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

by Hope Callaghan

  She lifted her furry sidekick, wandered into the theater and up the stage steps. She clipped Scout’s leash to his collar and then wrapped the leash around the leg of the bingo table.

  Today Millie would be in charge of selling bingo cards. Business was brisk. The line was long and it took longer than normal since almost all of the passengers that purchased bingo cards also stopped to say “hi” to Scout.

  Zack bent down to pat Scout’s head. He gave Millie a quick hug. “Hey, Millie. I haven’t seen you hanging out behind the stage lately.”

  Millie nodded. “Andy is keeping me busy.”

  “I suppose you already heard about Captain Vitale getting food poisoning? That’s the second person in less than a day.”

  Millie thumbed through the stack of bingo cards. “Yeah. Annette is taking this hard. The food is coming from her kitchen.”

  Zack bent down and lowered his voice. “Don’t tell Annette, but someone started a petition, calling for Annette’s resignation.”

  Millie’s heart plummeted. “Who would do such a horrible thing?”

  “Someone gunning for her job since her contract is up,” he answered. “They have over 50 signatures. I refused to sign.”

  This was much worse than Millie had imagined. If the petition got enough signatures, Captain Armati wouldn’t have much of a choice but to let Annette go. After all, if the crew wouldn’t eat her food, why should the passengers?

  Millie didn’t see much choice but to go along with Annette’s plan to sneak into Donovan’s office and try to find out who might be behind all of this!

  Zack turned to go.

  “Wait!” Millie stopped him. “Do you have any idea who might want Annette’s job?”

  Zack shrugged his shoulders. “The only name I heard being tossed around is Annette’s right hand man, Amit.”

  Chapter 6

  Millie’s mouth fell open. Amit had applied for Annette’s job? She remembered the time Annette had chewed Amit out when he substituted margarine for the lobster dish. Did he hold a grudge?

  Although Annette could be a little rough around the edges at times, she had a heart of gold and she was loyal to a fault.

  Amit seemed like a nice enough fellow and Millie never would have imagined him capable of stabbing Annette in the back like that. Of course, one never knew for sure…

  Annette had told Millie that she put Amit in charge of delivering the bisque to the officer’s dining room. Amit said he turned it over to Suri, who admitted he left the dish in the warming bay.

  Could it be that Amit doubled-back, poisoned the bisque and then planned on Suri taking the blame?

  She would just have to wait until tonight to find out if Amit had indeed submitted an application for Annette’s job – that is, if they weren’t caught in the act!

  Millie had no time to dwell on Amit’s possible double-crossing.

  Bingo was a lively session and there were several winners. Today, the final day of the cruise, Siren of the Seas gave away the grand prize: a free, seven-day cruise for two. Millie was excited to see a young couple; newlyweds if she remembered correctly, win the grand prize.

  Millie wandered around the theater and picked up the used bingo cards that littered the floor and chairs, left behind by passengers.

  When she finished cleaning up, she decided to make a quick stop by the bridge to thank Captain Armati for the little retreat that she and Scout would enjoy for a long time to come.

  Her heart sunk when she stepped into the bridge. Captain Vitale was noticeably absent.

  Captain Armati turned and smiled as the two of them stepped into the bridge. “Did you have a chance to enjoy your new hangout?”

  Millie nodded and grinned. “Scout didn’t want to get out of the pool.”

  “Woof!” He agreed.

  Millie set him on the floor and he scampered over to say hello to Ingrid Kozlov who was off in the corner, studying a computer screen.

  For the first time that Millie could remember, the woman actually smiled as she pet Scout and watched as he danced around her feet.

  Millie turned to face the captain. “How is Captain Vitale feeling?”

  Armati frowned. “He is too ill to work today. We need to find out what is going on in that kitchen.”

  Millie lifted her hand in a mock salute. “I’m on it,” she assured him.

  Perhaps that wasn’t the best answer. Millie had a penchant for sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.

  Captain lifted a brow. “Try to stay out of trouble.” He stressed the word try.

  Millie turned to go and then paused. “Captain Vitale, does he blame Annette?”

  Technically, Donovan Sweeney was in charge of the kitchen and kitchen staff while Captain Vitale was in charge of the rest of the crew, but that didn’t mean that Vitale couldn’t go over Donovan’s head and have her fired. Captain Vitale was second in command while Donovan Sweeney was right below him as third in command.

  Captain Armati shook his head. “No. Captain Vitale is a fair man. He would need to see proof that Annette intentionally poisoned crew or passengers before he would make such a decision.”

  Millie’s shoulders sagged in relief. The relief was short-lived.

  “Of course, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t decide that someone would be a better fit for the next contract.”

  That was Millie’s fear. Annette’s employment teetered on finding out who was trying to get rid of her!

  Scout and Millie wandered out of the bridge. There was no way she could turn Annette down and not try to find out who had applied for her job.

  The rest of the evening dragged by as Millie’s mind drifted to the coming hours. She made a quick stop to see Cat before heading up to the lido deck to check on the deck party.

  “Did Annette tell you about the plan?” Cat asked before Millie had a chance to mention it.

  She nodded. “What do you think?”

  Cat rolled her eyes. “That I don’t want to end up in jail again,” she moaned. “Seems like every time the two of you drag me into your misadventures, I always end up in hot water.”

  “You?” Millie gasped. “What about me? I mean, I’m the one that has the key that unlocks the door!”

  “True,” Cat admitted. “But what choice do we have? Stand by and watch them fire Annette?”

  Millie almost told Cat what Zack had said about Amit applying for Annette’s job but something stopped her. She trusted Cat but she wasn’t sure if she trusted her not to spill the beans to Annette. On top of that, Millie wasn’t 100% certain it was true.

  Right now, that information was just a rumor. If he had applied, they would find out soon enough.

  By the time Millie dropped Scout off, she was on pins and needles and her conscience was pricking her.

  Captain Armati met her at the door. He held it wide. “Please. Come in, Millie.”

  Millie stepped through the apartment door and set Scout on the floor. He trotted over to the captain who picked him up and tucked him in the crook of his arm.

  “Are you off duty?”

  Millie nodded.

  “Care for a glass of wine?”

  Millie’s eyes wandered to the chilled wine on the table. It reminded her of the night, not long ago, he had invited her to dinner. It had been a romantic evening.

  Since then, although the captain had been warm and friendly, he hadn’t asked again. Millie was beginning to wonder if she had said something wrong.

  Millie nodded. “That would be lovely.”

  Maybe a glass of wine would calm her nerves seeing how she was only hours away from breaking a company policy.

  The captain poured wine into two glasses and the three of them stepped out onto the balcony.

  Scout made a beeline for his grassy area before heading back inside to grab a stuffed monkey twice his size. He clamped his jaw on the monkey’s tail and dragged it out onto the deck. They watched as he struggled to tug it over the threshold.

  “Sometimes he cra
wls inside his toy box and falls asleep and I can’t find him because he blends in.”

  Millie burst out laughing. The vision of Scout sprawled out on top of his toys cracked her up. “I’d love to see that sometime.”

  Captain nodded. “Perhaps you will.”

  Millie blushed. She lifted her wine glass to hide her flaming cheeks.

  Captain Armati changed the subject. “Andy proposed a new show to me earlier today during our weekly meeting. It was something about a dating game.”

  Millie had almost forgotten about it. So much had happened since morning, starting out with the Taser demonstration, then leaping right into the food poisoning.

  “I like the idea.” Millie twirled the wine around in her glass before she lifted it to her lips to take another sip. It was going down smooth…too smooth.

  Armati nodded. “Me, too. Cruise ships can be the perfect spot for a budding romance. I have several friends that met and married on board a ship.”

  Millie nearly choked on the wine as she sucked in a breath and tried to swallow at the same time. Cough!

  Captain Armati patted her back. “Are you okay?”

  Millie’s eyes watered. “Went down the wrong way,” she sputtered. She coughed a couple more times and pounded her chest. “Much better.”

  She moved the subject to a safer topic. “Speaking of ships, how much longer are you on before your break?” She had heard that the captain’s contract only lasted about six months.

  Armati lowered his glass and gazed out at the vast ocean. “Next month. I have a six week break.”

  He smiled at Millie. “But I already signed on for another six months so I’ll be back.”

  Millie frowned. She hoped that she hadn’t sounded like she was fishing. On second thought, maybe she was. She stared down at her half-empty wine glass. Loose lips sink ships.

  They finished their wine and Millie followed the captain back inside. She set her glass on the table and turned to go. “Thank you for the wine.”

  “Perhaps we could have dinner again sometime?” he asked.

  Millie felt beads of perspiration instantly sprout up on her brow. “I-I would lo – like that!” she corrected herself.

  “Good.” He nodded and walked her to the door. “Scout and I shall see you tomorrow, after the new guests have boarded?”

  “Of course,” Millie answered. Unless I’m in jail by then, she added silently.

  Chapter 7

  Millie fiddled with the lanyard around her neck as she touched her keycard – the one with her name on it. The one that would give the girls access to Donovan’s office…the lanyard that could get her fired.

  On the one hand, she wanted desperately to help her friend, Annette. On the other hand, she really wanted to keep her job, but how could she tell her “no?” After all, Millie literally held the key to possibly figuring out who was poisoning the food.

  The only shot they had was to get in and get out fast - and to make sure they weren’t caught on camera. She gave the mission a 50/50 chance of success. She hoped the right “50” was in their favor.

  Millie made her way down to the crew mess for what might be her final meal of freedom where she ran into her roommate, Sarah, and Sarah’s friend, Nikki.

  Nikki worked in guest services. Donovan was her immediate supervisor. Nikki seemed to like working for Donovan and she had commented several times that he was easygoing and not too strict about company policy.

  Millie spied the girls as soon as she walked through the double doors. Nikki gave a small wave and Sarah motioned her over.

  Millie grabbed a tray, placed it on the metal runners in front of the food display and made her way down the line. Not one single dish looked appealing as she stared at the offerings. It didn’t even smell good. She knew she should eat but just the thought of it made her stomach churn.

  Her heart felt heavy, as if she was waiting for a death sentence. In a way it was. She wondered what exactly would happen to them if they were caught. Would they end up in the clink? It had happened to Cat.

  Would Captain Armati and Donovan kick them off the ship in the next port? The next port was Miami, so at least Millie would be close to home and not in some foreign country, left to fend for herself and figure a way home.

  Last, but not least, she knew that Captain Armati and Andy would be deeply disappointed in her. They trusted her. She felt as if she would be betraying their trust. It was a no-win situation.

  Millie grabbed the first thing she saw, a hot dog, along with a side salad and carried the tray to the table. She plastered a smile on her face as she set the tray in front of the empty chair.

  Sarah smiled back. “Haven’t seen you around at all today.”

  Millie plopped down in the chair. She unwrapped the silverware, set it on the table and laid the napkin in her lap. “Yeah, Andy is keeping me busy. Between Andy and Scout, my day has been hectic.”

  Sarah eyed her thoughtfully. “I heard your friend, Annette, is having some issues in the kitchen.”

  Nikki plucked a French fry from her plate, dipped it in the mound of catsup and popped it in her mouth. “She came down to guest services earlier. She went inside Donovan’s office and closed the door. When they came out, Annette’s face was all red, like she had been crying.”

  Millie’s heart plummeted. Her eyes dropped to her lap. “She’s a bit…distraught. She thinks someone is out to get her job.”

  Sarah nodded. She leaned forward. “I heard that Veronica Chang is gunning for it, which wouldn’t surprise me.”

  Millie wrinkled her nose. Veronica Chang?

  Veronica had started her contract the same week as Millie. She worked as first cook, and oversaw the second cook and third cook. At least that was what Annette had explained when Millie first met Veronica.

  The woman was… a braggart, for lack of a better word. Everything that came out of her mouth was that she did this and she did that and one time she had served the Vice President of Majestic Cruise Lines.

  When Millie dug a little deeper, Veronica finally admitted that she had plated his food but hadn’t actually served him. After that, Millie took every word that came out of Veronica’s mouth with a grain of salt.

  Nikki nodded. “She’s been hanging out in Donovan’s office for days now.”

  “I wonder what Donovan thinks of that?” Millie asked.

  “He’s eating it up,” Nikki said.

  Millie wasn’t surprised. Veronica was an attractive woman; some would say stunning. Her hair was long and silky black, her skin a smooth, olive-color and her eyes reminded Millie of a tiger. One that was about to devour its prey. They were a mesmerizing shade of amber.

  Rumor had it that she had been a Miss Universe finalist a few years back. What she was doing working in the kitchen, as a first cook was a mystery to Millie.

  Sarah lifted the top of her hamburger bun and removed a wilted piece of lettuce. “What about Noel?”

  “Noel” was Noel Kalani. She was another beauty, similar in looks to Veronica but personality-wise, the two couldn’t be more different. She was from the Hawaiian Islands and the sweetest little thing.

  Noel was like a little angel, always helping Annette out in the kitchen, running here and there at Annette’s beck and call with nary a complaint.

  Millie was convinced Amit was madly in love with Noel. He followed her around like a puppy. She wasn’t 100% certain, but it seemed that Noel liked him, too.

  Amit wasn’t the only one who fawned over Noel. Raj, one of the bakery staff, followed Noel around, too. Annette wondered if one day the two men would come to blows over Noel.

  Millie immediately dismissed Noel as a suspect. No way would such a sweet, demure young lady be able to hatch such a diabolical plot to harm people and ruin Annette’s life.

  They would just have to wait until tonight to see who had actually applied for Annette’s job.

  After dinner, Millie headed to her cabin. Sarah and Nikki returned to work.

  Millie
slipped her key card in the door, waited for the ping, then pushed it open. She glanced down at her watch. It was only 10:30. She still had another three hours to wait.

  She slipped off her shoes and crawled into her bunk, hoping to get a couple hours shuteye before the rendezvous.

  She closed her eyes and started to nod off when someone began to pound on her cabin door. “Millie! Are you in there?”

  Millie’s eyes flew open. It sounded like Cat.

  Millie scrambled out of bed, rushed over to the door and flung it open.

  It was Cat. “They just airlifted Captain Vitale off the ship. He’s in really bad shape!”

  Chapter 8

  Millie’s hand flew to her lips. “Are you sure?”

  Cat nodded. “Several passengers came into the store to tell me that someone was being airlifted off the ship so I quick closed the shop and ran up to the helipad. Sure enough, Captain Vitale was strapped to a gurney. They loaded him into the helicopter then took off.”

  Millie shoved her feet in her shoes and followed Cat out the door. They made it to the helipad in record time. A large crowd milled about.

  Millie studied the crowd. “You’re certain it was Captain Vitale?” Maybe she was mistaken. After all, terminally ill passengers cruised on Siren of the Seas every week. The passenger and family would plan one last hurrah, which included children, grandchildren and extended family. Often, the stress of the trip would be too much and it wasn’t unusual for someone to expire while onboard. The morgue was a popular place.

  Millie closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that that was the case. That it wasn’t Captain Vitale.

  “I got close enough to see his face. Poor Annette,” Cat clucked.

  Millie’s eyes flew open. “Does Annette know?”

  Cat nodded. “She was here before me.”

  The crowd began to disperse and Cat and Millie slowly made their way across the deck and down the side stairs. She wondered if Patterson had tested the bisque yet.

  It was quite possible the ship did not have the necessary equipment to do that. She wished she knew what was in it. All they had to go on were hunches.