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

by Hope Callaghan

  Maisie’s mother burst into tears. She turned her back to the table. Long, painful sobs wracked her thin frame. Millie’s heart was breaking. She turned to Maisie’s father. “Will you watch them?”

  His tear-filled eyes gazed into Millie’s own. “Yes.”

  Millie put her arm around Kim Bain’s shoulder and led her away from the table and over to the railing, out of earshot of the table – and Maisie. “I don’t mean to pry, dear. I can see that something has traumatized your young daughter.”

  Millie turned back to gaze at Maisie and Scout. Maisie had set Scout on the bistro table and he was showing off. Maisie was giggling as she watched him bounce around in a circle.

  “If you don’t mind my asking – what happened to make Maisie stop talking?” She sucked in her breath and prayed the woman would spill the beans.

  “There was a fire. Our house. It burned to the ground a few weeks ago.” Her eyes slid to her young daughter and husband. “We barely made it out alive.”

  She turned to gaze out at the ocean. “I don’t understand. Somehow, our smoke alarms - they never went off.”

  She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “We almost died. We almost died. Our dog, Willie, didn’t survive. Maisie was heartbroken. She stopped talking.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “We thought the cruise would help. Take her mind off losing Willie and bring her back to us.”

  “It didn’t look like it was going to work.” She went on. “Not until yesterday when she saw Scout.”

  The woman impulsively reached out and hugged Millie. “Thank you so much for sharing Scout with us. It has truly changed our lives. Saved our Maisie.”

  Now Millie was about to burst into tears. It was one of the saddest stories she had ever heard. Something about the story stuck in Millie’s head. “Did the fire department tell you why the smoke alarms didn’t work?”

  Kim Bain shook her head. “No The house was so far gone, the alarms burned to a crisp. They melted down to nothing.”

  After the Bains left, Millie wandered inside with Scout. Kyle goes overboard. Courtney overdoses. The Bain’s house burns to the ground. Was there connection? If so, what – or who – was it?

  Millie and Scout filled a plate with goodies. A small sliver of roasted chicken for Scout. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and turkey gravy along with a side of corn and mouth-watering baked macaroni and cheese. Comfort food…the perfect thanksgiving dinner.

  Millie glanced out at the bright sunny day. It was already October. Although it sure didn’t feel like October in the Caribbean. Every day felt like the middle of summer. She wondered how she would feel when Thanksgiving rolled around.

  Millie’s first break wasn’t until mid-February. This year would be the first holiday season she could remember that she wouldn’t be with her children…her family.

  She shoved the thought to the back of her mind and pressed on down the food line. She reminded herself that this job was an experiment. If it didn’t work out, she could return to her dull, meaningless existence at the end of her contract.

  Scout was shifting back and forth inside his carrier. He smelled all the goodies and Millie was certain he was as hungry as she was.

  She plucked a plastic glass from a nearby stack and filled it with water from the fountain. Next, she grabbed a small saucer and headed to a corner table. Millie cut the chicken into tiny pieces and placed them in the center of the napkin. She placed the napkin inside the carrier.

  Next, she poured a small bit of water in the bottom of the dish and set it next to the food.

  Scout licked Millie’s hand and then dug into his treat. Millie watched as the pint-size pup inhaled the goodies. Millie wondered if the captain had remembered to feed Scout before they left the bridge earlier.

  He lapped up the entire saucer of water. Millie refilled the makeshift water dish. Scout promptly drank most of that and then stopped. He began to whine.

  Millie’s fork full of food was halfway to her mouth. That whine. It sound all too familiar. It was the sound Daisy used to make when she needed to go out. It was the sound of a pup who needed a potty break!

  Millie’s eyes darted around the room. There was no way Scout could take care of his business in here!

  Millie shoveled several large bites of food into her mouth while Scout continued to whine. She needed to find a place for Scout to go – and fast. She threw her napkin on top of her dirty dishes and left them on the table.

  She grabbed Scout’s carrier and they headed for the door.

  Millie was desperate. There was only one place she could think of that Scout would recognize. Millie took the stairs two at a time as she bolted to the top deck in the direction of the mini golf course.

  At the edge of the course, she unzipped the bag and Scout darted out. He made a beeline for the second hole…the one with the plastic palm tree, its shiny green palm fronds blowing in the breeze.

  Scout lifted his leg and watered the bottom. Next, he tried to tear up the turf as he pawed at the fake grass with his back feet.

  Millie covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

  “Mommy, that doggy just peed on the side of that tree.” A young boy was standing nearby, watching Scout in action.

  Millie scooted across the fake grass. She lifted Scout, popped him into the carrier and darted off the deck.

  “Sorry Scout. Next time I’ll be sure to find a more appropriate place and plan for more frequent breaks,” she promised.

  “Ruff.” Scout didn’t seem to mind. He seemed peppy now, enjoying the open space of the mini golf course. It was like a built-for-Scout playground!

  She grabbed the handle of the carrier. “I need to take you home.”

  Captain Armati was nowhere in sight when Millie and Scout stepped into the bridge. Millie wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

  Someone Millie didn’t recognize was studying the computer screen. It was a woman, her blonde hair pulled into a long ponytail that trailed down her back.

  The woman turned when she heard Millie. She could have sworn the woman glared at her. She turned around, leaned a hip against the side of the massive screen, and crossed her arms.

  “Ah. The infamous Millie Sanders.” The woman spoke in a heavy accent. One that Millie couldn’t quite place but guessed it might be Russian.

  Millie stepped closer, her eyes reading the tag on the woman’s shirt. “Ingrid Kozlov.” Yeah, Millie was sure the name was Russian.

  Millie tightened her grip on the carrier. “Is Captain Armati around?”

  The woman gave a curt nod in the direction of the captain’s quarters. “He’s in there.”

  Millie nodded.

  The woman glared.

  Millie could feel the woman’s eyes bore into her back as she and Scout headed down the small hall.

  Millie softly tapped on the door and waited. There was no answer.

  She knocked a second time, this time a bit louder. There was still no answer.

  The hair on the back of Millie’s neck stood up. Someone was watching her. She glanced back and Ingrid was directly behind the hallway, her eyes shot daggers at Millie.

  Millie took a deep breath and rapped sharply on the metal door.

  Captain heard it that time. The door swung wide open and the two of them came face-to-face. The captain’s scowl quickly changed to a soft smile. “Millie. I was starting to worry.”

  He waved her in and quickly closed the door behind them. Millie’s eyes scanned the room. He was eating lunch all alone!

  “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to interrupt.”

  “No. It’s okay.” He shrugged. “I can eat in the dining room but sometimes, I would rather dine alone.”

  Millie knew exactly how he must feel. He must dread it even more than she did. What with having to suck up to the guests who were complete strangers and making small talk.

  “I don’t blame you.” She handed Scout and the carrier to him and turned to go. “Tomorrow is island day. I have
to be on the first shuttle to shore.”

  Captain Armati nodded. “I understand. Scout will miss you.” He unzipped the carrier and Scout hopped out. “We’ll see you the next morning?”

  “Yes. Of course.” She turned to go. She wasn’t sure if Scout was going to miss her. She hoped that not only Scout, but maybe his master would miss her a little, too.

  Millie avoided the gaze of the woman on the bridge as she made her way out. Millie was certain a set of shifty eyes followed her out.

  Chapter 18

  Millie’s next stop was the lido deck. Her next assignment was supervising the ice carving competition. Something she’d never even seen before, let alone supervised. Sarah had told her it was cool so Millie was excited to watch the artisans in action.

  Millie trailed behind the workers as they wheeled the large carts with blocks of ice out to the pool deck. Two young chefs followed behind, supervising the workers as they carefully eased the carts across the uneven deck.

  Although the hottest part of the day was over, it was still a scorcher. As soon as Millie stepped outside, she began to sweat. Her brow, her neck, her armpits.

  Sweat dripped down the back of Millie’s neck and clung to her shirt. Whoever came up with an ice-carving contest in the tropical heat, in the middle of the afternoon needed to have their head examined.

  Of course, the passengers didn’t seem to mind the heat. But they were wearing swimsuits and shorts. Not long pants and thick cotton button down shirts.

  She grabbed a paper napkin on her way to the sculpting area. She almost felt cooler as she envisioned flinging her body on the frozen chunks of ice.

  It was fun to watch the two men compete and Millie was glad she was there to see it. One carved a sculpture of a dolphin breaking through a wave and the other, a mermaid sitting on a rock.

  As she wandered back inside, she still couldn’t believe they paid her for this, watching people having fun while having fun herself.

  She thought about poor little Maisie and the trauma she’d gone through. The whole group of friends seemed to be plagued by a black cloud of death and disaster. What if someone had been trying to kill the Bains and they accidentally took out Kyle and Courtney instead?

  She wondered how well Zack knew the Bain family – or the West family. Determined to find out, Millie headed to the other side of the pool deck. She could hear Zack’s booming voice over the speakers. He was interviewing contestants for the Heart and Home series. It was a show where guests – married couples - competed against other married couples. Millie had never seen it but heard it was hilarious and a favorite among passengers.

  Zack caught Millie’s eye as he finished an interview. She stood off to the side and studied him. He was a nice looking young man. Kind. Funny. A good catch. The girls seemed to like him. He had dated poor Olivia. The young woman who had died the first day Millie boarded the ship.

  Now there was poor Courtney. Also dead. Her brow arched. Two girlfriends. Both dead. Millie didn’t want to suspect him but – wow - what an unusual coincidence.

  Zack’s voice echoed in her ear. “You got that look, Millie. I can see the wheels spinning in your head,” he joked.

  “They are,” she admitted. “I was wondering if you knew any of the other passengers – the friends of Courtney and Kyle that are on board the ship.”

  He nodded. “Went to school with Justin Bain and Adam and Melissa West. Of course, Kyle was closer to them than I was. Kind of hard to keep up the friendships when you live on a cruise ship.”

  He had a point, which would eliminate him from suspicion on the fire that Kim Bain had told Millie burned their house to the ground. “Sad story about the little girl not talking. She’s a cutie.”

  Millie had to agree. Maisie was adorable - and lucky to be alive, apparently. “What’s your take on Kyle and Courtney’s death?”

  Zack’s eyes watered. The thought of Courtney still hurt. Not that he loved her anymore. Still, he certainly didn’t want to see her dead. “I can’t imagine Courtney killing Kyle. Of course…” He trailed off.

  “What?” Millie prompted.

  “Well, Chloe confessed to me that Courtney and Kyle were having problems. That Courtney had just found out that Kyle was cheating on her,” he blurted out.

  Millie’s brows formed a “V.” Well, that made an interesting turn of events. “Do you know who it was?”

  Zack shook his head. “I can only guess that was one of the things Courtney wanted to talk to me about. She was looking for advice. ‘Course, we never got a chance after Kyle went overboard.”

  Millie studied Zack’s expression. “Courtney told me someone had sent her a threatening note,” she said. “Do you think there’s a chance she didn’t commit suicide and that someone killed her instead?”

  He shrugged. “What about Chloe? Chloe was in love with Kyle. I think I mentioned that before.”

  Millie nodded. She remembered Zack telling her about the tattoo that Chloe had on her arm – the one with Kyle’s name on it.

  “Can you think of anything else? Any other clue that might be useful?” Millie had yet to talk to Adam and Melissa West, and now that the “powers to be” had told her to keep her nose out of an investigation that was, for all intents and purposes, over.

  Zack shook his head. “Nope. If I do, you’ll be the first to know,” he promised.

  Cat was her next stop. Cat would have to do a little sleuthing for Millie. Millie’s heart sank when she saw all the passengers packed inside the gift shop. A sea day seemed to keep the shops and casino buzzing with customers and gamblers.

  Millie waited until it cleared out before she headed to the back. Cat pushed back a piece of her beehive hairdo that had dropped down across her face. She tucked it behind her ear. “How’s Scout?”

  “Good. I took him back to the captain.”

  Cat’s face fell. Millie hadn’t realized how much Cat liked the pint-sized fellow. “I’ll bring him back tomorrow,” she promised.

  Then she remembered it was private island day and she’d be on shore the entire day. “Oh. I can’t tomorrow but the day after for sure.”

  Millie leaned an elbow on the glass top. “I need some help.” She explained how she was supposed to stop snooping around Courtney and Kyle’s death. She told Cat about the young couple and the fire.

  Cat rolled her eyes. “You mean there are even more of them?”

  “Don’t worry about them. What I’m interested in is Melissa and Adam West. Their cabin was right next door to Courtney and Kyles and the cabins had a connecting door. Perfect access for someone to slip inside Courtney’s cabin unseen.” She lowered her voice. “Plus, Chloe, Courtney’s sister, seems to think somehow Melissa West may be involved.”

  Cat’s coiffed “do” bobbed up and down. She tapped a bright red nail on the counter. “I’m on it. What would you like to find out - other than where they were the night Courtney Earhart committed suicide?”

  Millie waited for a customer to pay for their purchase before she answered. “If you can, find out who had access to their cabin, if they heard any strange noises coming from the cabin next door and if they think Courtney was capable of murder or suicide. You know…her general state of mind.”

  Cat frowned. “And make all of that sound like every day conversation.”

  A customer walked up, her shopping basket full of trinkets. More like cheap junk made in China, Millie decided. She smiled. The kids that were with the young woman looked excited with the treasures, which was all that really mattered.

  Cat winked at Millie. “Will do.”

  Andy had given Millie a new assignment that day: head down to guest services and chat with the supervisor on duty. Find out if there were any grumblings or griping about the activities. Millie hoped not. She couldn’t imagine guests not being happy with the variety of stuff going on every single moment of every day.

  Guest services was a short walk and two floors down. Nikki, Sarah’s friend, was behind the counter. She smi
led when she saw Millie. “Hi Millie. I haven’t seen you around much.” Nikki leaned in. “Heard you’re working the man overboard and suicide case.”

  Millie’s smile faded. “I’ve been told to drop the investigation.”

  Nikki nodded. “So what brings you to my neck of the woods?”

  “Andy asked me to check in. See if there are any customer complaints about activities and such.”

  Nikki shook her head. “Really. The opposite. Several have come up to mention that there’s an adorable little dog on board. He’s been seen on deck, at one of the dance classes - even up near the mini golf course.”

  Millie’s face reddened.

  Nikki burst out laughing. She lowered her voice. “I heard he was watering the green.”

  The look on Millie’s face told her that was exactly what Scout had done. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “Well. No one complained,” Nikki assured her. “Can you bring him by next time? I’d love to meet him.”

  Millie promised she would before she left.

  She pulled her schedule from her pocket. There was one more activity on her schedule before she had a couple hours off. Millie slipped her glasses on and studied the paper. Ship-wide scavenger hunt. She folded the paper and shoved it in her pants pocket. This was something that would be right up her alley!

  Millie bounded up the steps on her way back to the lido deck. A crowd – larger than the one that normally showed up for trivia – was standing off to the side. She grabbed the microphone from a table nearby and switched it on. “Who’s ready for a scavenger hunt?” Several whoops echoed from the enthusiastic band of sunburned passengers.

  She pulled the now-familiar manila folder from behind the bar and studied the instructions. It certainly sounded easy enough. Hand the passengers a list of clues while she held onto the answers. Then wait for the first team – or person – to return with all the items.

  Millie had a slight dilemma. She wasn’t sure if she should have teams or an individual competition. She decided to let the participants pick. In an overwhelming decision, the passengers paired off in groups of four.