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

by Hope Callaghan

  Her armpits grew damp and a trickle of sweat ran down the center of her back. Her steps dragged, as they got closer to Patterson’s office. It was as if she was walking to her own execution.

  Patterson inserted his key card. He stepped across the threshold and held the door open while the three women made their way inside.

  Cat took the chair closest to the wall. Annette sat in the other chair. Millie stood.

  She studied Patterson’s face as he made his way around the desk and settled into his chair. His expression was grave as he clasped his hands, placed his index fingertips together and rested his chin on top.

  He studied Cat’s face, then Annette’s and finally Millie’s. Millie felt as if she were some sort of fascinating insect beneath a microscope…one Patterson was about to squash.

  He took a deep breath and leaned forward. “Care to tell me what you ladies have been up to this evening?”

  Cat went for a total cover-up. No way did she want to end up in the slammer again - not if she could help it! She patted her beehive. A move Millie recognized as a sure sign of nervousness. “Oh, just helping Annette out in the kitchen with tomorrow’s dinner.”

  That was true. They had done that, prior to the break-in…

  Annette clamped her mouth in a tight line and shook her head. She wasn’t about to show her hand. If Patterson had something, she wanted him to tell her what it was. Maybe he thought the girls had done something but didn’t have proof…

  The silence in the room was deafening. The only sound was the tick-tick-tick of the wall clock. It sounded to Millie like a ticking time bomb about to explode, which it may as well have been.

  She took a deep breath. “Why do you ask?” Millie had always heard if you didn’t want to answer a question, answer the question with a question.

  Patterson turned those “I-can-melt-butter-with-my-baby-blue-eyes” on Millie and she nearly dissolved into a molten puddle.

  She wondered if he knew what affect those mesmerizing eyes had on the opposite sex.

  Patterson grabbed a nearby pen and tapped it on his desk. “Someone saw the three of you coming out of Donovan Sweeney’s office a short time ago, which was about the same time that the camera in Donovan’s office went blank for a few short seconds.”

  “Tick-tick-tick” went the time bomb.

  “This is my fault!” Annette blurted out. “I talked Cat and Millie into sneaking into Donovan’s office!”

  Patterson turned an expressionless face to Annette. “Why did you break into Donovan’s office?”

  Millie didn’t like how he used the word “break,” as if they had committed a crime. “Sneak” sounded much better.

  “Because someone is trying to throw Annette under the bus and make it look like she’s poisoning the crew,” Cat piped up.

  “What does that have to do with Donovan?” Patterson asked.

  “Because Annette’s contract is up and Donovan has the applications. We thought that maybe someone that was gunning for her job was trying to sabotage the food and get her fired,” Millie said.

  Patterson nodded. “I see.” He dropped the pen and leaned his elbows on the edge of the desk. “I’ll get with Donovan later this morning. The incident will have to be reported.”

  The girls nodded in unison.

  “Then what?” Cat asked.

  Patterson rose to his feet. “It will be up to Donovan. He can either let it go with a warning. He could revoke Millie’s card privileges.”

  Millie’s heart sank. That would be a definite demotion.

  “Last but not least, you could all be fired for knowingly violating company policy.”

  The girls somberly exited the small office single file and silently walked back to I-95 and the crew quarters. No one uttered a word as one-by-one they made their way to their cabins.

  Millie didn’t bother turning on the cabin lights. She was certain Sarah was sound asleep. Judging by the soft snores coming from the upper bunk, she was correct.

  Millie slipped into the small bathroom and turned on the light. She leaned forward and peered in the mirror. She looked tired, which was to be expected since it was now the wee hours of the morning.

  She brushed her teeth, splashed cold water on her face and changed into her pajamas. Millie crawled into bed and pulled the covers to her chin. She was so distraught at the thought of losing her job; she uttered just one small prayer before closing her eyes. “Lord, please don’t let me lose my job.”

  ***

  It seemed as if Millie had just fallen asleep when the alarm went off and scared the dickens out of her.

  Sarah rolled over in the top bunk and moaned.

  Millie quickly shut the alarm off and slid out of bed. She shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the shower. The warm water soothed her skin, which made her feel a bit better.

  She turned off the water and grabbed her towel. After she dried her body, she brushed her locks. Her hair seemed to have grown several inches since she started the job.

  Millie dabbed foundation on her face and added a little mascara to her lashes. She stood upright and studied her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look bad for having maybe three hours of sleep!

  She slipped into a clean uniform before shutting off the light. She grabbed her lanyard from the hook near the door and eased out the cabin door, happy that she hadn’t woken Sarah.

  It was still early and the crew corridor was almost empty. Millie smiled at a couple of other crew as she made her way down the corridor and into the passenger area.

  Today was turnaround day – the busiest day of the week. It was customary for Andy and her to meet bright and early on turnaround day since the cruise director was in charge of disembarkation. Not long after the last guest exited the ship, the new wave of passengers would start the boarding process.

  Millie rounded the corner and entered Andy’s small office. The first thing she noticed was Andy intently studying an array of papers spread out across his table.

  The second thing she noticed was a carafe of coffee and two cups. “Bless your heart!” Millie slumped into a nearby seat and reached for a coffee cup.

  Andy peered at her over the rim of his reading glasses. “I heard you had a little excitement last night.”

  Millie paused, her hand gripping the handle of the coffee cup. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly rumors spread around the ship! She grabbed the carafe and started to pour. “You heard about it already?”

  “I ran into Patterson in the hall a few minutes ago. He was on his way to Donovan’s office.”

  Millie frowned. She remembered the clock on Patterson’s wall. Tick-Tick-Tick.

  Andy removed his reading glasses and leaned back in his chair. “I love you, Millie. I love your enthusiasm. I love your sense of adventure. I love how you relate to the passengers. I’d hate to see you go.”

  He went on. “Sneaking into the purser’s office may have crossed the line. Your fate is in Donovan’s hands and there’s nothing I can do.”

  Millie swallowed hard. She knew she could be a handful, that she had a penchant for ending up in sticky situations and that she had a tendency to bend the rules, but trouble was like a magnet to Millie and sometimes she was powerless to control herself.

  “Just before you got here, Donovan radioed and asked that the two of us meet him in his office.” Andy glanced down at his watch. “We have 15 minutes. I’ll try to go to bat for you, but you need to tell me what happened and start at the beginning. The very beginning…”

  Millie nodded. She took a deep breath and plunged into the story, starting with yesterday in the gym when Amit radioed Annette to let her know there was another possible food poisoning.

  She told him that Annette’s contract was up for renewal, and that several employees had applied for the position. She also explained how Donovan had told Annette it was against company policy to share any information about the applicants.

  Andy interrupted. “Who are they?”

  Mil
lie sipped her coffee. “Amit, Suri and Noel, the new girl.”

  Andy nodded thoughtfully. “Hmm. Go on.”

  Then she told him how they hatched a plan to snap a few photos of the applications.

  “So you used your keycard to sneak into Donovan’s office, snap pictures of the applications and then sneak back out.”

  “Yep,” Millie said. She liked how Andy used the word “sneak” instead of the words that Patterson had used earlier – “broke into.”

  “Someone saw us leave and reported it to Patterson,” Millie said. She finished the last of her coffee and pushed the cup aside.

  Andy shuffled the papers into a pile and stood. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The two of them walked silently across the back of the stage, down the stairs and out of the theater.

  Millie wondered if Cat and Annette would be there, too.

  Andy led the way as they stepped behind the guest services desk. He knocked on Donovan’s door.

  “Come in.”

  Millie stepped into the room and locked eyes with Donovan Sweeney, the person who held her fate in his hands.

  Chapter 11

  Dave Patterson stood in the corner of the room while Donovan waved at the two empty seats in front of his desk.

  Andy slumped into the chair while Millie sat on the edge of her seat, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

  Donovan glanced at Andy first and then his eyes traveled to Millie as he studied her intently. She wondered if he and Patterson had taken the same “make-your-prey-squirm” class.

  She lifted her chin defiantly and stared into Donovan’s eyes, refusing to blink.

  Andy cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the heavy silence in the room. “I explained to Millie why we’re here.”

  Donovan nodded. “Do you have anything you’d like to say in your defense?”

  At least Donovan was giving her a chance! “Only that we meant no harm,” she answered truthfully, “and that I was trying to help Annette because someone is trying to get her fired,” she added.

  The room, once again, grew silent.

  Millie’s mind raced as a million different thoughts ping-ponged around in her head. She wondered if she would get a chance to tell Scout good-bye.

  Dave Patterson broke the silence. “So what do you think, Donovan?”

  Donovan drummed his fingers on the desk. His eyes met Millie’s eyes. “I like you Millie.” He pointed to Andy. “Andy adores you. He told me you are one of the best assistant cruise directors he has ever had.”

  Millie’s face turned beet red. “I like him, too.”

  “The crew likes you. The passengers love you. Heck, even the captain has taken a shine to you.”

  If possible, Millie’s face turned even redder.

  “I think your heart was in the right place,” he said, “so I propose a quasi-probation.” He pointed to the lanyard around her neck. “We take away your special access to areas like the bridge and my office…”

  “For how long?” Andy interrupted.

  “Thirty days,” Donovan said, “starting today.” He held out his hand.

  Millie lifted the lanyard from around her neck and dropped it into Donovan’s outstretched hand.

  Dave Patterson crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “That seems fair. What do you think, Millie?”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak lest she burst into tears and embarrass herself even more than she already had.

  Andy recognized the look. He reached over and patted her on the back as he tried to lighten the mood. “I’ll try to keep her in line.”

  Donovan grinned.

  Patterson grimaced. “Good luck with that one.”

  Even the corners of Millie’s mouth turned up.

  Andy stood. Millie took that as her cue and got to her feet. She was safe but now she was worried about her friends. “What about Annette and Cat?” she blurted out.

  Andy grabbed the door handle. “They’ve been warned but they got off a bit lighter than you since you blatantly used a privilege to break a company policy.”

  Millie’s shoulders sagged in relief. Annette and Cat were safe! They were all safe! Now it was on to figure out who was out to get Annette.

  “Thanks, Donovan,” she said gratefully.

  Before she had a chance to stick her foot in her mouth, she made her way out into the guest services area.

  The three men followed her to the desk where Donovan opened a drawer and pulled out a new keycard. He handed it to Millie. “This is your temporary ID for the next 30 days. If you stay out of trouble, you’ll get your old one back.”

  Millie impulsively reached up and hugged Donovan. He stiffened and then relaxed as he hugged her back. “You sure do make things exciting around here,” he admitted.

  “I take back all those terrible things I said about you,” she teased.

  Millie grabbed the lanyard and dropped it around her neck. “So I can still work on Annette’s investigation?”

  Patterson winked one of his baby blues. “Yes. As long as you don’t break company policy. Remember, you’re on probation for thirty days.”

  Millie lifted her hand in a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

  Donovan returned to his office; Patterson to check on customs and debarkation. Millie and Andy headed to the crew dining room to grab a quick bite to eat before supervising debarkation.

  Millie followed Andy down the food line. This morning they actually had hot breakfast sandwiches, something Millie had never seen before. “I wonder what the special occasion is,” Millie said.

  Andy shrugged. “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  “True.”

  The two of them wandered to an empty table. Millie set her tray on the table and pulled out the chair. “Have you heard how Captain Vitale is doing?”

  Andy lifted the top of his English muffin, grabbed the saltshaker and sprinkled salt on top. Sprinkled may have been too weak of a word. He dumped a ton of salt on his egg before replacing the top. “I’m not sure. I know they are pumping him full of fluids and he has already asked when he can come back.”

  “And?”

  Andy lifted the sandwich and took a bite. “Hmm…not bad. Tastes like fast food.”

  Millie bit into her sandwich. He was right. It wasn’t too shabby.

  He dumped more salt on his hash browns before he answered. “He’ll be out until at least next week when the new passengers get on.”

  That made sense to Millie. If he was so ill that they had to airlift him off the ship, he should take it easy for a few days. Maybe he could take a mini vacation, head to the beach and catch a few rays.

  Andy gobbled his sandwich in record time. He reached for his napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth. “What happens next in the investigation?”

  “We trace the lobster bisque; try to figure out who had access to the dish, and who delivered it to the officer’s dining room.”

  “I’d start with Doctor Gundervan,” Andy advised. “He was eating with Captain Vitale when it happened.”

  Millie frowned. Doctor Gundervan didn’t care for Millie. At least she didn’t think so - not since Millie’s investigation into the Olivia LaShay murder, an employee who died onboard the ship. Millie had named him as one of her suspects.

  After that incident, he gave Millie the cold shoulder.

  Maybe she could send Cat down to talk to him, or even Annette.

  “Good to know,” Millie said. No sense telling Andy that Gundervan didn’t like her.

  He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost show time.”

  Millie popped the last bite of sandwich in her mouth, downed the last sip of coffee and followed him out of the cafeteria.

  Today was turning out to be a good day, after all. At least she still had a job!

  ***

  Andy and Millie watched as security stood at the exit doors. Passengers used their key cards to swipe through a machine that tracked guests. Security was then
able to tell when everyone had gotten off.

  It looked as if, finally, the last guest had exited.

  Andy and Millie turned to go when Patterson’s voice hit the airwaves. “We have a problem.”

  Andy and Millie strode over to the podium. “What’s going on?”

  The security guard at the exit shook his head. “We have one passenger unaccounted for.”

  Andy ran a hand through his crew cut. “A stowaway?”

  “It would appear so, Mr. Andy,” the guard said. “We are checking the stateroom now.”

  The guard’s radio squawked. “Oscar, are you there?”

  Oscar pulled the radio from his belt, held it to his lips, and then pressed the button. “Go ahead.”

  “The room is clean.”

  “10-4.” He clipped the radio to his belt and looked up.

  Andy massaged the back of his neck. In all his years as cruise director, he had only dealt with stowaways two other times. One was a female guest who had hooked up with one of the crew and the crewmember had hidden the guest inside his cabin.

  The other was a drunken passenger that had passed out in the sauna. They had searched the ship for hours and finally gave up.

  He surfaced halfway to the Bahamas where the captain promptly kicked him off the ship and he had to find his own way back home.

  Dave Patterson rubbed his temple. This was going to be a long day. “The first thing we need to do is assemble a search party, start on the top deck and work our way down. In the meantime, we station a crewmember at each of the stairwells.”

  Andy nodded. “Millie and I will head to the bridge to let the captain know, then join the search.”

  Patterson turned the button on his radio. “We have a DND. All security to the sky deck except for those assigned to the stairwells. Stat!”

  Patterson clipped the radio to his belt. “Did not depart, or more proper name, disembark,” he explained.

  Andy and Millie quickened the pace as they made a fast track to the bridge.

  Andy tapped on the door that led to the bridge, inserted his keycard and opened the door.