Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 07 - High Seas Honeymoon

by Madison Johns

  “Ricky isn’t my favorite, either, and his friend Leo is even farther up the creep scale, if you ask me.”

  Kacey glanced around. “At least they’re not waiting to go to shore.”

  “Don’t jinx it,” Eleanor said. “It would be just like them to show up. Stay with your friends today. I’d hate to see anything happen to you.”

  “What my faithful friend means is that we wouldn’t want to see anything else happen to you. You’ve been through enough already.”

  “I second that.”

  “Come along, dear,” Pat Busch said to Kacey. “Our number is up next.”

  Pat put a hand on Kacey’s back and led her back to the wedding party and I didn’t like the way that woman interrupted us when we were speaking. Truth was that I was worried about Kacey and couldn’t quit thinking that something might befall the girl.

  After ten minutes, our numbers were called and we filed in behind the wedding party members, who were obviously going the same place as us, or at least ashore at the same time.

  Mr. Wilson was helped aboard first, since he was the only one who really needed the extra help. I almost felt that some of the wedding party minded that we went aboard the ferry first. It wasn’t like they said anything. It was more of a feeling I had. I’m sure Liz wanted to be considered the most important person here, since she would be getting married tomorrow, but she was on a cruise, after all, and things just couldn’t revolve only around her.

  Kacey walked by us and leaned down slightly and said, “Don’t be offended. Pat is a little pushy. She just wants her daughter to have the perfect wedding.”

  I nodded and Kacey went back to her friends.

  “She’s such a nice girl,” Mr. Wilson said. “Reminds me a little of my granddaughter Millicent. I sure wish Millicent would meet a man. I worry about that girl.”

  “We’ve been talking about that for a long time,” I said. “But I’d hate to introduce her to anybody. If he broke her heart, I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself.”

  “It’s none of our business and we need to stay out of her life,” Eleanor insisted.

  “Probably right,” Wilson said. “She does work too much and I’m going to insist she take a vacation when I get back.”

  When the ferry took off, it was all I could do not to upchuck on the spot. The water was rather rough today and I squeezed Andrew’s hand tightly.

  “If I had known this ride would be so rocky, I wouldn’t have decided to go ashore.”

  Andrew handed me a pill and I promptly tossed it back with a hard swallow, declining Eleanor’s offer to fetch a bottle of water. The truth was that I’d much rather not ingest anything else right now for fear of losing it completely.

  When the ferry finally docked, I was the first to disembark, even before Mr. Wilson. I about dropped and kissed the ground as my legs were quite shaky now. Andrew wouldn’t allow me to sit down just yet, as he led me away from the dock and we sat in a bench over-looking the shops.

  “Don’t even look at the ocean right now. Give yourself some time to get your bearings before we go shopping.”

  “I’m so sorry, Andrew. I had no idea that I’d feel so bad.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that pill will kick in and you’ll be just fine.”

  Eleanor and Mr. Wilson walked up the street and once I felt better, I allowed Andrew to lead me up after them. I didn’t see the wedding party and figured that they were searching for the groom about now. I was just dying to see him myself, along with the merry band of groomsmen.

  We took our time wandering in and out of shops, many of which had skull-looking things. The shop girl must have seen my expression and explained, “They represent the Day of the Dead.”

  “Day of the what?” Eleanor asked.

  “It’s a holiday where we gather with our families. We pray and remember loved ones who have died. We celebrate it in the fall.”

  I had to remember that this was indeed a different culture and that most people in Mexico were Catholics. Even in the United States, people of Mexican descent honored family members who had passed away. You had to admire that.

  “That’s very interesting,” I said. “These skulls look so scary to me, is all I meant. I meant no disrespect.”

  “I know you didn’t, not to worry.”

  “You speak good English,” Eleanor said.

  “Yes, I was raised by my grandparents and they traveled to the states often. They wanted me to learn and speak English well. I know it’s not like most of the people I know, but my grandparents are a little unconventional.”

  “By that, she means that we enjoy traveling and having fun,” said an older man, as he walked forward. “We made sure our granddaughter got a proper education. She’s going to medical school in California in the fall.”

  “Wow, great news.”

  The girl shook her head. “But Papa, I need to stay here and help you run this store.”

  “Nonsense,” said an older woman, who was on a ladder dusting. “You’ll do us proud. We could use more doctors in Cozumel, if you decide to come back after you’re a doctor.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because you might meet a nice young man and get married is why.”

  The young lady gave me a strange look and I knew this must have been an ongoing argument, so I agreed with the grandmother. “She’s right, love finds you when you least expect it. We just were married back home,” I said.

  The woman came down the ladder and gave me a hug. “How nice to see someone my age get married.”

  “What? We’ve been married since we were sixteen,” her husband said.

  “I meant that not too many people our age get married. Most of my widow friends have given up on men and love. You should never give up on love. There’s no greater thing in the world.”

  We wandered around the shop as the granddaughter and grandparents continued to discuss the topic of love, but also the importance of waiting until she had a proper education, first.

  Before we left the shop, I bought a pink sundress that was plentiful in the material department, which I loved. It would be the perfect thing to wear when I wanted to be comfortable at home.

  When we finally left the shop, Eleanor said, “I loved the store owners. They sounded like a real hoot. You don’t see many people speaking English in Mexico as well as they do.”

  “Well, they are store owners who get plenty of American visitors. I think that’s more than a good reason to speak better English.”

  We hit just about every shop on the strip, then finally found a restaurant to eat. We sat inside and it was quite hot, but there were several ceiling fans overhead.

  The waitress came over, wearing a multi-colored skirt and peasant-type blouse, and took our order, bringing us back bottled water. I breathed in deeply of the spices that were being sprinkled on the food that was cooking. It didn’t take long before plates of grilled steak and chicken, with rice and hand-made tortillas, were brought to our table. The food was very spicy, but tasted wonderful.

  I heard giggling and when I turned, the wedding party was entering the restaurant, with four young men, a few of them with beer bellies. That brought a smile to my face for a moment, as I said, “I wonder which one is the groom.”

  “It would be funny if it was the one with the beer gut,” Eleanor said.

  When one of them threw an arm around Liz, I took him as the groom. While he was quite slim, he also wore glasses and looked to be more of the nerd type. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine him and Liz together. While she did allow the affection he was showing her, I almost wondered if she was marrying him because she really loved him, or if she just loved what he’d become one day. Ever since the way Liz and her mother had spoken at the captain’s table, I just couldn’t like either of them. There was more to life than money, in my opinion.

  Kacey smiled and walked over. “Hello again.” She eyed up our bags and said, “Looks like you’ve been shopping. I hope yo
u have at least one of those skulls in your bags. You can’t get them like that back in the states.”

  “So, the groom did show up?”

  “Yes, I don’t understand why he showed up, actually. I love Liz, but I doubt her commitment to Brady.”

  “I’m shocked to hear you say that.”

  “I am, too, but ever since my little excursion, I think of life in a whole new way. I went to high school with Liz, but I never realized how superficial she really is until this trip. Her family paid for my trip, but honestly, I was shocked she asked me to be her matron of honor, since she has so many more friends to choose from.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “She obviously made the right choice. Why did you agree to be the matron of honor in the first place?”

  “I’m ashamed to admit that the free cruise lured me in, but I was a little surprised that her parents were so willing to pay my way.”

  “Kacey,” Pat Busch said. “Come on back to our group, now. I’m sure the old folks would rather be left alone.”

  “What old folks are you talking about?” Eleanor said.

  “Take care, those are fighting words with Eleanor,” I explained.

  Pat backed away now, with her arm interlaced with Kacey’s.

  “What is going on there, I wonder?” Eleanor said. “Why is she constantly pulling Kacey away from us?”

  “She sure is pushy is all I can say, and possibly a little controlling.”

  “You think?”

  “She might just be worried about Kacey straying too far from the wedding party,” Andrew said. “It’s easy to get lost in Cozumel.”

  I wish I could agree with Andrew here, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how Pat looked at Kacey. “Or, they don’t want her to go missing again.”

  “She should be fine, since it looks like Ricky and Leo stayed on the ship,” Eleanor said.

  “Yes, right.” Until Eleanor mentioned it, I had all but forgotten about Ricky and Leo, my prime suspects in Kacey’s disappearance. I’d just be happy when we were back on board safely. I tried not to think what it would be like to be back on the ferry. I just hoped it wouldn’t be quite as bad as the way here.

  We finished our meal and I was almost disappointed that I wasn’t sitting closer to the wedding party so I could eavesdrop, but alas, it was not meant to be. I was very curious about the groom, Brady. I don’t know why I was so focused on the wedding party. It must be because of Kacey’s disappearance, I rationalized. Why did I have the impression that she still might be in danger?

  Chapter Fifteen

  I was helped back onto the deck of the cruise ship by Andrew and I promptly sat on the nearby bench, trying to steady the rolling of my stomach. The way back from Cozumel wasn’t any better on the ferry than the way there, thanks to the choppy waves. That’s something I’m not all that used to since back home, Lake Huron doesn’t nearly have the waves that the ocean can muster up. Sure, we have our storms and at the point where the lighthouse is located, it’s very windy and the water can get very rough. I guess I never paid all that much attention to it, though, since I’ve never been in a boat when the weather was like that. We paid attention to gale warnings and such back home.

  Dr. Gordon strode over to me, putting a cool cloth on the back of my neck.

  “What’s that going to do?”

  “It will help you feel better, I hope.” He winked.

  “How did you know I was sick?”

  “The captain of the ferry called and told me. Somebody should have warned you about how it would go on the ferry with these rough seas today.”

  “I wish they had, so at least I would have known what to expect, but I probably would have gone anyway. This is my honeymoon and I don’t want to ruin it for everyone.”

  My stomach quit rolling for the moment and I had to admit that the cool cloth did help out somewhat.

  “Don’t be silly, Agnes,” Andrew said. “We won’t be going ashore at any of the other stops. I don’t want you to be miserable on this trip.”

  I smiled up at Andrew. “Thanks, I think I’m feeling a little better now. I’m ready to go to our room.”

  “Don’t be silly, give it more time before you attempt that,” the doctor said.

  “Fetch my scooter, would you man? Agnes can use it to get to her room. I can use the walker,” Mr. Wilson said.

  Before I had a chance to say anything, Eleanor went to fetch the scooter and drove it back, helping me aboard. I felt like a cripple using this. It’s not that people my age didn’t need to use apparatuses like this; I just didn’t want to be one of them. I was fighting old age with all that was in me. Sure, if I had to, I would, but I really didn’t have more than an aching hip or knee on occasion.

  I zoomed toward the elevator and I could see why Wilson did that. It was fun with the wind blowing my hair about. Once I was back at our room, I climbed off without any assistance and entered my room. Andrew followed me in, but Eleanor and Mr. Wilson headed over to their room for some relaxation, no doubt. That’s all I ever wanted to know about the goings on over there.

  I took a quick shower, which helped me feel even better. When I looked in the mirror afterward, I was shocked at how red my face, and especially my nose, looked. I had gotten quite the sunburn and I guess I had forgotten all about the sunscreen. I had my mind on other things like shopping. It’s so strange how you don’t even know you have a sunburn until later. I worried about how badly Eleanor might have burned, since she had much fairer skin than me.

  I changed clothing and I noticed Andrew’s nose was slightly red from the sun. He had a button-up shirt on that revealed his tanned skin beneath, since he rarely burned. I had to look away or we’d never make it anywhere else today.

  I was startled out of my thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door. Andrew answered it and Captain Hamilton walked in with a man I hadn’t yet met. Was he the engineer who Hamilton had told me was coming aboard in Cozumel?

  “What can I help you with, Captain? Was there another crime committed?”

  “I certainly hope not. This is Darnell Dobson, the engineer I told you about.”

  “Oh, of course, but you could have introduced him to me later.”

  Darnell’s face was quite pale. “Did you happen to take anything out of the suitcase and forget to put it back?”

  “No, I don’t think so, why?”

  “It’s just that there was a very special key inside, too. It was a golden key.”

  “Golden key?” Andrew raised a brow. “Do you know anything about this, Agnes?”

  “No, but that bag wasn’t exactly secured when I found it at the airport. It might have dropped out there.”

  Darnell leaned against the captain, who eased him into a chair. “Are you okay, Darnell?” Hamilton asked.

  “I-I don’t think so. My goose is cooked for sure, now. That’s a very special key.”

  I knew this was the time to hand it over, but not until I knew exactly what that key was for. “It’s strange having a blueprint of the ship in your suitcase and I don’t know many men who have a floral suitcase,” I began. “I really should call my son Stuart, he works for the FBI, you know. This sounds like something Homeland Security would love to know about. I hope you’re not planning to hijack the ship.”

  “He’s the engineer of this ship,” Hamilton said. “He designed the ship!”

  “Then why the floral suitcase?”

  “Because people know who I am and my blueprints have been stolen before. I use the floral suitcase to throw them off, I even have my secretary check it in for me.”

  My shoulders dropped now. “Oh, but what about the golden key, what is that for?”

  “It unlocks the floor panel in the bridge. There is an electrical unit that needs to be replaced,” Darnell said.

  “Why wasn’t that fixed before the ship went out to sea?”

  “Because I missed my flight. If that electrical unit isn’t replaced and soon, there’s no telling what might h
appen.”

  “But the ship can be run from the engine room,” I said.

  “Not if that circuit blows,” Hamilton said. “We’ve already lost partial communications.”

  “Then why did you allow anyone to go ashore?”

  “I’m not about to ruin the cruise for everyone. Besides, Darnell needed to get aboard somehow.”

  “Prove it to me, then,” I said.

  Captain Hamilton’s face turned red. “Prove what to you?”

  “That the key opens a panel on the bridge and not something else.”

  “Agnes, if you have the key, you need to hand it over,” Andrew said. “This is serious.”

  “What do you think the key opens?” Hamilton asked.

  “Well, I heard the story about Han Smith and how he had a large amount of money stolen while on one of the cruises. I figured that the key opens a secret compartment where the money was hidden by whoever took it. I’m sure the FBI searching the ship made it impossible for anyone to retrieve the money until a later date.”

  Captain Hamilton and Darnell stared at each other for a moment, then Hamilton said, “So, you think someone hid that money on the ship a year ago and they weren’t planning to retrieve the money until now?” He laughed.

  “Don’t laugh, she’s deadly serious about this,” Andrew said. “She an investigator back home and if she thinks that’s what happened, she’s probably right.”

  “Come along to the bridge, then,” Hamilton said. “We can prove where the key goes.”

  I waited until the captain and the engineer left before I retrieved the key from where I had hidden it, keeping it safely in my pocket for the moment. Only then did I join Darnell and Captain Hamilton outside where Eleanor and Wilson were looking on, puzzled.

  “What’s going on here, Agnes?” Eleanor asked.

  “The captain says he can prove the golden key opens a floor panel. He claims an electrical unit needs to be replaced. We’re going to check it out, now.”

  “I’m so coming,” Eleanor said, moving toward the elevator, with Wilson and Andrew following closely.