Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2)

by Callaghan, Hope

  The day flew by. For the most part, Millie enjoyed the warm sunshine and tropical ocean breezes. It gave a bit of relief from hot, humid, stagnant air. She passed Dario on her way to make sure the lunch buffet was ready to go. “How’s it goin’?”

  Dario patted his pocket. “I have dem all, Miss Millie.”

  Millie couldn’t wait to check out the signatures on the receipts. She had a gut feeling that finally, she might have something to go on, to lead her in the right direction.

  The last of the guests boarded the 3 p.m. shuttle to the ship. A small army of crew remained on the island to tidy up and make sure it was ready for the next set of guests who were on another ship and scheduled to visit the island the next day.

  She caught up with Dario as he worked at cleaning up the bar. He handed Millie a small pile of receipts. “They’re all here, Miss Millie.”

  Millie lined the receipts on the bar. She plucked her phone from her pocket. Starting on the left, she studied each of the signatures carefully. Dario leaned over her shoulder.

  Millie turned and patted his arm. “You managed to get the signatures for all of them!”

  He nodded proudly. “Yes, Miss Millie.”

  She eliminated several of the signatures right off the bat. They weren’t even close. But a couple of them were close. Millie snapped a photo of each of the receipts for reference. Something about the signatures was different.

  She mulled it over for the next couple of hours as she finished cleaning and straightening. Finally, it was time to board the staff shuttle and head back to the ship.

  A storm was brewing off in the distance and the small shuttle boat bounced up and down in the choppy waves.

  Millie could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. A flash of lightning touched the water a short distance from the ship. She let out a sigh of relief when the crew tethered the shuttle to the ship and slipped the plank onto the open deck.

  Millie was one of the first off the ship. The cool interior air washed over Millie like a welcome breeze. The cool air must have cleared her foggy brain because it suddenly dawned on her that she knew exactly how to find the killer.

  Millie headed up a flight of stairs to the photo gallery. Her heart raced as she frantically searched for the picture of Kyle and Courtney when they first boarded the ship. Her eyes scanned the rows of smiling faces. Actually, there were two pictures of Kyle and Courtney on display. The first one was of them as they boarded the ship. The backdrop was a picture of Siren of the Seas.

  The second photo was a bit more casual. The picture had been taken as the ship departed Miami. Millie could see the city skyline in the background. There was one more thing about the photo - a very important clue that confirmed Millie’s suspicions!

  Millie headed back to her cabin. She studied the pictures of the receipts Dario had shown her one more time. Then she flipped back to the suicide note. Whoever had written the note had used a pen that was a bit on the leaky side. The writing was a little runny. It was the clue. A clue that Millie desperately needed. After studying the suicide note, Millie was convinced whoever had written the note was left handed.

  Millie had a plan. It would take a little luck and perseverance, and a little help from her friends.

  Chapter 22

  “So I need you to take note of how the suspects sign the receipts. Jot it down on a piece of paper and let me know,” Millie told Cat. “Have they all been in here at some point in time?”

  Cat scrunched up her nose. “I think so.” She waved a hand. “Either way, we’ve having our 50% off sale tomorrow and everybody comes to that. I’m on it.”

  “Thanks Cat! I’m counting on you!” It had been a long day and Millie was whupped. The heat had made her even more tired and she wasn’t necessarily a spring chicken, anymore.

  Millie’s last task for the day was to head up to the lido deck to check on the sail away party. Throngs of passengers crowded the area with their sunburned bodies.

  Millie headed to the deck that overlooked the main pool. She stood at the rail and watched the island disappear. The storm clouds had moved away and the sun was just beginning to set. The view was incredible. It was God’s magnificent creation.

  The rail was crowded as passengers squeezed in with their cameras and drinks to toast the island and get one last shot. She glanced down the row. There, a few passengers to the left, was Kim and Justin Bain, Maisie’s parents.

  They were both holding drinks with cute little umbrellas. As they toasted each other, Millie studied their hands. They were both holding the drinks in their right hands. She let out a sigh of relief and tentatively crossed them off the list of suspects.

  Millie headed down to theater. She hoped that Zack was working the bingo game that was about to begin. Her heart raced when she saw him at the front. He and another dancer, Felix, were carrying the bingo table to the center of the stage.

  He waved when he saw Millie. She smiled and waved back. Millie slid into a front row seat and watched for several more minutes. Guests began to wander in, purchase the bingo cards and fill the empty seats.

  Alison stood off to the side. She was in charge of selling the bingo cards. The line was long. Millie began to tap her foot on the floor as she grew impatient.

  Finally, it was time to start the game. Millie’s eyes followed Zack across the stage and over to the table and bingo cage. Her eyes grew wide as he reached down to grab the microphone – with his right hand! He turned the mike on and lifted it to his face. “Ready to win some cold, hard cash, ladies and gentleman?”

  Millie popped out of the seat and headed down the aisle. Zack was off the hook!

  That left Adam and Melissa West. And Chloe Earhart. Millie was closing in on a killer - or killers!

  The casino was open when Millie walked by. She caught a glimpse of Dario out of the corner of her eye. He waved her over. “Miss Millie. Did you find the killer?”

  Millie glanced around. “Getting close, Dario. Thanks to you,” she whispered. He nodded, his face beaming brightly.

  Millie exited the other side of the casino and nearly collided with Dave Patterson. “I’ve been looking for you,” he told her.

  Her heart fluttered a bit. Patterson’s eyes pierced a hole in Millie. She was certain he knew she hadn’t given up the investigation. Her eyes dropped to the floor. She quickly looked back up. She had always heard looking away was a sign that you were trying to hide something.

  “Come with me.” He didn’t wait for Millie to answer. He led her down the stairs to Deck 2 and his office. There was no idle chitchat as they walked. Millie’s steps started to drag. She felt as if she were heading to her own execution!

  Patterson popped his key in the door and pushed it open. He stepped inside and held the door for Millie. He waved her over to the seat.

  Millie pulled out the chair. It was then she noticed something on Detective Patterson’s desk. It was bundle of blue material. A dress. The dress Courtney Earhart was wearing the night of her death.

  Patterson rounded to the other side. He held up this dress. “Does this look familiar to you?”

  Millie nodded. “Yes.”

  “This is not the dress Courtney was wearing when she died.”

  Millie shook her head. “No.” She thought they had already gone over that. Maybe she missed something.

  “Did Chloe Earhart give this to you?” Millie had told her to give take it to Patterson.

  “No.” He sunk down in the chair and dropped the dress on the top of the desk. “We searched Kyle and Courtney’s room a second time and found it shoved in the corner of the closet. Buried, really. As if someone wanted to hide it.”

  He clasped his hands together. “You don’t think Courtney committed suicide.”

  “No,” Millie admitted. “I’m quite certain she didn’t.”

  Patterson tipped back in his chair. “Why?”

  Millie took a deep breath. “Look at the dress. Courtney was right handed. She spilled her drink down the righ
t hand side of the dress.”

  “Go on.”

  Millie pulled her phone from her pocket. She scrolled to the picture of the suicide note. She tapped the screen and enlarged the photo then handed it to Patterson. “The suicide note was written by someone who was left handed. Courtney was not left handed. Although the writing is similar to Courtney’s, the person who wrote the note dragged their hand through the wet ink, causing it to smear.”

  “How do you know Courtney Earhart wasn’t left handed?”

  Millie sucked in a breath. “I found a picture of Courtney and Kyle up in the photo gallery. They were up on deck before sail away – holding drinks – in their right hands.”

  Patterson picked up the phone and studied the image. “Hmm. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t left handed.”

  “True,” she admitted, “but judging by the way she held her drink and the fact that the stains were on the right side means she, at the very least, favored her right hand.”

  Patterson’s eyes narrowed. Millie was right.

  “I’ve got it narrowed down to three possible suspects.” She held up her index finger. “One Chloe Earhart. Two Adam West. Three Melissa West and only because I haven’t been able to verify whether they are left or right handed. The rest in the group.” She ticked off Zack, and Kim and Justin Bain. “Are definitely right handed.”

  Patterson touched his index fingers together and brought them to his lips. “Uh-huh.”

  Millie picked up her phone and dropped it in her pocket. “I should have answers on the rest before the day is out.”

  Patterson was studying her intensely. Her armpits began to sweat and her eyelid twitch. He was probably working out the details on how he was going to make sure the captain fired her.

  He abruptly rose from his chair. “Let me know what you come up with.”

  Millie jumped from her chair and bolted out the door. She could feel his eye bore into the back of her skull. She was tempted to turn around and stick out her tongue – but that did not seem particularly professional so she resisted the urge.

  That 60’s Show was the headliner for the two evening theater performances. Millie stood off to the side and watched the first set. Zack was in his glory as he danced and spun around the stage. Millie’s chest puffed with pride. He was such a good kid. The fact that he wasn’t a killer didn’t hurt, either.

  After the show, she stopped by Cat’s shop, hoping she had found something. The place was deader than a doornail. All of the guests were either at the show or in the dining room if they had reservations for the second seating.

  She stepped inside. “How was business today?”

  Cat groaned. “It was pure chaos. You’d have thought we were giving stuff away!” Millie had to admit she looked a bit on the frazzled side. Her normally meticulously coiffed and perfectly centered beehive hairdo was a bit off kilter. “Busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony.”

  Millie chuckled.

  Cat placed a hand on each side of her hairdo and shifted it back in place. “There. That’s better.” She snapped her fingers. “I’m centered again.”

  “Oh! I got my handy dandy little list right here.” Cat lifted the ladybug paperweight on top of the counter and grabbed a small sheet of paper. She handed it to Millie. “The results.”

  Millie slipped her reading glasses:

  Adam West. Right hand.

  Melissa West. Right hand.

  Chloe Earhart. Right hand.

  Kim Bain. Right hand.

  Justin Bain. Right hand.

  Millie’s heart sank. This wasn’t going to work. All of them were right handed! The killer was left handed. Millie crumpled the list. “They’re all right handed. The killer – the one who wrote the suicide note – was left handed.”

  She was back to square one…right where she started!

  “Maybe the killer was so good, he pretended to write it left handed,” Cat theorized.

  Millie shook her head. The killer wasn’t that good, unless they were a professional, which she seriously doubted.

  Millie was depressed. She thanked Cat for the list and trudged out. She was so sure the killer was left handed!

  Millie headed down below. It was time to give Dave Patterson the bad news. Luckily, she caught Patterson in his office. The look on Millie’s face said it all. She plopped down in the chair.

  “You look like your best friend just died.”

  Millie let out an exaggerated sigh. “Almost! All of the suspects are right handed.”

  Patterson picked up his pen and tapped it on the desktop. “So your investigation is at a standstill.”

  Millie tugged on the corner of her ear. “This is the hardest case I’ve ever had to crack.”

  Patterson grinned. “This is only the second case you’ve ever had,” he pointed out. “That I know of, anyways.”

  Patterson had a point. Still, she was so certain. So sure she could catch the killer red handed. Or in this case, left handed.

  Patterson began drawing small circles on his notepad. “What’s the plan now?”

  Millie groaned. “That’s why I’m here. I mean, you’re the paid professional!”

  “True,” he admitted. “Your enthusiasm makes up for your lack of experience. I have to admire your tenacity.”

  Patterson stopped drawing on the pad. He gave his full attention to Millie. “I know you want to believe there’s something more to the case. But the fact is, Courtney Earhart killed Kyle Zondervan. Consumed by guilt, she decided to take her own life.”

  Maybe Millie was grasping at straws. Trying to make something out of nothing. She wondered if she’d ever mentioned Courtney’s confession about being threatened. “Courtney said that she had been threated. That she felt her life was in danger.”

  Patterson leaned forward and listened intently. “Did Courtney show you the threatening note she supposedly had?”

  Millie shook her head. “She was so far gone, I was lucky I was able to get her back to her cabin before she passed out. That is another reason I don’t believe she had the ability to write the note or take those pills.”

  “And change her clothes,” she added.

  “What if she sobered up? It was several hours, late morning before the cabin steward discovered her body.”

  “So you’re going to let the case stay as it is,” Millie said.

  Patterson stood. “I don’t have much of a choice. Unless the killer decides to come forward and confess. We’re running out of time. A couple more days and the passengers disembark and if there is a killer, he or she walks off.”

  Chapter 23

  Millie shuffled back to her cabin. She was tired and hungry. She was so exhausted that tired outweighed hunger. Last but not least, she was discouraged.

  The only silver lining was that Zack was off the hook. Not that she ever really believed he could be a killer anyways.

  Millie decided to skip dinner and go straight to bed. Which would have worked out fine if Captain Armati hadn’t been standing outside her cabin door, waiting for her.

  He smiled when he caught sight of Millie. She patted her windblown hair, certain she must look like a wreck. She sure felt like a wreck.

  Her heart sank. She was probably in big doo, doo now. He probably heard about the brownies. Or maybe someone had spotted Scout watering the palm tree on the mini golf course. Or it could’ve been…

  “Hello, Millie. Did you have a nice day on the island?”

  She let out the breath she’d been holding. Judging by the tone of his voice, she wasn’t in trouble after all.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe something had happened to Scout!

  “It was a nice day. Hot but nice,” she replied. “Is Scout okay?”

  The captain nodded. “Scout is fine. I think he missed you, though. He watched the door all day.”

  Millie eased her tired body against the hall wall. “Then I can take him out tomorrow?”

  The captain nodded. “Follow me.” He started walking. Milli
e pulled herself upright and followed along.

  “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

  Millie shook her head. “I was thinking about skipping it. You know, the heat and all.” And the failed investigation, she added silently.

  He stopped, put his hands behind his back and nodded thoughtfully. “You’re not hungry?”

  Her stomach grumbled in protest. The captain? Dinner? Her appetite was making a strong comeback. “Well, I guess I probably should eat something. I always told my children never to go to bed on an empty stomach.”

  “That’s true. I’m heading to dinner myself. Would you care to join me?” His eyes crinkled kindly.

  A lump lodged in her throat. “That would be nice,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “That would be nice.”

  “Good!” He nodded. “Scout will be thrilled to see you.”

  He started walking again. “How does surf and turf sound?”

  Lobster was a luxury. Something that Millie had tried only a handful of times. “It sounds great, although I’ve only had it a couple times,” she admitted.

  They were in front of the elevator now. The captain pressed the button. When the door opened, he motioned Millie in first. She looked down at her crumpled, sweaty shorts, wrinkled shirt and then over at his crisp, clean uniform. “Maybe I should change first.”

  “I think you look fine just the way you are,” he assured her.

  Millie felt the familiar burning sensation on the outer part of her ears and knew that right about now, they were fire engine red.

  If Captain Armati noticed, he was too much of a gentleman to comment.

  Millie was relieved when the elevator reached the 10th floor. She hadn’t dared mention her aversion to elevators!

  It was a short walk from the elevator to the bridge. Millie smiled at Staff Captain Vitale as she followed Captain Armati to the center of the bridge and down the small hall leading to his private quarters.

  The captain punched in the code on the key pad and pushed the door open. Millie followed him in.

  Dusk was beginning to set and the interior cabin glowed in a soft light. Her pulse started to race.