Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Did Paloma tell you she was pregnant? I didn’t know you knew her.”

  “I don’t. Let’s discuss this somewhere else. The longer we stand here, the greater our risk of being caught.”

  The women hurried out of the cabin. Millie flipped the lights off while Danielle eased the door open and peeked around the corner. “The coast is clear.”

  The women stepped into the corridor and Millie let the door close behind them before glancing at her watch: 7:45. They had only been inside the cabin ten minutes and in that time had managed to find two clues. The cell phone picture and the letter addressed to a person Millie was convinced was Luigi’s wife.

  It didn’t make Paloma a killer, nor did it make Marcus a killer, but it moved them both up a notch on the list of suspects, along with Carmine, who had been, and was, Luigi and Marcus’s boss. There were three strong suspects, all with motive. Paloma, a possibly spurned and pregnant lover. Marcus, who may have been in love with Paloma and when he found out she was pregnant with Luigi’s baby, he killed him in a fit of anger.

  What if Paloma, looking to move up the ranks, began dating Carmine? Somehow, Luigi found out about the relationship and/or the baby. The more Millie uncovered, the more convinced she was that Paloma held the key.

  The fact Luigi had died by electrocution bumped Carmine and Marcus to the top of the list with Paloma underneath. Paloma probably wouldn’t have the knowledge to know how to electrocute her lover.

  Millie shuddered. It was a horrible way to die, not that there was a good way to die. She offered a small prayer for Luigi and his family as she and Danielle wandered back to their cabin in silence.

  Millie waited while Danielle unlocked their door and stepped inside. She dropped her lanyard on the desktop. “I feel dirty, just being inside their cabin. Aren’t cleaning people supposed to be clean?”

  “You know the saying,” Millie said, “a mechanic’s car is always broken. A plumber’s sink always leaks. The last thing those women want to do when they finish working 12-hour days is to clean their cabin.”

  “True. I’m going to scrub my hands.” Danielle disappeared inside their bathroom as Millie glanced around. Perhaps Danielle wasn’t such a bad cabin mate after all. For the most part, she was tidy and respectful of coming in quietly after hours.

  She wondered if Danielle was still hot after the new employee, Lorenzo.

  Danielle emerged from the bathroom a short time later. “I feel much better.”

  “How’s Lorenzo?”

  “Lorenzo?” Danielle stood in front of the full-length mirror and combed her long blonde locks with her fingers.

  “Lorenzo. Your new love interest. The hottie who started working in housekeeping.”

  “Oh, that Lorenzo.” Danielle shrugged nonchalantly. “He’s okay. I’ve only met up with him a couple times down in the employee lounge. He works a lot of hours.”

  “Huh.” Millie nodded and then stood. “Speaking of work, we need to start our day.” For the second time, she nearly slipped up with Danielle and mentioned she needed to contact Dr. Rebecca Johansen to see if she could meet Cat on board the ship.

  “You’re doing your usual greet and go?” Danielle asked.

  “Yep. Speaking of which, I have ten minutes to make it to the gangway before Andy starts blowing up my radio.”

  The women departed their cabin and went their separate ways. Millie wasn’t sure what Andy had put on Danielle’s plate but he typically liked to keep her busy with the ship’s junior passengers, entertaining the handful who didn’t go ashore with their families.

  Millie had always said she’d love to dabble in the kids programs, but all of the other activities Andy filled her day with left little room to branch out and try working in new areas, not that she minded. Millie loved the variety of activities…the wine tasting with Pierre, bingo with Zack, trivia, not to mention the line dancing and polka with the dancers, Alison and Tara.

  Andy was standing near the gangway when Millie arrived. He glanced at his watch. “You’re right on time.”

  “Of course. Have I ever let you down?” she joked.

  Millie held up her hand. “Don’t answer that.”

  A couple with two young children approached, asking what time they should be back on board the ship before heading ashore.

  The next two hours flew by. St. Thomas was one of the more popular cruise ports, and included Magens Bay, once voted one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet.

  Captain Armati had mentioned perhaps snorkeling or kayaking in Magens Bay, but it looked like that was never going to happen.

  Millie’s heart plummeted and she quickly shoved the thought out of her head. She couldn’t dwell on it, not now. Maybe not ever.

  After the crowds thinned, Andy told Millie she was free for the next few hours. “I’m going ashore,” Millie announced.

  “Shopping?” Andy asked. St. Thomas was wildly popular for not only the island’s beautiful beaches but for amazing deals on jewelry. There was a large shopping area just outside the docking area, with tons of souvenir shops and jewelry stores, not to mention restaurants and bars.

  Passengers and crew could hang out right there. For the passengers on board, looking to get a great deal on unique jewelry and large gems, St. Thomas was the place to go.

  Millie had gone ashore on a previous stop, but she had such a small amount of storage space in the shared cabin, she only purchased the necessities, which meant a quick trip to the drugstore, located inside the shopping area.

  “No. I have an errand to run.” Millie left it at that. She didn’t want to broadcast Cat’s potential meeting with the psychologist, although she knew Andy wouldn’t say anything. Still, it felt more like gossip so she decided the less said the better.

  She’d already done enough damage earlier when she spilled the beans to Danielle about Paloma’s pregnancy.

  Andy glanced at his watch. “Remember to be back on board by 2:30 so we can start greeting guests around three o’clock.”

  Millie promised she would before making her way off the ship. She’d already packed a backpack with her cell phone, her wallet, a bottled water and an umbrella in case the heat became unbearable.

  She cleared the ship area and the shopping area and wandered down the sidewalk to a small park bench, shaded by a cluster of tall trees. It took a few minutes for Millie’s cell phone to boot up and she waited for a signal. When she finally had decent reception, she noticed she had a new voicemail message.

  It was Dr. Johansen, who told Millie she saved a spot in her schedule for eleven a.m., but told her to call as soon as the ship docked because she might be able to come earlier.

  Cat was off work for most of the day since the ship’s gift shop closed while the ship was in port. Millie had checked with her before disembarking and Cat promised to leave her cell phone on so that Millie could contact her if she was able to reach the doctor and bring her on board.

  She’d also filled Annette in on the progress and, unfortunately, Annette was scheduled to work all day so Millie was on her own. She dialed the doctor’s number and left a message.

  Millie disconnected the line and plopped down on the park bench. There was a small coffee shop, directly across the street. With time to spare, she grabbed her backpack, crossed the busy street and wandered inside.

  The smell of freshly roasted coffee and cinnamon filled the air. She sniffed appreciatively and eyed the cinnamon rolls, raspberry twists and chocolate covered donuts arranged on the wire racks inside the display case.

  She walked over to the counter and gazed at the chalkboard menu overhead. “I’ll have a French vanilla swirl iced coffee and a chocolate covered donut.”

  Millie reached inside her backpack and pulled out a five-dollar bill plus a couple ones.

  “That’ll be $9.15.”

  Millie’s mouth dropped open. “Nine dollars and fifteen cents for an iced coffee and a chocolate donut?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Mil
lie pulled out a ten instead, and told the girl to keep the change, vowing to buy her coffee and treats on board the ship from now on. She’d always thought the coffee shop was on the pricey side but this place had them beat.

  She adjusted her backpack and then picked up the donut and coffee. Millie carefully carried the liquid gold and overpriced donut out of the coffee shop before easing onto a small bench out front. She nibbled on her treat as she watched traffic and passengers pass by. As she sipped her coffee, she thought about poor Paloma, pregnant and thousands of miles away from family and friends.

  Had Luigi said something that sent Paloma over the edge, causing her to commit a crime of passion? Perhaps it was someone else, bent on revenge.

  Millie’s cell phone beeped and she carefully juggled her coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other as she gazed at the screen. It was Captain Armati. He’d sent a text, asking her to please stop by the bridge when she had time.

  She clicked out of the text without replying, still hurt by the fact he hadn’t bothered to explain to her why, exactly, he was transferring to another ship and why she was the last to know.

  Millie took a big bite of the donut. The thick layer of creamy chocolate melted in her mouth and she decided the donut was worth every penny. Chocolate therapy. She polished off the sweet treat and washed it down with a big swig of iced coffee.

  There was another message Millie had missed. It was her daughter, Beth. Beth and Millie’s son, Blake, both had their mother’s ship schedule and Millie called Beth once a week while in port.

  Millie quickly dialed her daughter’s number and a breathless Beth picked up on the first ring. “Hi Mom.”

  “Hi Beth. You sound out of breath.”

  “Yeah,” her daughter groaned. “Noah caught some sort of bug and we just got back from the doctor.” Noah was Millie’s grandson.

  “I hope he’s going to be okay.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Beth said. “Last night David and I were discussing the fact we’re long overdue for a vacation.”

  Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “Tell me you’ve decided to come on a cruise.”

  “Yep,” her daughter confirmed. “But it won’t be until after the school year ends.”

  “I think I’ll have my break before then.” Millie knew she was getting close to the end of her contract. She wondered if Majestic Cruise Lines would ask her to come back.

  “We can’t wait to see you,” Beth said. Mother and daughter talked for several long minutes, until Beth told her Noah was hollering for his mother.

  A wave of sadness washed over Millie as she thought about how much she missed her children and grandchildren. She reminded herself she would see them soon and then reached for her phone to place a second call to Doctor Johansen when it began to ring. It was the doctor. “Hello?”

  “Is this Millie Sanders?” a woman asked in a clipped tone.

  “Yes, this is Millie.”

  “Hi Millie. Doctor Johansen here. I’m in my car, driving to the port and wondered where you would like to meet.”

  Millie told her to make her way to the security gate and that she would meet her there.

  Dave Patterson’s department had ramped up security after a recent hijacking incident. It was possible security would need to call the bridge to verify the woman’s clearance.

  Millie chugged the rest of her chilled caffeine before tossing the empty cup into the trash along with the donut wrapper and paper napkin. She hurried across the street and power-walked to the shopping area. She didn’t slow her pace until she reached the gate.

  Standing near the gate was a woman with short blonde hair. She was tall and thin, and staring at her watch.

  “Dr. Johansen?”

  The woman looked up, her gray eyes meeting Millie’s eyes. “Yes?”

  Millie extended her hand. “I’m Millie Sanders, Assistant Cruise Director aboard Siren of the Seas. Thank you for meeting me here.”

  Millie turned to the security guards standing next to the gate. She recognized one as Carlos, the ship’s security and another uniformed man Millie guessed was a St. Thomas port security personnel. “Dr. Johansen has clearance from Captain Armati to board Siren of the Seas for a couple hours.”

  Carlos pulled a clipboard from a small table nearby and flipped through the sheets, running his finger down the column. “Yes, I see Miss Millie.” He turned to the doctor. “I’ll need to see a photo ID.”

  Dr. Johansen fumbled inside her purse, pulled out her wallet and flipped it open. She turned it and Carlos studied the picture. “Thank you.” He waved them through. “You’ll escort Dr. Johansen off the ship when finished?”

  “Of course.” Millie smiled and then waited for Dr. Johansen to drop her wallet back inside her purse. During their stroll, Millie briefly reiterated her reason for asking Dr. Johansen to chat with Cat. During the short conversation, Millie determined she liked the doctor’s demeanor. She seemed calm, thoughtful and reserved.

  They stopped just before crossing over the gangway and entering the ship. “My fee for today’s session is one hundred twenty-five dollars for an hour. The price includes an out-of-office visit.”

  “Of course. Millie had already gotten the price via the doctor’s website. Annette and Millie had split the cost, each contributing half. She pulled the bills from her small wallet inside her backpack, counted out the money and handed it to the woman, who folded the cash and stuffed it into the side of her purse.

  When they reached the inside of the ship, Millie led Dr. Johansen one deck up, the deck where crew quarters and Cat’s cabin were located.

  She had texted Annette on her way back to the ship and Annette had said she would meet her at the end of the corridor before they introduced Cat to the doctor.

  When they got to the corridor, Annette was already outside, pacing. She stopped when Millie and Dr. Johansen approached. “I was lucky I was able to break away. Amit nearly set the kitchen on fire this morning. He was experimenting on a dish of cherries jubilee and added too much brandy. Then he attempted to light it with a mini torch, the ones we use for baked Alaska.”

  Annette flung her hands in the air. “Poof!” She grabbed a chunk of hair. “I didn’t have time to look. Did he singe my bangs or eyebrows? I smell a burnt odor.”

  Millie leaned forward and inspected Annette’s hair and eyebrows. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Good.” Annette rolled her eyes. “Made me want to grab that bottle of brandy and chugalug. Only Amit can drive me to drink.”

  Dr. Johansen interrupted. “How long have you been experiencing these feelings of…anger and frustration that makes you want to drink to drown your sorrows?”

  Millie dissolved into a fit of laughter and clutched her stomach. “No! I’m sorry Doctor Johansen. You’re here to see Cat. She’s the one who is experiencing fears and anxiety.”

  She pointed to Annette. “This is our mutual friend, Annette.”

  Dr. Johansen tilted her head and studied Annette. “I still see signs of regressive behavior you might want to address.”

  Annette frowned at the doctor while Millie swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Cat’s cabin is this way.”

  When they reached Cat’s cabin, Millie lightly tapped on the door. “Cat. It’s me, Millie.”

  No one answered so Millie knocked again, this time harder. There was still no answer. “Let me try her cell phone.” Millie fumbled in her backpack, pulled out her cellphone and dialed Cat’s number. It went to voice mail. She turned to Annette. “Now what?”

  Chapter 14

  Millie hoped Cat hadn’t intentionally changed her mind and was avoiding the doctor.

  “We can try to track her down,” Annette said. “I’ll run by the gift shop to see if she’s hiding out there or better yet, you can use your key to get inside to see if she’s hiding in the back room.”

  Millie shook her head. “Unfortunately, my master key doesn’t work in the gift shops. The shops are run by independent third p
arties and have nothing to do with the cruise line.”

  Disappointed, the trio turned to go. They made it halfway down the hall when they ran into Cat, who was hurrying toward them. “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly. “Donovan Sweeney called me to his office and I just left.”

  “We thought you bailed on us,” Annette said.

  Millie turned to Dr. Johansen. “Dr. Johansen, this is Cat Wellington.” The women shook hands and Cat led them back down the hall before opening her cabin door.

  “I’ll return in forty minutes to walk Dr. Johansen off the ship,” Millie told Cat and the doctor before the door shut behind them. She turned to Annette. “Regressive behavior,” she chuckled.

  “That’s absurd,” Annette sputtered. “I’m one of the most well-adjusted individuals I know.”

  Millie was still chuckling when they parted ways near the steps leading to the upper decks. She had decided to hang out in her cabin, not far from Cat’s, in case something came up and Cat needed her.

  She strode down the hall and spied someone in an officer’s uniform standing at the other end of the corridor. As she drew closer, Millie realized it was Captain Armati.

  She slowed her steps and stopped in front of the door.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” the captain said.

  “I’ve been busy,” Millie replied. “I’m sure you have been busy, too…busy packing.”

  “Can we discuss this privately?” Captain Armati’s eyes met Millie’s eyes. He owed her an explanation and although her pride wanted to tell him not to bother, the other part of her, her heart, told her to give him a chance to explain.

  “Yes.” She slipped her keycard in the slot and then pushed the door open. “What if someone sees you follow me into my cabin?”

  Captain Armati slowly smiled. “Millie, everyone on board the ship knows we’re an item. We’re old news.”

  “True.” She held the door and waited for him to step inside before closing the door behind him.

  He gazed around the cramped space. “I forgot how small these crew quarters were.”