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

by Christina Freeburn

  Ruth beamed and clapped. “In two days. Let’s keep it a surprise.”

  Absolutely.

  SEVENTEEN

  My conversation with Ruth sidetracked me. I hoped I wasn’t too late to the seminar, or have a chance to find John. This class was just the place for him. There was another prize offered for today: two-carat diamond earrings. How did the cruise line afford such expensive prizes every week?

  Either I was getting better at detecting or John was predictable. He was holed up behind a tree in a corner near the theater. I headed for him and stopped short, switching direction and finding my own hidey-hole near a soda machine. Who he was with was a big surprise—Odessa. An even bigger surprise was neither of them was trying to rip the other’s heart out. This was an interesting turn of events. Maybe they decided to be cordial since the cruise was tense enough. Or they both believed in the saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

  Odessa scanned the area, forcing me farther behind the machine. I barely saw anything now and the hum of the dispenser made it impossible to hear. What were those two up to? Odessa waved her arms around, jabbing John in the chest a time or two. He glanced down, either checking his phone or trying to avoid getting poked in the eye.

  I was tempted to go over and say hi. The only thing stopping me was the possibility of saying something I shouldn’t. Lack of sleep was never a good way to operate, and I knew I was near exhaustion. I was sure I was close to being placed on Odessa’s enemy list and sure didn’t want to firmly entrench myself on the list as number two behind John.

  “You haven’t seen her?” The cruise director’s voice carried up the stairs.

  “She’s not feeling well,” William said. “I stopped by her room and her stomach is bothering her. In case it’s a virus, she doesn’t want to get near the passengers and pass it around to them.”

  “I should stop by and see her.”

  “If she isn’t feeling better soon she said she’d call the doctor. The last thing this cruise needs is for you to catch whatever she has. Passengers are already upset because of…you know.”

  The man patted William’s shoulder. “I do know. I’m sorry about your sister. She was a good girl. Different, but good. Tell Lucinda if she needs anything to call my room. She should make sure she limits the number of people visiting her.”

  “It’s just me. I told her I’d bring her food from the buffet when she’s hungry so she doesn’t infect any other crew members by calling room service.”

  “I’ll see if I can find a replacement for Lucinda. I’ll meet you inside in the theater,” the cruise director said.

  Had William been spending time with Lucinda during the missing hour or had he been in Ronnie’s room? I wanted to find a spot in the seminar without William noticing me. If he knew I was there, I was certain he’d change whatever plan he’d devised for gifting the new prize.

  I slipped into the theater and sat in a dark corner in the back. There were less people at this seminar than at the first one. I couldn’t help but wonder why. Did word get around there was a lack of real information at the previous one, or with the sun shining so brightly and a nice breeze in the air everyone would rather spend all available daylight hours near the pool?

  Not long after I settled into the seat, William entered. I ducked my head, pretending there was something of interest in my tote. Peering through my lashes, I watched him lean over and talk to someone sitting in a seat in front of a panel board. Dozens of knobs and switches had the crew member’s rapt attention. All I understood from the brief conversation was the person didn’t have an answer for William because they shrugged their shoulders.

  William huffed out a breath and headed for the front of the theater. He took a seat on the edge of the stage. The attendees quieted down and waited. And waited some more. William glanced at his watch, then the door. I checked the time on my cell. The seminar was set to start soon, and there was no replacement speaker.

  People fidgeted in the chairs. Creaks filled the air along with deep sighs. The group was growing restless. Ten minutes ticked by and still nothing. William looked at his watch again and dabbed a handkerchief across his brow.

  “Sorry for the delay.” The cruise director walked down the center of the aisle, throwing apologetic smiles to the left and right as he passed each row. “Unfortunately, our shopping diva Lucinda Wells is under the weather today and won’t be able to make it.”

  “Best news I’ve heard. I’m going to play bingo.” A man excused himself from his row.

  “I’ll be at the bar.” The woman with him also left. A few other cruisers followed along behind them.

  “We are very sorry for this unexpected change,” the director said. “Unfortunately, even crew members get sick, and all we can do is make do how we can. Instead of the shopping seminar, we’ll be doing free appraisals in Dazzles. And tomorrow we’ll have extra shopping guides at the ready to take you to the best places and help you with negotiating. I’ll be one of them. I have quite the knack for bargaining.”

  William plastered a smile on his face, but the narrowing of his eyes said he wasn’t pleased about the change of plans.

  “Please stop by Dazzles and enter your name to win the lovely pair of two-carat diamond earrings we had planned on giving away.” The director dangled the prize bag over his head. “Don’t want anyone to think this is a ruse to keep this for ourselves.”

  “There you are.” Ted sat, weaving his fingers through mine. “I’ve been searching the ship for you. Garrison asked me to give you this.”

  I placed the small bottle he gave me into my tote. I rested my head on his shoulder. “Trying to keep busy this morning.”

  Grumbles echoed throughout the theater. People excused themselves around us and headed for the door. Ruth leaned heavily on her cane as she made her way up the carpeted aisle.

  Ted kissed my forehead, lips lingering against my skin. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment, leaving crime solving behind and fantasizing for a moment that we were in a location where the simple kiss had the possibility to lead to more.

  “Why aren’t you wearing your new bracelet? If you love it, wear it. Don’t let my mom make you feel differently about it.”

  “She’s not. I really don’t care what your mom thinks.”

  Ted snorted. “I would advise you not to tell her that.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. The bracelet was stolen sometime yesterday.”

  Ted swiveled to look at me, his brows drawing down. What did he hear in my tone that concerned him? “When did that happen?”

  William didn’t seem so eager to leave the theater. The cruise director had already left, creating a conga line to lead everyone to the change of venue. I bet he was the first person invited to a party. The man had a gift of turning a negative into a fun time.

  “Either when everyone was attempting to remove juice from my dress or if I dropped it.”

  “Where would you have dropped it? Did you report it?”

  “Aren’t you the man of a thousand questions?”

  “You’re too nonchalant about it, which means you’re up to something.”

  “Or maybe it’s not that important, considering what else happened last night.”

  “I can see that.” Ted squeezed my hand and leaned his head against the back of the chair. “So when does this seminar start, or did I miss it?”

  “The personal shopper is sick today, so free appraisals will be given at Dazzles. I’m enjoying this alone time we’re having.”

  Ted smiled. “This is nice, but how about we go to the appraising event? I’d like to get my woman her bracelet back and catch a thief.”

  I kissed him. Good. “It’s nice to know I rate above catching a criminal.”

  “Just barely.” Keeping hold of my hand, Ted stood. “Though I do have a bit of fondness for them. Without criminals, I’d never have met you.”

  Dazzles was a small store situated in the middle of the shopping zone. It was big
ger than the other three stores on the ship, but the crowd in it shrunk it down in size. The other places were a duty-free shop crammed full of cigars and liquor, a perfume store next door to it, and a shop dedicated to items emblazoned with Serenade. From a brief peek inside, I spotted everything from dresses to teddy bears branded with the ship’s name and logo. There was a cute salt and pepper shaker set Grandma Hope would fancy, and Grandma Cheryl had started obsessing about anchors, so the matching pillow set was the perfect gift for her.

  “What’s the battle plan?” I asked. A female employee held a ring up toward the light, twisting it back and forth. I was surprised at her technique. Wouldn’t a professional appraiser have some type of tool to use, like those small binocular things people use on television? Her way of figuring out the clarity and quality of the stone seemed amateurish.

  “This isn’t a battle.” Ted wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. I think it was more to keep me in line than to stake a claim on me. “If anything, it’s a reconnaissance mission. Observe and note.”

  “So if someone has my bracelet, I just take a mental picture of it. Sounds productive.”

  “No. You tell me. I’ll handle it.”

  “The little woman can’t take care of herself? You should know I’m quite capable of it.”

  “I’m aware of that.” The left side of his lip quirked up. “I’m also very aware of your capability of stirring up a heap of trouble. It’s not you I’m looking out for, but all the innocent people in the vicinity. No reason they should get dragged into any quests of righteousness you set off on.”

  “This was your idea, remember?”

  “I certainly do. I’m a public servant, so I do what I can to save the world.”

  “It doesn’t need to be saved from me.” I stomped over to a display case and looked at all of the rings. Diamonds of different shapes, colors, and sizes blinked at me. Calling me to try them on. Give them a chance. My gaze flickered over to my unadorned hand. Even when I was married, I never had a ring. The louse had convinced me a ring was a waste of money. He had better things to spend money on. Of course, that was the least of our issues…the whole murdering a poor man and blaming me for it outranked all of his other faults.

  “Someone needs protecting.” Ted faced away from the case. Using his elbows, he propped himself on it. “Okay, not so much the guilty individual, but anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity.”

  “You act like I’m a holy terror.”

  Ted studied each and every person who walked in. The only way I knew was the subtle muscle movement in his neck. I had never watched him detect before. He kept a half-smile on his face, body posture relaxed, yet his gaze moved constantly, muscles rippling ever-so-slightly. My cheeks heated up. It was kind of sexy.

  His lips twitched. The green in his eyes darkened.

  Scrap it all. The man knew.

  Ted straightened. “I’ll be right back. Don’t react to me leaving. Keep browsing.”

  Did Ted want someone to think we were looking at rings? It made a good cover. He walked away. Even though my eyes were on the rings, my attention was on the goings on behind me I couldn’t see. Ugh. I wanted to know what he was doing. Selfie time. I took out my cell and held it up. I tapped the button to flip the camera and instead of my face in the screen, I saw Ted watching William give an appraisal of a bracelet. I zoomed in on the jewelry. Not mine. If it had been, I’d have expected a reaction from William. There was a reason he wanted me to have it.

  “Anything you’d like to try on?” A clerk smiled at me. Her blond hair was smoothed back and twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck. “Miss?” Her volume increased.

  I tucked my phone back into my purse. “Just browsing. I never knew diamonds came in so many colors.”

  “We have pink, chocolate, white, and even a canary one.” She tapped the case with her manicured nail. “Lovely, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I’m more drawn to the white and pink ones.”

  “Let’s see how one looks on you.” She opened the case and pulled out a simple solitaire with a one-carat diamond. It was a soft pale pink. The white-gold setting brought out the color. “It’s for fun. You’re not committed to buying it because I place it on your finger.”

  What was the harm? I held out my hand.

  She started slipping it on my finger. “This one is on sale today. It’s one of our featured pieces, only six thousand dollars.”

  Only? I yanked my hand back. “Way out of my price range.”

  “It won’t hurt anything to try it on.”

  “You never know.”

  “What’s going on over here?” Ted stood behind me, wrapping his arms around me. “What do you know? You happened to find a pink ring.” He smiled at the saleswoman. “She loves pink.”

  She beamed at him. “And she’d look quite lovely with this little bauble.”

  “No, she wouldn’t,” I said.

  “She looks lovely even without it,” Ted said. “Try it on, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t think so.” I hid my hand under my shirt. “There’s no way I’m putting on a six-thousand-dollar ring.”

  “Ring prices sure have gone up,” Ted said.

  “Pink diamonds are quite rare, sir,” the clerk said. “Just like your lovely lady.”

  “I’m not that rare.”

  Ted laughed. “You better be. I don’t think our town can handle another one of you.”

  “How about this?” The clerk took out a ring in a similar style except the diamond was white instead of pink. “This one is only two thousand.”

  “I don’t think they understand the use of ‘only,’” I muttered to Ted.

  He gently drew out my hand and held it out to the clerk. “Let’s see how it looks.”

  My hand trembled. What did this mean? I slammed the door in my mind shut. Keep all thoughts about it out. No overanalyzing. No second guessing. Just enjoy the silly moment.

  She slipped it onto my finger.

  Ted raised my hand. The ring was a little big. The diamond sparkled. I had to admit it looked lovely. Perfect. Especially with Ted cradling my hand.

  “It’s a good look for you, Miss Hunter.” Ted’s voice was rough and trembled.

  A loud shriek made Ted jump in front of me. I grabbed onto him. The clerk’s eyes widened.

  “I’m sorry.” Elizabeth covered Claire’s mouth. The girl scratched at her mother’s hand.

  “You’re going to hurt your mother.” Ted frowned. For once, his face showed displeasure in his daughter’s behavior.

  Some people in the shop averted their eyes, while others took undue interest in the scene before them. Claire’s green eyes brimmed with tears, some streaking down her pale face. The hatred she felt for me was clear.

  Elizabeth’s features were drawn, her complexion matching her daughter’s. I guess Claire wasn’t the only one unhappy about catching Ted and me window shopping. I wanted to tell them we were just being silly, reassure them. Instead, I kept my mouth shut.

  “I’m fine.” Elizabeth tucked Claire against her, rubbing her sobbing daughter’s back. “We hoped you could join us for a game of shuffleboard. This,” she waved a thin hand around in a circle, “was a little bit of a surprise.”

  “Faith and I are having an enjoyable afternoon.” There was a strain in his voice. “No need for hysterics from anyone.”

  Elizabeth death-stared Ted. “Hysterics? Your daughter is hurting and confused. It would have been nice for you to have hinted at the seriousness of the relationship.”

  I yanked the ring off and shoved it at the clerk. “For crying out loud. We were just goofing off. No one is getting married. At least not us. Claire doesn’t need to cry. You don’t need to yell at Ted. Go be a happy family. I’m leaving.”

  “Faith…”

  Ugh. It was that stupid warning tone. I shooed at him. “Go. I have plans.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” I heard Ted mutter as I walked away.

&n
bsp; I shoved the poor card into the slot, almost breaking it, and pushed the door open. It smacked against the wall. Some vacation. Instead of exploring our new romantic relationship, Ted and I were pulling apart. I’d have never thought that meeting over my amateur sleuthing and the resulting bickering would be the highlight of our relationship.

  I unlatched the lock of the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony. A cool breeze drifted over me. The scent of the salt air and the warmth of the sun kissing my skin calmed me. Just a bit. I leaned against the railing and stared off into the horizon. I gripped the railing and took a deep breath, my fingers curling around the bar. I moved my hand back and forth, careful not to loosen my hold or scratch my finger. The space wasn’t that big. Could Ronnie have tied a strong enough knot? Would the type of scarves she wore fit? There was less space between the Plexiglas and railing on the veranda than the ones on the main deck.

  I leaned farther over the railing, looking to the right. Ronnie’s stateroom was two balconies away and over the rafts where we had our muster drill. Had she decided the mist-filled night was the perfect one to try and find a missing diamond? One that her brother’s life might depend on?

  A security camera placed between the rooms dangled from a cord. It was broken. I scooted closer to it.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Arms wrapped around my waist and yanked me back into a standing position.

  “How do you keep getting in here?” I smacked at him. It felt good to relieve some anger on a Roget. They were becoming the bane of my existence. Even more disturbing than John Roget being in my room—again—was the fact I didn’t hear him enter.

  John tugged me back into cabin. “Someone let me in.”

  “Great. Crew members are conspiring with guests for breaking and entering. Just what this cruise needs.” Sure complicated Ronnie’s death.

  “Anything interesting happen at the seminar?”

  I had a feeling John was deliberately trying to draw me out of my thoughts. Maybe he feared I was plotting his demise. I broke from his grasp and dropped onto the bed. From now on, the chain was going on the door. No more uninvited visitors. “Besides Lucinda calling in sick, no. Who let you in my room?”