, since we will be tasked with our first private party. A high school reunion.”
“A high school reunion?” Ruth asked.
Janice glanced up at the ceiling. “I swear there’s an echo in here or something.” Then she directed her words toward Ruth. “Yes, they bought out the Mermaid’s Dinner Room for the week. Apparently, there’s a popular author who is an alumnus to the high school.” Janice shrugged, reading from her clipboard, “A Vincent Von Hemmingsly, author of—”
“Dark Reckoning in Cape Town,” Loretta filled in, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You mean the Vincent Von Hemmingsly will be here?” Before anyone could answer, she added, “That book was a huge hit! I heard they are going to make it into a movie!”
“Huh, I guess he is a famous author, then. I don’t have time to read. You’ve read it?”
“No, I’ve been trying to get it at our library, but they haven’t been able to get it in yet.”
“I haven’t read it either,” Ruth said. “I didn’t know they were going to turn it into a movie.”
Janice scoffed. “They are turning everything into a movie these days. Anyway, it’s Arden Heights High School Class of ’76, and I’ll need you to take charge of it.”
Ruth’s mouth dropped. “What? The whole thing?”
“Yes.” Janice checked her watch. “And I’ll need it to be done by this afternoon. Party starts at 2 p.m.”
“What!?” both Ruth and Loretta shouted. Ruth continued, “What ever happened to dinnertime?”
“It’s not going to be dinner. They want a quick meet-up for the first day with hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and drinks. Sort of like a cocktail hour, only it will be several hours of socializing.”
“But that’s in only a few hours! Why are we only learning about this now?” Ruth asked.
“Well, the party was supposed to be at another venue on the ship, but the woman who is running it wasn’t happy with it. She said it was too small, so they decided to move it here—not to mention, she planned everything last minute,” Janice added with a huff. “Because of that, you will have to decide what to serve today that you think everyone will like.”
“That doesn’t leave us very much time.”
“Listen, Ruth, we are all busy. Because of this switch, another unexpected party has fallen on the Blue Dolphin restaurant. It’s crazy. So, I suggest you’d better get started.” Janice took a step forward. “Well then, make sure to show John the ropes, and I’ll leave you all to it.” And with that, Janice was out the door.
“What do we do now?” Loretta asked.
“Don’t worry, guys,” John said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Ruth was impressed. The boy certainly had spirit and was eager to please. She liked that. “Thank you, John, and I’m sure you’re going to make a great addition to our team.”
John beamed.
“Now we just need to figure out what we are going to do,” Ruth said.
Loretta’s eyebrows rose. “Wait! What about the cupcakes we did this morning? The ones you were showing me how you create those buttercream flowers. You know, the peonies?”
“Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” Ruth placed her hands on either side of her face, elated. They had spent most of the early morning whipping up cupcakes to practice on while Ruth worked on her piping technique, creating delicate two-tone petals of the humongous flower for each small cake. That was before their favorite show had come on, of course.
Ruth hurried over to the case where they’d stored the tray of cupcakes with the big, soft-pink flowers. They were elegant and had the potential to make a perfect centerpiece for a party.
Sauntering over, John peered through the glass door. “Wow! They look like real peonies!”
A grin spread across Ruth’s face. She took great pride in her work, and these cupcakes were no exception. She loved peonies, and it took her quite a while to master the craft of not only designing them but also making them as realistic as possible. “Thank you, John,” she said, unlatching the door to the case. “Now, let’s bring them out so we can count them.” She bent over, grasping either side of the tray.
“Let me help you, Ruth,” John said. “It’s an awfully big tray.”
Ruth pushed the tray back in slightly, so the cupcakes wouldn’t fall. That would be the worst possible thing that could happen. “That is very kind of you, John.”
Switching places with her, John grabbed both sides of the tray, his long, slender arms seemingly built for the task. Once the tray of cupcakes was out of the case, John asked, “Where do you want them?”
Ruth motioned to an empty counter. “Over there’s fine.”
John nodded, heading toward the counter. “Your wish is my comm—”
Suddenly, John lost his balance, and his face scrunched up as if he’d just injured himself. Perhaps he stubbed his toe? Ruth glanced down and saw that the young man had inadvertently tripped himself, his left foot slightly in front of the right. But how he was falling was only one of her concerns.
As the cupcakes slid toward the edge of the tray, Ruth’s heart sank. The cupcakes she’d spent all morning creating, and her only hope at fulfilling this reunion request, would soon be a sloppy mess on the kitchen floo
r.
Eyes wide with horror, all she could do was wait for the inevitable.
To be continued in Book Two… Coming soon!
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Also by Mel McCoy
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Panic at the Pier
Betrayal at the B&B
Fear at the Ferris Wheel
The Murder Before Christmas
About the Author
Mel McCoy has had a lifelong love of mysteries of all kinds. Reading everything from Nancy Drew to the Miss Marple series and obsessed with shows like Murder, She Wrote, her love of the genre has never wavered.
Now she is hoping to spread her love of mysteries through her new Whodunit Pet Cozy Mystery Series. Centered around a cozy beachside town, the series features a cast of interesting characters and their pets, along with antiques, crafts such as knitting, and plenty of culinary delights.