by Debby Mayne
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I wish I knew. The captain came to my cabin and demanded more of my cherry brandy.”
“More of it? Are you saying he drinks a lot of brandy?”
Betty shrugged. “I have no idea what he’s doing with it, but I sure have given him a lot of bottles of it lately.”
Something about that comment stuck in my head, and I had the feeling there was something about it that could possibly help me figure out what’s going on. “Did you give it to him?”
“No. I’m almost out of it. I have one small bottle left, and I like to keep at least a little for myself …” She gave me a sheepish look. “For medicinal purposes, of course.”
“Yes, of course. When and where do you make it?”
“Between some of the cruises, I go to my house to make sure everything is taken care of. That’s when I go on a brandy-making spree. You should see the bottles all lined up on the table and counters.” She grinned. “So pretty.”
“All cherry brandy?”
She nodded. “That’s the only kind I know how to make.”
“I’m sure you do a good job with it.”
“Yes, I most certainly do. But there’s something else I wanted to tell you about the captain.”
“What’s that?”
Betty squeezed her eyes shut as she closed her eyes momentarily. “He told me he understood when I said I only had one bottle left, but he wanted to see the bottle I was keeping. At first, I told him no, but he said he just wanted to see if it was as weak as what I was giving everyone else. I told him I didn’t make weak brandy, and he said he didn’t believe me. So I got the bottle and showed it to him.” She shook her head.
“What happened then?”
“He yanked it out of my hand and took it into the bathroom. I had no idea what was going on, but he came back out and gave me back the full bottle. He even apologized for acting so rude, saying he wasn’t himself lately after Myrna surprised him.”
“Did he drink any of it?”
“If he did, I don’t think he drank much.”
I kept thinking about what Summer had told me, that cherry pits contained cyanide. As I thought about the possibility that we might have just stumbled on a big clue, I experienced that increasingly familiar feeling of goose bumps traveling up my arm.
“What’s going on, Autumn?” Betty narrowed her eyes as she yanked me around to face her. “You look like you’re about to be sick … or you’re up to something.”
“What all do you put in your cherry brandy?”
“I’m sorry, Autumn, but I can’t tell you. It’s a family secret.”
I let out a sigh of frustration. “Seriously, Betty, just tell me one thing. Do you ever add the cherry pits?”
She gave a half shrug. “Maybe just a little.”
“How do you process the pit?”
“I put it in my coffee grinder and pulverize it until it’s a fine powder.”
“Why do you add the pit?”
“Aren’t you the curious one?” She chuckled. “I suppose that must be the teacher in you. At any rate, my late husband liked a little bit of the pit in there. He said it gave it a richer, nuttier flavor.”
“Like how much is a little bit?”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek momentarily as she pondered it. “Like maybe one pit per bottle.”
“How many drinks can you get from one bottle?”
Her face scrunched up as she thought about it. “All depends on how much someone drinks, but the average person would probably get at least ten or twelve.”
I remembered Summer saying it would take a lot more than one pit to kill someone. “Are you sure there’s only one pit in each bottle?”
“Positive. In fact, I don’t even think there’s that much in there.” Betty tilted her head. “I understand that you enjoy learning new things, but why are you asking about cherry pits?”
I didn’t think Betty was trying to kill anyone, but I still wasn’t sure, so I didn’t tell her. “Just curious.”
A slow grin spread across her lips. “You want me to tell you my secret recipe, don’t you?”
“Something like that.” The last thing I wanted at the moment was her brandy recipe, but I needed to figure out if there was any chance Betty’s cherry brandy had played a part in people getting so sick.
“How much do you charge for the brandy?” I asked.
“Charge?” She gave me an incredulous look. “What makes you think I charge for it? I don’t ask anyone for a dime.”
“You just give it to them?”
She nodded. “I like to make people happy, and my cherry brandy seems to do just that.”
“I wonder why the captain is demanding more brandy,” I said.
“That’s what I’d like to know. He hasn’t seemed intoxicated, so I assume he’s giving it to others.” She frowned. “I just hope he tells people where it came from and doesn’t take all the credit for himself.”
I was thinking the opposite. There might have been a time when I suspected Betty was guilty, but now my thoughts had changed. In fact, I would have been shocked if she was the one trying to poison people.
Betty walked over to the door, opened it a couple of inches, and glanced toward her cabin. She looked over her shoulder at me and gave me a thumbs-up gesture. “Looks like the coast is clear. I think I’ll go on back to my cabin now. I hope I didn’t upset you too much, Autumn.” She started to go before stopping and turning back to face me. “I wish I had some brandy to leave with you. Maybe next time …” Her voice trailed off as she left my cabin.
I stood in one spot staring at the door for several seconds before I made the decision to call Summer one more time. As I told her what all Betty had said, she gave me some instructions on what to do. I jotted everything down and stuck the paper in my pocket.
“Be alert at all times,” she said. “We might have narrowed down the suspect list, but I’ve seen some surprises during my career. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Trust me, Summer. I’ll be extremely careful.”
After we hung up, I rubbed the back of my neck as I thought about how expensive my next cell phone bill would be. Then I pulled out the list and glanced at it to figure out what to do first.
Summer had told me to maintain a connection with Andrea. She didn’t think Andrea was guilty—and neither did I—but she was certain that she was involved in some manner.
*
The next morning, I went straight to the cruise director’s office, hoping to find Andrea. A woman sitting at the desk smiled and shook her head. “You might find her in the dining room.”
I thanked her before doing an about face to have some breakfast. As soon as I entered the dining room, I spotted Andrea talking to the purser. She was showing him something on her phone, and he had a look of intensity that I hadn’t seen on him before. Now I had no idea what to do.
Summer’s words rang in my head. She’d told me to stay connected with Andrea, so I lifted my chin, squared my shoulders, and walked straight toward her.
Jerome spotted me first. My heart pounded at the thought of him telling me to go away, but he didn’t. Instead, he smiled and gestured for me to join them.
“So how are you feeling this morning?” he asked. “Better, I hope.”
I nodded as I racked my brain to come up with something to say. “Yes, I’m doing better.”
“Good.” He smiled at Andrea. “Why don’t the two of you have breakfast together? I have some business to attend to.”
Andrea’s eager nod seemed strange, but I was relieved I didn’t have to ask and risk being rejected. She held out her hand toward the room. “Why don’t we sit at your regular table?”
Once we were seated, she looked me in the eyes. “Why do I get the feeling there’s something on your mind? Do you have something to tell me?”
My heart thudded in my chest. I had no idea how to answer her.
“Are you worried about something
?”
I started to shake my head, but the intensity of her stare did something to me. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, I know you wanted to go back home—” The sound of someone hollering at the entrance interrupted her. She jumped up. “Sorry, Autumn. Gotta run.”
Chapter 24
When I realized Jerome was the one who hollered, I jumped up and ran after them. They led me straight to the infirmary, where Doc Healey stood over another woman sprawled out on the floor. As I got closer, I realized it was Betty. My blood ran cold.
“Has anyone seen the captain?” Andrea asked.
“Nope.” Doc Healey shook his head as he and Jerome lifted Betty onto a gurney. It took him a couple of minutes to get an IV in her arm.
As I watched, my mind raced back to what Betty had said—that the captain had come to her cabin and taken her last bottle of cherry brandy into the bathroom. Now, there was no doubt in my mind that he was the guilty one, but I had no idea who to tell.
Doc glanced at me, and his eyes widened. “Looks like Autumn is about to pass out. Andrea, get her a chair and get her some water.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I just … I think I know—” I stopped and clamped my mouth shut when I heard Betty moan.
“She’s coming to,” Doc Healey said as he leaned over Betty. “Can you hear me?”
“I hear you. What happened?” She coughed and moaned again. “My stomach.”
I hopped up and went over to her. “Did you drink some of that brandy you were saving?”
She nodded as the doctor tried to push me away. “Can’t you see she’s not up to talking?”
Andrea joined us. “This is important, Charlie. Let Autumn talk to her.”
“But—”
It took several minutes, but Betty finally managed to say that she’d consumed half of the last bottle of brandy after she went back to her cabin. I turned to face Andrea. “We need to find the captain.”
Andrea touched my arm. “Why?”
“Because he’s the one who is trying to kill people.” Those words came out of my mouth before I had a chance to talk, and there was no taking them back now.
“What makes you think it was the captain?” Jerome asked, his voice deeper and more commanding than I remembered.
It took me a few minutes to explain what had happened. I told them what Summer had told me about the cherry pits.
Andrea and Jerome both turned to Doc Healey, who nodded. “It’s possible. It would take an awful lot of cherry pits to kill someone unless they had a weakened immune system, but it can happen.”
Andrea didn’t bother trying to hide her phone as she looked at me with a completely different expression. It was stronger, more calculated, and one I’d seen on Summer more than once. I tilted my head and took a long, hard look at her.
“Who are you?” I asked.
She glanced at Jerome who nodded. The purser pulled something out of his pocket, and Andrea followed, reaching into her purse. They both flashed badges, letting me know they were law enforcement.
“But how—?” I looked back and forth between them several times.
“We’ve been undercover ever since those people died several months ago,” Andrea said in a professional tone.
“But I thought there was a supergerm.”
Andrea smiled. “That’s what we wanted people to think.” She exchanged a look with Jerome. “Looks like it worked.”
“Is Doc Healey also undercover?” I asked
The doctor flashed a brief smile. “Not in this lifetime. I’m a real doctor.”
“Did you know about Andrea and Jerome?” I asked.
He flashed each of them an apologetic look before facing me. “I had my suspicions.”
Jerome held up a finger as he headed toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few.”
I looked at Andrea. “Where’s he going?”
She gave me a warm smile. “The helicopter is about to land, and then they’re going to find the captain.” She leaned closer to me. “Are you okay? Do you want me to get something for you?”
“No thanks. I’m fine.”
“By the way, I left the pitcher of water in your room—the one you had the security guy check for fingerprints.”
“But why?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I figured you might be thirsty after all that hyperventilating you’ve been doing.”
I laughed. “I do tend to breathe more through my mouth when I’m nervous or excited.”
“A lot of people do.” Andrea paused. “Do you realize that you just might have solved a crime that has baffled hundreds of trained professionals? We suspected it had something to do with the brandy, but our tests didn’t show a dangerous amount of cyanide in any of the bottles we analyzed.” Andrea shook her head. “Are you sure you’re a teacher and not a detective?”
I told her all about my cousin. “And I have to admit she’s talked me through this, or I never would have figured it out on my own.”
“She might have told you about the cherry pits having cyanide, but you put it all together.”
I didn’t like taking credit for something so big, but who was I to argue? “I’m just glad we know what’s going on.”
The shadow of someone at the door caught our attention. I glanced up and spotted Myrna. “Where’s my sister? I heard she almost died.”
“On the gurney.” I gestured toward Betty, so she walked right up to her.
“Be gentle,” Doc Healey said.
The look on Myrna’s face was quite different from what I’d seen in the past. Instead of the animosity she’d shown last time she was with her sister, I saw grave concern. “My sweet baby sister. I freaked out when I heard you were here.”
Betty’s colorless lips broke into a half smile. “It’s about time you freaked out.” She moaned again. “Too bad I have to be at death’s door to get your attention.”
Everyone’s attention snapped back to Myrna. I held my breath until she spoke. “You’ve always had my attention.” She reached for Betty’s hand and squeezed it. “And I think you know I love you.”
Betty lifted her head and looked around the room until she spotted me. She winked before looking back at her sister. “You do realize I have witnesses of you saying that.”
At that moment, Jerome burst back into the room. “We found the captain, and he’s in custody.”
“What?” Myrna straightened up and shoved her fist onto her hip. “Why would my husband be in custody? What on earth did he do?”
Andrea pursed her lips as she cast a brief glance at me before approaching Myrna. “Come on. Let’s go to my office, and I’ll tell you all about it.” They got to the door before Andrea glanced over her shoulder at me. “By the way, I’m the one who was in your cabin.”
“What were you doing in my cabin?”
She grimaced. “I was looking for a bottle of brandy. We knew you’d made friends with Betty, so we thought you might have some, and we already had an idea that the brandy had something to do with the investigation.”
“I tried to give her some, but she wouldn’t take it.” Betty stopped talking and let out another moan. “Smart girl.”
Epilogue
“Wow!” Summer smiled as she looked at me in amazement. “What an exciting vacation. You couldn’t have planned that if you tried.”
“Exciting, yes.” I sighed. “Relaxing, no. Now I need a vacation to recover.”
“How about another cruise?” she asked, giving me a sly look.
I held out both of my hands, palms facing her. “No way. Never again.”
Summer chuckled. “Never say never.”
I’d only been back home for a day, but Summer couldn’t stay away. She had to find out all the nitty gritty details. I told her everything about all the different people I’d met.
“Interesting how so many murders are motivated by passion or greed,” Summer said. “Or both.”
“I know.” I grimaced. “I remembered you saying that
several times through the years. That’s one of the reasons I thought it might have been someone else.”
“It was motivated by passion,” Summer reminded me.
“Well, yeah, I suppose it was, indirectly. The captain was worried about his wife finding out about his passion.”
Summer nodded. “Fear of passion discovery. The captain clearly wanted to avoid his wife finding out about his trysts.”
“I’m surprised by how many women would have anything to do with him romantically. He’s not terribly good looking or even very nice.”
“But he has power.”
“Power?” I gave her a curious look. “How do you figure that?”
“He’s in charge of the ship. That’s a lot of power when you’re out at sea.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but still …” I shuddered at the memory of how he’d asked me to have dinner at the Captain’s Table.
Summer paced a couple of times before stopping and looking me in the eyes. “You do realize that if the captain had stopped sooner, he might never have gotten caught.”
“How do you figure?”
“It wasn’t until this last cruise that the authorities managed to get a bottle with the cherry pits he ground up and added.”
“I wonder if it tasted any different.”
She lifted an eyebrow and gave me a goofy look. “Wanna taste it and let me know?”
“No way.”
“But there is one thing that has me baffled.” Summer tapped her chin. “So why was Aileen’s lipstick in Harvey’s pocket?”
“Well …” I paused until she glared at me, and then I laughed. “Harvey said the captain had given it to him to hold for a while, but I’m not so sure I believe him.”
“Was Aileen that big of a vamp?” Summer asked.
Again, I laughed. “She’d like to think she is.”
A look of amusement flashed across her face. “Next time you go somewhere, I want to go.”
“I thought you were thinking about going back to the police department.”
She shrugged. “That’s a big decision that I can’t take lightly. If I change my mind and leave again, that’ll be the end of any chance of my having a law enforcement career.”