by Ivy Dawson
“It’s in the past,” Vanessa said charitably, waving her hand dismissively. “Although you might want to fire her. She obviously has other priorities. It will only cost you business, mark my words.”
“Thank you for your honest feedback,” Shae commented. “What about the main deck? Did you enjoy the pool?”
“I didn’t spend much time at the pool,” Vanessa admitted. “I’m not one for swimming.”
“Why?” Shae asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you afraid of water?”
“What?” Vanessa scoffed, looking at Shae as if she was joking. “Why would I come on a cruise if I was afraid of water?”
“What about old friends?” Captain Tim asked. “Did you manage to catch up with them?”
“I came alone,” Vanessa said, looking confused. “I don’t know anyone here.”
“You came alone,” Shae agreed, “but you know some people on the ship. Or at least, you knew one person in particular.”
“What are you talking about?” Vanessa asked in frustration. “I’m sorry, but if this continues, then I’ll be forced to make a note of it in my article.”
“Will you write about Nova Ashcroft’s murder too?” Shae asked curiously.
Vanessa flinched in shock, and quickly smoothed her skirt. She didn’t say anything and pursed her lips together. Her eyes flickered over to each person in front of her, but she found no sympathy.
“I didn’t know she died,” Vanessa said smoothly, clearing her throat slightly as she finished speaking. Captain Tim quickly made another note, while Mark tapped his notebook impatiently.
“She was murdered,” Shae explained, “on the main deck. Someone stabbed her, then they pushed her into the pool.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Vanessa said, crossing her legs again, and tucking her hair behind her ears before untucking it again.
“Did you enjoy the clubs onboard?” Mark asked suddenly. Vanessa blinked in surprise and asked him to repeat the question. “The clubs,” he prompted, “were they satisfactory?”
“Yes,” Vanessa coughed, “they were. Thank you.”
“I noticed you especially enjoyed Old Sport,” Shae mentioned, referring to the 1920’s themed club. “I saw you there yesterday.”
“It was lovely,” Vanessa agreed, frowning and looking down at her tablet. She fidgeted with a few settings as they spoke.
“It’s right across from a wonderful restaurant,” Mark said, “I don’t know if you saw it. It’s called Vida Vita, the chef there is truly gifted.”
“I had dinner there on my first night,” Vanessa said with a relieved smile. “I enjoyed his seafood platter. Please give him my compliments.”
“You know, Nova and her husband also ate there that night,” Shae told her. Vanessa took a sharp breath but didn’t say anything. “Did you manage to catch up?”
“I really don’t know the Ashcrofts that well,” Vanessa said, shifting uncomfortably in her place. “I didn’t even know they were onboard.”
“Until you saw them that night,” Shae said, watching Vanessa carefully, “but you didn’t approach them. I bet you must’ve been really angry. You’re on a nice vacation, and there they are. Shouting at each other while you’re trying to eat your dinner.”
“I didn’t really notice,” Vanessa shrugged, her eyes darting around the room.
“How could you miss them?” Shae asked incredulously. “Everyone says that they were making a scene. And you once spent quite a bit of time with Nova. Didn’t you spend a weekend with her? To write that article for Business Weekly?”
“That was such a long time ago,” Vanessa chuckled unnaturally. “I don’t even remember what I wrote.”
“Oh,” Shae said in surprise, “well then, this should jog your memory. ‘Mrs. Ashcroft is far from a competent businesswoman. She relies on an array of savvy managers and a long-suffering husband. She hardly knows which way is up, and probably wouldn’t know how to get dressed if it weren’t for the ever-present Mr. Ashcroft.’ Those are unforgettable words, Vanessa.”
“I’d say so,” Captain Tim nodded. “It sounds like you didn’t like her much.”
“And Nova didn’t like you very much,” Shae reminded her. “Remember? She called Business Weekly and made them fire you. That was your last stable job, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know, I mean, I don’t understand,” Vanessa mumbled and shook her head.
“You saw her,” Shae said, “but you didn’t want her to see you. Maybe you were scared, or embarrassed. And then, you came out of the club. You were drunk, she was alone and scared.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vanessa said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.
“The club is just a few feet away from the main deck,” Mark said, “and we’ve got a witness who saw you leaving around midnight. It’s not that hard. When you leave the club, you just walk around a corner and then you’re outside. I bet it was deserted around that time.”
“It must’ve happened quickly,” Shae said thoughtfully. “My question is, why were you carrying a knife?”
“I didn’t,” Vanessa tried again, but Captain Tim interrupted her.
“Don’t deny it,” he said severely. “We’re going to search your cabin after this. You might’ve gotten rid of the weapon, but you can’t erase everything. Stabbing someone causes a mess. There’s blood somewhere, and we’re going to find it.”
“You found her,” Shae repeated. “She was alone and scared. You wanted revenge. It was perfect. Did you plan it? When you saw her in the restaurant? Is that where you got the knife?”
“No,” Vanessa shook her head.
“Then you pushed her into the pool,” Shae said, standing up and towering over Vanessa. “You knew she was terrified. And you wanted to make her suffer.”
“I didn’t,” Vanessa shook her head vigorously and put her head in her hands. “I didn’t mean to hurt her! I just wanted her to say sorry! I didn’t want to kill her!”
“But you did,” Shae said unsympathetically, “and now she’s dead.”
“Did you get it?” Captain Tim asked, looking over at Mark.
Mark nodded and held up his phone. Vanessa looked between them again and shook her head. Tears started flowing down her face and she put her head in her hands, rocking herself back and forth.
“I guess that jail cell is going to come in handy,” Shae commented.
“It always does,” Captain Tim sighed.
A few days later, Alexa watched as Shae lay on her belly on the street corner to get the perfect shot of the street art.
“You’re embarrassing me,” Alexa complained, nudging Shae with her foot.
“I’m sorry,” Shae said insincerely, “but this is what I need to do to get this shot.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Alexa said with a laugh, as Shae got up and started wiping the dust off herself. “Although, this isn’t what I thought you meant by sightseeing.”
“I need this,” Shae insisted. “I’ve been taking pictures of tourists all week. This is good for my artistic soul.”
“Whatever,” Alexa scoffed, and Shae took a quick picture of her. Alexa protested laughingly and Shae snapped another candid shot. “How does it feel to be a regular photographer again?”
“It’s okay, I guess,” Shae shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.”
“Well, you’ve had an eventful first week,” Alexa pointed out. “What did they end up doing with Vanessa? I’ve been so busy; I didn’t even get a chance to ask.”
“Grant arranged for her to be flown back home so that they can prosecute her. Poor guy, it’s going to take a lot for him to get over what happened.”
“Harry couldn’t be happier though,” Alexa scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I saw him on the main deck again. How many books did he bring with him?”
“A whole suitcase full probably,” Shae said, shaking her head and quickly focusing on a street performer
.
“He’s going to look like a lobster by the end of the month,” Alexa commented. “I can’t believe Grant gave him the rest of the vacation. I guess he wasn’t that bad in the end.”
“He was pretty bad,” Shae pointed out. “He forced Nova to come on the cruise.”
“I know,” Alexa sighed. “I think he wanted to punish her for freezing him out like she did. I mean, I understand why she did it. If someone wrote an article like that about me, I’d also want to prove my worth.”
“He didn’t realize that he was suffocating her,” Shae commented. “If he had just taken a step back and asked her what was going on, maybe things would’ve been different.”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t be taking his wife’s murderer to trial.” Alexa ran a hand through her hair and frowned suddenly. “Hey, do you think they’ll be able to prosecute her without the murder weapon?”
“It was clever of her to throw the knife overboard,” Shae said begrudgingly, “but she confessed. And there was some blood evidence. She obviously tried to wash it off her hands but didn’t clean the sink properly.”
“Thank goodness for modern science,” Alexa said gratefully. “I guess they won’t need the knife after all.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Shae said. They walked for a while in companionable silence as they took in the sights of Buenos Aires.
“Did you enjoy it?” Alexa asked eventually. “The investigation, I mean.”
Shae didn’t answer immediately. She polished her lens carefully as she stared up at an old building. It was beautiful, and it was obvious that someone took good care of it. It was important to preserve history. She noticed a woman in a red dress walking down the stairs, and quickly took a picture.
“I didn’t think I could do it,” Shae admitted, examining the picture carefully, “and in the end, I needed all the help I could get.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Alexa pointed out. “I want to know if you enjoyed it.”
“I did,” Shae said slowly. “I’m sad that Nova died. I would’ve preferred it if that didn’t happen. But the chase was thrilling.”
“I think you loved it,” Alexa said mischievously. “You needed something like this. Not the murder, but the investigation. You looked like you were right in your element. It was wonderful seeing that. You haven’t been yourself in a long time.”
“How would you know?” Shae asked with a laugh. “I’ve always been the way I am now.”
“No,” Alexa said with a fond smile. “You’ve been holding back for so long. I think you’re still holding back, but a little adventure is going to help you let go.”
“Let go of what?” Shae asked in amusement.
“I don’t know,” Alexa said, shrugging. “You’ve never told me what it is. But I can see a difference in you. It’s like you’re more you. If that makes sense?”
“No,” Shae told her, teasing her lightly, “it doesn’t. Don’t worry, I’m used to you not making much sense.”
“You’re horrible,” Alexa teased.
“You know it,” Shae said with a big smile. “Come on. I need a model for my pictures.”
“Finally,” Alexa said in excitement. She ran down the street and did a silly turn. She nearly lost her footing but managed to straighten herself in time. She looked to where Shae was, and Shae caught that second of surprise and laughter in a quick picture.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Murder on Board! Please look out for book 2, which will be available soon!
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