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

by Hope Callaghan

  Scout misjudged the speed of the ball as he got hung up on top of it and the ball rolled him over.

  Finally, he tired of the game and sprawled out under Millie’s lounge chair for an afternoon siesta.

  Millie let him nap for a few minutes, until her break was over. She felt bad that she had to wake him up, but even the short time he slept gave him his second wind and he pranced around her feet as she gathered the dirty dishes.

  Millie snapped his leash to his small collar and the two of them headed across the deck. The sunshine warmed her shoulders as they strolled along. The pool decks and bar areas were at full capacity as guests enjoyed the warm, tropical weather.

  She spent the next hour hosting trivia outside the casino. It was all about chocolate, one of Millie’s favorite foods!

  Trivia ended and Millie headed to guest services for her next assignment, which was to find out how many complaints they had received over the revised schedule of activities Millie had managed to throw together the day before.

  Nikki, Sarah’s friend, was nowhere in sight. Instead, a young man Millie had never seen before stepped up to the counter. His hazel colored eyes peered at her over the top of his thick black glasses. “Yes?”

  Millie lifted Scout and tucked him in the crook of her arm. When the young man spied Scout, he wrinkled his nose. “I heard there was a dog on board. What an ugly mutt,” he sneered.

  Millie could feel her ears warm and her blood began to boil. She opened her mouth to say something smart and thought better of it. Instead, she tightened her jaw. “Yes, I’m Millie Sanders, Assistant Cruise Director.”

  The man glanced at her nametag. “Okay.”

  “I’m here to see if guests have lodged any complaints,” she added stiffly.

  “Let me check.” He turned on his heel and stepped over to the side where a couple other guest services staff were milling about.

  After a brief conversation, he returned. “The only complaint we’ve heard so far is that we ran out of barf bags.”

  “Thank you.” She turned to go.

  “Of course, the day is young. I’m sure if you stop back by later, we’ll have at least a couple,” he said nastily.

  This turd was really testing her patience. She spun back around. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned over the counter. “What is your name?” she asked in a clipped voice.

  Mr. Personality reached up and grabbed his nametag. He tugged on his shirt so Millie had a close up shot of his name. “Zane. Zane Gretski,” he said. “My father is Vice President of Sales at the Miami office.”

  Millie couldn’t help herself. This young man was pushing all her buttons. “Congratulations.”

  She stiffened her back and she and Scout marched across the lobby and up the stairs. She made a mental note to avoid Zane Gretski from here on out. If not, her mouth would surely get her in hot water!

  The rest of the afternoon flew by. Scout and she checked in on several of the activities. The schedule was sailing as smooth as the seas.

  As she worked, she finished formulating her plan to catch the culprit in the act. Now, if only she could get Annette on board!

  By the time her next break rolled around, dinner was over and it was time for Scout to return home. His brisk trot had slowed to a stroll. It had been a full day and all of the activities had taken their toll.

  The door that led to the bridge was ajar. Millie and Scout slipped inside and Millie quietly closed the door behind them. Captain Armati was off to one side, talking on the phone when she stepped inside the bridge. She waited until he finished his conversation then walked across the room.

  “Is there any news on Captain Vitale?”

  Armati’s expression was grim. “I just found out we almost lost him.” He sucked in a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “But he’s getting better by the day. Judging by his insistence that he return to the ship before we get back to Miami, I’d say he’s almost 100% recovered.”

  Armati had a question of his own. “How is your investigation going?”

  “Good,” she answered. “I have it narrowed down to two suspects.” Even if Millie told him the names, she doubted he would recognize them without seeing their faces. “Both of them work in the kitchen with Annette.”

  She snuggled Scout one last time and handed him over to Captain Armati. “We had a great day. He’s pooped and we both love Ocean Oasis.” Ocean Oasis was the nickname Millie had given their cozy little retreat.

  Armati’s face beamed. “I’m glad to hear that.” He balanced Scout with one hand and reached for his carrier. “Are you going ashore in Jamaica tomorrow?”

  Millie frowned. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. The last time she and Annette had gotten off on the island, it had been scary.

  She had heard horror stories of unsuspecting guests and crew robbed at gunpoint, not far from the port. “I don’t know.”

  “If you don’t have plans, perhaps I can entice you to join me for a couple hours on shore. Dunn River Falls is spectacular and not far from the falls is a great little spot to have a bite to eat.”

  Millie’s mouth turned Sahara Desert. He was inviting her on a date!

  She must have had the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face.

  “Unless, of course, you don’t want to go.”

  “N-no. That sounds lovely. What time?” she asked. No way did she want Captain Armati to think she was turning him down!

  She would have to wait until the first wave of passengers had disembarked since Andy and she had to see them off near the gangway.

  “How does eleven sound?”

  Millie nodded. “Great. What should I wear?”

  “A bathing suit, shorts and probably a t-shirt will work,” he told her.

  “Bring a pair of water shoes,” he added, “wet rocks get slippery.”

  Millie had never climbed waterfalls before. She had seen plenty of them in her lifetime. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan had quite a few.

  They agreed to meet near the exit at 11:00 on the dot.

  Millie made her way out of the bridge and into the hall. Her heart skipped a beat. She – Millie Sanders – had an honest-to-goodness date!

  Chapter 23

  Millie had a couple hours to kill before the kitchen cleared out and she could talk to Annette. She stopped by the headliner show. Tonight was the illusionist. She watched for several long moments while a young woman on stage disappeared then reappeared.

  Andy was behind the curtain, peeking out at the performance when Millie got there. He turned as she approached. “Did you stop by guest services?”

  She nodded. “Yes. They have a young man that works back there and he’s a total…”

  Andy finished the sentence. “…jerk by the name of Zane Gretski.”

  “So you’ve met him too.”

  Andy nodded. “Unfortunately, and unfortunately, we’re stuck with him until who knows when. Although I predict it will not be much longer. Rumor has it he has managed to work his way through four different ships in the last year. Let’s just say that he wears out his welcome rather quickly.”

  Millie grimaced. “Why in the world would they put someone like that in guest services?”

  Andy lifted his head and raised a brow. “Because Mister Gretski thinks he’s too good to work in the kitchen or cleaning departments.”

  He changed the subject. “Any complaints?”

  Millie shook her head. “No. Not unless you count running out of barf bags.”

  Millie lowered her voice and imitated Zane’s annoying nasal voice. “But come back later. I’m sure we’ll have something by then.”

  “Not bad.” Andy chuckled. “How is the investigation going?”

  Millie told him what they had so far and that she had it narrowed down to Veronica Chang and Noel Kalani.

  “Do I have tomorrow off?” she suddenly asked, remembering the captain’s invitation.

  The illusionist ended his show.

  Andy pulled the curtain to th
e side. “Be right back. Wait here.”

  Millie watched as Andy took front and center stage, and wrapped up the show. He thanked the passengers for their patience during the storm and apologized for any discomfort they had experienced.

  The lights went up and the theater began to clear out.

  Andy stepped back behind the stage and picked up the conversation where they left off. “Yes. You have part of tomorrow off. After the first wave of passengers disembark until they start to return.” It would give Millie about five hours of free time.

  “Great,” Millie said.

  Andy’s eyes narrowed. Millie was up to something. “Going somewhere special?” he fished.

  “Maybe.” She averted her gaze and stared at the floor.

  She might as well spill the beans. There was no way the captain and she could sneak off the ship. Someone or probably lots of someones, would see them disembark together and tongues would wag, for sure.

  “Captain Armati invited me to visit Dunn River Falls tomorrow,” she admitted.

  Andy lifted a brow and nodded. Andy had never seen the captain show an interest in any of the staff. He had heard the story how the captain’s wife had died while he was at sea. He had also heard that Captain Armati had dinner with Millie in his apartment not long ago.

  Andy wasn’t one for gossip. There were plenty enough crew on board to take care of that. “Have a nice afternoon off,” is all that he said.

  The theater had cleared. The entertainment staff had disappeared. Only Andy and Millie remained.

  Andy flicked the panel of lights to the “off” position and the two of them wandered down the long hall and out of the theater.

  “Could you take a run by Paradise Lounge to check on karaoke?”

  She nodded. “Of course.” He had never asked her to go there. She had always checked in at the Tahitian Nights Dance Club. Maybe he was trying to switch things up.

  Millie made her way to the club. The place was packed! A woman on the stage was belting out a sultry blues song. The crowd sang along.

  Satisfied everything was as it should be, she stepped into the atrium area where soft piano music floated in the air.

  Millie’s stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. Now that she thought about it, it had been up at Ocean Oasis with Scout!

  She slid into the pizza station and grabbed a slice of pepperoni before heading to the open deck. Stray strands of hair danced across her face as a cool ocean breeze lifted them. She tucked the strands behind her ear and nibbled the tip of her pizza.

  Off in the distance, Millie thought she caught a twinkle of lights. The ship had slowed as it glided through the dark, still waters.

  Her gaze lowered from the lights to the ship’s wake. It had been a long few days. Millie felt the tension leave her body and her shoulders relaxed.

  Tomorrow would be both exciting and terrifying. Exciting to spend part of her day with Captain Armati, exploring an island she knew little about, other than the short time she and Annette had spent trying to track down Olivia LaShay’s killer.

  What little she could remember was of a lush, tropical jungle island. It reminded her of the other islands they visited. It would be fun to explore and discover something new.

  She finished the best part of the pizza, leaving the crust on the plate and reluctantly stepped away from the railing.

  It was time to work out the details of the sting and clear Annette’s name!

  ***

  Millie reached Deck 7 and Cat’s gift shop just as it was closing. Her timing was perfect. Cat had just locked the door.

  Millie leaned her hip against the plate glass window. “Are you ready for this?”

  Cat nodded. Her beehive was slightly off kilter and she lifted her hands to straighten it. Millie remembered Cat’s story of how her abusive ex-husband had grabbed a handful of her hair when she tried to escape and then stabbed her.

  She wondered if Cat kept it up as a way to protect herself. If she kept her hair up and out of reach, no one could ever grab it again.

  Then she wondered if Cat took it down every night before she went to bed. The thought of birds building a nest in her hair flickered through her mind. She smiled.

  “What’s so funny?” Cat asked.

  The smiled faded. “Oh nothing.” She didn’t dare speak her thoughts and chance hurting Cat’s feelings.

  Annette was pacing the floor when the girls stepped into the kitchen. She was still wearing the sunglasses. “It’s about time! I almost gave up on you two,” she grumbled.

  Cat pointed to the dark shades. “What’s up with the sunglasses?”

  “Her corneas are burning,” Millie explained.

  Annette whipped the sunglasses off and handed them to Cat. “That was just an excuse. These aren’t really sunglasses, they’re spy glasses. Here, try them on.”

  Cat slid them on and turned to Millie. “Wow, there isn’t much of a tint.”

  “Watch this.” Annette deftly sidestepped Cat and stood behind her. She waved her hand.

  Cat lifted her arm, snaked it around behind her and grabbed Annette’s hand. “Hey! I can see you!”

  “Exactly. The inside of the glasses are a mirror. It’s like having eyes in the back of my head!”

  Milly finally caught on. “So you’re spying on people - watching your own back so-to-speak.”

  Annette snapped her fingers. “Bingo!”

  Cat handed them to Millie. She slid them on and slowly walked around the room. It was fun to see what was going on behind her but also distracting. She wasn’t watching where she was going and ran into the corner of the cabinet. “Ouch!”

  Millie took them off and handed them back.

  “Gotta be careful.” Annette slipped them into her front shirt pocket. “So what’s the plan?”

  She laid out her theory that the culprit was going in order of rank and ended with. “I think either Dave Patterson or Donovan Sweeney is next on the list. We need to set up a sting, arrange it so Cat and I can trail the two suspects, Noel and Veronica, and catch one of them in the act.”

  “What about me?” Annette asked.

  “You’re too close to the investigation. You need to stay here to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Millie explained.

  The answer seemed to pacify Annette. She shoved her hands behind her back and started to pace. “What if I make a really big deal of making a special dish for the officers? I go on and on about how I’m trying to prove that my food is safe.”

  Millie picked up. “So you plate them up, labeling the individual dishes with each of the officer’s names.”

  Cat caught on. “We make sure that Veronica and Noel take Donovan and Patterson’s dishes…”

  Annette snapped her fingers. “Voila! We have our poisonaire!”

  Cat frowned. “Poisonaire?”

  “I just made that up,” Annette admitted.

  She went on. “We’ll have to make sure everyone is back on board for this to work. How does a happy hour dish sound?”

  Millie could tip off Donovan and Patterson to their plan tomorrow morning before she got off the ship. “Perfect. I’ll be back on board in plenty of time. What time should Cat and I get here?”

  Two sets of eyes swung around and stared at Millie quizzically. “Where are you going tomorrow?” Annette was surprised. Millie hadn’t seemed at all interested in Jamaica…

  Millie dropped her gaze to the gleaming counter top and wiped at an imaginary spot with the tip of her finger. “Oh, to Dunn River Falls and maybe lunch.”

  Cat propped her elbows on the table and dropped her chin in her hand. “Alone?” she probed.

  “No.”

  “Patterson?” Annette guessed.

  Millie rolled her eyes. “No, not Patterson. Captain Armati.”

  Cat sucked in a breath. “My, my,” she clucked.

  Annette slapped an open palm on the counter. “I knew it! I knew he had the hots for you!”

  Millie
’s face reddened. “Captain Armati does not have the hots for me!” she protested.

  “This is gonna spread like wildfire,” Cat predicted.

  Millie was beginning to regret telling the captain “yes.” No one would dare breathe a word to him, but Millie? She would take some heat, no doubt. She frowned.

  Annette patted her back. “Don’t worry. It’ll blow over once the next big thing comes along, which will probably be the arrest of whoever poisoned the staff,” she predicted.

  “I hope so,” Millie muttered.

  The girls headed down the stairs to the crew quarters. It had been a long day and judging by what was in store for them tomorrow, they would need to get a good night’s rest!

  Chapter 24

  Andy and Millie waved and smiled at the departing guests until Millie’s arm ached and her lips cracked. The morning crawled along and she kept staring at the clock, which hadn’t escaped Andy.

  When the crowd thinned, he leaned close to Millie. “You’re free to go. Have fun.” He winked.

  Millie groaned. What had she gotten herself into?

  She made a quick trip to her cabin to change out of her work outfit and slip into a bathing suit, a pair of shorts and t-shirt. She made one final check of her appearance and headed back to the gangway. She didn’t even have time to start sweating. Captain Armati stood next to Andy and the two chatted as they watched her approach.

  Millie almost didn’t recognize Captain Armati out of uniform. He was wearing a pair of turquoise swim trunks and a crisp white t-shirt. Taut muscles stretched the sleeves of his shirt and rippled from his elbows to the tops of his arms. Millie wondered what he looked like without a shirt and her cheeks turned crimson. What in the world was she thinking?

  He picked up a backpack lying next to his feet and flung it over his shoulder. “Ready?”

  Millie frowned. “Do I need to bring anything?” Duh! Towels, sunscreen.

  All she had with her was her lanyard and sunglasses.

  He shook his head. “Nope, I have towels, bottled water, some sunscreen and insect repellant.”

  Millie felt foolish but didn’t have time to dwell on it. She followed him down the gangway and off the ship.