Cruise Conundrum: A Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 5)

by A. R. Winters

  I frowned at her. “Those are sequins. Black sequins. And yes, they’re fine. You won’t have any trouble getting into the ball with a dress like that.”

  Jessica beamed back at me. “Thank you so much. I tried to find a dress with the least purply pinky greeny bits. But whenever I held it up to the light, it seemed like they’re all the same. This one seemed to have the least though.”

  It probably has the least because it’s the smallest, I thought.

  “They are all the same. The sequins reflect the light, that’s all.”

  She shook her head in wonder. “How do you know all that? I didn’t learn anything useful in school. And I went to an Ivy League!”

  I stared at her to see if she was joking or not. She wasn’t. I didn’t think she could do jokes.

  But attending an Ivy League school wasn’t a joke. I couldn’t help but imagine there was a building with her family name on it somewhere on campus. Possibly more than one.

  “We’ll leave you to get back to the important work of trying on dresses,” said Ethan. “Thank you for your time.”

  “No problem! But don’t tell Rick about the blacked out mail, okay? He’d kill me!”

  “Blackmail,” corrected Ethan. “We won’t.”

  For the entire walk across the suite until we were outside, Ethan shook his head and muttered to himself. I knew exactly how he felt. Jessica really was a special kind of woman.

  When we were outside, Ethan banged his hand against the wall in frustration.

  “This is ridiculous, isn’t it?”

  “Yep,” I said. I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but I was pretty sure I was going to agree with whatever he said.

  “It must be her. It must. She was literally being blackmailed by him, and had the most to gain from anyone on this ship from his death.”

  “Right, but she’s so… dumb. She didn’t even realize how she could benefit from his death.”

  “I know. I don’t know what to think. Is she just toying with us, maybe? I’ve never met someone so unable to think before.”

  “Yeah. She’s got the motivation, but it’s almost like she didn’t even realize she had the motivation.”

  We both stood there in silence for a moment.

  “Let’s try and keep a close eye on her,” I said to him. “See if her being an airhead is only a facade, or whether it goes more than skin deep.” I frowned at the thought of it. “If she is just putting on a show, we’ll know we’ve got someone dangerous on our hands.”

  “Keep an eye on her when you can. And I will too.” Ethan ran his hand through his hair. “If she had even the slightest bit more intelligence about her, I’d have her in the brig already.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “If only we had some proof.”

  While my head nodded, my brain worked. I would find the proof—if there was any to be had, anyway.

  “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “Good. Just don’t do anything dangerous.”

  I grinned at him.

  “As if I would.”

  Chapter 24

  Ethan and I were waiting by the nearest elevator to Jessica’s room. We could hear the elevator arriving before the doors opened, not because the elevator shaft was particularly noisy, but because the occupants were. They were arguing.

  “That sounds like Zara and Xavier,” I said quietly to Ethan. “Did you tell Xavier that Zara was having an affair with Andy?”

  Ethan just about had enough time to answer before the doors opened.

  “Nope. Not my business. I didn’t say anything.”

  The doors began to slide apart, and before they were even halfway open Zara had squeezed out of the elevator, barely giving us a glance as she stomped off down the hallway. Xavier was still inside, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He stepped out, standing between us, clearly awkward.

  “Trouble in paradise?” I asked with a weak smile.

  Xavier slowly shook his head and gave out a long, tired sigh. “I just don’t know what to do. We haven’t been getting along with each other for a while now. I wish I could just break up with her.”

  Maybe he had found out about Zara’s affair.

  “Why are you unhappy?”

  Xavier shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like we’re just too different, you know? She doesn’t seem to appreciate the importance of the magazines I edit. And all she ever wants to talk about is fashion—but there’s so much more to life, isn’t there? What about travel? What about art?”

  Xavier seemed to be getting into his stride. He took another step forward, and then turned around so he could hold court with Ethan and me.

  “…And then there’s the fact that she always keeps me waiting. If we’ve got a seven o’clock appointment, at 7:15 she’ll still be putting on her earrings. I mean, what is that?”

  I nodded sympathetically and noticed that he hadn’t mentioned anything about Andy.

  “Why don’t you just break up with her?” asked Ethan, diving straight to the point.

  “Me? Break up with her? Are you out of your mind? She’s the boss’s daughter. Her father owns the magazine I run. You can’t break up with the boss’s daughter without good reason. Not if you value your career at all. And I do value my career, let me tell you. Nope. I’m stuck with her. ‘Til death do us part.”

  “I’m sure you could end it if you had a good reason…” I suggested, letting my words hang in the air, seeing if he would take the bait.

  Though I wasn’t planning to involve myself in their love life, I did feel just a little sorry for him. I’d almost forgiven him for being so rude when I’d first met him. At least he had never been as mean as Annoying Andy.

  “Yeah? A good reason like what?”

  “Like if she was cheating on you. Having an affair with someone.”

  “Zara? Having an affair with someone? Is this purely hypothetical, or do you actually know something?”

  Ethan looked at me and gave a shrug, raising his eyebrows and looking up to the ceiling. If I wanted to tell him, I could. From the way Xavier was looking at me, I didn’t have much choice now.

  “Andy. She was having an affair with Andy.”

  I braced myself for fireworks.

  “Andy? Affable old Andy? Are you serious?”

  Xavier was staring at me so intently I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Although my hands were by my side, I was ready to whip them up to defend myself, or to start running away.

  “Yes, I saw them, just before he… you know…” I made an awkward face to indicate the death, never liking to actually say words like died or murdered out loud.

  Xavier’s following reaction was not at all what I expected. He didn’t explode in anger, or anything like it. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  He leaned back against the wall and started laughing. And he didn’t stop.

  I exchanged a worried look with Ethan. He looked nervous too. Why was Xavier laughing?

  That wasn’t how you were supposed to react when you found out your partner was cheating on you. You were supposed to be angry, upset, devastated. Not whatever this was.

  Xavier wiped a tear from his eye with the back of his hand. “Andy? The dog! He could have at least told me! That’s the best news I’ve heard all day!”

  Xavier started to laugh again, putting his hands on his knees to support himself in his mirth. I stepped back from him. This guy was weird. Maybe even nuts.

  “Interesting reaction,” said Ethan to the hysterical laughter.

  Xavier stood up straight again, wiped his eyes to remove a couple more amused tears, and nodded at Ethan. “But it’s just such great news. You just heard me complaining about her. Now this gives me the perfect reason to break up with her, doesn’t it? Wonderful news. I just wish Andy had told me—and told me much sooner. Then I wouldn’t have ended up locked in a cabin with her all week.” He shook his head to himself at the thought of how he could’ve escaped.

  We looked at him expectantly,
while he continued to smile, slap his own leg, and shake his head in amusement. Finally, he spoke again.

  “Thank you. Thank you very much. You’ve just made my day. Is there anything else? Got a winning lottery ticket to give me? Perhaps a yacht and a new supermodel girlfriend?”

  “No, we’ll let you get on.” Ethan didn’t look very impressed with Xavier at all. I didn’t think he was the kind of man who Ethan respected.

  “Very well. Excellent. See you both later.”

  Ethan and I both had our arms crossed in front of our chests as we watched Xavier walk down the hallway. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and as he approached his cabin he started to whistle, albeit poorly.

  When he disappeared, Ethan turned back to me with an amazed look on his face. “That wasn’t exactly the reaction we were expecting, was it?”

  “Nope. You know, I’ve met so many strange people these last few weeks, but they still never cease to amaze me.”

  “I know what you mean. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 25

  Not less than two hours after having informed Xavier that his girlfriend had been cheating on him—with a now-deceased lover—he was giving a photography lecture. I was there to take photos while they talked about taking photos.

  “Good afternoon everyone! I’m so excited to see you all here. It’s an absolutely beautiful day, isn’t it?” Xavier was positively beaming on the stage, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

  The audience were infused by his energy and shouted out happy replies in the affirmative, that it was indeed a beautiful afternoon.

  “Are you all feeling great? Because I sure am! And I must say, I’m just so excited to have the chance to tell you all about today’s two topics: the rule of thirds, and photography during the golden hour.”

  As Xavier launched into the topic at hand, I couldn’t help but get a kick out of his positivity. It hadn’t waned at all since earlier. I had entertained the idea that maybe he had been in shock earlier, when Ethan and I had told him that his girlfriend had been cheating on him. Perhaps after a while he would become depressed, or at least a little bit down.

  But no, he was happier than ever. If he was motivated to kill Andy because his girlfriend was cheating on him, he was doing an outstanding job of covering it up. It did make me wonder how Zara was taking it though. I assumed he had confronted her.

  I felt a nudge on my side. It was Sam, who had just arrived.

  “What’s got into him?” she asked, jerking her head toward the stage. He was now flinging his arms around, grinning, and almost hopping around the small stage as he gave his presentation.

  “He just found out his girlfriend was cheating on him.”

  Sam squinted at me, trying to work out if I was kidding and she just didn’t get the joke. When she saw that I wasn’t, she said, “Really? Why is he so… chipper?”

  “I know, right? Turns out he’s been wanting to break up with her. But he was afraid, because her dad owns the magazine he runs. But now he has the perfect excuse. That’s why he’s so happy. At least that’s what he claims.”

  “If breaking up made him this happy, then what on earth was he doing with her in the first place?”

  “As I said, her father owns the magazine that he edits. He didn’t want to break up with her in case it led to repercussions from on high.”

  “Unbelievable. What are these people like?” It was a rhetorical question, and Sam was just saying the same thing that Ethan and I had thought earlier.

  “I know. I’m wondering how Zara’s taking it. It would be funny if she was just as relieved as well, wouldn’t it?”

  “Well, if you are interested, you can go and see. In fact, that would explain a lot. I saw her sitting at Hemingway’s, up at the bar, on her own, with two cocktails in front of her.”

  “Is that so? If it’s all right with you, I’m going to skip out and see what she has to say.”

  Sam gave me an affirmative nod. “No problem. I’ll cover things here. Good luck.”

  Before I went to Hemingway’s, I gave Ethan a quick call. He agreed to meet me there.

  Since we were no closer with Jessica yet, or Xavier, Zara was someone we wanted to spend a little more time with. As Andy’s secret lover, there could have been all kinds of hidden motives we were unaware of for wanting him dead.

  When I arrived at Hemingway’s, Zara had one half full glass and one empty one in front of her. It obviously hadn’t taken her long to demolish the first one that Sam had seen her with.

  Ethan arrived at almost the same time, and we both walked up to the bar together.

  “Could we join you for a minute, Zara?” I said to her.

  She turned her head slowly to look at me, with slightly glassy eyes. “Sure. Why not? Better than drinking alone.”

  “Two sparkling mineral waters, please,” ordered Ethan to the bartender. It was the same young blond man who had served the photographers the other evening.

  “Well, you’re no fun, are you?” said Zara with an accusatory tone.

  “Yes, he is,” I said defensively. “But we’re working.”

  “Some work. Sitting at the bar.”

  Only because we’re investigating you as a murder suspect, I thought.

  “The job has its ups and downs,” I said through gritted teeth. “But how are you doing, Zara? I mean, with Xavier.” I gave her a sympathetic wince.

  She slurped at her drink for an interminable amount of time before she looked up at me again.

  “So you heard, then?”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to tell her that it was actually me who had informed Xavier of her affair. I didn’t think we would get far in our conversation if she was blaming me for the collapse of her relationship..

  “I can’t believe he’s breaking up with me. It just doesn’t seem right.” She stuck her head back down and began to sip at her drink again.

  “You must really love him,” I said.

  Zara gave me a funny look. “Love him? Xavier? No.” She saw the look of confusion on my face. “Just because I don’t love him doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with him.”

  I looked around Zara at Ethan, who was sitting on the other side of her. He seemed to be content to let me do the talking on this one. He gave me a shrug and put a hand out to indicate I should keep talking to her. I guess he thought that a fellow woman I would get more out of her than him.

  “Why would you want to go out with him if you didn’t, you know, really like him?”

  Zara looked at me as if with fresh eyes, as if trying to figure me out. Like I might be a bit slow, and she was going to have to explain something difficult to me. Kind of like how we had looked at Jessica earlier.

  In a way, she was right. Our minds seemed to work in completely different ways.

  “You know I’m a model, right? Well, trying to be one. And he’s an editor of a top magazine. Don’t you see? We’re great for each other. He’s got connections that help my career, and he makes me look good too—people think I’m clever since I’m dating a top magazine editor. And of course he gets to have a model draped on his arm for all the events we attend. It’s basically a perfect relationship. Or it would be if he wasn’t trying to ruin it.”

  A perfect relationship where neither of them particularly liked each other. Rich people really did live in a different world than the rest of us.

  “I guess Xavier doesn’t see it the same way.”

  Zara carefully took the two glasses, both of which were now empty, and pushed them forward right to the edge of the bar. She then lowered her head until it was just above the counter and thumped it against the bar top. Alarmed, I reached over and pulled her back up by her shoulders.

  “Sorry,” she said with a laugh, as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. “This is all just messing me up. You know, Xavier said he’s not even going to sleep with me anymore. He’s going to sleep in the other bedroom!”

  “Oh.” I wondered what Zara wou
ld say if I pointed out that the reason her relationship had ended was her own fault. So I decided to find out. “Was it serious, between you and Andy?”

  She laughed, sighed, and then laughed again. “Serious? Me and him? Of course not. I was just using him.”

  I raised my eyebrows and gestured for her to continue with a look.

  “He’s a photographer. He knew lots of other photographers—fashion photographers, top ones. My plan was to give him a little sugar, and he’d hook me up with some fashion photographers. You know, get me in front of the lenses. I guess that isn’t going to happen now, either.”

  “I suppose not.” It sounded to me more like Andy was using her than the other way around. I wondered how long he had been stringing her along with promises of introducing her to fashion photographers.

  “Hey!” yelled Zara in the direction of the tropical shirt-wearing bartender, who was busy polishing glasses. His head poked up with a bright, toothy white smile, as if he hadn’t just been yelled at in an incredibly rude manner. “Two more of these!”

  “Sure thing, ma’am,” said the barman, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he even gave her a wink. I bet he got good tips.

  “Men. Can’t trust them, right?”

  I could see Ethan looking at me from the other side of Zara. I’d have tread carefully here. I wanted to stay on both of their good sides.

  “You’ve definitely got to be careful about who you trust,” I said, nodding as if in agreement with her.

  “Yep that’s exactly what I mean. You can’t trust men. Even when you think you know someone…”

  This was intriguing.

  “Did you hear something, then? About Andy?”

  “I didn’t hear anything. I saw something. I was around Andy’s apartment, in New York, a couple of weeks ago. When he was in the shower, I was just, you know—looking around.” Snooping, I thought to myself. “Even he was up to something shady. I saw his accounts. He got big payouts from people, but not for photography.”

  “What were they for?”

  “I don’t know. I tried to hint at it and get him to tell me, but he just said all he ever did was photography. But I knew he was lying. There were payments from people I knew he had never photographed. Or more payments months or years later when he hadn’t done any other work for them. That’s why I say you can’t trust men. Even famous successful ones like Andy—they’re all hiding something.”