Choppy Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 5)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “What’s up with you two?” Rowan asked as she munched on her crab salad sandwich.

  “What do you mean?” Quinn forced his gaze to Rowan and popped an onion ring into his mouth. “Nothing is going on.”

  “Something very clearly is going on,” Rowan pressed. “You’re not a good enough actor to pretend otherwise. Even if you were, though, Leighann definitely isn’t. She won’t stop staring at you.”

  “Oh, well … .” Quinn broke off and shifted on his chair. “It’s not important. Don’t worry about it.”

  That only served to make Rowan more curious. “Oh, that’s not going to work on me. You might as well tell me because I’m not going to let it go.”

  Quinn heaved out a sigh. “Fine. I don’t think you’re going to like it, though.”

  “Try me.”

  “It seems Leighann believes I’ve been hanging around all morning because I want to be close to her. She suggested a private dinner so we could discuss security, but I have a feeling she wanted to discuss something else.

  “I made sure she realized I was already taken,” he continued hurriedly. “I’m not sure she believed me at first, but she knows we’re together now. I can’t say she’s happy about it.”

  Instead of reacting with annoyance or offense, Rowan broke into a fit of hysterical giggles.

  “It’s not funny.” Quinn glared. “She thinks I’m warm for her form so she keeps winking at me. It’s like she has something stuck in her eye.”

  “Oh, poor Quinn.” Rowan patted his hand as she slowly recovered. “It must be hard to be the ship’s resident sex symbol. I don’t know how you survive the torment.”

  Quinn refused to crack a smile. “You’re not upset that she thinks I want her?”

  Rowan shrugged. “Should I be?”

  “Most women would not be happy about the situation.”

  “Do you know most women?”

  “This conversation is starting to give me a migraine.” Quinn rubbed his forehead. “I thought you would be jealous or something. I guess I read the situation wrong.”

  “I would definitely be jealous if I thought there was something to the accusation,” Rowan clarified. “I’ve never considered myself a jealous person, but I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if I thought you really did like her.”

  “So you’re fine with it because you know I don’t?”

  “I know you can’t stand her. No one can. She’s the sort of person who thinks the world revolves around her, that she’s the stationary object and everyone else is spinning. I find that a bit entertaining. I can’t help myself.”

  Quinn leaned back in his chair and gave her an appraising look. “I’m glad you’re not jealous. I was worried about telling you because I thought you might be upset. Since we have so many other things to worry about, that’s a weight off my shoulders.”

  “But?”

  “But it wouldn’t hurt my ego if you were a little jealous,” Quinn admitted ruefully. “I would be jealous if the situations were reversed.”

  “Would you really?” Rowan wasn’t convinced. “I think you would only be jealous if you thought I returned the feelings. Since I honestly only have eyes for you, that’s not an issue. Even if Leighann was a better person – which she’s obviously not – I’m not sure I could muster a lot of energy to be jealous because I want to believe that you only have eyes for me.”

  “I do only have eyes for you.”

  “So why should I be jealous?”

  Quinn held his hands palms out and shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t want you to be jealous because I think it’s a wasted emotion. Still, now that you laughed at me, part of me wants you to be jealous. It makes no sense and yet I still feel that way.”

  “I get it.” And, because she did, Rowan smiled. “I will be crushed if you leave me for Leighann. I’ll spend the next three weeks in bed if it happens and cry myself to sleep every night. Does that help?”

  “It’s better than nothing.” Quinn forced himself to turn serious. “You honestly have nothing to worry about, though. She’s pretty much insufferable.”

  “I think that’s going to be the heart of our issue. Everyone dislikes her. Even her own girls dislike her. Narrowing down a suspect for what we know is going to happen is going to be all the more difficult because of that.”

  Quinn nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. Every girl who came up to Leighann while we were talking only did so because she had to. She’s not a warm and giving person and the girls know that.”

  Rowan tapped her bottom lip with her finger as she thoughtfully stared at Leighann’s table. “We’ve been assuming that it would be a member of Claire’s group to go after her because it seemed to make sense given the set of facts we’re working with. What if that’s not the case, though?”

  “You think she might push one of her girls so far that she’ll snap and kill her.” Despite himself, Quinn was intrigued at the suggestion. “That doesn’t exactly limit our suspect pool.”

  “Nope. It’s the exact opposite.”

  “I saw you with that Clover girl.” Quinn decided to change the subject. “You were good with her. I was worried she was going to jump on Kasey and start ripping out hair before I could stop her, but you talked her down and she was fine for the rest of the morning session. How did you manage that?”

  “I simply told her that pretending Kasey didn’t exist would drive the girl nuts and it was a far better punishment than a slap in the face that could do more damage to Clover than her intended victim.”

  “That was smart.”

  Rowan’s shoulders hopped. “She’s a good girl. She just hasn’t had a lot of opportunities in life and she has no idea what to do with the one that has fallen into her lap.”

  “Still, you were good with her.” Quinn squeezed Rowan’s fingers. “Even if you crushed my spirit by not being jealous, you’re wonderful with all the girls. I’m impressed.”

  “There’s no need to be impressed. I simply know how girls think better than you do.”

  “I guess I should be glad for that. Still, because Leighann is convinced I want her, I will be leaving two security guards to watch the area rather than hanging around myself after lunch. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to muddle through.”

  “I’m sure you will, too. Still … text me if you think something is about to go south. Your ability is helpful when it comes to stopping murders but without a timeframe we’re often left groping about in the dark. That makes me uncomfortable.”

  “And here I thought groping in the dark was one of the skills you listed on your résumé,” Rowan teased.

  Quinn returned her flirty smile. “Only with you.”

  “And that’s why I’m not jealous.”

  “I guess that’s a good thing for both of us.”

  ROWAN WAS SECRETLY glad Quinn made himself scarce after lunch. He was a distraction for all the girls – young and old alike – and once he was gone it gave Rowan the opportunity to watch Leighann without having to worry about the woman potentially stalking her boyfriend.

  For her part, Leighann cast the occasional glance in Rowan’s direction. Each time she had a dismissive grimace on her face. Rowan knew the woman was trying to intimidate her – perhaps scare her off so she could have an open shot at Quinn – but she was in no mood to play relationship games when murder was on the menu.

  “Still no Gabby?” Rowan furrowed her brow and dragged her attention away from Leighann when Clover and the rest of Claire’s special squad returned after lunch.

  “Gabby?” Claire glanced around, confused. “Huh. She isn’t here, is she? She’s probably up on deck screwing around.”

  Rowan racked her brain for another time when she could remember Claire being present at the practice sessions and came up empty. “I wasn’t sure you were going to come down here. I think it’s good for the girls to see you cheering them on, though, so … bravo.”

  Claire
cocked a speculative eyebrow. “Did you just say ‘bravo’ to me?”

  “I believe that was the word I chose.”

  “I don’t think anyone has ever said to that me.” Claire looked more amused than offended. “You’re starting to grow on me, and it’s not just because I heard through the grapevine that Leighann is hot to trot for your boyfriend and he shut her down. That’s only part of the reason.”

  Rowan internally cursed herself when she felt her cheeks flush with color. “How could you possibly hear about that? I didn’t think it was common knowledge.”

  Claire snorted. “Honey, I’ve got my finger on the pulse of everything that goes on here. I know what Leighann thinks and says before she even opens her mouth. She’s an open book … at least when I’m the one doing the reading.”

  Rowan wanted to point out that Claire fancied herself aloof and superior when it came to Leighann, but she often acted exactly like the woman. She didn’t think that would go over well, though. “How really?”

  “Johnny and David over there.” Claire jerked her thumb in the direction of two men Rowan had barely registered throughout the past two days. They wore nondescript clothing – khaki shorts and polo shirts – and purposely placed themselves at the edge of the crowd so they wouldn’t stand out. “They report everything that they hear.”

  “Huh.” Rowan wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Are they fathers?”

  “Security.”

  Rowan tilted her head to the side, considering. “I thought I’d met everyone from Quinn’s security crew. I don’t recognize them, though, and they’re out of uniform.”

  Claire chortled, genuinely amused. “They’re not ship security. They’re my security. I hired them to make sure my girls are taken care of. In case you haven’t noticed, they’re vastly outnumbered. Leighann has ten girls to every one of mine and even though the other girls on the ship aren’t paying a lot of attention that doesn’t mean one or more of them couldn’t be dangerous.”

  “Actually I have noticed that your girls are outnumbered.” Rowan pursed her lips as she focused on the security detail. “I’m not sure that warrants private security, though.”

  “When it comes to the safety of my girls – and myself – I spare no expense. I want them here and hanging out. If they happen to eavesdrop during the process and pass on a few choice tidbits to me, so much the better.”

  “And they told you Leighann was upset that Quinn shot her down?”

  “They told me it was glorious.” Claire smiled so wide it almost swallowed her entire face. “They told me that Leighann was mortified and yet she kept at it because she didn’t want to lose. I guess your boyfriend essentially had to spell it out for her. It’s too bad he didn’t have crayons handy because that would’ve made it all the funnier.”

  Rowan couldn’t join in with the woman’s mirth. “So basically your security guys are more like spies than security, huh?”

  “If you like.” Claire clearly wasn’t bothered by the charge. “I’m comfortable leaving them down here while I retire to my room. I know they’ll keep things under control.”

  Since Rowan had to stop Clover from attacking Kasey, she wasn’t sure that was true. Still, the presence of the guards gave her a few ideas. “I’m glad they’re around. Two extra sets of hands are always helpful.”

  “It is indeed.”

  CLAIRE REMAINED TO watch the girls practice for a total of five minutes before she got bored and left. Rowan took a few minutes to talk to Clover about Gabby, who hadn’t turned up for lunch, and then she maneuvered closer to the security guards. She thought about playing coy with them but ultimately decided to be straightforward in the hope that they wouldn’t shy away from her if they thought she was an honest individual.

  “Johnny and David, right?”

  The two dark-haired men nodded in unison. “Do you need something?”

  “Which one of you is which?”

  “I’m Johnny.” The man with the shorter hair patted his chest. “That’s David. We’re here to help if something goes wrong. Is that what Ms. Austin told you?”

  “Not exactly.” Rowan clutched her camera as she debated how to proceed. “I’m a little curious why Ms. Austin thinks that things are bad enough she needs private security. Do you guys believe that?”

  The two men exchanged a brief look that wasn’t lost on Rowan before answering.

  “I don’t know exactly how to respond to that,” Johnny said after a beat. He seemed to be the designated talker because David showed no signs of being a witty – or willing – conversationalist. Rowan was fine with that as long as she got answers. “Ms. Austin believes that security is necessary.”

  Rowan could read between the lines. “Which means you guys don’t believe it.”

  “We’re here to do a job,” Johnny stressed. “If Ms. Austin believes her life to be in danger then we’re here to make sure nothing happens to her. It’s fairly simple.”

  “You’re not with her, though,” Rowan pointed out. “She took off to do … whatever it is she’s doing … and you guys are here watching the squad. She must have worries about them if she instructed you guys to act as chaperones.”

  “I don’t think chaperones is the right word,” Johnny hedged. “It’s more that we’re here to make sure that the girls aren’t hurt.”

  “Except Clover was going to get in a fistfight with Kasey Witherspoon a few hours ago and you didn’t step in to stop that.”

  “No, you did.” Johnny smirked. “We’re not necessarily good at reading reactions when it comes to the girls. I would never say otherwise. That situation was almost out of control before we realized what was going on.”

  “We thank you for stepping in,” David said, his voice low and gravelly. “You did the right thing.”

  “I did it for the girls,” Rowan stressed. “This is a big deal for them. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I don’t want to see them lose something this big over a moment of stupidity.”

  “That’s what Ms. Austin wants, too,” Johnny supplied. “She wants a quiet trip and for fun to be had by all.”

  It took everything Rowan had not to roll her eyes. “Let’s not play games. Ms. Austin did a good thing by sponsoring these girls and she’d genuinely like to see them win. It’s not because she cares, though. It’s because she wants to stick it to Leighann Porter.

  “Now, I know you guys can’t say anything bad about your employer and I’m fine with that,” she continued, holding up a hand to cut off Johnny before he could argue. “I want to make sure that these girls are protected, though. If you guys are here to provide security, you need to do a better job.”

  Johnny was sheepish. “Ms. Austin said the same thing to us over lunch. We explained how you stepped in and Clover couldn’t stop talking about you over lunch. Ms. Austin was annoyed when we told her the full story.”

  “She said it’s not part of your job description to break up potential fights,” David added.

  “It’s not,” Rowan agreed. “I don’t mind spending time with the girls, though. They’re fun and enthusiastic. It’s a nice change from some of the other stuff that happens here on a weekly basis.”

  “And you’re basically just supposed to take photos, right?” Johnny stared pointedly at the camera. “You’re not supposed to get involved with other stuff, are you?”

  Rowan didn’t like the insinuation. “I take photos. I also report to the captain and security if anything turns worrisome.” That wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t an overt lie either. Rowan did report to Quinn if something bothered her. Whether that was what a normal ship photographer would do was up for debate. “There are multiple facets to my job.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about our girls.” Johnny was firm. “We’ll do better about making sure they don’t find trouble.”

  Rowan wasn’t naïve enough to ignore the fact that they were trying to dismiss her. She also wasn’t weak enough to acquiesce. “Well, I’ll be around to make sure that
doesn’t happen, too.”

  “How fun for all of us,” David said dryly.

  Rowan ignored the dig. “Speaking of that, have either of you guys seen Gabby in the last few hours?”

  Johnny turned serious. “Gabby? Do you mean Gabby Fisher? No, why? Are we supposed to be looking for Gabby?”

  “I haven’t seen her since breakfast and I’m starting to get worried,” Rowan admitted. “This is the second practice session today that she’s missed.”

  “I wouldn’t worry.” Johnny’s smile turned charming. “It’s a big ship. She’s probably just running around and having a good time.”

  “I know but … .”

  “You said it yourself,” Johnny interjected. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for these girls. I’m sure they’d rather play than work. She’ll turn up.”

  “I hope so.”

  “She will. They always turn up.”

  9

  Nine

  “You look worn out, Ro.”

  Quinn’s grin was halfway between a smirk and a grimace as he dropped his computer bag on the floor next to Rowan’s small table before joining her on the bed shortly before dinner.

  “I am worn out.” Rowan stared at the ceiling. “I always thought I would want to be a mother one day. I’m not so sure any longer.”

  Quinn chuckled. “You’ll be a fantastic mother. I don’t think dealing with hundreds of teenagers who don’t belong to you is the proper way to gauge your interest in being a mother.”

  “My ears hurt from listening to them all day.”

  “I don’t blame you. I had to listen to them, too. Eventually I started tuning them out because they were so annoying. It was either that or deafen myself with Q-tips.”

  “Yeah.” Rowan pressed her eyes shut. “Do you think I can get away with hiding in here for the rest of the trip?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Even if I come down with a deadly disease that only lasts a few days?”

  “It can’t be that bad.” Quinn gave Rowan’s fingers a squeeze. “What happened?”