by Debby Mayne
“You know my wife is crazy, right?” His eyes had taken on a creepy glow, so if I hadn’t been scared to begin with, I was now.
As it was, nothing came out of my mouth when I opened it. Well, nothing but a squeak.
“I want you to stay away from her unless I’m around.”
I swallowed hard and managed a slight grunt. “Uh …”
“If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.”
“Okay.” I glanced at the door, wishing he’d leave. The very thought of what he might do next had me sweating.
He lifted his hands in the air and let them flop back to his sides. “You are obviously clueless.”
“About what?”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about. You don’t even know what’s right in front of you.” He took a step backward toward the door. “Let’s keep it that way, shall we?”
Again, I swallowed, hoping to catch my breath but knowing that wouldn’t happen until he was gone. Once again, I mentally beat myself up, reminding myself once again that I should have listened to Mama about inviting Summer. She’d know exactly what to do, and Harvey wouldn’t stand a chance.
Harvey finally decided to give up on whatever he was trying to intimidate me with. “You’d better do as I said,” he reminded me. “Don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll regret it.”
I nodded as I made a mental note to stay as far away from him and his wife as humanly possible on this ship. He locked gazes with me one last time before he turned and left, pulling the door closed behind him.
As soon as my legs stopped wobbling, I ran to the door and locked it again, although I wondered why I bothered with that since I kept opening it to people. And then I sank to the floor and buried my face in my hands. I was more than twice as tense and anxious as I was when I started the cruise, and we weren’t even one-third of the way finished with it.
I remained sitting on the floor as I pondered what to do next. It took a while, but I finally came to a conclusion. Since this cruise wasn’t giving me what I needed, I’d find a way to go home early. In the meantime, I’d avoid other people and get as much rest as possible. A settling feeling came over me as I realized how relaxing being home in my own apartment would be, without the obligations of work and everyday life. A stay-cation was exactly what I needed. Too bad I hadn’t figured that out before spending all my money on this trip.
With my mind made up, I changed into a fresh outfit and went out for a stroll on the deck to clear my mind. A few more people were out—mostly couples strolling hand in hand, looking as though they didn’t have a care in the world. I wondered whether or not they knew about the attempted murder and eventually figured they didn’t … or they wouldn’t be out and about looking as though nothing mattered.
I was scheduled for early dinner seating, but I decided to have my food delivered to my cabin instead. So I went to the desk to request that. The woman shook her head. “Unfortunately, it’s too late, and we’re short staffed on this cruise.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“Can you tell me who else is at my table?”
“Sure, let me pull that up.” After she read off the list of the names, I figured it would be fine since I didn’t know any of them.
I went back to my cabin to wait until time to go. I put on something a little bit nicer but avoided anything with too much color since I wanted to blend in.
I approached the dining room with some trepidation, hoping I wouldn’t see Harvey and Judith. Fortunately, everyone at my table had a friendly face, and I didn’t see any of the people I wanted to avoid.
The food was delicious. Friends back home had warned me that it was easy to overindulge, so I ordered half portions of a couple of courses and skipped some of the offerings.
“Go ahead and have some more.” The woman next to me leaned over and gave me an earnest look. “It doesn’t cost extra unless you order mixed drinks.”
“I know, but I don’t want to be stuffed.”
The man she was with—the guy I assumed was her husband—laughed. “We blew our budget to come on this cruise, so I told Amanda to gorge herself since we’ll probably starve after we get home.”
His wife nodded and made a face. “Our grocery budget is shot for the next year … or more.”
This drew laughter from everyone around the table as they nodded their understanding. I smiled to be polite, but I still didn’t want to eat too much. I had some planning to do later, after I got back to my room.
“I could never do what you’re doing,” Amanda said.
I tilted my head. “What’s that?”
“Go on a cruise all by myself.” She grimaced. “It seems scary.”
Her husband lifted his chin and puffed out his chest. “She needs a big, strong bodyguard to protect her.” He jutted his chin a couple of inches. “And that’s where I come in.”
“Yeah, James has always been such a good protector. We started dating back in high school, after some guys acted like jerks to me. After we got together, no one ever did that again.” She reached out and took his hand. “And now I would never go anywhere without him.”
The other women at the table agreed with Amanda, but the only other single person at the table, a guy who appeared slightly older than me, wearing a suit and an extra skinny tie grinned at me. “I think it says a lot for Autumn to do this all alone. I like strong women.”
I wasn’t sure if he was coming to my defense to be kind or if he was flirting with me. He seemed nice, but I totally wasn’t interested in him. His expression let me know he had other thoughts.
James lifted a finger. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t the two of you get together? That way, you don’t have to—” He jumped as though Amanda might have kicked him under the table. He gave her a pained look. “I’m just sayin’.”
“If they want to get together, it’s up to them, sweetie.” Amanda cast an understanding glance in my direction before turning back to her husband. “It’s not our place to match make. We’re on our honeymoon.”
That started a whole new conversation about why they’d want to dine with so many other people while honeymooning. “If I were you, I’d stay in my cabin and have room service,” one of the other men said.
Conversation throughout the rest of dinner continued along the same lines, so I was glad when it was time for dessert. I requested a single scoop of sherbet just to keep anyone from thinking I was being antisocial or dieting. I finished half of it before excusing myself and heading back to my cabin.
I’d no sooner shut the door and locked it when I heard a knock. My heart jumped, and my stomach lurched.
“Autumn, I know you’re in there. It’s me, Judith. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
Harvey’s warning rang in my head. I didn’t want to open the door, but she sounded desperate.
Chapter 7
After a moment of gut-clenching trepidation, I slowly opened the door and let Judith in. The look on her face was completely different from the last time I saw her. Instead of a playful expression, she was wild-eyed and flushed.
“You need to stay away from my husband.” The words tumbled out of her mouth so quickly it took a few seconds to register.
“I—”
She held up her hands to stop me. “I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong.” A snort escaped as she continued. “After all, you’re a beautiful young woman, and he’s a dried up old has-been, so I don’t think you’re after anything of his. He doesn’t even have a big bank account to offer someone like you.”
This was just weird. I had no idea what to say or if I should say anything. So I just kept my mouth shut.
“Something is going on with him, and …” She looked around as though she thought someone else might be able to hear, and then she lowered her voice. “I’m worried that he might have been the one who poisoned Aileen.”
“That’s a strong statement for someone to be making about her own husband.” I took a step back. “Do you have any proo
f?”
She shook her head. “No, but he’s given me enough clues to make me think he could have.” She frowned. “Not saying he did it for certain, though, so don’t run out and tell anyone. I just wanted to let you know that I think he’s capable of doing it, so you need to be very careful.”
“Are you afraid for your safety?”
“Not really. I would never eat or drink anything he brings me.”
“But the two of you seem—”
“I put on an act so he doesn’t get all weird.” She stuck out her bottom lip and blew, lifting her bangs from her forehead. “It’s not easy.”
She wouldn’t have convinced me that Harvey might have tried to murder someone if he hadn’t pushed his way into my cabin and scared me into deciding to leave. But I didn’t dare tell her that.
“You probably want to know why I suspect him, don’t you?”
I looked at her, but I was afraid to say anything. So I just gave a brief nod.
“Well, first of all, his first impression of Aileen changed so quickly, I’m thinking something must have happened. He thought she was a sweet person …” Judith rolled her eyes. “Why he thought that, I’ll never understand. She was always crass and rude. Anyway, one night he went down to the casino, and when he came back … hoo boy, he was on a rant. He couldn’t stop talking about what a hag she was.”
“That doesn’t mean he wants to kill her.”
Judith looked down at the floor and sighed before meeting my gaze. “There’s more.”
I really didn’t want to hear more, but it didn’t look like I had much of a choice, unless I ordered her to leave my cabin. And no matter how much her presence annoyed me, I had to admit I was curious.
“A couple of times, I found things in his pockets after our cruises … like a color of lipstick I would never wear.” Her eyes misted over. “I’m almost certain it was Aileen’s.”
“What makes you think it was hers?”
“It’s the same shade of fuchsia she always wears.” She let out a little hiccup. “Once when she finished eating, I saw her apply her lipstick, and it was in the same black tube with the gold trim as what I found in his pocket.”
That did seem suspicious to me too, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. Instead, I remained quiet, hoping she’d run out of steam so I could have a little time to figure out what I needed to do next.
Judith rambled on and on about the different things that made her think something was going on between her husband and Aileen—from the fact that she was always on the same cruise ship, regardless of where they went, to seeing the looks they gave each other.
“But I thought he said she was a hag,” I countered.
“That’s only recently. I’m thinking she might have told him to buzz off, and it damaged his ego.”
The memory of him pushing his way into my cabin returned again, and I felt sick to my stomach. If he’d tried to kill someone, I needed to avoid him at all costs. But then he’d told me his wife was dangerous. If I had to choose one to believe, at this point, it would probably be Judith.
“Why are you telling me all of this?” I asked.
“Trust me, I didn’t want to, but you’re the only one I’ve met who doesn’t have a history with any of us, and I’d like to protect you. And for some strange reason, I feel like I can trust you.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s because you’re a schoolteacher. I always thought teachers were the smartest, most trustworthy people alive.”
“I don’t know about that.” I thought about several teachers I didn’t trust, but I didn’t think now was the time to bring it up. “I’m thinking you need to talk to someone who can actually do something.”
Judith folded her arms as a scowl formed on her face, highlighting all the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. Until now, I thought she was attractive and youthful looking for her age, but this wasn’t a good expression for her. “Like who?”
“Like maybe the captain or someone in law enforcement?”
She leaned back and cackled. “You’re kidding, right?” Before I had a chance to answer, she shook her head. “The captain isn’t any better than my husband. If I didn’t think Harvey might have done it, I would place my bets on the captain.”
Now I’d heard it all. “The captain? Why on earth would someone in his position do something so … so horrible?”
“You sure are naïve for a woman in your …” Her voice trailed off as she squinted at me. “How old did you say you were?”
“I’m in my thirties.”
She flicked her hand from the wrist. “There ya go. When I was your age, I was married and had two kids. I’d been around the block enough by then, I knew what was going on.” Then she planted her fists on her hips and bobbed her head. “So I suppose it’s time to give you a lesson in human nature. There are people in high authority who use their positions to lord over us. They chew you up and spit you out. They do whatever they can to intimidate those they consider weak, and they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”
“So you’re saying the captain would think it’s okay to kill—or attempt to kill someone?”
Judith blew out what sounded like a breath of exasperation. “You really don’t get it, do you?” She rolled her eyes and continued. “It’s not that he thinks it’s okay. It’s more of a case of thinking he’s entitled to do whatever he wants because he’s in a position of power.”
“Oh.” I hated being talked to like a child, but she was obviously out of her mind. The stress and anger had clearly gotten to her … and maybe she was as crazy as her husband said she was.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” She smirked. “I bet you still think the captain is beyond reproach. You probably believe he’s some super hero whose sole mission in life is to make all his passengers safe and happy.” Her eyes bugged as she shoved her finger into my chest. “But that isn’t at all how it is with him. He thinks he’s God’s gift to women, and they don’t have any rights whatsoever.”
Whoa. I couldn’t imagine what made her so angry with the captain of this ship. Her husband, I understood because of the jealousy factor, but the captain? Then it dawned on me. Maybe there was jealousy over him too. But of course I didn’t dare say that.
Judith’s demeanor changed again, only now she appeared somewhat contrite. “I probably shouldn’t have come here and unloaded on you, but there’s something about you that makes me feel protective.” She gave me a half smile. “I’m also comfortable around you. There’s a sweetness about you that gives me the feel-goods.”
Okay, now I felt bad for her, but I still took a step back in case she decided to act on her feel-goods and give me a hug or something. “Thank you.”
“I guess I’d better leave now.” She took a couple of steps toward the door, stopped and turned around to face me. “Just be careful, okay? I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“And don’t tell a soul a word I said. If you do, I’ll deny it.”
With that, she left the cabin and closed the door. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. This cruise was turning out to be the weirdest experience in my life.
I was about to lock the cabin door when I heard another knock. My first reaction was to pretend I wasn’t in, but what if it was important?
This time, I spoke before opening it. “Who is it?”
“Your neighbor Betty Farber. Can we talk?”
I opened the door and saw her standing in the hallway, shivering. So I stepped aside and gestured toward my room. “Come on in.”
She stepped inside and spun around to face me. “Did I see Judith Bailey leave your cabin a few minutes ago?”
I hesitated for a moment before giving a one-shoulder shrug. “Why?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you might want to stay away from that woman. There’s rumor going around that she’s on the warpath and going after anyone she thinks might be interested in her husband. I overheard her telli
ng him you were off limits.” Before I had a chance to pick my chin up off the floor, she continued. “I’m not saying I believe them, but if I were you, I wouldn’t take any chances.” She shook her head. “You never know about anyone when it comes to matters of the heart.”
Chapter 8
It took me a while to find my voice, but after a few more deep breaths, I finally managed to speak. “Why would people think she’s doing it?” I’d been taking so many deep breaths I worried about hyperventilating. So I relaxed my shoulders and closed my eyes momentarily. When I opened my eyes I caught Betty staring at me.
“Well …” Betty sat down on the edge of the bed and held up a hand. She touched her index finger. “First of all, it’s not a secret that her husband is a womanizer. He was seen with both of the ladies who died a few months ago.” She touched her next finger. “And everyone knows he and Aileen … well, they didn’t do a very good job of hiding their relationship, if you know what I mean.”
This was getting weirder by the hour. Here I was, minding my own business and trying to relax on a humongous cruise ship, when a small group of people found me and stuck me right smack dab in the middle of a murder scandal. Mama had always told me to be careful who I chose to hang out with. Her words, “They’ll just drag you down to their level, and before you know it, you’re as bad as they are,” popped into my head. She was so right.
“Are you listening to me, Autumn?” Betty made a sour face. “You remind me of my granddaughter. She zones out when I tell her something she doesn’t want to hear.”
“No, I heard you.”
Betty stood and wagged her finger in my face. “Stay away from Judith and Harvey, or you’ll find yourself sucked down into a tube of trouble that you’ll never be able to get out of.”
Tube of trouble? That was the first time I’d ever heard that expression, and I thought it sounded like something Mama would have come up with. But I didn’t say anything. I just nodded.