Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2)

by Callaghan, Hope

  “Yeah. Hard to believe.” Millie unclipped the two-way radio from her hip and set it on top of her bed. “Such a sad situation. They’re calling it murder/suicide.”

  Sarah tilted her head and ran her fingers through her straight, dark hair. “What do you think?”

  “I’m not sure about the young man’s death but I don’t think the young woman committed suicide.”

  Sarah set the brush down and stared at her reflection. “Why do you think that?”

  Millie sighed as she sank down on the edge of the bed. “Because I was the last one to see that poor girl and she was in no condition to commit suicide. She had passed out on the bed.”

  Sarah straightened her nametag. “Are you a suspect?”

  Millie was certain that even if she wasn’t a suspect, Dave Patterson would be tracking her down soon to ask her what she knew.

  After Sarah left, Millie slipped off her shoes and lay down on the bed. She stared up at the bottom of Sarah’s bunk. The last 24 hours had been harrowing. She was beginning to wonder if she was coming or going.

  The good news was, she wasn’t being fired. The bad news was, the more she learned about Kyle and Courtney, the more suspects that kept popping up: Chloe, the twin sister. Zack, the ex-boyfriend. Courtney herself, even though she was no longer around to defend herself, God rest her soul.

  Millie’s eyes narrowed. But what about the couple’s friends? Adam and Melissa. Millie was a good judge of character. She would be able to tell right off the bat if the two of them were hiding something.

  Chapter 12

  Millie’s eyes flew open. She must have dozed off. She glanced down at her watch. It was almost four. Almost time to start her doggie duties and she didn’t want to be late!

  She slipped her feet into her shoes and stepped over to the mirror. Her hair stuck out in all different directions. Millie quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail, twisted it in a tight bun and stuck a hair clip over the top. She grabbed her radio and raced out the door.

  Millie made it to the bridge with a minute and a half to spare! Captain Armati was standing in the middle of the bridge, in front of the large panel of gadgets. He turned when he saw her. “Scout’s ready to go.”

  He walked Millie down the small hall to the door that separated the bridge and his apartment. He pressed the buttons on the keypad and pushed the door open. Scout was waiting on the other side.

  Millie covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. Scout, decked out in a miniature sailor suit and round white sailor cap, wagged his tail when he saw Millie. He trotted over and climbed up on her foot. “Woof!”

  She picked him up and held him close. “Look at Mr. Spiffy, all ready to see the sights.”

  Captain Armati patted the top of his head. “I think he knows. Somehow the crazy dog knows.”

  Millie grabbed Scout’s bag and the two stepped into the bridge. “What time should I have him back?”

  “Your shift ends at…”

  “10:30,” Millie told him.

  “Right. Just bring Scout back after you’ve finished your shift.”

  He gently tugged Scout’s ear. “Behave,” he warned him.

  Scout was a bit of a wiggle worm as they walked. He knew he was going somewhere. Somewhere he’d never been.

  Millie shifted the bag on her shoulder and pulled Scout close. It was time to set the ground rules. “You need to stay with me. This is a big ship and I don’t need you getting lost,” she told him.

  “Yip!”

  Happy hour trivia wasn’t scheduled to start for another hour. Millie’s stomach growled. She remembered how she hadn’t finished her pizza, thinking that she was about to be canned. “Let’s go grab a bite to eat.”

  Millie took the outside deck as she headed toward the buffet. It would give Scout a chance to enjoy some fresh air. Millie clipped the leash to his collar and set him on the ground. The doggie leash was almost as big as he was.

  Scout’s little tongue hung out of his mouth as he trotted next to Millie. His brown eyes darted back and forth, as he tried to take everything in.

  He got a few looks from passengers, which quickly turned to smiles as they bent down to pet him. Scout was eating it up!

  When they got outside the restaurant, she opened the bag and set him inside. She left the top half open so he could peek out. She hadn’t asked the captain if Scout could have snacks.

  She thought about Daisy, her beloved dog that had died. Surely a tiny piece of chicken or beef couldn’t hurt. As she moved along the buffet, she could see Scout’s round little nose move up and down as he sniffed the air.

  Millie filled a plate and she and Scout headed back outside to one of the bistro tables. She set Scout and the bag on top of the table.

  The first thing she did was slice a chunk of prime rib into tiny pieces. She held it out for Scout who promptly licked her hand, then devoured the small pieces of meat. He ate it so fast, Millie thought the poor fellow was starving. She carved a second piece. Scout devoured that piece just as fast!

  Millie stopped at three pieces. The last thing she needed to do was make the poor thing sick! He continued to watch her with that same hungry look so she turned the bag out. The sights and sounds around him easily distracted Scout. He no longer cared about food.

  His head popped all the way out of the bag. His ears moved back and forth like two furry rotating radars as he watched passengers pass by.

  Millie finished her meal and began placing the empty dishes back on the tray. She took a sip of water and set the glass next to the plate.

  A young couple stopped near the table. With them was a young girl who couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 years old. She pointed at Scout. “Dog.”

  “There’s no dog,” the woman said. She grasped the little girl’s hand and urged her on.

  The girl stubbornly refused to move. “There.” She pointed again.

  The man followed the child’s finger. He bent down. “Well, you’re right Maisie. That is a dog.”

  He held out his hand. “Hi there, fella.”

  Scout licked the tip of his finger and barked.

  The girl – Maisie – reached her hand into the carrier to pet Scout. “Pretty,” she said. Scout’s whole body shifted inside his carrier as he tried to get close to the little girl.

  The man and woman exchanged glances over the top of the girl’s head.

  Millie set her tray and leftovers on the chair beside her. She unzipped the rest of Scout’s bag and lifted him out. She held him in her lap. “Would you like to pet him?”

  Maisie tentatively ran a small hand down Scout’s back.

  “His name is Scout,” Millie told the little girl.

  “Scout.” The little girl repeated the name.

  The woman turned her head away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Millie’s eyes shot up. Something was going on here. Dogs don’t normally make people cry. Not unless it was a beloved pet who had just died. It made her think of Daisy.

  Millie and Scout stood. “Would you like to hold Scout?” she asked Maisie.

  “Yes please.” The little girl promptly settled into the seat next to Millie and held out her hands. Millie gently set Scout in the girl’s lap. He wiggled, wriggled, and licked the little girl, which made her giggle.

  The man kneeled on the deck. Millie watched as a single tear trickled down his cheek. He pet Scout’s head. “Would you like a dog?” the man asked the little girl.

  She nodded but never took her eyes from Scout. Finally, the man gently took Scout from the little girl’s lap and handed him to Millie.

  “Let’s go get some ice cream.” He took the little girl’s hand and led her inside. The woman hung behind. She watched as Millie put Scout back in the case.

  “My little girl. Those are the first words she’s spoken in over a month,” she explained.

  Millie gazed through the sliding glass doors. She watched as the man filled a cone with ice cream and handed it to his daughter.

  Th
e woman went on. “Our house caught fire and burned to the ground. We almost lost Maisie in the blaze.”

  The woman’s blue eyes stared into Millie’s eyes. “Thank you.”

  The man and Maisie were back now. Millie bent down. “Would you like to see Scout again?”

  The girl licked her chocolate cone, her somber eyes sparked. “Yes!”

  Millie nodded. “Scout and I will be back here tomorrow at the same time,” she promised.

  The girl reached for her mother’s hand. She looked up, her blue eyes pleading. “Can we see Scout again?”

  “Absolutely.” She hugged the girl close. As the couple walked off the man mouthed the words, “Thank you!”

  Millie and Scout watched them until they disappeared from sight. She patted Scout’s head. “Well, look at you…already making friends!”

  She lifted Scout with one hand and his bag with the other. The two of them wandered across the deck. It was time for trivia.

  Millie set Scout on top of the piano and unlocked the cabinet. They had arrived a few minutes early, which was good. It gave Millie time to organize trivia and make sure Scout was ready to meet more guests.

  As the guests came forward to pick up their pencils and pads of paper, Scout got more oohs and aahs than 4th of July fireworks. He was the hit of the trivia time. Even after the game was over, most of the guests stopped back by to tell him good-bye. Several asked if he would be back again.

  Millie headed to Cat’s gift shop. Cat spied Scout right away. “I heard you had a dog.” She reached over and lifted Scout from the case. “Look at the adorable sailor suit,” she cooed. She pulled him close. “He’s precious. Is it true he belongs to the captain?”

  Millie nodded as Cat set Scout on the floor. She didn’t let him get too far. Just in the back near where they were standing. There were guests inside the store shopping and Millie was concerned someone might not see him and step on him by accident.

  With one eye on Scout, Millie turned to Cat. “Time for a meeting to go over what we have,” she said. “Can you meet later tonight?”

  Cat smoothed back her hair. “Yes. I have some new info, too. I had a chance to talk to the other couple. I think their names are Aaron and…”

  “You mean Adam and Melissa?”

  She snapped her fingers. “Yep. Those are the ones. You’ll never believe what they told me about Courtney’s twin sister, Chloe.”

  Great! Millie planned to invite Chloe along for the meeting. But if they were going to be talking about her, that wouldn’t work! She shelved the idea. For now. Maybe next time. “I better track down Annette.” She lifted Scout up and set him back in his carrier. “How does 11:00 sound?” It would give her time to finish her shift and drop Scout off.

  “Let’s not do the library this time. Too many people in the vicinity if you know what I mean,” Cat said.

  Millie nodded. She was probably right. They needed to stay under the radar. “What about the kitchen?”

  The last time Annette and Millie had met in the kitchen, they not only came up with great ideas for solving poor Olivia’s murder, they baked up a storm!

  Millie left the store and headed to the kitchen to find Annette, which was easy to do. She heard Annette before she saw her. She was scolding someone. Rather loudly. Which wasn’t like Annette. She was normally calm, cool and collected. But not at that moment. She was letting someone have it!

  “If I ever catch you cutting corners like that again, I’ll toss you overboard myself,” she threatened.

  The tone of Annette’s voice made Millie squirm and Scout’s ears go flat. He let out a whimper. Millie patted his head. “Don’t worry. Her bark is worse than her bite,” she reassured him.

  They rounded the corner and found Annette, rolling pin in her hand. Holding it more like a weapon, Millie decided. She started to back away but Annette spied her. It was too late. The scowl changed to a smile. She waved Millie in. “You’re just in time to see me commit a murder.”

  Annette’s gaze settled on a young man who was on the other side of the counter. “Amit, here, decided that we didn’t need to use real butter for the lobster dipping sauce. He singlehandedly decided that margarine would work just fine!”

  Annette’s face began to redden at the thought. “Can you believe that? Margarine! Might as well have just used Milk of Magnesia.” She scowled.

  Amit cowered. Millie felt sorry for the poor fellow. She made a mental note to never, ever substitute anything in Annette’s kitchen!

  Her look softened when she spotted the perky little face peeking out of the bag hanging from Millie’s shoulder. “I heard you had a dog.” Annette reached down and rubbed Scout’s ears. “Hey there fella. Why, aren’t you as adorable as all get out?”

  She looked up at Millie. “You really are trying to get fired, sneaking a dog on board.” She thrust a hand on her hip.

  Millie grinned. “I doubt I’ll get fired. Scout belongs to Captain Armati.”

  Annette’s eyebrow shot up. “You don’t say!”

  Millie set the bag on the floor and unzipped the front. Scout gingerly placed one paw on the cold tile floor. He looked to the left, then the right before he stuck his nose in the air and trotted over to the edge of the counter. The kitchen was a slice of doggie heaven!

  It took a few minutes for Scout to become brave enough to venture around but when he did, he took off like a rocket ship. He wandered here and there. Unfortunately, for poor Scout, the kitchen floor was spotless. There wasn’t a scrap of food for him to nibble on.

  “Can we meet here at 11:00?” Millie looked from Scout to Annette.

  “Of course. What’s on the menu?”

  Millie was craving banana bread. Something she hadn’t had in months. Long before she ever boarded the cruise ship. “What about banana bread?”

  Annette nodded. “Perfect. Some of the bananas are getting too ripe. We can make some loaves tonight and the staff can put them out for breakfast in the morning.”

  Scout was back. He plopped down at Millie’s feet, waiting for her to pick him up. “I have some info on the you-know-what.” She leaned in. “Room service delivered to one Courtney Earhart’s room the night of her death.”

  Millie’s eyes widened. “What time?”

  “One in the morning.”

  One in the morning…not long after Millie had left the unconscious girl in bed. She couldn’t wait to hear that one. Plus, Cat had some info now, too. This investigation was starting to shape up!

  Chapter 13

  Scout was as good as gold the entire time Millie had him with her.

  She gave Captain Armati a glowing report. She told him how the passengers adored Scout. She even mentioned the little girl, Maisie, that hadn’t talked in weeks and how she promised to meet the family in the same spot the next day so she could visit with Scout again.

  Captain Armati thanked Millie for taking Scout out. She told him she’d be back in the morning to pick him up.

  Millie nuzzled Scout’s head. “See you in the morning.” Scout’s sad brown eyes followed Millie to the door. He whined when she opened it.

  Millie smiled at Staff Captain Vitale on her way out.

  It was still a little too early to head to the kitchen. The crew would be cleaning up after the dinner crowd. The headliner show would be starting in a few minutes so Millie headed to the theater.

  She stood in the back and watched the magician perform some of his tricks. Millie always wondered how they did some of the stuff they did. Years of practice, she decided.

  The show finally ended. Millie stood off to the side and watched as the passengers exited the theater. More like stampeded. She waited for the theater to finish clearing out and was almost ready to head to the kitchen when she caught a glimpse of two vaguely familiar figures. It was Adam and Melissa West: Courtney and Kyle’s friends. They weren’t alone. They were talking to another couple as they walked.

  Millie faded into the shadow of the door. She didn’t want them to spot h
er. Her eyes narrowed. The other couple they were with was even more interesting than the Wests themselves. The other couple was the couple Millie had met earlier. Maisie’s parents. The ones with the little girl who wouldn’t talk!

  Millie could see they weren’t having a casual conversation amongst strangers. No, the four of them knew each other. Millie’s suspicions were confirmed when Melissa West picked Maisie up and hugged her tight. That meant that Kyle and Courtney had not only traveled on board with Courtney’s sister, Chloe, and the Wests, this other couple somehow knew them.

  Millie stood there for several long moments. Why hadn’t Chloe mentioned the other couple? She had told her about the Wests.

  She headed upstairs to the kitchen. Surely, somewhere there was video footage of passengers boarding the ship, not to mention the manifest – a way to track passengers that were sailing together.

  Annette and Cat were already in the kitchen when Millie got there. Spread out across the expansive counter were all of the ingredients for banana nut bread. Cat was mashing bananas in a bowl while Annette mixed the dry ingredients. She handed Millie a stack of bread tins. “Here. Grease these.” She stuck a stick of butter in Millie’s hands.

  Millie pulled an apron over her head. She tied the back and grabbed the tin on top of the stack.

  Cat peeled a ripe banana and dropped it in the bowl in front of her. “Melissa and Adam West are getting off the ship in Grand Cayman.”

  The stop in Grand Cayman was a couple days away. South Seas Cay, the ship’s private island, was their next stop.

  “What about the other couple with them? Are they getting off, too?”

  Annette dropped her fork on the counter. “What other couple?”

  “The couple I saw exiting the theater with the Wests just a few minutes ago.”

  Annette picked the fork back up and began sifting the ingredients. She paused long enough to drop a teaspoon of salt into the mix. “So how many suspects do we have now?”

  Millie reached for another tin. She lifted an index finger. “Chloe.” She raised a second finger. “The Wests, the mystery couple.” She put her hand back down. “And don’t forget Courtney herself.” Not that Millie believed that for a minute. Something smelled fishy and it wasn’t the ocean!