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

by Hope Callaghan

  Millie finished her fish, picked at the tasteless mashed potatoes and ate two bites of crusty bread. Her stomach was still a bit queasy and she didn’t want to risk getting ill. No way could both Andy and she be out of commission at the same time.

  Millie dropped her dirty dishes in the cafeteria and stopped outside Andy’s door. She tapped softly.

  “It’s unlocked.”

  Millie turned the handle and stepped into Andy’s cabin. He was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He still looked a bit under the weather but the color had returned to his face and he smiled when he saw Millie.

  Andy muted the TV. “I heard you’re doing an excellent job,” he told her.

  Millie turned a hint of pink. “I’m trying hard,” she confessed. “I’ve had a lot of help from the awesome staff and crew. Everyone has chipped in to help. I couldn’t do it without them.”

  She went on. “You look much better.”

  Andy ran a hand through his spiked red hair. “I feel a lot better, like I might actually live to see another day.”

  “Speaking of that,” Millie sat on the edge of the sofa, opposite Andy, “there was a coffee carafe on your table earlier. Was it yours?”

  Andy nodded. “I drink a pot every morning. Like clockwork.”

  “Do you remember who brought it to you?”

  Andy shifted on the couch. He frowned. “No, but now that you ask, it was odd. Usually someone from the kitchen drops it off, but for some reason it was already on the table when I got there this morning.”

  “Do you remember an odd taste or smell?”

  Andy rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Yeah, it tasted a tad bitter so I added some extra sugar. After that it was fine.”

  It dawned on him where Millie was going with her questions. “You think someone poisoned me?”

  She nodded. “Patterson took a sample from the pot and is sending it in for testing.”

  “But who would want to poison me?”

  “The same person that poisoned Captain Vitale!”

  Millie spent the rest of the evening bouncing back and forth from theater to lounges to bars to the lido deck. The buzz of the ship was back to normal and the seas were calm.

  After the main show ended, the theater cleared. Millie waited outside the dressing room for the performers to change out of their costumes.

  One-by-one, the staff filtered out and one-by-one, Millie thanked them for everything they had done that day.

  When Zack came out, Millie repeated the words. “Zack, I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help today. I want you to know that I appreciate it more than words can express.”

  Zack leaned forward and wrapped Millie in a bear hug. “And we don’t know what we would do without you. You’re the glue that holds us together.”

  Tears stung the back of Millie’s eyes at the unexpected praise. She was just doing her job. A job that she loved…a job that made her feel needed, important, and special. On top of that, she worked with a crew that felt like family – her family.

  Zack kissed her cheek, winked and darted off the stage.

  The last one out of the room was Alison. She hugged Millie, too. “Shall we?” She made a sweeping motion off the stage.

  Millie shut off the lights and closed the dressing room door.

  The women wandered across the stage and down the steps. Alison reached for the rail. “I heard a rumor that there may have been something in Andy’s coffee that made him sick.”

  Millie nodded. “It’s starting to look that way.”

  Alison followed Millie down the side steps and then fell in line as they walked side-by-side out of the theater. “I know who dropped the coffee off this morning. I caught a glimpse of them as I made my way to the dressing room.”

  ***

  Millie stopped dead in her tracks. “Wh-who was it?” Her heart began to pound. Alison may very well be able to crack the case!

  The tall blonde frowned. “Well, I’m not sure on the name. You know, I don’t hang out around the kitchen too much.” She brightened. “I think I could identify them if I saw them again.”

  Alison went on to give a brief description of the suspect. “Although, it was dark and I didn’t get a close look at the face.” Millie wasn’t sure if the description of the suspect was a surprise or not.

  It was late. The kitchen ran on a skeleton crew until 11:30 and then only room service staff worked the late shift.

  The main kitchen had already closed. They would have to wait until the next morning.

  “Can you meet me in front of the casino tomorrow morning at say, 8:00 a.m.?” That would give Alison and Millie enough time to scope out the kitchen before they had to report to work.

  Alison nodded. “Of course.”

  Millie and Alison parted ways when Millie stopped in front of her cabin door and Alison continued down the hall.

  Millie stood and watched Alison’s blonde hair swing back and forth. She looked like an angel. A beautiful, blonde angel had come to save the day.

  Chapter 21

  Millie tossed and turned all night. She hoped that they would be able to catch the culprit before a fourth victim succumbed.

  She crawled out of bed before the alarm sounded. Her feet hit the floor and she padded quietly across the carpet, slipped inside the bathroom and flipped on the light.

  Millie leaned in and studied her reflection in the mirror…not bad for six decades. She turned to the left and studied the side of her face then tugged on several hair strands.

  It was time for a haircut…not too much though. She still preferred to pull it back and away from her face. Maybe chop just enough off so that if she wanted to wear it down, it didn’t look like a tangled mop on top of her head.

  Millie showered and dressed in record time.

  Sarah stirred in her bunk as Millie slipped on her shoes and grabbed her radio and lanyard. She tiptoed out of the cabin and quietly closed the door.

  She glanced to the left, in the direction of the crew mess before she decided to head topside to the buffet area to check on the seas and to see how far the ship had traveled overnight.

  The last she had heard was that the captain was leaning towards steaming on to Jamaica and hitting the private island on the way back to Miami.

  Millie walked along the rail and stared out at the water. She was getting good at judging the waves and although they weren’t nearly as tall as they had been the day before, they were still strong. Shuttle boats would be out of the question.

  The buffet area was packed. Millie grabbed a plate, and placed a few slices of bacon, some dry toast and a box of corn flakes cereal on top. She didn’t have the patience to wait in the long lines for hot food. Not today.

  Millie smiled and nodded to a few of the passengers as she walked the aisle and headed outdoors. Everyone had the same idea in mind and the outside bistro tables were full.

  There was a small section, one deck up, with a cluster of chairs most guests never even noticed.

  Millie climbed the stairs and plopped into a corner chair that faced the open water. She balanced her plate on her lap and bowed her head in prayer, thanking the Lord for calm seas and asking for help in solving the mystery.

  After Millie finished her food, she carried her dirty dishes down the steps and dropped them in the bin. She had just enough time to stop by Andy’s office before she rendezvoused with Alison in front of the casino.

  She breathed a sigh of relief at her first glimpse of light beaming out from the back of the stage. Andy was in his normal spot, his head bent over his big, black book.

  He looked up when he heard Millie approach. A smile beamed across his face. “You’re up bright and early.”

  “So are you,” she pointed out. She pulled out the chair next to Andy and flopped down. “You look great.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” he teased.

  Andy tapped his pen on top of the open notebook. “I heard yesterday went off without a hitch, thanks to you.�
�

  Millie refused to take all of the credit. “No, not just me, thanks to all of the staff and crew that pitched in and made my job easy. You would have been proud.”

  Andy nodded. “I am. In fact, I’m planning a surprise for you, for all of you as a token of my appreciation.”

  He went on. “But not for today. Today is another sea day and from past experience, the natives will be restless.”

  Andy pointed at his carafe of coffee and cringed. “I haven’t tried it yet. I’m almost afraid to drink it.”

  Millie pulled the coffee close and lifted the stopper. She sniffed the top. It smelled like coffee, with nary a trace of a medicinal odor. “Would you like me to try it first?” she offered.

  Andy shook his head. “No. I think it will be okay.”

  She glanced at her watch and sprung to her feet. “I think we may be hot on the heels of the culprit. Alison caught a glimpse of the person who dropped off the carafe yesterday morning.”

  Andy raised a brow. “Really? Who was it?”

  “She doesn’t know the name.” Millie shrugged her shoulders. “I’m meeting her in a few minutes near the galley so she can go inside and hopefully positively ID the person.”

  She slid the chair under the table. “I’ll be back.” Millie turned on her heel and power-walked across the back stage and out of the theater.

  Alison was already waiting at the casino entrance when Millie arrived. “Ready?”

  Alison nodded. “Yep.”

  Millie opened the side door that led into the kitchen. Alison followed behind. The galley was buzzing with activity as staff darted here and there.

  The girls snaked back and forth across the kitchen.

  Alison studied the kitchen crew with a sharp eye. She leaned close to Millie and pointed. “I think that’s her!”

  Millie followed her gaze. It was Noel Kalani!

  Millie needed to corner Annette, tell her what she knew so she could keep an eye on Noel.

  “You’ve been a huge help, Alison. Thank you.”

  The girls wove their way out of the kitchen, around the gleaming counters and rows of cabinets as they headed to the revolving doors that connected the kitchen to the main dining room.

  The girls stood off to the side and waited as several crewmembers hustled through the door.

  Alison grabbed Millie’s arm and tugged. “Wait! I-I think it might have been her instead!” She nodded her head at Veronica Chang, who had just walked by.

  Millie’s heart sunk. Now they had two people to watch: Noel Kalani and Veronica Chang!

  The girls wandered back to the theater.

  Andy and Millie finished the schedule. She was relieved things were back to normal, whatever “normal” was.

  The morning flew by as Millie darted from activity to activity. Everything ran like clockwork.

  On her first break, Millie headed to the bridge. Ingrid, in her usual surly mood, opened the door to let Millie enter, and then stalked off.

  The captain was nowhere in sight as Millie wandered across the bridge and to the captain’s private quarters. She wondered when Captain Vitale would return and she hoped he was feeling better now.

  Millie tapped on the door and waited. No one answered. Millie punched in the secret code, which the captain had given her some time ago, and let herself into the apartment.

  Scout met her at the door. His whole body quivered as he waited for Millie to pick him up. He squirmed and wiggled as she held him close. He licked the end of her nose, her chin and then grabbed a chunk of hair that had somehow managed to escape her messy bun.

  After a quick trip outside, Millie grabbed his leash and carrier next to the door and the two headed out. She still had enough time to talk to Annette – if she hurried.

  Millie placed Scout inside his carrier, shifted the carrier to her shoulder and stepped into the large kitchen.

  Annette was up to her elbows in some sort of dough. When she saw Millie, she wiped her hands on her apron and waved her to the dry goods storage. “I heard you were in here earlier with one of the dancers.”

  Millie nodded. “Yep. Alison saw the person who dropped off Andy’s carafe yesterday morning.”

  Annette’s eyes widened. “And?”

  “It’s good and bad news,” Millie admitted.

  “Start with the good.”

  “She was able to positively ID the suspects.”

  “So what’s the bad?” Annette asked.

  “Suspects. It could be one of two people: Noel Kalani or Veronica Chang. She only got a brief glimpse of the side of the face and backside as they walked away. Plus it was dark.”

  Annette rolled her eyes. “So now what?”

  “I’ve given it some thought. Next in line is either Donovan Sweeney or Dave Patterson.” Millie went on. “Think about it. Whoever it is, is working their way down the ranks. Captain Armati was ‘supposed’ to be first. Next was Captain Vitale, then Andy.”

  “The next in rank would be either Donovan or Patterson, although I’m leaning towards Donovan. Who in their right mind would try to poison the head of security?” Other than a mentally unstable person - maybe it wasn’t that far off, after all…

  Annette tapped her foot on the floor. “So we need to catch them in the act.”

  “Annette!” A frantic voice echoed from the galley.

  “Look, I gotta run but we need to give this some thought. If we put our heads together, I’m sure we can come up with something.”

  Millie agreed. “The sooner, the better. I think one of them is going to make a move. If not today, tomorrow.”

  Millie headed out of the kitchen and to the gift shop to talk to Cat.

  Maribelle, who had transferred from dining room staff and recently started working in the gift shop, was on duty.

  Millie and Scout headed to the back. The place was brimming with shoppers.

  Maribelle looked a bit stressed out as she pushed a strand of hair from her eyes. She leaned over to peek inside the carrier. “Hey buddy.”

  “Scout,” Millie told her.

  “Scout,” Maribelle repeated. “Aren’t you just the most adorable fella?”

  Scout licked her thumb. “Ruff!”

  She stood upright. “Cat doesn’t come in for another hour.” Maribelle groaned as she studied the hordes of shoppers. “Not soon enough, in my opinion.”

  “Well, you look like you have it all under control,” Millie assured her. She gave Maribelle a smile of encouragement and squeezed her arm before she zigzagged around the throngs of shoppers to the safety of the hall corridor.

  Confined spaces and crowds of people caused Millie to feel a bit on the claustrophobic side.

  She stopped by Cat’s cabin and knocked. No one answered.

  Millie knew there were only a couple places Cat could be, other than her cabin, and one of those was the crew mess.

  Scout and Millie stepped inside. Her eyes scanned the room. She caught a glimpse of Cat over in the corner. She was seated at a table with two other women Millie didn’t recognize.

  Millie grabbed a glass of water and shuffled over to the table. “Mind if I have a seat?”

  Cat waved her in. “No, of course not.” She pointed to the woman on her left. “This is Maria.” She pointed to the other woman. “This is Novi.”

  Millie smiled and pulled out the chair. She set Scout and his carrier on the floor next to her chair. “I’m Millie.” She shook hands with each of them.

  The girls chit chatted for a few moments. Not long after, Maria and Novi left.

  Cat picked up the pickle spear on the edge of her plate. “So what’s going on?” She eyed Millie with interest.

  Millie explained what she had discovered up to that point.

  Cat nibbled the end of the pickle thoughtfully. “We need a plan.”

  “Pronto,” Millie agreed. “I think I have an idea.”

  Chapter 22

  After Millie had finished laying out her plan, Cat leaned back in her chair and c
rossed her arms. “I think that will work but how do you think Annette will react when she finds out she’s not a part of our covert operation?”

  Millie knew her friend would not like it, not one bit, but first of all, she was too close to the case and second of all, it would be too obvious for her to be directly involved.

  The girls headed upstairs and parted ways outside the gift shop. Cat made her way inside the crowded store while Millie and Scout headed to the kitchen.

  The place had cleared out, the lunch rush over. Annette was over near the spice cabinet, poking around inside.

  “There you are,” Millie said to the back of her head.

  Annette swung around and faced Millie. She was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.

  “What in the world?”

  “My cornucopias are bothering me,” Annette said in a loud voice. Not that anyone was paying attention. The room was almost empty. “The glaring lights…I can hardly see.”

  “Your cornucopia…” Annette had officially lost it.

  “You mean corneas?” Millie asked.

  Annette waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, that!”

  Millie glanced at the clock. “I need to make a few rounds. Will you be here for a bit?”

  Annette nodded. The sunglasses slipped on her nose and she promptly pushed them back into place. “Yep.”

  Millie made a quick pit stop in the buffet area where she grabbed a turkey sandwich on a pretzel roll and an extra slice of turkey for Scout.

  They wandered up to their small oasis on the other side of the mini golf course.

  Millie placed Scout’s carrier on the deck and unzipped the sides.

  Scout hopped out of the carrier and made a beeline for his potty pad. After he finished his business, he stopped for a dip in his pool, which Millie had quickly filled with water.

  Millie placed bits of turkey on a paper napkin and he nibbled on the goodies while she enjoyed her own lunch.

  Several guests stopped to visit and admire their new hangout. Millie loved the new spot. It was perfect for escaping the crowds.

  After they finished eating, Millie picked up one of the balls and tossed it to the other side of the enclosure.