Fatal Flirtation: A Cruise Ship Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 13)

by Hope Callaghan

  “I was going to hold off telling you.” Nic reached for his wife’s hand. “I’m not sure if you’re going to like what I’m about to say.”

  Chapter 12

  Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “What…what is it?”

  “Grand Turk took a direct hit. Initial reports are the island is a mess and the port has been damaged. Unless it changes course, the storm will hit San Juan, followed by St. Thomas and finally St. Martin.”

  “If that happens, the ship’s itinerary will change,” Millie said. “There are plenty of islands.”

  “And plenty of ships,” Nic pointed out. “How do you feel about the ship repositioning to say…another country or two?”

  Millie’s tired mind refused to register what her husband was saying. “Repositioning?”

  “The ship’s home port would change from the Port of Miami to another port.”

  “Do we have a choice?”

  “Not really,” Nic shook his head. “Nothing is certain yet. Ted Danvers threw something out there when I talked to him earlier this evening, a port he and his team believe might be a good fit for the Siren of the Seas.”

  “I guess I never thought about it.” Millie always assumed the Siren of the Seas would stick to the Caribbean cruise ports.

  Nic turned the kitchen light off while Millie grabbed Scout. They followed Nic up the stairs to the bedroom. While she changed into her pajamas, Nic headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  He crawled into bed and turned the television on. “I would like to see what the national news is saying about the weather while you’re getting ready for bed.”

  “I won’t be long.” Millie wasted no time brushing her teeth and washing her face and did both in record time. Despite her speed, by the time she emerged from the bathroom, Scout and Nic were fast asleep.

  Millie slid the television remote from her husband’s hand, switched the television off and slipped under the covers. She closed her eyes and prayed for all of the small islands already devastated by the hurricane and those still in the path of the monster storm.

  She also prayed for Cat, for Micah Reyes’ family and last, but not least, she prayed that wherever Majestic Cruise Lines sent them, she would be able to handle the change.

  Millie promptly fell asleep and it seemed as if she’d only had her eyes closed for a moment when the alarm sounded and she woke with a jolt.

  Nic let out a stifled groan. “I’ll get ready in the downstairs bathroom.” He gave his wife a kiss before stumbling out of bed and shuffling to the door. “It’s going to be another long day.”

  “I think you’re right.” Millie slowly made her way to the bathroom, vowing to be thankful for what she hoped would be a better day even if it promised to be busy.

  The ship wasn’t rolling nearly as much, making it easier to shower. After finishing, she towel-dried her hair and expertly smoothed it away from her face before twisting it into a messy bun.

  Millie did a quick inspection of her appearance after putting on her work uniform and work shoes and then headed downstairs.

  Nic had already started a pot of coffee and was finishing his second cup. He smiled at his wife. “You look beautiful and I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.” Millie snuggled against him. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last night, how there’s a chance the ship might reposition to another locale. I think it sounds exciting.”

  “You do?” Nic shifted back, a look of relief on his face. “I was so worried you would be upset with the news. Just look at it as an exciting new adventure and even if they do move us, it might only be for the season.”

  “You mean we would return to the Caribbean? Why would we only reposition for a season?”

  Before Nic could answer, there was a knock on the front door.

  “They’re after you already.”

  “Yes, they are.” Nic downed the last of his coffee and gave his wife another kiss. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. I’ll see you in a bit.” Millie waited until the door closed behind her husband before heading to the sliders to let Scout out and to check the weather.

  The seas were much calmer and although the sun wasn’t up yet, she could tell the day promised to be much improved over the previous day.

  Back inside, Millie turned the living room television on and flipped through the channels until she reached a weather channel.

  Her heart sank as the screen showed footage of the Island of Grand Turk.

  Millie turned up the volume and listened in horror when the reporter said Grand Turk as well as the northern portion of the Dominican Republic were heavily damaged by Hurricane Imelda.

  A sick feeling settled in the pit of Millie’s stomach. She shut the television off and dropped to her knees as she prayed for all of the islanders affected by the storm. She prayed for Nadia and Regan and all of the wonderful people she and Nic had met on their honeymoon.

  Tears streamed down Millie’s cheeks as she thought about the islands’ residents. “Please, God. Help those poor people.” She swiped at the tears and then climbed to her feet, reminding herself God was in control.

  Everything happened for a reason; even a storm and she had to believe that good would come out of the bad.

  Millie checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror before heading out of the apartment where she found Nic, along with Craig McMasters, standing in front of the wall of windows. She quietly crept out of the bridge and stepped into the hall, easing the door shut behind her.

  When she reached the galley, Millie could see the lights on through the porthole window. She swung the door open and stepped inside.

  Annette was standing at one of the counters, frowning at a row of stainless steel mixing bowls. “I was beginning to wonder if you forgot.”

  “Not a chance.” Millie unbuttoned her cuffs and pushed up her sleeves. “I’m ready to roll.”

  “Great.” Annette held out a large bowl. “Before you can roll, first we have to knead the dough.”

  Millie took the bowl from Annette. “Are you going to go with me when I deliver these to Sharky?”

  “Nope.” Annette shook her head. “I don’t want to give him an ounce of encouragement. If I show up, he’ll start stalking me again.”

  “I don’t think he ever stopped,” Millie joked. “He told me he has a Plan B.”

  “Plan B?” Annette sputtered. “Oh no.”

  “Oh yes, and he wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

  “That man.” Annette waved her wooden spoon at Millie. “He’s making me paranoid.”

  “Speaking of men, what time does Amit start work? I need to ask him a favor.”

  “He should be here anytime.” Annette’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of favor?”

  “Oh, nothing much.” Millie focused her attention on the dough.

  “You’re up to something,” Annette said. “Let me guess…it involves Micah Reyes.”

  “Possibly,” Millie reached for more flour. “There’s this passenger, Jennifer Quillen. She seems to be right in the thick of things. The woman had been flirting with Vic Turner. I know it sounds out there, but I’m beginning to suspect she was pursuing Vic Turner and not the other way around.”

  “How does this tie into Micah’s death?” Annette asked.

  “What if Jennifer started flirting with Micah, her brother or fiancé found out and then they got into an argument?” Millie stopped short of repeating what Cat had said about Micah being struck on the back of the head.

  Millie grew silent as she continued kneading the dough.

  “You’re not trying to knead the dough into submission,” Annette teased and pointed at the dough Millie was working over. “Put it back in the bowl and I’ll cover it up.”

  Annette snagged a towel from the drawer while Millie placed the dough in the bowl and then covered it. “The dough needs to rise.”

  She gave her friend a quick glance. “You have that look on your face. Are you still mulling over Micah’s d
eath or is something else troubling you?”

  “The latter, well both. At the moment, it’s the latter and involves Cat.”

  “What’s wrong with Cat?” Annette wrinkled her nose. “Is she suffering from motion sickness? If she is, I still have a batch of my special dry crackers.”

  “I wish it was that simple. It involves her and Doctor Gundervan.” Millie briefly explained Cat’s concerns, how she believed Gundervan was making excuses and avoiding her. “She thinks he’s been busy chasing after nurse busybody.”

  “Rachel Quaid? What would he want with her? Not only is she the ship’s biggest gossip, she doesn’t hold a candle to Cat.”

  “My sentiments exactly. Cat seems to think he’s taken a sudden interest in his nurse.” Millie scraped a glob of dough off the counter and brushed it into the nearby trashcan. “They were planning a hike during a stop in St. Kitts a couple of weeks ago and Gundervan cancelled at the last minute.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her. I’ve never gotten a good read on Gundervan one way or the other. It’s hard to tell who’s hooking up with who on board the ship.”

  “Even you and Sharky?” Millie teased.

  Annette grunted. “Talk about someone not taking a hint. I’ve all but threatened to poison his food.”

  “Annette,” Millie chided. “You should be flattered he’s so taken with you. I do have to wonder what his Plan B is.”

  “Here he comes now.” Annette glanced over Millie’s shoulder.

  “Sharky is here?” Millie turned.

  “No. Amit.”

  Amit breezed through the galley door, a wide smile lighting his face. “Miss Millie. You are here to learn to make cinnamon rolls?”

  “Sort of. You’re awfully chipper this morning.”

  “He’s like that every morning. It’s aggravating,” Annette handed Amit a clean apron. “The dough is rising. It won’t be long and this place will smell like a slice of heaven.”

  “Miss Annette’s rolls, they are the best.” Amit patted his stomach. “How are you feeling Miss Millie? Did the ship make you sick?” He made a waving motion with his hand.

  “It wasn’t too bad. I took a ginger pill, which seemed to help.”

  Amit slipped the apron over his head and tied it in the back. “I will start on the breakfast frittatas.”

  Millie followed Amit to the refrigerator. “I’m glad you’re here Amit. I have a favor to ask.”

  “Uh-oh.” Amit stopped. “When you say it like that, Miss Millie, I worry.”

  “With good reason,” Annette said.

  “C’mon you two. Am I really that bad?” Millie clasped her hands. “When’s the last time I got either of you in trouble?”

  “I think it was a couple of weeks ago, during the Twilight Travel shindig up in the VIP area when that crazed man tried to attack us with a cake knife,” Annette said.

  “And then there was the time Miss Annette steal a passenger outfit and pretend to shop for art in the High Seas Art Gallery.”

  “She wasn’t stealing,” Millie insisted. “Annette merely borrowed the passenger’s outfit.”

  “Don’t forget the time we borrowed maintenance uniforms to keep an eye on Brody.”

  “All right, all right.” Millie held up a hand. “So I may have involved you in an ongoing investigation or two. Amit, I have a huge favor to ask and I hope you’ll agree to help me.”

  Chapter 13

  Millie hurried on. “I need you to stop by the gourmet coffee bar later this morning to say ‘hello’ to a female passenger who reportedly spends a lot of time up there. All you have to do is be nice to her, throw a compliment or two her way and see what happens.”

  Amit’s eyes widened and he began shaking his head. “You know we’re not allowed to mingle with the ship’s guests.”

  “You’re not going to mingle with her. All you have to do is say a couple of nice things to the pretty passenger and report back.” Millie tucked her fists under her chin. “Surely, there’s nothing wrong with being nice to the ship’s passengers. Why, I compliment them all of the time.”

  Amit turned to Annette and she shrugged. “I don’t see any harm in grabbing a gourmet coffee, stopping to chat with a passenger, maybe give her a compliment or two, and then return to the galley. Just don’t go crazy and whisk her off to your cabin.”

  “Oh no.” Amit’s face turned a deep shade of red and he shook his head. “You know I would never do that.”

  “We’ll have to do something about your attire.” Millie eyed Amit critically. “Do you have a pair of slacks and collared shirt you could change into?”

  “I have some gray slacks and a button down shirt, but I have to work all morning.” Amit gave Annette a helpless look. “I cannot help unless Miss Annette allows me to leave my post.”

  “It’s okay if you make it quick.” Annette glanced at the clock on the wall. “We better hustle up with these cinnamon rolls or you’ll never have them ready in time to deliver them to Sharky.”

  Annette removed the dough from the bowl and began rolling it out while Millie mixed the sugar and cinnamon. After slathering a generous amount of butter on top of the rolled dough, she sprinkled the sugar and cinnamon on top.

  “Perfect.” Annette effortlessly rolled the sugar-coated dough before slicing it and placing the slices in a greased pan. “We’ll have to let these finish rising in the pan.”

  “Great. I have enough time to make some quick rounds while those finish up.” Millie removed her apron and hung it on the hook.

  Amit followed her to the exit. “What time are we going upstairs?”

  “From what I was told, Jennifer is in the coffee bar around nine a.m. each morning. I’ll go with you, so I can point her out. All you have to do is work your magic. Thanks, Amit. I owe you one.”

  Millie breezed out of the galley, excited her plan was taking shape. She made her rounds, from the top of the ship to the bottom.

  During her rounds, she considered stopping by Nadia and Regan’s suite to check on them, but it was still early and she didn’t want to disturb the couple if they were sleeping in.

  Instead, she stopped by Andy’s office to check in and found him seated at his desk. “You must’ve read my mind. Here’s a copy of the revised Cruise Ship Chronicles.”

  Millie scanned the schedule. “I have a couple of minor items on my own to-do list, but everything looks good.” She folded the schedule in half and slid it into her pocket. “I heard you were working on finding a stop for the Siren of the Seas.”

  “Donovan and I are working on it. The stop is a small Bahamian island Majestic Cruise Lines dropped from its rotation a few years back after we picked up South Seas Cay. The good news is it’s a dock port, not a tender port. The seas are still too rough to send tender ships to shore. I’ll know later today whether we’ll be visiting the island.”

  “At least the weather is calmer. Those poor Caribbean islands are a mess.”

  Andy solemnly nodded. “It will be months before at least a few of the ports will be ready to welcome cruise ships again.”

  “Nic mentioned the ship may be repositioning for the season,” Millie hinted.

  “Yes, and perhaps for even longer.”

  “Do you…know where we might be headed?”

  Andy grabbed his ink pen and tapped it on top of his clipboard as he studied Millie. “I do. I’m not at liberty to divulge the information and neither is your husband.”

  “Fudge.” Millie snapped her fingers. “This is going to drive me crazy.”

  “You’ll know soon enough.” Andy stood. “Speaking of driving someone crazy, I need to track down your co-worker, Danielle, to give her the revised schedule. She isn’t answering her radio.”

  “I hope she’s feeling better. I planned to stop by to check on her last night, but I was so exhausted by the time my shift ended, I could barely drag myself off to bed.”

  Andy followed Millie out of his office and off the stage. “Have you heard of any more complaints
related to the Turner Family Reunion?”

  “No, but I met a couple of the family members yesterday during Pierre’s wine tasting demonstration. Vic Turner’s cousin claims Jennifer Quillen was hitting on Turner prior to the brawl in the hall.”

  “You don’t say?”

  “Yes. I keep thinking Micah’s death is somehow related to the two men he was guarding, both Vic Turner and Ms. Quillen’s brother, Aaron Quillen.”

  “How so?” Andy held the theater door and waited for Millie to join him in the hall.

  “If what the cousin said was true, Jennifer Quillen was pursuing Vic Turner, not the other way around. The two of them planned a rendezvous and unbeknownst to Ms. Quillen, her fiancé asked her brother to follow her to keep an eye on her, thinking Vic Turner was harassing her.”

  “But you’re telling me that it wasn’t the case, he wasn’t stalking or harassing her,” Andy said.

  “No. Let’s suppose after the altercation in the hall and both men were escorted to their cabins and placed under cabin arrest, Ms. Quillen tried to sneak into Vic Turner’s cabin, a cabin Micah was guarding. Micah confronted her and tried to stop her. There was another incident, this time involving Jennifer Quillen and/or Vic Turner. Micah was injured and went to seek medical treatment and that’s when Sharky found him.”

  “It’s a stretch. I would think that if there was another incident, Micah would have immediately reported it to Dave Patterson.” Andy rubbed his brow. “So you don’t think the brother, Aaron Quillen, is involved?”

  “I’m not ruling anyone out, not even the fiancé, Todd Ebenstein. Until we know exactly what happened to Micah, this is all pure speculation. Maybe I’m blowing everything out of proportion, trying to create a mystery.”

  Andy pressed his hand to Millie’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

  Millie slapped Andy’s hand away. “Stop. It doesn’t make sense that a young, healthy security guard suddenly collapses on his way to medical and dies. Something had to have happened.”

  Andy and Millie parted ways in the hall, with Millie making her way back to the galley. The tantalizing aroma of cinnamon greeted her at the door and she sniffed appreciatively as she stepped inside.