Mango Chili Cruiser: A Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery (Dolphin Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 6)

by Leena Clover

  The server arrived with more drinks and a fresh platter of nachos. They decided to place their order before they filled up on the chips.

  “Do you have those pastor tacos?” Cassie asked. “I’ll have them please.”

  Meg and Gino wanted to try them too. Anna and Julie chose an assortment of shrimp and fish tacos.

  “Pastor tacos?” Anna asked. “Never heard of them.”

  “They’re out of this world, Mom.” Cassie licked her lips. “Actually, they are pork tacos, made with spit roasted pig. Kind of like shawarma, the Lebanese dish. Why don’t you taste some of mine?”

  They ended up sharing everything. The food was fresh, spicy and bursting with flavor. The sky was a blaze of red and orange after a spectacular sunset. Even though they lived on the Pacific coast, the Baja felt different.

  “Did you really take a nap after breakfast?” Cassie asked Gino. “You should have come with us on the camel safari.”

  Gino admitted he had gone to talk to his friend when sleep eluded him.

  “You mean the security guy?” Anna asked.

  “Chief Bernard,” Gino nodded. “Don’t get your hopes up, Anna. It was barely worth the trouble. I didn’t learn anything we don’t already know.”

  “What made you talk to him today?” Cassie wondered.

  Gino had noticed Millicent arguing with his buddy in the atrium. He wanted to know why.

  Every woman at the table looked at him expectantly.

  “Millicent Cummings suspects foul play.”

  “What?” Cassie burst out. “Did she say why?”

  Gino paused to take a bite of his taco. He told them Millicent was convinced that Jojo had been happy. She didn’t have a single care in the world and was looking forward to the wedding. There was no way she would have jumped of her own accord.

  “Wait a minute,” Julie said. “Aren’t we thinking this was an accident? Who said anything about suicide?”

  Cassie told them about meeting Logan earlier that day.

  “Logan said the same thing. He said Jojo was very happy. And he believes Jojo would have come to him if something was bothering her.”

  “Do you believe that?” Anna asked.

  “I do, Mom.” Cassie frowned. “Jojo and Logan were always going to end up together. Everyone thought that. Nevertheless, they were also best friends since they were kids. If Jojo had a problem, she would share it with Logan. I’m sure of that.”

  Meg had devoured her portion of the pastor tacos. She picked a piece of shrimp from Anna’s plate.

  “There are only three options here, you know. If suicide is ruled out, we’re left with accident or …”

  “Jojo was everyone’s darling!” Cassie exclaimed. “I can’t believe someone would hurt her deliberately.”

  Her face fell again as she thought of the rehearsal dinner and the bachelorette party. How had she had no inkling of what lay ahead?

  “I should have stuck with her all night long. It was the least I could do as maid of honor. But I was exhausted, Mom! And I saw Jojo was having a blast with all those other girls and I slipped away.”

  “You have to stop blaming yourself,” Anna said gently.

  “What do we do now?” Meg looked around the table. “Are you going to look into this, Anna?”

  Cassie looked at Gino. She respected his opinion, both as Anna’s current beau and a former law enforcement official.

  “This is not Dolphin Bay,” he said thoughtfully. “And we’re literally in a foreign country. I think we need to be cautious.”

  “But the security chief is your buddy,” Julie pointed out. “That has to count for something.”

  Gino sighed deeply.

  “You promised you were going to take it easy on this cruise, Anna.”

  Cassie read between the lines. Gino didn’t want Anna to risk her life again solving a murder.

  “Look around you, Gino!” Anna spoke up. “We’re in Cabo, one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. I spent the day riding a camel in the desert, snorkeling along coral reefs, and getting plenty of sun. Now I’m enjoying the best seafood I’ve ever tasted, surrounded by my friends and family. Believe it or not, I’m taking it easy!”

  Cassie was surprised to see her mother being so vocal.

  “Jojo won me over in the short time I knew her,” Anna continued. “She was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with the man she loved, raising kids. If there’s even the slightest chance someone harmed her on purpose, I want to know.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Anna,” Gino sighed. “Will you let me tag along?”

  Chapter 9

  There was a big line at the marina for the tenders. Exhausted cruisers with flagging energy waited to get back to the ship. Most of them had spent a hectic day on shore, indulging in different types of activities.

  Anna saw a man in the ship’s uniform waving them over.

  “Looks like there’s a separate line for us.”

  They didn’t waste any time climbing into the boat and were disembarking on a lower deck within minutes.

  “We’re still Jojo’s guests,” Cassie reminded them. “She made sure that people attending her wedding would be treated like royalty for the duration of the cruise.”

  They went up to Deck 6 to the atrium. Julie and Meg were going to consult one of the guest relations staff and ask about any ongoing activities on the ship.

  Anna and Cassie sat down in an alcove while Gino asked one of the security guys to locate Chief Bernard.

  “It’s kind of late,” he had warned Anna. “He might be off duty already or he might not be free.”

  “You mean he could refuse to talk to me?” Anna asked. “We won’t know unless we try.”

  Gino came back almost immediately.

  “He’s in his office and he can spare a few minutes for us.”

  Anna sprang up eagerly.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Julie and Meg came back with a few brochures.

  “There was a performance of Mamma Mia! in the theater but we missed half of it. Casablanca is playing on Deck 13 on a big screen. It will start over and keep on playing all night.”

  “Shall we go, Mom?” Meg asked eagerly.

  Casablanca had been Cassie’s favorite movie since she was nine and now it was Meg’s. Gino was also partial to it.

  “We’re going on an errand,” Cassie explained. “Why don’t you and Aunt Julie go on up and save our seats? We’ll join you soon.”

  They walked to the bank of elevators together.

  “We’re going down,” Anna said as she walked into one with Cassie and Gino.

  They descended to Deck 3 and walked down a long corridor to a door marked ‘Private’. Bernard stood outside, chewing a cigar. He ushered them into a cramped cabin. There was barely any room for a small desk and two tiny chairs. Gino decided to stand.

  “I was supposed to go off duty two hours ago,” he grumbled. “And my shift begins again in five hours. I would like to keep this brief, if possible.”

  Anna pasted a smile on her face and thanked the man.

  “Gino misses his time in the Force. How do you like working on a ship?”

  Chief Bernard gave a small shrug.

  “It’s okay, I guess. The hours are longer but so is the pay. I’m not complaining.”

  They had mutually agreed to let Gino do all the talking.

  “We talked to a few people and we think there is no way Jojo jumped from that balcony.”

  “I never said that!” Bernard spread his hands wide. “She was intoxicated and she didn’t know what she was doing. It was an accident, plain and simple.”

  “But was it really?” Cassie burst out.

  Gino gave her a warning glance and spoke to his friend.

  “Can you let us see her? Just for old times’ sake?”

  Anna saw the security chief stiffen. She could easily anticipate what he was going to say.

  “I can’t take t
hat kind of risk,” he said firmly. “There’s no way I’m taking two women passengers into the morgue.”

  “Have you seen her yourself?” Gino asked.

  Bernard nodded reluctantly. Cassie was quiet this time and Anna waited for Gino to ask the next question.

  “What can you tell us about the cause of death?”

  “It was a hundred foot drop, folks. She must have died on impact.”

  “Can you be sure of that?” Gino pressed. “Is it possible someone strangled her or stabbed her and then threw her down?”

  Bernard was losing his patience.

  “That’s a fantastic theory, Mancini. I didn’t expect a former cop to come up with a harebrained scheme like this.”

  “Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of bizarre things over the course of my career.” Gino maintained his cool. “Look, all I want to know is if there are any unexplained bruises on her body.”

  He placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder, lending some quiet support.

  Bernard pulled open a drawer and took out a manila envelope. He dropped it on the table between them.

  “We took some pictures, just in case … do I need to ask for smelling salts?”

  Gino skimmed through the pictures one by one, Cassie looking over his shoulder. Anna could feel the bile rise up in her throat. She didn’t volunteer to see the photos.

  “So?” Bernard raised his eyebrows. “Find any bullet holes or knife wounds?”

  Gino handed back the photos.

  “I think not. There’s hardly any mark on her body. Doesn’t look like anyone attacked her.”

  “So you agree it was an unfortunate accident?” The security chief was triumphant.

  He stood up, signaling the meeting was over. Anna saw Cassie was barely holding it together.

  “You have been a big help, Chief! But can I ask just one more favor?”

  Bernard frowned and Anna sensed he was going to say no.

  “We’re VIP guests, remember?” Cassie sounded languorous. “Aren’t you supposed to fulfill our every whim and fancy?”

  “Of course,” Bernard gave her a mock bow. “Anything for our special guests.”

  “Can you take us to the Empress Suite?” Anna asked quickly. “We won’t touch anything, promise.”

  “That’s a reasonable request,” Gino chimed in. “Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

  Bernard agreed mutely, ushering them out of his small office and escorting them back to the elevators. Nobody said a word as they ascended to Deck 14 and followed the security chief to the Empress Suite.

  The cavernous living space looked the same as it had the previous day. Anna spied a speck of dust on the table and realized housekeeping hadn’t come in to clean.

  “Don’t touch anything!” Bernard warned them. “We are treating this as a crime scene, in case the authorities back home decide to come in and inspect the place.”

  “But you believe it was an accident,” Gino objected.

  “I’m playing it safe,” the chief sighed. “These are powerful people. What if they pull some strings and have us investigated?”

  Anna wondered what his attitude would be if Jojo had been an ordinary person.

  “We are going to comb every inch of this place,” Gino told her. “Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.”

  They covered the grand living room and moved to the bedrooms. Cassie told them which one was Jojo’s. Anna didn’t think it mattered because neither of the beds had been slept in. A bottle of lotion was open in the master bathroom and there were some suds in the big Jacuzzi tub.

  “Jojo took a bath before the bachelorette party,” Cassie murmured. “She told me she used the special bath salts I got for her.”

  A couple of wet towels had been left on the floor and a musty odor filled the bathroom.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Anna took Cassie’s arm and led her out.

  Jojo’s wedding dress hung in the closet, along with a few cocktail dresses. An overnight bag stood ready by the door.

  “I helped her pack that, Mom.” Cassie’s eyes watered. “We added a few bikinis for the beach and a bunch of expensive lingerie. Jojo said that’s all she needed for the two nights she was going to spend in Cabo.”

  They went out to the big veranda balcony. Anna remembered how she had noticed the shoe lodged in the railing.

  “I’m going to walk along the periphery, Gino.”

  Anna stayed a foot away from the railing but kept a sharp eye on the polished wooden surface. Chief Bernard had obliged them by flipping some hidden switch that bathed the veranda in bright lights.

  The sea was inky black and the harbor lights twinkled in the distance. Faint strains of a thumping beat reached Anna’s ears, hinting at a party somewhere on shore.

  Cassie followed absently, staring down at her feet.

  “What’s this?” Anna asked sharply.

  Based on her calculations, she was near the spot where Jojo had gone down.

  Gino and the chief heard her and hurried over to her side. A small nail protruded from a joint in the railing.

  “That looks like some kind of stain,” Anna whispered.

  Gino placed an arm around her shoulders and looked at his friend. The chief stepped forward, pulling out a tiny flashlight from his pocket.

  There was a stunned silence as he examined the spot and the area surrounding it.

  “It might be blood,” he admitted reluctantly. “Good catch, Mrs. Butler.”

  Cassie was hopping on her feet, trying to get the chief’s attention.

  “There was something in those photos, near Jojo’s ankle. I remember it now.”

  Anna realized the chief had been empty handed when they came up to Deck 14. Would he agree to go back to his office to look at the photos again?

  “Fortunately, I have those pictures on my phone.” Bernard began flipping through his screen. He handed it over to Gino.

  Anna watched Gino expand the picture on the phone and glance toward the railing a couple of times.

  “Looks like there’s a scratch on her ankle, Cassie,” Gino finally spoke up. “It could have come from that nail.”

  Anna’s heart sped up. She tried to analyze this latest development.

  “Ankle?” Cassie cried. “Jojo would have to stand up there in order for that nail to be near her foot.”

  “What reason could she possibly have for doing that?” Anna asked.

  Bernard cleared his throat.

  “She was very drunk, wasn’t she? We have seen guests do some crazy things when they are under the influence.”

  Anna tried to imagine what had happened. If Jojo was really drunk, how had she managed to get up on the five foot high railing?

  “Like what?” Cassie demanded. “That railing is barely six inches wide. Are you saying she was trying to walk along it?”

  “I don’t know.” Bernard didn’t hide his frustration. “What I can say for sure is she fell to her death.”

  “She could have been pushed,” Anna ventured.

  “You can think of a dozen different scenarios but chances are, the most likely one is true. The poor girl was not in control of her senses, she tried some silly stunt, lost her balance and fell down to her death.”

  Anna thought the chief was about to give them the boot. They had tried his patience.

  “Do you at least think it’s worth looking into?” Gino asked.

  Bernard sighed, making no attempt to hide his exhaustion.

  “We’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. I am short staffed and my priority is the five hundred guests on this ship who are still alive.”

  Chapter 10

  Cassie went up to Deck 13, looking for Meg. Anna and Gino had slipped away to get some coffee. Cassie told them to come up to the movie deck when they were done. The older couple hadn’t got a chance to spend any time alone since they boarded the ship. She wondered if there was some couples only excursion the two could go on the next day.

  Meg was
happy to see her. Julie was snoozing in her chair. The atmosphere was magical and the familiar scent of buttered popcorn hung in the air. A concession stand had been set up at one end, and a man dispensed sodas and filled paper tubs with hot popcorn. A pile of candy was artfully arranged nearby.

  “Let me get some refills,” Meg offered.

  Cassie settled into a chair next to her daughter and looked up at the sky. The movie was being projected on a giant screen that seemed to hang mid air above a swimming pool. A faint glow shot up in the sky but plenty of stars were still visible. Soft chenille blankets had been thoughtfully provided with each chair. Cassie pulled it over her legs and took the big cup of soda Meg handed her. They placed the tub of popcorn on the small table between them.

  “The movie’s starting again.” Meg was bursting with energy.

  “I think you’ve had too much soda, sweetie,” Cassie teased.

  Julie suddenly woke up and stared at Cassie blankly.

  “Good. You’re here. Where’s your mother?”

  Cassie and Meg watched the movie, speaking their favorite dialogs with what was happening on the screen. Luckily, nobody complained. Almost everyone was familiar with the movie. They were just there to create memories.

  Cassie was yawning her head off by the time the credits rolled. Meg had succumbed long ago, joining Julie.

  Cassie shook both of them awake.

  “Time to go, ladies!”

  She looked up and spotted a familiar figure in one of the chairs. Millicent Cummings was the last person she expected to see on the movie deck.

  Their eyes met and the woman waved her over. Cassie had always found her pompous. Almost a decade older than Jojo, she had assumed the role of big sister. Cassie remembered how she had always been on hand to get Jojo out of scrapes and do the necessary damage control.

  “Why don’t you and Julie go ahead, Meg? I’m right behind you.”

  Meg was too sleepy to argue.

  Cassie walked over to the other woman and sat down.

  “I didn’t take you for a Casablanca fan, Milli.”

  “I’m not!” Milli gathered her silky brown hair and tied it on top of her head in a loose knot. “But Jojo always went on and on about it so I thought, why not see what the fuss is about.”