Millie headed to the least-busy buffet line, the salad bar, and grabbed a plate. Sarah came up behind her, rag in hand. When she noticed Millie standing there, she stayed for a few minutes to chat. “How’s it going?” she asked.
Millie nodded as she strategically arranged several tomatoes on top of her mound of lettuce. “So far, so good. Busy though.”
She slid her tray down the line and reached for the tongs on top of the pile of cucumbers. “How about you?”
Sarah nodded. “Same here. Very busy but fun.” She looked around before she lowered her head and whispered. “Nikki told me Maribelle, Olivia LaShay’s roommate, is a suspect in her murder.”
Millie paused in front of the dressings. Ranch or blue cheese? She grabbed the ranch dressing container. She tipped the container and poured it evenly on her salad. “I talked to Maribelle earlier and she told me that.”
Millie set the container back in the empty spot. “Seems like a lot of people had reason to want Olivia out of the picture, not just Maribelle.” She didn’t mention the notes that Maribelle had shown her.
Sarah shivered. “At least I’m not on the list of suspects.” Millie watched Sarah walk away. That was kind of an odd comment, Millie decided. Why would she be a suspect? She wasn’t even an employee when it happened.
She shrugged it off and turned to face the seating area. Millie smiled at several of the families as she slid into a nearby booth. It made her a little sad as she thought about her own family.
Millie reminded herself that she made this decision. That this was something she wanted to try. Plus, the contract was only for eight months. After the eight months, she could decide if she wanted to stay on or go home. If they even wanted her.
She ate her salad in record time and turned her attention to the hot food section. Her stomach was still grumbling. Millie had passed trays of pasta on the way to the salad bar and it looked tempting. Since this was her only meal of the day, she decided to fix a plate before heading back to work.
The line wasn’t long. Most of the guests were eating in the dining room. She filled her plate with a heaping spoonful of macaroni and cheese. Next, she added a large slice of lasagna.
She grabbed a piece of garlic bread before heading to the carving station. Her mouth watered at the sight of the roasted turkey. The man behind the Plexiglas smiled as he laid a thick slice of meat on top of her macaroni.
When she got back to her table, she realized she had forgotten to pray! Her routine was so different from anything she’d ever known.
Millie bowed her head and prayed over her food. When she lifted her head, she caught a glimpse of Zack, the dancer. He was in front of the salad bar. He saw her at the exact same moment. He finished fixing his plate and made his way over to the table. “Mind if I join you?”
Millie moved the piece of half-eaten bite of turkey to the side of her cheek. “Have a seat.” She gestured to the open seat across from hers. Zack slid in and scoped out her plate of food. “That pasta looks delicious.”
Millie lifted her napkin from her lap and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. “It is. You should try it.”
Zack shook his head and patted his stomach. “No can do. It would ruin my girlish – or should I say - boyish figure.”
Millie grinned. She was thankful that the least of her concerns was how much pasta she was eating. “How you doing, Zack?”
Zack unfolded the napkin and placed it in his lap. He picked up his fork. “I-I’m okay. Today is better than yesterday.”
Millie nodded as she tore off a chunk of garlic bread. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“I heard they think someone murdered Olivia.”
“Yeah and one of the suspects is her roommate, Maribelle,” Millie said.
He nodded. “They were best of friends. For a while, anyways. Maribelle and I dated briefly,” he admitted. “Maribelle seemed to think that Olivia stole me from her but that’s not true.”
Millie slid the turkey across her plate and sliced a piece. She offered it to Zack. “Try a bite?”
He started to say no but then changed his mind. He plucked the piece of meat from the tip of the fork and popped it in his mouth. “That’s good!”
Millie sliced off another piece. “Where you dating Maribelle right before Olivia?”
“Yeah,” Zack admitted. “But it was nothing serious with Maribelle. Not like it was with Olivia.”
Millie frowned. From everything she’d heard about Olivia, she wasn’t the type to keep a boyfriend for very long. Must be Olivia hadn’t had time to grow weary of Zack.
Millie switched gears. “Do you know Doctor Gundervan?”
Zack nodded. “Yeah. He’s been the ship’s doctor for a few years now. The first time I met him was a couple of weeks ago when Olivia pulled a muscle in her back and she had to go see him. She was in bad shape.”
Millie paused, her fork full of pasta halfway to her mouth. “So Doctor Gundervan treated Olivia?”
Zack finished his salad in record time. He threw his napkin on top of the empty plate. “Yeah. Gave her some pain pills which seemed to help.”
Millie frowned. This meant that the doctor was lying. He had known Olivia.
“It was kind of funny now that I think about it. When I took her down there that day, she made it seem like they didn’t know each other but when we walked in the door, he greeted her by name.”
Zack glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I gotta get back to work.”
Millie followed his gaze. She had to get back, too! She had less than five minutes to get to Andy. She threw her napkin on top of her dirty plate. “I’m right behind you.”
She followed Zack out and across the lido deck, down the stairs and into the theater. Once again, she made it in the nick of time.
Andy was barking orders and waving his clipboard in the air like a wild man. He swung around when he heard Zack and Millie’s steps echo across the stage floor. He turned his wrist and checked his watch. “Once again, a minute to spare.”
Millie smiled sheepishly and made a mental note to keep better track of her time - something she wasn’t used to doing.
The production show, Melody of the Seas, went off without a hitch. Millie had seen the show the night before and thoroughly enjoyed it, but somehow the energy and interaction from the crowd made it even better.
Zack high-fived Millie as he exited the stage. She really liked the young man. He reminded her of her own son, Blake. She drew in a quick breath. Hopefully he wasn’t the killer.
The show had taken five costume changes. Andy stood off to the side and watched as two of the backstage assistants sorted through the towering heap of costumes the dancers had dumped in the center of the dressing room floor.
He looked up from his clipboard as Millie approached. “You’ve taken a liking to Zack.”
Millie nodded. “He reminds me of my own son.”
Andy shifted his feet and studied Millie. “I never married myself. Got started in show business right out of high school and traveled around the world until I joined Majestic Cruise Lines years ago,” he told her.
Millie’s radar went up. This was the perfect opportunity to ask him about Olivia. “No serious girlfriends?”
Two of the female dancers walked by. Andy waited until they were gone. “There was one. Back home in Gloucestershire.” His eyes gave off a distant look. “Victoria Dowden.”
Millie repeated the name several times in her head. It helped her remember names. That and word association.
Victoria Dowden = Victoria. Like Millie’s own car - a Crown Victoria, that was back in Michigan, parked in her garage. And Dowden was like dowry, as in getting married.
“Whatever happened?” Millie held her breath. She hoped she hadn’t overstepped the boundaries. After all, she had only known Andy a grand total of about 24 hours, give, or take a couple hours.
Andy was silent as he watched a worker pick up a long, silky scarf and drape it over the top of one of the outfits. “
A few months before our wedding, Victoria was crossing the street near her house and was struck by a car. She died on the way to the hospital.” He looked down at the dwindling pile. “Didn’t even get a chance to tell her good-bye.”
Millie’s heart went out to Andy. The poor man! What a tragic story. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She couldn’t imagine loving someone and being close to marrying them and then having them die unexpectedly.
Her mind wandered to her cheating ex, Roger. All joking aside, she didn’t wish him dead. After all, he had given her two beautiful children.
After each outfit and accessory was back in its proper place, and the workers had finished straightening up the make-up area, she and Andy stepped out of the theater. “There’s a late night comedy show in the Paradise Lounge but there’s no need for us to make an appearance.”
He went on. “If you can make a run by the Tahitian Nights dance club and make sure they don’t need anything, you’re free for the rest of the evening.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s 10 now. You can report to my office at 7:30 in the morning. Tomorrow’s a port day so we’ll have to be near the gang plank to see guests off,” he explained.
Millie nodded. That meant she had 9-1/2 hours to grab a snack, get some rest and last, but not least, meet up with Annette to see if she’d discovered any new clues about the murder.
Chapter 8
Millie heard the Tahitian Nights Dance Club before she saw it. Loud, thumping music vibrated the floor outside the lounge. Bright, neon lights flashed through the glass windows. When the lights flashed, she could see that the place was packed.
She pushed the heavy glass door and stepped inside. The room was full of young people. They were on the dance floor, in the chairs, seated at the bar.
Millie wandered over to the bar area. The young man behind the counter was mixing a drink. Millie had never met him before. She squinted at his tag. Not only was it dark, but she didn’t have her reading glasses.
He handed the drink to the girl at the bar, wiped his hands on a towel and stepped over to Millie. Now that he was closer, she could make out his name: Robert. He nodded. “Hello.”
She could barely make out his words. She cupped her hands to her mouth and spoke loudly. “I’m Millie, the assistant cruise director. I’m here to see if you need anything.”
Robert tilted his head, his ear turned towards Millie. He shook his head. “I’m all set.”
Two young people popped up on the barstools next to Millie with drink cards in hand. Robert poured two Cokes and slid them across the bar. Millie waited for them to move away. She pointed to the radio on her hip. “If you need anything, I’ll have this on for another hour or so.”
The music stopped and the noise level dropped off. It was time for a break between sets.
Robert picked a couple dirty glasses from the counter and set them in the sink. “I heard you’re snooping around in Olivia’s murder case.”
Millie leaned her elbows on the gleaming countertop. “Where’d you hear that?”
He shrugged. “This ship is like a small town. You’d be surprised at how fast news spreads.”
Millie paused. She certainly didn’t want the label of troublemaker - not two days into her job!
“Olivia had plenty of enemies.”
It was apparent Robert knew a few of the suspects or knew Olivia personally. Maybe Olivia had caught him in her snare. “Who do you think had the most motive to kill her?”
He shrugged. His eyes met Millie’s eyes. She seemed like a nice enough lady, he decided. Kind of like a grandmother. He had heard all about the new assistant cruise director, that she was older – and nosy. “The obvious person would be her cabin mate, Maribelle.”
He picked up a couple more dirty glasses. “But maybe that’s too obvious of a suspect. Like maybe Maribelle was framed.”
The thought had crossed Millie’s mind. I mean, if she was going to kill Olivia using a poisonous spider, wouldn’t she at least have enough common sense to get rid of the evidence? It didn’t seem smart to have the spider roaming around her room. Unless Maribelle was using some sort of reverse psychology and had already gotten rid of the spider.
The DJ was back behind the sound booth and began tuning the amp.
Robert leaned forward. “Your boss. He had a real thing for her,” he said.
Millie nodded but didn’t answer. Maribelle had told her the exact same thing.
Loud music blared through the speakers. There was no way they could carry on a conversation.
Millie gave a small wave and stepped out of the room. It was time to talk to the bartender in the atrium, Darna.
But first, she needed to make a pit stop to freshen up and check her uniform. Public restrooms were everywhere, including one that was right outside the lounge.
Satisfied she was up to snuff, she exited the small bath and headed out the door, right past the Tahitian Nights club. She glanced in the door and what she saw made her pause.
There at the bar, talking to Robert, was Maribelle. Their heads were close together and they were deep in conversation. They didn’t notice Millie watching them.
Millie slid to the side and peeked around the corner of the glass doors where she had a clear view of the two. Robert cupped his hands to his mouth and said something in Maribelle’s ear.
She watched for a few moments as they continued to talk. She was glad that she did. Maribelle stepped up onto the footrest that was under the bar and then leaned her upper half over the top. Robert bent forward and kissed her in what could only be described as passionate.
Millie took a step back and turned on her heel as she circled around back, out of view of the lounge area. No wonder Robert wanted to steer Millie away from Maribelle. What she just witnessed added a new twist to the investigation!
The atrium bar was empty. Only a handful of guests occupied the chairs surrounding it as they listened to the piano player. She made a beeline for the bar area and hopped up onto the stool. Her heart sank when she laid eyes on the bartender. It was a young girl.
The young woman smiled at Millie. “Can I get you something?”
Millie shook her head. “I was hoping Darna was working tonight.”
She shook her head. “He left about half an hour ago.”
Millie was about to ask when he would be back but the girl answered her question without her having to ask. “His shift tomorrow is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.”
Millie did some quick mental calculations. If she had her break around noon, she could stop back by here during Darna’s shift. “Thanks.”
She slid off the barstool and headed to the kitchen in search of Annette. Her heart sank when she noticed the kitchen was dark. The investigation was at a standstill. At least for tonight.
Millie stood beside Andy as they smiled and waved good-bye to passenger after passenger as they descended down the gangplank and off the ship. Today was the first port stop and they were in the Bahamas. Nassau to be exact.
Millie and Roger had visited this port shortly before he confessed to his affair with the home wrecker, Delilah. She remembered how excited they had been to arrive on the island. They had spent the day touring the pirate museum and gardens, then stopped for an authentic Bahamian lunch not far from the port.
Unexpected tears filled her eyes. Why did Roger have to go and ruin it? She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, hoping that Andy hadn’t noticed.
But he had. His eyes filled with concern. He touched her arm. “You okay, Millie?”
The lump in Millie’s throat refused to budge. The only thing she could do was nod.
Thankfully, a guest approached just then and asked about the ship’s sail time and when they needed to be back on board the ship. By the time Andy finished the conversation, Millie had a grip on her emotions. She had shoved them to the back of her mind, just like she always did.
Maybe that’s why she was becoming emotionally involved in the investigation. It was her way of proving to Roger, to her fam
ily and friends, that she had been worth keeping.
Andy didn’t ask her again, but he did give her a couple sympathetic glances, which made Millie feel almost the same as if he had said something.
She had had her share of days and weeks and for the most part, it was behind her. Except when some small thing, some small memory triggered the flood of emotions.
Millie headed up to the lido deck to grab a quick lunch. Trivia would be starting soon. It would be her first time striking out on her own and working alone, which made her somewhat nervous.
She felt a bit better when she discovered the trivia contest was on something she was familiar with: Everything 70’s. Millie remembered that era well: bell-bottom pants, disco music, and roller-skating.
She grabbed a hot sandwich from the deli and made her way down to the atrium. It was time to meet Darna at the bar.
She ran into Annette in the stairwell. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Annette was dressed for work in an all-white jacket and white slacks. All white except for a smidgen of something dark on the edge of her left sleeve.
Annette looked down when she noticed Millie staring. “Chocolate,” she explained. “We’re trying a new recipe for our hot lava cake.” She put three fingertips to her lips and made a kissing motion. “It’s to die for.”
Annette lowered her hand. “Of course, not literally! Which reminds me, I know Andy is a primary suspect, along with Doctor Gundervan and Olivia’s roommate, Maribelle, but what about Toby?”
Millie shifted her food plate to the other hand. “Toby…but where’s the motive?” Then she remembered the notes that Maribelle had shown her. Toby, Andy, or even the doctor could’ve sent the notes to Olivia, but that didn’t make any of them a killer. Even if one of them had sent the notes.
Millie was leaning towards Doctor Gundervan as the prime suspect with Andy a close second now that she knew his fiancé had died shortly before their wedding.
Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 6
