Under the Moonlight collection

by MaryAnn Kempher

  “Really? With such a large crew, that surprises me.” Marni stood. “I should be going,” she said.

  Jack also stood. They were just a few inches apart. There seemed to be an electrical current between them. He knew the smart thing to do was to walk away, but he didn’t.

  “I should go,” she said again. She took a step, seemed to trip over something and for a moment was held tightly in Jack’s arms. He looked down into her eyes and time seemed to slow. What was it about this woman? Why was he so drawn to her? His eyes traveled over her face and suddenly his lips were on hers. Her lips were full and soft, her fragrance lightly sweet and youthful. She kissed him back with determination and passion, and for a moment Jack wasn’t thinking.

  A voice over the loudspeaker intruded into the bubble that they’d been enveloped in. He took a step back, feeling like a cad and fully willing to take the blame.

  “I’m so sorry, Ms. Michaels. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Marni lightly touched her lips with her finger then turned and hurried away. Jack rushed to catch up to her.

  “Ms. Michaels, Ms. Michaels.”

  Marni stopped and turned around. “I think we’re past such formalities, don’t you, Jack? Please, call me Marni.”

  Jack’s gaze immediately went to her aqua blue eyes. They were a color the ocean would envy.

  “Please,” he said, “you have to allow me to apologize. What I did back there was inexcusable.”

  Marni smiled. Jack was looking everywhere but at her.

  “It’s okay. It happened, don’t worry about it.”

  Jack shook his head. “No, no. It was completely unprofessional. I have no excuse.”

  “Detective, if you’ll please stop apologizing and allow me to speak.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She gently touched his arm, and he looked down at her delicate hand.

  “Detective—Jack. I didn’t trip.”

  She smiled and walked away, leaving Jack speechless and wishing he could magically transport both her and Amy back to Tampa. Two people had been murdered and they weren’t making it any easier for him to find their killers.

  ***

  The woman placed a long dress onto a hanger then turned her attention to a folded, skimpy outfit. Not quite a negligee, but not something someone would wear out in public. It had been one of her many uniforms. Until recently she’d been okay with what she did for a living, but it wasn’t something she bragged about. What little family she had didn’t know, and on the rare occasions that she was asked out by a guy she hadn’t met at work, they usually only dated once or twice. It was too exhausting to lie for long.

  So far—she assumed, because she couldn’t very well ask—no one knew that someone had witnessed the murder in the cafeteria kitchen, and she wanted to keep it that way. Her head told her to keep her big mouth shut, to try to keep a low profile and get through the remainder of the cruise. She had assumed the guy who killed the man in the kitchen had also killed Pam Larsen. One killer was bad enough.

  She’d had many opportunities, but she’d decided that after they were back in Tampa, then she would tell someone what she’d seen. She wanted to be surrounded by lots of police when she told her story.

  She’d been a stripper since she was twenty-two and after four years had managed to save a good amount of money. There had been no nice clothes, no car, and she’d shared an apartment with three other women. But she had plans. The bachelor party had been her last gig. A simple life was all she wanted. With the money she’d saved, she’d buy a little house, maybe go to school. She’d always like animals—maybe she’d be a veterinarian.

  She sat on the bed and looked over at her suitcase. It was early. What should she do? Everyone seemed to be on the lido deck, and she wanted to be around other people, so that’s where she’d go. The only problem with going up there was that it increased the likelihood that she’d see the killer. She’d already seen him on numerous occasions, had even been unable to avoid speaking to him a few times. He was an asshole. She would have thought that even if she didn’t know what he’d done.

  Her mind wandered to the face of a different man, a much more pleasant image. She’d met two guys since being on the ship. She was attracted to both. Both were tall and handsome. But it was complicated, for a few reasons, not the least of which was the fact that she was a stripper. In her experience, guys had no problem bedding a stripper, but beyond that, suddenly they weren’t good enough for anything more. She wasn’t positive either man was that kind of guy, but she didn’t want to find out. She wanted to look into those eyes and see her attraction for the man returned, not disapproval, disappointment, or worse.

  ***

  When Katherine and Scott arrived at the main ballroom, they saw that it had been divided into two distinct sections. On one side, guests sat at tables and in booths. On the other side were table after table covered from one long end to the other with cakes and pies, pastries, and tarts; all entries in the baked goods competition.

  Wish we could go over to that side for desert,” said Scott.

  Katherine looked at the tables. “Me too,” she said, smiling. “I’m glad you talked me into coming out. I am really hungry.”

  “Did you know you can get as many servings as you want?” said Scott. “They’re serving lobster tonight and I’m going to eat so many, I might grow a shell.”

  They followed the waiter across the room and farther away from the baked goods.

  “See,” said Katherine, “they knew you were coming, and that those cakes and pies wouldn’t be safe. Now we have to sit in no man’s land.”

  Scott smiled, but his smile disappeared and he grew uneasy the closer they got to their seats.

  ***

  Kimy leaned against the wall, examining her nails. She looked up when Alex walked into the suite.

  “Did you see Scott?” she asked.

  Alex sat next to Sophie on the couch. “Yes,” he answered.

  Sophie looked up. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

  “Did you tell him about the dress?” asked Sophie. “Did you tell him what Katherine did?”

  Alex put his arm around Sophie’s shoulder. “You don’t know that Katherine damaged your dress,” he said.

  “Sure we do,” said Kimy. “She was the last person in there—ask anyone. She was jealous of the attention Sophie was getting, jealous of Sophie’s dress. Of course she tore it.”

  Alex didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know Katherine well, but he didn’t think she’d have damaged Sophie’s wedding dress. But he knew defending her would be a mistake. Sophie needed someone to blame. Better for her to be angry at Katherine for something she probably didn’t do than mad at him for defending Katherine.

  “And she was being so nice,” said Sophie, “telling me how pretty the dress was. How pretty I looked in it. Then she does something horrible like this.”

  “How bad is it?” asked Alex.

  “It doesn’t matter how bad,” answered Kimy. “What matters is that she’d do something like this. You’re his brother, Alex. How can Scott be with someone like her?”

  Alex ignored the question. “But it is fixable, right?”

  “Yes, I’ve arranged for someone to pick it up tomorrow and take it to the ship’s tailor,” answered Sophie.

  “Well there you go,” said Alex. “Everything is going to be all right.”

  “It’s just that I already feel like I’m being torn in different directions,” said Sophie. “You have no idea how many little details were affected by moving the date up. Something happening to my dress was the last thing I needed.”

  Alex stood and took Sophie’s hands in his, pulling her to her feet.

  “Come on,” he said. “I know what will make you feel better. Let’s go have dinner.”

  Sophie shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m up to going out. I mean look at me, I’m a mess.”

  “You’re beautiful,” said Alex. “Go splash some water on
your face. Come on.”

  Sophie smiled. “Okay.” She turned toward Kimy and said, “Are you coming?”

  “Sure.”

  Twenty minutes later they were being led to a table in the great ballroom. Alex and Sophie sat next to each other, while Kimy took the chair across from them. They were seated at the end, and the tables around them were empty, except for one other couple.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” said Kimy as the maître d’ led another couple toward the empty table nearby.

  Sophie looking up, smiling, but her smile disappeared as the couple drew closer.

  Katherine’s breath caught in her throat when she saw Alex, Sophie, and Kimy. The waiter was seating them one table away from the trio.

  “Hi, everyone,” said Scott. Sophie didn’t answer and looked away. Kimy smiled, and Alex looked less than thrilled.

  “Hey, Scott, Katherine,” he said. “What are the odds we’d all go out to dinner at the same time?”

  Scott shrugged. “Pretty good actually,” he said, then laughed. “We all chose this dinner hour, remember?”

  “Maybe we should go,” said Katherine.

  “No,” said Scott. “We will not miss all-you-can-eat lobster. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Although uncomfortable, Katherine sat and Scott sat across from her. He picked up his menu.

  “Hey, Alex, did you see what’s on the menu?”

  Alex looked at Sophie. She still hadn’t acknowledged Scott and Katherine’s presence, and he was a little unsure how to behave. “Ah, yeah. Sure did,” he answered.

  The couple that was seated at the table between them addressed Scott. “Oh, do you know these people?” they asked.

  “Yes,” answered Scott, “that’s my brother.”

  “Oh well, let’s swap tables then,” suggested the couple. “Then you can all sit together.” Sophie’s eyes widened, and she looked at Kimy, who shrugged.

  “Well,” said Scott, “that’s nice of you. Thanks so much.”

  “Scott,” said Katherine, warning in her voice. But he stood and the other couple stood, and within seconds Katherine was seated next to Sophie and across from Kimy.

  Scott scanned his menu.

  “So Kimy,” he said, “if Sophie’s dress needs to go to the tailor, I’m sure you could show her where it’s located.”

  “Ah jeez,” said Alex under his breath.

  “I don’t know what you mean, Scott,” said Kimy, but she smiled as she looked at her menu.

  “What’s going on?” asked Katherine.

  “Oh, a misunderstanding at the tailor,” answered Scott. “I took my tux there. I needed it taken out some. Seems somewhere they got the idea that I needed my jacket taken out and my pants taken in. The jacket was huge and the pants were way too small.”

  “Well that’s weird,” said Katherine. “Wonder how that happened.”

  “Maybe,” said Scott, “an evil little gremlin tried to play a nasty trick on me.”

  “Maybe,” said Kimy, “it’s not that big of a deal. Maybe you should move on.”

  Alex dropped his menu on the table. He looked at Scott and Kimy, trying to give them both looks that said, “This isn’t the time or place.” Kimy took the hint and turned her attention back to her menu. Scott’s and Alex’s eyes met. Scott shrugged as if to say, “What? What’d I do?”

  The rest of the dinner was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Sophie picked at her food for a few minutes, then stood. Alex looked up at her.

  “What?” he said. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m finished. I can’t eat anymore.”

  “But you’ve hardly touched your dinner,” said Alex. He looked down at his plate. “And I’ve only had three lobsters.”

  Sophie squeezed between the two tables. “Are you coming?”

  “Don’t worry, bro,” said Scott. “I’ll eat your share.” Alex did not look happy, but he followed Sophie. Kimy followed Alex.

  “You should watch how much you eat, Scott,” said Kimy. “You want to fit into your suit, don’t you?” Before Scott could answer, Alex turned and took hold of Kimy’s arm.

  “Come on Kimy,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  After they were gone Katherine asked, “What was that all about?”

  “I think Kimy somehow knew my suit was at the tailors, and she told them wrong instructions.”

  “Why?”

  Scott didn’t want to tell Katherine about his encounter with Kimy on Sunday. Even though he’d done nothing to be ashamed of, he still felt bad for how tempted he’d been by Kimy’s attempts at seduction. He and Katherine had grown to know each other well, so he was also afraid she might see something on his face, some telltale sign, that might make her think something had happened, that hadn’t.

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “I’m probably wrong.”

  Scott raised his hand, and a waiter quickly came over. “I’d like another lobster please.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Wednesday morning, Jack sat at his desk, daydreaming. It wasn’t even ten o’clock and already Mr. Smalls had called once and stopped by twice. Jack was frustrated. He didn’t have a lot to tell the man. He hadn’t heard anything back from Mark regarding the video footage, they never found a murder weapon, and the only witness was a little old lady who didn’t see anything helpful. If they only knew the cake thief’s identity. She was the key.

  Jack glanced over at the wastebasket. Reaching into the wastebasket, he pulled out the newspaper he’d brought on board nearly two weeks earlier. He needed something to distract him, if only for a few minutes, from the unsolvable case and thoughts of Amy. His eyes squinted. He was barely thirty-five and his eyes were already giving him shit. He thumbed through the paper, which he hadn’t read all the way through the first time. His eyes were caught by an update to an article he remembered reading the same day he’d had lunch with Curt Noble. A jewelry store had been robbed, they had no suspects, and the stolen diamonds were not recovered.

  The first article he’d read didn’t mention diamonds. He sat up straight in his chair, yanking the paper closer to his face. At least eighteen one-carat diamonds had been stolen, three tiny bags of six each. The owners had given up hope. But Jack had just had his hope renewed. He was almost nervous as he slid the middle desk drawer open. That the diamond might have been from the jewelry store robbed a week before his arrival hadn’t crossed his mind. He picked up the tiny, shiny object and smiled, but then grew somber.

  Had Matt Smith been involved in the jewelry store robbery? Had his accomplice gotten greedy? The fact that he might know why Matt Smith had been murdered didn’t help him much. It still didn’t answer the question of who murdered Matt.

  The jewelry store clerk had made an offhand comment about the substance that covered the diamond, but Jack hadn’t given it much thought. He sniffed his fingers, then touched his tongue. It didn’t have an odor or a taste. But the texture was somehow familiar. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he smiled again. Things were definitely beginning to click in place. He was pretty sure he now knew why Chef Philippe was having problems with his baked goods being destroyed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Scott and Katherine sat across from each other, eating breakfast at the ship’s buffet.

  “Alex and Sophie just walked in,” said Scott.

  “Oh great,” said Katherine unhappily. Alex walked over. Sophie was in the buffet line.

  “Hey, you two. How’s it going?” Katherine and Scott smiled.

  “We’re good,” answered Scott. “You two want to join us?”

  Alex looked over his shoulder at Sophie. “Better not. She’s still in a snit about her dress.”

  “You know I didn’t hurt her dress, don’t you Alex?” said Katherine.

  Alex shrugged. “Of course I do, Katherine, but it doesn’t matter what I think. I’m only the groom.”

  Sophie walked over, holding her tray.

  “Hi, Scott,” she said, avoiding eye contact with Katherine.
>
  “Hi, Sophie,” said Katherine.

  “Katherine,” Sophie said through clenched teeth.

  “Sophie,” said Katherine. “I don’t know what happened to your dress, but it wasn’t me who messed with it.”

  “All I know,” answered Sophie, “is when I left the suite, the dress was fine. You were the only one alone with the dress. When I came back to the suite, it had a tear.”

  “Are you sure I was the only one left alone in the suite? Because when I went back in, I swear I heard noise coming from one of the rooms.”

  “I’m sure,” Sophie said.

  Katherine almost smiled. The heck with it. Sophie could think what she wanted to think.

  “Well, I’ll see you two later,” said Alex. “At the rehearsal and dinner.”

  Sophie had started to walk away, but stopped. She looked back at Katherine. “Are you coming to the dinner?”

  “Of course she is,” answered Scott. “She is my fiancée.”

  Sophie’s lips pursed. “Fine, but I think it’s in very poor taste.”

  Scott stood. “Now you listen to me.”

  “Let’s go,” said Alex, gently steering Sophie away from the table. “This isn’t the time or the place.” Alex and Sophie walked away, Sophie whispering furiously into Alex’s ear.

  “Well, that went well,” said Katherine.

  Scott sat. He shoved a sausage patty into his mouth and washed it down with orange juice. “She’ll come around,” he said. “She’s bound to realize, sooner or later, that you wouldn’t hurt her wedding dress. She’s a little crazy right now, with all the wedding crap.”

  Katherine and Scott spent the day swimming and walking around, but by late that afternoon both were tired and open to a nap. They returned to their room. Katherine took all her clothes off and stood in front of the mirror.

  “I got a tad burnt today,” she said.

  Scott stood behind Katherine, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against his chest. “I don’t see any burn, but you sure are hot.”