What an awful way to wake up.
Ethan was the first to speak. “I apologize for the intrusion, ma’am.” He gave a polite nod. “My name is Ethan Lee. I’m the ship’s First Officer and head of security. I know this is probably a terribly tough time for you, but if you could give us just a few minutes of your time, it would help immensely with our investigation into your husband’s untimely death.”
I cleared my throat and flashed her a sympathetic look. “We would also like to offer our condolences, Mrs. Holliday.”
“We’re terribly sorry for your loss,” Sam added.
“Thank you.” Babs sighed and opened the door a little wider before stepping aside. “I guess you can come in for a few minutes. What difference does it make anyway, right? Rock is gone. Nothing I say will bring him back.”
“No,” Ethan said as we filed into the spacious suite. “But your cooperation really will make a difference. You can still help bring whoever is responsible for his death to justice.”
Babs motioned for the three of us to have a seat, then draped herself over a chaise lounge near the floor-to-ceiling balcony window. Even during what was probably one of the darkest times of her life, she clearly had a flair for the dramatic and knew exactly how to command the attention of everyone in the room.
“I’m really not sure how much help I can possibly be,” she said, shaking her head. “But go ahead. Fire away. I’ll give you as many answers as I can.”
“That’s all we’re asking,” Ethan nodded. “Can you tell us what time your husband left the room last night?”
It was an interesting question, since Ethan was one of the few people on the ship who would have had access to the security camera footage showing exactly what time Rock left the room. Still, it was maybe a good baseline question to establish whether Babs really was going to cooperate with us and tell the truth.
“I have no idea.” She pointed toward the bedroom. “I was in there with my sleeping mask on all night. I went to bed early, as I usually do, and then slept all the way through until I received a phone call this morning from the ship’s captain to tell me Rock had passed away.”
I frowned slightly. Babs’ answer made it hard for us to know whether or not she was telling the truth. She did legitimately look like she’d only been awake for a short time, but that was to be expected since her entire alibi seemed to be that she’d been asleep in this suite all night.
“Can you tell us what his mood was like before you went to bed last night?” I asked. “Did he seem to be upset at all? Agitated? Did the two of you… have an argument or any kind of disagreement yesterday?”
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply, but Rock and I had a wonderful marriage. This whole ordeal has been so upsetting, and now you’re accusing me of—”
“No, ma’am,” I interrupted, softening my tone. “I didn’t mean to imply anything like that. I’m sorry if it came across that way. I’m just trying to rule out the possibility that he might have jumped from one of the upper decks last night. If he was upset about something—about anything at all—that might shed some light on his final minutes.”
She gave me another hard look then seemed to relax a little. “I see. Well, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He may have been a little preoccupied with business matters, but that certainly wasn’t anything unusual for Rock. I can’t tell you how many holidays and vacations have been interrupted by one business deal or another—and of course they’re always the most important deal of his life.”
“Did he share the details of his business with you?” I asked. “Do you happen to know what particular deal might have been on his mind last night?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” she nodded. “His investment in Roar Power Yoga. That’s all he’s talked about for months.”
Ethan’s eyebrows arched ever so slightly. “I’d imagine he’s been in pretty close contact with Guru Shakti lately, given his preoccupation with Roar Power. Is that a safe assumption?”
“Yes, Rock was always on the phone with the guru or one of his assistants. At least daily. Sometimes multiple times a day.”
Ethan made a couple of quick notes in the tiny notebook he kept in his pocket. “And were those conversations always friendly ones? Did he ever express doubts or frustrations with the way Guru Shakti conducted business?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. “They’ve had their ups and downs, yes. I don’t think Rock was necessarily angry with Guru Shakti last night, but I would say he was at least a little frustrated.”
We all leaned in a little as she made that revelation. Ethan continued writing as he spoke. “Do you know what their disagreement was about? Why was Mr. Holliday so frustrated with the guru?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She gave a half shrug. “Business stuff. Rock was always looking for ways to monetize the classes. He wanted to commercialize the entire process—merchandise with motivational sayings. Brand deals. Celebrity endorsements. The works.”
Ethan was still making notes, and Sam seemed content to let us do most of the talking, so I took the opportunity to speak up again. “And the guru disagreed with that approach?” I tried to hide my surprise. Everything I’d seen of Guru Shakti up to that point had made me think he would have welcomed Rock’s attempts to squeeze more money out of the Roar Power program.
Maybe I’d been wrong about him, though.
“I don’t know if he totally disagreed,” Babs answered. “But I think he was a little resistant to it at first. I think the guru has a specific vision for his course and his brand. I think he would have been happier if Rock had stayed on as a silent investor, but…” She paused and then smiled a little. “He obviously didn’t know Rock that well.”
Ethan finished writing and looked back up at Babs. “Is there anyone else you can think of who might have had an issue with Rock? Anyone who might have wanted to hurt him—or who might have benefited in some way from his death?”
She barely even took any time to think about her answer before shaking her head. “No, nobody I can think of. My husband was larger than life and could be very outspoken at times, but most people adored that part of him.”
“Okay, thank you.” Ethan stood up and then waited a moment while Sam and I did the same. “We won’t take up any more of your time this morning, Mrs. Holliday. I appreciate your cooperation, and I’m sorry for your loss.”
Once we had all said goodbye and were out in the corridor by ourselves, Sam whispered the question that had been on my mind from the beginning. “Do you think she was telling the truth?”
Ethan took a deep breath and gave a slight shake of his head. “I honestly don’t know. One thing is for sure, though—not everyone on this ship adored her husband. Someone wanted him dead.”
I got a chill at the thought. Someone—probably someone we’d seen, maybe even spoken with during this trip—had killed Rock Holliday. Until we knew who and why, there was no guarantee that anyone on board was totally innocent.
Or totally safe.
After we parted ways with Ethan, Sam and I thought it would be a good idea to sit in on another of Guru Shakti’s yoga classes.
Maybe his demeanor had changed since learning of Rock’s death.
Maybe we’d be able to see some kind of unmistakable look of guilt in his eyes. Or maybe a look of innocence.
And if we had to endure a ridiculously strenuous workout to get to the bottom of the investigation, well… at least the buffet would be there waiting for us when we were finished.
“You’re sure we can’t just skip the workout and go for an early lunch?” Sam echoed my own thoughts as we lingered for a moment outside the door to the guru’s class. “We might be able to think better on a full stomach.”
It was a tempting idea. I certainly didn’t want to work out any more than she did at that moment, but it really was the best opportunity we were likely to have for a while when it came to observing Shakti’s behavior
.
I gave her a knowing look and a hint of a smile. “Our stomachs are already full, Sam. We just had breakfast a little while ago.”
“That’s true.” She nodded, then perked up a little. “Which means we should probably take some more time to let our food digest, right?”
“Good idea.” I opened the door and motioned for her to walk through. “Let’s just get this over with. It’ll be worth it if we come out of here with some useful information.”
I was surprised to see that the class hadn’t started yet when we walked in. We didn’t have time to think or talk about it, though, because Guru Shakti immediately rushed over the moment he saw us.
“Please, tell me it isn’t true.” He sounded genuinely distraught. “I still can’t believe it. I’m… I’m in shock.”
“Does everyone else in the class know?” I asked, wondering if word of Rock’s death had started making its way through the rest of the ship.
“I’m not sure,” he answered. “I’ve only discussed it with the ship’s staff and my own close advisers. I was in my room meditating all night. Everything was so peaceful. I wasn’t even picking up on any negative energy. Then this happened.”
We weren’t going to keep the story contained for much longer. But every extra minute counted while we were trying to ask questions and find out the truth.
“Rock Holliday was an early financial backer for Roar Power, wasn’t he?” Sam asked in a nonchalant voice that made it sound like the question had just occurred to her, like it was just out of idle curiosity.
Shakti’s eyes narrowed for a split-second. He obviously wasn’t convinced, either. “He believed in my vision when it was just that—a vision. I’ll always be grateful for his backing even if we didn’t always see eye to eye about the direction of Roar Power.”
Sam looked over at me, no doubt thinking the same thing I was. Shakti had just basically confirmed what Babs Holliday had told us about how the two men disagreed. Now it was time to get the guru’s version of what happened.
I considered attempting Sam’s nonchalant approach, but there wasn’t really a casual or delicate way to ask the question that was on the tip of my tongue. “Did you and Mr. Holliday argue about the business very often?”
“Not that often,” he answered. “And I wouldn’t call the conversations we had arguments. Spirited disagreements, maybe. We are—were—both passionate in our beliefs. I think that’s pretty normal when two strong-willed people collaborate on a project.” He looked thoughtful for a moment then added, “I honestly wonder which direction his wife will want to take things, but I suppose that’s a conversation for another time.”
“Probably so,” I nodded. “Can you think of anyone who might have considered Rock to be an enemy? Anyone else who might benefit in some way from his death?”
“Rich and powerful men tend to have more enemies than friends.” He shrugged. “I know he and Petal had bad blood between them. I never knew why, exactly, but neither of them kept their dislike for each other a secret.”
Sam and I exchanged another quick glance. “Thank you, Guru,” I said. “We won’t monopolize your time any further. I’m sure the rest of the class is just as eager as we are to begin.”
He nodded then turned away and started calling out affirmations to some of the people standing closest to us. Sam and I started walking toward the back of the room to our usual spot where we could alternate between desperately trying to keep up with the workout and collapsing in a heap onto our yoga mats.
“Do you believe him?” she whispered once we were safely out of earshot.
“I’m not sure,” I answered as truthfully as I could. “But I think we both know who we need to talk to next.”
“I wish I could go with you after this,” Sam sighed. “I have to get some work done, though. Once word gets out that one of our VIP passengers has been killed…” She paused and looked around quickly, no doubt hoping nobody heard what she’d just said. “The customer liaison desk is going to be a nightmare this afternoon.”
I winced. There would be plenty of fires to put out on social media as well. I was thankful that I didn’t have to deal with the speculation and all of the resulting questions in person like she did, though. And until I’d received an official statement from Kelly or the captain, there wasn’t much I could say on the matter anyway.
Which meant I was totally free to pay a visit to Petal once we’d finished our Roar Power session.
Chapter Ten
I barely took a break after Guru Shakti’s class—just long enough to go back to my cabin for a quick shower and change of clothes before I made my way back to the other side of the ship where I knew Petal’s class would be meeting.
Thankfully, I also knew from past experience that it wasn’t going to be nearly as intense as the Roar Power session. In fact, I would have probably been looking forward to the quiet, soothing round of stretches and motivational affirmations if it hadn’t been for the fact that I was trying to help out in the investigation of Rock’s death.
A potential murder always seemed to put a damper on feel-good motivational thoughts.
Petal’s inspirational speech was in full swing when I slipped inside the room and took my place at the back. Her voice was soothing and quiet but still powerful enough to command everyone’s complete attention.
Even after being around both groups several times, I still couldn’t get over how different her approach was from Guru Shakti’s. They were both pushing a similar message—well-being through opening one’s mind and body using their patented techniques—but the methods weren’t similar at all.
Roar Power was all about aggressively making the most of your day and seizing opportunities. From what I could tell, Shakti placed a lot of value on looking inward for motivation and results.
Petal’s Breathe Light yoga took the opposite approach. Listening to her talk, I immediately picked up on the message of light and love, peace and tranquility and understanding. Instead of searching for meaning and understanding within ourselves, Petal encouraged her followers to go out into the world, to improve other people’s lives and to encourage world peace, vegan cuisine, and all sorts of other New Age philosophies.
I personally enjoyed it more just because I didn’t have to work up a sweat every time I wanted to speak with her, but that may or may not have been anyone else’s motivation for attending Petal’s classes.
“Now, I want all of you to close your eyes.” Petal’s soft voice carried effortlessly across the otherwise silent room. “And think about what you’re going to do today. Be mindful and purposeful in your intentions. We want to always set an example with our kindness, our goodness, our environmentally sustainable vegan lifestyle. We need to be the change we want to see in the world. Think of something—whether it’s something small or something big—that you can do to make someone else’s day just a little bit brighter. That’s going to be our focus for today. We’re going to spread love and light as far as we can.”
With my eyes closed and the warm message washing over me, it was almost impossible not to smile as I thought about how I could make Ethan’s day better. Or Sam’s. Or any of the other people I work side by side with on a daily basis.
First, though, I needed to stay focused on why I was attending Petal’s class in the first place. And after a few more words about kindness and well-being, I seized my opportunity to get some one-on-one time with the Breathe Light leader.
I quickly made my way to the front of the class and dodged past Petal’s assistant, Tomek. “Petal,” I called out just as she was about to exit through a side door. “I was hoping I could have a quick word with you.”
And okay, maybe it wasn’t the most polite thing to follow her into the adjoining conference room without asking or to completely ignore Tomek’s quiet but insistent demands for me to come back later, but I knew this was my best opportunity to speak to her without a crowd of her trainees listening in.
Besides, as I smiled innocently and cl
osed the conference room door behind us, I figured it was one of those cases where it would have been easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
“Oh, dear.” Her smile seemed genuine even though I noticed her quick glance in Tomek’s direction. “Of course we can talk. I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of time right now, but—”
“Just a couple of minutes is all I need, really,” I interrupted before she had a chance to turn me down in her sugary-sweet way. “I was hoping we could talk for a moment about Rock Holliday.”
She noticeably bristled at the mention of Rock’s name, but only for a split second. “I can’t imagine what I could say about Mr. Holliday that would be of any interest. Live and let live, that’s my motto as far as he’s concerned.”
I blinked.
Live and let live?
She didn’t know. I’d just assumed that she’d heard about Rock’s death through the same grapevine that Shakti had, but apparently not. Then again, it sort of made sense that Shakti had heard first, since he’d been business partners with Rock.
I frowned and lowered my voice just a little. “I’m sorry to tell you like this, but Rock Holliday died sometime last night.” I paused for a moment as Petal and Tomek both gasped. “I was just wondering if you’d perhaps seen or heard anything.”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid I haven’t. I’ll be including him in our daily devotion of light and love. Our trainees will all send out positive healing energy to his wife and family. I’m sure they all need it right now.”
“That’s very kind.” I nodded. And it was a kind gesture, but I wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily. I didn’t necessarily think Petal had anything to do with Rock’s death, but I didn’t know enough to completely rule out her involvement, either. So far, I hadn’t been able to rule out anyone. The more information I could get, the better. “Can you think of anyone who might not be sending positive energy to Rock’s family today? Anyone on board the ship he might have considered to be an enemy?”
Calmer Cruises: A Humorous Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 12) Page 6
