by Ava Dunne
“Or hit on us and get kicked in the nuts,” Roz added. “Metaphorically, of course.”
Sebastian dropped into the boat, taking the seat beside me, and introduced the two men who hopped on after him as Gary and Ernie. I recognized Gary as the man Geri dismissed the day she died.
The boat headed to the island, gliding through water so clear I was tempted to count fish. Looking back, I got a glimpse of a frowning Veronika still on the dock, and felt a twinge of satisfaction.
I took off my hat to hold onto it, letting the wind whip through my hair as the launch sped across the aquamarine water. It felt wonderful.
On the island, I crammed into a golf cart with Sebastian, Bassio, Gary, and Ernie, and we raced across the unpaved trail towards the resort. I caught a glimpse of a pink stone building as the cart let us off by a glorious white beach.
“The sand is as soft as silk,” I said, taking off my flip-flops and enjoying the sensation of the warmth as soft as a caress. “It doesn’t even feel like sand.”
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Sebastian agreed.
“Heavenly. I think I might actually relax today.” It would be nice to have a few hours away from passenger demands, murder, and relationship worries.
Sebastian made sure I had a seat under the umbrella, so I was in the shade. “You’ll burn otherwise,” he said. The others ranged around us, and there were plenty of musical chairs as people moved around to talk to each other. Rum punches were served (by attractive waitstaff, of course) and trays of snacks provided.
“No alcohol today?” I asked, as Roz accepted a tall glass of orange juice.
“Not today,” said Roz. “I need to regain equilibrium.” She glanced around. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention what happened.”
“Sure.”
More of the entertainment staff joined us, even the infamous Dean. Dean was a tall, good-looking man, but not extraordinary — light brown hair, classical features, hazel eyes, good build. But there was something very sexy about him. He seemed to communicate through touch — no matter with whom he spoke, there was a touch involved. Costel and Daciana showed up, along with some of their Romanian friends. I gave up trying to learn everybody’s name and determined not to worry about it. Kiki had an arm around Andrew’s waist as she talked to him. Veronika horsed around in the water with Bassio and some of the other hosts, all looking sexy and wet and like something out of a romance novel.
“Did Geri leave anything behind?” Gary asked, sitting on the sand beside my chair. He finished a beer, tossed it into a pail, and pulled another one out of a nearby cooler.
“Um, what?” I asked, warning bells going off. Had Geri blackmailed Gary, too? Did the locket belong to Gary, not Kiki? Or did he want the list?
“See, the reason I’m asking, we were supposed to get married,” said Gary.
“Married?”
“Well, Geri wasn’t convinced that was the right decision,” Gary admitted. He stared at the beer for a minute, opened it, and took a long drink. “I even dropped a word here and there, suggesting we might leave.” So that was where Rowena and the Chief got those rumors. Why I had the opportunity to work on the Charisma. “She was an amazing woman,” Gary continued. “Best woman I ever met in my life.”
“Tell me about her,” I encouraged. This was a new perspective on Geri. Maybe hearing about the positive side of her would help me understand her better.
“She was pretty. Real pretty.” Gary took a swig from his beer. “You worked with her. You know. That long brown hair. Big dark eyes. She could look at you like you were the only person in the world, y’know?”
“Yes.” I thought about the times Jack had looked at me that way. How it made me confident we could take on the world as partners. How long it had been before he dumped me since he had looked at me like that.
“She was real smart. Sometimes too smart for her own good.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was good at figuring things out. Putting two and two together, you know? She could see puzzle pieces and make them all fit. I’m not good at that.” Gary stared at the sand for a minute. “I’m more a direct guy, y’know?”
‘You know’ seems to be his favorite expression. “This has to be hard for you,” I said.
“It is,” Gary swallowed, as though blinking back tears, and then drank some more beer. “I wanted us to get off the ship. Settle down somewhere. Anywhere she wanted to, y’know? Didn’t have to be the States. Anyplace she’d be is home for me. Somebody was doing something awful to her, though, those last few weeks.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not really sure. She wouldn’t tell me.” He stared out at the ocean. “I wish she had, ‘cause I would have taken care of it. I just know she was scared.”
“Do you have any idea of whom?” I pressed.
He shook his head. “She didn’t want me to know. Probably afraid I’d lose my temper and get us both fired. I know she’d been seeing the second officer guy sometimes, but they weren’t serious.” He shook his head, drained his beer, and reached for another one. “I was serious about Geri. We were serious. We were supposed to have a life together.” He looked up at me, heartbreak etched in the lines of his face. “Someone killed her. I know it. But I can’t figure out the pieces.”
Before I could ask anything else, a shadow fell over both of us. I looked up, shading my eyes. It was Andrew. “You promised me a swim in the ocean,” he said, holding out his hand to me. “I’m collecting.”
I stripped out of my shorts and tank top down to the bikini and left the clothes on the chair. Andrew kept a tight hold of my hand as we walked to the water. I resisted the urge to look over her shoulder to check if Sebastian watched. We weren’t in high school, playing jealousy games.
“Be careful of Gary,” Andrew warned. “He’s not wrapped too tight.”
“Does he always drink so much?” I asked.
“Usually worse. He was obsessed with Geri. Thought they were going to get married.”
“She refused him?”
“Geri was a smart woman. Maybe not the nicest one, but smart. She wouldn’t tie herself to a drunk like Gary.” He gripped my hand tighter. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Yeah.”
“I shouldn’t tell you this. It’s a total breach of ethics. But I thought you should know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kristina Murray? The actress? Doc Zhao was called up to the suite last night, and I was assigned to go with him. She was bleeding.”
“Hurt?”
Andrew shook his head. “She had a miscarriage a few weeks ago. That’s why she and her husband came on the cruise.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say I know, but I caught myself in time. “That’s so sad.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t say a word. But I thought you should know, since you give her private yoga sessions, and maybe it would come up.” Andrew watched me. “Has it come up?”
“She hasn’t said anything to me about it.” I comforted myself with the fact that wasn’t a lie. Orrin Flaherty told me about it, not Kristina.
“Oh.” Andrew flushed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have, either. Maybe she wants to keep it secret.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”
Andrew smiled down at her. “I knew I could trust you. Race you!”
We plunged into the water. It was warmer than I expected, soothing and buoyant against my skin. We swam, joined by a group including Daciana, Costel, Bassio, and Lorna. Veronika and her cohorts plunged in, Sebastian and Ernie swam over, Ewan appeared on shore and tossed a volleyball into the water, and soon we had an impromptu game remotely resembling water polo.
My team included Sebastian, Ernie, Veronika, and Kiki. Veronika and Kiki worked as a well-coordinated team, yet never hesitated to pass to me at the appropriate moment. In light of my distrust of both women and their competitiveness, I was surprised by their generosity to a female teammate. I wan
ted to find a minute to ask Kiki about the locket, and tried to work my way closer to her. Then Costel dashed to Veronika, as she struck out for the ball, and undid the top of her bikini. It floated away; undistracted, she regained custody of the ball, got it up to Kiki, who scored on Bassio in the opposite goal.
Costel grabbed the tiny piece of fabric and waved it at Veronika. She snatched it out of his hand. “You have to do better than that to distract me from what I want,” she said. She placed it over her breasts and turned her back to me, so I could retie it.
“Knots they can’t get undone,” I promised.
Veronika threw a smile over one shoulder. “Don’t make it too difficult to get out of,” she purred. “That’s part of the fun.”
I felt my face flame. The ball headed back our way, and I was glad for the excuse to chase after it. I felt strong and sure in the water, enjoying the ocean. The ball was just beyond my grasp; but a few more strokes, and I’d have it.
Something wrapped around my ankle and jerked me down. I kicked. A hard downward yank was the response. I gulped in a lungful of air before I was forced below the surface. I opened my eyes under water, trying to figure out what caught me, but a jab in my back prevented me from turning around or doubling over to release myself. Down, down, down. I saw the water’s surface receding. My lungs started to hurt. I had to exhale, soon. But there was nothing but water to inhale.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I saw someone swimming toward me and resumed struggling.
The swimmer reached me, grabbing under my arms. The swimmer pulled, I kicked, and we rose up, breaking through the water. I gasped, choked, and leaned against the person who’d come after me. Sebastian.
“What happened?” He asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure. Yeah.” I gave another cough and looked around. “I must have gotten caught on something. It felt like something grabbed my leg and dragged me down, but it’s not like these waters have giant squid monsters or anything. . .do they?”
“I’ve never seen any,” said Sebastian. “There are lots of bottle-nosed dolphins and sea turtles, but neither of them would grab you and drag you down.”
I shivered, treading water. “I couldn’t tell what it was, which is weird, because the water’s so clear.”
A long, pale blue band popped up to the surface. “What’s that?” Sebastian asked, moving towards it.
“It looks like one of the resistance bands from the yoga studio,” I said. “But what is it doing here? I didn’t bring anything from work.”
“Wait here.” Sebastian draped the band across my shoulders and dived. I stayed where I was, floating. A minute or two passed, and he broke the surface nearby. “I didn’t see anything you could have gotten caught on. When I grabbed you, it felt like you were being pulled away from me.”
“That’s what it felt like to me, too. How’d you know I was in trouble?”
“Harmonia.” Sebastian gestured to the shore. A familiar figure stood, ankle-deep, in the water, holding her skirt above the waves.
“She’s supposed to be with the guests.”
“She came tearing over saying something was wrong. The ball was back in play, I don’t know how it got tossed back towards us, but you were gone. I dived where I last saw you. You were moving away from me, downwards, but your body blocked my sight lines. I couldn’t see what pulled you.”
“I don’t know what happened,” I said. “ Let’s not make a big deal about it, okay?”
“For the moment. But it is a big deal,” said Sebastian. “Ready to head back?”
“Yeah. Sure. I feel like an idiot. Like I ruined everybody’s fun.”
“You didn’t,” Sebastian assured.
He swam beside me back to shore, matching me stroke for stroke. I checked over my shoulder and down into the clear water, wondering what could have grabbed me. The thought occurred to me that maybe it wasn’t a pile of seaweed or an underwater monster, but a human. One who wanted me to meet the same fate as Geri.
“Are you okay?” Harmonia dropped the hem of her skirt into the water and enveloped me in a hug.
“Yes, thanks, but how did you know?”
“I’m in the middle of a reading, and suddenly I felt like I was drowning,” Harmonia replied. “Like I was under the water with you. I could see you, but I couldn’t reach you.”
“You ran out on your reading? Won’t you get into trouble?”
“I was reading Stella Orsini,” said Harmonia. “She jumped into the golf cart with me and drove me over.”
Stella, looking gorgeous in black capris and a turquoise tank top, joined us. “When Harmonia turned chalk-white, I was afraid she’d seen my death.” Stella grimaced. “Or maybe Bartholomew’s. He’s back on the ship with food poisoning, and I thought maybe he’d taken a fatal turn.”
“I’m so sorry,” Harmonia and I said together.
“I’m sorry you were in trouble.” Stella gave a long exhale. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Really, it’s not that big a deal,” I insisted. I felt the warmth from Sebastian’s body as he stood behind me. I sensed him swallow a protest.
“You and I both know that’s crap, but we’ll discuss it later,” said Harmonia. “Stella and I better get back to the other guests, or I’ll be written up.”
“Xerses is a master of illusion,” Stella reminded her. “Let him do his thing with smoke, mirrors, and those sexy hips, and they won’t even notice we’re gone.” She gave a little laugh. “If I wasn’t married to Bartholomew and so crazy about him, I’d take a tumble with Xerses, fraternization rules be damned.”
Harmonia gave me another hug. “Tonight. Cocktails. I insist. Or I’ll knock your door down.”
“It’s a date,” I promised.
Harmonia climbed into the passenger side of the golf cart. Stella slid into the driver’s side and they took off.
“Let’s get you settled back in your chair,” said Sebastian.
“I’m not an invalid,” I protested. “Like I said, I want this kept low-key.”
Sebastian frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing. Later. Thank you.” I walked past him, and looked at everyone assembled on the beach. “Sorry. I got tangled up in something. Seaweed, maybe? A leftover net? I’m okay. Sorry, sorry, sorry.” I returned to my chair.
“If you’re sure?” Ewan asked, materializing beside me.
“Positive.” I looked around for Andrew, but didn’t see him.
“I remembered who told me you were Geri’s shore contact,” Ewan continued, in a low tone.
“Who?”
“Kiki.”
“I don’t even know her. Why would she think that?”
“I don’t know.” Before Ewan could say more, Daciana and her friends swept him up, headed for the water.
“That’s one way to try get Sebastian’s attention,” Veronika commented, walking past. “He loves a damsel in distress.”
“It wasn’t a ploy,” I shot back.
“If you say so.” Veronika joined a group the included Nicolette and Kiki. I needed to find a way to corner Kiki for two reasons now: the locket and the rumor.
“Girl, what was that all about?” Roz handed me a margarita.
“I don’t know.” I accepted the drink, took a long sip, and leaned back in my chair. “It was bizarre.”
“Think it was intentional?”
“Um—” I didn’t want to get into it. “What do you mean?”
“You’re getting a lot of attention from a lot of men on this cruise. Maybe one of them wanted to play the hero.”
I followed Roz’s gaze to Sebastian. “You think Sebastian set this up so he could rescue me?”
Roz shrugged. “I’d consider it, if I were you.”
I closed my eyes. “The only thing I want to think about right now is this margarita.” I waited a few beats. “Roz?”
“Yes?”
“How do you know so much about jewelry?”
&nbs
p; “I like pretty things. I’ve always had a yen for jewelry. Took a class to learn how to make it in college. The crossroads was I could either spend my time manning booths at fairs or go to auditions. I chose auditions and got hired. I like the best of everything. Champagne, diamonds. It’s not a coincidence that I ended up on the Diamond Line.”
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully. I lost my confidence about the water, and, after that initial margarita, switched to non-alcoholic iced tea. Sebastian, Ernie, and Kiki got into a competitive game of Frisbee. Lorna had gotten her hands on a copy of Backstage and started reading casting notices out loud, to which Roz and London gave withering commentary about the production teams and the possible casting. I let it all wash over me, listening, trying not to think. At one point, I opened my eyes and saw Veronika and Dean, lying on the sand together, nose-to-nose, in intense conversation. I looked around again. Andrew laughed with Daciana and her friends.
Eventually, I wandered inside the pink stucco resort building to use the rest room. It was large, high-ceilinged, and air conditioned. I washed my hands, splashed water on my face, and shivered, not sure if it was from the air conditioning or because I suspected someone tried to kill me.
I exited the ladies’ room and smelled rosemary. Was my attacker close? Could I follow the scent and confront him? Was he the one who tried to drown me? Slowly, so as not to startle anyone, I pushed open the door to the men’s room. Empty. Good. Anything else would have been hard to explain. I turned the wrong way. Instead taking the small hallway back into the large, airy lobby that reminded me of something out of a plantation film set, I followed the scent down a much longer hallway.
An attractive couple, smelling of suntan lotion and sex rounded a corner, coming towards me. They held hands and laughed, swinging their hands over my head, not losing their grasp. Once they passed, the rosemary aroma was smothered. I was about to turn around and head back the other way when I heard voices. Familiar voices.
One of them was Sebastian’s.
Was he my attacker? Was Roz right?
I slowed my steps and approached the next corner. Careful to remain concealed, I peered around the edge of the wall.