Pumpkin Glaze & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 5

by Susan Gillard

  “Just wait until we call our attorneys,” said the first one. “Our high-powered attorneys.”

  “Or our wealthy fiancées,” agreed her friend. “They will be most displeased by this.”

  “You should probably just let us go.”

  “Ladies, please calm down,” Ryan said. “Captain Braxton is in charge of this vessel, and because of our qualifications, he has asked us to look into this case until we reach the shore.”

  Beneath their heavy eyeliner and zombie makeup, the two women looked pale. One was dressed as the lady pirate in a short red dress, and the other was dressed in a sexy version of the blue outfit.

  “But we had nothing to do with Jason Myers’s death,” said the woman in red.

  “We just wanted to have a good time,” said her friend.

  “Let’s establish the basics,” Ryan said. “You are Wanda Quigley from Tallahassee?”

  They both nodded.

  “I mean, I am,” said the one in red.

  “I just got nervous,” said the other.

  “You’re Lori Atlas from Milwaukee?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes. That’s me.”

  “What brings you to Key West?” Heather asked.

  “We thought the booze cruise would be fun,” said Lori.

  “And you came all the way from Milwaukee for it?” Amy asked. “You must have gotten a better drink than I did.”

  “Well, my friend Wendy is also here,” said Lori.

  “You mean Wanda?” asked Amy.

  “Wendy is my nickname for her,” Lori said quickly. “Because…”

  “Because I love Peter Pan,” said Wanda.

  “Did you travel all the way for this cruise not because you thought it would be an evening of fun, but because you knew Jason Myers was going to be here?” Heather asked.

  “When you say it like that, it sounds like we might have had something to do with it,” said Lori. “Travelling so far.”

  “I mean it was nice that he was here,” said Wanda. “But we would have come anyway. We just wanted to celebrate Halloween.”

  “Where were you at the time of the killing?” Ryan asked.

  “We were getting some drinks and deciding if we wanted to dance some more,” said Lori. “We weren’t killing anybody.”

  “Why did you decide to dress as the characters from the Zombie Pirate Caper?” asked Heather.

  “It’s a popular movie right now,” said Wanda. “And we thought we could look hot in the boots and hats.”

  "It's a popular movie in Key West right now," said Heather. "Because that's where the man who found and restored it was from. I know it's starting to make the rounds at other theaters. I didn't realize it had gotten to Tallahassee and Milwaukee."

  “Good films travel fast,” Wanda suggested.

  “And you chose to dress up in the same outfit that the killer did,” said Heather.

  "I should never have listened to you," Wanda said.

  “Me?” Lori retorted. “This was your dumb idea.”

  “We’re going to go to jail. Or like pirate jail,” Wanda whined.

  “The brig,” Captain Braxton added helpfully.

  “I don’t want to go to brig jail,” said Lori.

  “No martini is worth this,” said Wanda.

  “Ladies,” Heather said, starting to catch on to what was happening. “Do you have anything you want to confess?”

  “No,” Wanda said.

  “Yes,” said Lori. “I’m sorry. I can’t keep this up. They think I’m from Milwaukee. I don’t know anything about Milwaukee. And I’m a little drunk to begin with.”

  “Did you kill Jason Myers because you had been drinking?” Amy asked.

  “No. We didn’t kill anybody. We lied a little bit because we wanted to drink on a cruise, but we didn’t kill anyone. We’re not Wanda and Lori from Milwaukee and Tennessee.”

  “Tallahassee,” said Amy.

  "I knew I couldn't keep it up. We're not from there. We're from the community college. We borrowed fake IDs, so we come on board and party. We thought it would be really fun. We didn't expect anybody to die."

  “But that’s not our fault,” said her friend. “He didn’t die because we were underage drinking.”

  “Please don’t arrest us. I think we learned our lesson, really.”

  Ryan sighed. “I don’t think we need to send you to jail. But I do want to impress upon you the seriousness of what you did.”

  “It’s been impressed upon us.”

  “Very seriously.”

  “What do you think, Captain?” Heather asked.

  “I think they should tell you anything that they saw that might be helpful,” said Captain Braxton. “And then they should help the bartenders wash the glasses from the night as penance.”

  The girls agreed quickly but didn't have much helpful information to add about the crime. They had been by the bar area at the time. They heard screams but didn't know what caused them and didn't see any Scarlet Zombie hurry past them as if they were escaping the crime scene.

  The captain led the teens off to go help the bartenders, and the others looked to one another.

  “Do we still feel like we are doing well with this case?” Amy asked. “Because I’m not so sure anymore. It’s another dead end.”

  Bag Check, Please

  “You think that we didn’t do our jobs.”

  “We think that during a murder investigation, we need to check every aspect of the crime,” said Ryan.

  “And one aspect is the murder weapon,” said Heather. “We need to determine how the killer brought the sword on board.”

  "I still think it sounds like you don't think that we did our job right."

  The investigators were crammed into a small room that the two men who had conducted the bag checks when they boarded had been staying. Because they did not have much to do during the actual cruise, they had been playing cards together.

  “Do you really have nothing you’re supposed to be doing during the cruise except playing cards?” Amy asked. “This sounds like a dream job.”

  “We could have stayed on land and only helped with boarding and disembarking,” said the smaller of the two men. “But Lucrecia asked us to stay on board in case there were any issues.”

  “If she forgot we were on board and didn’t ask us to do anything, that’s not our fault,” said his coworker.

  “If you’re trying to impress the captain, it’s not working,” Captain Braxton warned them.

  “Sorry, sir,” they both said, hiding their cards.

  “Freddy and Norman have been working with my ship for a while,” Captain Braxton explained. “The ship runs for other events besides Halloween parties. They usually are very helpful.”

  “We just weren’t asked to do anything,” Freddy said.

  “We would have helped if we knew what to do,” said Norman.

  “We thought we were just supposed to help carry big things or something like that and were waiting for the call,” said Freddy.

  “You didn’t leave this room at all?” Ryan asked.

  “No,” said Freddy. “We were playing cards.”

  “But we did keep the door open so we could be found,” said Norman.

  “Lucrecia walked by at one point but didn’t talk to us.”

  “What time was that?” Heather asked.

  "Maybe eight-thirty or nine," said Freddy.

  “That would be around the time of the black light dance,” said Heather.

  “And the murder,” said Ryan.

  “She was hurrying like she was in a rush or scared or something,” said Freddy.

  “What was she wearing?” Heather asked.

  “Her red and black vampire costume,” Norman said. “And yeah. She was in a rush.”

  “Maybe she really needed those tombstones,” Amy said.

  “Huh?” Freddy asked.

  “She told us that she was in the storeroom trying to find some more tombstones for decoration,” Heather e
xplained.

  “That’s not the way to the storeroom,” Norman said.

  “Yeah. She was heading in the opposite direction,” Freddy agreed.

  Heather looked at her fellow investigators. “So, Lucrecia was lying about where she was.”

  “Suspicious,” Amy said, voicing the thought that was running through all their minds.

  “I still want to know more about this bag check though,” said Captain Braxton. “Is it possible that a guest brought the sword on board?”

  “We did do our jobs,” Freddy said.

  “Yeah. Just because we were playing cards after our jobs were done doesn’t mean we didn’t do them,” Norman agreed.

  Captain Braxton gave them a look that made them quiet down.

  “Why don’t you take us through how your bag check worked?” Ryan asked.

  “You went through it,” Freddy said. “When a guest boarded, we checked them. If they had a bag, we asked them to open it so we could make sure they weren’t bringing anything dangerous on board.”

  “And nothing dangerous came on board?” Amy asked.

  “Not through us,” said Norman.

  “Did some guests bring weapons on as part of their costumes?” Ryan asked.

  “Yeah. A bunch did,” said Freddy. “There were a lot of fake pirate swords that were brought on. Especially the ladies in the red dresses.”

  “That’s what we were afraid of,” said Amy.

  “The guy was killed with a sword?” Norman asked. “Like a real one?”

  “Yes,” Heather said.

  “I’m positive we only allowed fake ones on board,” said Norman.

  Freddy agreed. “We checked all the swords. They were foam or plastic. The one metal one that we came across, even though it wasn’t sharp, we told the lady that she couldn’t bring it on board because we didn’t want any accidents.”

  “And she understood. She went back and put it in her car and boarded without it,” said Norman.

  “We also didn’t let anyone bring anything that could be used as a club to hurt someone,” said Freddy.

  “We wouldn’t have thought someone would have done something on purpose. Like what happened. But we were told to stop weapons from coming on. And we knew they’d be alcohol. So, we made the big swords stay off the ship too,” said Norman.

  “And you’re sure nothing could have slipped past you?” Heather asked.

  “How big is this sword we’re talking about?” asked Freddy.

  “Like sword-sized,” said Amy before gesturing with her arms.

  “There’s no way something that big could have slipped past us,” said Norman.

  “And you saw how short the dresses were for the lady pirates,” said Freddy. “Where would they hide it?”

  “Especially if it’s sharp?” pointed out Norman.

  “What if she had an accomplice?” Ryan thought aloud.

  “We checked every guest who boarded,” Freddy reiterated. “Men and women. Pirate and cat. We didn’t let any weapons on board.”

  “If that’s true,” Heather started.

  “It is true,” said Freddy.

  “We did our job,” said Norman.

  Heather continued her train of thought undaunted. “Then it wasn’t a guest who brought the weapon on board. It was somebody else.”

  “Somebody with long dark hair?” Amy asked.

  Heather nodded. “I think we need to talk to Lucrecia again.”

  The Search

  “There are definite reasons to suspect Lucrecia,” Heather said.

  “Besides the fact that she’s hiding from us?” Amy asked.

  “We don’t know that she’s hiding,” Heather admitted. “We don’t know where she is. And are having trouble finding her. But that might not be her intention.”

  “I still think she probably did it,” Amy said. “I got a funny vibe from her the first time we saw her at Donut Delights.”

  “Well, she did look out of place,” Heather said. “But I wouldn’t have considered her a killer at the time.”

  Heather and her bestie were discussing the case as the investigators searched for Lucrecia's whereabouts. Captain Braxton was leading the way with Ryan at his side, as they looked in all the rooms and hiding spots in the ship. So far, they had covered most of the ship, and their search had been unsuccessful.

  "Lucrecia knew how the party's events went from start to finish," said Amy.

  “That’s right,” Heather agreed. “And she knew exactly when Jason Myers was going to be on the ship.”

  “If she wanted to kill him, it would make sense for her to do it when she had some control over the evening,” said Amy. “And she controlled when the lights went out.”

  “As the party planner and someone who communicated with Jason Myers about playing the movie on board, I’m sure she could have come up with an excuse to come close enough to mark the X on him. And it would have been invisible until the lighting changed,” Heather thought aloud. “But what could her motive be?”

  “Maybe she was a jilted lover too,” Amy said. “It sounds like the victim was collecting exes. Maybe he just didn’t consider her a threat. Or thought playing the movie was a peace offering. It just turned out to be an offer she refused.”

  “It’s possible,” Heather said.

  "There are other reasons to think she did it too," said Amy. "Her costume already had some red in it, and she'd have an opportunity to change."

  Heather thought about it. "She does have long black hair like the zombie pirate character. And it was a little disheveled when we saw her after the murder as if she had been wearing a hat."

  “A pirate hat just like the killer?” Amy suggested. “But of course, the main reason, I think she did it right now, is because we cannot find her.”

  Heather hurried to catch up with Ryan. “No luck?”

  He shook his head. Captain Braxton opened another door, but Lucrecia wasn't inside. Instead, the skeleton band was sitting there in various states of costume. Most of them were half in their skeleton costume and half in street clothes. All were looking confused.

  A female guitarist who was dressed in all bones except her face came up to them.

  “We weren’t sure what we should be doing, Captain,” she said. “We knew we couldn’t stay by the stage area because of the dead body. We didn’t know if we should set up somewhere else, but then we thought that maybe the music was unwanted because of the death.”

  “What you’re doing is perfectly acceptable under the circumstances,” Captain Braxton said. “We’ve been looking for Lucrecia. Do you know where she might be?”

  “No idea,” the guitarist replied. “If we saw her, we would have asked her what we should be doing.”

  “I think it’s fine if you want to get out of costume and pack up your instruments,” the captain told them. “I think you’re right about the music for tonight. I don’t think anyone will be dancing this evening.”

  She nodded. “All right. Thank you. I’ll tell everybody.”

  “Before we go,” Heather said. “You and your bandmates didn’t notice any particulars about what happened tonight, did you?”

  “We were focused on our music until everyone started yelling,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks anyway,” said Heather.

  They left the band to pack up and continued their search.

  “I don’t see where she could be,” said Captain Braxton. “I know Lucrecia could be a little odd, but I thought it was fitting for the Halloween party. I thought she was a nice and capable lady. But not being able to find her is making me nervous.”

  “We should be back on land soon. Shouldn’t we?” Ryan asked.

  “In a little over an hour,” Captain Braxton said.

  “If we can’t find her soon, I’m sure a full police force searching the place will,” said Ryan.

  “Unless,” Heather said suddenly, having a troubling thought.

  “Unless what?” asked Amy.

&n
bsp; “Are there any lifeboats on board?” asked Heather.

  Captain Braxton nodded. “Of course. We have some rafts in case of emergency.”

  “Are any missing?” Heather asked.

  “We better check,” the captain agreed.

  They rushed over to where the safety boats were kept, and Captain Braxton greeted them with some unhappy news. "One is missing One raft that inflates when a string is pulled."

  “How could we miss that escape?” Ryan asked.

  “I suppose we were distracted at times,” Heather groaned.

  “This means that the killer got away?” Amy asked. “Lucrecia escaped?”

  “It seems like it,” Heather said.

  “It doesn’t make any sense,” Captain Braxton said. “If a life raft were blown up to full size and deployed and set on the water, my first mate should have seen it. And he would have told me right away.”

  “What does that mean?” Amy asked.

  “That the killer was either very skilled at their escape and could fool the first mate,” said Heather. “Or the killer is holding onto that life raft until a more opportune moment to escape.”

  “It would be easier for her if she were closer to shore,” Captain Braxton agreed.

  “But where is she hiding now?” Amy asked. “If she’s on board, where is she? Where haven’t we looked?”

  Lucrecia’s Lies

  After a disappointing search, they were starting to lose hope. Lucrecia was their main suspect, and if she couldn't be found on the ship, then it was likely she has escaped overboard after all.

  “Then it won’t matter if we reach land or not,” Ryan said glumly. “If she escaped on our watch, then they’ll have to get a team to search the seas.”

  “But if she did escape in a life raft, then she’d have to know it makes her look guilty,” Heather said. “When she came home, she’d be caught by the authorities.”

  “I think Lucrecia Gravely is pseudonym for the Halloween events,” Captain Braxton said. “You’d have to track down her true identity.”

  “Really?” Amy asked. “She chose Gravely as her scary fake name? Does it not make anyone else think of gravy and potatoes?”

  Heather shook her head. “But maybe you’re just getting hungry. I feel like I haven’t had a donut in forever.”