Millie followed Alison to the back while Tara kept an eye on Scout. Actually, Scout was on the floor now and the two of them were chasing each other around, darting back and forth across the stage.
When Millie and Alison returned, Scout was back in his carrier and he didn’t look the least bit pleased. But guests were starting to wander in and it was safer for Scout inside his carrier.
Even in his carrier, Scout managed to get a lot of attention as the passengers stopped by to pat his head and say hello. Scout was eating it up.
The square dance class was even more popular than the line dancing the day before, much to Millie’s surprise. Millie knew most of the moves and before she knew it, she was stomping and twirling away. Millie was so caught up in the action; she didn’t notice Captain Armati as he approached the stage.
When Millie caught his eye, she tripped on the tip of her boot and almost ended up in a heap on stage. The music finally ended. The captain was off to the side, talking to Scout. Millie tromped over to the two of them.
Captain Armati shifted his gaze from Scout to Millie. “I see Scout’s having fun.”
Millie nodded. “I didn’t think he should be out for the dancing part but, yes, he’s having a ball. He’s like a little celebrity. All two and a half pounds of him!”
Captain Armati smiled for the second time, right at Millie. She nearly melted right then and there. Well, she didn’t melt but her face turned a pale shade of pink.
“I thought I’d stop by to see how you two were doing.” He patted Scout’s head one more time and then glanced down at his watch. “I better go. I’m meeting with Detective Patterson to go over some things.”
His smile disappeared and he gave Millie a look that she was beginning to understand. A look that said, please try to stay out of trouble or something like that.
Captain Armati strode down the center aisle and exited the theater. “Wouldja’ look at that,” Alison whispered. She lightly punched Millie’s shoulder. “I think he likes you. I mean likes you.”
“That’s just crazy,” Millie argued. “He doesn’t even know me.”
“Ever heard of love at first sight?” Tara asked. She tapped her cowboy boot on the wooden floor. She began to sing an off-key rendition of “Love is in the air.”
Millie put her hands to her cheeks and rolled her eyes. “Stop! You’re embarrassing me!”
The guests still on stage had clustered off to one side. They were looking at Millie and she could only assume she was the topic of conversation. Millie wanted desperately to avoid that kind of attention!
Alison stepped to the center of the stage. “Back to work, folks. The show’s over!”
The rest of the hour-long lesson flew by. Millie’s heart was pumping and the exercise felt wonderful. Or maybe it was the thrill she felt at knowing the captain had made a special point to see her. Of course, maybe it was Scout.
Millie carried Scout to the backstage. She set him on the counter and slipped back into her work clothes. She hung the skirt on a hangar and slid the boots underneath the rack, right next to the others. She almost felt guilty; maybe she was having too much fun.
“You’re the talk of the town – or should I say ship.” Andy was standing behind her as she wiggled her foot into her work shoes.
“It does seem as if some sort of gossip is hanging over my head,” she admitted. Millie pulled the ponytail holder from her hair and smoothed the locks back in place before rolling it into a tight bun.
She reached for the dog carrier. “What’s my next assignment boss?” she joked. She secretly hoped it was trivia. Something a little more laid back, although the square dancing had been fun.
“Follow me.” He motioned Millie back to his cubby. He settled in behind his desk. Millie sat across from him. She set Scout off to the side.
“I just got back from a meeting with Dave Patterson and Captain Armati. They are closing the internal investigation into Kyle Zondervan and Courtney Earhart’s deaths. For all intents and purposes, it will be labeled a murder / suicide.”
Millie’s heart sank. She just didn’t feel Courtney was the murderer. “What about the evidence?”
“Millie, it’s just speculation because there really isn’t any ‘evidence.’ The quicker the case is closed, the quicker we can get back to business. Giving passengers the best vacation possible.”
He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. “That means you. I’m here to tell you on the record to stop snooping around and let it go.”
Millie straightened her back. Her lips drew into a thin line. “Whose orders? Patterson or Armati?”
Millie wasn’t sure if she liked either one of them anymore. Someone was trying to stop her!
He shook his head. “I’d rather not say.”
Millie shot to her feet. She crossed her arms and glared down at Andy. “Well, I’m not going to stop!” She waved her hands in the air. “So they’re just going to let a killer get away with murder.”
“Authorities will take over once we get back to Miami.” He shrugged. “They will do their own investigation.”
Andy leaned back in his chair and lifted his hands. “Look. I’m siding with you. I think there’s more to the story, but we have a job to do. That’s why they pay us the big bucks.”
Millie snorted.
“Maybe you could let Cat or Annette take over,” he suggested. “You know. Kind of work behind the scenes. Let them take the lead this time.”
Millie tapped her foot on the floor. On the one hand, she didn’t want to bite the hand that fed her. On the other, she didn’t like it when someone tried to tell her what to do. Of course, they were paying her to do a job, not solve a murder or murders.
Millie grudgingly admitted it was time to turn over the reins. Cat made the most sense. She had more freedom to move around the ship than Annette, who was pretty much stuck in the kitchen all day.
Her shoulders sagged. Millie was ready to admit defeat, but just this once. She decided to let it go.
Her decision lasted until the moment she exited the theater where she ran into Chloe Earhart.
“Oh! I’ve been looking for you!” the young woman exclaimed.
Millie cast a nervous glance behind her. She shifted Scout’s carrier to her other hand. “Oh. What’s up?”
Chloe grabbed Millie’s arm and pulled her to the side. “I think I know what happened to Kyle and Courtney.” Now Millie had every intention of turning over the investigation, but this was like a sign from heaven. It was like God dropping it right back into her lap.
She frowned. What harm could there be in at least listening to what Chloe had to say? “Let’s head over to the…” She paused. They needed a nice quiet spot to talk. Somewhere off the beaten path. “Let’s head up to the spa.”
Chapter 16
The spa area was like a ghost town. One of the staff, who looked vaguely familiar, nodded to Millie. Millie had seen her around before but the spa staff worked for an outside company. They didn’t work for the cruise line, which hopefully, meant that they had no idea what was going on.
The two settled on a bench seat to the left of the locker room. “What’ve you got?”
“This.” Chloe pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. She shoved it into Millie’s hand. “Proof that Courtney did not write the suicide note. This is her handwriting.”
Millie frowned at the paper. She slipped her glasses on her nose then reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. She scrolled through the pictures until she reached the one she had taken of the note Courtney had supposedly written. Chloe was right. The handwriting was similar but not the same.
Of course, Courtney had been inebriated at the time of her death so it was possible she just didn’t have the same steady hand she would’ve had if she had been sober.
Chloe pointed at the letter “T.” “See how that loops around?” Millie nodded. “Courtney’s “T’s” were more rigid and taller.
Millie studied the “T.” There cer
tainly was a difference. She glanced at the young girl. “But that doesn’t mean that Courtney didn’t write this note.”
“And what about the outfit that Courtney had on?” she argued. “We both know that wasn’t the outfit she was wearing when she died. The outfit belonged to Melissa West.”
Chloe had valid points and Millie agreed with her. It was just that she promised to butt out…to let it go. But this poor girl had just lost her twin sister! She sighed. “I don’t know…” her voice trailed off.
Millie remembered the couple talking to the Wests as they exited the theater the night before. “How come you never told me there was another couple cruising with you?” Her eyes narrowed.
Millie had caught Chloe off guard. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, which she quickly replaced with a look of nonchalance. “You mean Justin and Kim Bain?” She waved her hand dismissively. “I barely know them. Courtney barely knew them.”
Chloe paused as a thought occurred to her. “Kyle knew them. He went to college with Justin. He and the Wests. They all went to college together.”
Millie was missing an angle here. It was almost as if it was right under her nose. So close, she couldn’t get it. Couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Millie’s eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. She remembered telling the Bain’s, Maisie’s parents, that she would bring Scout back to the same spot yesterday if they wanted to stop by and see him again. It was that time right about now!
She stood. “I have to head out, Chloe.” She glanced around, making certain she was out of earshot. “Let me get back with you, okay?”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know where to turn.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek. “You see, I have to do this for Court. I owe it to her.”
Chloe pressed on. “Did you notice the door connecting Kyle and Courtney’s room? The door that connected with Adam and Melissa West’s room? Wouldn’t that give them the perfect opportunity to sneak in and kill Courtney?”
Millie frowned. And then there was Zack.
Of course, the Wests had been up on deck when Kyle went over.
Millie looked down at Chloe’s tear-stained face and her heart melted. She vowed then and there to do what she could to help Chloe. She couldn’t imagine the heartbreak she felt over her sister’s death.
On her way to the upper deck, Millie ran over the list of suspects in her mind. Adam and Melissa West since their cabin adjoined with Kyle and Courtney’s room and Zack, who happened to be at the scene of Kyle going overboard.
Chloe, who was head over heels in love with Kyle. If she killed Kyle, why on earth would she kill her own sister - a twin sister at that? Then there was the mysterious couple – Maisie’s parents.
With determined steps, Millie and her sidekick, Scout, wandered to the outer deck to wait for Justin and Kim Bain to make an appearance.
Chapter 17
Millie and Scout settled into the bistro table next to the sliding glass doors. It was the exact same spot that they had been in the day before. Millie’s stomach grumbled. The square dancing had worked up her appetite.
Scout let out a low whine. Millie reached in to pet him. “I bet you’re as hungry as I am.” She glanced at her watch. If Maisie and her parents didn’t show up in the next five minutes, Millie vowed to head inside for some food.
After that, it would be time to take Scout back to the captain’s quarters. Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Captain Armati again. The flutter quickly flattened when she remembered someone was trying to squash her sleuthing. It didn’t seem fair. Somehow, some way, she was going to solve these murders!
She quickly decided that after she dropped Scout off, she would stop by to see Cat. Maybe she could come up with an idea on how Millie could stay involved, yet still fly “under the radar.”
Millie craned her neck and stared down the length of the deck. The couple had either forgotten about Millie or shown up earlier, before she got there. She hopped out of the chair. “C’mon Scout. Let’s go get some chow.”
She grabbed the carrier handle and pushed her chair in.
“Maisie! They’re over there!”
Millie whirled around. Coming her way was Maisie and her parents! Millie pulled the chair out and plopped back down. She opened the carrier, lifted Scout and set him on the table.
Maisie made a beeline for the dog. “Pick up?” The little girl’s innocent blue eyes begged Millie.
Millie nodded. “Have a seat, Maisie.”
Maisie obediently sat in the seat across from Millie, who gently set Scout in her lap. “Scout.”
“It-it’s like a miracle,” Maisie’s father whispered hoarsely. He lowered to Maisie’s eye level. “Maisie, would you like to get a dog – just like Scout?”
Her blonde head bobbed up and down. “Yes, Daddy. Just like Scout.”
Maisie’s mother burst into tears. She turned her back to the table. Long, painful sobs wracked her thin frame. Millie’s heart was breaking. She turned to Maisie’s father. “Will you watch them?”
His tear-filled eyes gazed into Millie’s own. “Yes.”
Millie put her arm around Kim Bain’s shoulder and led her away from the table and over to the railing, out of earshot of the table – and Maisie. “I don’t mean to pry, dear. I can see that something has traumatized your young daughter.”
Millie turned back to gaze at Maisie and Scout. Maisie had set Scout on the bistro table and he was showing off. Maisie was giggling as she watched him bounce around in a circle.
“If you don’t mind my asking – what happened to make Maisie stop talking?” She sucked in her breath and prayed the woman would spill the beans.
“There was a fire. Our house. It burned to the ground a few weeks ago.” Her eyes slid to her young daughter and husband. “We barely made it out alive.”
She turned to gaze out at the ocean. “I don’t understand. Somehow, our smoke alarms - they never went off.”
She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “We almost died. We almost died. Our dog, Willie, didn’t survive. Maisie was heartbroken. She stopped talking.”
Her shoulders sagged. “We thought the cruise would help. Take her mind off losing Willie and bring her back to us.”
“It didn’t look like it was going to work.” She went on. “Not until yesterday when she saw Scout.”
The woman impulsively reached out and hugged Millie. “Thank you so much for sharing Scout with us. It has truly changed our lives. Saved our Maisie.”
Now Millie was about to burst into tears. It was one of the saddest stories she had ever heard. Something about the story stuck in Millie’s head. “Did the fire department tell you why the smoke alarms didn’t work?”
Kim Bain shook her head. “No The house was so far gone, the alarms burned to a crisp. They melted down to nothing.”
After the Bains left, Millie wandered inside with Scout. Kyle goes overboard. Courtney overdoses. The Bain’s house burns to the ground. Was there connection? If so, what – or who – was it?
Millie and Scout filled a plate with goodies. A small sliver of roasted chicken for Scout. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and turkey gravy along with a side of corn and mouth-watering baked macaroni and cheese. Comfort food…the perfect thanksgiving dinner.
Millie glanced out at the bright sunny day. It was already October. Although it sure didn’t feel like October in the Caribbean. Every day felt like the middle of summer. She wondered how she would feel when Thanksgiving rolled around.
Millie’s first break wasn’t until mid-February. This year would be the first holiday season she could remember that she wouldn’t be with her children…her family.
She shoved the thought to the back of her mind and pressed on down the food line. She reminded herself that this job was an experiment. If it didn’t work out, she could return to her dull, meaningless existence at the end of her contract.
Scout was shifting back and forth inside his carrier. He s
melled all the goodies and Millie was certain he was as hungry as she was.
She plucked a plastic glass from a nearby stack and filled it with water from the fountain. Next, she grabbed a small saucer and headed to a corner table. Millie cut the chicken into tiny pieces and placed them in the center of the napkin. She placed the napkin inside the carrier.
Next, she poured a small bit of water in the bottom of the dish and set it next to the food.
Scout licked Millie’s hand and then dug into his treat. Millie watched as the pint-size pup inhaled the goodies. Millie wondered if the captain had remembered to feed Scout before they left the bridge earlier.
He lapped up the entire saucer of water. Millie refilled the makeshift water dish. Scout promptly drank most of that and then stopped. He began to whine.
Millie’s fork full of food was halfway to her mouth. That whine. It sound all too familiar. It was the sound Daisy used to make when she needed to go out. It was the sound of a pup who needed a potty break!
Millie’s eyes darted around the room. There was no way Scout could take care of his business in here!
Millie shoveled several large bites of food into her mouth while Scout continued to whine. She needed to find a place for Scout to go – and fast. She threw her napkin on top of her dirty dishes and left them on the table.
She grabbed Scout’s carrier and they headed for the door.
Millie was desperate. There was only one place she could think of that Scout would recognize. Millie took the stairs two at a time as she bolted to the top deck in the direction of the mini golf course.
At the edge of the course, she unzipped the bag and Scout darted out. He made a beeline for the second hole…the one with the plastic palm tree, its shiny green palm fronds blowing in the breeze.
Scout lifted his leg and watered the bottom. Next, he tried to tear up the turf as he pawed at the fake grass with his back feet.
Millie covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
“Mommy, that doggy just peed on the side of that tree.” A young boy was standing nearby, watching Scout in action.
Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2) Page 9