Suite Revenge (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 8)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Does he have a choice?” They reached Millie’s cabin and she leaned her forehead against the door. “Am I a terrible person if I said I wished she…they were dead?”

  “No and I can’t say as I blame you. I ran into Danielle and she told me briefly about the woman.” Annette shook her head. “It sounds as if the two of them deserve each other. I’m on break. Do you have time to grab a bite to eat and catch up?”

  “Sure.” Millie nodded. “I need to drop off the work schedules for tomorrow.” She darted inside her cabin, dropped the sheets on the desk and hurried out to where Annette was waiting in the hall.

  While they ate, Annette entertained Millie with stories of what she had missed while she was on leave. It was a welcome diversion from dwelling on Roger and Delilah, and by the time she finished eating, Millie felt much better.

  Annette gave her some sound advice, to avoid Delilah and her ex at all costs. She reminded Millie they would be gone before she knew it.

  Millie glanced at her watch. “I need to go get my grandchildren. They want to visit Santa down in the atrium.” She left Annette in the hall outside the galley before hurrying to her daughter’s cabin where she found the children bouncing off the walls.

  Millie smiled at her granddaughter, dressed in a bright red velvet dress. Beth had curled her hair into what she fondly called “Shirley Temple” curls and added a matching velvet headband to hold the curls in place.

  “You look beautiful.” Millie hugged Bella.

  “What about me Nana?” Millie turned to Noah, dressed in a pair of crisp navy blue dress slacks, a button down shirt and a festive green and red striped Christmas tie.

  Millie tugged on the tip of Noah’s tie. “My goodness, you look so handsome. I think I need to have my picture taken with both of you.” She dropped to her knees. Noah stood on one side while Bella stood on the other. Beth grabbed her cell phone, switched it to camera mode and snapped a picture.

  Millie gave them both a quick hug and sprang to her feet. “Shall we go find Santa now?” She winked at her daughter and they followed Beth to the door. “Thanks for taking them Mom.”

  “Of course dear,” Millie said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  The children chattered excitedly as they made their way to the atrium and over to the Christmas tree. There were a dozen other children ahead of them, all dressed in Christmas attire and anxiously awaiting their turn to visit with the jolly old elf.

  When they reached the front of the line, Bella went first and she immediately hopped onto Santa’s lap. Santa put a light hand around her shoulder and leaned in to listen as she whispered in his ear.

  “Ho, ho. We’ll see what we can do,” Santa said as his “belly” jiggled and he helped her down.

  Noah and Bella traded places and Bella came back to stand next to her grandmother. She tugged on Millie’s hand and Millie leaned down. “Nana, he talks funny,” she whispered in her grandmother’s ear.

  “He does?” Millie and Bella took a step closer as Noah and Santa chatted. She could just make out what was being said and a distinct British accent with the word “lift” in place of “elevator.” The jolly old elf was none other than Andy. He caught Millie’s eye and winked as Noah slid off his knee.

  Millie winked back as she reached for Noah’s hand and they headed toward a brightly decorated Christmas table for a glass of cold milk and a frosted sugar cookie coated with a thick layer of red sprinkles.

  The worker behind the table was dressed in elf attire, complete with a satin green jacket that sported bright red buttons and white faux fur trim. A thick red belt circled his waist. The elf wore striped knee socks and a green elf hat and looked vaguely familiar. He handed each of the children a Christmas gift bag.

  Millie leaned across the table. “Brody?”

  The elf’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m guarding Santa.”

  “What…” A slow smile crept across Millie’s face and she reached for her cell phone, switched it to camera and took a picture of the frowning elf. “You look adorable.”

  The elf groaned. “Great. Instead of attracting chicks, I’m attracting kids and grandmas.”

  Millie’s chuckle turned into a laugh. She laughed so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love it.”

  “I thought elves were s’posed to be little, like me.” Bella wrinkled her nose and frowned at the elf.

  Noah opened up his goodie bag, peeked inside the bag and handed it to Millie so he could eat his cookie. “Nana, Santa said we should take the lift. What is a lift?” he asked.

  “The elevator,” Millie explained. “Santa has spent too much time in Europe, I’m afraid. You know Nana does not like elevators so we’ll stick to the stairs.”

  Millie opened the bag of goodies. Inside was a packet of holiday stickers, a candy cane, a Christmas coloring book and a small box of crayons.

  After they finished their sweet treat, Millie took the children back to their cabin and chatted with her daughter and David. “We had a wonderful time. They visited with Santa, ate a Christmas cookie and each of them got a small gift bag.”

  “Santa talks funny,” Bella said. “But I think he’s just trying to disguise his voice.”

  Millie chuckled. “You could be right, Bella. Santa is disguising his voice.”

  She hugged her daughter and grandchildren good-bye before heading downstairs to peek in on the second “Welcome Aboard” show and then headed to the comedy show.

  The early “family friendly” comedy show, held in the Paradise Lounge, was packed. She continued toward the piano bar, which was just warming up, made a quick pass through the casino and ended her tour on the sports deck. It was empty except for a small line of passengers waiting their turn to climb the rock wall.

  A cool breeze blew through the aft, the back of the ship, and Millie slipped over to the railing. She propped her elbows on the top of the rail, closed her eyes and breathed the ocean air. She could feel her muscles relax and the tension leave her body.

  She stood silently at the rail as the soft strains of steel drums drifted up from the lido deck.

  Millie squinted her eyes to check her watch. Although it was late and she was exhausted, she had one more stop to make. She needed to check in with Robert, the bartender in charge of the Tahitian Nights dance club.

  The place was packed and the dance floor thumped as the beat of the music pulsated. Millie shouted in an attempt to be heard over the loud music as she asked Robert if he needed anything. Robert gave Millie a thumbs up everything was okay.

  Brody, no longer dressed like an oversized elf, stood guard near the entrance. He grinned at Millie before giving her a mock salute. “Miss Millie. We’ve missed you ‘round here. We were beginning to wonder if you were coming back.”

  “Thanks. I’ve missed you, too, and I’m glad to be back. What happened to the elf costume?” she teased.

  “Santa had to head back to the North Pole.” Brody changed the subject. “While you were gone, Patterson promoted me to head of night security.”

  Millie smiled as she remembered the time Andy had tased Brody during a safety demonstration and how Brody had turned the tables as he yanked the Taser out of Andy’s hand and zapped him. “Way to go, Brody. You deserve it.”

  Millie said her good-byes and headed down to her empty cabin where she brushed her teeth, washed her face and changed into her pajamas before crawling into bed.

  It had been an eventful day. Tomorrow promised to be even more eventful with Roger and Delilah’s ‘blissful nuptials.’

  Millie and Beth had planned a fun day for the entire family when the ship docked in St. Croix and included a snorkeling excursion at Buck Island. Captain Armati, Nic, had also invited Millie’s family to join him for dinner at the captain’s table the last night of the cruise.

  She drifted off into a dreamless sleep and woke briefly sometime during the night when she heard Danielle sneak in. It would take some getting used to sharing cramped quarters agai
n, but Millie wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Her alarm woke her early the next morning and she groggily shut it off before crawling out of bed and tiptoeing to the bathroom. She slipped into a pair of gym shorts and t-shirt after brushing her teeth and washing her face. On her way out of the cabin, she grabbed her lanyard.

  Dave Patterson, Siren of the Seas’ head of security was coming toward her, a somber expression on his face.

  “Good morning.” Millie tentatively smiled. She hadn’t seen Patterson since returning. “Aren’t you a ray of sunshine at this early hour,” she joked.

  “I’m sorry Millie. I’d hoped to welcome you back on board the ship under more pleasant circumstances,” Dave said.

  “What do you mean more pleasant circumstances?” Millie’s smile vanished.

  “Delilah Osborne, your husband’s fiancée, was found dead inside her cabin last night.”

  Chapter 4

  Millie’s jaw dropped as she stared at Patterson in disbelief. “Dead?”

  “Ms. Osborne expired late last night. She suffered a severe allergic reaction.” Dave Patterson shifted to the side and lowered his voice. “From what I’ve been told, your ex-husband and Ms. Osborne gave chef cards to the ship’s staff and crew to inform them of her severe nut allergy. After returning to their room late last night, they ordered room service and again, reminded the staff on the phone of Ms. Osborne’s allergies.”

  Patterson continued. “Mr. Sanders ran upstairs to grab some drinks after realizing they forgot to order sodas and when he returned, he found Ms. Osborne lying on the bed, a half-eaten cream puff in one hand and clutching her throat with the other.”

  “That’s terrible,” Millie said. “They think someone intentionally delivered food that contained nuts?”

  “I’m afraid so and Mr. Sanders believes that person is you.”

  “Me?” Millie squeaked. “That’s absurd. I can’t stand the woman, but what reason would I have to do her in?”

  “Other than she was going to marry your ex-husband today and Mr. Sanders said Ms. Osborne and you got into a heated argument yesterday, hours before her demise.”

  The blood drained from Millie’s face as she recalled the unpleasant exchange. “It’s true. Delilah showed up outside my cabin. She said she was interested in purchasing my home. She said several unpleasant things and I escorted her to the exit.”

  “Now what?” Millie had a sinking feeling she was in serious trouble. “Are you here to arrest me?”

  “No.” Patterson shook his head. “You haven’t been charged with anything. We’re in the middle of the ocean. We won’t reach our first port stop, San Juan, until tomorrow. We’ve already arranged for Mr. Sanders and family members to disembark there. The body will be transported to Michigan where an autopsy will be performed.”

  Patterson waved her down the hall. “Let’s talk in my office. I’d like to go over what you remember about your argument with Ms. Osborne and specifically, if you have an alibi for your whereabouts late last night.”

  They walked silently down the long corridor. Millie’s steps dragged and she felt as if she were going to her own execution. Perhaps Roger had gotten into an argument with Delilah, plotted to taint her food and then, in a final act of revenge, decided to frame his ex-wife. He could kill two birds with one stone…end his relationship with Delilah and set his ex-wife up to take the fall.

  Patterson unlocked his office door and held it open as he waited for Millie to step inside. “Have a seat.”

  Millie slid into the seat closest to the door and placed her head in her hands. “I can’t believe this. I had no idea the woman had allergies.”

  Patterson eased into the chair behind the desk and opened the side desk drawer. “Unfortunately, Millie, it would be easy for you to find out with your clearance level. The fact that one of your closest friends, Annette, is Director of Food and Beverage also gives you access to the information.”

  Millie’s head shot up. “You can’t possibly think Annette is in any way involved.”

  “I don’t.” Patterson sighed heavily. “I don’t think you had anything to do with the woman’s death, nor do I think any other staff or crew had anything to do with it, but unfortunately, some of the evidence is pointing right at you.”

  “Motive and opportunity,” Millie said.

  “Tell me everything you can remember about your encounter with Ms. Osborne, from the moment she stepped on board the ship.”

  Millie recounted every detail she could think of until the moment she slammed the door behind Delilah after she exited the I-95 crew area. The more she talked, the more she realized everything did point to her. She was a bitter ex with an ax to grind. The only problem was, Millie didn’t kill the woman.

  Patterson finished jotting down his notes and placed his pen on top of the notepad. “We’ll do whatever we can to clear your name, Millie, before the family disembarks.”

  “And the murderer walks off this ship, scot free,” Millie said. “What if it was an accident? What if it wasn’t intentional?”

  “We’re looking at every angle. We’ve started a thorough investigation which includes questioning family members and other witnesses,” Patterson said. “You need to steer clear of this investigation, Millie. You’re too close this time.”

  “You got that right,” Millie muttered as she pushed the chair back and stood. “I still have a right to talk to my daughter and family.”

  “Of course,” Patterson stood. “I’m probably wasting my breath, but could you please give us time to do our job?”

  “I’ll try,” Millie said. “That’s all I can say.” She stepped into the hall and quietly closed the door behind her.

  ***

  Annette blew air through thinned lips. “I heard. Patterson was here earlier and wanted to know who was delivering deck ten room service last night.”

  Annette drummed her fingers on the kitchen countertop. “Carmen was in charge of room service from nine p.m. til two a.m. for that deck of the ship. I’m sure Patterson has already talked to her.”

  “With all of the room service orders, do you think she’ll remember who placed the order?” Millie asked.

  “The crew is required to keep a written log.” Annette shifted to the side and then turned back. “We usually keep it over here on the wall. I’ll need to wait until Amit shows up for his shift to ask him where he put it. Patterson didn’t ask for it but I’m sure it’ll be next.”

  “In the meantime, I’ll see if I can get my daughter, Beth, alone and ask her what in the world she thinks happened.” Millie glanced at her watch. “I missed my early risers Sunrise Stride so I better get a move on.”

  “Don’t worry, Millie,” Annette said. “I’ll help in whatever way I can.”

  Millie attempted a small smile. “Thanks. It looks like I’ll need all the help I can get. I better go change into my work uniform.”

  After swapping out her workout clothes for her work uniform, Millie made her way to Andy’s office. She could tell from the look on his face he’d already heard. “I know I told you it was boring and quiet while you were gone but you didn’t have to kill your ex-husband’s bride-to-be just to liven things up.”

  Millie sucked in a breath and slid into the chair next to Andy. “I can’t believe she’s dead. I had nothing to do with it. True, I didn’t care for her, which may be an understatement, but I did not kill her.”

  “Did you know she was allergic to nuts?”

  “Nope. Not a clue, although Patterson pointed out it would be easy for me to get that kind of information,” Millie said. “Motive and opportunity. I’m the perfect person to frame.”

  “Patterson and his men are working on it Millie.” Andy shuffled the papers on his desk. “In the meantime, try not to dwell on it. Spend your free time with your family and let the experts handle the rest.”

  “In other words, steer clear of the investigation,” Millie said.

  “You took the words right out of my mouth,�
� Andy said. “Now if only you’ll heed my advice.” He changed the subject and they discussed the upcoming mystery/scavenger hunt, which had been rescheduled for the following day.

  “You don’t have to reschedule it.” Millie was looking forward to the scavenger hunt and taking her mind off her current situation.

  “We have enough activities today and I’ve already sent out the revised schedule.”

  They discussed the rest of the schedule and after they finished going over everything, Millie stood. “I better head upstairs if I’m going to make it in time to host trivia.” She turned to go.

  “Millie,” Andy said.

  Millie swung back around.

  “Stay out of trouble.”

  “I’ll try,” Millie sighed. “Sometimes it seems as if trouble follows me wherever I go.”

  ***

  The trivia contest was a foodie’s dream and Millie learned something new. She had no idea there were sixteen different ways to cook an egg. The most interesting was the tea egg, a traditional Chinese snack, made by cracking hard-boiled eggs and steeping them in a spiced tea mix.

  A group of quilters, who had sailed together, easily won the trivia contest. Andy had switched out the contest winners’ gifts, a ship on a stick, for a medallion necklace with the ship’s name etched in the center.

  The crowd dispersed as Millie placed the trivia items in the cabinet and locked the door. The talk of food made her hungry and she realized she’d missed breakfast so she headed to the crew dining room to avoid running into Roger.

  Lunch consisted of rubbery hot dogs, hamburgers that reminded Millie of hockey pucks and a concoction she guessed was a Sloppy Joe mix.

  She grabbed a hot dog and bun and then layered the top with mustard, mayo, sweet relish and a scoop of the Sloppy Joe mix for good measure.

  She dumped a handful of tortilla chips off to the side, along with a small pile of semi-crisp French fries and headed toward the dining area.

  Nikki, one of Millie’s friends who worked at guest services, caught her eye and waved her over to her table. Sarah, Millie’s old cabin mate, sat next to Nikki.