She squared her shoulders, tucked a stray strand of long silver hair behind her ear and reached for the door handle that connected the hall and the workout area.
The area would not open for passenger use for another hour, so if there was any consolation in the whole exercise, her “lesson” would last sixty minutes, tops.
When Millie stepped inside the room, her heart sank. There had to be twenty other crewmembers milling about. Andy was smack dab in the center of the crowd.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Millie almost burst out laughing at the sight of her boss. He was wearing a pair of what looked like plaid pajama bottoms and a wife beater tank top. Tufts of bright red chest hair protruded out the sides of the tattered shirt.
She looked down at her own outfit and the smile disappeared. Hers wasn’t much better – a pair of jogging shorts that her friend, Annette Delacroix, had loaned her and a t-shirt from the gift shop that Cat, her other friend, had donated for the cause.
Andy waved her over and motioned her to follow him.
The two of them wandered up the side steps and into a boxing ring that filled one whole section of the workout room. Millie had never noticed it before.
“I’ll take that.” Andy reached for her Taser.
Millie held it out, but for some reason, her hand refused to release its grip and the two of them tugged back and forth for several seconds.
“Let go!” Andy hissed.
Finally, Millie reluctantly released her grip on the flashlight / stun gun combo and took a step back.
The crowd gathered around the ring. Andy turned to address the occupants. “I know you are all here for a demonstration on how to use a stun gun.” He pointed to Millie. “My sidekick, Millie, who is also the Assistant Cruise Director, has graciously offered to be my guinea pig.”
Millie eyes flew open and her mouth dropped. She most definitely had not volunteered!
Andy patted her back and continued his little speech. “You should never use a stun gun unless you feel that physical harm or bodily injury is imminent.”
He shifted the stun gun in his hand and pressed the button. BUZZ…ZAP! The sound of pure electricity filled the air.
Next, he placed the Taser side of the weapon against Millie’s right arm. Millie’s mouth went dry. Her knees grew weak. She scrunched her eyes shut, waiting for the jolt of electricity to pierce her body.
Millie clenched her fists. She drew in a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
Click! Nothing. Nada. No jolt.
Andy pulled the Taser back. “Always keep the safety lock in place when not in use.”
He turned the weapon to the side so the audience could see the lock.
Andy tapped the tip of the Taser on Millie’s bare arm.
Tap. Heart attack.
Tap. Another heart attack.
“The arm is not the best area of the body to effectively use a Taser,” he told the group.
In one swift movement, Andy lifted the Taser and pressed it against her lips! “This is a much more effective spot!” he announced.
Millie’s eyes flew open, a look of sheer terror on her face. She thought she was going to pass out. She tried to say something but the Taser was like searing metal against her lips.
Andy pulled the Taser away from her lips and Millie let out an audible sigh.
“The best places to use a stun gun are areas of the body that contain the most nerve endings.”
Andy touched the stun gun under her chin, then the side of her face and stopped when he stuck the gun directly on her eye!
Millie began to sway as the blood drained from her face, certain that this was the ultimate revenge. Andy was going to zap her eye! She would probably go blind.
Andy could see he was getting Millie good. He released his grip on her arm, winked at her and lowered the Taser. “Thank you, Millie for helping me with this demonstration.”
Millie darted out of the ring, her legs wobbling as if they were going to abandon her at any moment. She grabbed the railing and scrambled to solid ground.
Andy waited until she was safely out of the ring. “Now I’ll demonstrate what actually happens when someone is tased. Brody, c’mon up here.”
Brody was the bouncer from the nightclub and he bounded up the steps. He was a big dude with a thick, muscular frame, as if he worked out on a regular basis. Or maybe he was an ex-Marine.
Andy slapped him on the shoulder. “Brody has agreed to allow me tase him, to show you the body’s reaction to being zapped by a Taser.”
He turned to face Brody. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
Brody nodded. A muscle in his jaw tightened. “Can’t wait.”
The crowd tittered.
Millie rolled her eyes. Brody had to be missing a few marbles!
“What is going on?” Annette had come to stand next to Millie. Cat was behind her. “We heard something about Andy using the Taser on you,” she whispered.
“No, he didn’t,” Millie answered, “but he sure did scare the dickens out of me!”
Andy started to talk. “Now, for the Taser to be most-effective, you have to press it against the body for a full five seconds and hold it there.”
Andy lifted the end of the Taser and placed it against Brody’s ribcage. “However, I am not going to hold it against Brody’s body for the full five seconds, but just for a brief moment so you can see how a person reacts.”
Andy looked up. “Ready?”
Brody nodded solemnly. “As I’ll ever be.”
Millie sucked in a breath.
Annette gasped.
Cat’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my goodness!”
Z-Zap!!
Brody’s body stiffened straight out. He jerked back and pulled away from the stun gun. He clutched at his chest and gasped for air, taking quick, shallow breaths.
Andy reached for his arm to steady him. “You alright?”
Brody took a few more shallow breaths, pounded his chest with his fist and shook his head, as if to clear it. “Man that was a trip!”
Millie closed her eyes. “Thank you, God, for sparing me.”
Certain that Brody was okay, Andy faced the group. “I need one more volunteer for a quick demonstration,” he said.
Millie shrank back. No way was she going up there again!
Andy’s eyes scanned the crowd. “Cat!” He waved an arm. “C’mon up!”
Cat shook her head “no” but several crewmembers clapped in encouragement. Finally, Cat caved and slowly wandered across the room and up the steps.
She stood next to Andy, who waited for her in the center of the ring.
“With the ladies, you don’t need to use as much power to zap them so I recommend using the lowest setting possible.”
He turned to Cat. “Could you please lift your arms up above your head?” he asked.
Cat’s eyes widened. Her mouth formed an “O” but nothing came out. Reluctantly, she complied.
The long sleeves of her puffy, pink blouse fell as she lifted her arms. Her shirt edged up slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of her midriff.
Andy continued to explain the difference between tasing a man and woman but Millie wasn’t listening. She was gaping at the long, angry scar that ran from Cat’s left side and slashed across her abdomen before it disappeared on the other side.
Millie cupped her hands and whispered in Annette’s ear. “Oh my gosh! Look at Cat’s scar.”
Annette nodded. “That looks wicked.”
Millie could not agree more. “I wonder what happened.”
“I asked Cat one time, when I noticed it a while back and she clammed up. Whatever happened, she does not want to talk about it,” Annette warned.
Millie nodded. Although she was more than a bit curious about whatever happened to Cat that caused such a savage scar, it might bring up painful memories of some accident Cat wanted to forget.
Cat let her arms down and Andy thanked her for her time.
She
returned to her spot next to the girls and wiped a hand across her brow. “Whew! That was a close call,” she joked.
Andy finished by explaining the different stun guns and prices. He also told them that he had a friend in Miami who owned a personal safety company and that he could get the crew a discount if anyone was interested.
Brody, who was still standing next to Andy in the ring, reached over and jerked the gun / flashlight from Andy’s hand. In one swift movement, he jabbed the end on Andy’s exposed neck and pulled the trigger.
Millie watched in horror as Andy’s eyes widened and then rolled back in his head. His body grew limp. He hit the ground with a loud thud.
Brody, unconcerned that Andy was now lying unconscious on the ground, flipped the safety switch and set the gun on the floor before he turned his attention to Andy.
He bent down and shook his shoulder. “Hey big guy. You okay?”
Andy’s eyes fluttered. His body jerked. It was as if he was having an aftershock.
Millie darted through the crowd and up the steps. She dropped to her knees and leaned over Andy’s still body, certain he was near death. “Andy! Andy! Talk to me!” She tugged on his hand.
All of the sudden, Andy’s eyes flew open. He reached up, circled both hands around Brody’s throat and started to squeeze. “You could have killed me,” he growled.
Millie flung her elbow against Andy’s arms, desperate to break the death grip Andy had on poor Brody’s throat.
Finally, Andy released his hold.
Brody rubbed his neck. “Sorry boss.” He seemed genuinely remorseful, which pacified Andy, at least for the moment.
Millie grabbed Brody’s arm and tugged. “We better get out of here before he changes his mind and goes after you again.”
Millie kept a close eye on Andy as she and Brody exited the ring.
Several of the employees, including Annette and Cat, wandered into the ring to pick up one of the fliers from the Miami gun shop.
Millie waited at the bottom.
Annette waved the flier in her hand. “I am going to get one of these next time we dock in Miami,” she vowed.
Cat stared at the flyer then turned it over to study the other side. “Me, too. You never can be too careful these days.”
Millie motioned her friends off to the side, out of the stream of traffic. It had been several days since she’d had a chance to chat with them. The only time she’d seen either one of them was briefly, during Sunday morning chapel.
Millie’s ship life had finally settled down and fallen into a regular routine with nary a dead body popping up anywhere.
Cat spoke what Millie had been thinking. “I miss hanging out with you guys. We need to plan to eat together or something…” she trailed off.
Annette opened her mouth to reply when her radio went off. “Annette! You there?”
It was Amit, Annette’s right hand man in the kitchen.
Annette plucked the radio from her belt and held it to her lips. “Yeah, Amit. I’m here!”
“We got another FP,” he blurted out.
The color drained from Annette’s face. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was, Miss Annette,” came Amit’s somber reply.
“What is FP?” Millie had never heard that term used on the ship.
Annette leaned in. “Food poisoning and this is the second one in less than 24 hours.”
Chapter 2
Annette darted out of the fitness center and made a mad dash for the kitchen. Cat and Millie were hot on her heels.
Annette was fast - faster than Millie could have imagined. She left them in the dust.
When they got to the door that led into the kitchen, Millie peeked in the porthole window. She could see Annette and Amit off to one side, their heads close together. Amit had a frown on his face and he was shaking his head.
Millie slowly pushed the door open and tiptoed in. Cat stepped on her heel.
“Ouch!”
“Shhh.” Cat shushed her.
Annette clenched her hands in two tight fists and shook them in the air. “I just don’t understand! I tasted the lobster bisque before it left this kitchen and I didn’t get sick!”
Amit shrugged his shoulders, at a loss for words. He was just as bewildered as she was.
Millie came in behind them. “The dish came from this kitchen?” There was always the off chance it had come from somewhere else, like the deli station or specialty dining room.
Annette whirled around. Her face was beet red. She took a quick breath. “Yes, and I don’t know how. I tried the dish myself and then sent it down to the officer’s dining room. It was supposed to be a special treat,” she added.
Annette’s eyes began to water. “Anyways, Amit just told me that Captain Vitale was the only one who tried the lobster bisque. Not long after, he became violently ill. He’s in his cabin puking his guts out.”
Amit nodded. “He is very sick.”
Annette wrung her hands. “I’m toast,” she groaned. Before Cat or Millie could answer, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen.
Millie started after her.
Cat reached out and grabbed Millie’s arms. “No. Don’t go. Let her be. She needs time to vent and nothing we can say right now will help.”
Cat had a point. When Millie was upset, she needed to be alone, to mull it over, and maybe even throw a few things…
“You’re right,” Millie agreed. She turned to Amit, who stared at the door where Annette had just departed.
“Do you think someone is trying to sabotage poor Annette? I mean, it doesn’t make any sense that she tasted the dish, sent it down to the officer’s dining room and the same dish she sampled made Captain Vitale ill.”
Amit nodded. “Yes, Miss Millie. Even I tried it, just to make sure.”
He pointed to his chest. “See? I am fine, too.”
“Who took the dish down to the dining room?” Cat asked. Perhaps they needed to have a chat with the last person to handle the dish before it arrived in the dining room.
Amit shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”
Cat and Millie wandered out of the galley. Millie glanced down at her watch. “I have to report to work in 30 minutes and still need to shower and change.”
She looked up at Cat. “I’ll stop by the gift shop when my shift ends. Maybe we can talk to Annette after that.”
Cat worked at Ocean Treasures, the ship’s largest gift shop. The shop closed at ten p.m., which would give Millie a chance to return Scout, Captain Armati’s teacup Yorkie and Millie’s sidekick, back to Captain Armati before meeting up with the girls.
Millie left Cat in the corridor as she picked up the pace and headed to the stairs. She flew down the steps in record time and was in front of her cabin in no time flat.
Sarah, Millie’s cabin mate, was nowhere in sight when Millie entered the room.
Millie made a beeline for the bathroom and flung the shower curtain open. She wiggled out of her sweaty clothes and slipped under the warm, cascading water.
Millie had to admit that the Taser demonstration had been helpful. She was surprised at how many of the crew showed up to watch Andy in action. She was thankful that Andy hadn’t tased her, especially after having seen what happened to Brody after he was shocked, not to mention Andy when Brody turned the tables.
She made a mental note to ask him exactly what it felt like, just in case she had to use it on someone, somewhere down the road. The ship was full of nefarious activities and Millie had heard tidbits of recent drug busts.
She knew enough from her ex-husband, Roger’s, detective business that where there were drugs, there were some shady types lurking around, which reminded her of her poor friend, Annette.
Something fishy was going on. She knew there was no way Annette would be careless with food preparation and she certainly would never send contaminated food down to the officer’s dining room! Unless, of course, she wanted them to fire her, which Millie doubted was the case.
Millie shut off the water and grabbed a clean, white towel from the metal rack above the toilet. She quickly dried off, ran a comb through her shoulder length hair and pulled it away from her face. She slipped into her work uniform and headed topside to search for Andy.
She crossed the dark auditorium and climbed the set of stairs off to the side. Red velvet curtains covered the stage. Millie grabbed the edge of the curtain, pulled it aside and stepped backstage.
Millie could hear muffled voices coming from the direction of the makeup area.
Zack, one of the dancers and one of Millie’s favorite staff members, caught Millie’s eye. He gave a small wave and met her halfway across the stage. “I watched Andy’s Taser demonstration earlier,” he said.
Millie nodded. “Yeah, I thought I was a goner.”
“I did, too.” Zack shot her a wicked smile. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”
Millie could envision the deer-in-the-headlights look she probably had. “Oh, I can just imagine.”
“Of course, your expression wasn’t nearly as entertaining as Andy’s reaction to being tased,” he chuckled.
“Zack! We’re ready!” A female voice rang out from somewhere in the dressing room.
Zack shot a glance toward the back. “I gotta run!” He dashed out of the area and Millie continued to walk towards Andy’s office.
A faint beam of light shone over the top of the half partition wall that separated his office from the stage.
Andy sat hunched over, his head mere inches from an open notebook as he studied the papers in front of him.
“You should be wearing reading glasses.”
Andy lifted his head, his bespectacled face staring into hers. “Huh?”
“Never mind,” Millie mumbled. She pulled out a chair and plopped down. “What’cha doing?”
Andy tapped the tip of his pen on top of the notebook. “I’m going over this week’s schedule. I’ve been mulling over a new headliner event I plan to pitch to the captain and want to get your thoughts.”
Millie leaned in. The schedule they had now was a good one. It started with the Welcome Aboard show the first night. The show highlighted the talents of the dancers, the magician, the comedian, etc. Then there was the Heart and Homes Show where guests – couples – competed against each other to see which couple knew their spouse best.
Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 27