Terror at Sea: Three mysteries aboard a cruise ship

by Debby Mayne

  Chapter Seven

  Girl in the Sea

  No vacation goes unpunished.

  —Karl Hakkarainen

  O n Wednesday morning I awoke to find that my eyes wouldn’t open. The swelling from the sunburn had sealed them shut. It took some doing on Warren’s part, but after bringing me several wet compresses I was able to open them to tiny slits. I could see just enough outside our window to discover we’d docked in Grand Cayman. As if I could possibly get off the ship in this condition.

  Warren insisted I see the ship’s doctor. After consulting with Orin, it was decided Sheila should join me. So, off to the first deck we all went, two lobsters and their white-skinned mates. As we rounded the turn near the doctor’s office, we ran into Kenzie once again. This time she was dressed in rehearsal clothes.

  “Well, fancy meeting you here.” She looked back and forth between Sheila and me. “Are you gals okay?”

  “No,” we both said in unison.

  “Burnt to a crisp,” I explained.

  “I see that,” she replied.

  “And the motion of the ocean kept me up all night,” Sheila added. “I was sick as a dog.”

  “If you think it’s bad up on the passenger decks, you should try sleeping down here on the bottom. It’s crazy.” She wished us well and took off, but the strangest thought hit me. If Kenzie’s room was down here in the bottom deck, why had we seen her getting off the elevator on the 10th deck yesterday afternoon?

  Just as quickly I chastened myself. Probably searching for Meredith. Of course.

  Then again, if she was so worried about Meredith, why didn’t she mention her just now?

  “A penny for your thoughts, Annie.”

  “Hmm?” I glanced over at Warren. Well, what I could see of Warren through the slits between my puffy eyelids, anyway. “What?”

  “I know you, Annie Peterson. You’re not solving this one. Let it go.”

  “Aye aye, Cap’n.” I tried to salute, but—for obvious reasons—couldn’t. Instead, I followed Warren into the sick bay where we waited to be seen.

  The doctor, God bless him, couldn’t do much except diagnose us with sunstroke and instruct us to stay lathered up with Aloe Vera and stay out of the sun. When we told him about our experience in the pool the night before, he laughed. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last,” he said. “But do yourselves a favor and skip whatever excursions you might’ve planned in Grand Cayman.”

  I hated to hear that news. We’d planned to do the pirate ship adventure.

  After we left the sick bay, Sheila and I insisted the guys go on without us.

  “No way am I leaving you in this condition, Annie,” Warren said.

  “But this is the excursion you were most excited about.” I sighed. “Remember? You were dying to go on that pirate ship.”

  “Yeah, but it’s not worth the risk of you staying alone.”

  “I won’t be alone,” I argued. “I’ve got Sheila.”

  “Yeah, she’s got me,” my lobster-esque best friend added. “And what kind of trouble would we get into, anyway? Neither of us can move.”

  “True.” Warren looked Orin’s way. “What do you think?”

  “I think I’d like to get off this contraption and put my feet on dry land.”

  “So, go.” Sheila gave him a “get out of here” look. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?” Warren looked my way.

  “I’m sure. All I want to do is get back in the pool, anyway. If you guys come back and find us looking like prunes, you’ll know why.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  And so it was agreed. We headed to the Windjammer for some breakfast then back to the cabin where the guys got their passports and headed out. After giving us another warning about taking it easy.

  “I don’t want to come back and find out you were solving any crimes, Annie.” Warren gave me a “don’t you dare” look and I shrugged. Well, I tried to shrug.

  “Go on, Warren. And relax. Have a good time. . .for both of us.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  After he left, I joined Sheila in her room for a few minutes and then we both decided we’d be better off in the water. It took an act of Congress for both of us to get into our swimsuits, but we finally managed and then headed up to the top deck. Once there, I noticed the groom-to-be and the maid of honor seated next to each other on lounge chairs.

  “Does that seem odd to you?” Sheila whispered.

  “Maybe they’re just comforting each other?” I had my doubts, though. “You can get in the water if you want. I think I’ll ask about Meredith.”

  “Okay. Let me know.”

  Just as I walked toward Jake and Natalie, the band struck up a reggae number, which made it hard to talk. And hear.

  “Any word?” I called out.

  Jake shook his head. “No one has seen her. I talked to the Captain last night. They’ve been searching the ship all night. Did you hear him put out a call on the loudspeaker after dinner last night?”

  “No. All I heard was the wind. I was kind of, well, sick.”

  “I see that.” Natalie stared at me. “That’s got to hurt.”

  “Yeah. I’m getting in the water. Want to join us?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe in awhile. I’m pretty overwhelmed right now. Talking to Jake is helping.”

  She looked overwhelmed. Or distressed. I couldn’t help but notice the red-rimmed eyes. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. I nodded and then wished them a good day as I headed off to join Sheila in the pool.

  It felt fabulous. Absolutely, totally ‘I-could-live-here-forever’ fabulous.

  We stayed in the pool for what felt like hours. Just as predicted, I felt my skin pruning. Still, I hated to get out. Besides, a super-sleuth could learn a lot from the pool area. Like, watching the maid of honor as she cozied up to the groom. Watching the mother of the bride as she passed by and observed the two of them together.

  “Sheila,” I whispered. “Look who’s headed our way.”

  “Betsy.” She spoke the woman’s name aloud. “Yoo-hoo. Betsy. Mrs. Williams! Over here.” She waved and the mother of the bride glanced our way. I could see the tension in her eyes as she saw us, but the woman still removed her cover-up, tossed it on a nearby lounge chair and then joined us in the pool.

  Sheila, who never met a stranger, had no trouble engaging the woman in conversation. She started with the obvious. . .asking about Meredith. When Betsy shook her head in response, Sheila’s eyes filled with tears, which seemed to endear her to the mother-of-the-bride-to-be, who started weeping.

  I had the sense that Sheila would’ve wrapped her in a hug, had the situation been different. Instead, she lowered her voice, so the others in the pool wouldn’t hear. “My heart is broken for you, Betsy,” Sheila said. “Truly. And I want you to know that my husband and I have been praying for all of you from the very moment we heard the news. I won’t stop, either. Not until she’s standing in front of her groom in that beautiful chapel.”

  At once Betsy’s tears dried up. Her expression shifted from sweetness to pain. The eerie silence on her end spoke volumes. She didn’t want her daughter to marry Jake. That much was sure and certain.

  After a couple moments of strained silence I cleared my throat. “Um, Betsy?”

  “Yes?” She looked my way.

  “I know we don’t really know one another. Not really. So please forgive me if what I’m about to say is out of line.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “That might depend on what you’re about to say.”

  “Right. Can I ask you a question?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. I’m an open book.”

  I doubted that but didn’t say so.

  “Is Meredith your only daughter?”

  It took a moment to nod and when she did her eyes filled with tears once more.

  “And you’re afraid of losing her?” I asked.

  Betsy put her hands on the edge of the pool as if to steady herself. �
�What does this have to do with anything? Of course I’m afraid of losing her, especially now that she’s gone.”

  “I meant, are you afraid of losing her love, losing the relationship, once she and Jake get married.”

  Betsy clammed up. No response at all.

  “I’m sorry,” I managed after a moment’s awkward pause. “I’m really not trying to get in your business.” Much. “It’s just that I’ve been a mother-of-the bride, too, and I know how depressing it can be, to think your daughter won’t be your daughter in the same way after she’s married. You know?” For whatever reason, I felt a catch in my throat as these words were spoken.

  “I. Don’t. Know.” Betsy shook her head, tears now flowing. “She’s my best friend. Always has been. She’s my rock. And now she’s. . .she’s. . .”

  “Starting a new life. And you’re sad.”

  ‘Of course I’m sad, Betsy spouted. “It’s only natural.”

  “Yes. Only natural.”

  Only, the look of anger that flashed in her eyes was anything but normal. Either this woman had serious issues with the groom-to-be or she simply didn’t want to give up her daughter. Minutes later she excused herself and bounded from the pool. She grabbed her cover-up and took off at the speed of light. I turned back to Sheila, who seemed stumped by the woman’s behavior.

  “Was I out of line?” I asked. “I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings.”

  “It was just a mother to mother talk, but I’m guessing she’s overly sensitive right now.” Sheila dunked her shoulders under the water again. “You know?”

  “Right.” A pause followed as I watched Betsy disappear through the glass doors toward the elevators. “But what if. . .” I released a slow breath as I tried to figure out how to finish my thought aloud.

  “What if. . .what?” Sheila asked.

  “What if she had something to do with her own daughter’s disappearance?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “I mean, she’s not happy about her daughter’s marriage, so maybe she spirited her away to her own cabin yesterday. Maybe all of this ‘Where is my daughter?’ stuff is just an act. You know?”

  “You’re saying she might be holding her own daughter captive in her cabin?” Sheila pursed her lips. “Annie, that’s crazy, even for you.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “Oh, c’mon. You know what I mean. Besides, how would she manage that?”

  “She’d need help.” I stopped to think about it. “Her husband is traveling with her but you hardly see them together. Maybe he’s in the room with Meredith right now.” I paused, deep in thought. “Does he look the sort to hold his daughter captive?”

  “He looked perfectly normal,” Sheila said.

  “Those are the worst kinds,” I was quick to add. “The perfectly normal looking ones, I mean.”

  “Annie, you’ve lost it.”

  Okay, I had to admit, that whole mother-of-the-bride-kidnaps-her-daughter-to-keep-her-from-getting-married bit was a bit of a stretch, but stranger things had happened.

  “I’m more inclined to think the maid of honor is no true friend.” Sheila’s eyes narrowed to slits as she looked at Natalie. Okay, they were already narrowed to slits from the swelling but she did seem more concerned than usual as she glanced the maid of honor’s way. “Do you see how close she’s sitting to Jake? Seems. . .weird.”

  “Well, since you brought that up, I need to tell you something,” I said.

  “Oh?”

  “Remember that first night, when we walked the deck after dinner?”

  “The night that Warren and Orin declared their undying love to one another?” she giggled.

  “Yes. That night.” I paused and gave Natalie and Jake another look. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time but. . .” I lowered my voice and leaned her way. “I saw Jake and Natalie together.”

  “Together together?”

  “Well, not kissing or anything. But they were close. In the moonlight. Whispering. You know? It struck me as odd.”

  “That is very odd.” She gave them another look. “But maybe they were cooking up some sort of surprise for Meredith.”

  “Some sort of kidnapping, you mean?”

  Sheila shook her head. “Annie, are you saying you think Jake is in on this now?”

  “I don’t know what I’m saying. I think I’m delirious.” I certainly felt that way. My head was pounding.

  “Too much chlorine. We need to get out of here and find some lunch.”

  We somehow hobbled out of the pool just as Natalie and Jake took off toward the Windjammer. I couldn’t manage the whole drying off with a towel thing, so I just slipped on my cover-up and Sheila and I headed over to the snack bar to get a burger. We settled in at a nearby table and ate burgers and fries. After a while I almost forgot about my sunburn. Almost.

  I happened to glance up at the television screen overhead just as we finished eating and noticed a promo for the spa. Man, didn’t that look awesome. A day at the spa? Sounded terrific. Well, not terrific right now, with a sunburn, of course.

  Just then I caught a glimpse of something—er, someone—familiar on the screen. I gasped aloud and Sheila looked my way. “Sheila, look.” I pointed at the screen. They’re doing an advertisement for the spa. But look. That woman in the chair. . .the one getting the facial. Isn’t that Meredith?”

  Sheila squinted at the screen. “I think so. I can’t make out her face but I’d recognize those earrings anywhere. She was wearing them that first night at dinner.” This led to a lengthy conversation from Sheila about how she never forgot a great pair of earrings.

  “If that’s really Meredith in the spa, then our question is answered once and for all,” I said. “She’s on the ship and she’s fine.”

  “But why would she go to the spa, right there in broad daylight, if she’s hiding from people?”

  “I don’t know, Sheila. But we’ve got to get down there and ask them. Maybe she’s there now. Maybe that was live footage.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s hit the road.” Sheila looped her arm through mine, as if to hurry me along. Instead, she let out a yelp as her burnt skin touched mine. I hollered out in pain at the very same time. Unfortunately, everyone within a dozen feet turned and looked at us. I doubled over in pain.

  A young man approached with a worried expression. “Everything okay over here?”

  “I. . .I. . .” I couldn’t quite answer. Not yet.

  “Did she hit you, Ma’am?” The fellow glared at Sheila.

  I managed to stand aright and shook my head. “No. Nothing like that. She just. . .touched me.”

  “Touched you?” His gaze narrowed.

  “Great, Annie. Get me arrested on battery charges.” Sheila groaned. “That’s all I need. Throw my tail in the pokey when I’m burnt to a crisp. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  Didn’t sound like fun to me. The only thing that sounded any good at all was getting back into the pool, but we didn’t have time for that right now.

  The young man kept staring at me, as if waiting for an explanation.

  “My sunburn,” I explained. “She touched my sunburn. She was trying to help, not hurt.”

  “If you’re sure.” He looked at Sheila as if he didn’t quite believe my story.

  “I’m clean, officer.” Sheila put her hands up in the air. “You can search me, but the only thing you’ll find is a bunch of wrinkles tightly squished down by a Lycra bathing suit that’s two sizes too small.”

  I actually laughed out loud at that. The young man didn’t find it quite as entertaining. He shook his head, then turned and walked away, muttering something about old women.

  “Really?” Sheila put her arms down. “Did he really just call us old?”

  “He did, Sheila.” I sighed. “But don’t get too worked up about it. To someone that age we probably do seem old.”

  “Speak for yourself, Annie Peterson. We’re as young as we feel.” The stubbornness on her face
convinced me she felt young. Me? Not so much.

  “Right now, with this sunburn, I feel like an arthritic old woman who can barely move,” I said. “Now, let’s get out of here before I drag you back into the pool. I want to make it to the spa before the sun goes down.”

  She paused and gave me a curious look. “It’s only two-thirty.”

  “Exactly. Better get going.”

  Thank goodness we didn’t have far to go. It turned out the spa was on the same floor, just inside the glass doors by the elevator on the aft end. When we got to the front and asked about Meredith, the receptionist—a woman with a strong Russian accent—refused to give us any information.

  “I can’t give zee customer’s infor-may-see-on.”

  “But this is a special situation,” I explained. “This is a woman who’s missing.”

  The receptionist narrowed her gaze and stared at me as if she thought I was dense. “Zat makes no sense at all. Eef she eez me-sing, az you say, how can she be in zee salon? She put her hands on her hips, as if in a showdown of wills.

  “Right, right. I see your dilemma.” I looked at Sheila, hoping she could help.

  My friend leaned forward and put her palms on the reception desk. “Look, sister. We know you’re not supposed to give private information, but this is a woman whose life could be in danger.”

  “Vee place no one’s life in danger in zee salon, I can assure you of zat.”

  “Got it.” Sheila rolled her eyes. “I’m not accusing you. I’m telling you that this is a woman who is in danger. Elsewhere. So if she’s here we really need to know.”

  “I cannot give out any personal in-for-may-see-on.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Sheila leaned forward and whispered. “What’s it gonna take, sister? How much money are we talking to get this dam to break?”

  “Sheila!” I gasped aloud. Surely she wasn’t bribing the woman, right?”

  “Vhat?” The receptionist looked stunned.

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am. Please excuse my friend. She has a case of sunstroke. The doctor confirmed it this morning. I think it’s messed with her head.” I glared at Sheila.

  “There’s nothing wrong with my head,” Sheila said. “And my offer still stands.”

  “Ugh. Sheila!”