Masked to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 5)

by Christina Freeburn

  A heavy boot stomped on my hand, nearly crushing the tiara. I bit back a scream and quickly shoved the rescued tiara into my tote. At least it didn’t sustain any harm.

  “Are you okay?” Ruth used her cane to move my e-reader closer to me. “I am so sorry. It’s so hard for me to maneuver around in these crowds. I seemed to have accidentally tripped you with my cane.”

  Tears glittered in Ruth’s eyes and her woebegone expression told me she was sincere. It had been an accident. I plastered a smile on my face, not wanting her to see my pain as I shoved the e-reader into my bag. “I’m fine.” My hand hurt when I moved my fingers, but I was able to flex them. I tried pushing myself up, but my hand was too sore. Instead, I rolled to my knees before standing.

  “Oh my goodness, you’re hurt. Let me get someone over here to help.”

  “Please, don’t do that. It’s just a little sprain. It’s a little sore from being stepped on.” I was sure it would feel better in a moment. If not, I’d have Garrison take a look at it.

  “You should at least put some ice on it so it doesn’t swell up.”

  I looked at my hand. It was a little puffy. I poked a spot and hissed in a breath. That wasn’t a smart idea.

  “I’m taking you to my room right now.” Ruth hooked her arm through mine. “No arguments from you, young lady. William always carries medical supplies, and I know he has some gel ice packs in the room. He gets them from the medical facility after we board.”

  “I’ll go since it’ll save me a trip to the medical facility.” It also got me into Ruth and William’s room so I could snoop around, and it provided the opportunity for Ruth to take a look at the bracelet I’d won.

  We took the elevator to the eighth floor. “We’re in a suite at the end of the hall,” Ruth said, leading the way. She kept a tight hold on my arm. I wasn’t sure if it was to keep herself steady or she was afraid I’d run off.

  Stewards in the hallway smiled at us as we passed by. Mid-afternoon must be the time for sprucing up the rooms. I made a mental note to pass on the information to John, in case we needed to do searching later on.

  “Here we are.” Ruth hooked her cane onto her arm before removing her room key from her purse. She waved it in front of the lock then pushed the door open. “William has the second room.”

  I stepped inside. The suite was huge. I wondered if the room Ted shared with his mom and daughter matched it. This was the way to travel. There was a large couch and plenty of space to spread out. The curtains were pulled back and showed off a large deck that wrapped around the corner of the boat.

  “William keeps the ice pack in the refrigerator.” Ruth headed for a medium sized fridge near the TV console. It wasn’t a full-size fridge but larger than the mini one in my room.

  “Would it be all right if I peeked into the rooms?” I felt a blush heating my cheeks. “This room is a lot fancier than mine.”

  Grinning, Ruth handed me an ice pack. “Feel free to start in my room. I have the better view. I’m going to pop into the restroom to freshen up then order some room service. Would you like anything?”

  “I ate lunch earlier.”

  “Not even a dessert?” Her blue eyes twinkled. “Calories don’t count on a cruise. I always have a post lunch dessert.”

  “In that case, I’d love to have dessert with you.”

  Ruth clapped her hands. “Wonderful. Maybe William will get back in time from his meeting with Lucinda to join us. I’ll order an extra slice of cheesecake just in case.”

  “Okay,” I said, not quite sure if I was good with it. I pressed the ice bag onto my hand. Was being here when William arrived a good thing? Should I find a way to leave before then? My thousand questions and I entered Ruth’s room and looked around.

  There was nothing out in plain sight. Of course not. Ruth was a woman who routinely traveled with expensive items, she’d know to keep them tucked away in a safe. Now what? It wasn’t like I could ask to see her tiara. Maybe she’d wear it on formal night. That was it. I’ve never been on a cruise ship before so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to have questions regarding what to wear.

  I reeled in my excitement so I didn’t skip out of the room. “It’s amazing. Maybe one day I can cruise in this kind of style.”

  “That might be possible to arrange.” Ruth winked at me.

  My face heated. I hoped she didn’t think I was trying to wrangle an invitation to cruise with her.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m an over thinker, what some would call a worrier, and for some reason formal night popped into my head. I have a tiara I was thinking about wearing and wonder if it would be too much.”

  “Most certainly not. Not everyone gets dressed up but most women do and they are jeweled up. I have a tiara that I wear on occasions.”

  “Are you planning on wearing yours?”

  “I still haven’t made up my mind, but I did bring it along.”

  I bet William was planning a switcheroo. I had a feeling knocking my tiara onto the lifeboat wasn’t an accident.

  There was a pounding on the door.

  “Room service is here and a little anxious. They must have a lot of orders.” Ruth started to push herself from the couch.

  “I’ll get it.”

  I opened the door. Ronnie stepped back, a shocked look on her face. Ronnie was dripping in scarves. The entire skirt of her dress seemed to be made from different lengths and hues of silk pastel scarves. The bodice was a form-fitting silver sequined tank top. A white cape floated behind her, a brooch in the shape of an anchor keeping it secured around her neck.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked.

  “Visiting Ruth. And you?”

  She heaved out an impatient sigh. “Looking for my brother.”

  “He’s not here, dear.” Ruth joined us at the door. “Lucinda, the diamond shopping woman, said she had something important to chat with him about in private. I figure he should be back soon if you’d like to wait. I’ve ordered room service.”

  “I’ll catch up with him later. There’s a class I want to join but I need a partner. I’ll just have Faith come with me.” She smiled at me. It shook.

  There wasn’t a class. Ronnie needed a listening ear, and I wanted to know what happened at the meeting with the captain. “As long as I can do it one handed.” I held up my injured hand which still had an ice bag draped on it.

  “Faith, are you okay?” Ronnie took hold of my hand.

  “That’s a lovely bracelet.” A tight smile played at Ruth’s lips.

  “Looks similar to mine.”

  Good. I had her attention. “It’s the one I won at the seminar.”

  “The swelling is going down,” Ruth said. “I can get you a new ice pack.”

  “I’m fine.” I waved goodbye to Ruth, gently pushing Ronnie away from the door and getting us away from the suite.

  “What happened?” Ronnie’s gaze filled with concern.

  “Someone stepped on it,” I said.

  “You should get it checked out.”

  “I’d rather stay out of the infirmary.”

  “I don’t blame you. If the doctor thinks it’s broken, they might have you taken off the ship at the next port for medical reasons. The ice pack will help take the swelling down, and I have some medication in my room that’ll take the edge off the pain.”

  Right. Like I’d accept pills from someone I didn’t know very well. “I came stocked with pain medication, ginger pills, band-aids, and cough syrup. I’m prepared for anything. I just really want to get the certificate for my bracelet. Once we get to our class.”

  “There’s no class.”

  We stepped into the elevator.

  “I didn’t think so.”

  Ronnie pushed the button for the fifth floor.

  “What happened in your meeting with the captain?” I asked as the elevator doors shut.

  “Let’s go get some ice cream and I’ll tell you all about it.”

 
“Sounds good.”

  Ronnie linked her arm through mine, dragging me out of the elevator. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a girlfriend to hang out with.”

  I felt a little bad knowing I had ulterior motives for befriending her—getting to the bottom of the jewelry theft ring so I could eliminate Odessa as a suspect.

  We headed for the parlor. I placed the warm ice pack into my tote and spotted Claire’s tiara. After I finished my ice cream, I’d take it to her.

  “The captain and I squared everything away,” Ronnie said. “He wasn’t happy I took you down there, but he knows there’s no way I was involved. I’m alibied up.”

  I cringed. The last person I knew with a solid alibi had a partner in lying. “Who do they think killed Quinn?”

  “Quinn.”

  Not what I heard.

  “He’s lucky drinking that much while taking his medications hadn’t killed him before now.”

  “And what about what you said earlier? Captain Henderson just agreed to forget about your prior arguments with Quinn?”

  Ronnie waved off my words. “I’m prone to drama. I did threaten him and lock him in a trunk. There were plenty of people around, so unless half the stage crew ignored his cries for help, Quinn wasn’t in any real danger. Let’s dish about your day. I heard you’ve had a rough or interesting one, depending whose opinion I want to take.”

  The whirlwind conversation left me dizzy. “Let me guess, Garrison said rough, Odessa offered up interesting.”

  She smiled and gave my arm a quick, friendly squeeze. “You got it. Claire is acting like quite the handful on this cruise.”

  That was one way to describe her behavior. “She’s very, very vocal about her dislike of her dad inviting me.”

  “From what I know, Garrison and Bob invited you. Claire and Ted didn’t have much of a say.”

  Ouch. Did Ted really not want me to come, and it was Bob and Garrison who went against his wishes? Was that why Ted hadn’t been trying very hard to make alone time for us? Or was Ronnie making a simple statement about her feelings on the matter? Why would she and Garrison be talking about Ted and me before the cruise? Ronnie didn’t know either of us.

  I was being too sensitive. It was possible I heard Ronnie’s comment wrong. That was all. Understandable, considering the horrendous day I was having so far. Nothing that a nice big sundae with a lot of sugary goodness on top wouldn’t turn around.

  We arrived at the ice cream parlor. “You get us a seat and I’ll buy. I get an employee discount, and since I have someone to share with and don’t have to watch my weight right now, I was planning on getting the marshmallow mammoth. It’s meant for a couple to share.” Ronnie whipped out her room key from a small purse disguised as a scarf.

  The woman sure loved her scarves. I read the menu board. The marshmallow mammoth was three scoops of chocolate and two scoops of vanilla ice cream, with fresh pineapple, strawberry, and blueberries, topped with hot fudge, cookie crumble pieces, sprinkles, and whipped cream…all surrounded by a mix of mini and gigantic marshmallows. I could feel my mood lifting already. “I’ll be your other half.”

  The parlor was tucked in a corner before the gateway to the shopping area. There was a small section in the back with three small round tables. I chose the one in the corner, since we’d be there for a while eating our snack.

  I dropped into a chair and propped my elbows on the table, resting my chin in my right hand. I splayed my left one out. The area between my index and middle finger was turning purple and the swelling had gotten worse. The ice pack didn’t do the trick. I really didn’t want to make a trip to the infirmary. A shiver worked its way down my back. Someone was checking me out, and not in a good way. I leaned slightly, scoping out the reading area on the other side.

  There were clusters of passengers in the seating area near the windows. Some played cards, others chatted and enjoyed their cocktails. Ruth was playing Scrabble with Glenda. Someone rushed around the corner. All I made out was a flash of white trousers and the sole of a dress shoe.

  Ronnie carried over the ice cream. “Here we go. Hope you have a sweet tooth.”

  It was a sight to behold. Mounds of ice cream were piled six inches above the bowl. Fruit toppled off the edges onto the tray while hot fudge dripped down the sides. We dug in.

  “I heard you got the tiara back for Claire. Did it get damaged?” Ronnie asked.

  Ugh. I hadn’t even checked. I’d been so annoyed I had shoved it into my tote without checking it over. “No, but mine is. One of the crystals must’ve fallen out when it hit the deck.”

  “How about we go get it once we’re done eating? I’ll fix it for you. I have all my tools out because I was making the basic shape for Claire’s replacement tiara. It won’t take me long at all to pop another one in there. I’m sure I have something that will match. We can change your bracelet to match.”

  I placed my spoon down, needing a break before I went to town on my share of the two scoops of chocolate. “I like the bracelet, and I don’t think changing it would be good. I won it at the seminar.”

  Ronnie’s eyes widened. “Wow. They sure are being generous.”

  “They are. I’m going to give Elizabeth the tiara after we’re done with the ice cream. I think it’s better if I speak to her and give her the tiara rather than Ted. I don’t want to come across as the girlfriend jealous of the daughter.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ronnie asked. “How is talking to Elizabeth going to help with that impression?”

  “Because Claire is usually with Ted.”

  “Maybe you should just let it go. I don’t think explaining your side is going to make a difference. You have no idea what you’re stepping into.”

  No, I had a pretty good idea on what I was stepping into—a minefield—but it needed to be done. Pain gripped my stomach. I wasn’t sure if it was from all the ice cream I’d eaten or thinking about talking to Elizabeth. Either way, my snack binging was over. “I’m going to get it over with.”

  “If you want, we could go to your room first. I’ll get your tiara and repair it. Garrison said the redo of the ceremony is tomorrow at sunrise.” Ronnie sighed. “Isn’t that so romantic?”

  It was. And early. I’d add an afternoon nap into tomorrow’s schedule. “I don’t know what room Elizabeth is in, so I’ll need to find Odessa and ask her.” Since Claire flashed her keycard, I knew the Rogets’ suite number.

  “Good luck with that. If you end up with time on your hands and would like to fix your tiara, I’m in room 5106. One of my friends in the costume department stopped by my room and I asked her to mend your dress. It’s good as new.”

  “Thanks. I’m two cabins over from you. 5110. When can I pick it up?”

  “Stop by any time. I’m usually there or sunbathing on the eighth deck.” Ronnie picked up our almost-empty dish and headed for the trash can.

  I walked up the remaining two flights to the eighth deck and checked the directory on the wall, stifling a groan. Room 9001, the Presidential suite, was the last room on the opposite side of the ship from where I was standing. After a long walk, I found the stateroom, pausing for a few moments to rehearse my speech. I’d start with asking if Claire was all right, and then tell Odessa I had the tiara and wanted to return it.

  I knocked on the door. And waited. And waited some more. What if she was napping? Or not even in the room? I’d knock once more, and if no one came, I’d give it to Claire before we took portraits tonight.

  The door opened. Odessa stepped out of the room, easing the door into the frame to make sure it didn’t close all the way. “What do you want?”

  It was nice to know I’d made such a good impression on her. “I’d like to know Elizabeth’s room number. I have Claire’s tiara and would like to return it.”

  Odessa tilted her head to the side, confusion blooming in her blue eyes. “Elizabeth’s room?”

  “Her cabin number.” Come on, like Odessa couldn’t really fi
gure out what I meant.

  Odessa pushed the door open a bit and pointed to a door at the far end of the large suite. “I’d invite you in, but Elizabeth is napping in her room.”

  Ted was staying in the Presidential suite with his mother, daughter, and ex-wife. That was why Claire saw me as an interloper.

  Why had Ted brought me along? Ronnie’s words rushed through my brain. Or had he? Tears burned in my eyes.

  “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been secretly meeting with John.” Odessa raised her index finger in the air and made a circle. “I have eyes everywhere on this ship.”

  Odessa was pleased about the situation. The hurt in my heart was immediately replaced with anger. “I’ll make sure to pass that along.”

  Odessa grabbed my arm. “What does that mean?”

  “You should know. You know everything that happens on this ship. Right?”

  She drew back, eyes wide. “John’s on this cruise because of the stolen jewelry. He’s befriending you because he thinks I have something to do with it and Ted’s helping me.”

  I should’ve kept quiet. I knew it was never wise to hand over control of my mouth to my fury.

  “What better way for John to learn my secrets than to weasel the information out of Ted’s girlfriend. Unfortunately for John, I don’t have any dark secrets, and even if I did and shared them with my sons, they’d never betray me.” Odessa leaned toward me, a smile flittering on her lips. “Not for anyone.”

  I yanked open the closet door in my cabin, regretting it immediately when my hand throbbed. She had eyes everywhere. Knew everything. And she’d thrown down the gauntlet—she was the number one woman in Ted’s life. Anger churned in my gut.

  Unfortunately for her, she’d just talked herself right into being a good suspect for the gem-swapping shenanigans happening on the ship. If she knew everything that was going on, that meant she was keeping quiet about the criminal activity because she was involved or was protecting the guilty party. At least it eliminated Ronnie from the suspect list, because if she was involved, Odessa would’ve invited the authorities to the wedding and handed Ronnie over after the I dos were exchanged.