by Sonia Parin
“Watercolor paper. What color does it come in?”
“White. Off white. Cream.”
“Cream. I like that.”
A seagull hovered over her. In less than twenty-four hours, the ship would cruise into port. Eve and Mira had already decided they’d had enough and would end their trip early. The thought of walking away and leaving behind a killer had her gritting her back teeth.
“Bethany Logan stands to inherit. Who else would gain from that?” Eve couldn’t help asking even as she played around with another idea...
Chapter Thirteen
Eve picked up her pace.
“Eve, talk to me.”
“I’m thinking and walking.” Jill had refused to let Eve hang up... just in case. “If I’m late for rehearsal, Lillian will have my head on a platter.”
“Well... multi-task and throw in some words while you walk. I’m getting a little worried here.”
“Did I tell you about Crystal’s neighbors saying they’d heard a couple of male voices coming from Crystal’s cabin?”
“I’m sure you mentioned it.”
“We know Carlos visited Crystal but we haven’t seen any other man acting suspiciously enough to be added to our list... other than the captain but he’s been on the list from the start and mostly because he insisted Crystal’s fall had been an accident. Now I’m thinking he really did play a hand in her death.”
“Why?”
“A couple of times I saw him with Lillian Wordsworth. They looked quite cozy together. Yet we know Crystal had been having an affair with someone. The way Carlos spoke suggested it had been him, but I’m not so sure.”
“You think it was the captain, but didn’t you say Crystal was too young to have been involved with him?”
“Each to his... or her own.”
“No. We’ve already played around with the idea of Crystal being involved with the captain and... you said you couldn’t really see it.”
“Because I kept trying to look at it from a biased frame of mind. I can’t help it. I’m not a professional crime fighter. I can’t suspend all my beliefs. Play along with me, Jill. If they had been involved, how would the captain gain by her death? He wouldn’t. We now know Crystal had been wealthy. We also know she’d paid for everyone’s fare.”
“She did?”
“That’s probably why she wielded so much power.” Eve frowned. “Everyone wore white for the photo shoot, but Genie, that’s the woman who helped me with the costume, said Crystal had been the only one who’d been free to wear what she wanted.”
“Are you suggesting they waited for her to die and then rebelled because she wasn’t around to object?”
“As petty as it sounds, yes.”
Jill hummed.
Eve giggled. “I’m picturing a thought bubble coming out of your head.”
“I’m trying to put the pieces together. I’m sorry to say they are not co-operating. You’re suggesting Crystal used her hold over the club to impose her own rules. I get that, but I’m not sure about her insisting only she could wear different outfits. It really is beyond petty.”
“Did I mention how unpopular she was? Can you imagine how she must have felt knowing everyone relied on her to pick up the tab? This would have been her way to secure the limelight for herself.’
“I can’t imagine ninety-nine of them huddling together and conspiring to kill Crystal so they could have the freedom to choose what to wear.”
“Why not? People have been killed for less.”
“Do we know if her sister has any money?” Jill asked.
“She does now.” What if she hadn’t had any money before? What if someone had conspired with Bethany to help her gain access to her inheritance... by killing her sister? “Okay... Let’s assume that’s the result the killer wanted to achieve.” Despite Bethany’s aggressiveness, Eve couldn’t bring herself to believe Bethany capable of killing her sister. “Where does that theory lead us?” Eve stopped and checked to see she was on the right deck. When she saw a couple of the impersonators walking ahead of her, she followed.
“You think someone associated with Bethany killed Crystal because they knew she would inherit—”
“All right. All Right. You’ve made your point, Jill. Crazy theory. Okay. Let’s keep it simple...” Eve suggested.
“What if Crystal threatened to pull the plug and stop financing the trips? That could definitely lead to an insurrection. If the group knew her sister stood to inherit, and assuming Bethany would be easier to deal with, the group might have decided to keep the cash flowing by getting rid of the threat.”
“I like that,” Eve said.
“In a minute you’re going to realize I’ve reinstated your ninety-nine suspects.”
Eve made a helpless gesture with her hand. “Yes, right when I wanted to whittle it all down to one suspect.”
“And if you had to pick one...”
“The captain. But...”
“That’s a big but. Should I do a drum roll?”
Eve stopped in her tracks.
“Eve? Speak to me.”
Eve was about to ask Jill for another minute so she could get all her ducks in a row, when a thought took hold of her.
An odd... stray thought that had sprung from out of nowhere.
“Do you think my behavior is... sometimes... not always, mind you, just occasionally... out of character... strange?”
Jill chortled. “You seriously want me to answer that? I’ve known you for a few months, but can one really ever know a person?”
“Jill, this is no time for philosophical delving. Simple question requires a simple answer.”
“I’m tempted to say you’ve surprised me from the start. However, if I really think about it, everything you do has your name written all over it. So the answer is no. You don’t act out of character. Why did you want to know?”
“Someone I met recently did something strange.” Why had Bronson tried to distract David?
He’d come across David on his stakeout...
Those had been his exact words... more or less.
How had Bronson Charles known David had been watching her back? Why not just assume David was a passenger hovering around, watching the parade of Carmen Miranda impersonators?
“Eve? Are you still there?”
“I can’t get off this ship fast enough. Bronson is...” He was a regular guy, keen to get himself back into shape. No, she was way off track with this one. Besides, what possible motive could he have for killing Crystal?
If there’d been a connection between him and Crystal Reid, Jack would have found it.
“Eve?”
“Don’t worry. I went off track.”
“Share.”
“Okay. Let’s say the killer is actually someone we haven’t considered. He’s not in any way involved with the victim. What would be his motive?”
“She saw something.”
“Huh?”
“She witnessed something she wasn’t meant to see. It’s in a book I read recently. A little boy sees something he wasn’t supposed to, and is pushed off a window.”
Eve drew in a sharp breath. “I asked David Bergstrom where he’d been between eleven and twelve that first day and he told me he’d been on a tour of the ship and there were photos to prove it. Everyone was excited, taking photos and filming.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“We need to think outside the box.”
“Because Bronson Charles did something unexpected?” Jill asked.
“It’s what gives the game away. Isn’t it?” She thought back to their first encounter. He’d been the one to tell her about the captain interrogating his staff. Eve had made the rounds of several restaurants and hadn’t heard a single peep, while Bronson had had the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time... What if he’d made it up? Why? For a wild moment, she imagined him as a hired killer. Eve laughed under her breath. Way to go, Eve, suspect all ninety-nine Carmen Miranda
impersonators of hiring a killer.
A hard hand wrapped around her elbow.
“I’d like a word with you.” The command was muttered through gritted teeth.
Eve recognized the voice. Her heart jumped to her throat. She tried to talk, to say something. She urged her throat to clear.
“Put the phone down.”
Eve complied but only because he’d put enough pressure on her arm to make it drop.
“Now keep walking.”
Did he have a weapon?
Her reasoning mind told her he did.
She could hear Jill calling out to her. Eve hoped... she prayed Jill would realize something was wrong.
She slanted her gaze toward him...
He looked grim.
Determined.
Eve had been making her way to the clubroom across the other side of the ship. They were halfway there. She could see the atrium coming up. Did she dare scream for help?
Would anyone hear her?
Most passengers were out and about, enjoying the lovely weather. She hadn’t ventured into the casino, but she knew it was a popular spot too. There was one located right after the atrium.
If she could somehow create a distraction...
“You’ll never get away with this. There are cameras everywhere. Someone’s probably watching us right now.”
“And your point is?” he asked.
“What are you going to do? Throw all the passengers overboard?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“It really is too late. You’re on the suspect list. In fact, I’ve just been talking about you with my colleague.”
He gave her a dismissive grunt. “An amateur sleuth on the ship. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Amateur? Well, let me tell you, I have enough experience to know you’ll be in handcuffs soon.”
“A crazy amateur to boot. You overestimate people’s ability to notice or even care. Everyone here wants to have a good time. That’s all they think about. They’re not likely to notice you or me walking behind you. And that’s how I want to keep it.”
Eve made a frantic search for something, anything she could use to her advantage. The stairs were coming up.
If she tried to use one of the manoeuvers Jack had taught her, she might manage to throw him off balance and send him toppling down the stairs. At which point, he would have hopefully released his hold of her arm.
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded.
“Somewhere private where no one will hear us. As I said, we need to talk.”
If he thought she would play along and allow herself to be walked up the gangplank, he had another think coming. “I should warn you. There’s no way you’ll ever get away with this. I’m expected and if I don’t turn up on time, people will notice and they’ll go looking for me.”
“Our talk will be over before anyone’s had a chance to notice you missing.”
Where was a Carmen Miranda impersonator when you needed one?
Before they reached the top of the stairs, he pulled her away and along another corridor.
So much for her plan to push him down the stairs...
She still held the cell phone clutched in her hand. Hopefully, she hadn’t pressed anything to disconnect the call. By now, Jill would have alerted Jack who would have contacted David.
The cavalry would be on its way. She had to believe it.
“This way.” He opened a door and guided her inside.
The alarm had been raised, Eve told herself even as she searched the cabin for something, anything she might use as a weapon. Why had she let him draw her into this cabin? When had she become a willing victim? No one else had been threatened. There hadn’t been anyone else at risk of collateral damage. She should have stood up to him. She should have... What? Elbowed him? Panic set in like cement pouring through her veins. The moment he’d grabbed her, she should have screamed. She should have...
Eve frowned.
Idiot. She held a weapon in her hand.
If she didn’t use it now, she’d live to regret it... Even if only for a few seconds or however long it took to hit the water... If he planned on killing her the same way he’d killed Crystal... Eve wrenched her eyes away from the balcony.
She clutched the phone against her.
The moment she swirled around, she could...
Throw it at him?
What if she missed?
No second thoughts, Eve.
Do it now, she told herself.
If she missed her chance, she might not get another one.
Just as she turned to face him, he shut the door.
Eve drew her arm back. In that split second, she caught sight of the kettle. She put all her focus on throwing the phone at him. As it left her hand, she reached for the kettle and swung back just as her phone hit him on the side of the head.
“What the hell are you doing?” he hollered.
“Trying to stay alive,” she screamed at the top of her voice, a tactic that had served her well in the past.
The phone must have hit him hard. He’d crouched down enough for Eve to now aim the kettle straight at his head.
With a mighty roar, she put all her weight into it and hit her target.
He went down for the count.
Eve stepped back and stared in astonishment.
She’d done it...
“Too easy.”
Grabbing the kettle, she used the cord to tie his hands. Thinking that wouldn’t be enough to immobilize him, she grabbed a table lamp and used that cord to tie his feet.
Eve picked up her cell phone. Thankfully, it still worked. She called Jill to let her know she was okay. Then she called David.
“Eve! Where are you? Jack called to say you were in trouble.”
“I’m in a cabin off the main atrium. I’ve tied him up, David. I’ve got him.”
She disconnected the call and waited for the cavalry to arrive. Better late than never...
She looked down at her prisoner.
When his eyelids fluttered open, he gritted his teeth and growled at her.
“Now. Now. No biting,” she warned.
“You stupid woman. Cut me loose.”
Eve laughed. “Really. That’s the best you have?”
“You’ve got the wrong man.”
“And that, my friend, is a cliché. You’ll have to do better.”
She watched him struggling. “I had my suspicions about you—”
“If you don’t cut me loose...”
“You’ll what? Throw me overboard?”
He spat out a curse. “Someone else has gone overboard. One of the cameras malfunctioned and didn’t tape over itself.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Yeah, a likely story.”
“It happened on the first day.”
“And what does that have to do with you killing Crystal?”
“I did not kill her.”
“So you want me to cut you loose. And then what? You tell me what a stupid woman I really am and push me overboard?” Eve laughed and looked at the screen on her cell phone to see who was calling her.
Jack.
“Tell me you’re all right,” he demanded.
Eve savored the sound of his voice. “I am now.” Jill had contacted him, just as Eve had hoped she would. “It’s all over, Jack. Don’t ask me how, but I’ve tied him up. And, surprise, surprise... not, he pleads innocence.” And, annoyingly, she wanted to hear the rest of his story.
Someone else had gone overboard? Did that mean someone else had been killed? Before or after Crystal? She and Jill had been playing around with a new theory. What if Crystal had seen something she wasn’t meant to?
“We’ve found something, Eve,” Jack said.
Eve sank into a chair.
“We searched Crystal’s house and looked through her computer. It took the tech guys some doing but they managed to get in. She took photos of the first day and emailed them to herself. At first we didn’t se
e anything of value, but we had a closer look... Something didn’t look right. I cross-referenced the information we have at hand. The passenger names, photos and cabin numbers.”
“Jack, I need you to give me the short version.”
“There’s a photo of a man coming out of a cabin. When we identified him using the passenger list photos, we checked his cabin number. The cabin he was photographed coming out of wasn’t his.”
Eve tried to make sense of everything Jack told her. “Why would Crystal have taken a photo of a man exiting his cabin?”
“She didn’t. She took a photo of one of the impersonators who was standing in the corridor. The man is standing in the distance.”
Frowning, Eve looked up and saw the cabin door pushed open. David appeared with Bronson hard on his heels.
David looked grim.
Eve held a finger up calling for a moment. She watched David and Bronson taking in the scene.
Eve looked down at the captain.
He’d tried to convince her someone else had gone overboard...
Turning her attention back to Jack, she said, “At some point you’re going to tell me who...” Although, she only needed Jack to confirm her suspicions.
Eve listened to Jack while she watched David helping the captain to his feet.
“Say again.”
Jack repeated the name. Eve nodded. It was the same name that had been bouncing around her head, but she still struggled to believe it.
“There is one thing I wanted to ask, Jack.” She drew in a breath and called for calm.
“What’s that?”
“Are you by any chance planning on meeting me in Florida?”
“As soon as I hang up, I’ll be on my way.”
“That’s a relief. I can’t wait to see you again.” She disconnected the call and looked up. The captain was spluttering away.
“Yes, yes. That’s enough of that,” Eve said. “David. Thank you for coming to my rescue.” She had to think fast and act even faster. “I don’t suppose you carry handcuffs on you?”
David grinned. “As a matter of fact, I commandeered a pair from one of the security guards.”
“You are so resourceful.”
He gave the kettle cord a tug. “You did a terrific job with this. What do you need handcuffs for? He’s not going anywhere.”
