Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9)

by Hope Callaghan

  Millie draped the maintenance uniform on an empty chair. “I wouldn’t rule out Sharky either.”

  The door flew open and Reef traipsed into the office. “I thought you two would be long gone.”

  “We had to drop off the uniforms,” Millie said. “Thanks for throwing us under the bus. We didn’t have anything to do with the guy’s death.”

  “I don’t know that,” Reef said. “For all I know, you planned to set Brody up. Two things are certain…you were at the scene of the crime and wearing disguises.”

  “Like we had time to kill the man, tie a rope around his neck and toss him over the side of the rock-climbing wall,” Annette argued.

  “Take it up with Dave Patterson.” Reef turned to Cat. “Who are you?”

  “A friend,” Cat’s eyes were transfixed on Reef’s tattooed eye patch. “Let’s get out of here.” The tattoo was creeping her out.

  “So what time are you coming by with my food? My shift ends at ten tomorrow morning.”

  “We aren’t bringing you a darn thing,” Millie said.

  “But.” Reef’s mouth fell open. “A deal is a deal. I skipped eating in the crew mess because I thought you were bringing me fish and chips.” He stared at Annette accusingly. “You lied.”

  “And you blew our cover,” Annette said. “You failed to live up to your end of the bargain.”

  Reef let loose a string of cuss words while Cat, Annette and Danielle hurried out of the office.

  Millie was the last to leave. “I hope you don’t kiss your mother with that mouth.”

  Reef’s face twisted into a mask of rage and he took a menacing step in Millie’s direction. She bolted from the room and slammed the door in his face. “Let’s go. I think he’s ticked off.”

  The women jogged down the hall toward the exit. Thankfully, Reef didn’t follow behind.

  When they reached the safety of deck one, they stopped on the landing. “I want to go back outside,” Millie said. “I’d like to take a closer look at zone seven.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Danielle said.

  “We have half an hour before we have to report to Patterson’s office,” Annette said.

  “Do I have to go?” Cat asked.

  “Did you see anything while you were hanging out in the hall?” Millie turned to her friend.

  “You mean hanging from the rafters?” Cat joked. “No. The only thing I heard was medic being called. I saw a few workers walking up and down the hall but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Of course, I’m not familiar with the night shift’s routine. So what exactly happened?”

  Millie briefly explained how Reef had walked them to the exit and pointed out Brody’s work zones, how they’d started searching for Brody near the front before slowly making their way back. It was near zone seven where they noticed a crowd had gathered and when they got close, discovered a person dangling from the wall.

  Annette picked up. “When Patterson showed up, which was right after we did, we tried to hang back to avoid detection. That’s when our new pal, Reef, spotted us and told Patterson we were in the vicinity, disguised as maintenance workers.”

  “Unfortunately, Brody was there before us,” Millie said.

  “Which makes him the perfect suspect,” Cat said.

  “What if Isaac planned to murder Brody but the plan backfired and he ended up accidentally killing himself?” Danielle said.

  It was possible. At this point, anything was possible.

  “We have Hugh, not to mention Nevlin, Brody’s cabin mate, and Reef,” Millie ticked off the list of suspects.

  “And Sharky,” Annette said. “Sharky mentioned he’d heard rumors of an attack.”

  “True,” Millie agreed. “It seems like we’re going in circles and it could be almost anyone.” She glanced at her watch. “We’re running out of time if we want to scope out the scene of the crime.”

  “I’ll tag along,” Cat said.

  “I’ll go,” Danielle said.

  “Me too,” Annette chimed in. “Four heads are better than one.”

  “I suppose you want your radio back.” Cat unclipped Millie’s radio and handed it to her. She turned to Danielle. “I’m sorry you felt left out. I’m sure Millie and Annette just didn’t think to include you this time.”

  “Fat chance,” Danielle said.

  The women headed up the steps to the other employee gangway. Millie wanted to avoid another run in with Reef.

  “That dude’s tattoo is creepy,” Danielle said.

  “You mean Reef’s eye patch tattoo? It is a little unsettling if you stare at it long enough,” Millie agreed. “Isn’t that the kind of tattoo ex-cons get?”

  “Nah.” Annette waved a hand. “Ex-pirate maybe. Ex-con – doubtful. Majestic Cruise Lines would never hire an ex-con.”

  “Prison tattoos run more along the line of dots,” Danielle said.

  “Mi vida loca,” Annette said. “My crazy life.”

  “Or cobwebs, which mean a lengthy prison sentence.”

  “So a pirate’s patch is not popular with convicts?” Millie asked.

  Annette shrugged. “Like I said, Majestic would never hire someone with a rap sheet.”

  When they reached the dock, they quickly canvassed the entire area but came up empty-handed.

  “We better head back downstairs to meet Patterson,” Millie said.

  “Yeah. He won’t be happy if we’re late,” Annette said.

  When they reached Patterson’s office, the door was wide open. “I was just getting ready to call you on the radio.”

  Chapter 17

  Millie took the seat closest to the door.

  Danielle plopped down in the middle seat. “For the record, I protest having to be here. I had nothing to do with this evening’s events. Not one iota.” She stressed iota.

  “Duly noted.” Patterson turned to Cat. “Look what the cat dragged in. Don’t tell me you’re involved in this incident as well.”

  “You could say I was just a silent observer.”

  Danielle snorted.

  Millie gave her a hard look before turning to Patterson. “We have nothing to hide.”

  “Tell me what happened from the moment you decided to take it upon yourselves to become involved in Brody’s situation, which has now turned into a murder investigation.”

  “So the young man’s death wasn’t an accident?” Annette asked innocently.

  Patterson rubbed his chin. “Not unless he decided to climb to the top of the rock-climbing wall and tie one end of a rope around his neck before jumping off in a dramatic suicide scene. Who wants to start?”

  “I’ll go first,” Danielle said. “I was working on new passenger activities up on the lido deck when I heard someone from medical being called to dock zone seven so I dropped everything and ran down to see what had happened. End of story.”

  “Medic has been called out several times since we’ve been in dry dock. Are you an ambulance chaser now?”

  Danielle frowned. “No. This was the first time I decided to check it out.”

  “Were you concerned somehow Millie was involved?” Patterson pressed.

  “I object,” Millie interjected.

  Patterson lifted a brow. “On what grounds?”

  “You’re trying to lead the witness,” Millie said.

  “Overruled.”

  Danielle cast Millie an uneasy glance. Touched by her young friend’s loyalty, Millie reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s okay Danielle. You can tell Patterson why you were there.”

  She turned to face her interrogator. “Danielle is telling the truth. She had nothing to do with our surveillance operation. She had been looking for me and when she couldn’t find me and heard the radio call, she was worried something had happened and somehow I was involved.”

  “With good reason,” Patterson said. “You’ve never lied before. Bent the truth maybe, but outright lying is not part of your DNA.” He turned to Danielle. “You’re free to go.”

&
nbsp; “I might as well stay now. I mean, I’m already here and I’d like to hear what happened.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Millie explained how they had learned the victim had been boasting Brody would be off the ship within 24 hours.

  “Boasting about Brody?” That got Patterson’s attention and he sat upright in his seat. “Isaac Risang?”

  “Correct.” Millie nodded. “So we decided to keep an eye on Brody to make sure nothing happened. I got the bright idea to borrow night shift maintenance uniforms and kind of, you know, stay out of the way, more of silent observers.”

  “Keep our noses clean for once,” Annette added.

  Patterson held up a fist. “I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened…zero.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Reef Savage went along with your plan?”

  “It took a little negotiating,” Millie said. “But the answer is yes. He loaned us the uniforms.” She quickly decided to leave Sharky out of it. Technically, he had been the middleman.

  “In exchange for?” Patterson prompted.

  “Food,” Annette said. “Fish and chips to be exact.” She hurried on. “Reef walked us to the exit, pointed out the areas the night shift and security crew were working and then went back inside.”

  Millie picked up. “Reef told us no one was working in zone seven, the storage zone where the rock-climbing wall was located so we walked to the front of the ship and worked our way back. We made it as far as zone six when we noticed a crowd had gathered near the storage zone and when we got close, we saw the victim.”

  She went on. “Reef told us to avoid zone seven, which leads me to believe he needs to be questioned.”

  “When you first walked outside, did you notice anything unusual, any crew acting strangely?” Patterson asked.

  “No. In fact, I remember looking at the storage zone and the area appeared empty,” Annette said.

  “How long was it between the time Reef showed you the work zones and when you noticed the crowd?”

  “I checked my watch before we headed to the first zone. It was right around eleven fifteen.” Annette drummed her fingers on the desk. “I would say a good forty-five minutes between the time Reef left us and the time we noticed the crowd.”

  “Where was Brody?”

  Annette and Millie exchanged a quick glance. “When we first exited the ship, we couldn’t find him, but on the way back, we noticed he was standing in zone seven, radio in hand. I guess he had already called medical and you.”

  “Was he near the front of the crowd or the back of the crowd?” Patterson asked.

  Millie sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, fully aware her next words would not help Brody’s case. “He was near the front and not far from the victim.”

  “So he had to be one of the first on scene. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

  “I don’t think Brody did it,” Millie said. “I’m gonna put my money on Reef Savage. It was the perfect set up.”

  “He would certainly have opportunity, keeping his night crew away from zone seven and the storage area,” Patterson said. “What is his motive?”

  “I haven’t figured that out yet. All I know is Brody’s first attack was in the maintenance area. Isaac, the victim, worked in maintenance and now this. It all happened during the night shift.” Millie shifted in her chair. “Think about it. Brody would be the perfect scapegoat. Maybe this had to do with Isaac all along.”

  “Everyone involved will be questioned.” Patterson stood…his signal the meeting had ended. “You two still aren’t off the hook. I’m considering writing you both up for impersonating a crewmember.”

  “Flawed logic,” Annette said. “We are crew.”

  He pointed his finger at Annette. “Don’t tempt me.”

  After the women exited the office, Danielle, the last to leave, wiped her hand across her brow. “That was a close one.”

  “We still aren’t out of the woods,” Annette said. “It’s time to put our heads together. We’re missing something, some piece of the puzzle. I have just the thing to get our wheels spinning.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Cooking,” Annette said. “Let’s head to the galley. I’ve been tinkering with my chocolate melting cake and need some taste testers.”

  Chapter 18

  It was well past midnight by the time the women reached the galley.

  Annette pulled a tray of ramekin dishes from the cupboard and slid the tray onto the counter. “Grab a couple bags of dark chocolate chips out of my office.”

  Millie hurried to the large walk-in pantry aka Annette’s office.

  “And some white sugar and flour.”

  “I’ll help.” Danielle followed Millie into the pantry.

  Annette sent Cat to the refrigerator in search of a tub of butter while she headed to the spice pantry for the vanilla extract.

  “What if.”

  Annette held up a hand. “Wait until I mix the ingredients together. Otherwise I’ll be making chocolate melting pudding instead of cake.”

  The group silently watched as Annette stuck a saucepan on the stove and turned the burner on before measuring the chocolate chips and butter.

  While the chips melted, she preheated the oven and dumped the remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl. She grabbed her whisk. “Coast is clear. Yack away.”

  Millie kept an eye on the chocolate chips and butter. Once the chips melted, she shut the burner off and carried the pan to the counter.

  “Thanks,” Annette said. “When it cools a little, I’ll mix everything together and pour it into the dishes.”

  “We can work on whittling down our list of suspects,” Danielle said. “Who’s left now that Isaac is gone?”

  “We have Nevlin, Brody’s cabin mate, Hugh, the guy in the bar with Isaac, Reef and Brody.” Millie rattled off the list. “I hate to say it but Brody is either one of the unluckiest guys in the whole world or someone is doing an excellent job of making his life unbearable.”

  “I would go with the latter,” Annette said. “Don’t forget to add Sharky.”

  “Reef gets my vote.” Danielle shivered. “I still can’t get the visual of that creepy tattoo patch out of my head.”

  “It’s possible the man who hanged himself committed suicide,” Cat said. “What if he was in love with Brody and Brody shunned his advances so he killed himself?”

  “That’s a possibility,” Millie said. “Brody swears he’s not interested in men. Maybe Brody sent off the wrong signals. Ticked off, Isaac attacked him in an attempt to get him to fight back, figuring Patterson would fire him. ”

  “If this is the end of the incidents, then I guess we can safely say Isaac was behind the attacks and did himself in,” Danielle said. “He seemed confident Brody would be the one gone.”

  “We can’t forget Brody’s claim of a person lying on the corridor floor who mysteriously vanished but left behind a pool of blood,” Millie said.

  Annette poured the chocolate into the mixing bowl and began stirring. “What if Brody is covering for someone? Follow me here. What if Brody went to the red light district to help a friend who was in a tight situation?”

  “That makes a ton more sense,” Millie said. “He swears up and down he’s not interested in men, yet eyewitnesses saw him at the gay bar. I can see him coming to a friend’s rescue.”

  “Or even a cabin mate,” Cat said. “What do you know about his cabin mate?”

  “Not much,” Millie said. “His name is Nevlin and he works night security.”

  “Cat, how long has the employee swipe card tracking system been working?” Millie asked.

  “A few days.”

  “Was it working when we were in San Juan?”

  “Nope.” Cat shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

  The women discussed the suspects at length but even after the decadent chocolate dessert had finished baking, they still weren’t any closer to figuring out wh
o had attacked Brody and killed Isaac.

  Millie covered a yawn as Annette passed out the fresh-from-the-oven treats. “I’ll grab some ice cream.” She returned with a large tub of French vanilla ice cream and scooped a spoonful on the top of each of the desserts.

  Fragrant steam rose from the center as Millie reached for a spoon and dipped it into the decadent treat. “Oh my gosh. This is delicious,” she said. “I can feel the pounds packing on.”

  “Me too,” Cat murmured between bites. “I’m not sure what the dessert tasted like before, but you’ve got a winner on your hands, Annette.”

  “I tried a different type of chocolate. This one has a higher percentage of cacao,” Annette said. “Sometimes even the smallest change can make a big difference.”

  “You nailed it,” Danielle said.

  The women finished their chocolate dessert, all proclaiming it one of the best ever.

  “You’re right, if I do say so myself.” Annette beamed. “Plus it’s super easy and has only a few ingredients.”

  They made quick work of cleaning up their mess and then made their way into the hall.

  Millie glanced at her watch, relieved they hadn’t stuck around for an entire night shift. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to stay awake, although a lot of caffeine and perhaps an extra dose of chocolate cake might have helped.

  When the women reached their cabin, Millie perched on the edge of her bunk while she waited for Danielle to get ready for bed.

  Her thoughts drifted to Nevlin, Brody’s cabin mate. He seemed to know enough to warn Brody he was in danger.

  After Danielle emerged, they traded places. Tomorrow would be a busy day. Millie needed to work on new trivia contests, meet with Andy to see if he’d come up with more tasks for them to complete while they were in dry dock and then hopefully talk to Brody again - if he wasn’t in jail, charged with Isaac’s murder.

  She woke early the next morning with a large knot in the pit of her stomach. It was the feeling she got whenever she knew something bad was about to happen, like waiting for the other shoe to drop, and not in a good way.