Rachel took a step back, a flicker of distrust crossing her face. “What kind of favor?” she asked suspiciously.
“I need two things,” Cat rattled off. “First, I need the name of Paloma’s cabin mate and two, I need a copy of her work schedule.”
“Why?” Rachel asked.
Cat ignored the question. “I’m sure getting your hands on this information would be super easy, one hand tied behind your back, a walk in the park.”
Rachel frowned. “Of course I can. In fact, I already have the name of Paloma’s cabin mate. It’s Hazelle Kahn. She works on the same floor as Paloma up on panorama deck in housekeeping. She cleans the spa suites and the bathrooms outside the pool area. She came in here last week with a bad rash on her...”
“I don’t need to hear that part.” Cat shuddered. “What does their work schedule look like?”
Rachel shrugged. “It’s the same for all of the housekeeping staff. They’re on the job by 7:30 a.m. with a break around noon and then back at it in the early evening until late at night.”
“Why?” Rachel asked a second time.
“Oh, no reason,” Cat shrugged. “Thanks for the info.” She reached for the door handle and then turned back. “Your secret is safe with me.” She winked at Rachel and hurried out of the door, pulling it shut behind her. “That was a piece of cake.”
***
“Pregnant?” Millie gasped as she read the words Cat had scribbled on the sheet of paper. “I. Wow. That’s all I can say, other than, poor Paloma.”
“Remember, I promised Rachel I wouldn’t say anything,” Cat reminded them. “Your lips are sealed.”
Annette drummed her fingers on the counter as she stared at the slip of paper. “I wonder if the baby belongs to Luigi.”
“Or Carmine,” Millie said. “What if it’s Carmine’s?” The information opened up a whole new can of worms in the investigation.
Cat flipped the sheet of paper over. “We have Carmine as the prime suspect now that we know he had a thing for Paloma, Luigi’s girlfriend. We also have Marcus and the other electricians, not to mention Paloma.”
“And there’s still Captain Armati and Andy who haven’t been cleared.”
“We need to search Paloma’s cabin,” Millie said. “Somehow, Luigi’s death is tied to Paloma, whether directly or indirectly. We know the captain and Andy didn’t take him out but I think the news of the pregnancy triggered something.”
“What if Luigi committed suicide?” Cat asked. “I mean, think about it. He had to face his wife and he just found out his girlfriend was pregnant. The day he died, Andy filed a complaint against him so he may have also been facing a job loss.”
“It’s an interesting angle,” Annette admitted. “But why electrocute yourself? Why not just jump overboard or hang yourself?”
“Personally, I don’t think Luigi committed suicide. Doesn’t fit his personality type,” Millie said as she glanced at her watch. “I’m gonna call it a night and be up early to make sure I have enough time to search Paloma’s cabin right after her shift starts.”
“Better not get caught,” Cat fretted.
“I don’t plan on it.” Millie remembered the time the trio had snuck into Purser Donovan Sweeney’s office and gotten caught. Donovan had placed Millie on probation and her master key temporarily taken from her with a warning that if it happened again, she would lose some of her special privileges, including access to the bridge and other restricted areas of the ship.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything,” Millie said.
Annette gave a small salute. “I think a thorough inspection of the crime scene is in order, although I’m sure Patterson and his men have already searched the area.”
Millie followed Cat to the gift shop and inside where she fired up the ship’s computer and cash register so they could figure out which cabin belonged to Paloma and her cabin mate, Hazelle.
All ship employees were assigned a bar account, an account that enabled them to purchase store items, beverages on board, salon services and even buy internet minutes. The crewmembers were required to settle the account at the end of each month and the online system linked the employee name and account number to their cabin.
Cat frowned as she waited for the screen to pop up. “You don’t think I could get in trouble for giving you this information?”
“Nah!” Millie waved a hand. “I could log into the system myself and get it, if I knew where to look. Don’t worry, if I get busted, I won’t throw you under the bus.” She patted Cat’s arm.
Cat tapped the keyboard as she typed Paloma’s name. Moments later, a screen popped up, listing the woman’s account number and cabin number. Cat reached for a pen and jotted the number on the sheet of paper, right next to the list of suspects. She folded the sheet in half and handed it to Millie. “Do not lose this.”
“I won’t.” Millie promised as she slipped the note into her pocket. “Thanks for the information.”
Cat followed Millie out of the store, turned the lights off and locked the door behind her. “I’ve been thinking about the woman, you know the psycho – whatever.”
“And?” Millie stopped abruptly and studied her friend’s face.
“I’m willing to talk to her when we reach St. Thomas.” Cat looked around and lowered her voice. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
“My lips are sealed.” Millie made a zipping motion across her lips and then impulsively hugged her friend. “I’m glad Cat. This is a good thing and if you want, I’ll be right there with you,” she promised.
Millie headed down to her cabin. She wondered if perhaps she should steer clear of the investigation and let Patterson and his men handle it.
She decided to sleep on it, if you could call it that since she tossed and turned all night, wondering why Captain Armati was transferring to another ship and why he still hadn’t deemed it important enough to discuss it with her.
Millie was hurt that she had to find out from someone else that he was leaving Siren of the Seas. Had he not thought enough of their relationship to tell her in person? She had a feeling he planned to tell her the other day in his apartment.
It was almost as if he was avoiding her and before she finally drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, she decided to leave the ball in his court.
Danielle snuck into the cabin at some point during the night. Millie didn’t bother checking the clock and assumed her young cabin mate had been hanging out with some of her friends down in the employee lounge.
Millie didn’t know what to think of the new employee, Lorenzo. There was something about him that didn’t ring true, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She made a mental note to broach the subject with Danielle before, once again, falling into a fitful sleep.
When her alarm blared in the wee hours of the morning, Millie quickly shut it off before she crept out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.
Millie hoped the alarm hadn’t woken Danielle, who would be curious as to why Millie was up so early.
She had set the alarm for 6:30, which would give her plenty of time to grab a light breakfast in the crew mess before heading to the other end of the ship where the housekeeping staffs’ cabins were located.
The ship shuddered several times while Millie dressed, which meant they had docked in St. Thomas. Today was going to be a busy one, between snooping around inside Paloma’s cabin, to seeing passengers off the ship for a day ashore, not to mention tracking down Dr. Johansen to see if she could meet with Cat.
Millie had tucked her work clothes in the back of one of the bathroom shelves the night before so she wouldn’t have to rummage around the cabin in the dark.
When she finished getting ready, she flipped the bathroom light off and slowly turned the door handle, stepping into the small cabin and coming face-to-face with a wide awake and fully-dressed Danielle. “Where are you off to so bright and early this fine morning?”
“Breakfast,”
Millie said, which was true. She had enough time to grab a quick breakfast before the housekeeping staff headed upstairs to start their day.
“Huh.” Danielle didn’t buy it for a second. “Then what?”
“Just checking out a few leads in Luigi’s murder investigation,” she answered vaguely.
“Aha!” Danielle hopped out of the chair. “I knew it.” She rubbed her hands together. “I want to help. What are we going to do? Set up surveillance? A sting?”
“Neither. I’m going to take a quick peek inside Paloma Herdez’s cabin.”
“How are you going to do that? Knock on her cabin door and tell her you’d like to take a look around because you think she murdered her lover?”
“No.” Millie lowered her gaze. “Not exactly.”
“Ah!” Danielle gasped. “You’re going to break into her cabin?”
“Break is a strong word,” Millie said. “More like let myself in for a quick look around.”
Danielle shrugged. “Break. Snoop. Same thing. I want to go with you.”
“This is kind of a one man…er, woman operation.” Visions of Danielle fumbling around and causing them to be caught popped into her head. There were times Danielle was like a bull in a china shop. Act first, think later.
“C’mon, Millie,” Danielle pleaded. “Andy is my boss, too.”
Millie wrinkled her nose. She did not want Danielle tagging along but somehow, she had a feeling if she didn’t take her with, she’d end up involved, somehow, and probably not in a good way.
“Okay,” Millie caved. “But you have to be stealth. We need to be quick, quiet and invisible.”
“Got it.” Danielle gave her the thumbs up and hurried to the bathroom. “Give me a minute and I’ll be ready to go.” She swung the door open and disappeared inside.
Danielle began to hum loudly.
Millie stared at the bathroom door and shook her head. “What have I gotten myself into?”
Chapter 12
Millie’s armpits grew damp as she cast a furtive glance down the long hall and lifted her lanyard from around her neck. Her hand trembled as she slipped her keycard into Paloma’s cabin door. The lock clicked. Millie twisted the handle and then eased the door open. “Hello? Anybody home?”
Danielle, who was right behind Millie, nudged her forward, stepping on the back of her heel as she pushed her inside.
“Ouch!” Millie gasped.
“Sorry. Keep moving.” Danielle waved her hands, motioning Millie into the dark cabin. “Before someone spots us.”
The door quietly closed behind them and they stood motionless in the dark. “Don’t we need to turn the light on to see inside?” Danielle whispered.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” Millie said as she began having second thoughts.
“It’s a little late now,” Danielle hissed.
“I guess you’re right. Let me try to find the light switch.” Millie hoped the layout of Paloma and Hazelle’s cabin was the same as theirs. Danielle had been in such a hurry to close the door; she hadn’t had time to scope it out.
She ran her hand along the side of the wall. “Closet. Their layout is flip-flopped.” It meant the light switch was on the opposite wall. Millie slid her hand along the wall before making contact with the switch. She flipped the switch on and bright light flooded the small cabin.
“Holy smokes.” Danielle’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the cabin. “It looks like a tornado touched down!”
Discarded clothes covered every square inch of the floor. Dirty dishes teetered precariously on top of the small desk. Propped in the corner of the room was a foot tall stack of plastic drink glasses.
“That smell,” Danielle muttered under her breath. “It smells like…”
“A locker room,” Millie suggested.
“Yeah, or a garbage dump,” Danielle said. “Gross.” She swatted at a small gnat that buzzed around her head. “Let’s hurry and get this over with before we get cooties or something.”
Millie grinned. “You’re the one who wanted to tag along.”
Danielle ignored the jab and reached past Millie to open the top desk drawer. She flipped several sheets of paper over and glanced at the front before deeming them junk. There were also several ink pens, a few loose paperclips and a book of stamps.
She opened the next drawer, which was full of hairbands, bobby pins, barrettes and a piece of purple metallic material. Danielle wrinkled her nose and held it out for inspection. “What is this?”
Millie, who had been digging around the center desk drawer, looked up. “I can’t say for certain because I’ve never worn one, but it looks like string bikini underwear.”
Danielle dropped the underwear and rubbed her hand on the front of her slacks. “We should’ve brought rubber gloves!”
“True.” Millie hadn’t thought of that. She turned her attention to the drawer, which contained a writing tablet, a locked journal, some gel pens and a cell phone.
“Jackpot!” Millie grabbed the phone and pressed the side button. Nothing happened. “How do I turn this phone on?”
Danielle snatched the cell phone from Millie and pressed several buttons on the screen. “There are some pictures on here.” The women huddled over the phone, peering at the screen.
The first few pictures were of Paloma and Hazelle inside their cabin. There were other pictures that included waterfalls, smiling passengers standing in front of their cabins, as well as pictures of other crewmembers.
“Wait!” Millie caught a glimpse of a young, dark-haired woman, her arms wrapped around another crewmember. “Go back.”
Danielle slid her finger across the screen.
“There.”
Danielle tapped the screen and enlarged the picture. At first glance, it looked like a photo of Paloma and Marcus, the electrical engineer, locked in a tight embrace.
Millie pointed at the screen. “That’s Marcus. He worked under Luigi.”
“And Carmine,” Danielle said.
The door handle began to rattle.
“Someone’s coming!” Millie dropped the phone and quickly eased the drawer shut as her eyes darted frantically around the small cabin. “In here!”
Danielle flipped the light switch off. The women dashed into the small bathroom, closing the door behind them.
Millie squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, praying whoever had entered the cabin would not open the bathroom door. She could hear someone mumbling on the other side of the door and then a couple muffled thuds before another, louder thud.
“I think they’re gone,” Danielle whispered.
“Let’s wait another minute.” Millie’s heart began to pound as she stood in the small, cramped dark space. Her claustrophobia began to kick in. When she couldn’t stand it a second longer, she swung the door open and peeked out.
The room was dark. “They’re gone.”
Danielle flipped the light switch back on. “We need a picture of the picture.”
“Good idea.” Millie pulled the cellphone from the drawer and handed it to Danielle who quickly flipped it on and thumbed through the photos. When she got to the one of the cozy couple, she set it on the desk, reached in her back pocket, pulled her own cell phone out, switched it to on and began snapping photos.
They thumbed through a few more photos before Millie decided it was time to wrap up their covert operation. “We need to take a quick look through here and then get out before we get caught.”
Danielle quickly searched the bunkbeds while Millie finished checking the drawers and then moved onto the closets. She opened one of the doors and peered inside. It was stacked floor to ceiling with dirty clothes.
The stench of dirty laundry and sweat was overpowering and she began to gag. Millie quickly shut the door. “No way am I touching that mess.”
Danielle had moved onto the bathroom for a quick search while Millie checked the other closet, which was in the same deplorable condition.
There was only one thi
ng left to inspect…the garbage. Millie picked up the overflowing trashcan and, using the tip of her index finger, shifted a few items to the side. The pungent smell of rotting fruit wafted up.
Danielle burst out of the bathroom. “Disgusting. I don’t know how someone could expect to come out of that bathroom cleaner than when they went in.”
Millie set the trashcan down and stuck her hands on her hips. “I think I’ve seen enough.”
“I know I’ve seen enough, and smelled enough,” Danielle said. “Let’s get out of here.” They started to head toward the door when something caught Millie’s eye. It was a piece of paper, barely visible, tucked behind the vanity mirror that hung over the desk.
Millie pinched the corner between her fingers and tugged until she had pulled the paper, which she now realized was an envelope, from its hiding spot. She flipped it over:
Maria Falco
West Seaside Lane 10855
13329 Cochem
Germany
Chapter 13
It was a small envelope and, judging by the thickness and weight, Millie guessed it contained a single sheet of paper.
Danielle, who had been standing near the exit with one hand on the door handle, strode across the small cabin and stared at the envelope, reading the words neatly printed on the front. “Luigi’s wife.”
“I’d bet a million bucks.” Millie stared at the addressed envelope. “I wonder when Paloma wrote this.”
“Before Luigi died? Maybe Paloma was going to tell Luigi’s wife about their relationship.”
“Or the baby,” Millie added.
“Baby?” Danielle’s eyes widened. “Are you saying Paloma is pregnant?”
The words had slipped out of Millie’s mouth without her thinking about what she’d said. “Did I say baby? I meant rabies.”
“No you didn’t,” Danielle argued. “I heard you. You said baby.”
“You’re right.” Millie placed the envelope behind the mirror, right where she’d found it. “You can’t breathe a word to anyone, Danielle. I’m not supposed to know and neither are you.”
Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Page 6