The radio crackled and finally Marcus answered. “This is Marcus.”
“This is Millie Sanders. I’m on deck five in front of guest services with Andy Walker, the Cruise Director. I need you to stop by ASAP please.”
There was a brief silence. “10-4. I’m on my way.”
Marcus, accompanied by Filip, the second electrician who had also worked on the karaoke stage and set up, arrived a short time later. “Whatcha got Miss Millie?”
“Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I hear a faint buzzing noise.” She led the two men around the side of the newly constructed stage to the back and a cluster of wires. “It’s coming from somewhere over here.”
Millie pointed down, afraid to get too close. She remembered how the inside of the electrical panel had looked, and how Danielle had described what would happen if a person got too close and there was an electrical arc.
“I don’t hear anything.” Filip shook his head.
Andy hovered behind them. “I didn’t hear anything either.”
“I swear I heard it,” Millie insisted. The sound of laughter and clink of glasses from the bar area echoed in the cavernous space. “It’s too noisy in here.”
Andy shook his head and frowned. “I’m sorry to bother you fellas. I’m sure you have more important things to do.” He shot Millie a dark stare.
Marcus shook his head. “No sir. Since the…accident, we’ve had lots of calls from jittery crewmembers.” He shrugged. “Better safe than sorry.”
Marcus patted Millie’s shoulder. “You call whenever you’re concerned, Miss Millie.” He shifted to the side and started to step over the wires when he stopped in his tracks.
“Wait! I think I heard something, too.” Marcus took a step back, leaned forward and peered at a power strip, full of plug-ins. “It’s coming from there.” He glanced at Filip. “Kill the power in zone eight.”
Filip nodded and hurried over to the far wall where he opened a panel box. Moments later, the atrium went dark.
“Whoa!” Small gasps and murmurs filled the atrium and grew louder as passengers became alarmed at the sudden lack of light.
“Great,” Andy mumbled. “It’s okay folks,” he added in a loud voice. “The power will be back on in just a moment. Don’t panic.” He turned to Marcus. “Hurry up before the passengers freak out and stampede the place.”
“Yes boss.” Marcus bent down, grabbed the power strip and then jerked his hand back. “This strip is hot to the touch. I’m surprised it hasn’t caught fire.”
Chapter 17
“Quick, unplug it from the wall,” Marcus instructed Filip, who traced the power supply to a large cluster of outlets on the other side of guest services.
“It’s out,” Filip said.
“Switch the power back on.”
Filip hurried to the box, flipped the switch and bright lights, followed by the whir of equipment came to life.
Marcus picked up the power strip, holding it near the center as he studied the strip. “This could have been very bad.”
“Bad as in set the place on fire bad?” Millie asked.
“Yes and also the risk of someone being electrocuted.”
Marcus pointed to the plug-ins. “See these? This strip, the voltage is too high for this strip to handle.”
“Why would someone use this power strip if it wasn’t safe?” Andy asked. “I’m surprised the ship allows them to be used.”
“They don’t, Mr. Andy. All the ships power strips are required to have the automatic trip so that it shuts off if it gets too much juice.” Marcus turned the strip so Andy and Millie could see the front. “This one is not ours. It doesn’t have the button to automatically shut off the power supply.”
“So you’re saying you did not put this strip here?” Millie asked.
“No Miss Millie. I did not and I checked every wire the other day when you and I were here setting up.” Millie could vouch for the fact. Marcus and she had done a thorough inspection.
“I will report this to Carmine right away.” Marcus shifted the power strip to his other hand and bent down to inspect the plugs. “None of these plugs were damaged so I’ll get someone down here to put in the right power strip and test it for safety.”
Millie waited for Marcus and Filip to leave the area. “Why would someone intentionally switch out a safe power strip for an unsafe power strip?”
“It doesn’t make sense. Maybe we have a fire bug or a serial killer on the loose,” Andy said. “I’ll need to report this to Captain Armati and Donovan Sweeney.” The two finished discussing the changes to the karaoke area and all the while, in the back of her mind, Millie couldn’t shake the feeling she was the killer’s next target.
“Are you sure you’re not too rattled for karaoke?” Andy asked. “I could switch you and Danielle.”
“No,” Millie shook her head. “It’s okay. If it’s my turn to go, it’s my turn to go.”
“I agree, but none of us needs a helping hand,” Andy said. “I better head to the bridge to chat with Captain Armati.”
Andy left Millie staring at the stage, trying to remember if she’d told the audience she would be back for another round that evening. She remembered how Felix, one of the dancers, had co-hosted the karaoke. Perhaps he would be able to remember.
Millie stepped inside the empty theater and made her way to the back. Felix could be in any number of places, assisting in guest activities. The dancers didn’t carry radios, unless they were working on special assignments.
Most of the entertainment staff worked the lido deck for the dance parties and other guest participation contests, so Millie started there. She found Felix hosting a miniature golf contest on deck twelve and waited off to the side for the contest to wrap up.
After the contest ended and the participants departed, Millie stepped onto the putting green and made her way over to Felix, who smiled as she approached. “We still on for another night of Killer Karaoke this evening?”
“Aptly named,” Millie groaned.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” Millie waved her hand. “I have a question. The other night when you helped host the karaoke, did I happen to mention whether or not I would be hosting it again this evening?”
“Hmm.” Felix leaned on the golf club and stared out at the waves. “Yes. I think you did. Don’t you remember telling the passengers that you wanted to make it a 70’s disco / trivia / karaoke competition because it was one of your favorite eras?”
“You’re right.” Millie snapped her fingers. “I remember now. Thanks Felix. I’ll see you later.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Felix winked at Millie. “I hear they’re expecting an even larger crowd after word spread how much fun we had the other night.”
A passenger approached to ask Felix a question about the salsa dance class, and Millie slipped away, certain now she was the intended target.
Patterson needed to hurry up and figure out who killed Luigi Falco. If not, there might be more victims and one of them Millie!
***
“There you are.”
Millie pulled her keycard from the cabin door and waited while Danielle hurried toward her. “I tried radioing you but you didn’t answer.”
Millie glanced at her radio and noticed she had accidentally turned the volume all the way down, a big no-no when she was on duty. “Sorry. What’s up?”
“I heard you and Andy were up checking out the karaoke set up with the electricians and all of the sudden the lights went out.”
“There was a problem with one of the power strips,” Millie explained as she pushed the cabin door open and stepped inside, holding it for Danielle.
“What kind of problem?” Danielle asked.
Millie told Danielle what Marcus had said.
“So you think someone was trying to zap you?” Danielle’s eyes widened.
“Either that or we have an attempted serial killer on the loose.” Millie dropped her lanyard on the small desk and s
lid onto the chair. “Is this day over yet?”
“Not by a longshot. So are you interested in hosting the singles’ Mix and Mingles party while I host Killer Karaoke?” Danielle asked.
“No way.” Millie shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to chance my best bud getting electrocuted.”
Danielle snorted. “Nice try.” Her expression grew serious. “It seems to me that one of the electricians is behind all of this. It has to be someone who has a fair amount of knowledge about electrical stuff and is able to roam freely around the ship.”
“They would definitely have to know the ship’s layout,” Millie said. She lifted a finger. “We’ve got Carmine, Marcus, Paloma and I’m adding Filip, one of the other electricians who helped work on the karaoke equipment.”
“You could talk to Nikki Tan,” Danielle suggested. “She has a bird’s-eye view of the karaoke stage from behind guest services.
“Good idea.” Millie glanced at her watch. “If someone intentionally tried to set the stage for another electrocution and they realized their plan backfired, what do you think the chances are they will try again?”
Danielle shrugged. “If you’re sure it’s not a coincidence, then I would imagine there will be another attempt.” She brightened. “If somebody is out to do you in, we can set up a sting, catch them in the act.”
“How?”
“I’m sure Annette has some surveillance equipment suited for this type of mission,” Danielle said. “All you gotta do is set the trap. I’ll take a run by the galley before heading to the singles hoopla to see what I can come up with.”
She hurried on. “Later this evening, we sneak back to the area after the atrium bar closes for an old-fashioned stakeout.”
It didn’t sound like a foolproof plan to Millie, but they were short on time not to mention options. After tonight, the ship had one more night before docking in the home port of Miami. If Patterson wasn’t able to nail down a clear suspect, there was a good chance the authorities would remove Andy from the ship and charge him with Luigi Falco’s murder.
***
Andy had been right, and Killer Karaoke was an even bigger success than before. Millie quickly decided Felix was the perfect co-host and she wasn’t sure who had more fun, the guests or her and her partner.
Passengers packed the dance floor for the disco-era music and even managed to drag Millie and Felix onto the dancefloor to join in the festivities.
By the time karaoke ended, Millie’s feet were sore and her voice hoarse. After the last passenger drifted off, the pair packed up the equipment and wandered off the stage.
“That was loads of fun,” Felix said.
“It was, hands down, my favorite hosting event ever.” Millie gave Felix a quick hug and told him she couldn’t wait for next time, before limping back to her cabin to get ready for the stakeout.
Chapter 18
Annette slipped the small camera behind the brochure display on top of the excursion desk and then pulled her cell phone from her pocket before turning it on. “Needs to go a little to the left.” She reached up and shifted the device. “Perfect.”
“Aren’t you afraid someone is going to see this, steal it or worse yet, turn it in?” Millie whispered as she crouched behind the desk.
“Not at all.” Annette shook her head. “The excursion desk won’t be open until we dock in Miami since there aren’t any more port stops.” She studied her phone. “I could use one more device on the other side, by guest services, but there’s no way the second one will go undetected unless we attach it to something.” She lifted her head and stared at the desk on the other side of the room. “It’s too risky. This will have to do.”
“Now what?” Danielle asked.
“We wait,” Annette said. “You might as well make yourself comfy.” She shifted to a sitting position, scooched back and leaned against the wall.
Millie gazed at her watch. It was midnight. They had decided to stake out the karaoke area for a couple hours, or until they were too tired to stay awake. Without a set of eyes watching the stage, they wouldn’t catch anything. Annette would have to record any suspicious activity on her phone.
“I’m hungry,” Danielle muttered. “I wish I had brought a snack.”
“I’ve been experimenting on a fabulous new sandwich for the deli I plan to roll out soon. You can come up and taste test in the morning if you want,” Annette offered.
“You mean we can be your guinea pigs?” Millie teased. “I’ll try it.”
“Me too,” Danielle said.
The trio grew quiet and the faint strains of music from the late night dance club, Tahitian Nights, drifted down.
“I’m bored.” Danielle yawned.
“You don’t have to stay,” Millie said. “Not all sleuthing involves rappelling down the sides of cruise ships or leading suspects into the Mayan jungle.”
“Or swinging over the sides of balconies and crawling through ventilation systems,” Danielle shot back.
“Touché.”
“Shush. I hear someone coming.” Annette held a finger to her lips.
Millie sucked in a breath and turned her ear. There was someone coming. She could hear the sharp click of their heels on the tile floors. The sound was coming from the hall, leading into the atrium area.
“We’re running out of time, captain.” The voice belonged to Purser Donovan Sweeney, whose office was located directly behind guest services.
“Patterson isn’t making any progress?” Captain Armati asked.
“I talked to him earlier this evening, sir. He said he’s following up on several leads but admitted he might not finish his investigation before we dock in Miami.” Donovan’s voice faded and then a door shut.
Danielle placed her forehead in the palm of her hand. “We’re running out of time. If we…or they, can’t figure out who killed Falco, Andy is on the hook.” She turned to Millie. “They’ll probably put you in charge as acting cruise director and me as assistant cruise director.”
The statement sent a bolt of fear down Millie’s spine. She was not prepared to take over as cruise director. Andy’s shoes were too big to fill. Not only that, Danielle was in no way, shape or form ready to take on the role of assistant cruise director. They needed to figure out who had murdered Falco and tried to electrocute Millie earlier that evening and they needed to move fast.
“I’ll march down to Patterson’s office first thing tomorrow morning,” Millie said. “Right after I stop by the galley to taste Annette’s newest creation.”
The trio stayed hidden behind the excursions desk for another hour, waiting for Donovan and the captain to leave Donovan’s office. Finally, Millie began to nod off and they called it a night.
Danielle offered to camp out for a while longer, just in case someone showed up but the other two agreed it was more than likely a waste of time.
“Are you going to take the camera?” Millie asked Annette.
“Nah. I got about a dozen of them. Bought ‘em in bulk when they were buy one, get one free.” Annette waved a hand. “I’ll come back for it tomorrow.”
When they reached the crew quarters, Annette turned right at the bottom of the stairs while Millie and Danielle made a left. It had been another failed mission and Millie was growing frustrated. Captain Armati had one foot out the door, or in his case, down the gangway and Andy’s career, not to mention his freedom, was in jeopardy.
She wondered why he didn’t seem more concerned. Maybe he had faith Patterson would come through. Millie couldn’t sit back and watch as her friend, her mentor, was arrested and removed from the ship. She knew Andy hadn’t killed Luigi and maybe that’s why Andy was taking it so calmly. He knew he was innocent and believed somehow justice would prevail.
After she climbed into bed and tucked the covers under her chin, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for a break in the case. She prayed for Andy, for Cat, who was making progress on her road to recovery and, last, but not least, she prayed God would heal her b
roken heart.
It took some time before Millie was able to drift off to sleep and after she did, she dreamt she was back in the jungle, chasing after Danielle, who was, once again, in imminent danger.
She had several other jumbled dreams and finally woke with a lingering feeling something was about to happen.
Millie climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom.
Danielle was awake by the time Millie emerged. “What a restless night.” Danielle lifted her hands above her head and attempted to stretch, but the low ceiling was in the way so she hopped off her bunk and tried again. “What’s your schedule for this morning?”
“The first thing I’m going to do is head to the galley to see what new recipe Annette has concocted. After that, I’m going to run by Dave Patterson’s office before I start my shift.”
Millie made her way over to the small desk, picked up her schedule for the day and then grabbed her reading glasses before slipping them on. “Group cycling up on the sports deck?” she moaned. “Now I think Andy is trying to kill me.”
“Nah,” Danielle smiled. “It’s fun. I did it the other day. You’ll survive. It’s a stationary bike.”
“I’ve got the behind the scenes tour,” Danielle said.
Millie wrinkled her nose. “Andy is letting you host the tour?”
“No. I’m there to watch and observe, which means I’ll be with Andy during the tour so you’re free to do a little more sleuthing.”
“Good point.” Millie waited for Danielle to use the bathroom first. She turned the television on and watched as Andy broadcast his morning show, ticking off the list of events on board the ship for their last fun-filled day at sea. He looked so calm, cool and collected.
Danielle popped out of the bathroom. “It’s all yours.”
Millie stood. “Say. That picture you took when we were inside Paloma’s cabin, the one of her and Marcus. Can I take a look at it again?”
Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Page 9
