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

by Hope Callaghan

  Patterson began drawing small circles on his notepad. “What’s the plan now?”

  Millie groaned. “That’s why I’m here. I mean, you’re the paid professional!”

  “True,” he admitted. “Your enthusiasm makes up for your lack of experience. I have to admire your tenacity.”

  Patterson stopped drawing on the pad. He gave his full attention to Millie. “I know you want to believe there’s something more to the case. But the fact is, Courtney Earhart killed Kyle Zondervan. Consumed by guilt, she decided to take her own life.”

  Maybe Millie was grasping at straws. Trying to make something out of nothing. She wondered if she’d ever mentioned Courtney’s confession about being threatened. “Courtney said that she had been threated. That she felt her life was in danger.”

  Patterson leaned forward and listened intently. “Did Courtney show you the threatening note she supposedly had?”

  Millie shook her head. “She was so far gone, I was lucky I was able to get her back to her cabin before she passed out. That is another reason I don’t believe she had the ability to write the note or take those pills.”

  “And change her clothes,” she added.

  “What if she sobered up? It was several hours, late morning before the cabin steward discovered her body.”

  “So you’re going to let the case stay as it is,” Millie said.

  Patterson stood. “I don’t have much of a choice. Unless the killer decides to come forward and confess. We’re running out of time. A couple more days and the passengers disembark and if there is a killer, he or she walks off.”

  Chapter 23

  Millie shuffled back to her cabin. She was tired and hungry. She was so exhausted that tired outweighed hunger. Last but not least, she was discouraged.

  The only silver lining was that Zack was off the hook. Not that she ever really believed he could be a killer anyways.

  Millie decided to skip dinner and go straight to bed. Which would have worked out fine if Captain Armati hadn’t been standing outside her cabin door, waiting for her.

  He smiled when he caught sight of Millie. She patted her windblown hair, certain she must look like a wreck. She sure felt like a wreck.

  Her heart sank. She was probably in big doo, doo now. He probably heard about the brownies. Or maybe someone had spotted Scout watering the palm tree on the mini golf course. Or it could’ve been…

  “Hello, Millie. Did you have a nice day on the island?”

  She let out the breath she’d been holding. Judging by the tone of his voice, she wasn’t in trouble after all.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe something had happened to Scout!

  “It was a nice day. Hot but nice,” she replied. “Is Scout okay?”

  The captain nodded. “Scout is fine. I think he missed you, though. He watched the door all day.”

  Millie eased her tired body against the hall wall. “Then I can take him out tomorrow?”

  The captain nodded. “Follow me.” He started walking. Millie pulled herself upright and followed along.

  “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

  Millie shook her head. “I was thinking about skipping it. You know, the heat and all.” And the failed investigation, she added silently.

  He stopped, put his hands behind his back and nodded thoughtfully. “You’re not hungry?”

  Her stomach grumbled in protest. The captain? Dinner? Her appetite was making a strong comeback. “Well, I guess I probably should eat something. I always told my children never to go to bed on an empty stomach.”

  “That’s true. I’m heading to dinner myself. Would you care to join me?” His eyes crinkled kindly.

  A lump lodged in her throat. “That would be nice,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “That would be nice.”

  “Good!” He nodded. “Scout will be thrilled to see you.”

  He started walking again. “How does surf and turf sound?”

  Lobster was a luxury. Something that Millie had tried only a handful of times. “It sounds great, although I’ve only had it a couple times,” she admitted.

  They were in front of the elevator now. The captain pressed the button. When the door opened, he motioned Millie in first. She looked down at her crumpled, sweaty shorts, wrinkled shirt and then over at his crisp, clean uniform. “Maybe I should change first.”

  “I think you look fine just the way you are,” he assured her.

  Millie felt the familiar burning sensation on the outer part of her ears and knew that right about now, they were fire engine red.

  If Captain Armati noticed, he was too much of a gentleman to comment.

  Millie was relieved when the elevator reached the 10th floor. She hadn’t dared mention her aversion to elevators!

  It was a short walk from the elevator to the bridge. Millie smiled at Staff Captain Vitale as she followed Captain Armati to the center of the bridge and down the small hall leading to his private quarters.

  The captain punched in the code on the key pad and pushed the door open. Millie followed him in.

  Dusk was beginning to set and the interior cabin glowed in a soft light. Her pulse started to race.

  A small shadow darted out from underneath the table and ran right into her. It was Scout! Millie leaned down and picked up the wiggling bundle. He was moving so much, Millie could hardly hold onto him!

  He licked her face, her hands, anything his small pink tongue could reach. Finally, he calmed down long enough for Millie to put him back on the floor. He promptly circled her several times.

  “Wow! He doesn’t even do that when I’m gone all day!” the captain joked.

  “Dogs and kids. I know how to attract ‘em,” Millie answered wryly.

  Millie brushed her hands on the front of her pants. Her eyes traveled to the table tucked off in the corner. A crisp, white tablecloth covered the table. In the center was a tall silver candleholder with a long tapered candle inside. Lit and giving off a romantic glow.

  Millie’s ears started to burn again and her eyelid began to twitch.

  The captain handed Millie a wine glass. “Care for a glass of wine?”

  Millie wasn’t a drinker. A glass of wine on a special occasion was the extent. But she was nervous and the wine might help calm her nerves.

  Next to the table was an ornate silver wine cooler. Inside the cooler was an open bottle of wine. She nodded.

  The captain filled two glasses and handed her one. He motioned toward the balcony. “We should enjoy what’s left of the day.”

  He slid the slider door open and waited for her to step out first. Scout was right on their heels.

  Good. A chaperone, Millie thought to herself.

  They settled against the railing and Millie sipped the wine. It went down smooth. Too smooth. “This is a nice wine. What is it?”

  “Santa Cristina Chardonnay.” He swirled the wine in the glass before taking a sip. “It’s Italian.”

  He lifted his glass. “A toast.”

  Millie raised her glass. “A toast.”

  “To the ocean and adventure,” he said.

  Scout was nibbling on her ankle. “And Scout,” she added.

  They tapped glasses and she took another sip.

  “Are you still enjoying life on board?”

  Millie nodded. She was enjoying life on board the ship. She loved the adventure, the activities, her new friends, and the detective work.

  She snuck a quick glance at the captain. Romance.

  “Yes. This is so different from anything I’ve ever known,” she confessed. “Every day is new and exciting.”

  He slowly nodded as he stared out at the water. He wondered if the ocean would get in her blood like it had his. Of course, he knew even when he was a young boy that he wanted to sail the seas. He never wanted to play with action figures or toy trucks or trains. It was always the boats.

  He had grown up near the water, in the small village of Bertoli, on the Mediterranean Sea, where he
would stand at his bedroom window for hours and watch the larger boats as they sailed by the small village. He loved the smell of the ocean air, the sound of crashing waves, wondering what lie in the bottom of the deep blue sea.

  Niccolo, or Nic as his family and friends called him, had been married to his wife for 40 years before she died in a car accident.

  Nic had been at sea when it happened. When the news of her sudden death reached him, it took long, agonizing days for him to make it home. He made it just in time for them to put her in her final resting place. His deepest regret was not having the chance to tell her good-bye.

  Captain Armati’s daughter, Fiona, had been angry with him for months. Angry that he was not there for her when her mother died. Finally, slowly, her anger faded. But Nic had made a solemn vow to himself. To never marry again.

  Lisa was a wonderful wife. She was irreplaceable and always in his heart.

  Nic gave himself a mental shrug. He hadn’t meant to go there…not tonight.

  He caught Millie’s eye. The woman intrigued him. She was different. Different than his other crew. Different from any other woman he had ever met. She had spunk. He liked that. He wondered what made her tick. Maybe it was because she was an American.

  Millie tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear and looked away. She knew he was studying her.

  “What is your favorite assignment so far?”

  Millie turned back. She squinted her eyes. “Hmm. I’d have to say the dance lessons are fun. Of course, I’ve enjoyed hosting the trivia. But then there was the scavenger hunt the other day.” She shrugged. “It has all been fun.”

  Nic laughed. “Okay. Maybe it would, uh, be easier if I asked you what you haven’t liked about your job so far.”

  Millie’s eyebrows drew together. There wasn’t too much she hadn’t enjoyed. Other than not being able to solve the stinkin’ murder, but she wasn’t about to bring that up!

  “Hmm. Maybe the tiny quarters,” she admitted.

  “Ahh.” He nodded. “Well, there isn’t much I can do about that.”

  They heard a light tap on the outer door.

  “That would be the arrival of our dinner.”

  Millie followed him indoors. She waited off to the side while the steward pushed a covered cart to the table. The cart was loaded with trays! A sterling silver half-moon cover concealed the contents of each plate. It was a very elegant presentation.

  The captain pulled out a chair and motioned for Millie to have a seat. He pushed her chair in and took the seat across from her.

  “Shall I stay?” The young man asked.

  The captain shook his head. “You can serve the first course and then you’re free to leave. We will serve ourselves.”

  The man lowered into a small bow and backed out of the room. Millie was 100% certain that the rumor of the captain dining with the assistant cruise director would spread like wildfire through the ranks.

  That is, unless, of course, the captain entertained women on a regular basis. Then it would be ho-hum. Millie frowned at the thought.

  The first course was a small tossed salad. Along with the salad was a selection of dressings. Millie picked the ranch and scooped a small spoonful over the top of her salad.

  She lifted the corner of the cloth that covered the breadbasket and studied the contents, searching for a piece that wasn’t too awful chewy – one that wouldn’t stick in her throat. She settled on a slice of rye.

  Millie had always prayed over her food. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head. Much to her surprise, the captain did the same. She whispered a small prayer and asked the Lord to help make sure she didn’t embarrass herself in front of him.

  When she lifted her head, he was watching her, a small smile on his lips. “Ah. Now I know what is so special about Mildred Sanders. You are a praying woman.”

  Millie blushed. Just a teeny bit this time, and nodded her head. “The Lord has been good to me,” she said simply.

  “And to me, as well.” He tilted his head to the side. “Have you been to chapel and met Pastor Evans?”

  Millie spread a thick layer of creamy butter on top of her bread and nibbled the edge. “Yes. Last Sunday. It was a lovely service.”

  It reminded Millie that tomorrow was Sunday and she had the morning off.

  She slid the butter dish across the table.

  Captain Armati picked a crusty baguette. He broke the piece in half and reached for his butter knife. “I would go. Occasionally I do go. Most Sunday mornings are port days and I have to be on the bridge to guide the ship to dock,” he explained.

  “But tomorrow. Perhaps I will go,” he added.

  Millie finished her salad and set the plate, along with her fork, on the lower level of the cart.

  The captain pushed back from his chair. “No. You are my guest. I’ll take care of that.”

  He nestled his empty salad bowl inside of her bowl and set them on the cart. Then he lifted a covered dish from the tray. He uncovered the dish and set it in front of Millie.

  Millie studied the contents. It was a small bowl of gazpacho soup. One of Millie’s favorite.

  “I hope you like tomatoes,” he told her.

  Millie loved tomatoes. And peppers. And cucumbers. It made her think of the large garden she normally planted in the spring. “This is my favorite,” she gushed.

  Pleased that he had made the right selection, Captain Armati set the second bowl of soup on his side of the table. “Mine too,” he confessed. “I could probably eat this every day.”

  When they got to the main course, surf and turf, Millie looked down at the lobster tail in dismay. She frowned, not sure how to crack the hard shell.

  The captain sensed her hesitation and quickly reached over to take her plate. “May I?”

  Millie nodded. “Have at it.”

  With expert precision, he plucked the fins off and then twisted the body. Using the tip of his knife, he pushed the meat through the shell. It landed in the center of the plate.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t attempt to do that,” she muttered. Visions of flying lobster crossed her mind.

  He handed the plate back. There was a round tin of melted butter. She cut a small piece of lobster and dipped it in the tin. It was a bite of pure paradise. She rolled her eyes. “This is delicious!”

  Nic repeated the same steps for his lobster and then dropped the shells and tail into a bucket. He cut a large piece and drizzled butter over the top. He cut a smaller section and took a bite. “Yes. Very good,” he agreed.

  The dinner was the nicest meal she’d had on board, which may have had something to do with the company she was keeping…

  There were a few times, she caught him cutting small pieces of his porterhouse steak and then sticking his hand under the table to feed Scout.

  After dinner, he poured two cups of coffee and uncovered a tray of tempting bite size desserts. “Shall we finish out on the balcony?”

  Millie balanced the dessert plate and opened the slider while he carried the carafe of coffee and two cups. He set the dishes on a small table between the chairs. It was perfect for the space.

  Millie poured a dash of cream in her coffee and took a sip. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. It was lovely, Captain Armati.”

  “Nic. Please. At least in private, call me Nic.”

  “Nic.” It rolled off Millie’s tongue. His name was fitting.

  They chatted about home and their children for a long time. Millie glanced at her watch. It was getting late. She needed to get to bed if she planned to get up for church in the morning.

  “You must be tired,” he told her.

  And smelly, she thought. She nodded. “Yes. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

  Her mind wandered back to the investigation, or what was left of it. She had all but given up on it.

  She followed the captain back inside. Scout was waiting by the door, as if he somehow knew she was getting ready to leave. “I’ll see you after churc
h,” she promised.

  Her only answer was the lick of his tongue on the side of her face.

  The captain led her out, through the bridge and opened the outer door. He gave a small bow as Millie stepped into the hall. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”

  Captain Armati smiled. “Yes, it was lovely. Thank you, Millie, for joining me.” He didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, he slowly closed the door as Millie walked away.

  Millie floated back to her cabin. The evening had been almost magical.

  Chapter 24

  Millie unlocked her cabin door and stepped inside. She wondered if she would even be able to fall asleep.

  Sarah was nowhere in sight. Millie quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, pulled her pajamas on and crawled into bed. It was only 10:00 p.m. but Millie was whupped. She whispered her prayers and pulled the covers to her chin.

  Millie had just dozed off when her radio, which she forgot to shut off, began to crackle.

  “Miss Millie. Are you there, Millie?” It was Dario.

  She switched on her night light and crawled out of bed. The radio was on the desk. She almost didn’t answer but decided to find out what Dario wanted. It was unusual for him to radio her and he sounded excited.

  She turned it up and pressed the talk button. “Go ahead, Dario. I’m here.”

  “Miss Millie,” he said breathlessly. “I have news.” He lowered his voice. Millie could barely make out his words. “I have news on the investigation. You’ll never guess what I just found out.”

  Millie was torn. Should she put her clothes back on and find out what “news” Dario had that sounded so promising? Could it wait until morning?

  Millie knew there was no way she would be able to sleep. No way that she could. “I’ll be right there. Where are you?”

  “In the casino, Miss Millie.”

  Millie slipped on a clean pair of shorts and t-shirt. She grabbed her flip-flops from the shelf and shoved her feet in.

  She studied her reflection. At least she didn’t have bed head. Millie slipped her lanyard with her ID and room key around her neck and headed out the door.

  Her mind was whirling. What on earth could Dario possibly have stumbled upon that would move the investigation forward? He seemed so excited.