“You saw me go in? That’s fantastic! That’s right! I didn’t hear anything either. I bet it happened before I even went outside.”
Jake pushed himself up straight in the chair, and then leaned back, head dropping behind him as he looked up to the ceiling. He blew out a long breath of relief. When he lowered his head again, it was with a smile on his face.
“That’s made me feel a lot better. Do you want to hear something funny?”
“Sure.” I was dubious though, I didn’t think whatever he was about to tell me was going to make me laugh.
“Not funny, funny —” I was right, “— but more like ironic. I actually went outside, and into the maze, to clear my head. I thought some fresh air, some greenery, some quiet thinking, would help calm me down and focus. I found it all a bit overwhelming in the Vendor’s Hall, especially the way Geraldine had been badmouthing me. I just wanted to relax and try and find some calm. But instead of calm, I found a dead body and more stress than I can ever remember in my life!”
“Yeah that wouldn’t exactly be relaxing. I’m sorry it was you that found her, Jake, but I guess it always has to be someone.”
“Always? You make it sound like this kind of thing happens often.”
I laughed and gave a dismissive wave of my hand. Yeah right. Like this kind of thing would happen often. “Do you think Geraldine went to the maze for the same reason? To clear her head and think?”
Jake cocked his head in bemusement.
“Her? I don’t think so. I doubt she’d have any time for something like that. She was probably walking around it looking for something to criticize.”
“Did you see anyone else while you were in the maze?”
A thought had occurred to me. If it wasn’t Jake who had killed her, there was a fairly good chance that the killer had still been in the maze when we all arrived. Geraldine couldn’t have been there long at all.
“I didn’t see anyone, no. I did hear rustling and other footsteps in the gravel. But I didn’t actually see any other person.”
“I don’t suppose you could tell whether the footsteps, or the sounds, were identifiable at all? Like, did it sound like a man or a woman? Or did it sound like someone petite, or someone quite heavy?”
“I really wasn’t paying attention enough to know, I’m sorry. I was trying to focus on my own thoughts and tune background noise out. All I can tell you is that I did hear someone, but I couldn’t say any more than that.”
I had a distinct memory of Heidi with a twig stuck in her hair exiting the maze. Had she forced her way out, pushing through the hedgerows?
“You know, someone else told me they saw a man force his way out earlier that day. One of the other passengers, they said to me: if you get lost, just push your way through! Perhaps that’s what the killer did. Maybe they just pushed their way out after.”
“Who was it that told you that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just someone in that International Buffet. We were waiting for the coffee machines and we got chatting. I don’t think they were from the B&B association though, it was just a regular passenger. Maybe they were kidding.”
“Could be,” I said with a nod. “Or making trouble.”
“I feel a lot better now that I’ve talked to you. I know nothing’s changed, they’ll probably still think I’m a suspect, but I don’t feel as much like one now thanks to you.”
“You’re welcome. Hopefully security will catch who did this and we can all put it behind us. Having a dark cloud hanging over you has really got to ruin a cruise.”
“Yes. I must say, I’ve never been on a cruise before. It’s not exactly what I was expecting.”
“Try and do something fun. Or go and relax by the Lagoon Pool. It’s a pretty nice place to just chill out with a book or whatever.”
He nodded to himself.
“Maybe I’ll do that. I doubt I’ll sell any software today anyway. The last day will be when people are ready to make their big purchasing decisions. Thanks again.”
“Any time. And if you think of anything else, or hear of anything else, please let me know.”
He pushed himself to his feet, and with a lightness to him that he hadn’t possessed before he sat down, he walked away.
When Jake was gone, I remained sitting on the chair for some time while I thought things through.
When I saw Heidi emerging from the maze, had she just killed Geraldine? Had she tried to force her way through the bushes and that’s why a twig got stuck in her hair?
Or was there something more going on?
There was a lot to figure out, but I wasn’t going to let this case beat me.
I was close, I could feel it.
Very close indeed.
Chapter 15
The next morning, Sam and I were sitting on some bamboo chairs outside of Hemingway’s tropical bar, near the Lagoon Pool.We’d eaten breakfast in the staff canteen, and wanted to get a few minutes sunshine before the hectic ness of the day truly began.
It was a lovely morning, bright but not oppressively hot, with a salt-scented breeze that was just the right level of refreshing without being too chilly.
“I can’t believe they’re making me stay behind,” Sam complained. “They should force all the passengers to go ashore. Kick them off the boat. Then I could come too.”
To avoid laughing, I took a big sip of my orange juice. It’s mean to laugh at your friends, after all. Sam was annoyed that we had arrived at Mahogany Bay, but she was rostered to stay aboard the ship and deal with customers there.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to go. You won’t be there. Cece’s stuck here, too. I’m not sure I want to spend the day ashore without you guys.”
“No, no,” said Sam. “You should go. It might be fun. And you could at least sneak off and do some shopping. You could pretend you’re writing an article about the best bargains at Mahogany Bay.”
“Or, I could actually write an article about the best bargains at Mahogany Bay.”
“Ooh, I hadn’t thought of that.”
We both laughed and finished off our glasses of orange juice.
From my position, I could see the whole sundeck area behind Sam and the various people walking around as they got ready for another tough day of relaxing aboard a luxury cruise ship. Apart from those that were working hard, like us, of course.
Someone in particular caught my eye, and I had a little idea. It was a man who was slowly walking across the large sunbathing area next to the pool, sipping a big chocolatey looking drink as he did so.
“Come on.” I grabbed Sam’s elbow, pulling her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” I said with a mysterious smile.
She thought I was taking her somewhere else on the ship, not realizing that what I had in mind was going to occur in approximately the next ten seconds. If she’d realized that, she would have been looking around expectantly, and my clever little plan would have been ruined.
Getting the angle of our strolled-approach just right, I began to walk Sam in roughly the direction of the pool, but making sure I was positioned at just the right angle that she couldn’t see what I was hiding from her.
Or who, rather.
The young man I’d spotted was none other than the water aerobics and personal trainer that Sam had been spending way too much time thinking about for the last couple of cruises. And when I say thinking about, what I really mean is staring at.
It was about time they met, and who better to arrange that for her than her best friend and amateur-cupid?
“Where are we going?”
“Nearly there, you’ll see in—”
Interrupting myself, I suddenly halted and put a foot just in front of Sam. As she began to stumble, I gave her just the lightest of pushes to her lower back, and watched with unconcealed glee as she tripped over, falling straight into Mr. Water Aerobics himself.
Unfortunately, the chocolate drink that he was car
rying proceeded to fly out of the cup and distribute itself all over his shirt. Thankfully Sam was spared. I’m not sure she would have forgiven me quite so early if she’d taken the brunt of that, too.
“Oh!” yelled Sam in surprise as she fell, quickly followed by a second “Oh!” as she realized that she’d crashed into someone and spilled her drink. The third “Oh,” however was more of a long, drawn out, sighed, ohhh, as her eyes locked onto exactly who it was she’d fallen into.
“My protein shake!” said the handsome trainer. He reached down with a strong arm, wrapped it around her, and snatched Sam up around the waist to stop her falling all the way to the ground.
“Suh… sorry.” Sam took a brief moment to whip her head around to give me a quick but deadly glare, before her features softened and she turned back to the trainer with eyelashes fluttering.
“I don't know what happened, I just tripped and fell.” She finished speaking with another flutter of her eyelashes, and a shy but hopeful look at the chocolate protein drink covered man.
He stared down at her for a few seconds as if deciding whether to be angry or amused. Luckily for Sam — and thus me — he made the right decision. His features softened, his mouth fell open into a wide grin, and I knew my plan had been a success.
“No worries,” he said in what sounded like an Australian accent to me. “Are you alright? You took quite a spill.”
“I guess I'm okay, your drink isn't. It took a lot more a of a spill than I did. Let me buy you another one.”
“No way.” He waved Sam’s offer away with a flick of his hand. For a moment I was worried that was going to be the end of it. But hope was soon rejoined. “It was an accident. Let me buy you a drink. Looks like you got quite a fright, nearly falling over like that. You work here, right?"
“I do work here, and I would love it if you bought me a drink,” she said with a grin. “I’m Sam, by the way.”
“Scott,” he said, sticking his hand out and enveloping hers in his.
The trainer looked down at his yellow shirt, which was now decorated with a large splash of the chocolate protein drink. With a little frown, he shook his head, and then proceeded to peel off the top.
“That's going to need a wash,” he said as he balled it up in his hand. "Lucky I’m teaching water aerobics this morning, so I don't need it.” He looked down at himself in a show of false self-consciousness. “Do you mind?”
“Oh, no,” said Sam breathlessly. “I don't mind at all. Let's go get that drink.”
With a satisfied glow welling inside me, I brushed off my hands against each other at a job well done. I'd introduced Samto the trainer, and now they were basically going on a date. Not bad before the working day even started. If there was any justice, I’d be invited to take the rest of the day off. But there’s no rest for the good, as I say.
As Sam and Scott walked away, side-by-side and so close that Sam's arm was pressed up against his, she turned and looked at me. This time she gave me a wink and a smile.
Still feeling rather pleased with myself, I decided I would do it. I would go ashore with the B&B conference attendees, even if I wouldn't have any of my friends with me.
Humming quietly to myself, I began to walk away from the pool area, toward the path that went right around the ship. Just as I rounded the corner where the path narrowed to hug closely to the tall side of the ship, I spotted Louise Settles just ahead of me. I was about to call out to her, when I realized she was talking on the phone. Now that we were at port, she must’ve gotten a good signal and been able to make a few important phone calls. I decided to wait.
Louise was tapping her foot on the ground in irritation and her breathing sounded quite flustered.
Should I stay and listen, I wondered?
I didn’t wonder long, though. I made my mind up in barely an instant.
Of course I was going to try and listen.
Chapter 16
It’s not that I’m nosy, or an eavesdropper by nature, but when there’s been a murder and you’re doing your best to investigate it, you take what opportunities you can muster to gain new information, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
Even from behind, I could tell that Louise was tense. Her shoulders were hunched up tightly, and her head seemed to have sunk right down into them. She had one hand on her hip in the style of someone who’s annoyed and not afraid to show it.
I stopped walking and listened.
“No, I can assure you, there is no mold. None. No black mold, no white mold, no green mold, not any kind of any mold at all.”
Louise pressed the phone tightly against her head as she continued to listen to the person at the other end of the phone. The backs of her knuckles looked white.
“Mrs. Jones, I don’t know where you heard this, but I can assure you it’s not true in the slightest. You can look forward to a relaxing, healthful stay in a beautiful room, with no fear of mold or any other health hazards, I can assure you.”
Louise began to tap her foot on the deck in irritation again as she listened to another round of queries from what I now assumed to be a future customer of her B&B.
“No, there’s never been any water damage. I can assure you of that… no, not even before I bought it! You’ve got a lovely room booked in the prettiest village in the Cotswolds. And it’s a very popular room at that, if you’re not certain you want it, I can have it booked out again by tomorrow… you will? Fantastic. I’ll look forward to seeing you in the Spring then. Goodbye.”
Louise disconnected the call and held the phone in front of her, breathing deeply in and out to calm herself.
I restarted my walk.
“Good morning!” I said jauntily.
Louise turned with a start.
“Oh, it’s you. Hello there.” Louise looked out toward the ocean. “It is a lovely morning, isn’t it? Here, anyway.”
“You look a little worn out. Tough start to the day?” I nodded down at her phone.
Louise laughed and shook her head. “Just customers. A lady who’s booked for next year told me she was considering cancelling because her friend smelled mold in my B&B. It’s absolute nonsense of course, the entire building was carefully surveyed before I bought it, and it’s in tip-top condition.”
“I know what difficult customers are like, believe me!” I gave her a sympathetic smile. “But I guess I have the whole of the Swan corporation to support me. It must be hard to manage it all when it’s just you and your husband.”
“Husband? Oh.” Louise’s face fell. “That didn’t work out. We’re not together anymore. It turns out that getting married and starting a business that you also live in, all at the same time, isn’t conducive to a happy marriage. We tried to make it work, but…” She paused in thought, perhaps thinking about what might have been. “He’s in London now. I’ve got a local girl who works with me now, she’s managing it while I’m away. But there’s no more Mr. Settles, as it were.”
I winced. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s all water under the bridge now. What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger… at least I hope so.”
“I’m sure it does. Are you coming ashore today?”
Louise nodded. “I suppose I’d better. When else am I going to get a chance to visit Mahogany Bay?”
“Exactly. Make the most of it. But perhaps the B&B association will come back for another cruise again next year?”
She cocked her head at me. “Do you think so? After what happened?”
“What happened isn’t exactly a common occurrence!” I assured her. “I think some of your fellows are quite enjoying the cruise, now that some of the teething problems have been ironed out.”
“Teething problems? That sure is an optimistic way to describe what happened. It is quite fun on board when no one’s dying, I’ll give you that.I’ll see you down there, then?”
“Yep. Catch you later, Louise.”
I was about to continue my walk along the outside of the ship, when I h
ad a better idea. Instead, I turned back the way I’d come, and hovered at the very edge of the Lagoon Pool area.
Across the other side, I could see my plan had worked a treat. Sam and the trainer were sitting at a bamboo table outside Hemingway’s together, and if I wasn’t mistaken due to the long distance, it looked like Sam’s hand was resting on top of his.
The pair of them were both leaning forward, heads together, and from the way their shoulders were jerking I was pretty sure they were laughing. Or perhaps having simultaneous hysterical fits. But probably laughing.
Glad that my plan to get the water aerobics instructor and Sam together still seemed to be going swimmingly, I headed down to my cabin to get ready for the trip ashore.
Even if the outing was a bust, I was sure to learn a little more about the B&B association members and their secrets and foibles. And that, after all, is how you solve murders — at least in my experience.
Chapter 17
I applied some sunscreen, got my sunglasses pushed stylishly up onto my head, and was wearing a Swan staff baseball cap to protect myself from the heat of the day. I was ready to go.
I exited the ship with the B&B crowd, and we were whisked aboard a bus that drove us the short distance to the nearby shopping area. Some of the passengers were going to continue on to visit the beach and perhaps do some water-sports, but I was intending to merely do some shopping and take a moment to decompress this time.
When I arrived at the small, outdoor ‘mall’, with its pretty brick and wood buildings, I sat on a bench and let the passengers disperse before I decided which way to go.
When they’d all gone to do their own thing, I began a slow, leisurely tour of the area, taking plenty of pictures as I went. On the bus ride over I had decided I was going to write that article that Sam had half-suggested, and it was going to be a picture-heavy one — those are much quicker to write.
I bought myself a new pair of sneakers and a couple of t-shirts while I strolled around, and then finally settled at a small cafe with an ice cold, glass bottle of coke.
Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries 10 - Bed and Breakfast and Cruises Page 10
