Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7)
Page 13
“Good.” Millie slid off the bed, grateful she was still wearing her clothes and not a hospital gown.
“You can leave on one condition.” Doctor Gundervan followed her to the waiting room. “That you stop back sometime later today for a quick check-up.”
“Will do.” Millie reached for the door handle.
“Maybe now Captain Armati will stop calling down here every fifteen minutes to find out how you’re doing,” the doctor joked as he opened the door.
Millie turned a tinge of pink and automatically reached for the necklace, which was gone. “My necklace!” she gasped.
“Your necklace is safe and sound,” the doctor said. “It’s in a small envelope on my desk.”
Millie stepped into the waiting room, her eyes automatically scanning the desk. She picked up a white envelope sitting on the side, flipped the flap and reached inside.
Andy sprang out of his chair. “Ready for me to walk you home so you can get a few hours shut eye before turnaround day?”
“More than ready,” Millie nodded as she waited for Andy to open the door and they stepped into the hall. She couldn’t wait to talk to Patterson, to get his take on Hazelle’s arrest.
Chapter 25
Early the next morning, Millie made a beeline for Patterson’s office where he shared Hazelle’s confession with her.
He told her as soon as the customs’ agents gave Siren of the Seas the all clear, the Miami authorities, who were waiting on the dock, would board the ship and escort Hazelle off.
“You’ll need to keep your radio on today. The authorities will want a written statement from you,” Patterson said.
When the full story unfolded, Hazelle admitted she had dated Marcus after he and Paloma had broken up. After the breakup, Paloma had started dating Luigi Falco. When Hazelle inadvertently discovered Paloma was pregnant, she wasn’t certain if the child belonged to Marcus or Luigi; although Paloma had insisted the baby belonged to Luigi.
Hazelle believed if Marcus found out about Paloma’s pregnancy, he would dump her and try to get Paloma back, so she hatched a plan to set Paloma up by murdering her boyfriend and making it look as if Paloma had done it.
Although Hazelle knew about Andy’s arrest, she figured the charges wouldn’t stick and the next person the investigators would turn to would be Paloma. She had convinced Paloma the authorities were close to arresting her and then pointed out in their culture an unmarried pregnant woman was a shame to her family and what was even worse was that the baby’s father was a married man.
When the authorities began questioning Hazelle, she ramped up her plan, writing a fake note Luigi had supposedly written to Paloma before his death.
She convinced Paloma the only solution was to commit suicide by jumping off the side of the ship, figuring the authorities would close the investigation after Hazelle told them right before Paloma’s death, she’d confessed to her cabin mate and friend that she’d killed Luigi.
It was a foolproof plan until Millie started snooping around. Hazelle panicked, deciding Millie knew too much so she stole a passenger’s power strip. She created a fire hazard at the back of the karaoke stage in an attempt to take Millie out.
Patterson continued. “We weren’t far behind you in figuring out Hazelle had something to do with Luigi Falco’s murder.”
“So Paloma never suspected Hazelle of killing Luigi?” Millie asked.
“Nope. She’d pulled the wool over the woman’s eyes.” Patterson shook his head. “You never know about someone, not even when you live together.”
Millie couldn’t agree more. She thought about her ex-husband, Roger. “You’re right. You can live with someone for years and never really know them.”
Patterson eased out of his chair and followed Millie to the door. “There’s one more thing. Hazelle confessed to attempting to blackmail an officer of this ship, claiming sexual harassment.”
Millie stopped in her tracks. Her blood ran cold. “Captain Armati.”
“You didn’t hear that from me,” Patterson said. “The matter was under preliminary investigation, but now that Hazelle has admitted it wasn’t true, the case will be closed.”
“So Hazelle tried to blackmail Captain Armati and when it didn’t work, she reported he was harassing her.”
Patterson nodded. “He wanted to spare the crew having to go through the entire investigation process. Sexual harassment is a very serious charge.”
“But now that she’s admitted it’s not true and has admitted to killing Falco, Captain Armati can remain on board Siren of the Seas.”
Patterson shrugged. “It’s out of our hands, Millie. Now we’ll just have to wait to see what happens.”
She glanced at her watch. “I better head upstairs to meet Andy on the gangway. It’s time to bid adieu to the passengers. Out with the old and in with the new.” Millie wandered out of Patterson’s office and strode down the hall.
It was no wonder Captain Armati, Nic, didn’t want to tell her the whole reason for his transfer request. She remembered how he’d told her he’d submitted another request, asking to remain on board Siren of the Seas.
If only Captain Armati had trusted her enough to tell her, she would’ve done whatever she could to help. Maybe he had been trying to protect her.
It was too late now. The captain’s…and Millie’s, future was in someone else’s hands.
***
Millie stood next to Andy on deck five and glanced at the karaoke stage behind them. “You owe me one.”
“One what?” Andy smiled. “An extra hour off?” He snapped his fingers. “Tell you what. Remember how much you enjoyed your acupuncture session with Dr. Chow? I’ll buy you a month of sessions.”
Millie punched her boss in the arm. “That is not funny.”
“I could have you swap your karaoke for Danielle’s Teen Scene.”
“You’re kidding,” Millie groaned.
“I am.” Andy squeezed Millie’s arm. “I do owe you one, though. I have a surprise. Meet me in the galley in an hour.”
Millie attempted to wheedle the surprise out of Andy but he was tight-lipped and refused to give her a single clue.
After the last passenger had dinged their keycard and exited the ship, Millie ran up to the deli to grab a creamy pesto Panini sandwich the kitchen crew had added to the menu. She carried the sandwich, along with a bag of potato chips, to the corner table.
Cat was there eating her lunch and Millie settled into the seat across from her.
Millie opened the bag of chips and dumped several on the side of her plate. “I haven’t seen much of you the last couple of days.”
“You’ve been busy.” Cat picked up her piece of cheese pizza and bit the end. “I visited you down in medical after Hazelle took you out, but had to leave before you came to.” She pointed to Millie’s neck. “She gotcha good.”
Millie instinctively reached up and touched the tender spot on the side of her neck. She had attempted to hide the bruises with an extra layer of foundation but there was still a visible spot.
The women chatted about Paloma’s unfortunate predicament and Millie said a silent prayer for the young woman. It was a tough spot to be in and she hoped her family would accept her with open arms. She couldn’t imagine being alone and pregnant.
Millie changed the subject. “Andy said he has a surprise for me,” she said as she picked up her sandwich and nibbled the edge.
“Yep.” Cat grinned. “I heard.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“Uh-huh, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” Cat made a zipping motion across her lips. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Cat’s demeanor was relaxed and Millie noticed the pinched expression on her face was gone. “How are you doing, Cat? Do you think Dr. Johansen’s visit helped?”
“Yes.” Cat nodded. “She gave me some great advice about visualizing myself leaving the ship, doing something that made me happy and then visualizing myself returning to the ship.
I think it has helped and I’m ready to get off the ship on our next port stop in St. Thomas to prove to myself I can do it.”
Cat twirled her straw inside her drink glass. “I visualized you, me and Annette relaxing on a white, sandy beach, soaking up the sun and snorkeling in the crystal clear Caribbean water.”
Millie reached for a chip. “Would you like to do that Cat? We can arrange for the day to be a fun one, an island adventure, just the three amigas hanging out.”
“You’re always busy,” Cat said. “So is Annette. I don’t want to intrude on your free time.”
Millie’s heart sank at Cat’s words, that she was so busy she didn’t have time for her. If she thought about it, the only time she made a point to spend time with her friends was when she needed help during an investigation. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Cat, but it’s not true! In fact, we’re going to plan our grand adventure. It’s high time us girls kicked back and did something fun,” Millie vowed.
“I…it would mean a lot to me,” Cat simply replied and then glanced at her watch. “We better get going or you’ll be late for your surprise.”
They hurriedly finished their food and carried their dirty dishes to the bin near the exit. “You’re going too?” Millie asked as Cat trailed behind her and they made their way past the deserted pool area to the other side of the ship.
It always struck Millie as odd to see the ship passenger-less, with only the crew on board. It wouldn’t be long before the place would be packed with excited vacationers, smiles on their faces, and children racing back and forth across the lido deck.
The ship had recently added small slides and a second splash pool with mushroom-shaped waterfalls. They had even added a toddler zone, now one of the most popular areas on board the ship.
When they reached the stairs on the other side of the pool area, the women descended several flights until they reached deck seven. “Am I going to like my surprise?” Millie asked as she held the door for Cat.
“I hope so,” Cat said. When they got close to the galley, Cat hurried ahead and blocked the entrance. “Let me make sure everything is in place. Stay here.” She disappeared through the swinging door and emerged moments later. “They’re ready for you.”
Millie didn’t have time to wonder who “they” were as Cat pushed the door open and motioned her friend inside.
Chapter 26
“Surprise!” Loud voices echoed inside the galley.
Annette, Amit, Danielle, Donovan Sweeney, Dave Patterson, Nikki Tan, Felix, Alison, Doctor Gundervan, Andy, and last but not least, Captain Armati stood lined up behind the counter. On top of the counter was a large sheet cake.
Millie’s mouth dropped open. “What is this?” It wasn’t her birthday, not yet. She made her way over to the counter and stared at the writing on top of the cake, Congratulations.
“Congratulations for what?” Millie looked up, a bewildered expression on her face.
“You made it. You finished your first contract,” Andy broke from the group and made his way around the counter to stand next to Millie. “Eight months, Millie. You’ve been on this ship for eight months.”
“No way!” Millie shook her head. “I have?”
“We’ve put up with you and your snooping for eight long months,” Patterson teased.
“Which started on day one,” Donovan Sweeney added.
“But we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Captain Armati said. “You’ve brought us excitement, adventure…”
“Trouble,” Annette quipped.
Laughter erupted and the tips of Millie’s ears burned. “Thank you, I think.”
Andy cleared his throat and reached into his front pocket, pulling out a sheet of paper. “Without further ado.” He unfolded the paper and handed it to Millie. “This is an offer for you to return to Siren of the Seas for another contract, right after your break.”
“Break?” Millie shook her head and then it dawned on her. “It’s time to go home.”
“Yes. It’s time to take a break, time to go home and see your family…your other family,” Donovan Sweeney said. “Where you can relax and have a little peace and quiet.”
“And us, too,” Patterson quipped.
Millie took the piece of paper from Andy and stared at the words. “When do I leave? With everything that has gone on, I lost track of time.”
“Next week,” Captain Armati said softly. “You leave next week.”
Which was the exact time Captain Armati was leaving, except he wasn’t going on vacation and coming back.
Millie had seven days to pack, to prepare for her trip home, to say good-bye to the love of her life…
“Well?” Annette prompted.
“Well what?” Millie placed the sheet on the counter and gazed at her friend.
“Are you going to come back or have you had enough?”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Millie said. “I’ll be back, so don’t even think about replacing me.”
Captain Armati placed an arm around Millie’s shoulder. “We’ll all be back on board Siren of the Seas, one way or another.”
The end.
The series continues. Look for book #8, coming soon…
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Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Box Set (Books 1-3)
Starboard Secrets: Book 1
Portside Peril: Book 2
Lethal Lobster: Book 3
Deadly Deception: Book 4
Vanishing Vacationers: Book 5
Cruise Control: Book 6
Killer Karaoke: Book 7
Book 8-Coming Soon!
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Hope Callaghan is an author who loves to write Christian books, especially Christian Mystery and Cozy Mystery books. She has written more than 45 mystery books (and counting) in five series.
Born and raised in a small town in West Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her husband.
She is the proud mother of one daughter and a stepdaughter and stepson. When she's not doing the thing she loves best - writing books - she enjoys cooking, traveling and reading books.
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Creamy Pesto Panini Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Creamy Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil, packed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 ounces cream cheese (whipped works best)
For the Panini Sandwich Recipe:
8 slices sour dough bread
Softened butter
16 slices thinly sliced smoked turkey
12 slices cooked bacon
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and pulled apart (optional)
Directions:
-Preheat a Panini press to 300 degrees F. Add the ingredients for the creamy pesto to a food processor. Puree until smooth.
-Butter one side of the slices of bread. Flip them over and spread the creamy pesto on the opposite side.
-Place 4 slices, butter side down, on the Panini press. Layer each slice (the side with the creamy pest
o) with a small handful of artichokes leaves, 4 pieces of smoked turkey, 3 slices of bacon, and a handful of mozzarella cheese. Place the other slice of bread on top, butter side up.
-Close the Panini press and grill for 3-5 minutes.
-Serve warm.
*4 Servings
(You could also substitute a few green olives for the salt.)