by Ann Mullen
“I did. She’s pretty smart. We discussed a lot of things while you were gone. Women do that you know.”
“I’m not ruling out anyone right now. Friends, family, anyone. Usually, in cases like this, the least likely suspect turns out to be the one who’s the bad guy.”
“In that case… oh… let me think for a minute.” And I really tried to. I went down the list of all the people on the ship with any kind of connections to Bella and Loukas, and when I narrowed it down to just one person I would least expect it to be, I came to a ridiculous conclusion. “It’s Jena! Yeah, she’s the one behind it all. She plotted to have her dad killed, or, better yet, she’s going to kill him herself.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He continued his internet search.
“That’s what I was kinda thinking. See my point?”
“Du-yu-yo-dv!” Billy spat out in his native tongue. “Do-i-s-di-hi-na? The nv-gi di-ga-nv-sa-di! Unbelievable.” He was at it again. He had just found something that either surprised him… or not.
“What got you so riled up? What did you find? I see a picture of Dr. Whitley with a whole bunch of information that I assume is about him. What does it say? And please, just give me the shortened version.”
“It pretty much boils down to the same old dirt. Dr. Whitley resigned from his last actual job at a hospital because he was suspected of taking drugs from the pharmacy for his own personal use. He claimed he was innocent, but the hospital decided that the good old doc should seek employment elsewhere. The doc, being the good man he is, upon their request, resigned. He saved face, and everyone was happy. Then he met Bella and Loukas, and, as they say, the rest is history.”
“Does he have a drug problem? We could go suck out some of his blood and find out.”
“I don’t think so… and I don’t think the doc uses drugs. If he really stole drugs, I think he did it for someone he cared about.”
“Right. When you’re finished with the doctor, check out the captain. Wake me up when it’s time to get ready for dinner. I’m going to stretch out on the bed. You’re going to be at this for a while.”
“Sure, `ge ya,” Billy replied halfway paying attention.
I stroked his hair, and then leaned over and kissed him on the neck. His mind was not on me. It was on the computer screen in front of him. Okay, I thought to myself. I’m going to leave him alone, and let him do what he does. I walked over to the bed, crawled on top of it, and lay there in complete comfort. I let my mind drift, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. It seemed like only seconds later when Billy shook me and said it was time to get up. I sat up in bed and looked around. When I realized it was still the same day and we were going to eat at the dinner buffet with McCoy and Savannah, I jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
My jumping out of bed the instant he called me must have taken him by surprise. As I closed the bathroom door, he said to me, “You must be really hungry, or you can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. You really love this suspense, don’t you?”
I poked my head out from behind the door and replied, “I’m hungry, and I like Savannah and McCoy’s company. I only love the suspense when no one dies, and we catch the bad guys.”
“Then this should be a real adventure for you.”
“Let me take a quick shower, and then you can tell me what you found out about Captain Bligh.” I closed the door, stripped down, and then jumped in the shower. When I finished and walked out with a towel wrapped around me, Billy was already dressed.
“Did you take a shower?” I asked him. “When did you find time?”
“Yes, I did. I managed to squeeze the time in between hacking into the…”
“I don’t want to know. Save it for discussion over dinner. I’m sure you’ll want to keep your other co-partner informed of your new findings.”
“You aren’t jealous over my new working relationship with McCoy, are you, `ge ya?”
“Just a wee bit. But I know I’m number one.”
“That you are, and always will be.”
Billy was dressed in jeans, a polo shirt, and deck shoes. He looked mighty handsome with his long ponytail hanging down his back, and his dark skin stood out against his shirt.
“I don’t look too hokey in this polo shirt, do I?”
“I don’t care what you wear,” I said to him. “You always look good to me.” I looked at the emblem on the shirt and saw that it read, Bella Constance. “Is there one for me? We could be twins if I had one.”
“Yes, it’s on the top of the dresser. A crew member dropped them off while you were napping. Compliments of the Bella Constance. Everybody gets one.”
“Bella and Loukas really know how to add that personal touch. I just hope nobody messed with them and put some kind of chemical on them that’s going to seep into our skin and kill us.”
“My, you are suspicious.”
“After the high heel incident, I’m afraid that I am.”
“I’m not itching or sneezing, and I’m not dead yet, so I guess we’re good to go.”
I grabbed my undies, a pair of jeans, and the polo shirt. I was dressed and ready to go—dry hair and all—within fifteen minutes, much to Billy’s astonishment. At six fifty-five, we left our stateroom and headed next door. Savannah and McCoy were ready and waiting, and they were also wearing their Bella Constance polo shirts. We got a chuckle out of that, especially when Savannah said we’d blend in with the others, and no one would recognize us.
“I don’t think anyone would mistake who you are, Savannah,” I replied with a snicker. “You’re their very own private mystery maven.”
Savannah just smiled.
The four of us made our way to the top deck—death box ride included—and joined the many other passengers in line at the buffet table. A crew member approached us and asked if we’d like to have a table by the window, or would we care for a more private place to have dinner.
“I can seat you with the captain, if you wish. Tonight is informal night, so you don’t have to dress for dinner. Your attire is completely appropriate.”
I looked around the room and saw the same white polo shirt on almost every one of the other passengers. My first thought was: cattle being led to slaughter. We all looked alike. Lord only knows why that came to mind. I guess Billy was right when he said I was a suspicious one.
“We have business to discuss, otherwise, I’d say yes,” Billy answered, and then looked at McCoy. “Unless you’d rather…”
“No, that’s fine with me,” McCoy said after looking at Savannah and getting a positive nod. “As Mr. Blackhawk said, we have private business to discuss. A table by the window would be nice.”
The crew member stood, waiting until we were ready to be seated, and then showed us to the same table I had shared with Bella and Savannah when Maggie made her presence known. I was a little leery at first, but decided what the heck. The big buffet/stabbing scene had already played itself out. No more forks coming our way!
“The storm has passed, so you should be able to walk the outer walkways, if you’d like,” the crew member said. “And we should dock in St. George before noon tomorrow. So, please enjoy your meal, and if I can be of service to you, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
We thanked him for the weather update and the docking information, and then told him we’d be fine. He walked away, and as soon as he did, Billy began explaining his internet findings while we enjoyed a fine meal.
“Captain O’Riley is squeaky clean, but the doctor has had some trouble.” He went on to tell Savannah and McCoy what he had already told me. “But our pal, Utah, has a colorful past. He’s been arrested twice: once for stealing a car when he was twenty-six, which his folks got him out of, and once for assaulting his wife six months ago. Of course, you know Nell dropped the charges. In between stealing the car and beating up his wife, he has been accused of many things. But he’s never been prosecuted.”
“Like what?”
“Bribery, extortio
n—to name just a few. Yes, I’d say this is one bad dude. Nell really got herself a loser when she married him.”
“There’s no accounting for who you fall in love with,” Savannah said. “When you love someone, you tend to overlook their weak points. I write about stuff like that, not from personal experience.” She looked at her husband lovingly.
The dinner was enjoyable up until the moment the three sisters from Georgia stopped by our table. Dorothy was doing much better even though she had to use a cane, and the conversation went downhill from there. We managed to get rid of them when Billy suggested we go to the bar and have a couple of after dinner drinks, and of course, the sisters from Georgia didn’t want to intrude. We left it at that, not inviting them, and then excused ourselves. We headed for the exit as fast as we could without making it look as if we were trying to run from them, which we were. Once we got out in the hallway, none of us could help but laugh as we made our way to the bar.
From then on, the evening went smoothly. We sat at the bar with none other than Utah Hawks—the criminal—and his wife Nell. After two drinks, I was ready to get up and dance. So, we danced, drank more booze, and then danced some more. All in all, it was a nice evening, even with the crabby Utah Hawks in our presence.
Around two in the morning, I’d had enough. I’d only consumed three, maybe four drinks, but I was already seeing double. Billy looked at me, and knew the time had come.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to take my wonderful bride home. She’s finished for the night.”
“I’m going to have to agree with you,” McCoy added. “I think Savannah’s had more to drink tonight than I’ve ever seen her drink before.”
“But I only had woo drinks.” She counted on her fingers as she slurred one of her words.
I looked at her, and we both burst out laughing. I almost slid off the barstool… and then she did.
“That’s it,” McCoy said as he grabbed Savannah before she hit the floor. “You’ve had enough for one night.”
“Boy, I thought I was a rookie,” I said, laughing at her. “You’re lame, girl! No more booze for you!”
Savannah and I started laughing and didn’t stop until our husbands separated us at our stateroom doors.
“Can’t we take a stroll on the outer walkway, Billy? The guy said it was safe now. I want to…”
“Not tonight, `ge ya.”
“You’re the boss.” I looked over at Savannah and said, “Good-night, Savannah. See you in the morning.”
“Night, Jesse.”
Our husbands took us to our rooms, and I can only assume McCoy did for Savannah what Billy did for me. He undressed me and put me to bed. I didn’t even brush my teeth. What would my mother say if she saw me like this? I crawled in between the sheets and fell asleep. I slept soundly until I heard the blast of the ship’s horn, and a few seconds later, what sounded like a canon blast. I sat upright in bed and thought, either we have docked, or the ship was under attack. I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was ten-twenty, and the sun was out.
“Billy, wake up. We slept late. The ship has docked, and I heard a canon go off.”
Billy sat up in bed, looked at the clock, and then said, “I never sleep this late.” He rubbed his head as if in pain. “I have an awful headache. I hope we have some aspirin.”
“We do,” I said. “How many drinks did you have last night?”
“I had about half as many as you did. You don’t think I’d tie one on, do you?”
“I should know better,” I answered. “Hey, if you didn’t drink much, why do you feel so rough? I bet Utah Hawks spiked our drinks, so we’d be out of his way while he continued with his murderous plot.” I was joking.
Billy jumped out of bed and said, “Get dressed. We need to check on Bella and Loukas.”
“Hey, I wasn’t serious.”
“I was.”
Chapter 18
I had to take a shower. My body reeked of alcohol, and my mouth had a taste in it that I wouldn’t want to describe to anyone. So, I jumped in the shower, and when I finished and walked out with a towel wrapped around my head and body, Billy had already ordered coffee and pastries.
“Hmm… that smells good. I could sure use a cup of hot coffee.”
“I called Bella and Loukas to get an update on his condition,” Billy said as he headed to the bathroom.
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine. Bella said he wasn’t feeling all that great, but at least the doctor didn’t have to pump his stomach. It was just a case of sour stomach, not food poisoning.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Billy took a shower while I dried my hair and drank coffee.
“I’m going to call Savannah.”
“I already did,” Billy called out to me over the noise of the running water in the shower. “She said they just got up, too. I guess we all had a little too much to drink.”
“At least you didn’t make a fool of yourself.”
“Neither did you, `ge ya. You and Savannah were kind of cute, acting all silly and everything. McCoy said she doesn’t normally drink, so he wasn’t surprised at her behavior.”
“What about lunch at Bella’s?”
“We’re going to skip it. That horn you heard was the signal that the ship has docked, so Bella suggested that we have a late lunch ashore. She said there’s a great little restaurant in town. She wants us to join them for lunch, and then we’re going sightseeing. She said to dress informally… shorts, T-shirt… something like that. Is that all right with you? I told her it would be. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s fine with me. I can’t wait to get off this ship and put my feet on dry land.”
Billy turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. A few seconds later, he walked into the room with just a towel wrapped around his waist. “She said to wear our I.D. cards and to carry our passports.”
“Okay,” I replied as I looked him up and down. “You look mighty sexy there, Mr. Blackhawk.”
“And you do, too, `ge ya. We have an hour before we’re supposed to meet up with Bella and her entourage.” He started doing that eye thing like men do when they’re suggesting we partake in a little hanky-panky.
“What is it with you guys? You’re always…”
He walked over, kissed me softly, and a half-hour later, we were crawling back out of bed.
“What a way to start the day!” he said. “I’m so glad I’m married to you.” The he started singing that song about feeling like a natural woman, and I had to laugh at his silliness.
“I’m the one who should be singing that song.”
Billy put on a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt, and then went searching through one of the dresser drawers.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as I slipped into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
He pulled out our stringed I.D. badges, and slipped mine over my head for me. “Now, I’ll know who you are.” He snickered. He grabbed our passports, and slid them in a pocket of his cargo shorts.
“Why do we have to carry our passports with us?”
“In case we get left behind, or get in trouble with the police.”
“I hope that doesn’t happen. You don’t think the ship would leave without us, do you?”
“They might if we go off somewhere and can’t be found in time. I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.”
Someone knocked on the door. Billy walked over and opened it.
“Hello,” he said to Savannah and McCoy. “Is it that time again?”
“Yes,” Savannah replied, walking in the room, and then over to me. “Another day of adventure. Ah, I see you have your I.D. badges. Good thing. We’d hate to lose you. Bella said to be sure to wear them. Did you hear that canon blast?”
“What was that?”
“The Town Crier. He does that to signal the arrival of a ship. It’s some kind of ritual or something.”
“I thought we were under atta
ck.” I walked over and picked up my purse to take with me.
“Don’t bring that,” Savannah said. “Carry your credit cards, cash, and passport in your pocket. You won’t need your camera either. Jena is an expert photographer, and she’s going to take pictures for everyone.”
I didn’t have to ask her why. Tourists are always at risk for purse-snatchers wherever they go. We must have the word tourist plastered on our forehead. The crooks always see us coming. No lugging a camera. That was terrific. I lay the purse back down after I pulled out a credit card and then stuffed it in the pocket of my shorts.
“You don’t need that card,” Billy said. “I have everything we need in my wallet.”
“Okay,” I said, replacing the card back in my purse. “I guess I’m ready to go.”
Billy put the keycard to our room in his pocket after he closed the door behind us. “We’re off!” he said as we made our way down the hallway to Loukas and Bella’s room.
People were coming and going as they, too, were getting ready to disembark the ship. They were excited and extremely talkative. I heard one woman say she couldn’t wait to get her feet on dry land after that terrible storm. I smiled. It felt good not to have that feeling of unsteadiness. The ship had tossed me around enough.
As usual, Bella and Loukas had a room full of people. Besides them, their entourage consisted of all three daughters and their husbands, six very large bodyguards that I’d seen around before—and that number didn’t include Allison and Jacob, who were also present—the four of us, and last but not least—the three sisters from Georgia—imagine that.
A big, red flag went up—so big that if there had been a gust of wind, I would’ve smothered to death from being wrapped up in it. Why would Bertie, Dorothy, and Mabel be included in our jaunt to the island? They weren’t friends in Loukas and Bella’s inner circle… or were they? Bertie did save Jena’s life. I’m sure Bella and Loukas never forget that. Those sisters are a package deal, so when Bertie saved Jena, all three of them were taken into the fold. That’s the only good reason I could come up with… unless… Bella invited them along just to torment Utah. She wouldn’t be that devious, would she? Yes, she would, and she would enjoy it. Watching Utah squirm would probably make her day.