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

by Hope Callaghan

  Nadia dashed to the desk, grabbed her keycard and phone and gave her husband a peck on the cheek. “I’m out of your hair, Regan. Millie is taking me on a grand adventure.”

  Regan glanced at his wife. “Have fun…stay out of trouble.”

  “You sound like Nic,” Millie said.

  “We’re on the hunt for trouble,” Nadia teased as she joined Millie in the hall. “I’ll be back in time to get ready for dinner.” She pulled the door closed behind her and leaned against it. “Thank you for rescuing me. If I was forced to watch one more storm update, I was going to rip my hair out.”

  “At least your home is safe and the brunt of the storm missed the island.”

  “True, and I’m grateful for it. Regan refuses to leave the computer and the suite. Simon already assured him that although the resort lost power, the generators are up and running. There are also some downed limbs, but the damage is minimal.”

  Nadia rubbed her hands together. “So where are we headed?”

  Millie plucked her work schedule from her pocket and studied it. “First, we’re hosting a towel folding demonstration in the dining room. After that, we’re going to swing by the bridge players meeting, followed by the Mix and Mingles singles champagne art auction. Two more events round out the rest of the afternoon, including a hairy chest competition on the top deck. Oh…this might be a small issue.”

  “What?” Nadia leaned over Millie’s shoulder.

  “It’s the Turner Family Reunion indoor Olympic competition in the VIP area.”

  “What’s wrong with a family reunion? We host them all of the time at the resort.”

  “Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, except that this particular group seems to attract trouble. You might want to sit this one out.”

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Nadia stubbornly shook her head. “You’re not getting rid of me that fast, Millie Armati. I’m up for the challenge. Life on St. Martin has been kinda boring since you left.”

  “Great,” Millie groaned. “So you want us to find trouble.”

  “Nah. Let’s just say I’m not going to turn tail and run.” Nadia lifted her right arm and flexed her muscle. “They better not mess with us.”

  “Put the guns away before someone gets hurt,” Millie joked. “We should be safe during the towel folding demonstration. It’s a relatively tame event.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. The critters the room stewards make are adorable. We found a monkey hanging from the curtains last night after coming back from dinner.”

  “They are cute. I’ve watched it so many times that I could make them with my eyes closed. Maybe you could add towel folding to the youth or adult activities at the resort.”

  “You read my mind.” Nadia followed Millie down the steps and into the main dining room where one of the room stewards was already working on his first creation - a stingray.

  Nadia slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and began recording the demonstrations while Millie circled the room, making sure the guests could hear the speaker.

  After the towel folding class ended, the women headed to the library where the bridge players had already gathered. They chatted with several of the guests before heading downstairs to the High Seas Art Gallery where the Mix and Mingles singles champagne art auction was taking place.

  “Oh! Free champagne.” Nadia snagged a champagne flute off the bar top and offered it to Millie, who shook her head. “I’m on the clock, plus I’m not a fan of champagne. I’m more of a raspberry tea kinda girl.”

  “You’re right. I knew that.” Nadia sipped the champagne and spun in a slow circle. “This place is loaded with art.”

  “They have some very nice pieces.” Millie followed Nadia around the gallery as they inspected several of the pieces.

  The gallery was one place Millie rarely visited. The last time she’d been inside was when one of the gallery’s valuable pieces went missing, Andy was one of the prime suspects and Millie was on the case as she worked hard to track down the art thief.

  The women stopped to admire Victorian Light, a print by Thomas Kinkade, before making their way to the entrance to chat with several of the singles who wandered in.

  Millie nearly hit the floor when Jennifer Quillen stepped inside to join them for the Mix and Mingles singles champagne art auction.

  Not long after, Vic Turner appeared in the doorway, his eyes casually scanning the room.

  “I’ll be right back.” Millie said to Nadia before she slipped behind an easel and peered over the top, her eyes shifting from Jennifer to Vic Turner.

  Jennifer appeared to be admiring the artwork while Turner strolled to the bar and grabbed a glass of champagne.

  After inspecting several of the art pieces, Jennifer casually strolled across the room to the bar where she picked up a glass of champagne and took a sip.

  Vic joined her moments later. He leaned to the side and whispered something in Jennifer’s ear.

  “What are you doing?” Nadia’s voice hissed in Millie’s ear and she jumped back, clutching her chest.

  “I’m watching those two.”

  “What two?” Nadia craned her neck, peering over the top of the painting.

  “In front of the bar…the guy with the ponytail. He’s talking to the pretty brunette with the V-neck crisscross floral print tank top.”

  “Ooh. I love her shirt. I wonder where she got it.”

  “Why don’t you run over there and find out? While you’re at it, try to listen in on their conversation. I’m dying to know what they’re saying.”

  “I think I will. Besides, my champagne glass runneth empty.” Nadia waved her empty glass in the air.

  “Compliment her on the shirt and then try to draw the guy into the conversation, too.”

  “No problem. This’ll be a piece of cake.” Nadia squared her shoulders.

  “Pick up on body language, too, the kind of signals they’re sending out and if they’re acting lovey-dovey.”

  “Gotcha.” Nadia gave a thumbs up and Millie watched her march across the room and grab another glass of champagne. She caught Millie’s eye and winked before sidling closer to Vic and Jennifer, who were standing at the end of the bar.

  She could see Nadia point to Jennifer’s blouse and then turned her attention to Vic. She tipped her head back and Millie could hear the tinkle of Nadia’s laughter across the room.

  “Good girl,” Millie whispered. “Keep it up.”

  Nadia took a sip of her champagne and smiled.

  Jennifer’s face turned a crimson color as she clenched her jaw and glared at Nadia.

  Nadia appeared completely unaware of the change in Jennifer’s demeanor as she listened to something Vic said.

  Millie took a step toward the trio to defuse what was promising to turn into a tense situation. Before she had time to cross the room, Jennifer knocked Nadia’s champagne glass from her hand.

  Chapter 19

  The champagne splashed the front of Nadia’s blouse and she let out a loud gasp. “What did you do that for?”

  “Go find a man of your own,” Jennifer growled.

  Millie arrived as Nadia pulled her hand back with every intention of slapping the woman across the face. “What seems to be the problem?”

  Vic took a step back, his eyes wide. “I want no part of this. I’m out.” He set his half-empty champagne flute on the counter and bolted from the gallery.

  “Now look what you’ve done,” Jennifer gritted through clenched teeth.

  “What I’ve done? You ruined my shirt and all I was trying to do was compliment you on yours,” Nadia said.

  “You have a funny way of showing it.”

  Millie lifted a brow. “Jennifer Quillen…where’s your fiancé, Todd?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “No need to get so defensive.” Millie placed a light hand under Nadia’s elbow. “I’m sure you would like to change into a different shirt. I think if you soak this in the sink, the stains will com
e out.” She led Nadia out of the gallery and didn’t stop until they were a safe distance away.

  “Well?”

  “The guy didn’t seem all that interested. The woman was laying it on thick, so after I complimented her on the shirt, I started to make conversation with the guy and she freaked out.” Nadia frowned at her shirt. “I had no idea she was going to do that.”

  “Neither did I.” Millie glanced at the entrance to the gallery. “I need to get back in there. Why don’t you go change and then meet me up on the lido deck in an hour for the hairy chest competition.”

  “Perfect. In case you’re curious, the chat wasn’t a total waste of time.”

  “Really?” Millie perked up. “Why?”

  “I think the Jennifer chick is a gold digger.”

  Millie thought of her own discovery that Jennifer’s fiancé, Todd, was footing the bill for not only Jennifer’s cruise, but what appeared to be her brother’s cruise, as well. “What makes you say that?”

  “Because Jennifer was going on about how the man…”

  “Vic,” Millie prompted.

  “How Vic, the man, was starting his residency as a surgeon in Chicago.”

  “Surgeon?” Millie frowned.

  “Yeah, a cardiologist to be exact.” Nadia rubbed her thumb against the tips of her fingers. “He’s gonna make some big bucks.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “See? I was able to help, after all. Despite this.” Nadia pointed at the stains on the front of her silk blouse. “What a turd.”

  “I’m sorry about your blouse,” Millie apologized. “If the stains don’t come out, I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Nadia said. “Besides, I’m sure they’ll come out. I’ll see you on the lido deck in about an hour.”

  Millie stepped back inside the art gallery and could feel the burn of Jennifer’s angry glare. She purposely made her way to the other side of the room to avoid another confrontation.

  The champagne art auction dragged on and when it finally ended, Millie raced up the stairs to the lido deck where she found Nadia perched on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water. “How’s the shirt?”

  “The stains came out.” Nadia shaded her eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. “Well? What happened with the chick in the art gallery?”

  “I avoided her for the rest of the event. She wasn’t the least bit happy you interrupted her little get-together and drove Vic off.”

  Nadia scooched off the edge of the pool and stood. “I doubt I drove him off. It was almost as if the guy was trying to get away from her. When we first saw them together, I thought it was the other way around.”

  “Maybe he was trying to get rid of her, in a nice way.”

  “Without ticking her off, so that she dumped her drink on him,” Nadia joked. “She’s a trip.”

  “They both are, in my humble opinion.”

  One of the ship’s entertainment staff members caught Millie’s eye and motioned her to the stage. “I gotta go. It’s show time.”

  Millie climbed the side steps and walked to the center of the stage where she grabbed the microphone and began her spiel, coaxing the passengers into nominating a male family member or friend to participate in the hairy chest competition.

  It took a few minutes, but after the last reluctant competitor joined her on stage, Millie passed the microphone to her co-host, who entertained the audience with flamboyant descriptions of each of the contestants.

  A round of applause chose the winner, and after being officially dubbed the hairiest male on board, Millie presented him with a ship on a stick. She flipped the microphone off and exited the stage where she joined Nadia.

  “You must absolutely love your job. It looks like so much fun.”

  “It’s a blast, at least the majority of the time.” Millie glanced at her watch. “We’ll need to get a move on. The Turner Family Reunion indoor Olympic competition is next. It’s up in the VIP area, not far from here.”

  Millie led them along the walkway and up the stairs to the spa deck. She could hear the echo of loud voices. They rounded the corner where a large crowd gathered near the VIP bar.

  Millie hadn’t met many of the family members, other than Vic Turner, Elyse Bivens, and Vic’s mother, Alice Turner. She caught Elyse’s eye and the woman smiled, causing Millie to wonder how such a sweet person ended up in such a chaotic family.

  Thankfully, two of the ship’s security guards were on hand. She passed one of them as Nadia and she made their way to the center of the area. “Here we go,” she muttered under her breath and the guard chuckled. “Let the fun and games begin.”

  Vic Turner held out his arm as Millie and Nadia started to pass by. “You’re hosting our family reunion games?”

  “My friend, Nadia, and I are.” She pointed to Nadia.

  “You again,” Vic smiled.

  “I see you escaped the evil clutches of Ms. Quillen,” Nadia joked.

  “Talk about being everywhere.” Vic rolled his eyes. “The woman is stalking me. I know for a fact she was outside my cabin earlier.”

  Millie heard a small noise directly behind her. She spun on her heel and came face-to-face with a scowling Alice Turner. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m hosting this event,” Millie said coolly. “It’s part of my job.”

  “Huh,” Alice grunted. “Try not to screw it up this time.” The woman waddled off, shooting her a menacing glare before joining a woman near the railing.

  “I’m sorry about my mother,” Vic apologized. “She’s a major control freak where I’m concerned.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Millie said. “I am surprised she hasn’t gotten into it yet with Jennifer Quillen.” She remembered how Jennifer had knocked Nadia’s drink.

  “They have had a run in or two, a couple of small incidents along the lines of you stay away from my son and you can’t tell me what to do type of exchanges.”

  “Nadia told me you’re starting your residency as a surgeon. That’s quite an accomplishment. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Vic beamed. “I’ve worked hard to get this far and I could kick myself over getting sucked into a fight with Jennifer’s brother. I’m fortunate Mr. Patterson decided to close the incident and not report it to the authorities.”

  It was the first Millie had heard of the incident being closed, but then Patterson was tight-lipped on most security matters. “I hadn’t heard that,” Millie answered honestly.

  “He told me this morning. If not, and Mr. Patterson had reported it, I might have lost my residency. Doctors are supposed to heal people not hurt them.”

  Vic averted his gaze. “I got into a little trouble back in my youth. Thankfully, it was minor. Now this…this might have caused the medical board to reconsider.” He swiped his hand across his brow. “That’s why I took off when Jennifer splashed the drink on Nadia. I can’t afford another incident. Patterson might not be so forgiving a second time.”

  A man approached the trio and tapped Millie on the shoulder. “Are you in charge of hosting our family-friendly Olympic games?”

  “I am.”

  The man extended a hand. “I’m Rick Turner, the event planner for the Turner Family Reunion.”

  Millie took his hand. “Millie Armati, Assistant Cruise Director, at your service.”

  The man handed Millie an envelope. “The list of games is inside. I figured three would give us a tie breaker.” He described each of the games in detail, went over the list of rules and then led Millie to a large box of supplies sitting next to the bar.

  Impressed by the man’s attention to detail, Millie complimented him on his organization and planning.

  “This is a tough crowd. We gotta be on our toes. Good luck.” With that parting statement, Rick Turner walked away, leaving Millie and Nadia to begin the reunion games.

  Despite Millie’s concerns that the event would turn into a free for all, the attendees were well behaved and ha
ving fun.

  She presented the winning team with their choice of vouchers for ice cream at Sprinkles or a free beverage at the coffee bar. She thanked them for participating, told them she hoped they enjoyed the rest of their cruise and then exited the area.

  “That went well,” Nadia commented.

  “Yes, surprisingly without a single incident, thank goodness.”

  The women headed down the side steps and Nadia paused when they reached the deck where her suite was located. “I want to check on Regan if you don’t mind. He might finally be ready to leave work, at least for a little while. I thought maybe he and I could play a round of miniature golf.”

  “That’s an excellent idea. Thank you for your help, and for taking one for the team,” Millie said.

  “It was fun, all except for the champagne incident. Let me know if you need any more help.”

  “I will,” Millie promised. “We’ll see you at the Captain’s Table for dinner, first seating?”

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Nadia thanked Millie for allowing her to tag along, and then hurried down the hall.

  The Turner family event was the last on Millie’s schedule until evening. She slowly headed down the steps, anxious to check on Danielle to see how she was faring. She radioed her friend, who told her she was wrapping up a cupcake-decorating event.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better,” Danielle said. “I’m almost back to one hundred percent.”

  Millie told her good-bye and then swung by the Ocean Treasures gift shop, where Cat was busy helping shoppers, so she kept going.

  Her next stop was the galley. She could see the crew buzzing back and forth and realized it was almost teatime in the formal dining room.

  With no pressing matters and her friends busy with their jobs, a sudden idea popped into Millie’s head. Now might be the perfect time for her to head to Andy’s office to track down the Turner Family Reunion event planner.

  She called Andy on his radio. He didn’t answer, which wasn’t unusual if he was in the middle of a meeting or hosting an event. Since the ship’s schedule of events ran in fifteen-minute increments, she knew if Andy was hosting, she had a good twelve minutes before he finished.