Chapter 22
“Let’s go.” Captain Armati strode down the hall and into the bridge.
Millie hurried after Captain Vitale and Captain Armati, who picked up the pace and began jogging toward the exit door. “Where are they?”
“She’s up on the bow of the ship, right next to the crew hot tub area,” Vitale said breathlessly. “Patterson and Doctor Gundervan are up there now, trying to talk her into coming down.”
Millie was certain she knew exactly who was up on the bow, threatening to jump. It was Paloma Herdez.
They hustled down the stairs, along a small hall, through a secret passageway marked “crew only” and emerged onto the bow of the ship.
The crew-only outdoor deck area was large. It included two hot tubs, a covered bar area and several lounge chairs. Millie had stopped by a few months back to check it out, but it wasn’t her favorite crew-only area of the ship. She preferred spending her limited free time sleeping or reading…or with Captain Armati.
Her heart sank when she spotted the young woman, Paloma, teetering on the edge of the railing, gripping it with both hands. Her eyes were wild, and locked on Dave Patterson, who spoke to her in a low, soothing voice.
“You don’t want to do this, Paloma,” Patterson said softly. “You have so much to live for. Think of your family, think of your friends. If you come down, we’ll help you. You’re not alone.”
A cluster of the ship’s crew stood off to one side. Millie shifted her gaze, shaded her eyes and studied the upper decks. Several passengers had noticed, too, and began to gather along the railings.
“I did not kill Luigi,” Paloma cried. “I loved him and he loved me.”
“No one said you killed Luigi,” Patterson said.
“It was Marcus. First, he after me, then he kill my boyfriend,” she insisted. “He jealous of my b-.”
Millie was certain she was about to say “baby” but caught herself before the words came out.
Doctor Gundervan, who was standing next to Patterson, reached out his hand. “Come down from there, Paloma.”
Paloma stared at Gundervan’s hand. She shifted her body and in that moment, she lost her grip and began to teeter back and forth.
Patterson lunged forward and grasped Paloma’s upper arm, jerking her toward him and the safety of the ship. They both fell onto the deck. Patterson landed on his back and Paloma landed on top of him.
The passengers and crew began to cheer and clap as Patterson eased the young woman onto the deck. He scrambled to his feet and then helped Paloma up.
Paloma gazed at the crew and crowd before lowering her head and covering her eyes. Patterson placed a protective arm around her shoulders as they made their way inside the ship. Doctor Gundervan followed close behind.
“That was horrible,” Millie gasped.
“Thank God Patterson was able to reach her in time.” Captain Armati shook his head. He turned to Captain Vitale. “We must put her on suicide watch and arrange for her transportation home as soon as we dock in Miami tomorrow.”
“Yes sir.” Vitale gave a small salute and hurried after Patterson, Paloma and Gundervan.
“I should get back to work,” Millie told the captain, who was eyeing the crew still hovering nearby.
“They should too.” Captain Armati nodded at Millie and then headed toward the crew, who quickly dispersed when they noticed the captain heading in their direction.
Millie ran into Andy, who was hurrying down the hall. “It’s over. Patterson pulled Paloma to safety.”
“Whew!” Andy rubbed his brow. “She was going to jump?”
“It sure looked like it. Captain Armati is arranging for her transportation home when the ship docks in Miami tomorrow.”
“Many more people leave this ship and there won’t be anyone left,” Andy joked.
Millie frowned.
“I’m kidding. I was looking for Patterson to see if the lead he was following up on panned out,” Andy said. “Do you mind heading backstage to meet with the entertainment staff while I chat with Patterson?”
“Not at all.” Millie touched his arm. “I hope he’s onto something.”
Andy glanced at his watch. “You don’t have to meet the crew for another half hour if you want to run up to the lido deck to grab a bite to eat.” He pointed at her necklace. “Nice necklace. Did you buy it in St. Thomas?”
Millie lifted her hand and rubbed the tip of her finger over the heart. She smiled. “No. It was a gift.”
“Ah.” Andy raised a brow. “Glad to hear you and the captain have patched things up.” He grinned at Millie and then headed down the steps.
Millie wasn’t hungry since she’d just dined with the captain, which was perfect. It would give her enough time to chat with a certain electrician on board.
***
“Paloma…she crazy.” Marcus twirled his finger near his temple. “These housekeeping women, I need to stop dating them.”
“Do you think Paloma killed Luigi?” Millie asked.
“She crazy in love with him, but then, she was crazy in love with me until she saw bigger fish in the sea, if you know what I mean.”
Millie wondered if Marcus knew about Paloma’s pregnancy. She had a hunch he did not.
“So you and Paloma dated and then she moved on to Luigi, your boss?
“Yes.” Marcus nodded.
“Let’s go back to the karaoke area, where we found the power strip. You said it didn’t belong to the ship because all of the power strips have the safety trip.”
“Yes. That power strip was not ours,” Marcus confirmed.
“Where do you think the power strip came from?” Millie asked, and then it dawned on her. “Perhaps it belonged to one of the passengers?”
Marcus scratched his chin thoughtfully. “You think a crewmember stole it from a passenger and then switched it out?”
Millie jumped to her feet. “I think we may be onto something. I’m going down to guest services to see if anyone reported a power strip missing from their cabin.”
“I dated a crazed killer.” Marcus shook his head.
Millie reached the doorway and turned back. She held a finger to her lips. “You mustn’t breathe a word about this, Marcus.”
“No Miss Millie. I will not,” the man promised. “I gotta start checking these girlfriends’ backgrounds before becoming involved.”
Millie headed up to the guest services desk and her heart sank when she discovered Nikki Tan was not working. She would have to return later. For now, the show must go on and it was time to head backstage.
She met with the dancers for a brief pre-show meeting and then spent the next hour darting back and forth, helping them switch outfits between performances.
As soon as the show ended, Andy arrived on scene and the two of them worked to put the dancers’ costumes, including shoes, accessories and headdresses away.
When they finally took a breather, Millie asked if Andy had any new information.
“No. Patterson talked to Paloma and she swears up and down she had nothing to do with Luigi’s death and she’s devastated.” Andy placed a feathered boa on the hook and shook his head. “The jerk, God rest his soul, told Paloma he planned to divorce his wife and that he was going to marry her.”
He went on. “She doesn’t seem like the killer-type, not that I’ve known many killers in my life.”
Millie was exhausted. It had been a long day, even though it was only quarter till ten. More than anything she wanted to go back to her cabin, crawl into bed and pretend the countdown for both the captain’s departure and Andy’s arrest wasn’t hours away.
Instead, she grabbed a quick cup of coffee up on the lido deck and then made her way back to guest services.
Millie’s friend, Nikki, was working. There was a long line of passengers, waiting to talk to someone in guest services, and the line snaked all the way around the room.
The guest services area was always a zoo the last day of the cruise, and an area
Millie avoided if possible. Passengers received copies of their onboard charges the last day of the cruise, and many of them visited guest services to either complain about the charges or try to dispute them.
Millie waited off to the side until there was a lull in the crowd before hurrying over to the desk.
Nikki smiled as Millie approached. “Hello Millie.”
“I have no idea how you keep a smile on your face after dealing with all these disgruntled passengers.”
“Years of practice,” Nikki joked. “What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if any of the passengers reported a missing power strip during this cruise,” Millie said.
“Not that I’ve heard.” Nikki shook her head. “Let me check the system. We keep a detailed log of each passenger’s complaint.” She shifted her gaze and stared at the computer screen before reaching for the mouse. “As a matter of fact, we did. It was a couple days ago. A passenger by the name of Cathy Dennison reported her power strip had gone missing.”
Nikki eyed Millie. “The power strip from the other night, the one that you and the crew found near the karaoke…that was it. You think someone stole a passenger’s power strip and hooked it up near the stage in an attempt to electrocute someone.”
“Me,” Millie said. “I think they were after me.” She pointed at the computer. “One more favor. Can you tell me where this passenger’s cabin was located?”
“Sure.” Nikki reached for the mouse. “Cabin 11202, up on the…”
Millie lifted a hand. I know exactly where that’s at. It’s the spa suites and where Paloma Herdez works.”
Chapter 23
Millie glanced at her watch. The housekeeping staff worked late into the evening for turndown service. She knew Paloma wasn’t working and was more than likely sitting inside the medical center where Doctor Gundervan and his staff could keep a close eye on her until they could get her off the ship the following morning for her journey home.
Something was nagging in the back of Millie’s mind. When she reached the cabin, she pulled Danielle’s cell phone from the desk drawer, switched it on and studied the fuzzy picture of Marcus and Paloma.
There was some small clue she couldn’t put her finger on. Perhaps it was because she was exhausted and stressed out.
She reached up and touched the necklace Captain Armati had given her. Maybe a trip up to the spa suites would help jog her memory. She exited the cabin and strode down the hall. As she climbed the stairs, she vowed after this, she was going to bed.
Millie had run out of ideas. There was nothing she could do to clear Andy’s name, to keep the captain on board the ship or help poor Paloma.
Millie made a detour to Annette’s kitchen to update her on all that had happened since that morning, but the galley was empty so she retraced her steps and headed to deck eleven.
The hall appeared to be empty except for a housekeeping cart shoved against one of the hall walls. She hurried down the hall, making her way past the first cart. There was another cart, farther down the hall and on the same side.
Millie heard someone humming as she passed by the second cart. One of the passenger’s suite doors was propped open and inside the suite was a crewmember, bent over the side of the unmade bed.
“Hello?”
The humming stopped. The person stood upright and spun on their heel. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“I was wondering,” Millie said as she stepped into the suite. “This spa suite area is small. How many housekeeping staff members cover this section?”
The petite, dark-haired woman stepped closer. She looked vaguely familiar. Millie glanced at the nametag the woman was wearing, Hazelle.
Millie’s heart skipped a beat as she studied the woman’s face. This was it. The clue. Hazelle, Paloma’s cabin mate, also worked on this deck. “You’re Paloma’s cabin mate.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I am.” The woman’s eyes narrowed and she glanced at Millie’s tag. “You are the assistant cruise director, the one who broke into our cabin the other morning.”
Millie took a step back. “Broke is kind of a strong word. It was more like entered, accessed, not really ‘broke.’”
“What do you want?” The woman crossed her arms and leaned forward. She looked a lot like Paloma. Dark hair, dark eyes, olive colored skin. Thin. Petite.
In that instant, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. The phone in Paloma and Hazelle’s cabin belonged to Hazelle. The blurry picture on the phone was Hazelle and Marcus. “You dated Marcus, one of the electrical engineers,” Millie said as she remembered Marcus’ comment about dating crazy women in the housekeeping department.
The woman took a step closer. “No,” she said.
Millie pressed on. “You found out Marcus was still chasing after Paloma. I saw the picture of you and Marcus, taken not long ago.”
“I…”
Millie cut Hazelle off. “You found out about Paloma and Luigi’s secret relationship. Maybe you even knew about the baby and thought it might be Marcus’ baby so you decided to kill Luigi and throw Paloma under the bus. She’s gone. You get Marcus back.”
“But it was your boss, the Cruise Director, Andy Walker. He killed Luigi,” Hazelle insisted.
Millie shook her head. “You knew that theory wouldn’t hold water and that the secret relationship between Luigi and Paloma would be uncovered and she was the perfect suspect.”
“Then, when you found out I had been inside your cabin, you panicked. You realized your phone was in the drawer and there was a good chance I’d seen the picture.”
“You worried that when the investigators discovered the relationship between you and Marcus, they might start taking a closer look at you.”
She went on. “So you stole one of the passengers’ power strips, knowing it was a fire hazard or electrical hazard and you hooked it up to the karaoke stage. Because I was in charge of karaoke, you hoped you would be able to silence me but it backfired.”
Hazelle took a menacing step toward Millie, a dark look in her eyes. “You should have kept out of this. Luigi deserved to die. Paloma should’ve jumped off the ship today after discovering the note Luigi wrote before his death.”
“What note?”
“The note where he told her he was ending the relationship and he wanted her to get rid of the baby, that he didn’t want it,” Hazelle sneered.
A bolt of fear ran down Millie’s spine as she stared into the eyes of one of the evilest people she had ever met. “Luigi never wrote a note,” Millie said. “You wrote it and convinced your cabin mate, your friend, Paloma, the only way out was to take her own life. Think of the shame, the dishonor Paloma would face, having to return home unwed, with a baby on the way and the baby’s father, a married man, dead.”
Millie turned to go. “I’m going to tell Dave Patterson what I know.” She caught a small movement out of the corner of her eye, right before she felt a crushing pressure on her windpipe. Seconds later, everything went dark.
Chapter 24
Millie’s eyes fluttered as she attempted to open them. She tried to lift her head but a dull, throbbing pain caused her to reach for her throat instead.
She heard a shuffling noise and Doctor Gundervan appeared in Millie’s line of vision, a concerned expression on his face. “She’s coming to,” he said.
Millie couldn’t see who he was talking to. “What happened?” she croaked.
“Hazelle Kahn tried to strangle you.” Millie shifted her gaze to the voice nearby. It was Captain Armati. He reached out and gently grasped her hand. “Thank God you’re going to be all right.”
Millie nodded and then closed her eyes. It was starting to come back. She had confronted Hazelle, and accused her of killing Luigi Falco and attempting to kill her.
They had argued and Millie had told her she was going to Dave Patterson with the information.
“I remember now,” Millie whispered. “Hazelle killed Luigi Falco and tried to murder me.”
She tried to sit up and realized she was lying on a hospital bed.
Dave Patterson stepped forward. “We’ve arrested Hazelle for murder and attempted murder. If not for Nikki Tan’s concern when she realized you might have been onto Luigi’s killer and alerted me, Hazelle may have claimed another victim and gotten away with another murder.”
Millie tried to speak, to explain what had happened, but everyone insisted she rest. She was exhausted and, with the knowledge that Andy was now safe, she drifted off to sleep.
When Millie awoke some time later, there was only a small, dull throb in her throat and everyone was gone except for Andy, who was asleep in the chair next to her bed.
She stirred, which woke Andy and he jerked upright.
“What are you doing here?” Millie asked. “You should be in bed.”
Andy rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I can’t leave my heroine all alone,” he teased. “If not for you, I’d be in the brig by now.”
“True.” Millie smoothed the hospital sheet and grinned. “This ought to be good for something. I’ve got an idea. How ‘bout an early end to my latest probation?”
“Sorry. You’ll have to take that up with Patterson.” Andy shook his head. “If it were up to me, I’d give you a free pass for the whole year.”
“Ah. I see our patient is awake.” Doctor Gundervan strolled into the room and placed his hand on the back of Andy’s chair. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better.” Millie shoved the sheet aside. “I’m ready to blow this Popsicle stand.”
“Not so fast.” Doctor Gundervan held up a hand. “I want to take a quick peek at you before I cut you loose.”
Andy jumped out of his chair. “I’ll be out in the front waiting room.” He headed to the door, closing it behind him.
Doctor Gundervan checked Millie’s pulse, her blood pressure, her temperature, and then turned on his pen light before examining her throat. He finished by inspecting the sides of her neck. “You may have some bruising on your neck but it appears you’re no worse for the wear.”
Killer Karaoke (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Page 12
