Deceived

by Patricia H. Rushford

  Jennie watched him go, then reluctantly followed. If Dominic liked her, he certainly had an odd way of showing it. He seemed pleasant enough, but Jennie detected an almost savage fury trapped inside him. He reminded her of a wounded tiger in a cage waiting for a chance to escape. Regal, she thought. And dangerous. Why she thought that, Jennie had no idea.

  Jennie put Dominic and everything else out of her mind for the next few minutes and concentrated on swimming. The cool, salty pool water relaxed her and changed her own dark mood to excitement. She felt almost normal when she climbed out of the pool and toweled off. The guys, promising to meet them later, went off to change for dinner.

  “Oh, Jennie,” Lisa sighed. “Matt is wonderful. He’s sweet and sensitive. There’s only one problem.” Lisa frowned and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout.

  “What?” Jennie slipped into her white terry cover-up and stepped into her sandals.

  “He lives in Minnesota. I don’t want to live in Minnesota.”

  “Lisa,” Jennie scolded. “You just met him. Besides he’s too—”

  “Don’t say it.” Lisa wrapped a towel around her hair and bent at the waist to towel-dry it. “He’s not too old for me. He’s perfect.”

  Jennie shook her head. With Lisa flipped out over Matt, she and Dominic would have no choice except to hang out together—or alone. Well, that wasn’t quite true. The ship did have an extensive program for young adults. And she had brought a few mysteries. Even if Dominic wasn’t interested, she’d survive.

  Dressed in light cotton, floral-print dresses, Jennie and Lisa joined Gram and J.B. at their assigned dinner table for six in one of the ship’s elegant dining rooms, the Paradise Cove. The girls were just about to sit down opposite Gram and J.B. when Matt and Dominic arrived at their table. Matt gave them a conspiratorial wink as he eased between Jennie and Lisa and pulled out Lisa’s chair.

  “I hope you won’t mind, sir, ma’am,” he addressed J.B. and Gram, “but we bribed the maître d’ to switch us to your table so we could eat with your lovely granddaughters.”

  J.B. and Gram laughed, complimenting them on their resourcefulness. Matt shook hands with them as he introduced himself and Dominic.

  Matt’s appearance delighted Lisa, but the intrusion annoyed Jennie. Annoyed her, that is, until Dominic took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I hope you will forgive our boldness, señorita.” He straightened and gazed into her eyes. His black mood seemed to have disappeared, and his dark chocolate eyes shone with glints of mischief and admiration.

  He released Jennie’s hand and held out her chair.

  Speechless, Jennie slid into it. The busboy lifted a folded napkin from her plate and placed it on her lap, but she barely noticed. She was too busy looking at the back of her hand and wondering why it was still tingling, and why the simple gesture had turned her brain to mush.

  Their dinner conversation consisted mostly of comments and satisfied groans as the three couples ate their seven-course meal.

  When they’d finished, Gram clasped her hands. “I’ve never eaten so well or so much. I think I just gained ten pounds.”

  “If all the meals are this good, I may have to become a ship’s captain.” J.B. patted his stomach. “Well, my dear,” he added, taking Gram’s hand, “what do you say we take a few turns around the deck and give our food a chance to settle? I hear they serve a magnificent midnight buffet.”

  Jennie moaned. “How can you even think about eating again?”

  Dominic grinned. “The food was superb, my friends, but if you want a real taste of the tropics, you must visit my uncle’s hacienda in Jamaica. One year ago he hired Philippe, the most renowned chef in all of Europe. When we go to Jamaica, I will take you.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Dominic,” Gram said. “I was hoping I could find something to do an article about on Jamaica. Perhaps I could interview Philippe and your uncle.”

  At Dominic’s puzzled look, Jennie intercepted the conversation. “Gram’s a travel writer. That’s one of the reasons we’re on this cruise. She got complimentary tickets from one of the magazines she writes for.”

  “I’m doing an article for them on dream vacations. Personally, I think the cruise line donated the tickets, hoping for some free advertising. So far it’s working. I love the Caribbean Dreamer.”

  “A writer. Now I am doubly honored to know you. I will ask Tío Manny—my uncle, Manuel Bernardo Garcia—if we cannot all visit during our stay on Jamaica. He will be as delighted to meet you as I am.”

  J.B. and Gram excused themselves to go for their walk. Jennie, Dominic, Matt, and Lisa spent the evening talking and wandering around the ship. At ten Matt and Dominic suggested they end their evening by taking another swim and relaxing in one of the whirlpools. At eleven-thirty, Dominic excused himself. “I hope you will forgive me, but I am very tired. I will…how do you say?…turn myself in.”

  Jennie chuckled. “Close. Actually it’s ‘turn in.’”

  “Turn in, sí,” Dominic agreed as he moved closer to her. Jennie’s laughter died on her lips. His dark gaze locked with hers. “I must thank you for a lovely evening, Señorita McGrady. I would like to kiss you, but it is too soon, no?”

  “No,” Jennie squeaked. “I…I mean, yes, it is too soon.” Jennie couldn’t tell which melted her bones, the hot bubbly water or Dominic Estéban Ramirez. He lifted her hand to his lips, drew her forward, and brushed his lips across her forehead. Dominic hauled himself out of the Jacuzzi.

  Jennie took a deep breath and climbed out of the swirling water. “I think I’ll turn in too. I’m beat.” The wind cooled her hot skin. Wrapping herself in a large white towel, Jennie gathered her things and eased her feet into her sandals. “I think I’ll take a sauna before I go to bed, though. Want to join me?”

  Lisa glanced at Matt. “We were going to walk on the deck. Matt wants to show me the constellations.”

  I’ll bet. Aloud Jennie said, “Okay,” trying not to show her disapproval or disappointment. “Just remember, Gram wants us back in our rooms by midnight.”

  Lisa cast her a mind-your-own-business look, and Jennie left. Dominic walked with her as far as the stairs, promising to see her at breakfast the next morning. “Buenas noches, Jennie,” he whispered, then kissed her cheek.

  “Buenas noches,” she whispered into the night wind as she watched him walk away. Still thinking about Dominic, Jennie took a step forward and collided with a man coming out of the fitness center.

  She yelped and clutched her towel closer.

  He muttered an apology and bent to retrieve a book he’d dropped in the collision. His bald head reflected an overhead light. He straightened his glasses and scrambled to his feet. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

  “It’s my fault. I should have been watching where I was going.”

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He stood for a moment

  gazing down at her, his mouth set in a hard line. The dark-tinted glasses hid his eyes, but Jennie sensed she’d seen him before. He cleared his throat and stepped back.

  “No,” Jennie insisted. “I’m fine.”

  He smiled then and reached out his hand. “In that case, it was nice running into you. Perhaps we’ll meet again.” As he walked away Jennie remembered why he looked so familiar. He’d been the guy on deck earlier. The guy with the camera.

  Jennie puzzled over the man as she pulled open the door to the fitness center. She made her way past the door to the men’s room and the sauna, and ducked into the women’s rest room.

  By the time Jennie had showered and entered the sauna, she had dismissed the man as a threat. The warm dry heat and scent of cedar quickly softened her mood. She leaned back against the hot wood, willing the confusion of the last few days to melt from her mind. Gram’s marriage to J.B., the television show, Mom’s engagement to Michael, Dad’s death, the break-in. Dad’s death.
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br />   “You have to let it go, Jennie,” Mom would have told her. Let it go. It sounded so easy. But how could she? For the last five years, there were times when the hope of finding him was the only thing that kept her going. “What am I going to do, God?” She drew her knees up to her chest, folded her arms, and let her head rest on them.

  A memory floated into her mind, then out again. At the memorial service they’d had for him, the minister had assured them that as a believer, Dad had eternal life. “Even if he is dead,” a voice seemed to whisper, “his spirit will live forever. Someday, you will see him again, in heaven.”

  The knowledge consoled her in a way, but not enough. Tears slipped through her closed lids and dried on her cheeks. She’d make it, she really would. Eventually the hurt would be bearable again.

  Hot air burned her nose and lungs as she drew in a deep breath. Time for a cool shower. She stepped off the wooden bench and pushed at the door. Stuck. She pushed again. And again. It was locked. Someone had locked the door from the outside.

  Panic thundered in her chest. She pounded on the wooden door. “Help! Someone help me!”

  Minutes later, Jennie dropped to her knees. Blood ran from the torn flesh on her hands. Screams died on her parched lips. Maybe she’d be seeing Dad sooner than she’d planned.

  8

  You’re not giving up, McGrady. You can’t. Mom and Nick would never forgive you. Neither would Lisa or Gram…

  One more time. Try it. Just one more time. Jennie obeyed the message of survival hammering in her head. Using the door as a brace, she tried to stand. It swung open. She collapsed halfway out of the sauna and hauled in fresh air to soothe her scorched lungs. After a few moments she crawled the rest of the way out. The door thumped closed behind her.

  It had opened so easily Jennie wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. The raw wood gashes on her hands said otherwise. Someone had locked her in the sauna. But why? The answer came back frighteningly clear. Someone wanted her dead.

  No, not dead, she decided. The person had come back. Maybe someone just wanted to scare her. It had certainly worked.

  The muted light outside the exercise room cast garish shadows of weight machines, bikes, and stair-steppers across the walls. Jennie rolled over onto her back, wishing the dizziness and nausea would pass. After a few minutes she tried to stand. The room tipped and a fuzzy darkness blurred her vision. She slumped back to the floor.

  Still fighting the waves of nausea, Jennie crawled into the shower, turned on the water, and sat with her head between her knees. The cool spray washed the blood from her hands and pulsed enough life into her to get her moving again. Finally able to stand without fainting, Jennie got dressed, then made her way through the fitness center and out onto the deck.

  She’d taken only a few steps when the dizziness hit again. As she grabbed the railing to steady herself, Jennie spotted Matt and Lisa only a few yards from where she stood. “Lisa,” Jennie heard herself call as her knees buckled.

  “Jennie! What’s wrong?” Lisa jumped up from the deck chair and ran to her cousin’s side. “You look awful! Are you seasick?”

  Jennie took another deep breath and closed her eyes.

  With Lisa and Matt supporting her, she stumbled the few steps to a nearby deck chair and collapsed into it. “Stay with her,” Matt ordered. “I’ll go for the ship’s doctor.”

  “No.” Jennie put a hand out to stop him. “Not the doctor—I need to…get Gram. Someone locked me in the sauna.”

  “Are you serious?” Lisa asked.

  Jennie nodded. “Did you see anyone?”

  “No,” they said in unison. “We just arrived a few minutes ago,” Matt finished. “Any idea who might have done it?”

  “I hate to even suggest it, but you two and Dominic were the only ones who knew where I was going.”

  Matt frowned. “You think Dominic did this?”

  “That’s unreal,” Lisa interrupted. “What possible reason could he have to hurt you?”

  “I don’t know, but who else knew? I suppose someone could have followed me. I bumped into a guy just as I went into the fitness center.” Jennie shuddered at the possibility.

  “There were other people out on deck, too. Maybe someone overheard us talking.” Lisa glanced up at Matt as if she expected him to have an answer.

  “Look.” Matt hunkered down between the two chairs. “I say we eliminate Dominic as a suspect right now. He’s probably asleep. But if it will make you feel better we can go down and check—that is if you think you can make it.”

  “I can make it.” This time when Jennie stood she felt almost normal. Normal enough, at least, to find some answers.

  A few minutes later the trio stood outside of the stateroom Matt and Dominic shared. Matt slid a plastic card into the slot on the door and turned the handle. “You guys stay out here. I’ll talk to him.”

  Matt stepped into the room and closed the door. A few seconds later he popped back out. “He was asleep. I told him what happened. Give him a minute to get dressed.” Matt closed the door, but in the brief time it had been open, Jennie had spotted Dominic lying in a rumpled bed, looking as if he’d been roused out of a sound sleep. A pang of guilt that she’d even suspected him jabbed at her conscience. Way to go, McGrady. Great way to treat a new friend.

  Embarrassed, Jennie offered an apology. “Oh, Matt, tell him to go back to sleep. I’m sorry I bothered him.”

  “It is no trouble,” Dominic assured her as he stepped into the hallway. Concern etched his bronzed features. “You are okay?”

  “I’m fine—at least I will be when I find out who locked me in that sauna and why.”

  Dominic finished buttoning his shirt. “Now we must call the ship’s security officer, no?”

  “Yes,” Jennie affirmed. Using the phone on the desk in the boys’ room, she called security, then called Gram and J.B. Lisa had pulled out her cell and then put it back in her bag. She must have realized they couldn’t use it on the ship.

  Ten minutes later, Matt, Lisa, Dominic, Gram, J.B., and the security officer crowded around the small sauna while Jennie explained, again, how she’d been locked in. “Are you certain the door wouldn’t open?” the dark-haired officer asked. He’d introduced himself as Daniel Lee. Under his polite demeanor he sounded annoyed, as though she’d made the whole thing up.

  “Positive.”

  Daniel opened and closed the door several times. “As you can see, Miss McGrady, the door has no lock. Hence, you couldn’t have been, as you say, ‘locked in.’ If you couldn’t open the door, someone must have been leaning against it. I suspect your friends here were playing a joke on you.”

  Lisa’s mouth dropped open. “You think…! I’d never do something like that.”

  Jennie shook her head. “Believe me, it wasn’t a friend and it certainly wasn’t a joke.”

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders. Jennie could tell he didn’t believe them and was certain he had no intention of spending any more of his precious time trying to solve a nonexistent crime.

  “Take a look at this,” Gram announced. Jennie turned to find her grandmother on her hands and knees examining the sauna door. They all bent to see where Gram was pointing. “There are several dents here. I could be wrong, but it looks as though something heavy may have been pushed against it. It’s deeper in the middle than on the sides—might have been round. The pressure Jennie exerted from the other side could have been enough to dent the soft cedar.”

  Jennie peered at the dents—a set of four, evenly spaced— two near the door’s edge and two toward the middle. She straightened and glanced around the room. Her gaze fell on the large rack of weights against the wall. “Whoever it was could have stacked some of these against the door.”

  “Very good, Jennie.” Gram beamed. “Let’s try a couple and see if they fit.”

  Jennie started to pic
k up a fifty-pound weight. “No, señorita.” Dominic took the weight from her. “Let me help you.” At her direction, Matt and Dominic set weights in place. Four of them—two high, sitting side by side-fit the dents exactly.

  “Okay, we know how it was done,” Jennie mused. “And I think I have a suspect.” She went on to tell them about the man who had been watching her at the bon voyage party and who had bumped into her just before she went into the sauna.

  “I know who you mean,” J.B. offered. “But I doubt he’s your man, lass. Talked to him earlier.” He frowned and rubbed his chin. “I saw some boys tearing around the promenade deck just before your grandmother and I went to the buffet. Wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t see you go into the sauna and think they’d have themselves a bit o’ fun.”

  The security officer promised to check out the leads and suggested they all get some rest. They took the stairs down to deck eight, where Matt and Dominic said goodnight and headed down the corridor to their room.

  Gram and J.B. went beyond their door to the one next to it, which Jennie and Lisa shared. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Gram reached up to tuck some errant hairs behind Jennie’s ear.

  “Thanks, Gram. I’ll be fine.”

  “I hate to leave you alone after what’s happened.”

  “I’m not sure I want us to be alone,” Lisa admitted as she pushed her plastic key into the lock and opened the door.

  Gram clucked as she peered into the room. “You girls really ought to try to keep your cabin a bit neater.”

  “What…?” Jennie gasped as she stepped inside. The room looked as if it had been the victim of a hurricane. “Someone’s been in here!”

  “Don’t touch anything,” J.B. ordered. “I’ll call security from our cabin.” He put his arms around Jennie and Lisa and ushered them out. “Let’s all go next door.” J.B. hesitated before opening the door as though he expected their room to have been hit as well. With a sigh of relief, he opened the door fully and ushered Gram and the girls in.