Undercover Cruise (A Maggie McFarlin Mystery Book 2)

by Charisse Peeler

  “No, she didn’t hit me,” Maggie said. “It’s from the fall this morning. But it doesn’t hurt.”

  “Why don’t you get in the shower?” Mike turned Maggie toward their shared room. “We can either go to the early seating or eat here, but the show starts at seven. It’s supposed to be good.”

  Maggie took a few steps before she stopped and looked back at Joanie and Mike, who stood frozen, watching her.

  “I’m fine,” Maggie whispered to herself as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.

  *

  Maggie let the hot water run over her head and down her body. The bump on her head was still too tender to allow her to scrub out any remaining scabs of blood. She didn’t care. Her head was also full of questions. Should she tell Mike what Kimberly said? Was Joanie involved in the scam?

  She tied her robe around her waist and went to the closet where Ralph had hung all her clothes. She picked out a short-sleeved teal blouse and white retro bell-bottom jeans. She jumped when she heard a loud snore. Mike was lying on top of his bed, fast asleep. She hadn’t noticed him. He was faceup with his mouth wide open.

  She walked on her tiptoes as if her bare feet would have made a noise, and stood directly above him. She liked this guy. He had such a good heart, was even-tempered, smart, and attractive. But again, she lived too far away, and she didn’t want a causal relationship; she knew a long-distance thing wouldn’t work for either one of them. She could hear the voices of her two friends, Britney and Alex, telling her that she was overthinking the whole thing, and she should just go for it.

  She turned to get dressed in the bathroom when Mike stirred.

  “Hey, you really okay?” His hoarse voice sounded concerned.

  She turned back to face him. “I’m good.”

  Mike sat up and patted the bed next to him. “Come sit for a second.”

  “I’m not as fragile as you think,” Maggie said.

  “I know that, but I’m concerned. I’m the one who got you into this,” Mike said. “I honestly didn’t know Kimberly was going to stay behind today. I hope it went okay.”

  “That was the best part of the day,” she said. “We had some one-on-one time and were able to clear the air. I think it’s all good now.”

  “Well, good…Were you able to get any information from her?”

  “A little.” Maggie hadn’t decided whether to share what Kimberly had told her yet. “You need to get in the shower, or we’ll be late.”

  Mike looked at his watch. “Oh yeah. Okay.”

  He went into the bathroom. As soon as Maggie heard the shower run, she changed into her dinner outfit. She sat on her bed gingerly, picking a brush through her hair, wincing each time she got close to the goose egg on her head.

  When Mike finished in the bathroom, she took it over. She dried her hair and put on makeup, but trying to hide her black eye was useless.

  She walked into the shared living space, where everyone was sitting around, chatting casually. Ralph handed Maggie a glass of wine.

  “You should have seen John.” David was speaking directly to Kimberly. “He jumped off that cliff without hesitation.”

  “Into the water?”

  “It was a bungee cord. You get within inches of the water before it snaps you right back up,” John said excitedly. “A true adrenaline rush.”

  “I couldn’t do it,” Kimberly said.

  “Someone would have to push me,” Maggie offered. Five heads turned to her, but it was David who said, “It looks like someone already did.”

  The room broke out in laughter, including Maggie.

  *

  Maggie’s group walked into the dining room. They were greeted by the maître d’, who delivered them to a table near the window. The sun was quickly dropping from the sky, providing a magical experience as they took their seats.

  Mike held the chair for Maggie. John mirrored the gesture, holding the chair for Joanie, as David did for Kimberly. While the assistant waiter made his way around the table taking drink orders, the head waiter introduced himself as Banyop; his associate was Nyem. “If you can introduce yourselves,” he said, “I will not have to ask again.”

  They each said their names, and Banyop wrote them down on a small pad of paper; but when Maggie’s turn came, Banyop’s smile turned into shock. He quickly regained his composure.

  “Welcome, Maggie”—the assistant came to her side—“what can I get you to drink?”

  “I’ll have a glass of Cabernet,” she said, pointing to the second one on the wine menu. “Hell, bring the whole bottle.” She saw the assistant was taking her seriously. “Hey, just kidding. A large glass will do.”

  He politely smiled as he moved to the others seated at the table. The main waiter gave a rundown of the small menu, complete with his recommendations; but before he finished, John backed his seat away and walked away toward the entrance. The waiter continued as if John hadn’t been so rude.

  Mike leaned over to Maggie. “What the heck?”

  “Wait,” Maggie whispered in reply. She pointed under the table to Joanie, who was also backing out from her chair.

  “I’ll go,” Maggie said.

  The waiter finally stopped talking and simply smiled and said, “I’ll come back in a few minutes to take your order.”

  As soon as Joanie left her chair, Maggie followed her. Joanie followed John’s earlier path and headed out the door of the dining room. Several photographers had set up their stations out on the deck: they were taking pictures of couples as they posed in front of backdrops of sunsets and old barn doors.

  Maggie watched Joanie weave around these obstacles until she reached the deck railing, where she leaned over, obviously looking for John. Maggie came up next to her and put her hands on the railing.

  “You okay?” Maggie asked.

  “I’m fine,” Joanie said. “Just needed some air.”

  “I wonder where John went?” Maggie asked Joanie, who scoured the two levels visible from their vantage point.

  The elevator doors opened two decks below them, and there he was. John walked out in his suit and tie. He held the elevator for its other occupants to exit, but there was just one other occupant: Jules, the cruise director, but she wasn’t wearing her uniform. Instead, she sported a sapphire-blue full-length gown that sat off her shoulders. Her hair hung in tight curls, falling past her shoulders, instead of being pulled back into a bun. She was striking, with fuchsia-pink lips and enhanced eyelashes.

  “What is he doing with her?” Maggie asked innocently.

  “That’s what I would like to know.” Joanie clenched her jaw and stayed tight lipped.

  Maggie looked over at Joanie’s slanting eyes. “Do you like him?”

  Joanie looked back at Maggie and narrowed her eyes even farther. She pushed herself off the railing and turned back to the dining room. She seemed to be walking with purpose. If she stepped down any harder, her heels might drill holes in the carpeting on the deck.

  When they returned to the table, they saw that the drinks had already arrived—and Maggie had a full carafe of wine sitting in front of her place setting. She looked at Mike, “I said I was kidding.”

  “I didn’t think he heard you past your black eye,” Mike said.

  “That makes no sense, Mike. She sat and took a long swallow of the magic grape potion.

  “So, what’s going on?” Mike asked as Joanie downed her entire Cosmo then motioned the server for another.

  “We saw John downstairs with Jules…and Jules was looking hot. I mean hot,” Maggie said.

  “So do you think…?”

  “That’s what it looked like, but who knows?” Maggie said.

  “Shall I take the orders?” the headwaiter asked.

  Mike nodded. “Yeah, let’s go ahead. I’m not sure where our friend disappeared to.”

  Joanie flinched at Mike’s words.

  John didn’t return for the meal. Mike and David kept the ladies entertained with stories from the
ir earlier shore excursions. Joanie remained silent, but with each drink she became more relaxed. The finale was bananas Foster served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  No one mentioned John’s absence as they made their way to Deck 5, where the theater doors stood open and the audience were taking their seats. John was standing at the door near the elevator. As Maggie and her group approached him, he smiled as if he hadn’t left them sitting at the dinner table with no excuses.

  “We missed you at dinner,” Maggie said.

  “You okay?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, avoiding the daggers thrown from Joanie’s eyes.

  “We thought you might have fallen overboard.” David punched him in the arm.

  “I’ve fallen all right,” John smiled. “We better find a seat.” He stood next to the door, letting the group walk in front of them. Kimberly was the first in line: she chose a group of seats still available near the center lower balcony. They filed in behind her. John took the last seat, making sure David was sitting between Joanie and him.

  “Awkward,” Maggie whispered to Mike.

  “I don’t know what’s going on there, and I probably don’t want to know,” Mike whispered in return.

  “Well, well, well, lookie there.”

  Maggie pointed to the stage. Jules was walking to the center, followed by a spotlight. She looked even more glamourous than she had earlier. Her dress danced lustrously as the spotlight reflected off the sequins woven into the shiny blue fabric.

  “Ow,” Mike said, looking over at Joanie’s blank stare as she looked forward without a flinch.

  “Welcome to an exceptional production tonight,” Jules announced into the microphone. “Is there anyone here from Las Vegas?”

  A small group sitting somewhere on the second level of the balcony erupted in cheers.

  “Well, this is not Vegas.” A spattering of people laughed, not sure where Jules was going. “It’s better.” The crowd erupted with cheers. “Please sit back and enjoy the ship’s production of Circuit Olé.”

  She waved her arm, and the curtain rose as she disappeared over to the side stage.

  The production was a hilarious spoof of Vegas’ famous Cirque du Soleil. In this production, a group of Hispanic dancers arrived at an open call in Vegas for the legendary production only to be rejected by the producers. They decide to form their own team of dancers and design a show, which was a total flop, but the audience roared with laughter as the actors attempted the complicated acrobatics. Maggie laughed so much her stomach hurt more than her head.

  The group dispersed after the show. Maggie and Mike decided to try the brew pub before retiring for the night. Maggie was eager to spend time with her informal partner. As they walked past the shops and the pizzeria, she endured continual side glances from the other passengers who were walking by, and she even heard an older woman comment, “He should be ashamed of himself!”

  “Why do some people instantly go there?” Maggie asked.

  “Go where?” Mike asked. He pointed at the brew pub across the way. They wove their way through the stands selling watches, perfumes, gold by the inch. The brew pub’s wood-paneled façade with large barrels set up as tables led to a cozy little bar.

  A young man with a guitar strummed a soulful tune. He read the song’s lyrics from a small screen on a stand in front of him. He looked up to greet the pair but flinched when he saw Maggie’s face. He quickly recovered and continued to sing.

  “I must look horrible,” Maggie said as she sat down. “All night, people have had a shocked look on their face when they see me.”

  “You look beautiful,” Mike told her. “It’s just the black eye is a little distracting.”

  “I finally stopped looking in the mirror,” Maggie said. “I look like a fighter in the M-M-A.”

  “It will be better tomorrow,” Mike replied, smiling, “or next week. Honestly, Maggie, you are a beautiful woman, inside and out.”

  Maggie smiled. “Thank you, Mike. I meant to tell you how extremely handsome you look this evening.”

  Mike smiled too, and Maggie saw the sparkle that drove her crazy shining in those blue eyes.

  But just as they might have shared a moment together, all hell broke loose.

  Chapter 17

  Man Overboard

  “Oscar-Oscar-Oscar!”

  A loud disembodied voice came over the loudspeaker. Maggie felt the ship go quiet. She didn’t even notice the silence of the engines.

  “What’s going on?” she said aloud.

  “Something serious,” Mike answered, standing.

  “Oscar-Oscar-Oscar!” the voice again called. Several crew members ran aft.

  Again the voice announced “Oscar-Oscar-Oscar!” but this time followed it with two critical words: “Man Overboard!”

  “Oh, my God.” Maggie stood. “How could someone fall off the boat?”

  “Probably drunk,” Mike said. “Let’s go up into the suite and see if we can see anything from our balcony.”

  As they made their way to the elevators, they saw more ship personnel running aft or speaking into walkie talkies. At least the commotion took the other passengers’ attention away from her face. She was sure people assumed she was a victim of domestic violence.

  The tumult on the deck below was eerily quiet while the elevator slowly rose to Deck 11. Still, as soon as the doors opened to the ordinarily quiet corridor, Mike and Maggie found it was full of uniformed bodies. A large man stood in front of the door.

  “That’s our suite,” Mike said, pointing to the door behind the man.

  “You can’t go in,” the man said firmly. He moved to block the door further.

  “My sister is in there. You’re not going to stop me!” Mike said determinedly.

  “Fine, just wait here for a moment.” The big man fished a key card from his pocket. As soon as the door clicked, he opened it with a warning: “Just wait here.”

  Mike and Maggie waited. It wasn’t long before the man came back and held the door open for Mike and Maggie. “Go ahead,” he said, then closed the door behind them.

  Mike and Maggie walked into the shared living space and saw Joanie standing with her hands behind her back. Randolph stood next to her.

  “What’s going on?” Mike asked.

  Joanie turned, revealing silver handcuffs around her wrists. “I’m under arrest.” Her words were slurred with intoxication.

  “You can be under arrest on a ship?” Maggie asked.

  “It appears that Ms. Brown pushed Mr. Haas off the balcony,” Randolph said.

  “I didn’t push him…”Joanie started. “Well, I did push him but not over the balcony. John was drunk, and he was saying some inappropriate things. I left him on the deck over there.” She gestured with her head, indicating the left side of the balcony, where the hot tub sat.

  “Joanie— Mike looked at her—“don’t say another word, okay?”

  She nodded her head, slowly trying to follow Mike’s gestures.

  Mike looked at Randolph quizzically. “Are there any cameras?”

  “Unfortunately, there aren’t cameras by the hot tub. It’s considered a privacy zone. Cameras on several of the other decks might have caught the fall. I’ll make sure we check every angle,” Randolph said. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to hold her until we dock, when the authorities can take over.”

  “How long is that?” Mike asked.

  “I can’t say,” Randolph said solemnly.

  “This is ridiculous, look at the size of her, John is so much stronger than her,” Mike said with authority.

  “We have two eyewitnesses that say different. Again, I’m sorry, I’ll let the authorities handle it,” Randolph said pointing to David and Kimberly at the same time taking Joanie’s arm.

  “Technically, they aren’t exactly ‘eyewitnesses’ if they didn’t see her push him over,” Maggie said.

  “You okay?” Mike asked Joanie as Randolph guided her past him.
r />   “I’m fine,” she said sternly. “Just please figure this out and get me off this ship.”

  “I will,” he said as he followed her to the door. “I’m coming with you,” he added.

  Randolph turned back. “Why don’t you all just get a good night’s sleep. I promise there will be no interviews with Ms. Brown tonight. I’m sure she will go right to sleep.”

  “I’m not going to get any sleep in a jail cell,” Joanie said.

  Randolph faced Mike, whose face had gone pale. “I could call the locals, but we’re not under United States’ jurisdiction, so local laws would govern the investigation, trial, and punishment—or I can hold her until we get to Florida.”

  “We’ll wait.” Mike said. He looked at his sister.

  “I’ll be fine,” Joanie said with strength.

  “We’ll take good care of her, I promise,” Randolph said.

  Maggie put her hand on Mike’s forearm. “She said she would be fine.”

  Randolph led Joanie out of the suite and down the corridor. The large man who had been stationed in front of the door followed close behind.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Maggie said. She watched as two of the ship’s crewmen fastened a chain through the handles of the door out to the balcony so that no one could go outside. One of the crewmen installed a lock on the chain, to protect any evidence.

  “Something’s not right. John didn’t seem like he was drinking, and Joanie was drunk. I don’t see how she could have overpowered him physically.” Mike seemed to be talking to himself. “It sure would help if I got a look at the other side of that ledge. If I remember correctly, there’s a pretty high railing. She would have to lift him over.”

  “Let’s go look out our room balcony and see if there’s anything obvious from there,” Maggie said.

  “Not until I talk to these two,” Mike said, pointing to David and Kimberly, who had been sitting on the couch silently watching the drama unfold in front of them.

  Mike sat on a chair facing them, wringing his hands.

  “She did it,” Kim volunteered.