by Sonia Parin
“Jack needs to know about this.” While David waited for Jack to pick up, he said, “It would help to know if the captain lives anywhere near Crystal Reid.”
Yes. Even if they lived in the same city, that would be a connection they couldn’t ignore. As they walked, Eve steered David away from the buffet area only to end up heading toward another one.
“Resistance is futile, Eve. And I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee.”
As he spoke with Jack, Eve perused the menu only to realize she hadn’t even decided on a design for her menu at the inn. Did she want plain white paper or... She sat back and studied the color. She wouldn’t call it beige. Deciding it looked more like sand, she folded it and tucked it into her back pocket for future reference.
“What did he say?” she asked when David got off the phone.
“That we make a great team.”
“He is a natural born flatterer... when he wants to be. But how did he say it?”
David looked puzzled.
“If I’m involved in the investigation, Jack tends to employ an underlying hint of sarcasm. Only because he gets tired of warning me to stay away from trouble.”
“He did tell me to watch your back.”
“And did he sound distracted when he said that?”
“Actually, yeah, he did.”
Eve smiled. “That’s because he’d switched over to auto pilot.”
“Just how many incidents have you been involved in?”
“Let me see... There was the first one when I arrived on the island to visit Mira. Then there was the one when I tried to set up a viewing of an artist’s studio for Jill. She’s my friend on the island. Jack would tell you she’s more than that.”
“Co-conspirator?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Oh, and an old nemesis came to the island to get married. In the end, she didn’t.”
“Because...”
She bobbed her head from side to side. “She lost her fiancé.” Eve took a sip of water and tried to hide her smile. “Oh, I nearly forgot the murder case before that. A friend had put her house on the market and I was looking after it... Well... a body turned up. Then I bought the house, but I fell in love with an expensive stove. So I had to figure out how to find some extra money, and my old school nemesis came up with the idea of hiring out the house to a film company.” Eve drummed her fingers on the table.
He lifted an eyebrow. “And?”
Eve hoped it didn’t put David off coming to visit the island. “One of the crew met with an unfortunate end.”
“And you had nothing to do with any of those murders.”
“Of course not, but I was held under suspicion for all of them.” She smiled. “All’s well that ends well. Jack makes me happy. While he might sound complacent, he really does mean it when he tells me to stay out of trouble.”
David’s cell beeped.
Reading the message, he gave a small nod. “It’s a yes. They’re both from Philly. In fact, the entire group is spread around that area. I guess it pays to be overly suspicious.”
Eve grinned. “That’s two more suspects to our list. Although the silver Miranda was already on it by association. I guess we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
“Jack warned me you’d say that.”
Chapter Eight
The musical theatre director, the cruise ship captain and ninety-nine Carmen Miranda impersonators. There had to be a joke in there somewhere...
Unfortunately, Eve failed to see the humor in it.
Ninety-nine. Far too many suspects to sift through. Somehow, they had to whittle the list down to a manageable number.
Eve had hoped Carlos would mention at least one troublemaker, but he’d remained annoyingly impartial and that left her and David with no leads.
They needed an inside person—someone to provide them with insight into the inner workings of the highly competitive troupe. Eve would settle for overhearing a complaint about someone. That would be enough to give them a few crumbs to follow.
She left David and made her way back to her cabin. As she approached the elevator, she encountered a group of immaculately dressed passengers. While up on the top deck, the light breeze had played havoc with her hair and the t-shirt she wore had seen better days, but it remained one of her favorites with tiny daisies printed on it. Succumbing to a bout of self-consciousness, she decided to take the stairs.
Along the way, she tried to figure out what she could wear for the rest of the day but then realized there’d be no way around having to change again for dinner. Only two days into her cruise and she couldn’t help finding this life of leisure exhausting.
If only that could be her biggest concern.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she made sure she was on the right deck and turned a corner. Pay attention, she told herself. Danger could lurk where she least expected it. If this murder had happened on the island, Jack would be advising her to travel in pairs.
She looked up in time to see someone emerging from one of the cabins. A Carmen Miranda. Instinctively, Eve steered herself closer to the opposite wall.
She wore a white wraparound dress with the standard slit down one side but no turban. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and Eve noticed she held the turban in her hands. The impersonator moved too quickly so Eve didn’t see the adornments on it.
As she walked past her, Eve turned and tried to catch any discernible traits in the way she moved. The woman gave her hair a flick and Eve caught sight of her dangly earrings.
Bright purple grapes.
Had she been part of the Carmen Miranda rumble on deck the first day?
Eve didn’t notice anyone else around. Feeling slightly vulnerable, she hurried her steps.
Do not, whatever you do, forget there is a killer at large and one Carmen Miranda too close for comfort...
Distracted by her thoughts, she nearly missed her cell phone ringing. She scrambled to retrieve it from her pocket. “Hello,” she said without checking the caller ID.
“Have you caught the killer?”
“Jill.” Hearing her friend’s voice put a light spring to her step. “We should have, but someone is tampering with our investigation. We were relying on surveillance footage from the CCTV cameras but they’ve been taped over.”
Jill chuckled. “And that prompted you to point the finger of suspicion at the captain and his crew.”
“You know me too well, but there’s reason to suspect him and his crew.” At least by her reckoning. “The hairdresser and masseuse clammed up on me. That means someone is pulling the strings. Someone they’re afraid of. Someone in a position of authority.” Eve frowned. “The captain is somehow involved. Otherwise, why would he interrogate his crew?”
“How did you find all this out?”
“Someone I met overheard the conversation between the servers.”
“Two days into your cruise and you already have people doing the legwork for you. You haven’t lost your touch.”
“Did I mention David Bergstrom?”
“No. Who’s he?”
Eve told her about the retired detective. “Jack scoured through the passenger list. Would you believe it... he found two people he knew. The detective and his first grade teacher.” And he’d probably searched the list out of sheer desperation since the alternative would have been to suffer through the nightmare of knowing Eve was on the loose by herself. “And guess what? Mira has a thing for David Bergstrom. I’ve never seen her lost for words. I think she’s fallen hard for him.”
“And he lives nearby?”
“A few hours away. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a new addition to the island. David might even be one of my first customers at the inn.”
“What a fabulous idea. Your own in-house detective.”
“Hey, I hadn’t thought of that.” And she shouldn’t take the idea seriously. There couldn’t be any more incidents on the island. Surely... not.
“Now I feel I’m missing out on the fun. Do
you want to brainstorm?” Jill asked.
If she’d been back on the island, she and Jill would have covered all available surfaces with notes and endless lists of suspects. “Okay, here goes. What would you do in the captain’s place?” She reached her cabin and stopped for a moment. “If you wanted to cover your tracks. Would you pretend to question people?”
“Yes. Divert attention away from me,” Jill agreed. “That makes sense.”
“When I thought the captain wasn’t doing anything to investigate the death, I immediately put him under suspicion. I’m sure he picked up on my vibes and decided to throw me off the scent.”
“Poor guy. He can’t win. But what reason would he have for murder?”
“You want a motive?” Eve scratched her head. “It’s bound to come up when he confesses.”
Jill laughed. “Thanks, I needed that, but you know the police won’t act unless they have good reason to. Come on, you’re not even trying. You can do better.”
Did she need to remind Jill she was on vacation? “I really don’t have much to go on with.”
“Come on, you can do it.”
“Okay. Crystal’s been on this particular cruise ship a few times.”
“Did you say Crystal?”
“Yes... she’s the victim. Crystal Reid. Jack knew her name all along, but he didn’t share the information with me. I found out her name at the hair salon.” Eve made a mental note to give Jack a piece of her mind. “Why did you sound surprised when I mentioned her name?”
“I came across the name, but I’ll tell you later. Anyhow, you were saying...”
“What if Crystal had something going with the captain? I know it’s way out there, but it’s possible. Maybe... okay... it’s actually highly unlikely. He’s not exactly a catch, and she had to have been twenty years younger than him, so I can’t really picture him as Crystal’s love interest.” So much for that theory.
“But if you could,” Jill said, “Do you think he might have had reason to kill her?”
“Does a crime of passion need a reason?”
“Yes. Even if it’s warped. Every killer we’ve encountered had a reason.”
“Let me think.” Eve sighed. “He doesn’t wear a wedding ring, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t married.”
“What if he is married? They’ve been having an affair and Crystal threatened to tell his wife about them.”
Eve smiled. Anyone else would have been quick to dismiss the idea as too unrealistic, but not Jill. “That’s a possibility. Let’s assume he likes to play around and he always promises he’s going to leave his wife, but he never does. Crystal might have decided she’d had enough and threatened to tell everyone about their affair, including his wife. The threat of exposure would have prompted the captain to suddenly remember his loyalty to his wife. They argued and Crystal gave him an ultimatum, pushed him too far.” Eve gave a firm nod. She’d buy that. “What else could Crystal threaten him with?”
“Anything that might jeopardize his job,” Jill suggested.
“I like that.” Eve let herself into her cabin and collapsed on the sofa. “The hairdresser said something about suspicious activities on board. She didn’t go into details but the possibilities are endless. Throw in some sort of financial gain and someone would have a solid reason to kill.” Eve sighed and stretched her legs out. “This is exhausting. I’m so glad David is here to handle everything. I’ve decided I’m going to kick back and relax, even if it kills me.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. I’d miss you.”
“So how are things down your end?”
“Deadly quiet. Everyone is asking when you’re coming back.”
“They’re already missing me?” She remained a newcomer to the island and assumed it would take an eternity to be perceived as one of their own.
“Don’t sound so surprised. I think the locals have become addicted to your special knack.”
“My what?”
Jill murmured something under her breath.
“I didn’t catch that.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
“I can’t think of anything that sounds remotely like death knell so I’m sure that’s what you said.”
“I’d be more concerned about what it says about the people living here. They can’t wait for you to open your inn. Business is going to be booming. You should think about expanding the services to include a café or restaurant.”
“I’ll already be feeding the guests. Do you want me to widen the net of suspects?”
“You’ll have a captive audience. By the way, your new mattresses have arrived. I couldn’t help noticing you only ordered enough for ten rooms.”
“There are only ten beds.”
“Shouldn’t you keep a spare? Just in case someone is snuffed out in their bed?”
Two people had already been killed at the inn, or rather, the house she was in the process of turning into an inn. Surely it wouldn’t happen again. “While I don’t wish to pander to your macabre speculations, I think I should revise my insurance policy. I don’t want to be out of pocket every time someone...” she shook her head. There were not going to be any more deaths at her inn. There weren’t.
“I can’t wait for Halloween. People will be camping outside.”
“I’m glad to see I’m still a source of amusement even when I’m not there. I look forward to a welcome home parade...”
“Before I forget,” Jill said, “I should tell you why I called. I came across a blog. It’s called CM Encore. Yes, in case you’re wondering, that’s Carmen Miranda Encore. I subscribed to their newsletter and got access to their backlist. It includes photos. I managed to pair up everyone who appeared in that photo you sent me of the fight and put names to faces. I’ll send you a list.”
“Brownie points to you. Thank you, Jill.”
“But wait, there’s more. I did a search for the individual names and came up with an article about an incident that happened last year. Drum roll. Crystal Reid took out a restraining order against Bethany Logan. In the photo you sent me Bethany is the one dressed in purple with a yellow turban and bright red cherries.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there’s a group photo on their blog and it includes their names and she’s wearing the same costume.”
At last. A suspect with motive.
But she wasn’t the one she saw coming out of Crystal’s cabin... Eve shuffled through her memory. Had she seen bright red cherries? No, and even if she’d seen cherries, Eve remembered the woman had worn white. Bethany Logan’s costume was purple and yellow.
“You’re jumping for joy. I can sense it.”
“Of course I am. This is the first real lead we have. Someone with motive. Bethany must have been holding a grudge. Did the article give details?”
“Bethany Logan tried to run Crystal over. They’d all been at a function and were leaving the restaurant. Crystal had been about to cross the road when Bethany veered her car toward her. She claimed to have lost control of her car because her hands had been slippery from the hand moisturizer lotion she’d applied before driving off. Anyhow, Crystal reacted in time, moving out of the way but she still suffered a bruise to her leg. Witnesses claimed there’d been an argument beforehand.”
“Okay. I’ll have to take another look at that photo I sent you,” Eve murmured.
“I’ll send you a link to the blog so you can compare them.”
And then what would she do? Give the information to David. That’s what a sensible person would do. She stretched out on the couch and gazed out to sea.
“Have you had any more encounters with the impersonators?” Jill asked.
Eve knew she should have been trying to get close to them, but her instinct kept telling her to give them a wide berth. “Not up close. I’ve seen them dining and they were all on their best behavior. Now that I think about it, they’re never alone.” How would she separate Bethany from the group?
&nbs
p; She sat up and noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table. Mira had left a note saying she’d gone to the library to make sure everything was set up for the reading.
“I wonder if any of them are readers.”
“Why?”
“I need to infiltrate the group and I can only think of doing that if I catch one of the impersonators alone... but in a public place.”
“You? Taking precautions?”
“I know. Jack would be proud of me.” Eve stretched and yawned. “Trying to relax has exhausted me. I’m so tempted to take a nap but I need to sort out my suspects.”
Chapter Nine
“What on earth is going on?” Mira asked as she came to a stop in the middle of the cabin.
“I’m getting the ball rolling. Hope you don’t mind, I borrowed some of your paper.” Eve had spent a total of fifteen minutes emptying her mind and trying to relax. She’d gazed out to sea. She’d watched the gentle rise and fall of the waves. She’d even tried to make out an image on a cloud. When she’d pictured a gun-wielding killer, she’d given up. “Careful, you’re stepping on one of my suspects.”
Mira shifted her foot and stared at the name written in large block letters on one of several pages spread on the floor. “Captain Jon Robertson?”
Eve stabbed an accusatory finger at the page. “Until he can provide adequate proof of his innocence, he will be my prime suspect. His actions have raised too many questions. He’s hiding something.”
Mira set the book she’d been carrying down on a coffee table and sat down to study Eve’s list. “Try to remember he takes his orders from the cruise line owners. His actions might not necessarily reflect his personal beliefs.”
“That’s no excuse. When it comes to death, loyalty to one’s employers must come second. Do you think David would agree to cover up for his superiors?”
“He’s retired.” Mira folded her arms. “While I’ve only known him a short time... hypothetically, no. He wouldn’t. He’d do anything to get to the truth.” Mira lifted her chin. “I’m sure he would.”
Hypothetically, Eve thought Mira would stick up for him, no matter what. “Actually, would you cover for him if you suspected he was in the wrong?”