by Debby Mayne
“No. There’s a lot more to it than that, Mrs. Williams. Jake has been counseling me, that’s all. And I had to tell him about Kevin because it affects him personally.”
“What did she tell you?” I turned to Kevin.
“Well. . .” He raked his fingers through his hair. “She just told me on the first night of the cruise that Kevin broke her heart. I honestly had no idea until then. On the day we left I thought everything was great, so I thought they were still a couple.”
“That’s what I wanted everyone to think” Natalie said. “I didn’t want my problems to ruin my best friend’s wedding, so I thought I could just coast my way through this week and then get back to the business of dealing with the fallout once I got home.”
“Fallout? What fallout?” Sheila asked.
At this question, Natalie burst into tears. The whole thing was a repeat of what had happened in the chapel the other night. I reached for a napkin and handed it to her. She used it to dry her eyes then looked at Betsy.
“Do you really want to know what’s going on with me, Mrs. Williams? If so, I’ll tell you.”
“Of course I want to know.” Betsy leaned back in her chair, a look of anticipation on her face.
“The truth is. . .” Natalie’s voice softened to a whisper. “The truth is, I’m pregnant.”
You could’ve heard a pin drop at that one.
“W-what?” Mrs. Williams asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I felt like an idiot. Kevin and I had only been dating a few weeks and I let things go too far, too fast. The whole thing was a huge mistake and now I’m. . .I’m. . .” The sobbing began again. At this point people in nearby booths were looking our way.
Not that it stopped the flow of tears from Natalie. She looked up at us, little hiccups of breath between the cries. “Meredith. Doesn’t. Know.” She released a slow breath. “No one knew until I told Jake the day after Meredith disappeared. That’s why you’ve seen me talking to Jake so much, Mrs. Williams. I wasn’t hitting on him. I was just warning him.”
“…about my so-called best friend.” Jake’s expression hardened. “That was my first clue that Kevin had actually done more than break her heart.”
“Wait.” I put my hand up in the air. “Are you saying that Kevin knows about the baby and broke up with you anyway?”
Natalie nodded and then started crying again. “He. Never. Really. Cared. About. Me!”
Jake took over as Natalie was rocked with sobs. “From what Natalie has told me, Kevin’s had a weird infatuation with Meredith.”
“He’s denied it, but I would catch him flirting with her or looking at pictures of her.” Natalie shook her head. “Nothing I can prove. Just a feeling.”
“So, you’re saying that our fun-loving Kevin is in love with Meredith?” Mrs. Williams shook her head. “Does she know this?”
“I know Meredith better than anyone,” Jake said. “And I’m convinced she didn’t—er, doesn’t—know anything about Kevin’s infatuation. Heck, he’s my best friend and I didn’t even pick up on it, so he’s apparently a great actor.”
“Apparently,” I chimed in.
“I’d give the guy an academy award,” Sheila added. “I bought his happy-go-lucky attitude all the way.”
“Me too.” Mrs. Williams’ eyes filled with tears.
“Well, how do you think I feel?” Jake asked. “But ever since Natalie told me, I’ve been racking my brain to think of things I might’ve missed. And to make matters worse, I’m rooming with the guy? You know?” He paused. “Well, I was. Until a couple of nights ago. I booted him the minute Natalie told me about his reaction to the baby. The guy is a total jerk.”
We all sat in silence for a moment after Natalie’s heartbreaking story. After awhile Betsy moved over to sit beside her, and ended up wrapping the young woman in her arms. As she lifted her arm over the young woman’s shoulders I couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over me. Natalie wasn’t responsible. Jake wasn’t responsible. And I no longer got the feeling the bride’s mother had kidnapped her own daughter.
Really, that only left one suspect.
“Do you think Kevin had something to do with Meredith’s disappearance?” I asked after a couple more minutes of thinking it through.
“I thought about that, of course.” Jake paused and I could read the pain in his eyes. “But if he really cares about her as much as I suspect, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. And like I said, he’s been with me the whole time. He was on our bus coming back from Cozumel, remember? I’ve been with the guy non-stop.”
“Yes, I remember. So, he wasn’t the one responsible. He couldn’t be.
“Finally I broke the silence with a question. “Jake, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“Does Meredith have a cell phone?”
“Of course.”
“Has anyone checked to see if it’s been used?” I asked.
“Used?” He gave me a curious look. “How would we do that?”
“Call the cell provider.”
“Maybe that’s something the Coast Guard is doing. But, to be honest from the minute they found out she got back onto the ship, they’ve having been taking this as seriously. They think she’s just avoiding me.”
“I’m sure she’s not. But tell me, what does her cell phone look like?”
“It’s a brand new i-Phone.”
“In a case?”
He paused and appeared to be thinking. “Yes. It’s kind of a teal looking. . .” He paused and shook his head. “No, that’s the old phone. The new one is in a pink case, I think.”
“Pink with sparkles?”
“Yes, that’s right.” He nodded. “Why?”
“Well, I’m following a hunch here, but I’d be willing to bet my hunch is right. I paused and allowed my thoughts to swirl. After a moment, Sheila pulled out her camera and started showing off photos of the trip, probably a good idea to distract everyone. Well, until she got to the photo of Kevin climbing Dunn’s River Falls.
The moment my gaze fell on that photo the strangest thought hit me. It had nothing to do with Kevin. Not really. But look at the photo stirred up a memory, something that hadn’t made any sense in the moment. Right now, however, it made perfect sense.
I pushed my chair back and stood up.
“Annie?” Warren glanced up at me.
“Warren. We have to go back to the security office.”
“But we were just there,” Sheila said. “It didn’t get us anywhere.”
“Oh yes it did.” I glanced at the group, my thoughts not tumbling. “Folks, I think I know where Meredith is.”
“W-what?” Mrs. Williams rose. “Where?”
“Well, I don’t know exactly where she is, but I have a strong suspicion. Do you guys want to come with me?”
Apparently they did. All of them. We buzzed through the crowd to the security office. This time the officer greeted me with a groan. “Mrs. Peterson? Here to do my job for me again?”
“No sir,” I said. “Just here to confirm a suspicion. Do you mind if I take another look at that photo of the Meredith boarding the ship?
He shrugged and pulled it up once more. “Whatever you like.”
It filled the screen and I felt instantaneous joy as the realization hit. “Look! There’s our answer!” I pointed, not at Meredith’s picture, but at the woman behind her. “Can you zoom in?”
“Sure.” The officer enlarged the photo and I pointed once more. “See? That’s what I’m talking about.” I pointed at a upper arm of the woman standing in line directly behind Meredith. “Do you recognize that?”
“Not really.” Sheila looked perplexed. “Should I?”
“You should. We saw it that day on the top deck when the Calypso band was playing, and again on the night we saw the 50s review. I remember you commented about what it would look like when she got older and developed—”
“Wings.” Sheila grinned then held
out her upper arms to show the security guy what she meant. “When you get old, your upper arms get flabby.” She demonstrated with a back and forth movement. “Fascinating to watch, right?”
The guy cleared his throat.
“You’re missing my point, Sheila.” I pointed at the tattoo again. There’s only one person on this ship who has a tattoo like that and she’s directly related to someone in the wedding party, someone who happens to be infatuated with the missing bride.”
Natalie gasped. “Oh, Mrs. Peterson!”
“That’s it!”
Betsy shook her head. “Wait, you mean Kevin’s cousin, Kenzie? You think she had something to do with this?”
“I am. Don’t you find it odd that she was standing directly behind Meredith as she boarded the ship and didn’t bother mentioning that fact to Jake later on when they were introduced?”
“That’s right.” Jake paced the office now. “But standing behind her in line at customs doesn’t prove she was up to anything. Maybe she didn’t even recognize Meredith. You know?”
“I know it’s too big a coincidence to ignore. So, who’s coming with me?”
“Where are we going?” the security officer asked.
“To find a certain singer to ask a few questions. And if I’m right about her, she’s going to be singing a completely different tune.”
Without waiting for anyone to join me, I turned on my heels and raced out of the security office, headed straight for the theater.
Chapter Eleven
Blue Ocean Floor
The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.
—Joshua Slocum
T he security officer eventually caught up with me and led the way to the theater. “They’re in rehearsal right now,” he said.
“I know. Perfect timing.” I kept pace with him, in spite of the pain coming from my aching thighs. Behind me, the rest of the group followed.
A couple of minutes later we arrived at the locked doors of the Metropolis Theater. The security guard used his key to open the door and then stepped inside. I followed on his heels. He turned to face me and put his hand up. “Let me take it from here, Mrs. Peterson.”
“If you don’t mind, I really feel like I need to go with you.” I didn’t intend to plead, but it probably sounded that way. “The others can stay here if you like, but I need to go. I think I can get her to open up. Woman to woman. . .you know?”
He sighed and led the way. When we got near the stage I saw the performers rehearsing. I could tell Kenzie was there because her voice rang out, crystal clear, as she sang Someone to Watch Over Me. Ironic. The security guard approached the steps leading up to the stage, his pace a lot faster than mine. I tried to keep up but couldn’t. This was a man on a mission. We reached center stage and he hollered out for the music to stop.
The director rose from his seat in the front row, clearly agitated. “You know we’ve only got an hour to rehearse. Why are you interrupting us?”
“We’ve got an emergency and it involves someone in your cast.” The security guard looked as anxious as I felt.
“An emergency?” Several of the cast members talked amongst themselves, but I noticed Kenzie taking a couple of steps back until her body was half-hidden behind another cast member.
“We need to talk to Kenzie.” The security guard pointed her out. “And we need to talk now.”
“How long will this take? The director looked more annoyed than ever. “She carries this scene.”
“Yes, she carries this scene all right.” I don’t know where the courage to speak those words came from. “And that’s why we need to talk to her.”
The security officer turned and gave me a warning look. “I’ll handle this, Mrs. Peterson.”
“Right, right.” I clamped my lips shut.
Kenzie, we need you to come with us to answer some questions.”
“W-why?” She didn’t budge. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I didn’t say you did anything wrong. I said this was an emergency.” The officer’s brow furrowed. “But your response says a lot.”
“More than she knows,” I whispered to myself.
Kenzie brushed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged, as if she found all of this to be an annoyance. “Well, I don’t have anything to hide.”
“Except a bride,” I whispered.
“But I need to be back as quick as possible because I’m the lead in tonight’s show. Right, Matt?” She looked at the director who nodded.
Several other cast members groaned. One girl even rolled her eyes.
With a confident swagger, Kenzie marched down the steps, up the aisle of the theater, to the foyer.
“What’s all this about?” She put her hands on her hips.
“I think you already know.” I gave her the evil eye and she flinched
“Nothing could be farther from the truth. I know nothing.”
“Let’s start with a simple question,” I said. “Where is she?”
“Who? Where’s who?” Kenzie flipped her hair.
“You know who,” the officer said. “Meredith Williams.”
“There’s no one with that name in our cast and you know perfectly well I don’t have time to get to know the passengers.”
“This is one passenger you took the time to get to know, thanks to your cousin.”
“M-my cousin?” For a moment, her Kenzie’s façade seemed to fade. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’re holding your cousin, Kevin, in a security cell.”
Interesting tactic, for the officer to lie like that. Still, I played along.
“W-why?” Kenzie paled.
“You know exactly why,” the officer said.
“What did he tell you?” Kenzie began to pace as her anger took over. She turned back to face us, eyes narrowed to slits. “He’s such a liar. You can’t believe anything he says.”
“Actually, he was brutally honest.” The officer crossed his arms and leaned against the stair railing, as if completely confident. “Told us the whole story of how the two of you managed to get the bride’s attention that day at the beach in Cozumel.”
“How you offered her a lift in the cab on your way back,” I added. “How you came through security with her, and then somehow manipulated her to follow you.”
Okay, so I was guessing at the cab part, but I had a feeling my speculations weren’t far off.
“You’re crazy.” Her expression hardened. “And I want to talk to my attorney.”
“With over three thousand passengers on-board, I’m sure we can find you one,” I said. “But it’s a little pointless, if you want to truth. There’s no rule of law out on the open seas.” I took a step in Kenzie’s direction. “What I want to know is how you got her to go with you to your cabin.”
“M-my cabin?” Kenzie flinched.
“Sure. That’s where she is, right?” I put m hands on my hips. “And how did you keep her there all this time? Assuming she’s still there now, I mean.”
Kenzie turned and looked as if she might bolt. The officer took her by the arm and turned her around. Seconds later we heard the click of handcuffs as he arrested her. “You’re coming with me, Kenzie.”
“No!” The director’s voice rang out from the stage. “She’s our featured singer at the closing show tonight. We need her.”
“Well, we need her more,” the officer countered, his pitch elevated.
“And trust me, in a cabin down in the crew’s quarters there’s a girl who needs all of us even more.” I spoke the words, confident they were true.
We all followed on the officer’s heels to Kenzie’s cabin down on the first deck. Mrs. Williams and Jake whispered back and forth and I could tell they were anxious. Excited. I was too. When we got to the room, Kenzie turned back to glare at me. “If I lose my job over this, I’m going to kill Kevin. This is all his fault.”
“I think it’s safe to say you’ve already lost your job,” Sheila muttered.
>
“I didn’t need his stupid money, anyway. He. . .he bribed me.” She turned the key in the door.
“Bribed you. . .how?” the officer asked.
“Let me answer that.” I put my hand up, like in a kid in a classroom. “You aren’t really who you say you are. You weren’t trained at Julliard. You didn’t perform on Broadway. In fact, you didn’t even graduate from Junior College. Your biggest claim to fame is playing the role of Juliet in your high school’s production of Shakespeare’s greatest play.”
“Wow, Annie.” Sheila gave me an admiring look. “How did you know all of that?”
“Oh, a little super-sleuthing on my part.” I grinned. “Actually, I used my $50 onboard credit from the travel agent to buy some Internet access yesterday morning. I did a little research on Kenzie Jamison here.” I faced her head-on. “And that brings up another point. Your real name isn’t Kenzie Jamison at all, is it?”
“Of course I’m Kenzie Jamison.”
“No, you’re Mary Sue Johnson from Wichita Falls, not Kenzie Jamison from New York City.”
Anger filled her eyes as she spouted, “I hate Kevin.”
“He’s a jerk,” I said. “No doubt about it. But that doesn’t change anything I said.”
“Open the door, Kenzie,” the security officer. “Or should I say open the door, Mary Sue.”
The angry young woman sighed and stuck her key care in the slot on the door. The lock clicked open. She led the way inside and we all followed closely behind. When the officer turned on the light we saw Meredith curled up in the bed, out like a light. Jake rushed her way and knelt down, calling her name over and over again but she wouldn’t budge.
“Call for the doctor,” I cried.
Sheila picked up the room phone and did just that while Jake and Mrs. Williams did their best to wake Meredith.
“You can try all day but she’s not budging.” Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Not with the stuff Kevin’s had me giving her.”
“What kind of stuff?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I dunno. He called it a cocktail. She got the first dose that day at the beach. In her fruit punch.” Kenzie’s eyes narrowed. “Kevin came prepared. We’ll just leave it at that. Prescription stuff. All legal.” She blew out a breath. “Anything else you want to know?”