Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series: Box Set: Books 1-3

by Hope Callaghan

  She followed Captain Armati into the living room. Scout was a bowl of wiggles and jiggles when he spotted Millie. He pranced in a circle, which made Millie dizzy just watching him.

  The captain picked Scout up and held him close before handing him over to Millie. “No. I am afraid I would roll over and crush him in my sleep,” he admitted.

  Which would be Millie’s fear, too. Scout was so small, yet he was wiry. He was definitely a bundle of energy as he pawed at her cheek, licked her chin and tried to climb up her neck all at once.

  Armati crossed his arms and watched the happy reunion. “How is the investigation going?”

  Millie peeled her gaze from the dog and glanced at the captain. Of course, he would know all about it. He had probably already talked to Dave Patterson and knew that Millie had been in Courtney’s room the night of her death. “The list of suspects is growing.”

  “Hmm.” He picked up Scout’s bag and held the door for Millie to follow him out. “We never had – uh – a death on board until the day you arrived and now we’ve had three right in a short amount of time.”

  Millie had to admit it did seem kind of like too much of a coincidence. First Olivia LaShay and now the young couple. She shot him a glance. Hopefully he didn’t think she had anything to do with the murders.

  Of course, she had been in the vicinity of all three incidents or had been the last person to see them alive, which would cause anyone concern. “I-uh. Yeah, it does seem like more than a coincidence.” Millie shifted Scout and reached for his bag.

  One of the employees was heading their way. Captain Armati patted Scout’s head. “Behave yourself,” he told the pooch.

  Millie and Scout stepped into the hall. It was time to head down to the theater for the square dance class! Alison and Tara were already on stage, stomping around in their cowboy boots when Millie and Scout arrived.

  Scout peeked his head out of the half window to catch a glimpse of the commotion. When he saw all the activity, he began to head butt the front of his carrier. Millie slipped her hand between his head and the carrier. “Scout! You’re going to hurt yourself,” she scolded him.

  Alison stopped stomping. She strode over to Millie. “I heard a strange rumor about a pint size pup.”

  Alison twirled over in her western skirt. The skirt was cute. The material consisted of alternating strips of denim blue jean and red bandana. She dropped to her knees and put her hand inside to pet Scout. “Oh my gosh! He’s adorable!” she gushed.

  Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Millie. “Can we take him out?” Millie didn’t have the heart to say no. Plus, she wasn’t sure who was more excited: Scout or Alison! She nodded.

  Alison carefully unzipped the carrier and scooched back. She patted the stage floor. “C’mon out,” she coaxed.

  Scout hung back for a second, which surprised Millie. The dog was not shy! At least not around Millie. Finally, she was able to persuade Scout to leave his carrier. He wandered over to Alison and began to wag his tail, which shook his whole body.

  Tara dropped down beside Alison. “This has to be the cutest Yorkie I’ve ever seen.”

  “Miniature Yorkie,” Millie told them. “He belongs to Captain Armati.”

  Alison lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “This is Captain Armati’s dog? But how…” her voice trailed off.

  “Ohhhh.” Tara slowly nodded. “Captain Armati likes Millie,” she teased.

  Millie’s face turned bright red. About the shade of the red in the bandanas on the girls’ skirts. “My, my. I’ve never known him to take a liking to any of the staff.” Alison waved her hands. “Millie’s cast a spell over Captain.”

  “No!” Millie protested, “He just asked me to entertain his dog.” It sounded lame. Even to Millie. Captain could have asked a hundred other people to do the exact same thing. People he knew better than Millie.

  Tara picked Scout up and nuzzled him. “I heard Captain’s wife died a few years back. His daughter has been hounding him to retire.”

  If Millie’s face was red before, it was fire engine red now. Captain Armati was single. Just like Millie. Maybe he felt some sort of bond because they had both lost a spouse, in a roundabout way.

  “Yeah. Not that some of the other women on board haven’t tried to get Captain’s attention. He never seemed interested.” Alison’s sharp blue eyes honed in on Millie again, which made Millie squirm.

  Alison had heard bits and pieces of Millie’s past. That her husband had left her unexpectedly and she applied for the job on a whim, not really expecting the company to hire her. Andy had told her that much.

  She seemed like a nice enough woman. A bit on the grandmotherly side but it was a refreshing change from the competitiveness of some of the younger staff. Plus, adventure and mystery seemed to follow her around. Maybe the captain was attracted to that. Millie seemed - what was the word? Spunky!

  She could see she was making Millie uncomfortable so she quickly changed the subject. “We have a skirt in the back I think you could fit into.” She eyed Millie critically, which made Millie blush for the third time in a row. “You’ve got a little curve to you but that’s a good thing.”

  Millie followed Alison to the back while Tara kept an eye on Scout. Actually, Scout was on the floor now and the two of them were chasing each other around, darting back and forth across the stage.

  When Millie and Alison returned, Scout was back in his carrier and he didn’t look the least bit pleased. But guests were starting to wander in and it was safer for Scout inside his carrier.

  Even in his carrier, Scout managed to get a lot of attention as the passengers stopped by to pat his head and say hello. Scout was eating it up.

  The square dance class was even more popular than the line dancing the day before, much to Millie’s surprise. Millie knew most of the moves and before she knew it, she was stomping and twirling away. Millie was so caught up in the action; she didn’t notice Captain Armati as he approached the stage.

  When Millie caught his eye, she tripped on the tip of her boot and almost ended up in a heap on stage. The music finally ended. The captain was off to the side, talking to Scout. Millie tromped over to the two of them.

  Captain Armati shifted his gaze from Scout to Millie. “I see Scout’s having fun.”

  Millie nodded. “I didn’t think he should be out for the dancing part but, yes, he’s having a ball. He’s like a little celebrity. All two and a half pounds of him!”

  Captain Armati smiled for the second time, right at Millie. She nearly melted right then and there. Well, she didn’t melt but her face turned a pale shade of pink.

  “I thought I’d stop by to see how you two were doing.” He patted Scout’s head one more time and then glanced down at his watch. “I better go. I’m meeting with Detective Patterson to go over some things.”

  His smile disappeared and he gave Millie a look that she was beginning to understand. A look that said, please try to stay out of trouble or something like that.

  Captain Armati strode down the center aisle and exited the theater. “Wouldja’ look at that,” Alison whispered. She lightly punched Millie’s shoulder. “I think he likes you. I mean likes you.”

  “That’s just crazy,” Millie argued. “He doesn’t even know me.”

  “Ever heard of love at first sight?” Tara asked. She tapped her cowboy boot on the wooden floor. She began to sing an off-key rendition of “Love is in the air.”

  Millie put her hands to her cheeks and rolled her eyes. “Stop! You’re embarrassing me!”

  The guests still on stage had clustered off to one side. They were looking at Millie and she could only assume she was the topic of conversation. Millie wanted desperately to avoid that kind of attention!

  Alison stepped to the center of the stage. “Back to work, folks. The show’s over!”

  The rest of the hour-long lesson flew by. Millie’s heart was pumping and the exercise felt wonderful. Or maybe it was the thrill she felt at knowing the cap
tain had made a special point to see her. Of course, maybe it was Scout.

  Millie carried Scout to the backstage. She set him on the counter and slipped back into her work clothes. She hung the skirt on a hangar and slid the boots underneath the rack, right next to the others. She almost felt guilty; maybe she was having too much fun.

  “You’re the talk of the town – or should I say ship.” Andy was standing behind her as she wiggled her foot into her work shoes.

  “It does seem as if some sort of gossip is hanging over my head,” she admitted. Millie pulled the ponytail holder from her hair and smoothed the locks back in place before rolling it into a tight bun.

  She reached for the dog carrier. “What’s my next assignment boss?” she joked. She secretly hoped it was trivia. Something a little more laid back, although the square dancing had been fun.

  “Follow me.” He motioned Millie back to his cubby. He settled in behind his desk. Millie sat across from him. She set Scout off to the side.

  “I just got back from a meeting with Dave Patterson and Captain Armati. They are closing the internal investigation into Kyle Zondervan and Courtney Earhart’s deaths. For all intents and purposes, it will be labeled a murder / suicide.”

  Millie’s heart sank. She just didn’t feel Courtney was the murderer. “What about the evidence?”

  “Millie, it’s just speculation because there really isn’t any ‘evidence.’ The quicker the case is closed, the quicker we can get back to business. Giving passengers the best vacation possible.”

  He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. “That means you. I’m here to tell you on the record to stop snooping around and let it go.”

  Millie straightened her back. Her lips drew into a thin line. “Whose orders? Patterson or Armati?”

  Millie wasn’t sure if she liked either one of them anymore. Someone was trying to stop her!

  He shook his head. “I’d rather not say.”

  Millie shot to her feet. She crossed her arms and glared down at Andy. “Well, I’m not going to stop!” She waved her hands in the air. “So they’re just going to let a killer get away with murder.”

  “Authorities will take over once we get back to Miami.” He shrugged. “They will do their own investigation.”

  Andy leaned back in his chair and lifted his hands. “Look. I’m siding with you. I think there’s more to the story, but we have a job to do. That’s why they pay us the big bucks.”

  Millie snorted.

  “Maybe you could let Cat or Annette take over,” he suggested. “You know. Kind of work behind the scenes. Let them take the lead this time.”

  Millie tapped her foot on the floor. On the one hand, she didn’t want to bite the hand that fed her. On the other, she didn’t like it when someone tried to tell her what to do. Of course, they were paying her to do a job, not solve a murder or murders.

  Millie grudgingly admitted it was time to turn over the reins. Cat made the most sense. She had more freedom to move around the ship than Annette, who was pretty much stuck in the kitchen all day.

  Her shoulders sagged. Millie was ready to admit defeat, but just this once. She decided to let it go.

  Her decision lasted until the moment she exited the theater where she ran into Chloe Earhart.

  “Oh! I’ve been looking for you!” the young woman exclaimed.

  Millie cast a nervous glance behind her. She shifted Scout’s carrier to her other hand. “Oh. What’s up?”

  Chloe grabbed Millie’s arm and pulled her to the side. “I think I know what happened to Kyle and Courtney.” Now Millie had every intention of turning over the investigation, but this was like a sign from heaven. It was like God dropping it right back into her lap.

  She frowned. What harm could there be in at least listening to what Chloe had to say? “Let’s head over to the…” She paused. They needed a nice quiet spot to talk. Somewhere off the beaten path. “Let’s head up to the spa.”

  Chapter 16

  The spa area was like a ghost town. One of the staff, who looked vaguely familiar, nodded to Millie. Millie had seen her around before but the spa staff worked for an outside company. They didn’t work for the cruise line, which hopefully, meant that they had no idea what was going on.

  The two settled on a bench seat to the left of the locker room. “What’ve you got?”

  “This.” Chloe pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. She shoved it into Millie’s hand. “Proof that Courtney did not write the suicide note. This is her handwriting.”

  Millie frowned at the paper. She slipped her glasses on her nose then reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. She scrolled through the pictures until she reached the one she had taken of the note Courtney had supposedly written. Chloe was right. The handwriting was similar but not the same.

  Of course, Courtney had been inebriated at the time of her death so it was possible she just didn’t have the same steady hand she would’ve had if she had been sober.

  Chloe pointed at the letter “T.” “See how that loops around?” Millie nodded. “Courtney’s “T’s” were more rigid and taller.

  Millie studied the “T.” There certainly was a difference. She glanced at the young girl. “But that doesn’t mean that Courtney didn’t write this note.”

  “And what about the outfit that Courtney had on?” she argued. “We both know that wasn’t the outfit she was wearing when she died. The outfit belonged to Melissa West.”

  Chloe had valid points and Millie agreed with her. It was just that she promised to butt out…to let it go. But this poor girl had just lost her twin sister! She sighed. “I don’t know…” her voice trailed off.

  Millie remembered the couple talking to the Wests as they exited the theater the night before. “How come you never told me there was another couple cruising with you?” Her eyes narrowed.

  Millie had caught Chloe off guard. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, which she quickly replaced with a look of nonchalance. “You mean Justin and Kim Bain?” She waved her hand dismissively. “I barely know them. Courtney barely knew them.”

  Chloe paused as a thought occurred to her. “Kyle knew them. He went to college with Justin. He and the Wests. They all went to college together.”

  Millie was missing an angle here. It was almost as if it was right under her nose. So close, she couldn’t get it. Couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together.

  Millie’s eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. She remembered telling the Bain’s, Maisie’s parents, that she would bring Scout back to the same spot yesterday if they wanted to stop by and see him again. It was that time right about now!

  She stood. “I have to head out, Chloe.” She glanced around, making certain she was out of earshot. “Let me get back with you, okay?”

  Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know where to turn.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek. “You see, I have to do this for Court. I owe it to her.”

  Chloe pressed on. “Did you notice the door connecting Kyle and Courtney’s room? The door that connected with Adam and Melissa West’s room? Wouldn’t that give them the perfect opportunity to sneak in and kill Courtney?”

  Millie frowned. And then there was Zack.

  Of course, the Wests had been up on deck when Kyle went over.

  Millie looked down at Chloe’s tear-stained face and her heart melted. She vowed then and there to do what she could to help Chloe. She couldn’t imagine the heartbreak she felt over her sister’s death.

  On her way to the upper deck, Millie ran over the list of suspects in her mind. Adam and Melissa West since their cabin adjoined with Kyle and Courtney’s room and Zack, who happened to be at the scene of Kyle going overboard.

  Chloe, who was head over heels in love with Kyle. If she killed Kyle, why on earth would she kill her own sister - a twin sister at that? Then there was the mysterious couple – Maisie’s parents.

  With determined steps, Millie and her sidekick, Scout, wandered to the outer
deck to wait for Justin and Kim Bain to make an appearance.

  Chapter 17

  Millie and Scout settled into the bistro table next to the sliding glass doors. It was the exact same spot that they had been in the day before. Millie’s stomach grumbled. The square dancing had worked up her appetite.

  Scout let out a low whine. Millie reached in to pet him. “I bet you’re as hungry as I am.” She glanced at her watch. If Maisie and her parents didn’t show up in the next five minutes, Millie vowed to head inside for some food.

  After that, it would be time to take Scout back to the captain’s quarters. Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Captain Armati again. The flutter quickly flattened when she remembered someone was trying to squash her sleuthing. It didn’t seem fair. Somehow, some way, she was going to solve these murders!

  She quickly decided that after she dropped Scout off, she would stop by to see Cat. Maybe she could come up with an idea on how Millie could stay involved, yet still fly “under the radar.”

  Millie craned her neck and stared down the length of the deck. The couple had either forgotten about Millie or shown up earlier, before she got there. She hopped out of the chair. “C’mon Scout. Let’s go get some chow.”

  She grabbed the carrier handle and pushed her chair in.

  “Maisie! They’re over there!”

  Millie whirled around. Coming her way was Maisie and her parents! Millie pulled the chair out and plopped back down. She opened the carrier, lifted Scout and set him on the table.

  Maisie made a beeline for the dog. “Pick up?” The little girl’s innocent blue eyes begged Millie.

  Millie nodded. “Have a seat, Maisie.”

  Maisie obediently sat in the seat across from Millie, who gently set Scout in her lap. “Scout.”

  “It-it’s like a miracle,” Maisie’s father whispered hoarsely. He lowered to Maisie’s eye level. “Maisie, would you like to get a dog – just like Scout?”

  Her blonde head bobbed up and down. “Yes, Daddy. Just like Scout.”