by Liz Turner
“It was an heirloom, but Melissa kept it even after the breakup. When Sebastian was cleaning her room, he realized the luggage belonged to her and took advantage of an opportunity to take back what was rightfully his.”
“Why didn’t he just offer the truth?”
“That’s the part I don’t understand either.” Sarah smeared sodden mascara off of her face with the back of her hand.
“All right. So she threatened him with a faux pregnancy—”
“It wasn’t fake!” Sarah sobbed. “She had legitimate test results proving she tested positive for pregnancy. Nancy’s signature signed it off.”
Gabriella pulled out her own envelope and handed it over. “Have a look at this.”
“High levels of arsenic trioxide,” Sarah read out loud. “What is this?”
“Wait? What are you talking about?”
Sarah pointed and read out loud. “’Extreme caution should be noted as the blood sample provided contained high levels of arsenic. We advise the patient to submit a urine sample so that further testing can be conducted immediately.’”
Gabriella stared at Sarah in horror. “I think I know what’s making all the passengers sick!”
“Arsenic? Gabi, come on.” Sarah looked at her in disbelief, her own woes temporarily forgotten.
“Look at the name of the person these results belong to.” Gabriella pointed with a shaky finger.
Sarah gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“And these results are negative for pregnancy,” Gabriella added.
“So she was lying! I knew it!” Sarah burst into tears again, this time from joy and relief.
“But there’s still one very important unsolved mystery,” Gabriella said. “Someone has been poisoning passengers, and I’m suspecting they had a specific target in mind…”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about the one passenger who was almost always in a group that got sick. Think of the elite that attended the high tea this afternoon. Think of who’s been complaining about the ‘off’ tasting food all cruise long…”
“Melissa? No, she’s awful, but not to where someone would kill her…”
“Are you sure about that?” Gabriella asked, giving her friend a knowing look.
“Okay, I concede that there are probably a few people who want her dead.”
“And when we went into lockdown and everyone was having their food hand-delivered by crew members, everyone else started improving health-wise almost immediately—except one person, who got sicker and sicker.”
“Melissa,” Sarah mumbled with a down cast expression. “It explains the test results. Arsenic doesn’t stay in your bloodstream for long. So the poisoning had to have been recent and ongoing in order for the figures to show up. Don’t ask me how I know that.”
“Sarah, you will not like what I’m about to ask,” Gabriella held her friend’s stare, “but who was the crew member assigned to deliver Melissa’s food during lockdown?”
Sarah blinked a few times, as if not wanting to discover the answer. She slowly drew out her tablet and opened the schedule. A flush spread through her delicate complexion. “Sebastian,” she choked out, a fresh wave of tears flooding her face. “It can’t be. I just can’t believe he would be capable of hurting anyone!”
“Sarah,” Gabriella continued, her hand reaching for her phone at her hip, “where is Sebastian now?”
Sarah swallowed, her eyes brimming with fresh tears. “He said he had to deliver a meal to a patient that wasn’t feeling very well.”
“Did he say who?”
Sarah shook her head.
They both knew the answer.
Gabriella dialed Billy Harlow, chief-of-security, trying to ignore Sarah’s betrayed eyes as she called for Sebastian’s arrest.
Chapter 10
Canine Victory
Gabriella bolted as fast as her stocky legs could carry her tiny frame, yet Maximus still dragged her along, his tongue hanging out joyfully as he bounded ahead. It had been a long time since they had allowed the muscular rottweiler to spring into full-speed action as he had during his years on the force. Gabriella had borrowed him from Pamela, hoping he could help her solve their arsenic problem.
Gabriella’s mind was fixed on stopping at the kitchen so she could check if Sebastian was still there, whereas Maximus charged right past the entrance, dragging an astonished Gabriella behind him.
“Whoa!” she yelled, using all her strength to bring the heaving mass of muscle to a stop.
Maximus looked at her over his shoulder, his big brown eyes trying to relay that she was going the wrong way.
“And now you charge into my kitchen with a flea bag!” Chef Ben exploded at the sight of the panting, drooling Maximus.
The dog yipped at him.
“I wouldn’t insult him,” Gabriella warned, trying to catch her breath. “Did Sebastian come through here?”
“Yes,” an annoyed Ben answered. “He picked up a late-night order and went out for delivery.”
Gabriella sucked in a deep breath before pushing herself into another sprint toward Melissa Riley’s luxury cabin.
Maximus seemed far more content now that he could lead the way again. He nimbly weaved between tourists and passengers, while Gabriella held on for dear life, willing her feet to keep up.
“Slow down, boy,” she ordered. Immediately, she felt the leash slacken as Maximus obeyed. Seconds later, however, he unexpectedly charged away from Gabriella. She lost her grip on the leash and watched as he disappeared between a sea of legs, people jumping out of the way as he flew by.
When a man yelled, Gabriella knew Maximus had found his target. By the time she caught up to him, Sebastian was lying on his back with a plate of fresh fruit sprawled around him. Maximus stood with his front paws on Sebastian’s chest, his growling face inches from the man’s neck.
“Easy, Maximus,” Gabriella ordered, concerned her amateur investigation might turn into a murder investigation—her as the prime suspect and a one hundred and twenty pound dog as the murder weapon
Maximus obediently stepped off his target and barked.
“Good boy,” Gabriella patted him on the back.
“What the heck is going on, Gabi?” Sebastian asked, his face red and his voice strangled.
“That’s what I’m hoping you’ll tell me…Have you been poisoning your ex-lover, Melissa?”
“What? Are you insane?”
“Sebastian!” Sarah ran up to the scene and hurtled into his arms. “Tell me it’s not true!”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, bewildered. “I didn’t poison anyone!”
Billy Harlow stepped forward and pulled Sebastian away from Sarah. He then slapped cuffs onto his wrist with an artful flick of satisfaction.
“This again? Really?” Sebastian said.
Billy stared Sebastian down, despite being several inches shorter. “This time, I have a valid reason to arrest you.”
“Arrest me? What have I done?”
“You’re being put in holding on the charges of poisoning half of the passengers on this cruise ship—”
Audible gasps from curious tourists who’d gathered around to observe yet another exciting incident on the Fischer cruise ship interrupted Billy’s speech.
Billy’s smirk broadened, “As I was saying, you are also guilty of intending to kill Melissa Riley!”
“What’s going?” a familiar snarky voice screeched. The commotion outside her cabin door had awoken Melissa Riley.
Ron stumbled out behind her, his face just as baffled as hers.
“It’s bad enough your ship gives me food poisoning for nearly the entire trip, but does your circus have to perform right outside my cabin door while I’m trying to sleep too?!” she yelled weakly, her face pale and her frame fragile.
“Melissa, it’s best that we speak privately,” Gabriella said. Regardless of her dislike for the woman, Gabriella felt she’d suffered through an ordeal she
didn’t quite deserve. “Trust me, this is definitely something you want to keep private.”
Melissa scowled.
“Melissa isn’t up to going anywhere,” Ron interjected, positioning himself in front of her.
A low rumbling noise vibrated through the air.
“Maximus, boy, what’s wrong?” Gabriella looked down at the dog.
He answered by leaping at Ron’s chest, pinning him to the ground.
Melissa screamed, as did several other passengers.
Billy sprang into action, attempting to pull Maximus off one of their most important guests. But this only frustrated the already angry dog further. Seeing that he was losing the battle, Billy demoted himself to clearing away the crowd that had been closing in on the spectacle.
All the while, Sarah stood on the sidelines sobbing while a handcuffed Sebastian tried pleading with her. Melissa was screaming, and Maximus practically foamed at the mouth.
Witnessing it all, Gabriella wanted to jump overboard and take her chances with the sharks. “Enough!” she shouted, leading to a few blissful seconds of silence before the commotion broke out again.
Gritting her teeth, Gabriella used all of her might to yank Maximus off Ron.
“You know,” Ron complained as he scrambled to his feet, straightening his creased linen suit, “we’ve had to put up with a lot on this cruise. I think Melissa and I will press charges.”
“Billy, search this man, please,” Gabriella ordered.
“You can’t do that,” Ron objected. “You have no cause to search me!”
“An ex-service dog saw it fit to take you down. I trust this canine far more than I trust you,” Gabriella retorted.
Billy patted Ron from the top down. Midway, he paused and reached his hand into Ron’s jacket pocket, where he pulled out a small vial of white powder. “What do we have here?”
“Medication.”
“You don’t take medication,” Melissa said.
“Shut up!” he snapped.
Gabriella grabbed the vial from Billy’s hand and studied it for a few seconds. Maximus began barking wildly.
Gabriella took a step closer to Ron, practically smelling fear mixed with his sweat. “I will have this tested as soon as we dock. And when the results prove that this is arsenic, the same arsenic found in Melissa’s blood sample, you’re going away for a very long time.” She stared him down, wondering if he would call her bluff.
“Can you blame me?” he vented hotly. “I’ve put up with her sniveling and whining and demanding, spoiled princess attitude for months now! And how does she repay me?”
“Repay you? You live off of my money! You don’t work! You do nothing!” Melissa shouted.
“How dare you! You brought me on this cruise just so you could flaunt me in front of other people and then secretly fake a pregnancy behind my back so you could try to get your ex-boyfriend back!” He leaned in closer to her, delivering his next line in a barely audible whisper. “I enjoyed poisoning you.”
Melissa wound up her fist. And for a frail, half-poisoned woman, she delivered quite a punch. Ron was sent spiraling to the floor, where Maximus instantly pinned him down again.
“Sarah, get Melissa to Nancy immediately, and phone in for a heli-lift to the nearest hospital,” Gabriella said.
“On it.” A stunned Sarah pulled Melissa gently by the arm towards the doctor’s rooms.
“And Billy,” Gabriella turned on him, “take Ron to a holding cell. Contact American soil and inform them we need a police escort to meet us at disembarkation.”
Billy nodded and led Ron away.
Gabriella stepped up to Sebastian and quickly slid her master key into the handcuffs, freeing him. “Sebastian, how can I ever apologize for misjudging you the way I did? I was ready to believe you were capable of murder…” She shook her head in disbelief.
“If I had been open about Melissa from the start, none of this would have happened,” Sebastian admitted. “I should have come clean a long time ago.”
“Will you ever forgive me?” Gabriella asked, painfully aware that this was a tall order.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Sebastian smiled.
“I have one question though,” Gabriella said as they turned to leave. “How did you ever end up in a relationship with someone like Melissa?”
Epilogue
A New Chapter
“And you’re sure these are the right results this time?” Nick nervously held Gabriella’s hand in his, squeezing tighter with each question, his palm sweaty.
“Calm down, love,” Gabriella breathed.
“Yes.” Nancy chuckled. “I assure you, these are Gabriella’s results this time.”
“Well, I’m done beating around the bush. Let’s see them!” Nick reached across Nancy’s desk and retrieved a second yellow envelope.
This time, Gabriella double-checked that the seal hadn’t been tampered with.
Nick flipped open the flap and pulled out the paper inside. He read the results out loud while Gabriella scanned the page impatiently for the single word she needed to see. Her eyes snapped onto it and she reread it a hundred times, making sure it was true.
Positive.
*** The End ***
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